OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14511547
HYDRA RIG CRYOGENICS, INC.
SCHULENBURG, TX·
Event description
EMPLOYEE ENTERED TANK FILLED WITH NITROGEN; WAS ASPHYXIATED
Investigation abstract
A 2000 GALLON TANK WAS BEING PURGED OVERNIGHT WITH HOT NITROGEN GAS. ON SATURDAY THE AMBULANCE ARRIVED AND TOOK EMPLOYEE#1 TO THE EMERGENCY HOSPITAL WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD ON ARRIVAL. MORNING, JANUARY 25, 1986, EMPLOYEE #1 AND THE PLANT MANAGER WENT TO CHECK IF T HE TANK WAS WARM. EMPLOYEE #1 REMOVED THE MANHOLE COVER AND NOTICED THAT THE INN ER VESSEL WAS WARM. A CUSTOMER CAME IN. THE CUSTOMER AND THE PLANT MANAGER WENT TO THE SHOP OFFICE TO TALK. FIVE MINUTES LATER THE VICE PRESIDENT ARRIVED AND WE NT TO THE PAINT SHOP LOCATED ON THE WESTSIDE OF THE BUILDING. HE THEN WENT TO TH E SHOP OFFICE TO SEE THE PLANT MANAGER. AT THIS TIME IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT EMPL OYEE #1 WAS INSIDE THE TANK AND UNCONSCIOUS. THE PLANT MANAGER IMMEDIATELY FLOOD ED THE TANK WITH SHOP AIR. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS REMOVED FROM THE TANK AND GIVEN CPR.
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 37 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 1900
- 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.