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Acid leads to work injury at California refinery

On Behalf of | Mar 17, 2014 | Workplace Accidents |

There are certain industries that entail more inherent dangers than others. Any kind of work or industry that includes working with chemicals or acids can be the site of a work injury despite the amount of training or safety measures that may be in place. A California refinery was recently the site of a work injury. This is the second incident of this kind to occur at the facility in just over a month.

The site is a refinery where workers are charged with working around dangerous chemicals and acids. Two workers were working in the morning when they were exposed to sulfuric acid. They were splashed with it somehow. In fact, one of the two workers was described as being saturated with the acid.

There were decontamination measures taken at the site. One of the workers needed to be transferred to a medical facility for further treatment after the saturation. Both workers had protective gear on at the time. The refinery was the scene of another sulfuric acid incident in February. There is currently an investigation into what happened and an official stated the investigation would include trying to find ways to prevent such incidents.

The worker who needed medical treatment may have to miss work to recover. An acid exposure work injury can lead to any number of injuries or issues, such as chemical burns or even sight problems if the acid got into anyone’s eyes. If this particular California worker needs ongoing treatment or incurs medical bills, California worker’s compensation laws can help protect him by providing important benefits as he recovers from the work injury.

Source: CBS San Francisco, 2 Workers Injured By Sulfuric Acid At Tesoro Refinery Near Martinez, Dave Padilla, March 10, 2014

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