OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14528483
RESPIRATORY,HYDROCHLORIC ACID,LUNG,PPE,WORK RULES,WELL,INHALATION,CARDIAC ARREST,TOXIC FUMES,RESPIRATOR
Event description
EMPLOYEE DIED OF INJURY FROM INHALING HCL GAS FUMES
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1, WHO WAS EMPLOYED BY A WELL SERVICING COMPANY, WAS TREATING A SALT W #1 WENT INTO CARDIAC ARHYTHMIA AND DIED. ATER DISPOSAL WELL WITH HYDROCHLORIC ACID. THE WELL BECAME OBSTRUCTED AND HYDROC HLORIC ACID FUMES BACKED UP AND OUT THE WELL HEAD. THE EXPOSURE BEGAN TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON EMPLOYEE #1 AND HE COMPLAINED OF RESPIRATORY DISTRESS. HE WENT TO HIS FAMILY DOCTOR WHO TREATED HIM ACCORDING TO HIS SYMPTOMS FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS. THE EMPLOYEE'S SYMPTOMS WORSENED, HOWEVER, SO HE SAW A PULMONOLOGIST. THAT DOCTOR HO SPITALIZED EMPLOYEE #1 AND TREATED HIM FOR RESPIRATORY DISTRESS. AS THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN HIS CONDITION HE WAS THEN SCHEDULED FOR A LUNG BIOPSY TO BETTER DETERMINE WHAT HIS PROBLEM WAS. DURING THE BIOPSY EXAM, ON MAY 3, 1988, EMPLOYEE
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 41 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 31
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 19
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1430
- 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.