Abstract: Employee #1 and coworkers were inside a 1 million gal water tank, spray painting the bottom with a red vinyl primer containing 2-nitropropane, toluene, and isobutyl acetate. Employee #1 suffered liver failure and was killed. The vapor from the primer was heavier than the air in the tank, creating an IDLH atmosphere. Oxygen deficiency may also have been a factor in his death. The work was being conducted in a confined space under strenuous and hot conditions. None of the employees, who worked for a painting contractor, had training in confined space entry. They did not have forced ventilation or respiratory ppe.