# Thermal burns  degree unspecified at Gaeta Recycling Co., Inc.
> OSHA SIR `2025021225` · 2/7/2025 · PATERSON, NEW JERSEY
## Severity
- **1 hospitalization**
- **Body part:** Multiple regions of the head
- **Nature of injury:** Thermal burns  degree unspecified
## Cause
- **Event:** Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire
- **Source:** Propane tanks and cylinders
- **Secondary source:** Trash compactors, shredders
## Employer
- **Name:** Gaeta Recycling Co., Inc.
- **Location:** 278 West Railway Ave., PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, 07503
- **NAICS:** 562111
- **Jurisdiction:** 1
## Narrative

A Gaeta Recycling employee was standing at an exit from a trash-baling chamber, installing a trash bag on a chute. A propane tank, hidden in a pile of garbage, entered the baler chamber, where it exploded under pressure. The employee suffered head and face burns.

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*Source: [OSHA Severe Injury Reports](https://www.osha.gov/severe-injury-reports) · MORVS · CC0 1.0*