HF flange fails and results in fatality

At 11:50 a.m. on October 21, 2021, an employee, 51, was assisting his coworkers in troubleshooting the fresh hydrogen fluoride (HF) system to the vaporizer. The employee was looking at an actuator that was across from a whisping flange when the flange failed, and hydrogen fluoride was sprayed on him. The employee screamed, and his coworkers came to his assistance. They escorted the employee to a safety shower that was out of the plume of the chemical release. Onsite medical responders provided care to the employee until an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Violations/PenaltiesSeriousWillfulRepeatOtherUnclassTotal
Initial Violations44
Current Violations314
Initial Penalty$58,008$0$0$0$0$58,008
Current Penalty$34,805$0$0$11,602$0$46,406
FTA Penalty$0$0$0$0$0$0
#Citation IDCitaton TypeStandard CitedIssuance DateAbatement Due DateCurrent PenaltyInitial PenaltyFTA PenaltyContestLatest EventNote
1.01001Serious19100119 E03 III04/19/202201/31/2023$11,602$14,502$0I – Informal Settlement 
2.01002ASerious19100119 F01 I G04/19/202208/08/2022$11,602$14,502$0I – Informal Settlement 
3.01002BSerious19100119 G0204/19/202206/06/2022$0$0$0I – Informal SettlementCitation has been deleted.
4.01003Other19100119 J04 II04/19/202208/08/2022$11,602$14,502$0I – Informal Settlement 
5.01004Serious19100132 D01 I04/19/202208/08/2022$11,602$14,502$0I – Informal Settlement 

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