Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1563057.015 - Broder Bros Co

Inspection Information - Office: Bridgeport Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 7:30 a.m. on about November 5, 2021, four employees were exposed to adhesive vapors from a hot stamping machine. The employees were spraying 3M Super 77 Adhesive from a can attaching patches to blankets. The process involved spraying the back of the patch and pressing it firmly into the blanket. Spraying started early in the morning around 6:00 a.m. and workers wore nitrile or vinyl gloves and a face mask as part of COVID-19 precautions. The spraying area was open and contained several workbenches that the employees stood around. Ventilation included a couple of wall mounted fans and the air conditioning vents on the ceiling. Coworker #1 (Vice President) stated that the ventilation was not on at the time of the incident. An employee told Coworker #2 (Group Leader) that the smell was very strong and she said she would talk to a Coworker #1. Coworker #1 stated he purchased 12 to 15 cans of the spray adhesive at a local hardware store for the purpose already stated. He said 7 to 8 cans were in use on the day of the incident. Coworker #3 (Jr. Supervisor) instructed the employees how to use the spray adhesive without mentioning increasing the ventilation in the area. Coworker #2 reported that employees complained of nausea, headache, cough and sore throat. Coworker #2 said that one person vomitted. Around the time of the incident Coworker #2 reported 3 people were actively spraying in the area and the work was halted after one employee fainted in the bathroom. At that point (at approximately 8:58 a.m.), someone (unspecified) called an ambulance. Three workers were transported to the hospital and released the same day. One additional worker went to the hospital 3 days later. None of the employees were admitted. The adhesive contained acetone, propane, cyclohexane, hexane, and other petroleum distillates.

Keywords: Acetone, Adhesive, Chemical Vapor, Cough, Dizziness, Engineering Controls, Glue, Headache, Hexane, Inhalation, Lack of Engineering Controls, Lack of Work Procedures, Loss of consciousness, Lost consciousness, Lung, Nausea, Overcome by vapors, Overexposure, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Petroleum Naphtha, Propane, Sprayed, Throat, Unconsciousness, Vapor, Ventilation, Vomit