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 #14542856

OXYGEN DEFICIENCY,RESPIRATORY,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,INHALATION,DIZZINESS,VENTILATION,CARBON DIOXIDE

Event
OXYGEN DEFICIENCY,RESPIRATORY,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,INHALATION,DIZZINESS,VENTILATION,CARBON DIOXIDE
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14542856
Report ID
418100

Event description

EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE

Investigation abstract

AT APPROXIMATELY 9 AM ON OCTOBER 19, 1984, 15 EMPLOYEES OF CAGLE'S, INC. BECAME RE THE 15 AFFECTED EMPLOYEES WORKED. THE COMPANY HAS SINCE MADE SUBSTANTIAL CHAN GES TO THE VENTILATION SYSTEM, LOWERING THE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS TO LESS THAN 5 ,000 PPM, ON AVERAGE. ILL AT WORK. THEY EXHIBITED SYMPTOMS OF DIZZINESS, WEAKNESS, SWEATING, AND LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS. THEY WERE SEEN BY VARIOUS CLINICS, PRIVATE PHYSICIANS AND HOSP ITALS AND TREATED FOR CARBON DIOXIDE EXPOSURE. THE COMPANY, WHICH SLAUGHTERS AND DEBONES CHICKENS, USES A CARBON DIOXIDE COOLING SYSTEM IN THE MEAT PACKING DEPA RTMENT. THE CHICKEN MEAT IS QUICK-COOLED AS IT FLOWS BY, ON A CONVEYOR, ON ITS W AY TO LARGE VATS. CARBON DIOXIDE "HORNS" PERIODICALLY FORCE DRY ICE FLAKES INTO THE CONTAINERS OF MEAT. AN INADEQUATE VENTILATION SYSTEM ALLOWED THE CARBON DIOX IDE TO FLOW OVER THE VAT SIDES AND ACCUMULATE IN THE CHICKEN DE-BONING AREA, WHE

Victims (16)

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  2. #10 Hospitalized Age 20 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  3. #11 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  4. #12 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  5. #13 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  6. #14 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  7. #15 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  8. #2 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  9. #3 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  10. #4 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  11. #5 Hospitalized Age 35 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  12. #6 Hospitalized Age 35 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  13. #7 Hospitalized Age 35 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  14. #8 Hospitalized Age 40 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  15. #9 Hospitalized Age 25 F

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    25
    Event type
    8
    Source
    19
    Occupation code
    488
    Human factor
    17
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    0530
    Task assigned
    1

  16. #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

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.

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