Dept of Energy: Enforcement Letter, Idaho Environmental Coalition, LLC

Posted January 31, 2024

February 2024,

Related to uncontrolled exposure to potentially dangerous levels of carbon monoxide at the Idaho Cleanup Project.

On January 31, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Enterprise Assessments, Office of Enforcement issued Enforcement Letter (WEL-2024-02) to Idaho Environmental Coalition, LLC for deficiencies in implementing DOE’s 10 C.F.R. Part 851 Worker Safety and Health Program requirements related to uncontrolled exposure to potentially dangerous levels of carbon monoxide at the Idaho Cleanup Project.

Enforcement Letter, Idaho Environmental Coalition, LLC | Department of Energy

“The event occurred on January 10, 2023, when workers were operating a
gasoline-powered welder generator inside the NRF-601 high bay. Earlier in the
day, IEC approved a work order change (WOC) for work order number 597489 to
move the generator from outdoors to inside the high bay. The WOC included a
warning that the generator produced harmful emissions that constituted a
respiratory hazard. In response to the WOC, workers established a safety
boundary around the generator, inserted a flex pipe into the exhaust stack, and
passed the flex pipe through the wall of the building to the outside…

…IEC did not report the CO exposure on the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration Form 300 or in the DOE Computerized Accident Incident
Reporting System database due to a misinterpretation of occupational exposure
reporting requirements.”

Ontario firm fined $120,000 for worker fatality – found unresponsive after CO exposure

Posted January 25, 2024

Canada –

Following a guilty plea, the employer must also pay a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act, to be credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.

A worker was fatally injured due to carbon monoxide exposure following a fire in an oil‐lubricated air compressor.

The incident took place on May 2, 2022, when a worker was sandblasting a metal turret in the abrasive blast room of the Company’s Breen Drive facility.

At the time the worker was wearing a NOVA 2000 respirator/helmet, gloves and coveralls. The respirator was supplied air from an oil‐lubricated compressor located in a storage container at the back of the building.

Workers noticed that the sound of sandblasting stopped and then discovered the oil‐lubricated compressor was on fire. Several workers then went to get fire extinguishers to put the fire out.

One worker entered the abrasive blast room to retrieve a water hose to try to extinguish the fire. That worker found in there another worker who had been performing the sandblasting. The second worker was unresponsive on the ground with a respirator/helmet still on but disconnected from the air supply line.

Emergency Medical Services attended the scene and pronounced the worker dead.

An investigation by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development found that the immediate cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to their findings, at the time of the incident, the oil‐lubricated compressed air line did not have an in‐line continuous carbon monoxide monitor with audible and visual alarms that activate at 5 parts per million.

Also, the RPB Nova 2000 respirator/helmet that the worker was wearing does not purify air or filter contaminants, and that a carbon monoxide monitor must be used.

“The Company therefore failed to ensure the compressed breathing air system was equipped with a continuous carbon monoxide monitor and properly calibrated, and so endangered the life of the worker,” said the Ontario government.

Ontario firm fined $120,000 for worker fatality after fire | Canadian Occupational Safety (thesafetymag.com)

Worker dies from carbon monoxide poisoning in home under construction

Posted July 28, 2023

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.

Worker dies from carbon monoxide poisoning in home under construction | Canadian Occupational Safety (thesafetymag.com)

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Associated with Use of LPG-Powered (Propane) Forklifts in Industrial Settings

Posted March 17, 1998

In 1998, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Department, with the assistance of local health departments, investigated a series of carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings associated with the use of liquified petroleum gas (LPG)-powered forklifts in light industry. In each episode, forklifts emitting high CO concentration levels were operated in inadequately ventilated warehouse and production facilities, which resulted in high CO accumulations. Employees at each site developed symptoms of CO poisoning, and some employees received inadequate or inappropriate medical care. This report summarizes the investigations and provides recommendations to prevent such incidents.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4849a2.htm