Ohio Operator Barely Survives Lime Accident

Abstract

This article recounts an incident at the Defiance (Ohio) Water Treatment Division where an operations supervisor was splashed by near‐boiling hot liquid lime, which caused third degree burns over 75 percent of his body. A post‐accident investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Workmens' Compensation found that a void or space was created in the tank where the powdered lime was stored, causing the lime above the void to come tumbling down through the feeding machine all at once, rather than in measured increments as usual. Corrections to the system include vibrators on the lime bin to break up clumps of lime that form around the voids, an automatic valve system that replaced the manual operation, and a shower stall for quick rinsing of any hot lime that may be splashed on employees.