OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #816819
OXYGEN DEFICIENCY,UNCONSCIOUSNESS,ASPHYXIATED,VENTILATION,CONFINED SPACE,WORK RULES,CONSTRUCTION,MANHOLE,COMMUNICATION,RESPIRATOR
Event description
Employees die in oxygen deficient manhole
Investigation abstract
Employees had gone to an underground vault to look for a leak in a telephone lin nd #2, who were pronounced dead at Danbury Hospital. e. They had trouble removing the manhole cover, which was a new rubber sealed ga sket type. After they had removed the cover, Employee #1 entered the vault and w ent to place the air test gauge on the receiver nipple. He passed out. Employee #2, thinking that Employee #1 had slipped and bumped his head, entered the vault to prevent him from drowning in the water. Employee #2 also passed out. A cowor ker went for help after having no luck with the truck radios. When he returned, he entered the vault but felt uneasy and exited. He then put air into the hole ( purging). Police and firemen arrived and extricated the bodies of Employees #1 a
Victims (2)
-
#1 Fatality Age 36 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0530
- Task assigned
- 1
-
#2 Fatality Age 33 M
- Nature of injury
- 2
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 43
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 4
- Environmental factor
- 7
- Hazardous substance
- 0530
- Task assigned
- 1
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