Rip

Safety precautions are needed for workers.

A professional body in Nigeria, Health and Safety Executives once proposed a bill to enforce safety measures at workplaces. This would have been a nice and essential thing to do.
...but like NAFDAC it would end in the wrong hands and become a tool for oppression.

Sad incidence.

There are laws that guide work in enclosed spaces

halfcurrent:
Confined space. Apparently no JHA, no PTW, very poor safety orientation, etc....

Exactly,confined space with no gas test.Simple safety basics such a pity they had to die that way.

I am sure they had no fore knowledge of what it takes to work in confined space and they didn't have confined space standby rescue around before they rappelled into the tank

They must have died from the inhalation of H2S, Hydrogen Sulfide.

trapped dead

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May God protect us all from any form of job hazards

"inhaled fuel fumes''...meaning he was'nt wearing an oxygen mask.........when will Nigerians learn to obey simple safety precautions....anyways what more can i say but ''RIP"....it's now a daily routine;come to Nairaland copy and paste RIP everywhere and then run off.....

They die in the process of not putting on safety which is the priority engineers should first consider

Food for d gods(sacrifice) more customers.

They oughtta've gas freed the tanks b4 entry.. Rip

halfcurrent:
Confined space. Apparently no JHA, no PTW, very poor safety orientation, etc....

Ignorance my brother! No proper safety precautions! Before anyone could go into a confined space. There must be a gas test to verify if it's conducive to enter! In a gas thank like that, we have so many toxic gas ,H2S or CO and other chemical hazards.
Irritation of mucous membranes and stimulation followed by depression of central nervous system. Breathing of vapor may also cause dizziness, headache, and incoordination or, in more severe cases, anesthesia, coma, and respiratory arrest. If liquid enters lungs, it will cause severe irritation, coughing, gagging, pulmonary edema, and, later, signs of bronchopneumonia and pneumonitis.
I will try and post good safety precautions in a well established filling station.

angelo5uk:
So they went to clean a very sensitive place like that without the proper personal protective equipment. Funny how many deaths cases in Naija are very avoidable.
Like we don't even value human life anymore

PPE is the last resort. Safe systems of work are more important but it seems here almost nothing was in place. Please dont even get me started on training and awareness!!!!!!

Useless country, meanwhile nobody will be charged for sending this men to go work in that tank without a gas mask.

There are serious rules to follow for confined space entry!!!

DPR guidelines contained in:

1. Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry In Nigeria (EGASPIN) 2002
2. Mineral Oil Safety Regulations (MOSR) 1997

are clear about this. Confined space entry has it own work permit system and job hazard/safety analysis. Usually such a tank would be tested for volatile hydrocarbon fumes,oxygen levels,hydrogen sulfide etc.

As a matter of fact the tank is supposed to be totally drained of ALL products (including dead stock) and filled with water for a few days to displace hydrocarbon fumes and other numerous toxic gases if possible. Also a portable ventilation system should be put in place. A gas test is a must for all possible toxic gases and for oxygen levels. There must be a life line attached to the workers and there must be a watch. There is a set time that workers must not exceed while working in the tank before they must come out to rest and there is a minimum rest time before re-entry.

Let us even assume they survived this, the repeat of such activities would have led to the development of chronically severe occupational health issues in future.

Working inside an in-service tank has, apart from asphyxiation, the risk of explosion,dehydration,insufficient over head clearance (for smaller tanks),Slips/Trips/Falls etc. The rules also demand that one individual(s) cannot perform confined space entry without someone monitoring activities. There must also be a life line.

For them it is classic asphyxiation/apnea.

Never rush into a confined space to rescue ANYBODY unless you have a breathing device and you know how to properly use it or unless you can safely ventilate the place (in which in most cases, you cannot).


THE DPR HSE DIVISION (saddled with the responsibility of guaranteeing proper HSE management and engineering in the entire oil and gas value chain in Nigeria) MUST CONDUCT AN INQUEST INTO THESE WORK RELATED FATALITIES.

I will advise them to fill the necessary FORM 41 (DPR Accident Reporting Form) and submit same to the DPR ASAP. Preferably within 24 Hours.

halfcurrent:
Confined space. Apparently no JHA, no PTW, very poor safety orientation, etc....

True talk. You don't ever go into such places without first checking the air. Also they should have gone down with oxygen tanks and masks. The employer should be sued by the families. Also the occupational health and safety board should fine the employer. We are too careless.

When would Nigerian be so conscious of safety self??. This is rediculous !!!!!!!!!

