How to protect employers and employees against the dangers of H2S gas

Regulatory noncompliance and/or employer negligence can have a serious economic impact, with OSHA fines reaching more than $400,000 in addition to costly civil lawsuits. (Credit: EvGavrilov/Shutterstock)

It’s fair to say that workers’ compensation are two words no employer wants to hear, as no one wants an employee to experience an injury on the job. However, productivity sometimes takes priority over safety, causing companies across industry sectors to overlook safety practices and put their workers at risk. This oversight becomes especially hazardous for those working in environments that can produce potentially lethal gasses such as hydrogen sulfide, or H2S — one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities in the United States.

Living up to its name as the “silent killer,” H2S is a colorless, flammable, potentially hazardous and toxic gas. The primary method of exposure is through inhalation and workers can only smell the “rotten egg” odor of H2S when lower concentrations of the gas exist. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), H2S (also known as sour gas, sewer gas, stink damp, swamp gas and manure gas), is produced naturally from decaying organic matter and is found most commonly in industrial processes such as: