28 Incidents & 2 Updates (1/02/13)

2013 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

(CORRECTED on 1/3/13 0 it appears that this hazardous atmopshere may have occured outside the PRCS, but within the “room” where the tank(s) are located) OXYGEN DEFICIENCY FATATLITY One Worker Dies, One Injured in Corn Mill Accident (two employees at a corn wet mill were preparing a fermentation tank for maintenance before an accident left one dead and the other injured – the men were found unconscious at the facility – officials believe the men encountered an oxygen-deficient environment that caused them to become unconscious – one of the workers died at Mercy Medical Center, and the other worker was being treated at another hospital – authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident)

HOTWORK INJURIES Rail Workers Burned (two employees have been taken to a burn unit for treatment after they were injured while working on a rail car – the two and another worker were using a blowtorch on the coupler end of a car when the accident occurred – a hot oil, likely hydraulic fluid, spilled onto the workers, burning hands and faces – all three workers were taken to a Regional Medical Center – one was treated and released – the other two were taken to a burn unit)

CRANE FATALITY Worker dies in crane horror (a worker, 29, was crushed to death in a worksite accident when a container full of five ton concrete slabs fell on him while he was helping move them onto a ship – a colleague who was standing next to him miraculously escaped unhurt – they were using a mobile crane and suddenly the hooks supporting the container cracked and it fell down)

CRANE FATALITIES Two workers die in Dera Bassi factory accident, owner booked (workers, 21 and 20, were killed in a mishap when the two employees, who worked as helpers in the factory, were trying to lift a 4-ton iron coil with the help of a crane – the coil accidentally fell on them – they were taken to a Hospital by the company officials after they sustained serious injuries, but they succumbed to their injuries)

RAILROAD MAINTENANCE Maintenance worker struck by CN train released from hospital (three railroad employees are in a hospital, two with critical injuries, after they were struck by a train while doing maintenance work on a track – one of three maintenance workers struck by the train has been released from the hospital – the workers did not hear the train’s whistle because they were wearing ear protection and using snowblowers – one of the employees was sent home to recover after the accident, with the other two hospitalized – the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has said one of the workers should have been designated as a safety lookout)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker, 20, dies after being burned in blast (a worker, 20, who was critically burned in an explosion later died at a Medical Center – he had worked at the company for just one month – he would have turned 21 on Jan. 15 – a week before he was killed, he got engaged to be married – he and three other employees were working an overnight shift and were shredding industrial air filters when the explosion and fire occurred about 4 a.m., injuring him and another worker – another worker was injured in the blast – he was treated at the hospital and was in stable condition – sprinklers in the plant limited the fire, but firefighters at the scene were concerned about water near sodium chlorite, a chemical used as a disinfectant as well as to bleach textiles, pulp and paper – the chemical can explode on contact with water)

RECYCLING FATALITY Worker dies at Inverness recycling center By Claire Doughty (a recycling center worker, 45, was working when he became ill – he was taken by ambulance to a Hospital but died two hours later – no further details)

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY Worker dies at Alexandria waste facility (a worker, 50, is dead after getting caught in a piece of machinery at a waste facility at about 9 p.m. – he died on the scene – no other details)

EXPLOSION Two Wyoming workers injured in Montana plant explosion (a tank fire from an explosion that injured three workers next to an oil recycling plant was still burning but there was no longer any threat of it spreading to other tanks – the fire started with an explosion as the contents of a tanker truck were pumped into a structure where the three workers were installing insulation – the fire, once it destroyed the structure, was isolated to the trailer of the tanker truck – the truck was still running and pumping material from the trailer while it burned – it is unclear what caused the explosion)

HOTWORK FIRE Arpin fire damages feed mill (a fire damaged a feed mill – it ignited around noon, right across the street from the Fire Department – the quick response may have saved the building – a welding project in the basement of the feed mill sparked the fire – employees were inside at the time of the fire, but no one was hurt – seven fire departments responded to the blaze)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES, EXPLOSION Six foreigners killed in blaze at Saudi waste treatment plant (a fire at the waste treatment plant was contained by fire fighters – at least six foreigner workers were killed during a fire outburst in an oil tank at 10:30 a.m. – fire broke out as workers were conducting maintenance and welding resulting in the explosion that stretched across the tanks)

HOTWORK FIRE Officials release new details about fire at former AK Steel Coke plant (Fire Department has determined that the fire started when contractors were working to dismantle a part of the plant using cutting torches – they were cutting bolts from a manway cover when material was ignited inside – the vessel was made of wood, steel, and plastic and some residue material inside caught fire – the material was believed to be coal tar residue and was burning inside the vessel which was impassable to firefighters – they contained the fire and let it burn itself out – no one was injured)

