26 incidents & 1 update (4/7/13) – Safety Engineering (SAFTENG)

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since 2008	since 2010	since 2005	since 1/2013

2013 Fatality Tracker

Electrical

(2012 = 68)

(2011 = 81)

(2010 = 90)

(2009 = 100)

Forklift/Manlift

(2012 = 52)

(2011 = 84)

(2010 = 110)

(2009 = 88)

Mining*

(2012 = 92*)

(2011 = 248)

(2010 = 480)

(2009 = 586)

*no longer includes China accidents

Explosions

(2012 = 241)

(2011 = 218)

(2010 = 246)

(2009 = 302)

Cranes

(2012 = 52)

(2011 = 50)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 82)

Falls

(2012 = 99)

(2011 = 123)

(2010 = 139)

(2009 = 172)

(2008 = 250)

Work Zone

(2012 = 62)

(2011 = 54)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 69)
(2008 = 69)

Trenching

(2012 = 44)

(2011 = 36)

(2010 = 54)

(2009 = 48)
(2008 = 90)

LOTO/Guards

(2012 = 44)

(2011 = 64)

(2010 = 51)

(2009 = 68)
(2008 = 66)

Confined Space

(2012 = 54)

(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

FATAL EXPLOSION 3 workers killed in Heritage Dairy accident (three contractors were killed in a blast in a boiler of the expansion unit – the cause of the accident was not known – the accident occurred in the newly-installed refrigeration section 2 (under trial commissioning) – the workers were engaged in insulation work when the unfortunate accident happened)

MOLTEN STEEL TATA Steel investigate after worker accident in Wales (a worker suffered burns in an accident – he was injured as a result of spillage of molten steel which was being poured from a vessel on a crane in the continuous casting plant – two others workers were treated for shock after the accident and all three were taken to a Hospital – the injured worker was said to be in a comfortable condition in hospital recovering from the burns caused by heat, as there was no direct contact with the molten material – his two colleagues have been discharged)

FATALITY Worker killed at Chicago Heights plant (a worker, 60, was killed in an industrial accident at a metals plant – worker was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:35 a.m. – officials issued a two-part conclusion, saying that he died from “multiple injuries” – he was found lying unresponsive in a hopper and was pronounced dead at the scene – police were unable to say how he got into the hopper or why he was there)

ARC FLASH Ameren Nuclear Plant Accident Injures Three in Missouri (three people were injured at a nuclear power plant – it was the second worker accident at a U.S. atomic facility last week – the accident involved an “electrical flash” in the switch-yard area at 5:06 p.m. – the three injured workers were transported to local hospitals – an emergency call reported burn victims, including two with burns to their faces)

MINE FATALITY Construction accident at Bagdad mine kills worker (a contract worker, 30, was killed during a construction accident just before 2 p.m. while crews were fitting a row of large pipes – he was struck on the back of his head when one of the pipes came loose, according to preliminary reports – the pipe section is estimated at 40 feet in length, with a three-foot radius, and weighed approximately 5,000 pounds)

UPDATE no a FATAL FALL Boeing Worker Dies After Fall (worker, 38, was injured in March 18 fall has died at the hospital – he suffered a head injury in the fall from a platform where he was working on a plane)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – SEVEN ENTRANTS – CARBON DIOXIDE Toxic fumes kill 7 workers at Grupo Modelo brewery in Mexico City (seven workers were killed while cleaning a tank at a brewery – the accident happened during the early hours when a group of workers were involved in the cleaning and maintenance of a tank at the brewery – local authorities said the workers appear to have died after inhaling a toxic gas, believed to be carbon dioxide – accident occurred in a confined area in a tank in which cleaning and upkeep works were being done)

BURNS 2 workers burned in Tooele County titanium plant (two people have serious burns after an explosion at a titanium processing plant about 1:30 p.m. – a 53-year-old man and a 38-year-old man were treated on the scene for second-degree burns and were decontaminated by fire officials before being taken to a hospital – the workers may have been exposed to a mix of chemicals including tetrachloride-4, magnesium chloride and chlorine)

