Catawba mill worker burned while inspecting boiler

CATAWBA — A worker at the
Resolute Forest Products mill in Catawba was burned while working on a
steam boiler, company officials said Friday.

The accident
happened about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday during maintenance on a recovery
boiler, which generates steam by burning by-products of the pulping
process. The recovery boiler had been shut down, and two employees
working on the equipment approached an adjacent tank that was being
rinsed.

One of the employees opened an inspection port on the top
of the tank to view the inside. While inspecting the tank, the agitator
was turned off, allowing the hot rinse water inside to splash on the
employee’s arm, elbow and thumb.

The employee immediately went to
a safety shower to wash off any remaining rinse water from inside the
tank, Resolute officials said. He was then transported to a local
hospital. The employee, whom Resolute did not identify, is undergoing
skin grafting on the burns at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center in
Chapel Hill, N.C.

Both employees working at the recovery boiler
were long-time employees of the mill and worked within the powerhouse
area where the recovery boiler is located, company officials said. They
were wearing all required personal protective equipment. The mill has
reported the incident to the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration.

In May, two mill employees were burned by “boiler
ash” or “wood ash” while conducting routine maintenance in the energy
generator area of the mill. They were cleaning out built-up waste in a
boiler when they were hit by hot ash.