Fire at Champion Petfoods plant (a fire has damaged a dryer at a manufacturer of pet food – no employee was affected by the fire – it could be up to 14 weeks before a new dryer is installed)

FIRE Massive plant fire in Grand Rapids (fire crews are investigating a massive overnight plant fire – 16 workers ran out of the plant when they saw the flames – multiple departments helped fight the fire and no one was injured – the facility is used to supply seeds for farmers across the world – cause of the fire is under investigation)

Small fire extinguished at BP plant (fire crews extinguished a small fire at the plant – no injuries were reported in the fire, which broke out in a coker unit at the plant around 4:15 p.m. – the fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes and the cause is still under investigation)

CHEMICAL REACTION FIRE Chemical plant evacuated after mixture sparks fire, officials say (it took officials 90 minutes to monitor a chemical fire – an inadvertent mixture started a 55-gallon drum fire that evacuated a chemical plant and required a hazmat team – “After ensuring that all employees were evacuated and accounted for, we checked the guidelines for the quantity and type of chemicals involved, and determined that neighboring facilities did not need to be evacuated” – the entire incident took place over 90 minutes)

AMMONIA Hazmat called to ammonia leak in downtown LA (firefighters sealed a significant ammonia leak coming from a pipe at a cold storage facility – firefighters were dispatched to the area after receiving a call about a strong smell of ammonia – the leak was found on the roof of the Cold Storage Co. – FF’s cleared about a block in either direction and found out there was actually a leak from one of the pipes on the roof – the area was closed for less than an hour – no immediate reports of damages or injuries)

AMMONIA Major gas leak in Nelson (emergency services dealt with a major ammonia gas leak at a freezing works – four plant maintenance workers were evacuated just before 10am – the group was checked by ambulance officers at the scene, and none suffered from any form of exposure to the gas – police is advising motorists to stay clear of the area)

CHLORINE Pa. sewage plant evacuated after chlorine leak (a chlorine leak forced the evacuation of a sewage treatment plant – the leak at the facility occurred when plant workers had problems changing a chlorine tank – the leak was quickly contained and the building was ventilated – no injuries were reported – one person was evaluated by paramedics)

CHLORINE Richmond residents warned to stay indoors after chlorine leak (3 factories have been evacuated and residents have been urged to stay indoors after a chlorine leak – no details as to how the leak occurred)

CHLORINE Cause of Chemical Leak at Water Plant Unclear (authorities are trying to determine what caused a chemical leak at a water plant that forced workers to be evacuated and nearby roads to close around 11 p.m. – one of the eight one-ton cylinders at the facility was leaking – systems in place contained the leak, but emergency crews briefly closed nearby streets as the leak was contained – no one was hurt)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Kankakee man dies in forklift accident (a consignment auction worker, 21, has died after becoming trapped in a forklift – a coworker found him trapped in the bars of a boom forklift – County coroner says he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at a hospital)

CONSTRUCTION

UPDATE on WORKZONE FATALITY Man charged in crash that killed Pa. turnpike worker, hurt 2 others in suburban Philadelphia (a man, 34, driving with a suspended license is responsible for the accident that killed a Turnpike employee – he has been charged with vehicular homicide and related counts – he was illegally driving a box truck on Oct. 22 when he crashed into a turnpike maintenance vehicle on a road shoulder – the turnpike vehicle then fatally hit the longtime employee who was standing in front of it – the driver of the turnpike vehicle and a passenger in the truck also were injured)

CRANE FATALITY Bronx Construction Worker Killed by Falling Industrial Cooler (a construction worker, 38, was killed when an enormous refrigeration unit, which was being hoisted from a flatbed tractor-trailer truck by a crane slid off the truck and crushed him – he was rushed to the hospital, and declared dead some time later – a chain that linked the front of the trailer to the crane snapped, sending the trailer onto the sidewalk, which then caused the refrigeration unit to slide off the truck and onto the worker – the construction team planned to attach the flatbed to the truck cab, but failed to secure the cooling unit, according to a Buildings Department spokesman – because of this severe misstep, the machinery slid off the truck and onto the worker, who was guiding the crane operator just before the accident – it took the fire department an hour to remove the victim from under the unit)

