Alcoa World Alumina LLCMining Incidents in 2011

Employee finished routine work of pump changes and took a break and shoulder was hurting. Conservative treatment unsuccessful and 4/23/2012 case changed from first aid to lwd. Patient underwen t MRI and diagnosed with degenerative changes that will require surgery.

Employee was assisting while placing motor into position and hand got caught in pinch point between motor and adjacent hand rail. Employee received a laceration and minor fracture to left hand.

Employee was climbing a ladder and felt a pop in his knee. Case was initially not believed to be work related. Independent evaluation on 1/13/2012 has determined that this is work related and patient is scheduled for arthroscopy. Discrepancy in reporting was discovered during 3/28/2012 MSHA Wall to Wall Inspection.

Employee was observing 3 other co-workers and while doing so was struck by a small piece of angle iron 6 inches by 1 inch that fell from the overhead steel structure approximately 10 feet. Angle iron struck employee in the hard hat.

The employee was carrying a bicycle rack with another employee. The employee stepped in a pothole and fell to ground onto his knees. He felt immediate pain in low back.

While the employee was in the Precipitation tray area, he was opening a ball valve and felt a ""pop"" ""pain"" to the right shoulder as he was pulling on the ball valve.

Using a wrench and wrench slipped causing him to strike top of hand on adjacent beam. Patient diagnosed with ganglion cyst. 3/21/2012 Surgery scheduled to remove cyst. Case became recordable on 3/21/2012 and reported 3/28/2012.

He was moving platform, coworker was pulling and he was pushing , he stopped pushing and coworker kept pulling, the platform stopped and his shoulder was jerked away from body, initially a sharp pain to right shoulder and down right arm. This incident became recordable on 10/17/11 when regular restrictions started.

Employee and coworker were working on a valve and the drain pipe rotated upward spraying caustic into the air contacting employee. the drain pipe was only hand tightened and the pressure of the liquid coming out of the pipe caused the pipe to turn 90 degrees upward.

Employee and coworker were working on a valve and the drain pipe rotated upward spraying caustic into the air contacting employee. the drain pipe was only hand tightened and the pressure of the liquid coming out of the pipe caused the pipe to turn 90 degrees upward.

Two Calcination GMs were opening D1 man door for 56 Calciner to remove a blockage. They proceeded with removing the bolts on the door then they attached a come along to the door. Water started spraying out around the door then the door popped open all of sudden.

Lifted screen box and felt pain in bicep. 3/28/2012 MSHA Wall to Wall inspection record keeping audit determined that this case was recordable therefore reporting today.

Employee slipped on floor and twisted his back. 3/28/2012 MSHA Wall to Wall Inspection record keeping audit identified this incident as needing to be reported therefore it is reported today.

Employee was driving fork truck and hit pothole in roadway and jarred back. Reported to medical department with back pain on right side.

The employee was putting a motor in 35A with a trolly hoist, but the trolly did not roll well. He did not notice any pain at time of doing job, but that night and the next morning he noticed back pain across his lower back.

Employee says that on his previous shift he slipped and was trying to hold himself up on a ladder when he hurt his right arm. Employee says he did not feel the pain until the present shift. Employee states he came to work and put on a few presses when he began to feel the pain in his right arm. NOTE: the injury did not become recordable until 9/19/11 due to restrictions.

Working on #10 Tray walking to work bottom - rolled ankle and heard three pops.

The employee was rolling up hose, pulled on water hose and it was wrapped up and possibly hung up on something. He pulled hard and it gave and I hit left elbow against column.

The valve stem caught on grating, tail of valve turned ""fish tailed"" and hit the end of toe of boot, caused boot to shove up against toes.

He picked up a beveling machine, when putting it on the floor, twisted back and had instant pain to low back. This case was after 7/12/11 since it did not become recordable until restrictions were placed on him on 7/22/11.

Employee was installing a refurbished wear plate on a pump. While adjusting the E-clip, it slipped, and his finger was caught between wear plate and the shaft. The wear plate that fell on the employee's finger weighed approximately 150 lbs.

He was trying to pull auto rodder, working in awkward position using 24 inch and 18 inch pipe wrench when he felt pain in his lower back. He received prescription medication and restrictions on 5/25/11.

Employee was shoveling scale, rust, aluminum fluoride from abandoned circulating tank. Employee noticed aching in back during task. The employee was given restrictions on 5/27/11, which made it recordable.

Employee says on 05/14/2011 that she was walking up the stairs when her left knee gave out causing her pain. Then on 05/15/2011 she was under 4a tank with a coworker when she felt a pulling feeling in her heel. There was no recordable treatment or findings until 5/24/11 when the x-ray results came in.

While the employee was climbing on a work platform, his foot slipped, which resulted in losing his grip on the platform. As a result, his thumb extended backward.

