The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), along with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), have jointly released a press release that cautions workers and companies who use tank gauging or fluid sampling. The organizations highlight the dangers of this kind of work and what can be done to keep workers safe.

Tank gauging is a method used to see how much liquid is housed in bulk storage tanks; like those seen on the side of highways or near refineries. One method of gauging is manual gauging, where a worker uses a dipstick and goes on top of a tank to check the levels, like you would check the oil on your car. The problem with this method is that is can be quite dangerous for that worker who is up there in the elements and may not have the necessary protective gear to prevent chemical hazards. Workers are in close proximity to hydrocarbon vapors that are being released while they are sampling the tanks and opening hatches. Inhalation of those substances is dangerous and the chemical vapors spill out and can quickly replace the oxygen present at the hatch area when it is opened, a bad combination that could cause workers to pass out or even die. Even exposures as short as 30 seconds can cause hypoxia and respiratory and cardiac problems. Those chemicals may also cause explosions as well.

Between 2010 and 2014 nine tank gauging workers died, they were all engaged in manual tank gauging that the two organizations say were most likely caused by hydrocarbon exposure combined with a lack of oxygen. When workers are exposed to hydrocarbon gases or vapor combined with low oxygen levels, it can be a recipe for disaster and the alert issued is meant to prevent any more deaths or injuries from occurring in this occupation.

The alert issued suggests that workers stand upwind and try to increase the distance between themselves and the hatch when they open it, and that they wear flame retardant clothes and the proper respiratory protections as well as oxygen monitors. If possible, they encourage different methods of tank gauging that would allow workers to find out the levels of the tanks and take samples without having to open the hatch, maybe by fitting tanks with sampling ports or installing pressure indicators so workers can actually see the pressure inside and decide whether it is safe to sample the tank at that time. Higher pressure in the tank may cause a greater risk of explosion or the release of chemical vapors.