Worker Overcome by Solvent Vapors
A night shift worker was working with his supervisor in an adhesive tape manufacturing plant. They had been monitoring a machine that applied a coat of adhesive to the tape, and were collecting samples, taking
A night shift worker was working with his supervisor in an adhesive tape manufacturing plant. They had been monitoring a machine that applied a coat of adhesive to the tape, and were collecting samples, taking

An experienced worker and his untrained helper lowered an aluminum ladder into an underground fuel storage tank. A small access hatch had been cut into the tank using a water cooled saw. One of the
If your workers mix and heat flammable solvents in open tanks, make sure they follow proper safeguards.
At age 50, all Bob wanted to do was make a little extra money. So he found a job as a custodian. Two weeks later he died of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning while using a propane-powered floor buffer.

An experienced crane operator was running an electrically powered gantry crane in a process building which was in the final stages of construction. Other than the occasional use of a propane-powered forklift, there were no
A worker died in a flash fire which occurred when a static spark ignited solvent vapors on top of a large blending tank in a manufacturing plant. The spark, which was either from his clothing
Could exposure to a workplace solvent cause someone to commit suicide? A coroner in Wellington, New Zealand, says it could. He conducted an inquest into the death of a worker in the printing industry who
Argon gas, used in welding, is not toxic but that doesn't mean it can't kill. Why? Argon gas can displace oxygen, potentially asphyxiating workers when used in confined spaces.
Running a gasoline-powered engine in a confined space can have fatal consequences, as an incident at a home construction site clearly shows.
An industrial water meter reader was reported missing when he failed to return to headquarters at the end of his shift. Meanwhile, a passerby saw him lying face-down in a few inches of water at

A storage tank with approximately 200 gallons of combustible ink was accidentally damaged while it was being moved, causing a leak. A considerable amount of liquid had spilled onto the floor before it was noticed.
An environmental officer doing routine testing noticed the smell of gasoline coming from an underground sewage pumping station. Two days later an inspection was done, including a check of the nearby service station, but nothing
A Gatorade bottle on the worksite should have nothing else in it but Gatorade or water.
A 35-year-old man was found several hours after he died inside a barn he had been cleaning.
A manager in a paper plant was draining a tank filled with wood pulp treated with chlorine dioxide, a corrosive material. During the process, some of the chlorine dioxide spilled. He tripped and fell into
A truck with a trailer was traveling on a two-lane gravel packed road when the passenger-side wheels went over onto the soft shoulder. The driver attempted to steer the truck back onto the road and

A laborer working in a pulp mill went into an old, unused control room for his lunch break. Warning lights were flashing indicating a potentially dangerous situation with a plugged pressure sensing device. The worker;
Using a gasoline-powered pressure washer in a poorly ventilated area below deck in a fishing boat has killed one dock worker and injured several others, including emergency personnel.
An assistant ice rink manager suffocated from lack of oxygen when he tried to stop a refrigeration system gas leak.

A 35-year-old man was found several hours after he died inside a barn he had been cleaning. He had been using a pressure washer with an 11-horsepower gasoline engine.
A steel drum containing lubricating oil exploded while a worker was heating it with a propane torch. The explosion occurred in cold winter weather in a temporary logging camp. The victim was preparing to replace
A small business owner had been using an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. In an effort to save money on rental charges for the oxygen cylinder, he was attempting to transfer the remaining oxygen into a propane
One minute he was applying a flammable solvent to a floor to loosen linoleum. The next moment he was engulfed in flames, with third and fourth-degree burns to most of his body.
Workers were preparing to fill a rail tanker car with canola oil for shipment. A hose fell into the car, and one worker climbed into the tanker to retrieve it. He was overcome by the
A worker died of injuries received in an explosion when hot material from a cutting torch ignited a can of solvent. The incident occurred in a metal products plant which was temporarily out of operation.