title: Burns due to flammable solvents ignited with floor buffers.
abstract: Three patients, employed by janitorial service agencies, were burned severely while buffing floors. A solvent to remove floor lacquer was used in one case, and a solvent to remove glue that held carpet to the floor was used in the other two cases. The solvent used in each case is flammable and was ignited when a floor buffer was used near it. The floor buffers are specifically labeled as unsafe to operate near flammable liquids. The patients' injuries were severe. All three patients survived. This represents a rather unusual and unsafe industrial practice that should be avoided.
authors.affiliation: Augusta Regional Medical Center, GA, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Still
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Orlet
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Pickens
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational; D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000209:etiology*; D004560:Electricity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012997:Solvents
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents