Alcohol Spill Injures Worker, Closes Road

A minor spill of rubbing alcohol at a Thousand Oaks manufacturer of liquid crystal displays left one worker slightly injured Monday and forced the closure of a section of Townsgate Road for about two hours, authorities said.

An employee at the business, Crystal Clear Technology, was using air pressure to unclog a blockage in a tube carrying alcohol from a large glass jar to another location about 10 a.m. Monday when the jar burst, launching shards of glass into his face and spilling about three gallons of alcohol.

“We had a glass jar blow up from air pressure,” said Jeff Koster, the company’s director of manufacturing. “The alcohol is used as a carrier for another material.”

Company representatives declined to release the man’s name, but said he was 34 years old and had worked at the company for more than three years. He was wearing goggles at the time of the incident and suffered minor cuts.

The man was driven to a nearby hospital for treatment, according to Ventura County Fire Department spokeswoman Sandi Wells.

The alcohol spill took place in a 2,500-square-foot room in which several other people were working, but no one else was injured, Koster said. About 40 workers were evacuated from the small office building, and the section of Townsgate Road in front of it was blocked off until authorities could clean up the small spill.

The Fire Department’s hazardous materials unit quickly arrived, soaked up most of the alcohol and used fans to evaporate the rest, authorities said.