Three workers die cleaning huge water tank

 

 

PHATTALUNG: -- Three workers died from suffocation shortly after they entered a huge water tank for cleaning.

 

The tragic incident happened yesterday at the Phapayom reservoir in Phapayom district of Phatthalung province.

 

According to police, four workers climbed down a 80-centimetres chamber of a huge six metres in diameter and three metres high water tank to clean it.

 

Within a few minutes after getting into the stifle tank in, three of them lost consciousness and one worker managed to climb up, calling for help.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/three-workers-die-cleaning-huge-water-tank/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-05-12

1 hour ago, webfact said:

a huge water tank

Who can believe there was only water.

lack of oxygen. probably due to heat, 

What a great example to demonstrate the importance of confined space entry permit and proper procedures.... Wonder if it even exists here?

 

if I was still in EH&S, it would make for great training materiel on what not to do....

 

i would credit thailand for making it safer in other countries....

 

i will admit I used to search the internet in my hey day esp third world countries for occupational and env accidents due to complete negligence and ignorance to bring attention to the safety topic at hand....

 

 

Edited May 12, 20179 yr by cardinalblue

"Within a few minutes after getting into the stifle tank...."  Self explanatory?

 

STIFLE :   ... to (cause to) be unable to breathe because you have no air:

1 minute ago, cardinalblue said:

What a great example to demonstrate the importance of confined space entry permit and proper procedures.... Wonder if it even exists here?

 

if I was still in EH&S, it would make for great training materiel on what not to do....

 

i would credit thailand for making it safer in other countries....

 

 

Seems like the foreman is keeping up the Thai tradition of fleeing the scene of an accident.

15 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

What a great example to demonstrate the importance of confined space entry permit and proper procedures.... Wonder if it even exists here?

It doesn't.

Even at hiso places like Central World.

I remember an accident in the parking garage in Pattaya maybe two years ago.

A worker was sent down a flood drain canal (?) unprotected.

Died quickly.

So either there was no safety equipment, or they didn't use it because they are Thai, and using safety equipment is for stupid people. 

They should have lowered a canary in first, on a more serious note 3 more Thai workers

lost their lives because of unsatisfactory,or non excitant safety working practices,give

10,000 THB to the families of the deceased,and find some more fools to go in, nobody

seems to be responsible for anything.

regards worgeordie

11 minutes ago, Happy Grumpy said:

 using safety equipment is for stupid people. 

That will be the one.

I always feared CSP events so I contracted out as much as possible...never wanted to put our engineering staff at risk even with following proper protocol and plans....you just never knew due to a potential unknown hazard in the equation....

Edited May 12, 20179 yr by cardinalblue

48 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

It doesn't.

Even at hiso places like Central World.

I remember an accident in the parking garage in Pattaya maybe two years ago.

A worker was sent down a flood drain canal (?) unprotected.

Died quickly.

I remember this incident. Correct me if I am wrong, but did another worker who went in to help also die, or was that yet another incident. . 

Again, no training, health and safety, ventilate and check oxygen levels before entering a confined space.......Guess a life is cheaper than the required technology.......Sad.....

SAFETY,

Ventilation,

too willing.

 

R.I.P.

54 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

I remember this incident. Correct me if I am wrong, but did another worker who went in to help also die, or was that yet another incident. . 

I think you are right. Completely unaware of the underlying danger.

 

Have you never seen the Safety Sign on work sites here? "Safety First - Death Second".

 

There is more to this than meets the eye. The tank was not a huge tank. I have been inside many concrete water tanks without breathing apparatus which were already clean. The point here is that the tank needed cleaning and I assume from the photo that there may have been a lot of putrefying detritus and organics from the source water which could give rise to toxic gases and deplete oxygen. Also they may have been using concrete cleaning chemicals such as Phosphoric acid, Muriatic Acid or Hydrochloric Acid. In that case they should have been using breathing apparatus with an external air supply.

Looks like an enclosed space accident due to low oxygen levels leading to hypoxia, a common workplace accident around the world.

Often things are made worse with rescuers going in and they themselves succumbing to the lack of oxygen.

Tragic way to go

3 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

It doesn't.

Even at hiso places like Central World.

I remember an accident in the parking garage in Pattaya maybe two years ago.

A worker was sent down a flood drain canal (?) unprotected.

Died quickly.

