105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14215842

RESPIRATORY,TOXIC FUMES,VENTILATION,METHYLENE CHLORIDE,WORK RULES,INHALATION,CONFINED SPACE

Event
RESPIRATORY,TOXIC FUMES,VENTILATION,METHYLENE CHLORIDE,WORK RULES,INHALATION,CONFINED SPACE
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14215842
Report ID
454510

Event description

EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO METHYLENE CHLORIDE IN CONFINED SPACE

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEE #1, ALONG WITH OTHERS, WAS REMOVING PAINT OVERSPRAY FROM THE FLOOR OF A NTAINING HAZARDOUS LEVELS OF METHYLENE CHLORIDE. PUMPING PIT. A PAINT STRIPPER CONTAINING 66 PERCENT METHYLENE CHLORIDE, AND SMA LLER PERCENTAGES OF TOLUENE, METHYL ETHYL KETONE, ACETONE AND METHANOL WAS BEING USED. THE FLOOR WAS 35 FEET BELOW THE GROUND IN A 35 BY 24 FOOT PIT WITH AN ENC LOSED BUILDING ABOVE IT. NO MECHANICAL VENTILATION WAS PROVIDED. A STRONG BUILDU P OF FUMES CAUSED THE WORKERS TO EVACUATE. EMPLOYEE #1 RETURNED TO THE PIT. HE W AS OVERCOME BY THE FUMES AND WAS KILLED. EMPLOYEE #2, AN EMERGENCY MEDICAL EMPLO YEE, ATTEMPTED TO RESCUE EMPLOYEE #1. HE WAS HOSPITALIZED BECAUSE OF HIS EXPOSUR E TO THE FUMES. THIS EVENT WAS CAUSED BY IMPROPER ENTRY INTO A CONFINED SPACE CO

Victims (6)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 40 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    44
    Occupation code
    579
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1710
    Task assigned
    1

  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 28 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    28
    Event type
    8
    Source
    44
    Occupation code
    446
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1710
    Task assigned
    2

  3. #981 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0

  4. #982 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0

  5. #983 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0

  6. #984 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0

Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.

← Back to accident search