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CHAPTER 7 Tactical Response Guidelines for Pipeline Emergencies


• Rescuers checked the pulse on the hand sticking out of the mud and found none.


• Fire apparatus was slowly backed away from the rescue area and all un- necessary motor vehicles and engines were shut down to reduce vibra- tion and to limit generation of deadly carbon monoxide gas from internal combustion engines.


• Electric-powered smoke ejector fans were placed up and down wind of the trench collapse area to keep a steady flow of air through the area. (Intrinsically safe pneumatic powered blowers or air horns would be a better call if they were available.)


• A direct reading four-gas instrument capable of measuring for flamma- bility, oxygen deficiency, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide was placed near the trapped worker to ensure that the atmosphere was within safe operating limits.


• The gas company was notified to shut off the pipeline to stop the flow of natural gas in the event that the pipeline was punctured during rescue operations.


After the water in the trench was lowered using portable electric salvage


pumps, the rescue squad erected a confined space rescue tripod hoist and at- tached a lifting sling to the trapped worker. With minor digging using hand tools from the extension ladders, the worker who was buried from the waist down was freed by being lifted out of the trench with the aid of the electric hoist mounted on the tripod.


Based on the type of collapse and the time the other victim had been


buried, as well as the lack of pulse on arrival, the IC determined that a second rescue was not possible, and the operation shifted from an emergency rescue to a body recovery operation.


A construction safety engineer from the state Occupational Safety and


Health Administration (OSHA) was summoned to the site to help develop a plan for safely extricating and shoring the trench to recover the body of the buried worker.


Comments and Observations


• Trench rescues present significant challenges to rescuers and there are many hazards and risks that need to be addressed. Strong incident com- mand and site management are important to maintain discipline and to coordinate rescue operations. In this scenario, the following types of haz- ards were present:


Confined Space—A trench is an OSHA-defined confined space with the potential for flammable, toxic, and oxygen-deficient atmospheres (see 29 CFR 1910.146). There is also the possibility of drowning, additional col- lapse, and mechanical hazards.


Hydrogen Sulfide Gas—Sewers present the risk of hydrogen sulfide


(H2S), which is both toxic and flammable. The threshold odor value is less than 1.0 ppm; however, the rotten egg smell of H2S cannot be relied on to


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