OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14464259

RESPIRATORY,VENTILATION,HEADACHE,WORK RULES,INHALATION,NAUSEA,INDUSTRIAL TRUCK,EXHAUST FUMES,POISONING,CARBON MONOXIDE

1985-11-20T00:00:00

Event: RESPIRATORY,VENTILATION,HEADACHE,WORK RULES,INHALATION,NAUSEA,INDUSTRIAL TRUCK,EXHAUST FUMES,POISONING,CARBON MONOXIDE
Linked inspection: No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number: 14464259
Report ID: 551800

Event description

CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING FROM DEFECTIVE FORK TRUCKS

Investigation abstract

THIRTY-SIX EMPLOYEES OF PRINCETON INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION, PRINCETON INDIANA, WER SYMPTOMS FOR THOSE WHO HAD BEEN EXPOSED. SYMPTOMS INCLUDED SEVERE HEADACHES, NAU SEA AND NEAR LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. E SENT TO GIBSON GENERAL HOSPITAL AND TREATED FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. THE EMPLOYEES WORKED IN THE PARKING/SHIPPING AREA. THEY PACKED FINISHED PRODUCTS IN TO BOXES, WHICH WERE THEN STACKED AND LOADED INTO SEMITRUCKS BY OTHER EMPLOYEES USING FORKLIFT TRUCKS. THE FIVE FORKLIFT TRUCKS BEING USED WERE BADLY TUNED AND EMITTING HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE GAS. THE AREA'S FRESH AIR INTAKE AND EXH AUST VENTILATION WAS NOT TURNED ON. IT WAS A COLD DAY AND ALL OPENINGS TO THE OU TSIDE WERE CLOSED UP TO KEEP OUT THE COLD AIR. THE START OF THE OPERATIONS WAS A BOUT 6:30 AM. BY 11 AM ENOUGH CARBON MONOXIDE HAD ACCUMULATED TO BEGIN TO CAUSE

Victims (36)

#1 Hospitalized Age 44 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#10 Hospitalized Age 41 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#11 Hospitalized Age 45 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#12 Hospitalized Age 42 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#13 Hospitalized Age 30 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#14 Hospitalized Age 25 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
999

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Task assigned
1
#15 Hospitalized Age 33 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
999

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Task assigned
1
#16 Hospitalized Age 32 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
999

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Task assigned
1
#17 Hospitalized Age 24 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
999

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Task assigned
1
#18 Hospitalized Age 28 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
999

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Task assigned
1
#19 Hospitalized Age 53 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
999

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Task assigned
1
#2 Hospitalized Age 26 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
5

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#20 Hospitalized Age 47 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
999

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Task assigned
1
#21 Hospitalized Age 29 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#22 Hospitalized Age 39 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#23 Hospitalized Age 35 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#24 Hospitalized Age 18 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#25 Hospitalized Age 34 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#26 Hospitalized Age 48 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#27 Hospitalized Age 43 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#28 Hospitalized Age 36 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#29 Hospitalized Age 37 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
5

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#3 Hospitalized Age 49 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#30 Hospitalized Age 31 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#31 Hospitalized Age 48 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#32 Hospitalized Age 35 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#33 Hospitalized Age 22 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#34 Hospitalized Age 27 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#35 Hospitalized Age 19 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#36 Hospitalized Age 37 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#4 Hospitalized Age 45 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#5 Hospitalized Age 43 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#6 Hospitalized Age 48 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#7 Hospitalized Age 39 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#8 Hospitalized Age 29 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

Task assigned
1
#9 Hospitalized Age 34 F

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
25

Event type
8

Source
30

Occupation code
888

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
0560

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.