Man tumbles into pit filled with animal waste, drowns

Incident summary: Unaware of the hazards posed by a permit-required confined space, a worker was overcome by a hazardous gas, and then he fell headfirst into a pit filled with animal body parts and waste.

What happened: A staffer was assigned to clean the area around a pit measuring 14 feet wide by 8.6 feet long by 17 feet deep that contained animal body parts and waste. Even though the hole was a permit-required confined space, the worker hadn’t been trained on confined space hazards.

While using a pressure washer to clean the area around the pit, the worker bent over just outside the hole. Without warning, he was overcome by a hazardous gas produced by animal waste. He tumbled headfirst into the pit.

When the staff member didn’t show up for his break, his boss began searching for him. Eventually, the boss saw the toes of the staffer’s work boots sticking out of the pit. He dialed 9-1-1.

Police officers arrived and requested a dive team to get the victim out of the hole. About two hours later, the dive team pulled the body of the 66-year-old man from the confined space. He was declared dead from drowning.

Findings: The victim was overcome by a hazardous gas while he was leaning over the top of the pit. The concentration of the toxin was especially high because the work room wasn’t ventilated and the pump for the pit was off.

The victim should’ve been trained on confined space safety procedures. And he should’ve been given a personal gas monitor. If these safety precautions had been taken, the employee would’ve known what he was dealing with and probably would’ve exited the room once his personal gas monitor alerted him to the high levels of the toxin.

(From the Sept. 30, 2024, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here.)