Tag Archives: Confined Spaces

Overcome by Nitrogen to Recover a Rope

Confined Space Warning SignHere is an interesting safety case study from What Went Wrong? by Trevor Kletz:

A member of a cleaning crew decided to recover a rope, which was half inside a vessel and was caught up on something inside. While kneeling down, trying to disentangle the rope, he was overcome by nitrogen. Afterward he admitted that if necessary, he would have entered the vessel.

This example is under the heading “Ignorance of the Dangers.” Are there any other problems in this scenario?