In an accident at the Sleepy Eye chemical plant, a worker suffers severe burns on 65% of his body surface

SLEEPY EYE, Minnesota — An industrial accident at a chemical plant in this small rural community left a man suffering life-threatening burns when he was scalded by 1,000 gallons of 200-degree water under high pressure.

The June 3 incident at the Balchem ​​plant in Sleepy Eye occurred after two employees attempted to repair a “severely clogged” industrial dryer, according to a report the company submitted to the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration and released Monday as part of a state information request.

The Sleepy Eye plant is one of 20 manufacturing sites of New Jersey-based Balchem, which employs about 1,300 people worldwide and produces chemicals and nutrients for health and agricultural products.

The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning and left 51-year-old Juan Montemayor with second and third degree burns on 65 percent of his body and a dislocated shoulder, he and his family said.

Balchem’s report, the result of an internal investigation sent to state regulators on June 10, lists seven steps the plant can take to prevent a repeat of the mishap. They include reviewing how to prevent severe blockages and buildup in the dryers, better ways to secure the bottom of the machine and checking whether the water temperature is too high.

The Balchem ​​report is considered “satisfactory” and no further action is required by the company, said a spokesman for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

Balchem’s report to OSHA said the two men used unapproved techniques, such as opening the equipment. The report also accused the two men of failing to contact higher management.

But Montemayor and his supervisor on the night of the accident, Guy Jennings, said they followed standard procedure. Jennings, who was fired last week, and Montemayor’s wife, Celese, contradicted the report.

Jennings said he was speaking out because he wanted the company to do better and prevent future accidents. He said the technique they used to unclog the machine was standard practice at the factory.

Montemayor said he worked at the plant for 20 years, which operated under Balchem ​​and other owners, and was known as the most experienced worker on his shift and a “workhorse,” Jennings said.

The two men said they were repairing a cone dryer, a machine that processes powder. That night, the machine was filled with magnesium, which has a greater tendency to clump than other materials, they said.

“We had a lot of problems with the magnesium; it’s really sticky,” Jennings said.

The couple said they tried cleaning the inside walls of the machine with hot water in hopes of dissolving the material clogging it. They said they tried to clear the clog by using a rope to open part of the dryer.

Sometime after 3 a.m., Jennings heard a bang. Then he saw a torrent of boiling water pour down on his co-worker. Juan Montemayor said he had to jump from a 7-foot ladder and fell into more hot water on the floor. The hot water washed Juan Montemayor about 30 feet across the factory that night, Jennings said.

The incident was first reported by the Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch.

Mitch Gardner, Balchem’s vice president of manufacturing, said in a statement that the company was “deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the employee and his family.”

The company did not respond to further questions.

Montemayor’s recovery is now on the mend and he can walk some steps, his family said, but added that his road to recovery is expected to be long.

When her father arrived at Regions Hospital Burn Center, doctors told him he had a 60% chance of survival, Maurissa Montemayor said. In the coming weeks, he would suffer tremendous pain, fever and two skin grafts.

Celese Montemayor sang to her husband of 35 years last month as he kept fainting. She said she read him Bible verses.

“What I am most thankful for is that Juan is alive and we see the power of God working through him,” she said.