At 7:00 a.m. on October 31, 2022, an employee, 36, was brazing a copper line in an electrical equipment room that was equipped with a carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system. The fire extinguishing system activated, discharging and flooding the room with carbon dioxide. The employee was unable to escape the room and was overcome and asphyxiated by the carbon dioxide. The employee was transported to the hospital, where he died.
I was hoping the OSHA investigation would have attempted to determine if the worker’s job set off the CO2 system. Was he brazing next to a “head” and activated the system? Was there a “fire eye” in the room that activated the system? The result was the system did NOT have a pre-discharge alarm, which OSHA took exception to.
| Violations/Penalties | Serious | Willful | Repeat | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Violations | 5 | 5 | |||
| Current Violations | 5 | 5 | |||
| Initial Penalty | $90,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $90,000 |
| Current Penalty | $90,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $90,000 |
| FTA Penalty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| # | Citation ID | Citaton Type | Standard Cited | Current Penalty | Initial Penalty | Contest | Latest Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 01001 | Serious | 1509(A) – (a) Every employer shall establish, implement and maintain an effective Injury and Illness Prevention Program in accordance with section 3203 of the General Industry Safety Orders. | $18,000 | $18,000 | 06/06/2023 | C – Contested |
| 2. | 02001 | Serious | 6175(C)(1) – The employer shall provide an emergency action plan in accordance with Section 3220 for each area within a workplace that is protected by a total flooding system which provides agent concentrations exceeding the maximum safe levels set forth in Subsections (b)(4) and (b)(5) of Article 162. | $18,000 | $18,000 | 06/06/2023 | C – Contested |
| 3. | 03001 | Serious | 6181(B)(2) – (2) In any proposed use of carbon dioxide where there is a possibility that employees may be trapped in, or enter into atmospheres made hazardous by a carbon dioxide discharge suitable safeguards shall be provided to insure prompt evacuation of and to prevent entry into such atmospheres and also to provide means for prompt rescue of any trapped personnel. Suitable safeguards include personnel training, warning signs, discharge alarms, predischarge alarms and breathing apparatus any one or more of which may be necessary for particular carbon dioxide extinguishing system installation. | $18,000 | $18,000 | 06/06/2023 | C – Contested |
| 4. | 04001 | Serious | 6181(B)(5) – Employees shall not be exposed to toxic levels of gaseous agent or its decomposition products. | $18,000 | $18,000 | 06/06/2023 | C – Contested |
| 5. | 05001 | Serious | 6181(B)(7) – The employer shall provide a distinctive pre-discharge employee alarm capable of being perceived above ambient light or noise levels when agent design concentrations exceed the maximum safe level for employee exposure. The pre-discharge employee alarm shall provide employees time to safely exit the discharge area prior to system discharge. | $18,000 | $18,000 | 06/06/2023 | C – Contested |