As some of the above excellent posts illustrate, this terrible tragedy should never have happened. I dont know the exact circumstances but STRONGLY suspect a prosecution should follow. Where was the TRAINING of these staff? What about the JHA/JSA/RISK ANALYSIS? If these were not in place it equates to criminal negligence.

If this organisation had ISO18001 in place and was recieving regular internal (1st party) and indeed 3rd party audits this should have been identified long ago and a tragedy averted!

Like I always say Until Nigeria take health safety welfare and environment seriously we should be ready for more incidents and accidents that will probably lead to more injuries, illness and fatalities.

I bet those men who died have been doing the work without safety precautions for a long time, they are experience...this is to show that accident doesn't respect experience.

A reasonable country fagbims filling station will be made to face the law for negligence to hse responsibility.

The root cause is as a result of poor safety management system no policy, no planning and no procedure. A confined space work that is potentially hazardous and risk and yet nothing in place..Now what should have been done to avoid such accident.

- Ensure confined space work is planned by carrying out job hazard analysis, hazard identification or risk assessment so as to identify hazards and risk levels so that appropriate safety controls and measures can be put in place.

- Ensure Permit to work which is a safe system of work that ensures that all necessary controls are in place to avoid stories that touch eg fatalities, injury, illness, environmental and property damage.

- Ensure work men are trained for the task and fully have a clear understanding and risk perception of the task.

-Ensure confined space atmosphere is tested for toxic/flammable fumes, gases and vapours. You can the inert or ventilate to remove toxic air.

- Ensure work men are properly kitted with the right personal protective equipment for the job eg self contained breathing apparatus, respirators/facemask, right clothing, safety booty, hard hats and radio phones.

- Fire extinguishers should be out side and inside the confined space depending on the nature of the task.

- Ensure you have your fire protection/prevention system around such as alarms in the confined space that monitors atmosphere and would signal in case atmosphere poises a risk.

- Have work men with life lines attached to them so that those outside could use the life lines to check on work men in confined space.

- In developed countries when such non routine high risk jobs are been carried out public emergency services are being notified just in case....we can adopt that in Nigeria.


Your Safety and the safety of others is your responsibility.

I can't understand this people ,you enter an underground petrol tank to do what ? even it is surface in as much it has received the first ever consignment, dispose it there is nothing you are looking inside that tank .If necessary that there be any corrections or clean up..expert must involved... adieu to the dead

Rexphobia:
How do you work in an underground tank with no oxygen mask. RIP to them

Very good question.

pinshure of the dead bodies or a do believe

I can spot some safety experts here base on their comment.
To everyone safety is everyone's business. Avoid unsafe act anyway, anytime. Always think of the safety first.
May God comfort the family of the deceased.

Such jobs require adequate safety training

247frolicboss:

Two men, trapped while working in an underground tank at a filling station in Lagos died on Friday.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasaq Fadipe, confirmed the development in an interview with NAN.

He said that the men were working on routine maintenance of the tank when the incident happened.

Fadipe said that the men were working at Fatgbems Filling Station at Ojodu, Berger before one of them got trapped in the tank.

He said that the men died before fire servicemen could rescue them.

“We got the call at about 7.09 a.m. We were told that one of the men inside the underground tank shouted for help but later collapsed.

“The second man, who was the supervisor for the work, decided to go and rescue them against people’s advice and he also inhaled fuel fumes from the tank and collapsed.

“Our men brought out their dead bodies and handed the body over to police officers from the Ojodu Division, who later took them to the mortuary,’’ Fadipe said.

He advised members of the public against putting their lives in danger, saying that rescue operations should be left for professionals.

http://www.metronaija.com/2016/03/photo-two-filling-station-workers-die.html

May their soul rest in peace. Why should they be working in an underground storage facility without proper life kits meant for such a duty.
Many people have been doing this and get away with it, but it is very dangerous for the life of the workers and the environment.
Many of our artisans don't know anything about safety on the job.
Life is not replaceable, safety on the job must be enforced before any hazardous task is performed

All facilities should have at least one safety officer. These deaths could have been prevented if the deceased workers were trained in confined space entry and confined space rescue. It's really sad when you realize that a simple Job Hazard Analysis and Permit To Work would have prevented the death of two bread winners.

Flexherbal:
Work hazard. RIP

People don't value their life in this country. Theres safety precautions like like wearing oxygen tank and other protective measures but people go dey form James Bond.

The supervisor who ought to know better nko?

Apparently the men weren't trained in confined space entry procedure. It's amazing how much we take safety for granted in Nigeria