Accident: 170234512 - Two Suffer From Carbon Monoxide Exposure
On August 17, 1999, Employees #1 and #2 were using a propane-fueled forklift to caulk cracks in a controlled-atmosphere fruit storage room. The lift was equipped with a manlift platform to access the ceiling. Employees #1 and #2 experienced symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning from the exhaust fumes.
carbon monoxide, inhalation, exhaust fumes, ind trk operator, chemical vapor, poisoning, air contamination, industrial truck, overexposure, storage room
Accident: 125804799 - Suffer From Exposure To Carbon Monoxide
On March 3, 1999, Employees #1 through #13 and coworkers, including cashiers, stock clerks, and a meat cutter, arrived for work at a grocery store in Lodi, CA. A contractor had been operating a power buffer that morning before the store opened. The power buffer was propane-powered, but the contractor had been using a canister of liquid propane instead of a canister of propane gas. As a result, an excessive amount of carbon monoxide had built up throughout the store. Employees began to experience symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, headache, weakness, and chest tightness. The Lodi Fire Department was called and it measured a carbon monoxide level of 160 ppm upon entering the store. The store was evacuated and Employees #1 through #13 were sent to the hospital for evaluation, then released. Factors contributing to the incident included failure of the store to monitor the air for carbon monoxide; improper use of the power buffer by the contractor; and lack of knowledge on the part of the employer of the symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure. The employer was cited for 1) failure to inspect the power buffer, even though it was a new piece of equipment brought to the work site; 2) failure to conduct carbon monoxide measurements when employees exhibited symptoms of overexposure; and 3) a missing cover plate/circuit breaker on an electrical panel.
carbon monoxide, overexposure, inhalation, work rules, exhaust fumes, dizziness, nausea, poisoning, portable power tool, air contamination
Accident: 170234603 - Suffers From Exposure To Carbon Monoxide
Employee #1 and a coworker were moving fruit in a cold storage facility when they were exposed to carbon monoxide from propane-fueled lifts. Both workers exhibited symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Employee #1 was hospitalized.
carbon monoxide, exhaust fumes, industrial truck, storage room, poisoning, inhalation, chemical vapor, vapor, agriculture, air contamination
Accident: 14258693 - Overexposed To Carbon Monoxide
On October 16, 1997, Employees #1 through #13 and coworkers, of a telemarketing company, were exposed to carbon monoxide from the operation of a gasoline-powered cutting saw by a contractor in the multi-tenant building in which they were working. The area where the cutting saw was operating shared a plenum with the occupied working area. The workers were exposed to carbon monoxide at approximately half of the permissible exposure limit, and suffered from headache, nausea, and faintness. Approximately 35 employees were taken to local hospitals, and the carboxyhemoglobin test results indicated carbon monoxide exposure levels. None of the employees were admitted. An OSHA investigation on October 17, 1997, revealed that the contractor employee was not aware of the common plenum and did not properly judge the amount of ventilation required to prevent overexposure to the carbon monoxide.
carbon monoxide, exhaust fumes, headache, nausea, overexposure, carboxyhemoglobin, ventilation, inhalation, work rules, chemical vapor
Accident: 202074233 - Thirteen Suffer From Carbon Monoxide Exposure
Between 11:30 a.m. and noon on August 19, 1997, Employees #1 through #13 suffered from carbon monoxide exposure in a building where a propane-fueled Toyota forklift had been operating intermittently between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The employees first began experiencing headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, and nausea. Over time, one employee became unconscious, and the other employees' symptoms worsened. The building was evacuated and emergency services was called. Employees #1 through #13 and three coworkers were transported to the hospital, where test results for carboxyhemoglobin ranged from 2 to 20 percent. Some of the employees also had elevated blood pressure and irregular ECGs. One employee remained in the hospital for three days. Most of the employees believed that when the power in the plant went off, the carbon monoxide level increased in the building.
industrial truck, exhaust fumes, carbon monoxide, unconsciousness, poisoning, overexposure, ventilation, carboxyhemoglobin, inhalation, air contamination
