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At 1:00 p.m. on March 31, 2001, two employees got injured inside the production department at Morningstar Foods, Inc., after a mixture of hot water and caustic solution, heated to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, splashed on them during a descaling process on a Unitherm Processor. Employee #1 was about 5 feet away, and Employee #2 was about three feet from the caustic solution tank when a hose came out of the tank during the descaling process and splashed hot water on them. There was no cover on the tank at that time and no shield placed in the vicinity to deflect the splash. Employee #1 was not wearing any protective clothing and was not provided with protective clothing on the day of the accident. The tank was at least two thirds full with water and had two hoses that interconnected with the Unitherm Processor in the area. One of the hoses, a grey hose, was supplying hot water mix to the Unitherm Processor through a pump. A second red hose was returning the same water to the supply tank. The discharge end of red hose was at the bottom of the caustic solution tank initially, but came upwards after it got loose during the descaling process and sprayed hot water on to the two employees. The size of the caustic solution tank was measured to be 42-inches long by 17.5-inches wide by 21-inches high. The caustic solution tank had been in use at this facility for about 10 years without a cover; according to the plant manager. Employee #1, a temporary employee, received third degree burns on his right thigh, right arm, chest and back. Employee #2 suffered first and second degree burns on his left and right ankle respectively. Employee #1 was hospitalized for 26 days, but Employee #2 was treated and released the same day.
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