Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315531814 - All Metals Processing Of Orange County Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

On November 5, 2012, Employee #1, an assistant anodizer, was working on a facility where parts were anodized. At the facility, there were large 1675-gallon tanks of anodizing solution. The tanks were 12 ft long by 48 in. wide by 5 ft deep. The tanks were orientated side by side along their 12 ft side, which did not allow access to the middle tanks. A u-shaped metal piece, 10.5 in. wide, was over the sides of the adjacent tanks to bridge any gap. Employee #1's duties included the placement of racks, which had different parts wired on it, onto a hoist. The racks were lowered via the hoist into a series of tanks for a specified amount of time to anodize the parts. On many occasions, these parts would become loose and fall into a tank. A supervisor instructed Employees #1 and a coworker to retrieve parts when they fell into the tank. There were problems with finding a part in the tank because of different factors, including the obstructed view on the bottom of the tank and the lack of effective drag tools to retrieve fallen parts. Employee #1 was walking on top of a tank to retrieve a fallen part. As he walked, he lost his balance and fell into a tank containing deionized hot water. The temperature of the hot water was 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Employee #1 then jumped into an adjacent tank at ambient temperature. The coworker helped him out of this tank. Employee #1 received multiple degree burns over most of his body. He was transported to the burn center of a medical center, where he underwent extensive treatment. Employee #1 later died on January 14, 2013 because of complications from the serious and extensive burns that he received when he fell in the tank of hot deionized water.

Keywords: BURN, HOT WATER TANK, FALL