POWER PLANT EXPLOSION Southern Investigating Explosion at Plant Bowen in Georgia (plant is investigating an explosion – doesn’t know the cause of the blast at the coal-fired plant, and its personnel are assessing the extent of damages – all plant employees were accounted for following the accident, although one worker suffered “minor” injuries – workers were shutting down Unit 2 at the 3,160-megawatt plant for maintenance when the explosion occurred)

MINE FATALITY Dad crushed to death in horror rock fall tragedy at a mine (a recovery operation was launched to reach a mine worker, 49, crushed to death in a rockfall – he was driving a loading truck when a roof section collapsed – he was pronounced dead a short time later)

EXCAVATOR FATALITY Worker crushed to death by excavator (it was the love he had for his job that cost him his life after he was crushed to death by an excavator – he and two other people were at the (processing) plant – one of the other workers went to put on one of the pumps and when he returned, he saw the excavator with the four wheels up in the air and the worker lying below it – he was in the process of operating the excavator while it was on a ramp when it overturned and crushed the father of three to death – he was taken to hospital but died several hours later)

FATALITY BAE Systems Employee Dies After Falling into Mobile Bay (a worker, 64, has died after he and a co-worker were working in a guard shack when wind blew it over – they both were thrown into the Mobile River – Coast Guard officials say his body is still missing and they called off the search around 8:30 that night)

COMBUSTIBLE DUST EXPLOSION 1 injured in explosion, fire at NC flour mill (one worker is recovering from injuries after an explosion and fire at a flour mill – the explosion happened while two maintenance workers were repairing equipment – the injured employee was driven to the hospital by a fellow employee – his condition has not been released – about two dozen people working in another part of the building were evacuated – an outer wall on the building collapsed)

ELECTRICAL EXPLOSION OG&E: Transformer failure to blame for underground explosion (the explosion happened underground while a worker was working – it was a “transformer failure” that prompted the explosion – the fire was quickly extinguished, and there were no reports of serious injuries – at least one person was treated at the scene for a minor injury)

GAS EXPLOSION No one injured in explosion at Oklahoma plant (no one was injured after an explosion at a natural gas compressor station – a worker inside the station was able to escape without injury after the blast – the fire was extinguished several hours after the blast – the station takes in natural gas from wells and compresses it so the gas can be stored – the cause of the explosion remains under investigation)

EXPLOSION Marathon explosion injures one (an explosion at a Pipeline Facility sent one worker to the hospital at approximately 9:32 a.m. – the fire was extinguished by fire crews responding – one Pipeline employee was transported by ambulance with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries – incident involved the explosion of a crude oil product that occurred at a below grade sump during maintenance activities – the sump/container’s purpose is to allow equipment to drain petroleum based products in the sump for containment – the source of ignition is unknown at the time of reporting)

FIRE Flames torch meat plant, delivery truck (a meat plant caught fire and investigators are blaming a delivery truck for the damage – workers at the plant called 911 about 11 p.m. after they saw smoke coming from the rear of the building – when fire crews arrived, they found a delivery truck on fire at the back of the building – the truck was destroyed by flames, and the building suffered minor heat and smoke damage)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – OXYGEN DEFICIENCY Industrial accident at centrifuge plant (two men lost their lives after an accident at a manufacturing plant – the non-nuclear facility makes and maintains equipment for uranium enrichment – the two men were injured during operations on the premises at around 10.30 a.m. and rushed to hospital with serious injuries – a 54-year-old man died on the same day while the other victim, a 44-year-old died in the night of 1-2 April – the men had suffered oxygen deprivation when inspecting an industrial oven)

CHLORINE Chlorine leak at water treatment plant contained (a small chlorine leak that began in a pipeline at the city’s water treatment plant occurred about 6:40 a.m. – one employee who was coming in for work at that time was taken to a Medical Center for possible exposure to chlorine – he is in stable condition, will remain there for breathing treatments and is then expected to be released)

