OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14412084
SERVICE ENTERPRISES, INC. DBA CROWN PLUMBING
MISSOURI CITY, TX·
Event description
EMPLOYEE ASPHYXIATED BY EXPOSURE TO NATURAL GAS
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1, A PLUMBER, WAS SENT TO A PRIVATE RESIDENCE TO CLEAN OUT A SEWER LIN E. AS HE WAS PROBING WITH A FOUR FOOT, T-SHAPED PROBE HE INADVERTENTLY PUNCTURED A HIGH PRESSURE GAS LINE. INSTEAD OF CALLING THE GAS COMPANY, HE CALLED HIS OFF ICE FOR ADVICE. THEY TOLD HIM TO FIND OUT WHAT LINE HE HAD PUNCTURED AND THEN CA LL THEM BACK. THEY DIDN'T CALL THE GAS COMPANY EITHER. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS LATER FOU ND LYING ON HIS STOMACH WITH HIS HEAD, ARMS AND SHOULDERS IN A 15 INCH DIAMETER BY 24 INCH DEEP HOLE THAT HE HAD DUG. HE HAD BEEN TRYING TO PLACE A CLAMP ON THE GAS LINE. THE AUTOPSY SHOWED THE CAUSE OF DEATH TO BE ASPHYXIA AND A BROKEN NEC K.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 35 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1640
- 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.