OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #605832
HAMMOND SEPTIC SERVICE
GAINESVILLE, GA·
Event description
4 EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO CHLORINE GAS IN STORAGE TANK
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATELY 10 AM ON JULY 16, 1986, AN EMPLOYEE OF A CLEANING CONTRACTOR RA F THE FOUR EMPLOYEES RECEIVED SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE. ALL FOUR EMPLOYEES WERE EXPOS ED TO A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF CHLORINE GAS. N INTO THE PLANT TO GET HELP. TWO EMPLOYEES RAN OUTSIDE TO THE TANK, TAKING ABOU T 1 MINUTE TO GET THERE. THEY FOUND FOUR CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES INSIDE THE TANK. F ANS WERE USED TO VENTILATE THE TANK. THE FANS RAN ABOUT FOUR MINUTES, UNTIL THE EMERGENCY UNITS ARRIVED. THE UNITS WERE EQUIPPED WITH SELF CONTAINED BREATHING R ESPIRATORS. TWO MEMBERS OF THE EMERGENCY UNIT WENT INTO THE TANK AND BEGAN REMOV ING THE EMPLOYEES FROM THE SLUDGE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK. TWO OF THE EMPLOYEE S WERE IN CARDIAC ARREST. ALL FOUR EMPLOYEES WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. T WO WERE DEAD ON ARRIVAL. ONE OTHER EMPLOYEE DIED FOUR DAYS LATER. THE YOUNGEST O
Victims (4)
-
#1 Fatality Age 27 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Fatality Age 53 M
- Nature of injury
- 1
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Fatality Age 29 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 18 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0640
- 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.