Author: Anonymous

The following question refers to this scenario. Two experien…

The following question refers to this scenario. Two experienced railroad foremen died after entering a railroad tank car that had been involved in a derailment at another location. Both victims worked for a company that specialized in refurbishing and repairing railroad equipment. The empty railroad tank car had been filled with soybean oil, and the headspace (unfilled volume) inside the tank car was filled with a cover gas (in this case nitrogen) to prevent spoilage. At the time of the incident, the tank car did not have any permanent or temporary exterior warning signs or markings to alert workers that a hazardous atmosphere was present. The first victim was attempting to assess the extent of repairs from inside the tank car. He used a portable multi-gas meter to measure the air quality inside the car and reported to a co-worker accompanying him (attendant) that the air inside was okay. He then entered the tank car through the top hatch, while the attendant stayed just outside. Noticing the victim collapse a short time later, the attendant called 911 and radio-ed for help from the company. While emergency help (the confined space rescue crew) was en route (on the way), a second foreman (second victim) arrived at the scene. The second victim immediately asked the attendant about the air quality inside the tank car and was told by the attendant that the air inside was okay. The second victim then entered the tank car. Once inside the car, the second victim almost immediately collapsed. Emergency personnel arrived moments later. They first checked the air inside the tank car with their equipment and found little or no oxygen inside. Then rescuers donned appropriate respiratory protection and extracted both men, who had died from asphyxiation.   The tank car is _______________,