One Worker Dies After Entering Confined Space Wearing an 'Oxygen Mask'

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At an apartment construction site in Gyeonggi Province, a worker was found dead, prompting the Ministry of Employment and Labor to investigate the cause of the accident. It is presumed that the worker was poisoned by carbon monoxide after entering a confined space wearing an oxygen mask instead of a self-contained breathing apparatus.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 12th that on the 31st of last month, a worker died after entering a confined space during concrete curing work at an apartment construction site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

At the accident site, a simple oxygen mask that did not meet the standards of the Industrial Safety and Health Act was found. Because of this, the ministry presumes that the worker who entered the confined space to replace the coconut husk mat was poisoned by carbon monoxide.

According to the Industrial Safety and Health Act, employers must provide and require workers to wear a self-contained breathing apparatus or supplied-air respirator, not an oxygen mask, when entering workplaces where oxygen is insufficient or harmful gases are present.

A self-contained breathing apparatus must have a maximum charging pressure of 30 MPa or more, supply air at 40 L/min, and have a usage time of at least 30 minutes. Also, a supplied-air respirator must be structured to supply air from the air source to the wearer through a hose or medium-pressure hose and facepiece.

However, in actual construction sites, for convenience, simple oxygen masks intended for fire evacuation that are commercially available are often used as substitutes for self-contained breathing apparatuses or supplied-air respirators.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor emphasized, "In confined spaces where oxygen is insufficient or the concentration of toxic gases is high, using simple oxygen masks for fire evacuation poses a risk of poisoning by carbon monoxide and other harmful gases," and added, "It is essential to use self-contained breathing apparatuses or supplied-air respirators equipped with functions to block harmful gases."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.