Page 56 - Confined Space Training - Student Manual 2021

spaces. Ensure that no more than one snap hook is attached to any one ‘D’ ring per
manufacturer’s guidance.
Testing – the process by which the hazards that may confront entrants of a permit space are
identified and evaluated. Testing includes specifying the tests that are to be performed in the
permit space. Testing enables employers both to devise and implement adequate control
measures for the protection on entrants and to determine if acceptable entry conditions are
present immediately prior to, and during, entry.

Appendix A – Confined Space Case Studies

Key Largo, FL (January 2017) – Three utility workers die after losing consciousness in a
drainage hole due to a build-up of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methane (CH4). A rescue worker
was hospitalized after removing his air pack to enter the confined space.

Three underground utility workers in Florida died Monday after entering a confined space without
the proper personal protective equipment or gas monitoring equipment.

The incident, which occurred in Key Largo, FL, began when the first man removed a manhole
cover, entered a 15-foot-deep drainage hole, and became unresponsive, according to news
reports. The second worker entered with the intention of saving him, but also lost consciousness.
Likewise, a third man climbed into the hole and was overcome by gas. All three workers perished.
None were wearing respiratory protective equipment. A fourth worker was treated for exposure
and dizziness and survived.

During rescue efforts, a firefighter identified as Loreno Moreno attempted to remove the men from
the confined space, but also lost consciousness. News reports say removed his respiratory
protection before entering the hole because the equipment made it difficult to fit. Moreno was
airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. As of the publication date of this manual, he had come
out a coma and was expected to recover. In addition, three Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
employees were treated at a local hospital for exposure to the gases.

Residents living nearby complained to a local news outlet about a “rotten egg smell” that had been
lingering in the area for months. A sewage back-up in the area likely caused the build-up of
hydrogen-sulfide and methane gases, according to reports. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
evacuated five homes close to where the incident occurred as a precaution, but residents were
later allowed to return home.

The contractor for the project, Douglas N. Higgins Inc., previously has been cited by OSHA in
2002 for lack of a confined space program. The company paid $1,875 in fines, which were
reduced from $2,500.

OSHA investigators cited Douglas N. Higgins Inc. and its related contracting company, McKenna
Contracting, LLC with 10 serious violations totaling $119,507, in penalties. The incident-

Confined Space Training for Entrants, Attendants & Supervisors 56