Another PRCS “cooked to death” incident (2017)

On Oct. 11, 2012, a worker, 62, was killed at a tuna processing facility while he was loading a 35-foot-long Retort (see here for example of a retort).  A co-worker, who mistakenly believed the worker was in the bathroom, filled the retort with 12,000 pounds of canned tuna and turned it on, according to a report by the CAL-OSHA. The deceased had entered the retort without the proper energy isolation and PRCS entry permit (or reclassification of the PRCS to a non-permit space).  Afterwards, this incident went “viral” within the safety community due to the horrific nature of this incident… fast forward to 2017 and the same type of horrific outcome occurs with little outrage.  At 7:00 a.m. on April 17, 2017, a supervisor, 42, at a pottery business entered a tunnel kiln to fix a line switch. The employee became trapped in the tunnel kiln after completing the repairs and an automated process took control, closing the kiln door while the employee was still in the tunnel. The employee was killed by extreme exposure to thermal energy within the kiln, officially classified as “environmental hyperthermia”.  A husband and father of three children had worked for at the business for the past 11 years.  The family is seeking more than $1 million in a civil lawsuit.   OSHA cited the business $715,416 with five (5) Willfuls …

UPDATE: 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the company, have reached a settlement agreement including a penalty of $545,160, after the death of an assistant plant manager.  On April 16, 2017, investigators determined that the manager was servicing a kiln and became trapped inside when it activated. The company was cited for six willful violations and 21 serious violations. Citations were issued following OSHA’s investigation into failures to implement confined space and lockout/tagout programs.