For the second week in a row, multiple workers have been killed in a confined space incident.
Three workers died in a manhole in Trinity, Texas, Wednesday night after two rescuers were overcome climbing into a manhole filled with sewage to rescue the original worker. All three died.
The deaths were tragically similar to last week’s catastrophe in Keenesburg, Colorado, where six dairy workers were killed after being overcome by hydrogen sulfide.
Trinity County Chief Deputy Jeremy Carroll described what happened.
The men were working on a lift station, which moves the sewage through pipes.
“So the crews, from what we gather, were not sent to work on any issues or any underground issues. They were simply working on the motor for the lift station,” Carroll said.
While completing their assigned job, Carrol said one man went into the manhole to stop sewage from backing into their work area. He said the worker fell unconscious and another went to help him. Then the third went in to try to save the other two.
“At that point the gas overcame him as well, with his alarm going off on his gas meter which said H2S, which is hydrogen sulfide gas,” said Carroll.
Carroll said they did not recover all three bodies until after 6:30 p.m.
The manhole was contaminated with toxic hydrogen sulfide gas which is a well-known naturally occurring byproduct of decomposing sewage. OSHA warns that high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide can cause “rapid unconsciousness, ‘knockdown’ or immediate collapse within 1 to 2 breaths, breathing stops, death within minutes.”
Multiple deaths in confined space incidents were once common — before OSHA issued its General Industry Confined Space standard in 1993. One worker goes down into an unmonitored, unventilated confined space and passes out from hydrogen sulfide or oxygen deprivation. His buddy sees him, and jumps in to help him. He is overcome, and his buddy sees him and repeats the deadly process. Over and over again until someone figures out that rescue attempts are likely death sentences.
NIOSH’s 1979 “Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Working in Confined Spaces” reported that in cases surveyed, far more rescuers had died than initial victims.
Manholes are well-recognized locations of hydrogen sulfide — either from rotting sewage or other organic material. OSHA has had a confined space standard on the books since 1993 which protects sewage workers if the employer complies with the requirements of the standard. The six dairy workers killed last week in Colorado were not covered by OSHA’s confined space standard because that standard does not apply to agricultural workers.
The OSHA standard requires confined spaces to be tested for toxic gasses or oxygen shortage before workers enter and ventilated if gasses are detected. There must be an attendant up top who is in communication with the entrant, and there must be a means of non-entry rescue; which means that there must be a way to remove the worker from the space without a rescuer entering. This is usually done using a winch attached to the entering worker. Workers must also be trained on how to prevent injuries and deaths in confined spaces and a “permit” must be completed before entry that assures that all safety measures have been implemented.
Repeat Violator
Two of the three workers were employed by H2O Innovation and one worked for a contractor.
Frédéric Dugré, the President and CEO of H2O Innovation said “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the three people who lost their lives.”
H2O Innovation is a Canadian company with over 1100 employers that does water, wastewater, and water reuse treatment for municipal and industrial customers in Canada and 15 states. Their website states:
“With a commitment to exceeding regulatory requirements, we are your local partner for Operations & Maintenance (O&M), and contract operations of water, wastewater, and water reuse treatment, collection, and distribution systems, pumping stations, and associated assets for customers throughout North America.”
Earlier this year, the company was cited for violations of OSHA’s respirator and Hazard Communication standards. In 2021, H2O Innovation received a $75,000 citation (later reduced to $37,549) for trenching violations, including one “repeat” violation. The company had also cited for two trenching violations earlier in 2021. The penalty for those violations was $27,306, later reduced to $19,114.
H2O Innovation’s website quotes Dugré on their Health, Safety and Environment program:
At H2O Innovation, we believe the well-being of our people and the protection of the environment is fundamental to our success today and tomorrow.
Our passion for safety and our care for one another is the core of our company culture. HSE is not only a corporate commitment, but is an equally important community responsibility to our employees, their families, and our stakeholders. We are proud, that our people go beyond, procedures and processes to protect each other. Through this common vision and best HSE practices, we are convinced we will also continuously improve our overall business performance.
I’d say their “passion for safety” needs a bit of a boost. Thoughts and prayer don’t quite do the job.
We are moving backwards.
The issue is that most of these jobs occur under OSHA’s radar. OSHA has no idea where and when they are occurring. This problem will not be solved until every company must report trenching operations to OSHA before they start and OSHA can target them for inspection. And OSHA needs a much bigger inspection force.
It’s heartbreaking to read about these incidents – textbook cases of what not to do, exactly as I was taught over 40 years ago.