OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14538896

RADCLIFF CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

RADCLIFF, KY— 1985-07-05T00:00:00

Event: RESPIRATORY, SEWER, HYDROGEN SULFIDE, POISONING, WORK RULES, INHALATION, MAINTENANCE, CONFINED SPACE
NAICS: 000000
Inspection type: Accident-driven
Activity number: #18589358
Employer profile: RADCLIFF CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Summary number: 14538896
Report ID: 452110

Event description

EXPOSED TO HYDROGEN SULFIDE IN CONFINED SPACE; DIED

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEES #2 AND #3 WERE DOING MAINTAINANCE WORK ON A PUMP IN A SEWER LIFT STATI ON. A VALVE BROKE AND EMPLOYEE #2 WAS HURT. EMPLOYEE #3 WENT TO GET HELP, THEN R ETURNED TO TO THE LIFT STATION TO HELP THE INJURED EMPLOYEE. MEANWHILE, THE WATE R COMPANY HAD CALLED THE POLICE FOR HELP. THE FIRST POLICEMAN (EMPLOYEE #1) RESP ONDED AND ATTEMPTED TO RESCUE THE OTHER TWO EMPLOYEES. SOMETIME LATER, THE SECON D POLICEMAN (EMPLOYEE #4) HEARD A RADIO CALL FROM EMPLOYEE #1 FOR HELP. HE RESPO NDED AND ATTEMPTED TO RESCUE THE OTHER THREE. ALL FOUR MEN DIED FROM EXPOSURE TO HYDROGEN SULFIDE.

Victims (6)

#1 Fatality Age 34 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
19

Occupation code
418

Human factor
1

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
1480

Task assigned
2
#2 Fatality Age 28 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
19

Occupation code
999

Human factor
6

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
1480

Task assigned
1
#3 Fatality Age 27 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
19

Occupation code
999

Human factor
6

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
1480

Task assigned
1
#4 Fatality Age 37 M

Nature of injury
2

Part of body
28

Event type
8

Source
19

Occupation code
999

Human factor
6

Environmental factor
7

Hazardous substance
1480

Task assigned
1
#981 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
#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

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.