OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #657668
R.B. STRONG EXCAVATING & SEWERAGE CONTRACTORS, INC
GLOUCESTER, MA·
Event description
EMPLOYEE KILLED WHEN EXPOSED TO TOXIC FUMES IN TRUCK TANK
Investigation abstract
AT APPROXIMATELY 8:22 AM ON JULY 22, 1988, EMPLOYEE #1 AND TWO OTHER EMPLOYEES W E TANK. THE TWO OTHER EMPLOYEES THEN ATTEMPTED TO ENTER THE TANK THROUGH THE BAC K HATCH TO RESCUE EMPLOYEE #1. BOTH WERE TREATED AT THE HOSPITAL AND RELEASED. E MPLOYEE #1 WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE HOSPITAL. ERE EMPTYING SEPTIC AND FISH WASTES FROM A FISH PROCESSING PLANT INTO A GRAVEL P IT. THE WASTE HAD BEEN TRANSPORTED TO THE PIT IN A TANK TRUCK. EMPLOYEE #1 CLIMB ED INTO THE TANK THROUGH A TOP HATCH. HE BROUGHT A HOSE FROM A HIGH PRESSURE WAT ER TRUCK WITH HIM TO WASH DOWN THE INSIDE OF THE TANK. THE SECOND EMPLOYEE WAS O N THE GROUND NEAR THE SEPTIC TANK TRUCK. THE THIRD EMPLOYEE WAS AT THE HIGH PRES SURE WATER TRUCK WAITING FOR THE SIGNAL TO TURN ON THE HIGH PRESSURE WATER. EMPL OYEE #1 TOLD THE THIRD EMPLOYEE TO TURN ON THE WATER. THE SECOND EMPLOYEE THEN C LIMBED UP TO THE TOP HATCH AND FOUND EMPLOYEE #1 UNCONSCIOUS AT THE BOTTOM OF TH
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 42 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 28
- Event type
- 12
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 19
- Environmental factor
- 7
- 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.