Powered by GoogleTranslate

Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 149036.015 - Employee Is Killed By Asphyxiation After Entering Tank For S

Accident Summary Nr: 149036.015 -- Report ID: 0950644 -- Event Date: 08/18/2022
Inspection NrDate OpenedSICNAICSEstablishment Name
1616449.01508/19/2022423830Meeder Equipment Company

Abstract: At 3:00 p.m. on August 18, 2022, an employee entered an empty liquid propane gas (LPG) tank for servicing at an industrial equipment wholesaler facility. Earlier in the day, the employee approached a supervisor and stated that he wanted to enter the tank to spray Torq CB III penetrating oil product on an internal valve to loosen it overnight so it could be worked on the next day. The supervisor told the employee to wait until the next morning when the tank could be vented. The employee entered the tank by using a manlift connected to a forklift and a ladder and was overcome by the vapor residue inside the tank. The employee was not wearing a respirator but had a blower nearby which was unused. At approximately 3:30 p.m., the supervisor began looking around the shop for the employee since it was closing time. The supervisor eventually found the employee slumped over and unresponsive inside near the entrance of the tank, and called 9-1-1 and also a coworker to come over to assist. The coworker entered the tank three times to attempt to rescue the employee but was unsuccessful. At 4:13 p.m., fire department personnel arrived onsite and used a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to enter the tank and remove the employee. The employee was killed by asphyxiation due to residual vapors and lack of oxygen inside of the LPG tank.

Keywords: Asphyxiated, Chemical Vapor, Confined Space, Enclosed Space, Loss of consciousness, Lost consciousness, Lpg Container, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Overcome by vapors, Pressure Vessel, Respirator, Tank, Unresponsive, Vapor, Venting, Vessel--Container

Employee Details
Employee # Inspection Nr Age Sex Degree of Injury Nature of Injury Occupation
1 1616449.015 62 M Fatality Machinery maintenance occupations

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