Powered by GoogleTranslate

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA

Contact Us FAQ A to Z Index English Español

Return to Accident Search Results

Accident Report Detail

Accident: 200353357 - One Employee Killed, Two Injured In Chlorine Gas Exposure

Accident: 200353357 -- Report ID: 0453710 -- Event Date: 11/04/2003
InspectionOpen DateSICEstablishment Name
30692587611/05/20032015House Of Raeford Farms Inc
At approximately 9:45 p.m. on November 4, 2003, a maintenance employee went to the chlorine house to turn on the chlorination system. The chlorine house measured 3 feet, 10-inches wide by 5 feet, 10-inches long and was approximately 10-feet high. The water lines ran through a hole in the block wall. The hole in the block wall lead directly from the chlorine house into the chemical room. The hole was approximately 12 inches wide by 10-inches high. The maintenance employee stated that when he cracked the chlorine valve, he noticed the seal was leaking. He ran out of the chlorine house, about 20 feet away, caught his breath, collected his thoughts, and then went to the maintenance shop to get a respirator. He returned to the chlorine house, entering an unknown released concentration of chlorine, and shut the valve off. The maintenance employee fixed the seal and a lead washer and turned the chlorine valve back on. The maintenance worker returned to the maintenance shop to put the respirator away. He then saw Employee #1 approximately 30 feet away, acting very bazaar. The maintenance employee then went to the picking room where he felt chlorine gas burning his eyes. He and another maintenance employee went to get water hoses and started spraying the Picking Room down with water for about 10 minutes. The chlorine odor had gotten stronger in the Mechanical Room so Employee #1, with the help of Employee #2 decided to open the roll up door for air. Employee #1 then asked for someone to summon emergency personnel because he needed oxygen. As he was being helped outside, he collapsed. He was given oxygen by the night superintendent. The night superintendent then noticed that Employee #1 didn't have a pulse or heartbeat and began to administer CPR. Employee #1 was transported to Duplin General Hospital along with Employees #2 and #3. Employee #2 was coughing and Employee #3 was also bothered by the chlorine gas vapors. Employee #1 died of asphyxia and Employee's #2 and #3 were hospitalized.
Keywords: leak, maintenance, asphyxiated, inhalation, chlorine, chlorine room, valve, seal, chemical vapor, poisoning
Employee # Inspection Age Sex Degree Nature Occupation
1 306925876 Fatality Asphyxia Production helpers
2 306925876 Hospitalized injury Poisoning(Systemic) Production helpers
3 306925876 Hospitalized injury Poisoning(Systemic) Production helpers

Thank You for Visiting Our Website

You are exiting the Department of Labor's Web server.

The Department of Labor does not endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over the linked organization or its views, or contents, nor does it vouch for the accuracy or accessibility of the information contained on the destination server. The Department of Labor also cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked Web sites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked Web site. Thank you for visiting our site. Please click the button below to continue.

Close