How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 206 cases involving corrosive acids over the last decade. Chemical burns and corrosions are the most frequent injury type, often resulting in permanent tissue damage and long-term medical complications for you.
Because acid exposure often involves deep tissue damage, you may require extensive hospitalization and specialized care to manage the lasting effects of these chemical injuries.
How these injuries happen
Most acid-related injuries occur through direct exposure to harmful substances on your tissue, accounting for 82% of incidents. This happens when containers fail, pipes leak, or chemicals splash during routine handling or equipment maintenance. Inhalation of toxic fumes accounts for 13% of incidents, causing significant respiratory harm.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exposure to harmful substance through exposed tissue | 168 |
| 2 | Inhalation of harmful substance | 27 |
| 3 | Exposure to harmful substance—multiple routes of exposure | 5 |
| 4 | Exposure to harmful substances— unspecified | 3 |
| 5 | Flash fire | 1 |
| 6 | Ingestion of harmful substance | 1 |
| 7 | Explosion— unspecified | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 58% of all acid-related incidents, as the high-volume use of industrial chemicals creates constant exposure risks for you. Transportation and warehousing facilities account for 10% of incidents, often due to leaks during the transit or handling of improperly secured chemical containers.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include equipment failure, such as leaking pipes or falling containers, and inadequate personal protective equipment during cleaning or maintenance 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 | 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 | GA | Manufacturing | "An employee was preparing to remove enamel from copper leads by soaking them in a liter container of formic acid when one of the bottles fell. The employee was splashed with formic acid, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to his face." | |
| 2025 | OH | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was measuring a pipe when it fell off the bracket and residual sulfuric acid from the pipe splashed the employee. He was hospitalized with burns to his right chest and both forearms." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was cleaning a spray nozzle on the powder coating line when he was sprayed by hydrofluoric acid. The employee sustained chemical burns." | |
| 2025 | FL | Administrative Services | "An employee was unloading a truckload of sulfuric acid/soda ash water mixture at a water treatment plant. Residual mixture in a hose cap spilled onto his right forearm, burning it. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | ID | Manufacturing | "Employees were transferring 93% sulfuric acid from a railcar using a transfer pump and hose. The transfer line became pressurized and forced a valve to open, causing sulfuric acid to spray an employee. The force of the spray went underneath his face shield and sprayed his face. The employee sustained second-degree burns." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "On February 21, 2025, an employee was assisting a contractor with the repair of a broken drip leg (90-degree PVC fitting) in the exhaust ventilation duct of the subfab. The employee was exposed to hydrofluoric acid that dropped from the exhaust onto the back of his right thumb. The employee experienced severe burning pain in his right thumb and hand, swelling throughout his hand, and chest pain. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | NY | Education | "A student employee was working in a fume hood with trifluoroacetic acid solution. The bottle dropped/fell while they were working with it and the acid splashed up, hitting the student employee in the chin/face and causing chemical burns." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.