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OSHA believes steelworker death in OH was likely preventable

April 15th, 2016 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

OSHA believes steelworker death in OH was likely preventable

The death of a steelworks employee in mid-March attracted the attention of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which believes the death may have been preventable. The fatal accident occurred at a steel plant in Canton, Ohio. Local firefighters received a call from the facility related to an unresponsive employee, who was a fire technician, and traveled to the facility. The employee, initially found in a control room inside the steelworks, was pronounced dead at the scene. While the cause of death hasn't been officially determined, OSHA already said death due to nitrogen exposure is likely. The administration previously cited the plant for safety compliance failures related to its nitrogen system and potentially dangerous releases of that gas, according to Cleveland.com.

OSHA focuses on recent history
OSHA's investigation was spurred by the death of an employee, especially in circumstances where there were no warning signs, and possibly due to past issues the steel plant had with the administration's rules. Readings taken at the scene by both the company and firefighters found a dangerously low level of oxygen in the area where the employee was found. Specifically, oxygen levels in the control room and immediate surrounding area were as low as 4 percent. Oxygen levels below 19 percent can be fatal by causing suffocation. The deceased employee was checking fire extinguishers throughout the plant and did so in the control room before other workers found him. Plant officials believe nitrogen was somehow released from a plantwide system into the room while the employee conducted his inspections, according to Local ABC affiliate WEWS.

WEWS said OSHA officially opened its investigation on Monday, March 21, one day after the accident occurred. The agency's last inspection of the steel foundry occurred in May 2015, which led to the issuance of a citation in January for exposing employees to excess levels of nitrogen. OSHA placed the company in its severe violator enforcement program due to an extensive history of safety violations, according to OSHA spokesperson Scott Allen, who spoke with WEWS. Allen said OSHA believes the ongoing issues at the steel plant must be corrected immediately. In total, the steel company is contesting nine total OSHA violations.

"We offer our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the worker who died in a preventable workplace incident," said Howard Eberts, OSHA area director in Cleveland, in a press release. "Companies that have nitrogen systems need to make sure that they recognize the hazard of oxygen deficiency that can be created by its ability to displace oxygen."

OSHA's current investigation into the employee's death includes an effort to detect other issues with the nitrogen system throughout the plant. The regulator wants to determine if other potentially dangerous or fatal issues with nitrogen exist inside the plant.

The danger of nitrogen
Nitrogen has a variety of industrial applications, but its nature makes it particularly dangerous if workers are exposed to high levels of the gas. Because nitrogen lacks any discernible odor, taste or visual distinction, it can be easy for workers to be exposed while wholly unaware of the situation. Nitrogen's non-toxic nature means many standard exposure symptoms won't appear in dangerous situations. Instead, the gas will displace oxygen in the immediate area and cause those affected to lose access to the air they need to breathe.

It remains to be seen what course of action OSHA will take against the steel factory. However, the administration's willingness to call the death preventable and the company's previous placement into the severe violator enforcement program may signal a strong response from the health and safety regulator.

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