제 목 : Hazards Hide in Decorative Water Fountains
일 자 : 1996년 11월
제공처 : Safety ＆ Health
They add to the ambiance of shopping malls. But decorative
waterfalls and fountains can be deathtrap for workers, OSHA warns.
OSHA recently issued a hazard information bulletin to compliance
officers to spread the word regarding the dangers of waterfall
and fountain pits, which house control valves for the water.
The pits pose an asphyxiation risk for workers who enter them
if they are overcome by a lack of oxygen. The pits are covered
by OSHA's confined-space standard.
In one case, a worker entered a fountain pit and descended seven
feet to the bottom to adjust the valves that control the fountain's
water flow. He lost consciousness, as did his partner who entered
the pit to rescue him. A security guard and a passerby also
attempted a rescue but gave up after they became dizzy. The fire
department eventually rescued both workers, who were revived,
treated,observed and released.
In its investigation of the incident, OSHA found that three
offour pits at the mall had oxygen concentrations below
the 19.5-percent minimum acceptable level. Also, their carbon-
dioxide readings were more than double the permissible exposure limit.
OSHA's confined-space standard requires employers to evaluate
spaces such as these pits to determine whether they pose risks.
The hazard-information bulletin, dated June l3, l996,
is available on the lnternet at http://www.osha.gov under
"other OSHA documents,hazard information bulletins."
For a copy of the booklet "Permit-Required Confined Spaces,"
write OSHA Publications, P.O.Box 7535, Washington, DC 200137535
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