Liquid Nitrogen – Best Practices Fatality File

Employee is asphyxiated and dies in nitrogen-filled tanker

At 9:45 a.m. on February 22, 2021, an employee was working for a general, long-distance, truckload freight trucking company. He washed vehicles and cleaned equipment for the company. He was cleaning a tanker trailer that had contained ALFOL 16. This is a tradename for 1-Hexadecanol.

The employer stated that the employee was inspecting the tank for materials. The atmosphere in the tanker had been charged with nitrogen. It was low in oxygen. The employee lost consciousness and died from asphyxia. He was not hospitalized.

Source: osha.gov