Punctured aerosol results in chemical burns
- Safety Flash
- Published on 1 January 2003
- Generated on 27 October 2025
- IMCA SF 01/03
- 2 minute read
A Member has reported the following incident which occurred in a crane repair workshop, where pieces of lifting equipment are routinely inspected for cracks and/or deformities.
What happened?
A large hook was being stripped of paint in preparation for inspection. Aerosol paint stripper was being used, with a technician then using a 6000rpm grinder with wire brush cup attachment. The work area is shown below, including the relative positions of the hook and the aerosol.
As the technician was brushing the bottom of the hook, hard particles or brush wires were projected, striking one of the nearly full paint remover aerosol cans sitting on the bench nearby. The particle punctured the can about 1″ up from its base and caused the contents to violently spew from the can while it spun wildly on the bench. This happened so quickly that the technician was sprayed around his head, shoulders and back with paint remover before he could move away.
He moved as quickly as he could to the wash basin in the workshop and thoroughly rinsed himself off which, along with the protection of his safety glasses, hard hat and shirt contributed to him only experiencing slight chemical burns on the upper portions of his body.
Fortunately, the gaseous contents of the aerosol can did not ignite as they spewed from the can. If they had, the employee could have been engulfed in fire and suffered much more extreme injuries.
Recommendations
The company concerned has restated the importance of removing aerosol cans, returning them to proper flammable storage areas/containers when carrying out work of this nature. Returning to the picture above – to the right of the work bench is a yellow flammable container storage locker. Had it been used, this incident would not have happened.
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