Burn injuries - an article from The Hindu titled "A burning question"

A burning question - The Hindu

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In an article on burn injuries in The Hindu, following are stated:

1. Out of 30 lakh burn injuries every year in India, 10 lakh victims die and most of them are women and children.
2. Burn injuries can be from heat, electricity, chemicals, light or radiation. 
3. First degree burns involve upper skin (epidermis) and need about a week to heal.
4. Second degree burns involve upper skin (epidermis and and portions of dermis), sweat glands, hair follicles, etc leading blister formation, swelling and pain and require two weeks to heal.
5. Third degree burns involve deeper skin, charring the tissues and structures and may require three weeks to heal.
6. Fourth degree burns involve subcutaneous tissue, tendons and even bone damage.
7. Hot air inhaled during fire incidents damage respiratory tract and swelling and lead to complications.
8. Beyond 40 degree centigrade, protein in the skin is coagulated causing tissue destruction.
9. In chemical burns, protein is converted rapidly to salt causing same damage.

Burn injuries also affect psychology of the persons and require care and counselling.

During acid splash, generally persons wash with some water and do their business. But until unless total chemical is washed, it will continue to cause destruction. There can be delayed effects from inhalation of vapors from the dress material that is soaked with the chemicals like HF, phosgene, etc leading to deaths in the sleep.
Alkali burns cause more destruction to eyes even to the extent of blindness.

Therefore, removing the clothes with chemicals, continuous washing for atleast 15 minutes (even then only about 93-95% chemical is washed off) is necessary and this information should be spread among all persons working with chemicals.
In case of flash burns from arc flash, the temperature can be 20000 degree centigrade and can lead to deaths.
Then, immediate treatment to burn victims is also a must. As it gets delayed, damage will be more and chances of recovery will come down. One should know, whom to contact, which hospital to be referred and action should be taken to quickly shift the victim with care.

Worker dies of acid burns

In an incident, when four workers were cleaning an acid tank in a factory, acid and other chemicals fell on the persons and one died while others suffered burn injuries. It is not clear from the news report, how acid fell but clearly it is a work in confined space and one has to take all precautions for such jobs to avoid such incidents. The minimum precautions to be taken are,

1. List out safe procedure, job hazard analysis and ensure safety measures for identified hazards
2. Obtain safety work permit
3. Empty the contents from the tank by pumping / draining
4. Clean the tank by water circulation or with suitable medium and test for presence of acid by sampling the circulated water
5. Isolate all inlet lines positively by inserting a blind/slip plate and not by merely closing the valves as leaking of valves is possible
6. Display caution boards at the tank pump switches for not to operate and about the work in progress and if available, remove the fuses and keep in safe custody
7. Ensure LOTO
8. Open the vent lines and admit compressed air to ensure oxygen levels at the actual place of work same as that of atmospheric air
9. Use only 24 V supply for electrical fittings inside 
10. Provide proper access and illumination 
11. Ensure work area and escape routes are free from obstructions
12. Inform medical and fire teams about nature of work and location, before start of work
13. Ensure proper breathing air set suitable for use in case of emergency, or ensure BA set use during entire work
14. Follow buddy system by having one person outside to watch for every person inside
15. Ensure to engage only medically fit personnel for the job and brief the hazards, safety measures and emergency procedures to be followed
16. Carry out trial run before start of work
17. Ensure continuous competent supervision during entire period of work

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3902905.ece?textsize=small&test=2

Another acid related incident

Few days ago, I posted an article about use of acid thinking it as water that caused acid burns. Yesterday, another incident of similar nature was reported in news papers wherein acid was applied to a pregnant lady assuming it as antiseptic in an hospital. It is reported that the baby boy delivered later died though there are conflicting reports about the time of death.
Hospital authorities suspect that
In the same news paper report, it is stated that earlier in other hospitals, i) a nurse used acid for swabbing instead of spirit before administering an injection and ii) a patient was given acid mistakenly instead of water.

It is observed that sometimes, incidents of similar nature like trapping of kids in the open bore wells, attack by jilted lovers on the girls, acid burns, etc are reported one after another in a short time. I don't know the reason for such pattern, whether such incidents occur regularly, but are reported during a period or incidents occur only during certain period
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Acid-used-for-delivery-at-state-hospital-baby-dies/articleshow/10600194.cms

Drinking water or chemical in a water bottle?

Today in a local daily, I read a person died two days after drinking sanitary fluid phenyl, assuming it as fruit juice. Earlier, I heard from a friend about his relative drinking hydro chloric acid (HCl) in a bottle assuming it as water and developing blisters in the mouth. Before that, I heard another incident of a boy taking water from a jug placed on a water cooler, that was used earlier for phenyl and had symptoms of stomach burning for few days.  There were many lab incidents due to the use of a chemical that is not same as the label on the bottle.
All above incidents stress on importance of proper labeling, safe procedure for handling of chemicals, proper hygienic practices and supervision. Otherwise, such incidents keep recurring at regular intervals.