CONSTRUCTION

FATAL FALL same level Construction worker found dead at Brooklyn site (the victim, working the overnight shift, apparently fell and struck his head – he was found at 7:25 a.m. by workers arriving at the construction site – he tripped and fell, hit his head on concrete and bled to death – investigators suspect alcohol may have been a factor in the accident)

FALL from COLLAPSED PLATFORM Worker falls through roof at school (a construction worker was taken to the hospital after falling from a platform on a school’s roof around 7:30 a.m. – a man was lying on top of the roof deck, under a metal platform for the Air Handling Unit, that is approximately six feet above the roof deck – a metal grate designed to be the floor, appeared to have dislodged from the platform and was lying next to the worker – another worker heard the injured worker shouting, went to investigate and saw him lying on top of the roof deck, under the platform in extreme pain – it appears that the metal grate dislodged under the weight of the worker, which caused the fall – he complained of head, neck, back, and chest pain and was taken to a Hospital)

MISCELLANEOUS

TRACTOR FATALITY Worker dead after tractor accident at winery in Rickreall (a worker has died in a tractor accident at a winery -he fell off a tractor pulling a sprayer – he’d gotten off the tractor to retrieve his hat, which had flown off – he apparently forgot to fasten his safety belt when he got back on – he fell off and hit his head on the pavement)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – ONE ENTRANT and ONE WOULD-BE-RESCUER Poisonous gas kills hotel workers (two hotel workers cleaning a drainage line in a hotel died from inhaling a poisonous gas – the two workers died after inhaling poisonous gas when they went down to clean a drainage line in the hotel – another person who tried to rescue them was also hospitalized after he became unconscious – one person had initially entered the drainage chamber by breaking a concrete layer to clear a block in the hotel’s water drainage system – he had become unconscious and another worker entered the chamber to rescue him – both died after inhaling the poisonous gas – another who attempted to rescue the two was hospitalized after he too became unconscious)

FATAL FALL Worker killed in San Antonio arena catwalk fall (a contractor, 44, working on a catwalk has fallen to his death – he fell 70 to 100 feet from the overhead catwalk to a stage where others were at work – he was removing overhead lighting after a concert when he unhooked his safety line to step around a beam, lost his balance and fell)

HOTWORK FLASH FIRE Welding work ignites small fire at Ki-Be High School (a welding contractor working on a fan inside the City High School’s Agriculture Building ignited a small fire – the welding was being done near a paint booth, which sparked vapor and dust in a vent inside the booth – this caused a flash fire, which was extinguished within minutes – sprinklers went off, and damage was minimal)

HOTWORK FIRE Welding sparked Grant Park blaze (a fire in the village maintenance building is being blamed on sparks from an early morning welding project that found their way into the walls of the structure – the loss was estimated at $500,000, based on the tractors and other maintenance equipment, tools and other materials destroyed in the blaze)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – ENGULFMENT Man, 53, Killed in Price Co. Silo Accident (worker, 53, has died after an accident at a farm – the man was attempting to free frozen silage from the silo walls when he became trapped and buried – he was airlifted to a hospital where he was pronounced dead)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

2013 Photo of the Week #14 (Scaffolding)

2013 Video of the Week #14 (The making of a Pressure Vessel)

Emergency Shutdown Systems and Hydrostatic Relief Valves

Modified Emergency Kit “C” Application for Certain Dual Valve Systems

EPA publishes “Area Contingency Planning Handbook”

Ammonia behaving badly… it is suppose to rise!

DWS (WY-OSHA) Warns of Telephone Scam Targeting Businesses

Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) issues SCAM ALERT

From a recent OSHA citation for LOTO, yes we still have problems!

EPA RMP citations @ Food Plant (NH3 & $4K)

EPA RMP citations @ Ethanol Plant (NH3 and $4K)