Abstract: At approximately 10:30 a.m. on September 11, 1991, at Grand Oak Antiques and Furniture Stripping, the spray finisher was returning to the spray booth from the front of the shop and discovered an unconscious employee. Employee #1 was found slumped over a stripping tank containing Benco 7, which consisted of methylene chloride and methanol. The employee had been stripping furniture. Employee #1 was taken to Lutheran Hospital and treated for cardiac arrest. A heartbeat was restored but he remained comatose and did not recover consciousness. He died approximately 8 1/2 hours after admission. The coroner's report identifies inhalation of methylene chloride as the cause of death. No other workers were in the area of the 8 ft by 3 ft by 30 in. stripping tank at the time. The stripping fluid was approximately 6 in. in depth with approximately 24 in. of freeboard. Monitoring in the tank indicates IDLH concentrations were present within the top 1 foot of the tank. The work practices in place exposed the employee to the IDLH atmosphere.