OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #739870
RESPIRATORY,SEWER,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,CONFINED SPACE,WORK RULES,CLEANING,INHALATION,TOXIC FUMES
Event description
5 EMPLOYEES OVERCOME BY SEWER GAS DURING SEWER MANHOLE ENTRY
Investigation abstract
THE CITY ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, IN THE MIDST OF A SEWER FLOW LINE SURVEY, REQUE 2 (WHO WAS BY THEN UNCONSCIOUS). EMPLOYEE #3 WAS ALSO OVERCOME BY THE SEWER GASE S AND BECAME ILL. EMPLOYEES #4 AND #5 (FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT) THEN ARRIVED AN D ENTERED THE MANHOLE WEARING SCBA GEAR. HOWEVER, THE SCBA FACE PIECES WERE DISL ODGED DURING THE RESCUE, RESULTING IN EMPLOYEE #4 AND #5'S EXPOSURE TO THE SEWER GASES. THEY ALSO BECAME ILL AFTER THEY LEFT THE MANHOLE. EMPLOYEE #1 DIED FROM HIS EXPOSURE. THE OTHER 4 EMPLOYEES WERE HOSPITALIZED. STED THAT THE SEWER DEPARTMENT CLEAN ABOUT TWO FEET OF CRUSTED SEWAGE FROM THE B OTTOM OF A SEWER MANHOLE. THE MANHOLE WAS ABOUT 15 FEET, 3 INCHES DEEP. EMPLOYEE S #1 AND #2 ARRIVED AT THE SITE WITH A TET-RODDER MACHINE TO CLEAN THE MANHOLE. THERE WERE TWO BOARDS FLOATING ON THE SEWAGE THAT THE TET-RODDER WOULD NOT PICK UP, SO EMPLOYEE #1 ENTERED THE MANHOLE TO RETRIEVE THEM. HE WAS QUICKLY OVERCOME BY SEWER GASES. EMPLOYEE #2 CALLED FOR HELP AND THEN ENTERED THE MANHOLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESCUE EMPLOYEE #1. HE WAS ALSO QUICKLY OVERCOME. EMPLOYEE #3 THEN AR RIVED AT THE SITE AND LEANED INTO THE MANHOLE IN AN ATTEMPT TO TALK TO EMPLOYE #
Victims (5)
-
#1 Fatality Age 38 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 889
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Hospitalized Age 22 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 889
- Human factor
- 18
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 53 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 889
- Human factor
- 1
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 37 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 417
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#5 Hospitalized Age 21 M
- Nature of injury
- 21
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 19
- Occupation code
- 417
- Human factor
- 6
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 8880
- 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.