OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14369144
SODIUM HYDROXIDE,INTOXICATED,DROWN
Event description
APPARENTLY INTOXICATED EMPLOYEE DROWNED IN CHEMICAL SOLUTION
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1, A RELIEF FOREMAN WHO PROVIDED NIGHT WATCHMAN AND START-UP DUTIES AT OUT 37 INCHES HIGH, BUT HAS NO MIDRAIL OR TOEBOARD. IT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED W HETHER THE EMPLOYEE FELL OVER OR UNDER THE RAIL. THE EMPLOYEE HAD NO REASON TO B E IN THE AREA OF THE PITS. HIS PRESENCE THERE CANNOT BE LOGICALLY EXPLAINED. A PLANT WHICH MANUFACTURES CELLULOSE SPONGES, WAS ALONE AT THE FACILITY. HE COM PLETED HIS SECOND ROUND AND LEFT THE KEY CLOCK IN THE FOREMAN'S OFFICE. HE APPAR ENTLY BECAME DEEPLY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL, LEFT THE MAIN BUILDING AND W ALKED ABOUT 75 FEET TO A 7 BY 29 FOOT SHED IN THE REAR YARD. THE SHED SHELTERS A PIT WHERE TWO CS2 TANKS ARE KEPT SUBMERGED IN A WATER SOLUTION OF NA OH, NA S2 AND NA2 SO3. THE EMPLOYEE WAS FOUND FLOATING IN ONE OF THE 12 FOOT DEEP TANKS AT THE EAST END OF THE SHED BY THE RELIEF FOREMAN. THERE IS A 3 FOOT WIDE WALKWAY WHICH RUNS THE LENGTH OF THE SHED. THE WALKWAY IS EQUIPPED WITH A WOODEN RAIL AB
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 60 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 14
- Source
- 13
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 8
- Environmental factor
- 13
- Hazardous substance
- 2260
- Task assigned
- 1
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.