Nitrogen asphyxiation

In its safety bulletin on the hazards of nitrogen asphyxiation, CSB identified 80 nitrogen asphyxiation deaths and 50 injuries occurring in 85 incidents between 1992 and 2002 (CSB, Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation, Safety Bulletin no. 2003-10-B, 2003). 

Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation provides a number of case studies and highlights good safety practices. The bulletin indicates that failure to detect an oxygen-deficient (nitrogen-enriched) atmosphere was a significant factor in case studies. Many of the incidents involved a situation in which personnel were in or around a confined area, such as a rail-car, room, or tank. The safety bulletin includes a chart on the effects of oxygen deficiency on the human body. [7] Several critical points from that chart are shown below ... 

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation, Safety Bulletin No 2003-10-B, June 2003. 

Compressed Gas Association, 2001. Found in U.S. Chemical Safety Hazard Investigation Board. Safety Bulletin. Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation available at http //www.csb.gov/assets/document/SB-Nitrogen-6-ll-03.pdf (accessed September 14, 2009). 

To combat these needless deaths, the CSB provided very useM training infonna-tion for workers who may be exposed to hazardous nitrogen atmospheres. This valuable information is available in different forms that can be downloaded from then-website. They have a one-page trifold brochure entitled, Nitrogen-Enriched Atmospheres Can Kill There is also a 10-page safety bulletin entitled. Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation, No. 2003-10-B, June 2003 [7]. 

No Escape Dangers of Confined Spaces or Hazards of Nitrogen Asphyxiation. 

Just use a search engine with the term chemsafety.gov or CSB and you can find hours of research. The investigation topics include major petroleum fires and explosions, dust explosions, nitrogen asphyxiation, chlorine releases, hydrogen sulfide releases, vapor elouds, and far too maiy others to list here. 

This third book offers major improvements. There are up-to-date statistics in chapter one. There is more on nitrogen asphyxiation and new case histories. There is also a completely new chapter on accidents involving compressors, hoses, and pumps. This book provides many new, useful references and many that can be found on websites. 

Unfortunately there are other cases of nitrogen asphyxiation. In November 2005, two contract workers performing maintenance at a Valero refinery died. One died while attempting to rescue the other. The Chemical Safety Board investigated this accident and issued a case study and safety video to help prevent more tragedies from nitrogen. 

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