Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001B Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.134(g)(3)(i): One employee or, when needed, more than one employee was not located outside the Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) atmosphere to provide emergency rescue: (a) Envirotech Services, Inc. at 6850 47th Ave, Evans, CO: On 12/5/2017 the employer did not ensure that one employee or, when needed, more than one employee was located outside the IDLH atmosphere to provide emergency rescue. Two employees were tasked with cleaning a railway tank car that previously contained glycerol. While working in the railway tank car the entrant collapsed. The attendant also collapsed after entering the railway tank car. The responding rescue agency determined that the percent oxygen inside the tank car was approximately 5%. The railway tank car contained an IDLH atmosphere. An employee was not located outside the IDLH atmosphere to provide emergency rescue. This condition exposed three employees to an oxygen deficient IDLH atmosphere. Abatement Note: Procedures for IDLH atmospheres shall include: 1. Visual, voice, or signal line communication is maintained between the employee(s) in the IDLH atmosphere and the employee(s) located outside the IDLH atmosphere. 2. The employee(s) located outside the IDLH atmosphere are trained and equipped to provide effective emergency rescue. 3. The employer is notified before the employee(s) located outside the IDLH atmosphere enter the IDLH atmosphere to provide emergency rescue. 4. The employer, once notified, provides necessary assistance appropriate to the situation. 5. Employee(s) located outside the IDLH atmosphere are equipped with pressure demand or other positive pressure SCBA's, or a pressure demand or other positive pressure supplied air respirator with auxiliary SCBA. 6. Employee(s) located outside the IDLH atmosphere are equipped with appropriate retrieval equipment for removing the employee(s) who enter(s) these hazardous atmospheres.