An accident at a Winery in California may have caused the death of a 20-year-old winery worker on Friday, Jan. 8. He was found inside a 1,500-gallon tank and apparently died from asphyxiation.
“We’re still trying to figure out exactly what happened,” said the winery president. “He was a wonderful person, a fabulous worker, and a personal friend of all of us.”
The incident underscores the dangers that exist in some commonly performed winery activities — in this case, the act of moving wine from tank to bottle. During this process, many wineries use nitrogen to protect wine from oxidation. As wine is drained from a tank, it is replaced by inert nitrogen. The gas can quickly overwhelm an unsuspecting individual who enters the empty tank while nitrogen is still present. In November 1997 at nearby Geyser Peak Winery, a 20-year winery veteran died under similar circumstances.
SAFTENG NOTE: N2 is an inert gas. It DISPLACES the oxygen in the atmosphere inside the tank. The N2 does NOT overwhelm an unsuspecting individual; its the lack of Oxygen that overwhelms the individual. Remember, 78% of every breath we take is N2!
No one at the winery could explain why he went inside the tank. “That tank was only to be cleaned with a high-pressure washer from the outside,” the president said. “We had been through all the appropriate [safety] training. He was only missing for a moment.”
He had been a full-time employee at the winery since June. A memorial fund has been set up at WestAmerica Bank in Forestville, Calif. for his family.
Source: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/winery-death-at-williams-selyem-20137