OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14252035
OXYGEN DEFICIENCY,RESPIRATORY,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,CONFINED SPACE,WORK RULES,TOXIC ATMOSPHERE,TOLUENE,CHEMICAL VAPOR,TANK,CHEMICAL
Event description
2 EMPLOYEES ENTERED TANK CONTAINING TOXIC ATMOSOHERE
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 ENTERED AN ELEVATED, 8 FOOT DEEP, 1,000 GALLON TANK TO REPLACE A NUT ON AN AGITATOR SHAFT. SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING, HE PASSED OUT. EMPLOYEE #2, WHO E NTERED THE TANK TO ASSIST EMPLOYEE #1, ALSO PASSED OUT. THE TANK WAS USED TO CRY STALIZE CHEMICALS, INCLUDING ANTIMONY TRIACETATE, IN A SPECIALTY ORGANIC CHEMICA L MANUFACTURING OPERATION. THE CONTENTS OF THE TANK, INCLUDING TOLUENE, WERE DRA INED AT 8 AM. THE TANK WAS STEAM CLEANED AT ABOUT 9 AM. TANK ENTRY OCCURRED AT A PPROXIMATELY 10 AM. THE EMPLOYEES' UNCONSCIOUSNESS COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY AN OXYGEN DEFICIENCY OR BY THE PRESENCE OF TOXIC VAPORS. BOTH MEN WERE HOSPITALIZED OVERNIGHT AND RELEASED WITH NO PERMANENT EFFECTS.
Victims (2)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 60 M
- Nature of injury
- 15
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 28
- Occupation code
- 19
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 2460
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 47 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 48
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 18
- Hazardous substance
- 2460
- Task assigned
- 2
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.