20 incidents & 3 updates (12/02/12) – Safety Engineering (SAFTENG)

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since 2007	since 2012	since 2012	since 2012

2012 Fatality Tracker

Electrical

(2011 = 81)

(2010 = 90)

(2009 = 100)

Forklift/Manlift

Mobile Equipment

(2011 = 84)

(2010 = 110)

(2009 = 88)

Mining

(2011 = 248)

(2010 = 480)

(2009 = 586)

Explosions

239

(2011 = 218)

(2010 = 246)

(2009 = 302)

Cranes

(2011 = 50)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 82)

Falls

(2011 = 123)

(2010 = 139)

(2009 = 172)

(2008 = 250)

Work Zone

(2011 = 54)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 69)
(2008 = 69)

Trenching

(2011 = 36)

(2010 = 54)

(2009 = 48)
(2008 = 90)

LOTO/Guards

(2011 = 64)

(2010 = 51)

(2009 = 68)
(2008 = 66)

Confined Space

(2011 = 62)

(2010 = 112)

(2009 = 73)
(2008 =137)

The numbers above are obtained from the news sources used to compile the Incident Alerts. They are NOT official numbers published by any government agency. They are derived SOLELY from my search engine search strings.

INDUSTRIAL

MINE FATALITY Worker killed this morning in mine owned by Alpha subsidiary (a coal miner, 27, was killed early Friday in an accident at a coal mine owned around 1:30 a.m. – investigators say he was caught between a scoop and a continuous mining machine – he was pronounced dead shortly afterward at a local hospital)

UPDATE on GUARDING Hand injury puts employee out of work for two months (an employee spent more than two months out of work after he suffered severe hand injuries while operating a laminating machine at a factory – he was using glue laminating equipment when he noticed an indent mark on a finished product – the worker put his hand into the machine via an unguarded portal to clean the dried residue from the roller that caused the blemish – it was at that moment that his entire hand was drawn into the roller and the glove on the palm of his left hand was removed – he needed emergency surgery following the accident at work in September 2011, and spent two days in hospital as a result of the incident – he required several months of physiotherapy to restore the movement between his thumb and first finger, returning to work after two and a half months – according to an investigation led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), he had removed the guard from the machine six years before the accident occurred – follow-up enquiries also showed that a second laminating machine was without its appropriate guard, leaving workers vulnerable to injury)

Oilfield Worker Seriously Injured In Drilling Accident (a man was seriously hurt in a drilling accident – the oilfield worker was struck in the chest with tongs and was seriously hurt – he was flown to Medical Center Hospital)

A tonne of glass falls on worker (a workman, in his mid 40s, was taken to hospital after one ton of glass fell on him in an industrial accident – coworkers and staff from neighboring businesses scrambled to lift around a ton of glass, sheet by sheet, off a worker pinned by his head in the accident – he was unloading the glass from a crate inside a container when the glass overbalanced, toppled over and trapped him – the accident involved 22 sheets of glass sheets, each estimated at around 1200mm x 900mm – they toppled from an overall height of around two metres)

FALL Worker injured at Invista (a contract worker was injured about 9:30 a.m. and was transported to an area hospital – he fell from about the distance of a one-story building – he was treated at a hospital and released)

Man killed at Port of Thunder Bay (a worker, 40, has been killed in an industrial accident – the accident happened to a worker from a grain carrier in port – there are few details available other than the accident happened at about 2AM)

Worker’s hand is sliced by saw (worker was using a circular saw to make trolley handles – he suffered severe injuries to his fingers while operating an unguarded circular saw on a broken machine – the work involved cutting and shaping a solid steel bar that he had to hold steady because the machine’s clamping mechanism was broken – as he attempted to do the job, his fingers came into contact with the unguarded blade, severing tendons in his hand and causing serious cuts to his fingers – inspectors found several other saws at the factory which had inadequate guarding or were badly maintained)

MINE FATALITY Search continues for worker in coal slurry pond (crews located a bulldozer that plummeted into a coal slurry pond when an embankment collapsed, and will resume the search for the operator – the bulldozer and two pickup trucks slid into the impoundment at the mine shortly after noon – two engineers who tumbled into the water were promptly rescued – they were treated at hospitals and released – cannot yet determine if our employee is in the cab of the bulldozer and will not know that until we proceed with the recovery plan)

CONFINED SPACE Worker rescued after falling into sewage hole (a maintenance worker overcome by fumes was rescued from a sewage hole – he emerged wet and dirty after he was pulled from a manhole after he succumbed to fumes in a sewage collection area at an apartment complex – he told firefighters that he was trying to clean a sewage screen when he was overwhelmed by the fumes and dropped his shovel about 20 feet down the manhole – he then went after his shovel and was climbing the ladder back out when he was overcome again and fell back in – someone called 911 and he was pulled out by firefighters – rescuers said the man was not using the proper gear)

spontaneous combustion Omaha Plant catches fire (spontaneous combustion sparked a two-alarm fire at a factory at about 10:30 p.m. – it took firefighters nearly two hours to get the fire under control – three workers inside the plant discovered the fire inside a processing bin – they managed to escape, and no injuries were reported – the fire was caused by the spontaneous combustion of meat and bone meal stored inside the plant – the meat and bone meal is processed on site for use in pet food)

