OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14554570
W.S. BUNCH CO.
OMAHA, NE·
Event description
CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEES OVEREXPOSED TO TOLUENE VAPORS
Investigation abstract
EMPLOYEE #1 ENTERED AN 8000 GALLON TOLUENE STORAGE TANK SATURATED WITH TOLUENE V APORS WITHOUT FIRST TESTING FOR AN IDLH CONDITION, AND WITHOUT SCBA RESPIRATORY EQUIPMENT OR A SAFETY HARNESS AND LIFELINE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS OVERCOME BY THE VAPO RS AND COLLAPSED SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING THE TANK AND PERFORMING SOME WORK. EMPLO YEE #2 HEARD EMPLOYEE #1 GROAN AND COLLAPSE. EMPLOYEE #2 THEN ENTERED THE TANK T O RESCUE EMPLOYEE #1, WAS OVERCOME BY THE VAPOR AND ALSO COLLAPSED. THE EMPLOYEE S WERE DISCOVERED ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER AND WERE RESCUED BY FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSON NEL. BOTH EMPLOYEES WERE HOSPITALIZED.
Victims (3)
-
#1 Hospitalized Age 33 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2460
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 20 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 19
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 9
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 2460
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#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.