105,313Records 71,083Employers 85,290Hospitalizations 27,770Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-10-31
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #737049

OXYGEN DEFICIENCY,RESPIRATORY,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,CONFINED SPACE,PPE,WELDING,PIPE,RESPIRATOR

Event
OXYGEN DEFICIENCY,RESPIRATORY,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,CONFINED SPACE,PPE,WELDING,PIPE,RESPIRATOR
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
737049
Report ID
452110

Event description

EMPLOYEES ENTERED OXYGEN DEFICIENT ATMOSPHERE IN PIPELINE

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEE #1 AND EMPLOYEE #2 ENTERED A 30 INCH DIAMETER PIPELINE TO CHECK A WELD ED EMPLOYEE #4. OTHER EMPLOYEES BROKE THE WELD BY GRINDING IT AND THEN USING A B ACKHOE TO BREAK THE PIPE OPEN. EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WERE GIVEN MOUTH-TO-MOUTH RES USCITATION IN AN UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO REVIVE THEM. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT AB OUT 3:45 PM ON AUGUST 28, 1986. THEY HAD JUST COMPLETED. WHEN EMPLOYEE #7, A WELDER'S HELPER, PASSED OUT AT OPEN END OF THE PIPELINE, THE OTHER WORKERS WERE ALERTED THAT EMPLOYEES #1 AND #2 WE RE IN THE PIPELINE. EMPLOYEE #6 ATTEMPTED TO ENTER THE PIPELINE, BUT PASSED OUT AND WAS PULLED OUT BY OTHER EMPLOYEES. EMPLOYEE #5, A WELDER, TRIED TO ENTER THE PIPELINE BY USING AN OXYGEN WELDING HOSE TO BLOW OXYGEN INTO HIS FACE. EMPLOYEE #5 WAS PULLED OUT BY THE OTHER EMPLOYEES. EMPLOYEE #4, A SUPERVISOR, WAS NOTIFI ED. HE CAME TO THE AREA AND IMMEDIATELY ENTERED THE PIPELINE. HE, IN TURN, HAD T O BE RESCUED. A HOSE WAS TIED AROUND EMPLOYEE #8, WHO ENTERED THE PIPE AND RESCU

Victims (8)

  1. #1 Fatality Age 37 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    585
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    Task assigned
    1
  2. #2 Fatality Age 45 M

    Nature of injury
    2
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    585
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    Task assigned
    1
  3. #3 Non-hospitalized injury Age 57 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    869
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    Task assigned
    1
  4. #4 Non-hospitalized injury Age 42 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    557
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    Task assigned
    1
  5. #5 Non-hospitalized injury Age 44 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    585
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    Task assigned
    1
  6. #6 Non-hospitalized injury Age 18 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    587
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    Task assigned
    1
  7. #7 Non-hospitalized injury Age 37 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    587
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    Task assigned
    1
  8. #8 Non-hospitalized injury Age 21 M

    Nature of injury
    21
    Part of body
    31
    Event type
    8
    Source
    9
    Occupation code
    587
    Human factor
    1
    Environmental factor
    7
    Hazardous substance
    1900
    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.