Green Job Hazards

Green Job Hazards Menu Workers' Rights

Recycling: Used Oil/Chemical

Worker Fatalities
  • A worker was engulfed in a fire and explosion after oxidizers were mixed with incompatible chemicals

  • At a facility that recycles used oil, a worker was electrocuted when using a portable pump that was not properly grounded.

Fuel blending or other methods for reusing oil or other chemicals can create a variety of hazards. The chemicals that are being reused may pose exposure hazards directly, or reactions between mixed chemicals may create new hazards, including the possibility of respiratory hazards and even fires or explosions.

Hazards and Precautions

Worker Fatalities
  • A worker was engulfed in a fire and explosion after oxidizers were mixed with incompatible chemicals

  • At a facility that recycles used oil, a worker was electrocuted when using a portable pump that was not properly grounded.