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 #14523880

UNCONSCIOUSNESS,PPE,INHALATION,CARBON MONOXIDE,RESPIRATOR,BLAST FURNACE,GAS LEAK

Event
UNCONSCIOUSNESS,PPE,INHALATION,CARBON MONOXIDE,RESPIRATOR,BLAST FURNACE,GAS LEAK
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14523880
Report ID
522500

Event description

EMPLOYEES OVERCOME BY BLAST FURNACE GAS

Investigation abstract

A CONTRACTOR AND SUBCONTRACTOR WORKING IN THE NUMBER ONE BOILER HOUSE WERE AT TH S UNEQUIPPED WITH RESPIRATORS PASSED OUT ALSO. ALL AFFECTED EMOLOYEES WERE HOSPI TALIZED. THE EMPLOYEES WERE NOT TRAINED IN THE USE OF RESPIRATORS OR IN GAS RESC UE PROCEDURES. E WEST END OF THE BUILDING. THE WATER IN THE DRIP LEG RESERVOIR FOR THE FIVE FOO T BLAST FURNACE MAIN BECAME LOW. THE WATER LEVEL FELL TO WITHIN 34 INCHES OF THE BOTTOM OF THE DRIP LEG. SINCE THE GAS PRESSURE WITHIN THE MAIN IS AT 34 INCHES OF WATER, THE GAS BEGAN TO BLOW OUT THE 14 INCH DRIP LEG FROM THE FIVE FOOT DIAM ETER GAS MAIN. THE DRIP LEG IS LOCATED AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE NUMBER ONE BOILER HOUSE. THE WATER LINE TO THE RESERVOIR WAS EITHER TURNED OFF OR THE VALV E WAS PLUGGED. EMPLOYEES AT ALL LEVELS OF THE WESTERN 1/3 OF THE BOILER HOUSE WE RE EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE. MANY PASSED OUT. MANY RESCUER

Victims (5)

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 33 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    18
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0560
    Task assigned
    1

  2. #2 Hospitalized Age 44 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    18
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0560
    Task assigned
    1

  3. #3 Hospitalized Age 41 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    4
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    18
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0560
    Task assigned
    1

  4. #981 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0

  5. #982 Degree 0 Age 0

    Nature of injury
    0
    Part of body
    0
    Event type
    0
    Source
    0
    Occupation code
    0
    Human factor
    0
    Environmental factor
    0
    Task assigned
    0

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.

← Back to accident search