OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #674192
GEORGETOWN STEEL CORPORATION
GEORGETOWN, SC·
Event description
EMPLOYEE ASPHYXIATED IN CONFINED SPACE FILLED WITH ARGON
Investigation abstract
ON MARCH 21, 1988, EMPLOYEE #1 APPARENTLY ATTEMPTED TO ASCERTAIN THE CAUSE OF AN OUND, DEAD, IN THE LADLE TURRET AT ABOUT 1 AM. LOCAL FIRE FIGHTERS, EQUIPPED WIT H SCBA'S, RETRIEVED EMPLOYEE #1'S BODY. (APPARENTLY THE COMPLIANCE OFFICER WHO W ROTE THIS REPORT PROVIDED SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, BUT THE CONTINUATION SHEE T HAS BEEN LOST. W.G.) EXCESS ARGON USAGE THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. IN DOING SO HE ENTERED, ALONE, A LADLE T URRET WHICH OFTEN CONTAINS ARGON GAS. THE TURRET IS 15 FEET IN DIAMETER AND HAS 2 DOORS ON THE BOTTOM SECTION AND ONE DOOR IN THE UPPER LADLE HOLDER. THE CEILIN G IS 8 FEET HIGH. A CONTRACTOR ON SITE REMEMBERED SOMEONE WEARING A WHITE HARD H AT AND COVERALLS ENTERING THE BOTTOM TURRET BETWEEN 8:30 AND 9 AM. NO ONE NOTICE D EMPLOYEE #1 THE REST OF THE DAY. AT ABOUT 12:30 AM EMPLOYEE #1'S WIFE CALLED T HE PLANT BECAUSE HER HUSBAND HAD NOT COME HOME. EMPLOYEES NOTICED THAT EMPLOYEE #1'S TRUCK WAS STILL PARKED AT THE PLANT SO THEY BEGAN LOOKING FOR HIM. HE WAS F
Victims (3)
-
#1 Fatality Age 36 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0240
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#982 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
-
#983 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.