Causes of burn injuries and fatalities

The most frequent causes of severe burn injuries are scalds, flammable liquids and gases, and building fires. Most of these are preventable by careful attention to heat sources, and proper maintenance of machinery and heating devices.

Burn injuries at work

About a quarter of all serious burn injuries requiring hospital admission occur at work, and workplace burn injuries account for 5% of workplace deaths. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, estimates that 200 American workers die each year and more than 5000 more are injured in workplace explosions fires. Workplace-related burns can result not only from fires, but from contact with hot objects and machinery. Electrical, radiation, and chemical burns are dangers in many workplaces, including construction sites and road-building, steel and specialty metals mills, scrap metal shops, roofing operations, laboratories, refineries, chemical plants, kitchens, and other workplaces. Burns most often affect respiratory functions (lungs, throat), eyes, and skin.

Thermal workplace burns are usually scalds from hot liquids such as boiling water or hot grease. Open flames, hot objects, and explosions are frequent causes. The burns are usually skin burns.

Chemical burns usually result in a more severe type of burn. Strong alkaloids, acids or other caustic and corrosive materials can eat away skin and underlying tissue; this is a chemical burn. These very severe burns can be caused by rust removers, highly basic drain cleaners, and other industrial cleaners used in laboratories, factories, and other industrial sites.

Electric current traveling through the body meets resistance in the body’s tissues, resulting in heat burn injuries. Workplace safety laws require high voltage areas and dangerous machinery to be clearly marked.

Many workplace burn injuries are preventable. OSHA sets the following general fire prevention standards for workplaces:

• To prevent deaths and injuries by fire in the workplace, all fire exits must be provided and clearly marked, and employees must be trained in their location.
• If employees are expected to fight small fires, appropriate fire extinguishers must be readily accessible and employees who will use fire extinguishers must be trained about the hazards of fighting fire, how to operate the fire extinguishers, and how to alert other employees to the fire emergency.
• If employees are to evacuate, the employer must have an emergency plan printed and train employees in evacuation procedures.

The basic OSHA requirements for fire exits are:

• A workplace must have a minimum of two 2 escape routes for fire emergencies; these should not be close to each other.
• When employees are in the building, fire doors must not be locked or access to them blocked from the inside. Routes to the fire exits must be free of obstructions and properly marked with exit signs.

If an employer wants employees to fight small fires, the proper types of fire extinguishers must be available. Extinguishers must be approved for the types of fire hazards in the plant, and maintained and inspected regularly. Employees who will use fire extinguishers must be trained about the hazards of fighting fire, how to operate the fire extinguishers, and how to alert other employees to the fire emergency. If employees are to evacuate instead of fighting small fires, an employer must have a written emergency plan.

A sound emergency action plan:

• Designate evacuation routes and procedures to account for all evacuated employees after evacuation;
• Assigns responsibilities for procedures to shut down critical operations at time of evacuation and perform rescue and medical duties;
• Establishes methods to alert employees to the fire emergency; this may be voice communication, bells, whistles, or horns; and
• Identify persons who can provide more information.
• Trains all employees to know the evacuation signal and what to do in an emergency.

A sound fire prevention plan will minimize the number of times an evacuation is needed. Provisions of a fire prevention plan include:

• Housekeeping procedures for storage and clean-up of flammable materials and flammable waste;
• Procedures for controlling likely sites of ignition such as smoking, welding, and burning;
• Procedures for maintenance and cleaning of heat-producing equipment, such as burners, ovens, stoves, and fryers; and
• Training of employees in the potential fire hazards and the control procedures in the fire prevention plan.
• Automatic fire suppression systems such as automatic sprinkler systems which improve workplace fire safety.

An automatic system will detect fire, sound an alarm, and deliver water or other appropriate fire suppression materials to the fire. Automatic systems must be properly maintained. If a system is taken out of service during work hours a fire watch must be substituted. An automatic system that uses hazardous chemicals will have special safety requirements. When an automatic system is used, it must be incorporated into the fire prevention and emergency action plans.

If you or a loved one has been burned in a workplace fire, and you believe the workplace was not compliant with OSHA standards, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries. You should contact an experienced burn injury attorney as soon as possible to learn about your rights.