Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 837906 - Seven Employees Overcome By Carbon Monoxide

Accident Summary Nr: 837906 -- Report ID: 0522000 -- Event Date: 08/06/2001
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
304639537	08/06/2001	1711	0	Gil Ruehl Mechanical, Inc.
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
304639644	08/06/2001	1542	0	Fisher Development Inc.
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
304639537	08/06/2001	1711	0	Gil Ruehl Mechanical, Inc.

Abstract: At approximately 6:30 a.m. on August 6, 2001, employees began to operate a 65-horsepower concrete cutting saw inside a room located on the lower level of a shopping mall being renovated in preparation for a new store to move in. The saw contained both gasoline and propane as available fuels. The operator stated that he was running the concrete saw in the propane mode. Engineering controls were not in use and air was not being moved into or out of the room being renovated. Catalytic converters and carbon monoxide monitor-alarms were not attached to this saw. Monitoring of airborne levels of carbon monoxide was not performed. Approximately 37 employees were taken to a hospital with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. The narrative does not mention the extent of the injuries of thirty of these employees. Seven construction workers were transported to a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for further treatment. These seven employees were hospitalized and released the next day.

Keywords: ASPHYXIATED, AIR MONITORING, ALARM, AIR CONTAMINATION, PROPANE, GASOLINE, CARBON MONOXIDE

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Commercial building		Alteration or rehabilitation		$50,000 to $250,000	2

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	304639537	Hospitalized injury	Asphyxia	Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior masonry Fatality Cause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor
2	304639537	Hospitalized injury	Asphyxia	Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior masonry Fatality Cause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor
3	304639644	Hospitalized injury	Asphyxia	Supervisors; plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior masonry Fatality Cause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor
4	304639537	Hospitalized injury	Asphyxia	Sheetmetal duct installers	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior masonry Fatality Cause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor
5	304639537	Hospitalized injury	Asphyxia	Sheetmetal duct installers	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior masonry Fatality Cause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor
6	304639537	Hospitalized injury	Asphyxia	Construction trades, n.e.c.	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior masonry Fatality Cause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor
7	304639537	Hospitalized injury	Asphyxia	Construction trades, n.e.c.	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Interior masonry Fatality Cause: Asphyxiation/inhalation of toxic vapor

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