Deaths at a Rendering Plant – Ohio

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Adrion, W. ; Bernans, J. ; Fulmer, M. ; Gohar, M. ; Halpin, T. J. ; Kimmerer, R. ; Oliver, J. H. ; Olney, M. E. ; Selchar, D. ; Shadle, G. ; Temple, R. C. ; Tyler, E.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  On June 30, 1975, 6 men died of asphyxiation at an animal waste products rendering plant in Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio. In response to a request from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health began an investigation of the operations of the plant. The animal waste products at this plant are delivered by truck, weighed, and dumped into a subterranean holding pit. After the trucks are unloaded, they are washed out with the drainage entering a pit below the scales (pit 1). This pit normally drains into an adjoining pit (pit 2) by gravity through a 6-inch drain pipe. Before this accident, however, the drain pipe had been clogged for between 2-7 days. On June 30, a maintenance man descended into pit 2 to open the clogged drain and spent approximately 20 minutes in the pit with no apparent ill effects. After unclogging the drain, he immediately returned to the surface. Later he reentered the pit to shut off a sump pump, but collapsed while attempting to climb out of the pit. Assuming that the man had slipped and fallen, 3 men went to aid him; they, too, collapsed unconscious. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Automation Dust Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Protective Clothing Risk Assessment Safety Silicon Dioxide Software Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Animal Products Animal Products Workers Animal Rendering Animal Waste Asphyxiation Carbon Dioxide Confined Spaces Employee Exposure Fatalities Hazardous Materials Hazardous Waste Hydrogen Sulfide Maintenance Workers Methanes Mortality Data Mortality Studies Occupational Exposure Occupational Hazards Organic Acids Poison Gases Sulfides Toxic Gases Toxic Materials Vapors Waste Disposal Systems Waste Treatment

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• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DTS - Division of Technical Services
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  24
• Issue:
  51
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054508
• Citation:
  MMWR 1975 Dec; 24(51):435-436
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon dioxide (CAS RN 124-38-9) ; Hydrogen sulfide (CAS RN 7783-06-4) ; Methane (CAS RN 74-82-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1976
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:af3b6e90ca6032e1a8da2221efae2195fa8ec85e2f838db3c72b39e1f513aca1d15893b355a284ffc8c6bfba889992b071be8a30a0331d088fa696d4bbb956ab
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183068/cdc_183068_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 413.40 KB ]