Failure to wear breathing apparatuses while repairing a sewage leak in the basement of a water treatment facility last year cost the lives of two maintenance mechanics from Wichita Falls, Texas.
Daniel Arredondo and David Sheppard were trained in the use of personal protective equipment and safety protocols. Plant officials warned the men of a gassy smell in the area. They entered the basement wearing self-contained breathing apparatuses, but it would later be found that the pressure in their air tanks was low.
Confined spaces, such as basements, pose health and safety risks for workers and rescuers exposed to hydrogen sulfide