Employee was kneeling to access an electrical junction box and twisted his knee and has noticed pain and discomfort in knee since the incident. There was no recordable treatment until 5/20/11 when restrictions were given.

The employee was coming back from getting unit 5 blow off sample. The area was flooded and as he stepped on the grating, the grating moved causing him to step in a ditch. The employee twisted his left knee and hot liquid splashed on the back of his left calf.

While replacing gaskets on the suction line from #7 product pump on the HEC, employee attempted to maneuver pipe with a chain fall. Employee was having trouble aligning the pipe with the flanges and decided to use a pry-bar to move the pipe legs into place. While doing so the legs swung out allowing the pipe to swing pinning the employee's hand against the neighboring valve.

Employee was preparing to wash underflow pipe from F2 to F5 and walked around screen box. The gasket failed and he was splashed by caustic solution. He was contacted on head, face and upper torso. DAP was applied immediately. Only body part that needed additional treatment was his eyes.

Employee was preparing to hose down area and stepped on a piece of pipe and twisted left ankle.

Employee was using sledgehammer to knock wing nut into position and hit left thumb causing a contusion. Employee reported to medical dept on 2/21 and was not improving, finger xrayed and hairline fracture to last digit. Work restrictions applied 2/23/2011.

Employee was walking behind press #17 and slipped and fell striking his right elbow on the floor. Floor had buildup of scale and mud which created slipping hazard. Conservative treatment until 2/7/2011 at which time work restrictions applied.

The employee was pulling a screen box out. It was in backwards and was stuck. She was pulling on it with a pry bar and shaking the box. It got stuck and it jarred her wrist. This injury did not become recordable until 7/15/11 when she received restrictions.

After tagging out 51 Bin Dust Collector Blower, a calcination employee was headed to take 55-1 filter offline, and as she was walking, she caught her left toe on protruding blower platform and fell onto the grating. The employee injured her left elbow, hand and hip as well as her right knee in the fall.

2 I/E Technicians were performing voltage measurements for phasing verification at a 480 VAC Switchgear after energizing its repaired 2 MVA Transformer. The measurements were being made between the energized transformer secondary connection at the switchgear and the switchgear bus that was energized through a 480 VAC Tie from another Substation.

Employee was scaling a tank with a pneumatic tool and pinched right thumb between tool and doorway of tank causing a contusion to thumb.

Employee was stepping over a pipe and hit his knee on a flange causing a contusion to left knee.

Employee was pulling an open blind and installing a regular blind when hot water sprayed out and caused 1st degree burns on both arms. Line he was working on was a 3"" condensate line.

The employee was working on 2nd level B7A Heater and accidentally came in contact with a hot pipe.

The employee was working on scaffold, leaned forward, head bumped on beam, lost balance stepped forward and chest touched hot pipe, obtained burn to left chest.

Employee says he was taking the bolts off of the number 7 heater when the wrench came loose from a bolt, employee put the wrench back on the bolt when another employee engaged the empac, causing employee to smash his middle finger between the wrench and the heater.

Employee was injured on 3/16, BUT did not request medical treatment until 3/23. Employee was cranking a hand winch, when the handle slipped, causing the winch to hit the back of the employee's left hand.

A Digestion employee was in the process of removing a 1L1 pump. During the removal, the employee had enough room so he took the hub out before removing the rest of the pump. He noticed that the key had not come out of the shaft, so he set the hub on a section of pipe. While taking a few swings to get the key out, the hub fell off the section of pipe, landing on his left foot.

Employee exposed to noise that resulted in recordable hearing loss.

The employee got hot on 8/31/11 but did not report to medical. On 9/1/11, the employee started feeling extremely fatigued, cramping in hands, neck, and back so he went to medical.

The employee was working on top of a tank from 12-1:00 using cutting torch and heat from process plus heat from ambient temperature, heavy sweating, rested in cool area and felt better, went home and later in evening started having abdominal cramping muscle cramping of arms and leg, felt weak and extremely fatigued, nausea and headache.

He started feeling bad, weak and calf of left leg cramping up.

After he was washing the 2 presses he became lightheaded, headache and had spasms to lower middle back; it has been hot all day

While overhauling an underflow pump we were trying to hurry and get it finished with the pump because they needed it and we finished. Then I threw my tools in the box and my coworkers said that I was red in the face and to go to Medical.

He was starting to ""feel bad"" upon leaving his unit. He stated that he consumed large amounts of water throughout the day, and when he got inside of the break room, he drank more water and then proceeded to feel nauseated and then vomited.

Employee states he was working on closing a valve, under the # 32 hi tank, when he says he began to feel really tired. Employee says that he felt like he had really worn himself out while attempting to close the valve. He then states he went to a near by break room and sat in front of a fan for a little bit.

Employee says while working in Precipitation he began to cramp in his abdomen and back.

Confirmed hearing shift in left ear. Note: The hearing loss was confirmed on 4/25/11, which made it recordable.