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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
today issued additional safety warnings about the dangers of handling carbon
dioxide following the death of a Midwest delivery driver. The driver was
overcome by carbon dioxide (CO2) gas as he dispensed it from his
tractor-trailer to a restaurant carbon dioxide system. The accident prompted
the federal agency charged with protecting workers to issue a Hazard
Information Bulletin.
In the bulletin, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) warns that high concentrations of CO2, an odorless,
colorless gas which displaces oxygen, can cause death. CO2 is denser than air,
and high concentrations can occur in open pits and other areas below grade.
Depending on the strength of the concentration and length of exposure, lower
concentrations may cause symptoms such as headache, sweating, rapid breathing,
increased heart beat, shortness of breath, dizziness, mental depression, visual
disturbances, or shaking. Asphyxiation can occur when the gas, dispensed from
tank cars and portable containers to stationary low pressure CO2 systems at
consumer sites, leaks in unventilated work areas. The dispensing systems are
used to supply CO2 to sites dispensing carbonated beverages, greenhouses, and
welding fabricators, for example. OSHA recommends that C02 be treated as a
material with poor warning properties.
In the Midwest incident, the worker connected a hose from
his delivery truck to a restaurant bulk carbon dioxide system through a fill
station located on a wall below ground level, just outside the door to the
basement. After a half-hour, restaurant employees found him lying unconscious
at the bottom of the stairwell. Paramedics were unable to revive him. The
accident apparently resulted from a CO2 leak where the delivery hose did not
completely seal to the restaurant fill connection. Because the area was below
grade, the CO2 accumulated.
These are OSHA's recommendations for transferring carbon
dioxide gas:
- Know the hazards.
- Inspect and maintain all piping tubing, hoses and fittings at regular
intervals and maintain the system in accordance with manufacturer's
instructions.
- Make sure there is adequate ventilation even when carbon dioxide is
delivered in enclosed areas or below grade locations that are not confined
spaces.
- Develop and implement procedures to monitor the atmosphere for CO2
and provide local ventilation where levels may exceed the permissible exposure
limit.
- Place appropriate warning signs outside areas where high
concentrations of the gas can accumulate.
- Provide proper lighting to enable workers to work safely.
- Install new carbon dioxide receptacles at ground level in an open
area. If possible, relocate existing fill stations to above-grade locations.
When relocation is not feasible, employers should follow the requirements of
OSHA's permit-required confined space standard.
The bulletin is being distributed to all area OSHA
offices, state plans and consultation programs and also is being made available
to appropriate local labor and industrial associations.
For further information on workplace safety and health
issues, contact the OSHA area office nearest you or call OSHA's Office of
Information and Consumer Affairs at 202-219-8151. The Compressed Gas
Association, Inc (CGA), 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202,
phone (703) 979-0900, also offers several pamphlets for individuals wanting
more information on handling carbon dioxide.
Hazard Information Bulletins (HIBs) are issued to provide
relevant information on unrecognized or misunderstood health hazards,
inadequacies of materials, devices, techniques, and safety engineering
controls. HIBs are initiated based on information provided by field staff,
studies, reports and concerns expressed by safety and health professionals,
employers, and the public.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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