Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. OSHA citation items will be posted 30 (thirty) days after the employer receives the citation(s), except in cases of significant public interest. Posted citation items reflect any amendments to citations that are the result of a prompt settlement, which OSHA encourages. Employers and employee representatives will continue to receive copies of the citation(s) upon issuance.

Inspection: 1630925.015 - 153043 - Strates Shows, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Charlotte

Investigation Summary

At 12: 00 p.m. on June 17, 2022, Employee #1 had finished the work shift, breaking down and loading equipment onto trailers in preparation for travel to the next carnival stop. Travel to the next stop was delayed, so Employee #1 went to take a nap in his makeshift bunkhouse located inside a travel trailer that housed a large generator and other equipment. Later, Coworker #1 knocked on the bunkhouse door where Employee #1 was napping inside of the trailer and received no response. Coworker #1 noticed that there was a smaller generator stored inside of the travel trailer, but thought nothing of it, as it was not running. At approximately 4:30 p.m., Coworkers #1 and #2 entered the trailer to knock on the door to Employee #1's bunkhouse and heard a whimpering sound from inside. The coworkers began working together to break the bunkhouse door down and found Employee #1 and his dog inside the bunkhouse room unconscious. 911 was called. At 4:53 p.m., emergency personnel arrived, but attempts to resuscitate Employee #1 failed. At 5:04 p.m., Employee #1 was pronounced dead. Due to generators being stored near Employee #1's bunkhouse, the Fire Department obtained Carbon Monoxide (CO) measurements. At 5:08 p.m., a level of 83 parts per million (ppm) CO was measured, and CO levels did not reach 0 ppm until 5:50 p.m. The Medical Examiner performed an autopsy revealing Employee #1's CO blood saturation level to be at a fatal level of 60%. The dog was taken to a local emergency veterinarian and also died. The cause of death was from CO exposure from the use of the small generator inside of the trailer to power electric equipment inside of Employee #1's bunkhouse, including but not limited to an air conditioner, a television, and a refrigerator. The larger generator is not thought to have been a contributing factor as its exhaust was vented to the outside of the trailer.

Keywords: Amusement Park/Carnival, CPR, Carbon Monoxide, Electric Generator, Gas Generator, Loading, Trailer, Unconsciousness