This month OSHA published a FATAL FACT #16-2018 to raise awareness of confined space hazards on farms after a farm maintenance worker died after entering an 8,000-gallon polyethylene storage tank. At the time of the incident, the tank contained liquid whey, known to produce carbon dioxide gas as it decomposes. A broken ball valve inside the tank needed to be replaced. Using a forklift, a worker was lowered through a 16-inch-diameter hole at the top of the tank. The forklift operator had no visual contact or other means to monitor the situation inside the 12 foot-by-12-foot tank. To determine the worker’s progress inside the tank, the operator climbed to the top of an adjacent bin where he saw the worker lying face down inside the whey tank. The fire department responded and cut a hole in the tank (see Figure to the left) to retrieve the worker who had died from asphyxiation. CLICK HERE for the Fatal Fact
