Employee enters PRCS to retrieve a bag liner that had fallen into the space (Oxygen Deficiency Fatality)

On May 5, 2018, Employee #1 was retrieving a plastic liner bag from a chemical container that had fallen into Reactor CP-2; a confined space. The permitting process, including air monitoring and setting up of ventilation, had not been conducted. As Employee #1 descended a ladder to access the reactor, he passed out at the first rung and fell to the bottom of the reactor. A coworker, who witnessed Employee#1 enter the space, contacted the control room to notify them of the incident. Emergency services were contacted and, upon arrival, recovered Employee #1 from the reactor. Employee #1 was determined dead. Air monitoring conducted by emergency services, following the incident, showed an oxygen concentration of eleven (11) percent.  

Violation Summary
  Serious Willful Repeat Other Total
Initial Violations 5       5
Current Violations 5       5
Initial Penalty $25,000 $0 $0 $0 $25,000
Current Penalty $25,000 $0 $0 $0 $25,000

Violation Items
ID Type Standard Issuance Abate Curr$ Init$ Contest
01001A Serious

19100146 D01 – Implement the measures

necessary to prevent unauthorized entry

10/10/2018 10/24/2018 $5,000 $5,000 11/16/2018
01001B Serious

19100146 G03 – The training shall establish employee

proficiency in the duties required by this section

and shall introduce new or revised procedures,

as necessary, for compliance with this section.

10/10/2018 10/24/2018 $0 $0 11/16/2018
01002 Serious

19100146 D03 IV – Purging, inerting, flushing, or

ventilating the permit space as necessary to eliminate

or control atmospheric hazards;

10/10/2018 10/24/2018 $5,000 $5,000 11/16/2018
01003 Serious

19100146 D05 I – Test conditions in the permit space to

determine if acceptable entry conditions exist before entry

is authorized to begin, except that, if isolation of the space

is infeasible because the space is large or is part of a

continuous system (such as a sewer), pre-entry testing shall

be performed to the extent feasible before entry is authorized

and, if entry is authorized, entry conditions shall be

continuously monitored in the areas where authorized

entrants are working;

10/10/2018 10/24/2018 $5,000 $5,000 11/16/2018
01004 Serious

19100146 I10 – Performs no duties that might interfere with

the attendant’s primary duty to monitor and protect the

authorized entrants.

10/10/2018 10/24/2018 $5,000 $5,000 11/16/2018
01005 Serious

19100146 K03 – To facilitate non-entry rescue, retrieval

systems or methods shall be used whenever an authorized

entrant enters a permit space, unless the retrieval

equipment would increase the overall risk of entry or

would not contribute to the rescue of

the entrant. Retrieval systems shall meet the following

requirements.

10/10/2018 10/24/2018 $5,000 $5,000 11/16/2018

 

Source

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