In 2022, a delivery driver was found unresponsive in a truck that contained 71 bags of dry ice. The driver was transported to a local hospital but later died. It was determined the driver died from asphyxiation due to dry ice. The bags of dry ice were stored in coolers that could not be completely closed, allowing a lethal amount of gaseous carbon dioxide to fill the air.
The driver's employer was issued three serious citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for (1) exposing an employee to asphyxiation hazards from carbon dioxide gas when engaged in the transportation of dry ice; (2) not developing and implementing a written hazard communication program for employees handling dry ice; and (3) not providing information and training on hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to, dry ice.
A separate company that used the driver's employer as a subcontractor was issued two serious citations by OSHA for (1) not developing, implementing, and/or maintaining at the workplace a written hazard communication program and (2) not maintaining safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals such as, but not limited to, dry ice in the workplace.
Between the five citations, the companies were charged $33,037 in penalties.
