Westfield Electroplating Company

Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue — Poisoning, toxic, noxious, or allergenic effect, unspecified — WESTFIELD, Massachusetts

HOSPITALIZED — Worker hospitalized after incident at Westfield Electroplating Company in WESTFIELD, Massachusetts
Employer Westfield Electroplating Company
Address 68 N Elm St
City, State ZIP WESTFIELD, Massachusetts 01085
Report ID 20231211138
Event Date December 6, 2023
Outcome Hospitalized
Nature of Injury Poisoning, toxic, noxious, or allergenic effect, unspecified
Body Part BODY SYSTEMS
Event Type Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue
Source of Injury Hydrogen fluoride, hydrofluoric acid
Industry (NAICS) 332813
Inspection # 1714785
GPS Coordinates 42.13100, -72.74471

Location Map

Incident Narrative

An employee from the blasting department was working on top of a cart that was oily and dirty. He took a bottle containing hydrofluoric acid (HF) (49%) thinking it contained acetone, MEK, or some other cleaning agent. He poured some of the HF on a cloth rag and started cleaning the cart. The dermal absorption of HF changed the employee's blood chemistry composition and the employee was hospitalized.

Incident Summary

On December 6, 2023, a worker at Westfield Electroplating Company in WESTFIELD, Massachusetts suffered poisoning, toxic, noxious, or allergenic effect, unspecified to the body systems. The incident was classified as exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue, with hydrogen fluoride, hydrofluoric acid identified as the source of injury. The worker was hospitalized.

Context

OSHA has recorded 653 severe injury reports involving "Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue" incidents in our database. Browse all Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue injuries.

See all reports for Westfield Electroplating Company.

Similar Incidents

Other severe injury reports involving Exposure through intact skin, eyes, or other exposed tissue events:

Date Employer Location Nature Outcome
Apr 25, 2018 PHOENIX CHEMICAL COMPANY DALTON, Georgia Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified Hosp.
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Aug 6, 2019 CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTORS, INC. BUFFALO, New York Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified Hosp.
Sep 19, 2017 JNP Delivery, Inc. OSHKOSH, Wisconsin Multiple poisoning, toxic, noxious, or allergenic effects Hosp.
Jan 20, 2021 Bio-Lab, Inc. CONYERS, Georgia Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified Hosp.
Aug 11, 2021 MOSAIC FERTILIZER, LLC. RIVERVIEW, Florida Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified Hosp.
Oct 18, 2018 HERC Rentals RIVERVIEW, Florida Chemical burns and corrosions, unspecified Hosp.
May 26, 2016 Refrigeration Design& Service, Inc. HATFIELD, Pennsylvania First degree chemical burns and corrosions Hosp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Workers injured on the job have the right to medical treatment covered by workers' compensation, wage replacement benefits during recovery, and protection against retaliation for reporting the injury. You have the right to file a complaint with OSHA if you believe your workplace is unsafe, and OSHA cannot reveal your identity to your employer without your consent. You also have the right to see your OSHA 300 injury log. If your employer denies a workers' comp claim, you can appeal through your state's workers' compensation board. An occupational health attorney can advise on complex cases involving denied claims or third-party liability.

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About This OSHA Report

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