UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

On November 7, 2008, Employee #1 was traveling with a dump scow barge being moved from Norwalk Harbor to a dump site near New Haven, Connecticut. The employee was to help off load the dredged materials once they arrived at the dump site. The barge was secured to a tugboat that had a crew of four people plus an Inspector representing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The employee remained on the barge, staying on the left side of the two-compartment scow house. The trip began at 7:00 a.m. and at 11:15 p.m., the crew attempted to contact the employee by mobile radio and then by their horn. They did not receive a response. The captain sent a crew member over to the barge and at 11:20 p.m., the crew member reported the scowman was not responsive. The crew member and the USACE Inspector performed Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but were unable to resuscitate him. The U.S. Coast Guard was notified. The Coast Guard met the tug/barge at the entrance of the New Haven Harbor and moved the employee to Coast Guard boat at 11:50 p.m. Employee #1 had died and was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital. It was determined that during the trip to New Haven, the employee had a mobile gas powered generator, used to power the charging unit of the hand-held radio and a small electric heater for use in the scow house. The employee died from carbon dioxide poisoning.