A Commercial Cleaning Company Worker Dies of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning at a Warehouse in Washington State

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  Following a fatal workplace incident, the Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program issues recommendations for protecting commercial carpet cleaners. In April 2006, a 35-year-old foreign born Hispanic male died from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning while cleaning office carpet in a warehouse in Washington State. The victim, who was working alone, had driven his van inside the empty warehouse and parked near the offices he was assigned to clean. He ran his truck-mounted gasoline-powered carpet cleaner for several hours until he succumbed to the CO generated by the carpet cleaner. To prevent similar occurrences, the Washington State FACE Program published the following recommendations for businesses engaged in commercial carpet cleaning: 1. Do not use gasoline or other fuel-powered engines, equipment, or tools inside buildings or areas where carbon monoxide can build up. 2. Work with manufacturers to re-design the truckmounted carpet cleaner so that the unit more effectively reduces or eliminates carbon monoxide in the exhaust gases or prohibits exhausting into the van and work areas. 3.Ensure carbon monoxide detectors with alarms are used when employees work with fuel-powered engines in environments where CO is likely to build up. 4. Use a "Risk Assessment" or "Job Hazard Analysis" tool to identify potential carbon monoxide sources and exposures and how to avoid them. 5. Educate workers regarding hazards, sources, symptoms and control of CO exposure. 6. Ensure that employees work in pairs on new or unfamiliar jobs and that a continuous communication plan is in effect. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Education
  • Lung
  • Manufacturing and Industrial Facilities
  • Morbidity
  • Mortality
  • Occupational Health
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Race Factors
  • Respiratory Protective Devices
  • Respiratory System
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Injuries
  • Injury-prevention
  • Surveillance-programs
  • Safety-measures
  • Safety-practices
  • Education
  • Training
  • Materials-handling
  • Materials-handling-equipment
  • Workers
  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Case Studies
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-30
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044542
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 52-21-2011 (FACE 06WA021), 2011 Feb; :1-30
• CAS Registry Number:
  • Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  A commercial cleaning company worker dies of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning at a warehouse in Washington State
• End Date:
  20210630
• Resource Number:
  FACE-06WA021
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228689/cdc_228689_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.11 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9e0d5172000ee976d89c5ef7cc6a2cd711ecb2c5a43cc90e7c41ce1ff0d3996a5ae6da1a0e0523f523d993eb58975683cc0d28ffe556b9aab135a232966108dc