Firefighters suing Employer
...and here it goes! An employer of an underground utility company had failed to inform the local firefighters of noxious fumes inside a manhole where an alleged drowning rescue was being attempted.
As it turns out, the emergency call for a possible drowning blew up into two workers floating face-down in a couple of feet of water and a third lying unresponsive on the side of the manhole.
The firefighter on scene, jumped in attempting the rescue turned the two drowning victims over and saw their gray faces which is an sign of recent death. Another victim was leaning unconscious against the wall of the manhole.
The two victims both died within minutes of entering the manhole by a deadly combination of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide. The first man who entered the manhole apparently became unresponsive so the second employee went in after him....and suffered the same fate. Then, the third employee went in and suffered the same fate. The firefighter would have also suffered the same fate if it wasn't for a colleague, donning an air mask, jumping into the hole and tieyig a rope around his partners limp body, pulling him from the hole.
His partners heart indeed stopped until he was shocked back into life.
Negligence was claimed against the Contractors on several grounds including improper ventilation, not checking for gases, improper confined spaces amongst other charges.
You can read the full article HERE.
Life is precious. YOU are precious. If you need ANY help or training or discussions of doing things right concerning Safety & Compliance....just give us a call or email us....We Will Help!
909-481-7223
