Two workers die in digester unit in New Mexico, December 1, 1986.
NIOSH 1987 Jan; :1-5
During attempts to repair a leak and clean out a pump in the pipe gallery, four workers were involved in an accident at a wastewater treatment facility. The pipe gallery is a small room, about 13 by 15 by 13 feet, containing pipes and valves between the primary and secondary digester units. The men descended the spiral staircase into the pipe gallery to begin work. One worker closed the two valves of the secondary digester, assuming the two valves to the primary digester were also closed, which they were not. While removing the bolts from an inspection plate, the plate was forced open by raw sewage which flooded the room. Failing to locate the remaining open valves, the men attempted to leave the area. One worker was overcome by the sewage and a second was overcome trying to save the first. The other men attempted to help, realized they were also in trouble, and exited immediately. Both victims died by drowning. Recommendations arising from this accident include the development of proper work procedures and training of employees for maintenance and repair of the sewage system, development of comprehensive policies and procedures for confined space entry, and provision of some type of pressure sensing device on the line to determine if the line is under pressure when valves are closed.
NIOSH-Author; FACE-87-20; Region-6; Sewage-industry; Confined-spaces; Accident-analysis; Safety-practices; Maintenance-workers
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation; Field Studies
NTIS Accession No.
Division of Safety Research, NIOSH, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Morgantown, West Virginia, Report No. FACE-87-20, 5 pages