How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 740 severe chemical burn cases over the last decade. These injuries often involve deep tissue damage that requires extensive medical intervention and long-term wound care.
Chemical burns are uniquely consequential because they often cause permanent scarring and nerve damage. Beyond the immediate pain, these injuries frequently lead to prolonged recovery times and significant limitations on your ability to perform physical tasks.
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Free Benefits ReviewWhat causes Chemical Burns
Exposure to harmful substances through direct tissue contact is the primary cause of these injuries, accounting for 86% of all reported cases. This often happens when you handle corrosive acids or bases without adequate protective gear or when containment systems fail during routine maintenance.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exposure to harmful substance through exposed tissue | 632 |
| 2 | Fall on same level | 30 |
| 3 | Inhalation of harmful substance | 17 |
| 4 | Ingestion of harmful substance | 15 |
| 5 | Exposure to harmful substance—multiple routes of exposure | 12 |
| 6 | Other fall to lower level | 10 |
| 7 | Exposure to harmful substances— unspecified | 4 |
| 8 | Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire | 3 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 50% of all severe chemical burn cases, largely due to the widespread use of corrosive acids and bases in production processes. You are at high risk in these environments when safety protocols for handling hazardous liquids are bypassed or when equipment like sight glasses and pressure valves fail.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include chemical leaks during equipment operation, spills during manual handling of feedstock, and exposure to vapors when containment systems rupture. If your injury resulted from a similar equipment failure or a lack of proper protective equipment, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your case.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | DC | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was using a floor machine and chemical floor stripper to strip the finish from the floor. The employee slipped backward on the wet floor and landed on their back. The employee was hospitalized with chemical burns caused by the floor stripper." | |
| 2025 | LA | Manufacturing | "Employees were investigating the vapor conditions at the purification vent scrubber after a restart. Employees were looking through the sight glass, when the glass ruptured, releasing chemical vapors. Two employees sustained chemical burns to their upper body." | |
| 2025 | MA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was delivering a package when it leaked acid on their skin, burning it." | |
| 2025 | OH | Mining | "An employee was de-bundling cubed feedstock consisting of plastic barrels. The employee was putting feedstock into the shredders manually. She lifted a drum to put it in the shredding machine and sulfuric acid spilled down the front of her left leg. The employee sustained chemical burns to her lower leg requiring hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Other Services | "An employee was washing the tunnel equipment area using a sprayer and a chemical containing 5-10% hydrofluoric acid. The chemical seeped into his clothing and caused chemical burns to his abdomen and upper thighs. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | RI | Accommodation & Food Services | "A bartender tasted a small amount of an unknown liquid found behind a bar. He had a severe reaction to the liquid, which proved to be concentrated liquid detergent, and he suffered burns to the interior of the mouth. He was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | ID | Agriculture | "Three maintenance employees were working on chemical lines feeding into a large above ground wastewater treatment tank. Sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid reacted in a floor drain and the chemicals sprayed onto the three employees. One employee was taken to the hospital for burns to his eyes." | |
| 2025 | TX | Wholesale Trade | "On June 24, 2025, at 2:11 p.m., an employee was about to unbolt a spool connected to a vessel flange that needed to be removed for another crew to clean it. The employee saw leaking chemical product. The employee began running away from the product when he slipped and fell into the product, resulting in chemical burns to his arms and legs. The employee was hospitalized. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was not worn at the time." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was lifting a level controller that had been on a vertical tank. Residual phenol-containing liquid dripped onto his right thigh, causing a chemical burn. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | WA | Public Administration | "An employee was using a pump to transfer hazardous waste between barrels when the pump broke and sprayed the mixture into the employee's face, resulting in chemical burns to their face and eyes." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.