Abstract: Employee #1 was cleaning ink sludge from the interior of a machine when he began to lose consciousness. He was removed from the machine before he passed out completely. Paramedics responded within minutes and transported him to a local hospital. He was held overnight for observation, then discharged to return to unrestricted work. Employee #1 later stated that he may have broken his respirator seal when wiping off some perspiration. No tests were made for the presence of volatile organic compounds from the ink sludge. The company had detector tube test capability, but the equipment was not on site. The oxygen concentration in the area measured 20 percent.