Powered by GoogleTranslate

Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 145866.015 - Employee dies of natural causes in permit-required confined

Accident Summary Nr: 145866.015 -- Report ID: 0951510 -- Event Date: 11/26/2021
Inspection NrDate OpenedSICNAICSEstablishment Name
1566934.01511/29/2021221320C&C-Denvirons, Honouliuli Wwt Plant

Abstract: At 9:45 a.m. on November 26, 2021, Employee #1 was repairing the grit chain inside the pre-aeration tank #4, a permit-required confined space with atmospheric and engulfment hazards. Employee #1 and Coworker #1, both from the maintenance team, were tasked to enter the permit space to repair the plastic grit chain and bracket collection system via a confined space entry permit. They were the authorized entrants. In additional to the entrants, the employer also designated Coworker #2 (from the operation team) as the attendant/entry supervisor on this job. At approximately 8:45 a.m. after the internal atmosphere was measured, recorded, and deemed "acceptable" by Coworker #2, Employee #1 and Coworker #1 entered the permit space. At approximately 9:30a.m., they got out of the permit space for a short break and re-entered the permit space at approximately 9:50 a.m., after the internal atmosphere was measured, recorded, and deemed "acceptable" again by Coworker #2. At approximately 9:57 a.m., Employee #1 was found by Coworker #1, unresponsive and lying face down on the down-slope end of the permit space. The Honolulu Fire Department arrived the scene at approximately 10:10 a.m. After they conducted their own air monitoring of the permit space, the Honolulu Fire Department entered the permit space and retrieved the victim. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene by the EMS. According to the autopsy report by the City and County of Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office, the cause of death was natural, i.e., atherosclerotic coronary artery disease with remote myocardial infarction. The Pre-aeration tank #4 is classified as a permit-required confined space by the employer, containing engulfment hazards from the incoming wastewater (the flow rate is approximately 6.75 MGD on the day of the incident) and atmospheric hazards from the naturally occurred Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and methane gas (CH4) from the wastewater.

Keywords: Artery, Confined Space, Entry Permit, Heart, Heart Attack, Hydrogen Sulfide, Methane, Natural Causes, Unresponsive

Employee Details
Employee # Inspection Nr Age Sex Degree of Injury Nature of Injury Occupation
1 1566934.015 64 M Fatality Specified mechanics and repairers

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.

Close