 

Many years back numerous complaints hit the newspapers about the stairs being totally blocked with boxes of extra stock at Central Chidlom and Central in Silom Centre. 

 

Police did an inspection and then commented 'It's OK because they can remove the boxes when there's going to be a fire.

 

No further comment and no action taken.

 

Really not rescuers unless proper and appropriate respiratory protection and communication systems....

 

did all enter the tank together? I wonder if the designated safety officer was one of the four?

 

Couldnt the owner and worker supervisor who are the responsible parties by the way had just requested training from the CIH at the local OSHA office?

 

i would love see how workplace fatalities by OSHA are investigated and follow-up is handled...

 

 

Sad report.

R. I. P

Safety first' comes to mind.

I'm positive, with investment, proper precautions taken, supervision and health and safety put into place, no doubt, the workers would still be alive.

Safety first is just a slogan here.

It's impossible to change the mindset here.

I was working on a pipeline project by Chonburi years ago, a side boom was coming backwards at high speed, operator looking away from where we were. I grabbed one of my guys by the shirtfront and pulled him towards me just as the tracks went by inches from him.

I was scarred shitless and yelled at him to look around himself and watch for the equipment.

 

His reply was no problem I just go to sleep and wake up in another body anyway

 

That's what will never change and all our HSE is just noise to them, 

It's very sad but quite often these confined space accidents end up with several casualties stacked up on top of each other. The first guy passes out and the next goes in to save him. Lack of oxygen in a confined space can't be seen so it doesn't look like a hazard. Although someone made a reference to the canary, this is no joke. Before the invention of gas detectors, the canary in the coal mine was a great indicator of the air quality.

I have never seen a gas detector been used here. I think the pay-outs to the deceased family is probably less than a detector.

I was working on a ship at refit once when some young fellows came out of a confined space complaining that there was something wrong with their gas detector. It was in alarm mode due to high levels of CO. Good thing they exited the space promptly.

Thailand - #1 at reducing over-population problem.

5 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

Really not rescuers unless proper and appropriate respiratory protection and communication systems....

 

did all enter the tank together? I wonder if the designated safety officer was one of the four?

 

Couldnt the owner and worker supervisor who are the responsible parties by the way had just requested training from the CIH at the local OSHA office?

 

i would love see how workplace fatalities by OSHA are investigated and follow-up is handled...

 

 

Payouts to family. No shared learning or corrective actions. It is cheaper than training amd keeping occupational hygiene/HSE staff on the payroll. 

I guess things like this happen more or less all around the world. 

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/01/18/three-utility-workers-descend-to-their-deaths-in-florida-manhole-overcome-by-fumes/?utm_term=.41eea74245fe

A few years back, 5 people died in Virginia (USA) in an open-air cow manure pit that was 20 feet by 20 feet and 8 feet deep.  The diary farmer climbed down the embankment to unclog an inlet/outlet pipe and was overcome by methane. Three family members and a worker tried to rescue him and they also died.

20 hours ago, Estrada said:

Have you never seen the Safety Sign on work sites here? "Safety First - Death Second".

 

There is more to this than meets the eye. The tank was not a huge tank. I have been inside many concrete water tanks without breathing apparatus which were already clean. The point here is that the tank needed cleaning and I assume from the photo that there may have been a lot of putrefying detritus and organics from the source water which could give rise to toxic gases and deplete oxygen. Also they may have been using concrete cleaning chemicals such as Phosphoric acid, Muriatic Acid or Hydrochloric Acid. In that case they should have been using breathing apparatus with an external air supply.

And a gas/O2 detector as well as someone on standby watch and walkie-talkies. 

Just 4 months ago same thing happening on a remote farm in Auss ..

One guy went inside cleaning an old water tank ... he succumb,  then two others went down to assist and succumb ... all from the same family if I remember correct.

 

Very dangerous just getting in any tank ... same as a confined space ..

On 5/12/2017 at 1:21 AM, cardinalblue said:

What a great example to demonstrate the importance of confined space entry permit and proper procedures.... Wonder if it even exists here?

 

if I was still in EH&S, it would make for great training materiel on what not to do....

 

i would credit thailand for making it safer in other countries....

 

i will admit I used to search the internet in my hey day esp third world countries for occupational and env accidents due to complete negligence and ignorance to bring attention to the safety topic at hand....

 

 

Spot on.