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: 675249 - Inhales Acid Vapors From Crushed Container l Station

A worker at a landfill ran over a 1-gallon plastic container that was later determined to contain an acid. A vapor cloud was seen coming from the container so employees were ordered to evacuate the area. Employee #1, a truck driver for a trash handling contractor, was not accounted for nor was he evacuated. He later came forward complaining of headaches and was transported by EMS to a local hospital. He apparently had inhaled some of the vapors, but was released from the hospital when no health problems were found.

landfill, work rules, headache, truck driver, inhalation, run over, chemical, chemical vapor, vapor, air contamination

Accident: 201110426 - Injured After Ingesting Fire Suppressant Foam

On April 23, 1997, Employee #1, an engineer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, was at his station in Valencia, CA. He was attempting to transfer a Class A fire suppressant foam concentrate from some large drums into some smaller, 5 gallon containers. The containers would then be used to transfer the concentrate to reservoirs in the fire trucks, where it was mixed with water to make fire suppressant foam. Filling the truck reservoirs was part of Employee #1's regular job responsibilities, and he used a piece of rubber, garden-type hose to siphon the suppressant from the large drum into the smaller containers. To begin the siphoning, he used his mouth to suck the foam concentrate up to the hose. While drawing the concentrate up the hose, Employee #1 accidentally got some of the foam in his mouth, and inadvertently swallowed approximately 5 cubic centimeters of it. He was subsequently hospitalized, suffering from respiratory irritation, nausea, headaches, giddiness, and an abnormal heartbeat. Employee #1 was released after two days and eventually returned to work. He had not received sufficient training on the health hazards of the fire suppressant foam, nor on the proper handling of the material. A hand pump could have been used to transfer the foam from one container to another, instead of relying on mouth-siphoning.

chemical, poisoning, work rules, untrained, respiratory, nausea, headache, heart

Accident: 200960961 - Injured After Inhaling Chemical Fumes

A coworker of Employee #1 inadvertently mixed 1/2 oz of epoxy hardener with 1 oz of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP), inside an 8 ft by 20 ft storage container. The resulting chemical reaction generated both heat and smoke. Employee #1 later experienced discomfort that he described as "pressure" in his head. At his employer's suggestion, he sought medical attention. Employee #1 was examined and released, and experienced no residual effects.

chemical, chemical reaction, inhalation, ventilation, headache, head, smoke, high temperature, vapor, smoke inhalation

Accident: 170572788 - Become Ill After Inhaling Carbon Monoxide

For several days prior to the incident, workers had been complaining of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and headache. On March 20, 1997, Employees #1 through #13 and twelve coworkers were sent to the hospital, where testing revealed elevated levels of carboxyhemoglobin in their blood. The local fire department determined that LPG-powered heating/air conditioning units and two LPG-powered fork trucks were "running rich." The air/fuel mixture was too rich in fuel, rich resulting in incomplete combustion and emissions high in carbon monoxide.

carbon monoxide, inhalation, nausea, ventilation, exhaust fumes, carboxyhemoglobin, headache, overexposure, work rules, industrial truck

Accident: 170614739 - Suffers Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on January 16, 1997, Employee #1 was inspecting 55-gallon drum lines as part of an assignment to inspect and clean the drum after flooding had inundated the building and its contents. Two propane-fueled forklift trucks were moving pallets of drums within the building and from the interior to outside the building. The forklifts spent a good portion of the time parked and idling in the work area. In addition, two emergency generators were operating within 100 ft of the work area, just outside the building. Within one hour, Employee #1 began to get a headache. The headache worsened and she became dizzy as the moving progressed; by the morning break, her headache and dizziness were pronounced. At 12:00 noon, when the group took a lunch break, she lost consciousness. Paramedics responded within seven minutes and she was transported to Rideout Hospital, where she was observed and released at 4:20 p.m. the same day.

agriculture, carbon monoxide, poisoning, chemical vapor, headache, unconsciousness, exhaust fumes, inhalation, ventilation, industrial truck