     
Infant's
Death Prompts Lids Warning
The
onsite waste water industry is under extreme pressure of alternative
thinking in its application and rules. Many times the ability to implement
change for profit and in the name of environmental benefits happen
so quickly we don't slow down enough to ponder the consequences of
its potential failures. We get so involved in the ability to make
changes we seem to forget to ask ourselves should we.
We
would like to offer our service during any review or proposals. We
believe we can offer valuable information through mistakes and successful
experiences from the industry throughout Central and Eastern United
States. Just one example of a mistake that should be considered is
the issue of risers becoming mandatory and the safety of backyard
playgrounds for children. Enclosed is information on some deadly situations
in Florida and Indiana that should make all states reconsider exposure
of units in backyards all across the United States. We are investigating
reports of related deaths in other states. These above ground or exposed
devices also expose the state, local agencies, contractors, and citizens
to legal responsiblilties and possible litigations.
Infant's
Death Prompts Lids Warning
Prompted
by the death of a three-year-old boy who drowned in an uncovered,
Palm Beach County fiberglass septic tank Feb. 9, the Florida Department
of Health and Rehabilitative Services recently issued a safety memorandum
to county health units and district administrators, calling for greater
precaution in securing septic tank lids.
The
child, Eric Rosales, apparently fell into the tank near his Lake Worth
home because the fiberglass lid was not securely fastened or covered
with soil.
Environmental
Health Services Chief Eanix Poole wrote in his memo, "When the
tank was originally installed in 1986, it was secured by ground cover.
Over passage of time, the ground cover was removed for servicing the
septic tank, thereby exposing the lids. It appears that after the
tank was pumped recently, the lids were not sealed and backfilled
with soil."
Poole
said Sections 10D-6.054 and .055, Florida Administrative Code, address
the issue of making access lids "... vandal, tamper and child
resistant." The wording specifically addresses fiberglass septic
tank lids in noting, "Tank lids shall be securely fastened or
sealed to prevent unwarranted access to the contents of the tank and
to make tanks vandal, tamper and child resistant.
"Acceptable
protection of openings may include, but is not limited to,
"1.
A padlock.
"2. An 'O' ring, twist lock cover requiring special tools
for removal.
"3. Covers weighing 65 pounds or more, net weight.
"4. Stainless steel or other corrosion resistant fasteners
for fiberglass, metal or plastic lids."
Poole
said soil cover itself will not be considered an adequate method of
securing a fiberglass septic tank lid. Soil cover shall be required,
in addition to fastening the lid.
"It
is not the intent of this memorandum to require that all previously
installed septic tanks be uncovered for the sole purpose of securing
the lids," Poole wrote.
"However,
all future septic tank repairs shall require that tank lids be properly
secured. In addition, Section 10D-6.052(4) addresses the maintenance
associated with the pumping of septage: After septage is removed from
an onsite waste disposal system, the original lid of the tank shall
be put back in place, or be replaced with a new lid if the original
lid is broken. The tank lid shall be completely sealed and the ground
backfilled and compacted so that the site is left in a nuisance free
condition."
Poole
called on health unit administrators to emphasize the importance of
securing tank lids during installations and repairs to their staff
members, as well as industry contractors.
The
Journal Gazette
Journal
Gazette, The (Fort Wayne, IN)
August
6, 1995
Author:
Death touches off debate on septic tanks
Toddler fell in after removing lid; family doubts plastic piece was
secure
By Jeni Bell Staff writer
Edition:
FINAL
Section: METRO
Page: 9A
Dateline: GRABILL
Tyler
Miller stood before his family’s entertainment center Wednesday
night, staring up at a videotaped image of his almost 3-year old big
brother on the family TV set.
The
2-year old watched intently as Ethan Miller, his face covered with
raspberry stains, insisted to his parents that he hadn’t eaten
any.
The
video drew giggles from Tyler and his mother, Sharon Miller, as Tyler’s
father, Joe watched silently from his chair. When it ended and the
videocassette recorder had been turned off, Tyler cried to watch it
again. He didn’t stop crying until the tape was rewound and
playing again, Ethan’s face flashed on the screen.
“Tyler
really misses him,” Sharon Miller said quietly.
Two
weeks ago today, Ethan Miller died when he fell head first into the
family’s septic tank in the backyard.
Since
Ethan’s death, his parents have questioned whether the plastic
lids that are designed to seal the tubes, known as cleanout risers,
that lead from some yards to their underground septic tanks are sturdy
enough to protect curious children from harm.
Two
bolts fasten the plastic lids to the tops of risers of the same make
as the Millers’.
Examining
the tanks of neighbors near their Hurshtown Road home, the Millers
found that the plastic lid on one could easily be pulled off by hand,
and another could be pulled off with little difficulty.
At
a third home, the residents had heard of the Millers’ tragedy
and tried to seal their lid with caulking; however, the bolts to their
lid were not screwed down tightly. “It’s a death trap,”
Joe Miller said flatly.
The
Millers assert that the plastic lids aren’t safe, that they
should be made sturdier so that no child could open them.
They
also believe that a plug covering the opening to the underground tank
itself should be in place. Typically, the lid to the riser is the
only thing preventing accidental access to the tanks, the Millers
said.
The Journal Gazette
Journal
Gazette, The (Fort Wayne, IN)
February
23, 1996
Author:
Lesley Stedman The Journal Gazette
Edition:
FINAL
Section: METRO
Page: 1C
Dateline: INDIANAPOLIS
Joe
and Sharon Miller of Grabill have told their story dozens of times,
trying to educate people about the possible danger septic tanks pose
to children.
On
Thursday, they told it once more, to an attentive and sympathetic
group of lawmakers who were struggling to find the way to write a
law that will prevent the deaths of children such as Ethan, the Millers’
son.
On
July 23, 1995, Sharon Miller couldn’t find Ethan. As she and
her husband searched frantically, she found the plastic lid that covers
the opening of the septic tank in the backyard. The lid was open.
Joe
Miller dug out the clean-out riser, the 3-foolt plastic tube about
10 inches in diameter that leads from the ground into the tank. He
reached into the 2,000 gallon tank and pulled out Ethan.
It
was too late. Despite resuscitation attempts, Ethan died. He would
have been 3 years old that September.
Now
the Millers are fighting to create laws that regulate the openings
to septic tanks.
They
want the riser tubes smaller, the tanks completely sealed with childproof
lids and the lids buried at least 6 inches underground.
The
House Environmental Affairs Committee on Thursday approved a bill
that requires child-safety lids on the tanks.
The
bill, authored by Sen. Richard Worman, R-Leo, has already passed the
Senate. It now moves to the House floor for consideration.
“In
my mind, the bill should be called ‘the common sense bill,’
because that’s what it is,” Joe Miller said.
But
Reps. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven , and David Wolkins, R-Warsaw, don’t
think the bill goes far enough.
When
it is heard on the House floor next week, they hope to change it with
an amendment requiring new pipes to be no more than 6 inches wide
too small for a child to slip through.
Wolkins
also wants the tube sealed at the top and at the bottom, where it
connects to the septic tank.
|