How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 52 severe cases of contact with cold objects or substances between 2016 and 2025. The vast majority of these incidents result in other or multiple types of burns, which can cause deep tissue damage and long-term nerve impairment.
These injuries most frequently affect your fingers, which are often the primary point of contact when you handle hazardous materials. Because these burns can lead to permanent loss of function or even amputation, you require immediate medical attention and long-term rehabilitation.
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Injuries involving cold contact typically occur when you handle hazardous substances like petroleum products, liquid gases, or refrigerants without adequate protection. Common scenarios include leaks during fuel transfers, improper handling of dry ice, or the failure of cooling system valves that release freezing vapors. When your employer fails to provide specialized gloves or fails to maintain equipment, you are left exposed to immediate freeze burns.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other or multiple types of burns | 44 |
| 2 | Effects of reduced temperature | 8 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing and retail trade each account for 21 percent of these severe incidents. In these environments, you frequently interact with pressurized cylinders and chemical cooling systems. When safety protocols for handling hazardous substances are overlooked, your risk of accidental exposure to cryogenic materials increases significantly.
Real cases like yours
Many incidents follow a pattern of equipment failure or inadequate personal protective equipment during the transfer of hazardous liquids and gases. You may experience sudden releases of pressure or contact with freezing substances while performing routine maintenance or refueling tasks. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident to determine if employer negligence played a role.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | IL | Retail Trade | "An employee was filling a motor fuel cylinder from a bobtail. When he opened the handle on the fill nozzle it popped off the filler valve and pushed him back into a rack where he struck his head on a cylinder cage. He sustained a laceration to the back left side of his head. While working to wrestle the hose to the ground, he sustained burns from liquid propane on the right side of his chest and right arm, and sustained minor burns on the left side." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was changing out a propane cylinder on a powered industrial truck when liquid petroleum gas contacted his hands. The employee sustained second-degree burns to his hands." | |
| 2024 | NJ | Administrative Services | "A temporary employee was injured after working with dry ice while wearing the gloves that were not suited to the task. He was hospitalized on May 29, 2024, and had three fingertips amputated." | |
| 2024 | NY | Construction | "An employee was replacing a valve on a cooling system when refrigerant gas was released, burning their left hand and lungs." | |
| 2023 | AR | Retail Trade | "An employee was transferring propane from his bobtail truck to a storage tank. As the employee removed the hose, propane shot out and struck him in the mid-section, resulting in propane freeze burns from below the waist to the top of the knees. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2023 | NV | Public Administration | "On September 22, 2023, an employee was working on a chiller circuit in a mechanical yard. They sustained second-degree burns after being exposed to refrigerant." | |
| 2023 | WV | Manufacturing | "An employee was tightening a fitting for monthly leak detection and repair when liquid natural gas was released, resulting in a cryogenic burn to the right hand." | |
| 2023 | GA | Transportation & Warehousing | "On August 28, 2023, an employee was moving a CO2 tank when CO2 gas came out and froze the employee's left hand." | |
| 2023 | IL | Construction | "An employee was performing a pressure check and leak test on a unit when nitrogen gas was released from a valve core removal tool. The nitrogen gas was injected into the employee's right hand, resulting in a burn to the skin, swelling, and pain." | |
| 2023 | TX | Construction | "An employee was performing routine maintenance on refrigeration equipment when the shut-off valve failed, causing refrigerant to leak and burn the employee's right index finger." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.