Spicer MN –
“Two men were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning near Spicer Wednesday. At 1:20 p.m. fire and ambulance crews were called to a home on Indian Beach Road, where two men had passed out while doing concrete work in the basement of the home…”
Connecticut –
Fourteen people in New Haven were hospitalized Wednesday for carbon monoxide poisoning.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said a person was found unconscious on the street in the area of 73 Howe St. They were taken to a local hospital, where medical personnel determined they were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Officials went to the scene and learned that the high levels of carbon monoxide were coming from a construction site at a Yale-owned building where crews were sawing a concrete floor using a propane saw. Fire officials said the building had inadequate ventilation for the tools used.
“Typically, when you use such equipment, you’ll have carbon monoxide monitoring and good ventilation,” Elicker said. “There was no carbon monoxide monitoring going on on-site.”
New Haven Fire Battalion Chief Greg Carroll said, “Some of our meters went into overload” when firefighters first arrived.
“It was about 350-400 parts per million, which are dangerous levels, so we quickly went through the building and evacuated it,” Carroll said.
Elicker said ten construction workers and four employees at Yale’s campus security office next door had been taken to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning.
The person who was found unconscious was transferred to a hospital in New York for further treatment and is in critical condition. The other 13 are said to be in stable condition.
According to a construction official, carbon monoxide levels in the area have decreased.
In a statement to News 8, a U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had opened an inspection of Alberca Construction Company LLC following the hospitalizations.
“During the inspection, OSHA will gather whatever information is necessary to determine what happened and if the employer is in compliance with OSHA standards,” the spokesperson said. “If the inspection identifies violations, OSHA could issue citations and propose penalties for the employer.”
OSHA has up to six months to complete the inspection.
New Haven Fire Chief John Alston said the incident reminds companies and residents to use carbon monoxide detectors.
“As we hit this cold snap, I know the mayor has been having our cold emergency meetings just to advise people to be very careful when you’re sealing up your houses and turning on these heating systems to make sure you have a CO detector.”
The city has issued a work stoppage order for the construction site as officials continue investigating.
14 people in New Haven hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning (wtnh.com)
Canada –
Source was a gas-powered pump being used inside the house
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) received an emergency call just after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, prompting their immediate response to the construction site. Upon entering the premises, paramedics’ carbon monoxide detectors sounded the alarm, indicating dangerous levels of 2,000 parts per million of the toxic gas inside the house.
Inside the home, the paramedics discovered an unresponsive worker who was being assisted by two bystanders providing medical care. Tragically, the worker could not be saved. Two of the responding paramedics and one of the bystanders were also affected by the toxic gas and required medical treatment.
In a press release, city officials revealed the cause of the carbon monoxide build-up was a gas-powered pump that was operational inside the house.
A spokesperson for the province tells CTV News Winnipeg “a stop-work order has been issued on the gas-powered equipment and WSH is continuing to follow up.”
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, making it extremely difficult to detect without specialized equipment like carbon monoxide detectors. It is often referred to as the “silent killer” because exposure to high levels of this gas can lead to serious health issues and even fatalities. Common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion, vision and hearing impairment, and shortness of breath.
The construction company involved in the incident, Artista Homes, was approached for comment by CTV News Winnipeg, but did not receive a response.
In the wake of this tragedy, authorities are urging all residents and businesses to take the necessary precautions to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. It is recommended to install carbon monoxide alarms on every floor of a building, especially in homes and workplaces where gas-powered equipment is utilized.
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