Two Laborers Die from Hydrogen Sulfide Exposure in a Confined Space at an Organic Waste Recycling Facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cierpich, Hank ; Harrison, Robert ; Styles, Laura
• Corporate Authors:
  California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program (CA/FACE) ; California. Department of Public Health. Occupational Health Branch
• Description:
  Two laborers, 16 and 22-year-old brothers, died while cleaning the drainage system of an organic waste recycling facility. Both were exposed to excessive levels of hydrogen sulfide. The brothers were part of a three-man crew that was flushing out the drainage system consisting of 24-inch diameter underground pipes accessed by approximately 14 manhole shafts. While using a high-pressure water hose to flush residual compost, the 16-year-old was overcome by hydrogen sulfide and fell to the bottom of a 10-foot shaft. The 22-year-old collapsed at the bottom of the shaft after attempting to rescue his brother. Contributing factors identified in this investigation were the high concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the shaft, failure to implement a confined space and hazard communication program, and the age of the youngest victim. The CA/FACE investigator determined that, in order to prevent exposures to hydrogen sulfide while cleaning out drainage systems, employers should: 1. Develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive confined space program. 2. Develop, implement, and enforce a hazard communication program. 3. Hire only employees aged 18 or older for any work tasks that may involve confined spaces.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Adolescent Age Factors Aging Confined Spaces Men Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Waste Management

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• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Adolescents Age-factors Age-groups Confined-spaces Employee-exposure Humans Injuries Injury-prevention OSHA Region 9 Traumatic-injuries Waste-treatment

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• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Confined Space ; Hispanic ; Youth ; Foreign Born Workers ; Energy Production ; Waste Management and Remediation Services
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  State
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHSFACE11CA008
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044096
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2014-105924
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 11CA008, 2013 Jun ; :1-12
• CAS Registry Number:
  Hydrogen sulfide (CAS RN 7783-06-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Performing Organization:
  California Department of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2005/07/01
• End Date:
  2026/06/30
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f7184b48ce55585507d51ff0436895c9473eb9bbe32b526765f076a9d20e4e32f12ed545d1f2d50484f2868204b0d7708105cad532884ddc481e65202e7ecd86
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/165151/cdc_165151_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 813.54 KB ]