OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14262729
WAL LYN PIC PAC
SALYERSVILLE, KY—
Event description
ASPHYXIATION OR HYDROGEN SULFIDE POISONING IN CONFINED SPACE
Investigation abstract
THE EMPLOYEES WERE USING SULFURIC ACID TO UNSTOP A GREASE TRAP LOCATED IN A 20 F OOT DEEP MANHOLE. AFTER THEY POURED SEVEN GALLONS INTO THE GREASE TRAP THEY LEFT FOR A SHORT TIME AND THEN REENTERED. THEY COLLAPSED, EITHER FROM A LACK OF OXYG EN OR EXPOSURE TO HYDROGEN SULFIDE. OTHER EMPLOYEES ATTEMPTED TO RESCUE THEM, BU T DIDN'T USE SAFETY GEAR (RESPIRATOR AND LIFELINE). IN THE END THERE WERE FOUR M EN IN THE HOLE, NONE OF WHICH COULD GET OUT. THE RESCUE SQUAD EVENTUALLY CAME WI TH AIR SUPPLIED RESPIRATORS (SCBAS) AND RESCUED ALL THE EMPLOYEES. TWO DIED, ONE REMAINS IN A DEEP COMA AND ONE RECOVERED COMPLETELY.
Victims (4)
-
#1 Fatality Age 45 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 585
- Human factor
- 16
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1480
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#2 Fatality Age 44 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 16
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1480
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#3 Hospitalized Age 45 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 585
- Human factor
- 16
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1480
- Task assigned
- 2
-
#4 Hospitalized Age 17 M
- Nature of injury
- 17
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 40
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 16
- Environmental factor
- 9
- Hazardous substance
- 1480
- Task assigned
- 2
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.