FIRE Crews extinguish fire at Hydro Aluminum Plant (a fire at an aluminum Plant just before 1:00 p.m. is believed to have started in the re-melt building after molten aluminum spilled from a piece of equipment)

FIRE Explosions Reported at Terry County Chemical Plant (2 explosions rocked a Chemical Plant – roads around the plant were blocked off while multiple fire departments worked to put the fire out – at least one part of the building collapsed – at least one person was injured and taken to a Medical Center)

TANK FIRE Wax tank catches fire at Orting cardboard plant (a fire damaged a 10,000-gallon wax-storage tank at a cardboard plant – at about 11:45 p.m. – workers at the plant use the wax to manufacture water-resistant cardboard – nearly 20 firefighters from three departments brought the blaze under control about 16 minutes after arriving – damage was estimated at $3,000 – cause of the blaze was under investigation – no injuries were reported)

AMMONIA 200 Md. Workers Evacuated After Ammonia Leak (at about 9:40 a.m. officials responded to a leak from a refrigeration unit – the Special Operations Team was able to stop the leak and used large fans to ventilate the warehouse – approximately 200 employees were evacuated – no injures were reported)

UPDATE on HOTWORK EXPLOSION – CUTTING DRUM Ipswich worker hurt in CVS garage oil drum explosion (a repair garage has been fined £40,000 after an employee was left unconscious for five days when an oil drum exploded – worker was trying to remove the end of the drum using a oxyacetylene torch when the explosion happened in November 2011 – he was knocked to the ground by the force of the blast, but has since made a “good recovery”)

CONSTRUCTION

EXCAVATION FATALITY Construction Worker Killed In Job site (a construction worker, 30, was killed in a construction site accident – Deputies and fire crews arrived at the scene around 1:15 p.m. attempting to locate a missing construction worker – around 2:15 p.m. he was recovered from the scene – he was working with a crew working on a bridge over a Creek when a hillside gave way burying him)

FATAL FALL Construction worker falls from 13th floor of Charkop bldg, dies (a construction labourer, 26, died after falling off the 13th floor of an under construction building – the incident took place around 10:45am – he was working on the 13th floor along with other labourers, who were trying to place iron rods in the beams – while doing so, he lost balance and fell off)

UPDATE on WORKZONE FATALITY Coroner: Guard rail fell on, killed construction worker (a construction worker, 26, was killed after guard rails fell on top of his upper body – he died of a blunt force injury of the torso and positional asphyxia as a result of an accident)

Four workers feared dead in Cambodia dam accident (four workers were missing and feared drowned after they were swept away by floods caused by a rupture at an under-construction dam – apparently after heavy water pressure caused the partial collapse of a tunnel-like structure by the dam’s reservoir – four people are missing and feared drowned – seven other workers were injured in the incident, with several of them suffering broken bones)

MISCELLANEOUS

New Bedford city worker killed in garage accident (a city worker, 55, has died after being pinned between the bucket and the cab of a Bobcat he was repairing at the Water Department – he was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour after the 11 a.m. accident – he was found unconscious by a co-worker who had been working on the Bobcat’s engine but had gone briefly to get something – a hydraulic lift failed and the Bobcat bucket struck the worker in the back, pinning him)

CRUSHED BY Worker killed at Hope Livestock Auction (a worker, 40, was killed in an accident at the Livestock Auction – he died after being pinned between a gate and rails by a cow – he was taken to a Medical Center where he was pronounced dead)

FORKLIFT FATALITY 1,000-pound pallet kills Pearl River workman (a worker, 50, was killed when he was pinned under a 1,000-pound pallet being moved from one truck to another – he had no pulse when Paramedics used rescue bars to drag him out from under the pallet – paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and where able to restore a weak pulse by the time the man was taken by ambulance – he was later pronounced dead – the accident occurred shortly after 1 p.m., when workers at the office complex were moving a heavy piece of equipment, possibly an air conditioning unit – as they were moving the machinery from one truck to another, a lift failed, pinning the man under the pallet)

Car Kills Worker At Hastings RiverView Caterers (a car struck and killed a worker, 39, for a Catering service when it crashed through fence and continued over an 80-foot embankment – he was blowing leaves from a patio area near the roadway in preparation for a party at the catering hall when he was struck – he was pronounced dead at a Hospital – the accident happened shortly before 3 p.m. – the SUV crashed through the catering hall’s fence leaving a hole about 30 foot wide, before it went over the embankment)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

EPA Settles with Fruit Company for RMP Violations (NH3 Refrigeration)

OSHA issues WILLFULS in PSM and Serious in LOTO, PPE, Electrical, PIT

Non-Routine process opening (e.g. “Line Break”)

What does ASME Section VIII say about “torqueing values”?

OSHA issues PSM citations after run-away reaction results in the hospitalization of 40 workers

OSHA issues PSM, HAZCOM, Asbestos, BBP, Fire Extinguishers, Walking/Working, Ladders, Guarding, Electrical, GDC, Hotwork,

Hydrostatic Relief Valves and Propane Systems

ASME “Lethal Service”

Third Public Review of Standard BSR/IIAR 7-201x, Developing Operating Procedures for Closed-Circuit Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems

Sixth Public Review of Standard BSR/IIAR 5-201x, Start-up and Commissioning of Closed-Circuit Ammonia Mechanical Refrigerating Systems

MSHA HAZARD ALERT – Working in Confined Spaces