25 Incidents & 0 Updates (6/11/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

HAZMAT Worker hospitalized after accident at Inglewood hazmat sorting facility (a worker at a hazardous-materials sorting facility had to be hospitalized when a fire extinguisher fell on a military-type canister, releasing an unknown material that caused nausea and eye irritation – the worker was hospitalized in unknown condition – about 27 other people in the immediate area were treated at the scene for complaints of irritation)

TRUCK LOADING FATALITY Rolling truck kills man near Puhoi (a man is dead after being caught beneath a truck he was loading – the man was thought to have been crushed when the truck he was loading started to move – there were no reports of anyone else being involved in the accident – the understanding is he went around the front of the truck to jump in and try and get into the cab to stop it and he was actually caught by the truck)

AMPUTATION Worker ‘recovering well’ after hand severed (a worker, 43, is recovering in a hospital after his hand was cut off in a workplace accident – his right hand was severed while he was working at a company which makes bedding products at about 6.20 pm – he was taken to a hospital by ambulance with serious but not life-threatening injuries – ambulance crew applauded the plant staff, who stemmed the flow of bleeding and wrapped a clean towel around the injury – “He could have been in a worse condition, particularly with loss of blood [if not for their actions] – “It goes to show that some first-aid knowledge can go a long way in helping a patient and helping their recovery”)

MAINTENANCE FATALITY Man killed in Neenah Foundry incident identified (a foundry employee, 58, was killed in an industrial accident that resulted from a “mechanical failure” during routine maintenance operations – he was a longtime employee – no one else was injured – a company press release indicated the death was the result of an “industrial mechanical failure” – the plant was not operating at the time – the victim was pronounced dead at the scene and there was at least one co-worker that witnessed the accident)

LOADING DOCK FATALITY Construction worker in fatal big rig accident ID’d (a worker, 48, was killed in an accident involving a tractor-trailer at a distribution warehouse – he was standing behind the big rig on a loading dock at the distribution center shortly after midnight, preparing to help unload a shipment, when the vehicle lurched backward – the doors of the trailer hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground, where he apparently struck the back of his head – paramedics tried in vain to revive him before pronouncing him dead at the scene)

PIPELINE FIRE/EXPLOSION Pipeline Worker Hurt in Texas Panhandle Explosion (an equipment operator has been slightly hurt in a fiery explosion near a natural gas pipeline – crew was working on a pipeline that had been shut off and some residual gas got sucked into the running engine of a track hoe, which ignited – the track hoe operator suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a hospital – the track hoe and three service trucks burned – the accident involved a 4-inch low pressure gathering line)

MOLTEN IRON Two injured in industrial accident in Crawford County (two people have been injured by an explosion and fire at an industrial plant around 3 p.m. – doctors are treating one burn victim from the industrial accident – two employees were hurt – one worker apparently was injured by molten iron that splashed over from a ladle)

ARC FLASH Worker burnt after electrical shock (an employee, 51, of an agricultural company was taken to an area hospital by a medical helicopter after he suffered severe electrical burns – employee had burns on his forearms and hands – victim was burnt in an electrical breaker room when he went to check on a malfunctioning piece of equipment)

FLASH FIRE Two injured in fire at Ohio Metallurgical Service in Elyria (two employees at a metal processing treatment plant were burned at about 2 p.m. – gas built up behind a furnace causing a flash fire – two maintenance workers suffered minor first and second degree burns – they were able to walk out to the ambulance, which took them to a Hospital – they were then flown to a Medical Center by medical helicopter)

OIL PLATFORM FIRE Oil platform blast scare (an explosion at an offshore oil drilling platform injured five workers and started a fire on the structure – the fire occurred at 9.20am at the compressor skid of the drilling platform – the injured were immediately flown to a Hospital by helicopter and the remaining 11 personnel were sent to the living quarters nearby – crews managed to put the fire under control within an hour and the cause of the blast was under investigation – the most seriously injured victim was a technician, 39, who suffered second degree burns over 40% of his body)

