By Jonann Brady
Kenneth Lemay, 45, of West Hempstead, a station engineer at the county sewage facility, was severely burned in an accident that occurred at around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 2. According to county officials, Lemay was performing a procedure that cools off machinery by releasing steam, when a hose shot off a piece of machinery, and doused Lemay's stomach and lower torso with 225-degree Farenheit water. The boiling point of water is 212 degrees Farenheit.
Police and medical personnel were called to the scene, and Lemay was transported by helicopter to the Nassau County Medical Center's burn unit, where he was listed in stable condition on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The hospital and county did not release further information on Lemay's condition. He has worked for the sewage plant since 1991.
A Nassau County Department of Public Works official said that, in light of the accident, the sewage plant would take measures to reinforce workers' safety practices.
