Acid vat nightmare: Roofer fell through roof into acid

[pimpneightez]

Acid vat nightmare: Roofer saves co-worker who fell through roof into nitric acid tank

CLIFTON, N.J. — A New Jersey roofer jumped into a vat of nitric acid solution to save a co-worker who had fallen 40 feet into the tank, fire officials said.
Rob Nuckols, 51, was working on the ground floor Monday morning at Swepco Tube LLC when his colleague Martin Davis plunged through a roof and into the vat of diluted acid and became fully submerged, officials said.
He jumped into the vat and was waist-high while he and three others pulled Davis out, Clifton Fire Chief Vince Colavitti told The Record of Woodland Park. The vat contained a 40 to 70 percent nitric acid solution used for cleaning metal tubing.
Rescue workers arrived after five minutes, cut Davis out of his clothes and sprayed him with water to limit burns, Colavitti said. Nuckols had already rinsed himself off.
Davis is in critical condition with a broken rib, punctured lung, and burns on his legs and side, a relative said.
Nuckols was treated for burns on his legs and abdomen. The three other roofers were taken to hospitals but there was no sign that they were seriously injured.
The men were working for Gar Con Enterprises of Flemington. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it was investigating and looking into both companies.

I couldn't even imagine this. I think he's still alive. I hope so. Be safe out there.

 

[etack]

Martin Davis plunged through a roof and into the vat of diluted acid

vat contained a 40 to 70 percent nitric acid solution

if this is diluted what is concentrated.

Eric

 

[MysticColby]

I'm sure the reporter thinks 100% is concentrated.
They seem to focus on skin burns, but wouldn't this blind him?

 

[Lou]

If you fell into 70% nitric acid and were fully submerged even a few seconds, you'd be dead. One breath of that in your lungs and you are toast. Let alone the 2nd to 3rd degree burns you'll get on the skin.

 

[goldenchild]

I gotta think has to be some sort of accountability for leaving an open man sized vat of nitric.

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

I think there is a larger story, why would the roof so weak that a man walking on it caused it to cave in?

Have to wonder if the offgas from the vat was being properly vented away so as not to damage the roof or it's supports.

Wonder why there is no information about that?

Scott

 

[tek4g63]

Where I work we have a plating line and it has an open 300 gallon vat of nitric acid. Wee use 70% but it gets deleted to well under 70% but I don't know what percentage exactly. We also have vats of hot sulfuric acid that you could fit a VW bug in. I work maintenance on all of these machines and am regularly working over top of these vats.

 

[eesakiwi]

I think there is a larger story, why would the roof so weak that a man walking on it caused it to cave in?
Have to wonder if the offgas from the vat was being properly vented away so as not to damage the roof or it's supports.Scott

1, Often painters will paint over the clear plastic corrigated sheets they use to let light into the building.Firemen are often falling thru them.
2,Good point.

 

[Barren Realms 007]

It's not the fault of the company with the chemicals.

OSHA is going to ask the painter why he was not tied off with a safety line while being on the roof as required by OSHA rules.

Now tell me who is going to get the big fines?

 

[publius]

It's not the fault of the company with the chemicals.

OSHA is going to ask the painter why he was not tied off with a safety line while being on the roof as required by OSHA rules.

Now tell me who is going to get the big fines?

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Will come in with guns-a-blazing and will look at every aspect of the "accident" to determine fault on all sides. The owner of the building (if the building is not owned by the business with the tank), the acid tank manufacturer, the operator of the tank and the roofing contractor will be looked at. They are all culpable in the eyes of OSHA. They will look at training records, respiratory protection programs and equipment, fall protection programs and equipment and so on. I'll bet the fines will have "willful" and "repeated" in the judgment. Then I predict that Gar Con Enterprises will see a law suite on the order of 2 million USD and the roofing contractor hit up for much more along with maximum workman's compensation given to the roofer(s) involved.

http://www.wbobradio.com/tag/gar-con-enterprises/ Good video here of the roof. It was a flat roof and appeared to have some warning ropes near the parapet.

 

[ΩPhoenix]

I'm sure the reporter thinks 100% is concentrated.
They seem to focus on skin burns, but wouldn't this blind him?

I read in a 1960's United States Dispensatory that I picked up in a
used book store that 3 drops of nitric acid ingested is deadly.
Wow is this guy ever Lucky! I don't see how anyone could survive
falling in even 1% nitric acid. But what do I know? :|

 

[ΩPhoenix]

I gotta think has to be some sort of accountability for leaving an open man sized vat of nitric.

That's for sure!

Industrial operations get audited and can be fined
100's of thousands of dollars for leaving a few lids off
of containers of hazardous substances.

 

[goldenchild]

http://www.wbobradio.com/tag/gar-con-enterprises/ Good video here of the roof. It was a flat roof and appeared to have some warning ropes near the parapet.

LOL. They might shut down the building for the day. Ya think?