17-year-old worker at a plastic products manufacturing plant died as a result of an overexposure to tetrachloroethylene (also known as perchloroethylene).

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hoffman, Richard E. ; McCammon, Jane B. ; McKenzie, Lyle E.
• Corporate Authors:
  Colorado Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (Colorado FACE) ; Colorado. Department of Public Health and Environment
• Description:
  On February 3, 1994, a 17-year-old laborer began work at 16:00. His assigned task was to clean the inside of metal molds used to form plastic containers. This task involved applying approximately four fluid ounces of tetrachloroethylene to a cloth rag which was then used to wipe the interior surface of the mold. The mold in which the body of the laborer was found formed a 40-gallon container and measured 19 1/2 inches in diameter and 32 inches deep. Evidence at the scene indicated that the employee had propped the mold in an upright position and leaned into the mold to clean the bottom. The deceased was discovered at 24:00 when a coworker arrived on the scene. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) investigator concluded that to prevent future similar occurrences, employers should: 1. Explore the feasibility of replacing tetrachloroethylene with a less toxic cleaning fluid. 2. Provide workers with proper tools that will enable them to reach areas to be cleaned without the need to have their head inside the vessel. 3. Develop, implement, and enforce a written safety policy and safe work procedures designed to help workers recognize, understand, and control hazards.
• Content Notes:
  Publication Date provided by FACE program
  
  not printed on the report.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Chemistry Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Plastics Safety Safety Management Solvents Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Chemical-cleaning Chemical-properties Cleaning-compounds Injuries Injury-prevention OSHA Region 8 Plastics-industry Protective-measures Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-monitoring Safety-programs Solvent-vapors Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Work-areas Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Confined Space ; Youth
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE94CO006
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20028588
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2009-100507
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 94CO006, 1994 Aug ; :1-5
• CAS Registry Number:
  Tetrachloroethene (CAS RN 127-18-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  31-33 - Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1992/09/30
• End Date:
  1997/09/29
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f6882195a75cf5578c472ef2461e8e59e34182a92b19806fc9586d81cc6673023a2e6565d78682da192edc0e57ba5e745052ebcd848540e346963ae33bb11bb8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/166533/cdc_166533_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 15.60 KB ]