104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14460794

RESPIRATORY,CONFINED SPACE,INHALATION,GAS,TOXIC FUMES,TANK

Event
RESPIRATORY,CONFINED SPACE,INHALATION,GAS,TOXIC FUMES,TANK
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14460794
Report ID
257260

Event description

EMPLOYEES KILLED AND INJURED BY NOXIOUS SEPTIC GASES

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEES #1-4 WERE INSTRUCTED TO DIG A DRAINAGE DITCH FOR A SEPTIC TANK. THEIR INTENTIONS WERE TO REPAIR LEAKS IN THE SEPTIC TANK. FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON, ONE O F THE FOUR EMPLOYEES OPENED THE TOP OF THE TANK. THE EMPLOYEE WAS IMMEDIATELY EX POSED TO TOXIC FUMES, AND HE FELL INTO THE SEPTIC TANK. OF THE THREE OTHER EMPLO YEES WHO DESCENDED INTO THE TANK TO ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THE FALLEN EMPLOYEE, ONLY EMPLOYEE #2 SURVIVED.

Victims (4)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 28 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    585
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    2
  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 30 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    453
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    2
  3. #3 Fatality Age 24 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    438
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Task assigned
    2
  4. #4 Fatality Age 19 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    438
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    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.