Worker Killed Attempting Unplanned Rescue in Confined Space

A worker entered a confined space tank to perform maintenance when hazardous conditions developed inside the space. The worker became unresponsive due to lack of oxygen. Seeing this, a second worker immediately entered the confined space to rescue their coworker—without proper equipment, atmospheric testing, or a rescue plan in place. The second worker was also overcome within seconds. Both workers were later recovered by emergency responders, but both died as a result of asphyxiation. Investigations found that the incident escalated because of an unplanned rescue attempt, lack of proper confined space procedures, and absence […]