Accident Report Detail
Accident: 200533974 - Employee Dies When Generator Exhaust Causes Asphyxiation
Inspection | Open Date | SIC | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|
315200519 | 12/13/2010 | 1522 | Rotert Construction Co. |
At approximately 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, December 12, 2010, Employee #1 told his spouse that he was going to a new six unit apartment construction site in Carroll, Iowa. The construction site had electric heaters energized by gas powered generators to prevent heaving of concrete floor. Employee #1 told his spouse that he was going to the site to refuel the generators. During the weekend the generators were moved inside the constructed building to prevent damage due to inclement weather or theft of the generators. At approximately 8:01 p.m. that same day, Employee #1's spouse called Employee #1's cell phone. Employee #1 did not answer the call. Employee #1's spouse found Employee #1 unresponsive, lying face down on the ground inside the doorway of a lower unit apartment where generators were running. The exhaust in the lower apartment unit caused by the generators was thick. Because of the exhaust, Employee #1's spouse had difficulty seeing Employee #1. Emergency services arrived on the site and began CPR. Employee #1 had a carboxyhemoglobin level greater than 75 and suffered from asphyxia. Employee #1 was transferred to a hospital, and was pronounced dead at 9:28 p.m. that evening in the hospital emergency room.
End Use | Proj Type | Proj Cost | Stories | NonBldgHt | Fatality | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-family dwelling | New project or new addition | $50,000 to $250,000 | 2 | X |
Employee # | Inspection | Age | Sex | Degree | Nature | Occupation | Construction |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 315200519 | Fatality | Asphyxia | Construction laborers | FallDist: FallHt: Cause: Other Activities-Post Decking Detail Work FatCause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor |