Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314771775 - Clean Harbors Industrial Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Baton Rouge Area Office

Investigation Summary

On June 21, 2011, Employee #1, a 42-year-old male was working as part of an eight-worker crew from Clean Harbors Industrial Services, Inc. Employee #1 arrived to the PPG Industries to perform maintenance service to a group of steel pipes from a reactor. The crew was assigned to hydroblast (spray high pressurized water) the pipes in order to remove the residues from the inside. The workers started by enclosing the area where the cleaning was to be done so they could collect and vacuum the water mixed with the substances. Employee #1 started the hydroblast task at 8:45 p.m. and minutes after he had to stop because the water tank was low and he run out of water. Employee #1 walked out from the enclosed area and started to take out his tyvek coverall, FRC and rubber boots and asked a coworker to bring his boots from his truck and he sat by a column. When the coworker returned with the boots, Employee #1 was laying on the ground with no pulse. The coworker quickly called another worker for first aid, and they called the shift safety supervisor from PPG Industries who came to the area and applied a defibrillator after checking that Employee #1 had no pulse. At 9:15 p.m. paramedics from Acadian Ambulance arrived to the site and took Employee #1 to St. Patrick's Hospital at Lake Charles where he died minutes after. Coroner report stated that the cause of the death was a cardiac arrest.

Keywords: MAINTENANCE, CLEANING, CARDIAC ARREST, PIPE