This serves as a good warning Kevin. This stuff is really nasty and can be
a life threat, though I wonder about the details you describe. I used to
work in a solar cell factory back in the mid 60's (Heliotek, part of
Textron then) and we had assembly lines where the cells were etched in
trays of HFl. We had a few spills as you could imagine, but I never new
anyone to lose a leg or die. We had emergency showers in the etching room,
right out in the open. They had a 18 inch ring to pull on to start the
shower. Once in the 3 years that I worked there we had a person use one.
When you have a lap full of HFl acid, there is no modesty at all. Other
workers jumped up to help get her clothes off while the water ws still
flowing. They later adopted some waterproof coveralls that were soundly
rejected as they were hot as the dickens. I guess later OSHA safety
regulations have reduced the risks, but this was over 30 years ago and
safety was pretty primitive by today's standards. I recall she suffered
some burns but was back to work in a week or so and no permanent damge. I
was in an adjacent room when it happened. I ran in when I heard the
commotion and she was in the shower within 15 to 20 seconds, which may have
saved her quit a bit of damage. The etching line was mostly young women and
the men were supervisors. (That's the way is was in the old days, sorry.) I
don't recall anyone teasing her about the incident, everyone was scared of
that stuff.
Dick Sullivan