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1955 2ND AVE NW, FARIBAULT, MN 55021
Standard 19261204 C
Standard 19261204 B
Standard 19261204 D
Standard 19261204 E
Standard 19261211 C
Standard 19261207 A
Standard 19261207 D
Standard 19261211 A
Standard 19261205 A
Employee is overcome by toxic gases and dies
At 7:31 a.m. on September 13, 2024, Employee #1 was working inside a 9-foot deep sewer manhole in Faribault, Minnesota. The employee was performing a construction task to cement the end of a pipeline to close an old sewer line. The employee was not wearing a harness or hooked up to a tripod, and was working with another employee who was supervising and handing equipment from outside the manhole. The Faribault Fire Department responded to a report of a person down and found the employee not breathing but with a strong pulse. High levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide were detected inside the manhole. It took 45 minutes to extricate the employee using the Fire Department's equipment. The employee died enroute to the Life Flight helicopter due to overexposure to hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide.
Data sourced from Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry, Minnesota Attorney General, federal OSHA, and municipal permit offices. Records are public and may not reflect pending appeals or corrections.