Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. Please be aware that the information shown may change, e.g. violations may be added or deleted. For open cases, in which a citation has been issued, the citation information may not be available for 5 days following receipt by the employer for Federal inspections or for 30 days following receipt by the employer for State inspections.

Inspection: 1606820.015 - Interstate Industrial Vac Service, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa

Investigation Summary

At 12:45 p.m. on July 5, 2022, Employee #1 and his coworker were cleaning baghouses on a roof. The employee was wearing a Tyvek suit, KN95 respirator, and a safety harness, when he made an entry into a steel baghouse, which is a confined space. National Weather Service reported conditions of 93-degrees F, Dew Point 70, and heat index of 100-degrees at the time of the incident. The ambient air temperature, the black rubber/tar roofing material, and the steel vessel Employee #1 entered while wearing a Tyvek suit, all contributed to the employee's core temperature to increase > 105-degrees. The employee passed out inside the baghouse. His coworker was not able to retrieve him from the vessel alone and called for help. Other coworkers retrieved him, finding him to be extremely hot and unconscious. The Tyvek suit and shirt were cut off Employee #1, while on-site medical staff administered ice onto the employee. Emergency medical services were called, and CPR was administered. The employee was transported to the hospital for treatment of heat stroke and later died.

Keywords:confined space, hvac, heat stroke, heat index, heat-related illness , ppe, roof