SANITATION CHEMICAL Crushed bottle sprays chemical into eyes of Wyckoff sanitation worker (a plastic bottle being crushed in a trash compactor sprayed a solution including hydrochloric acid in the eyes of a sanitation worker, 32, sending him to the hospital just before 8 a.m. – the injured sanitation worker was having difficulty breathing – the fluid inside was a cleaning solution for limestone that included hydrochloric acid among its ingredients)

TRUCK LOADING FATALITY Steel worker crushed to death at Claremont plant (a steel worker is dead after being crushed by a trailer at a plant which makes steel girders and arches for large bridges – the victim had been trying to load a large steel span onto a trailer when he was pinned beneath the trailer’s wheels – he was taken to a Hospital where he died of his injuries)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Victim dies from burns after explosion (a man, 50, was severely burned in an explosion and fire at a trucking business has died – the man was a contractor employee who was welding when the fire and explosion occurred – he was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition with burns on 90 percent of his body – investigators are trying to determine the cause of the explosion at the trucking business)

FIRE Worker Hurt In Lexington Factory Fire (one worker was hurt after a piece of equipment at a plant caught fire at about 10 p.m. – a hopper that collects waste paper caught fire – one employee was hospitalized with smoke inhalation, but is expected to be okay – third shift workers at the plant were sent home after the fire was put out)

AMMONIA Pakenham ammonia leak forces evacuation (residents have been advised to stay inside after an ammonia leak at a factory – a mechanical fault was believed to have caused the leak in a refrigeration plant about 7:50 a.m. – three streets near the plant were evacuated – paramedics were called to assess the condition of one man but found he did not need further treatment)

CONSTRUCTION

TUNNEL COLLAPSE Worker killed, 18 trapped in Lake Mead tunnel (a construction worker has been killed at the site of one the tunnels under construction by the Water Authority – as of 4:30 p.m. 18 people were trapped in the collapsed tunnel)

CRANE FATALITY 1 dead after construction accident (a construction worker has died after an industrial accident at about 9:18 a.m. – the construction worker was under a load when it fell)

TRENCH Accident at wastewater treatment plant buries man under dirt and concrete (a worker at a wastewater treatment plant has been rushed to a Medical Center after being buried under dirt and concrete – he was doing repair work about eight to 10 feet down in a trench when there was a collapse of some sort – before emergency crews could even arrive on scene, other workers were already trying to get the man out – condition of the worker has not been released at this time)

PFAS SAVES TWO MORE!!! Two workers rescued after hanging by ropes from downtown Calgary office tower (a dramatic rescue of two men left dangling 10 stories in the air off of a downtown high rise captivated the attention of hundreds of office workers around 10:30 a.m. – rescue crews rescued two workers who had been left stranded, clinging to their life lines, after the platform beneath them collapsed – both men were successfully lowered into the bucket of an awaiting fire truck shortly before noon – a rescuer lowered himself to the men who were clinging to ropes approximately 10 stories above the ground – no injuries have been reported and investigators are looking into the cause of the accident)

FALL from ROOF Roofer falls 2.5 storeys in Ancaster accident (a roofer, 23, has been taken to hospital after falling 19 feet off the roof of a home – his injuries were not deemed life-threatening – one worker indicated that the man was working for a roofing company, which had a van and signage also visible at the home – the owner and president of that roofing said his roofers all wear their safety gear on the job – as far as he knows, the man’s suffered a few cracked ribs and a sore wrist)

WALL COLLAPSE FATALITY One more worker died at construction site in Georgia (worker, 50, died on the inner workings of the construction of a residential complex during the dismantling of the wall a piece of it fell on worker and that led to the death)

FATAL SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE 7 killed in SW China scaffold collapse (seven workers were killed after their scaffolding collapsed at around 11 a.m. at a cooling tower construction site at a power plant – eight workers were buried after the collapse – seven died at the scene and the injured was receiving treatment at a local hospital)

MISCELLANEOUS

FATAL FALL on FIRST DAY of SUMMER JOB Russian teen worker falls to her death in Yellowstone (a teen, 18, died in an accidental fall near Inspiration Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – she was a Yellowstone concession employee on her first day in the park – she was hiking the canyon’s North Rim Trail with three other acquaintances when she ventured out off trail onto a loose rock promontory, which gave way underneath her)