PHOTOS: A male worker that was reported unconscious within a chemical transport tank was rescued Tuesday afternoon.
According to a tweet from Salt Lake City Fire Department, heavy rescue and hazmat teams arrived on scene for rescue efforts. SLC Fire Captain Anthony Burton said they responded to a situation around 2 p.m. when they became aware of a worker that had entered a transport tank to service it. Although he was following most their safety procedures, the man ended up unconscious and became trapped.
Hazmat arrived on scene first and monitored the atmosphere in the tank, finding dangerous factors including the size of the space, and the presence of unknown substances that could cause harm to victims and rescuers in addition to low oxygen levels.
Then heavy rescue arrived with firefighters and performed a “confined space rescue.”
Captain Burton said the tank typically hauls methane and they often purge those tanks with nitrogen.