FATAL SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE Search for workers after fatal scaffolding collapse (one worker was killed and eight others injured when scaffolding collapsed at a construction site – three of the injured suffered severe injuries and a search was under way for others believed buried underneath the fallen debris – the workers were buried under falling scaffolding at the site where a subway train parking space was being built – the site was undergoing concreting work when the accident happened)

CRANE & ELECTROCUTION Worker dies following shock at KUB wastewater treatment plant (a contract worker who experienced a high voltage electric shock on a WWTP construction site died – the accident happened shortly after noon – it appears the workers were trying to lift a piece of metal with a crane when something came into contact with power lines – investigators weren’t sure exactly what may have hit the power lines – the worker was pronounced dead at a Medical Center)

UPDATE on FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Construction worker killed in fall (a construction worker, 51, took a fatal fall while working on a home – he was found lying Wednesday morning on concrete near an unfinished stairwell he had been working on at a four-story residence under construction – he was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead – he was working on the stairwell from a scaffolding when he fell – no one saw or heard the accident, but investigators estimated his fall was between 12 and 35 feet, depending on where he was standing on the scaffolding)

BLASTING FATALITY Workers crushed to death (two workers, 25 and 32, hired for construction of the access road died after a rock fell over them – they died after being crushed by stones – they were sitting in a safe place some 70 meters away from the where the rocks were blasted to open the track – however, they were crushed to death after rocks fell down due to the impact of the explosion 

FATAL FALL Worker falls into pit, dies; manager held (a worker, 45, died after falling from the second floor of a building into a 60-ft pit – he was hired for interior decoration work on the second floor and was found floating in water accumulated in the pit – the pit was dug for plumbing work – the incident took place around 12.30p.m. – around 8 ft of water had gathered in the pit and he drowned – there was no scaffolding around the pit)

MISCELLANEOUS

BOILER Explosion at Bates Middle School Injures 2 Employees (a “puffback” occurred in a boiler room – an explosion in the boiler room injured two employees – maintenance workers were attempting to refire a boiler at the school shortly before 9 a.m. when a small ‘puffback,’ or release of built-up pressure, occurred – there was no fire, but lots of smoke and soot in the boiler room – two men were in the boiler at the time and they were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure and are still under observation as of 4 p.m. – neither suffered any burns, but both were impacted by the smoke and soot)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

NEW DOT Shipping Papers REQUIREMENT EFFECTIVE 1/1/13

Safety Alert Notice – grinder accident w/ modified grinder

CAUTION – DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE CLEANING WITH (MSHA Hotwork Alert)

Reporting of Exceedances of Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure

Wind Chill Training

GHS Training Materials

1910 vs. 1926 – which applies to my “work”

OSHA cites chemical manufacturer following nitrogen fatality (5(a)(1), PSM, WWS)

Inspection Techniques: Egress Door Hardware Considerations

Inspection Techniques: Pressure-Vacuum Vent Maintenance

Aboveground Flammable and Combustible Liquid Tank Emergency Venting – Part 1: Tank Types

Pressure Vessel Update (NB-132, Revision 8)

Photo of the Week #52 (Emergency Response)

2012 Video of the Week #52 (Workzone PSA – Adults ONLY)

Safety Alert Notice – grinder accident w/ modified grinder

EPA issues RMP citations (NH3 Refrigeration)

EPA issues RMP citations to two (2) Program Level 2 WWTPs (Chlorine)

EPA issues RMP citations to a Program Level 2 Ammonia Plant

EPA cites for failing to submit a RMP (NH3 Refrigeration)

EPA RMP General Duty Clause citations (NH3 Refrigeration)

Refinery to pay $115K penalty and improve Risk Management Plan (PHA, SOP, MI)

OSHA’s “Process Opening” Hazard Information Bulletin

Unloading HAZMATs and PSM/RMP

Catastrophic failure of RRCar while being steamed (Excess temp leads to exotherm runaway)

Cargo Hose Rupture and Release of Anhydrous Ammonia During Offloading of a Cargo Tank Motor Vehicle at a Plant (7/15/09)

Do NOT rely on Excess Flow Valves (EFV)

A Simple Safety Lesson

OSHA takes issue with EVERY Authorized Employee having a key to the lockbox

Is “self reflection” a legitimate approach to unsafe acts?

Safety Alert – Electrician received an electric shock when working on junction box

CCTV video of the Mexico Refinery Explosion on 9/19/12

Can I count the activation of my safety system as an actual test of the system?

OSHA cites a chicken processing and wholesale distribution company with REPEAT and SERIOUS PSM violations (NH3 Refrigeration)