14 incidents & 3 updates (9/23/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

CRUSHING FATALITY Man dies in industrial accident (a man died in what authorities are calling an industrial accident at a chemical plant – a piece of heavy construction equipment apparently shifted and pinned the worker against a wall about noon – other workers used a bulldozer to pull the earthmover away so paramedics could get at the man – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

UPDATE on CONFINED SPACE FATALITY Factory Worker Carlos Centeno Dies After Managers Fail to Call for Medical Help (shampoo factory managers denied a worker medical help for half an hour while his “skin was visibly peeling off of his body” from a chemical accident, his estate claims in court – the state claims that the worker was told to clean a tank with a citric acid solution, but the company failed to instruct him how to clean the tank and its components – as a result, “On November 17, 2011, the deceased, was cleaning the tank with a heated (~176 degrees Fahrenheit) citric acid solution when the cleaning solution erupted from the top of the tank and sprayed the deceased, scalding over 80 percent of his body with chemical burns)

CRUSHED Monument worker dies of his injuries (a piece of granite fell on a worker, 25, at about 9 a.m. – a co-worker applied CPR until paramedics arrived – he was rushed to a Hospital and was listed in critical condition in the late afternoon)

UPDATE on FATAL GAS EXPLOSION Death toll reaches 30 in Mexico gas facility plant explosion (the death toll reached 30 after Tuesday’s gas facility explosion in northern Mexico – initial reports indicated that at least 26 people had been killed and seven others missing – after confirming an increased death toll of at least 30 people, including five Pemex  workers, the company said there were no workers missing – the explosion appeared to have been caused by an accidental leak and officials denied rumors that it was the result of sabotage – about 700 people were working at the plant at the time of the blast and a number of people living within a 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) radius were briefly evacuated as a precaution)

CRANE FATALITY Port worker crushed to death on ship (a worker, 50, has died after being crushed under a load of aluminum while working on a bulk carrier – he had worked on the docks for 25 years and was helping to load the vessel about 9.30 p.m. – a 20-ton pallet of aluminum ingots was being lifted on to the ship by crane, when it moved unexpectedly and crushed the man – it was not yet clear whether the entire pallet fell from the crane or if some of the aluminum fell on him – paramedics were called, but could not revive the worker)

FLARING EVENT Refinery flares lead to shelter order in SE Houston (Fire Department issued a shelter-in-place warning for residents within a mile of a refinery – Hazmat and county air quality officials cleared the plant and rescinded the order after testing at the plant – the flaring was because of a power loss at the plant)

CRANE @ NUCLEAR PLANT Another accident at Fukushima plant (a metal beam measuring 7 metres and weighing 470 kilograms has fallen into a concrete basin used for storing spent fuel rods at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant – reports say it was accidentally dislodged from its place by a crane – no one was hurt in the incident – it is not yet clear whether any of the spent rods has been broken)

CONSTRUCTION

WORKZONE FATALITY – DRUNK DRIVER IDIOT Missouri transportation worker struck, killed on I-70 (a driver, 35, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after a crash on Interstate 70 that claimed the life of a MDOT worker – driver was charged with the Class B felony after tests at an area hospital showed he had blood-alcohol level of .184, more than twice the legal limit – the MoDOT motorist-assist worker, 50, was killed at 2:50 a.m. when he was struck by the car while helping reroute traffic after a four-vehicle wreck an hour earlier)

AMPUTATIONS from CONCRETE GRINDER Man Loses 3 Fingers in Jarrettsville Concrete Grinder Accident (a worker, 26, was operating a concrete grinder when his hand got caught in the machine – he was transported by ambulance to a hospital where three of his fingers were amputated – he also received cuts to his leg – no further details on the incident were available)

UPDATE Worker suffered multiple fractures in bulldozer accident (preliminary findings of an autopsy show a road construction worker, 53, died from multiple injuries after being run over by a bulldozer – he sustained numerous fractures throughout his body with severe trauma to his skull)

TRENCH One worker rescued from Tampa construction incident (firefighters rescued a man from a construction incident under an overpass – the man was working in a 9-foot-deep ditch when wet dirt gave way and collapsed on top of him – his condition was unknown)

HOTWORK Welding Accident Causes Hotel Fire in Glenview (about $550,000 worth of damage occurred when trees and the building’s exterior caught on fire at approximately 5:10 p.m. – a passing motorist made a 911 call to report a tree on fire next to the Courtyard Hotel – while en route, more 911 calls were received reporting smoke was in the building too – first on-scene firefighters extinguished the exterior fires, while additional firefighters gained access to the attic and extinguished spot fires that were not fully extinguished by the building fire sprinkler system – fire investigators determined through evidence and interviews of hotel employees and construction personnel working at the hotel that the fire was caused by a welding operation taking place on a third floor balcony – hot sparks fell to the dry landscaping below and started the bushes on fire)

MISCELLANEOUS

FATAL PLANE – CAR COLLOSION @ Airport SFO Worker Killed in Car Crash with Small Plane (a worker at an International Airport was killed in a vehicle collision with a small aircraft – the crash involving a car and a small airplane occurred at the airport around 5:30 a.m. – the worker, a man who worked for an airline services company was killed in the collision – no further details were immediately available)

TREE STUMP REMOVAL FATALITY NY tree service worker killed while grinding stump (a tree service worker, 39, was accidentally killed while he was grinding a stump – he was working alone when he became pinned between the grinder’s protective shield and an adjacent building – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

HOTWORK Crews extinguish mall fire (firefighters were called to a shopping mall and some stores were evacuated there after a giant trash compactor caught fire – someone using a blow torch to cut out the compactor to replace it with another one was cited as the cause – the fire started sometime around 4 p.m. and was contained in about 50 minutes – no one was injured)

What’s New this week @ SAFTENG.net

2012 Video of the Week # 38 (Crane Collapse)

2012 Photo of the Week # 38 (Forklift)

EPA fines two natural gas plants $316,000 for RMP violations

CAMEO Chemicals mobile site now available

Popcorn Fund Raiser for Scouts and Military

The new “Table 3” in the 2012 DOT ERG

When we claim alarms as “safe guards” in our PHA

TOSHA cites Refinery $63,000 for Fatal Flash Fire (PSM, LOTO, PPE)

2012 Photo of the Week # 37 (Electrical)

EPA Region 10 RMP Newsletter- great resource!

2012 Video of the Week # 37 (WARNING!! Manlift Fatality caught on Tape)

Ammonia Fatality @ Winery

Amuay UCVE Event Aug 25, 2012

Load Center Capacity Calculator

Miller Harness Safety Alert “Miller/Honeywell Official Response”

Process Safety and “Human Factors” (w/ video)