A roofer jumped into a vat of acid to save his co-worker who fell 40 feet through the roof into the liquid. NorthJersey.com reports that the men were working on the roof of the Swepco Tube LLC tubing company in Clifton when one fell and was fully submerged in a solution that contained 40-70% nitric acid. The worker was waist-high in acid pulling his peer out, while three other employees assisted. "It takes a lot of courage," Fire Chief Vince Colavitti said, in what strikes us as an understatement.
The victim was airlifted to the hospital with head-to-toe burns, and his condition is unknown but "life-threatening," while his coworker has burns from the waist down and is in "serious" condition.
An OSHA rep confirmed to the outlet that they were investigating the incident, and Colavitti noted that the contractor didn't have a permit to perform work on the roof, which would have forced a safety inspection before or after the repairs. The roof needed replacing because "over the years acid steam and mist ate away at the corrugated metal roof above the tank."
