Inspection Detail

Inspection: 124626086 - Utah State University

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At approximately 5:30 p.m. on February 24, 1994, Employee #1, a photo editor for a university newspaper at Utah State University, arrived at work to prepare the newspaper for publication. Shortly after he arrived, he spent about 30 minutes in the darkroom developing photographs for the paper. He then proceeded to a computer workstation to optically scan the photographs. At approximately 7:00 p.m., pizza was delivered to the newspaper office. Employee #1 ate two pieces of pizza while working at the computer workstation. Within 30 minutes, he began to experience breathing difficulties associated with an asthmatic episode. Employee #1 telephoned his wife and asked her to bring his asthma medication to the office. He then left the office and went into the hallway. His wife arrived at the office at approximately 7:30 p.m. and found him in the hallway. By this time, he was experiencing extreme breathing difficulty, and stated that he wanted to go to the hospital. Between 7:45 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., on the way to the car, Employee #1 collapsed, vomited, then aspirated vomitus. Medical evidence indicates that Employee #1 probably died en route to the hospital, where unsuccessful attempts were made to revive him. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at 9:00 p.m.

Keywords: RESPIRATORY, INHALATION, NAUSEA, VOMIT