29 incidents & 1 update (5/12/13) – Safety Engineering (SAFTENG)

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since 2004	since 2013	since 2008	since 2010

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

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – OXYGEN DEFICIENCY Five workers die in South Korea’s latest industrial accident (five workers died of suspected oxygen deprivation while working at a Steel plant – a total of ten workers have been killed at the plant since September, but the business is maintaining that it has no responsibility for the latest accident because it happened with a subcontracting business – at approximately 1:40 am, five workers with fireproofing subcontractor lost consciousness while working on the third revolving furnace – he and the other workers were found unconscious at a height of eight meters, where they had been removing a work lift from a furnace measuring eight meters across and 12 meters deep – they had been working up from the furnace’s bottom since May 2, replacing fireproofing bricks used to withstand the intense heat -they were supposed to finish later that morning, after which the furnace was scheduled for a test run – readings later on that morning showed an oxygen concentration level under 16% for the furnace area – enforcement rules for the Occupational Safety and Health Act prohibit any work when they are below 18% due to the risk of suffocation – the understanding is that the readings were normal when they began work – “The only reason they would be so low is either because the area below the furnace was full of argon gas, which is heavier than air, or the oxygen concentration dropped because air flow in the furnace was somehow obstructed” – the place where the bodies were found, the plant’s furnace, is a long urn-shaped vessel reinforced with fireproof bricks and used to remove the sulfur, phosphorus, and other impurities in metal from the blast furnace – the workers had been doing repairs, and the argon that is believed to be responsible for their suffocation is an integral part of the impurity removal process)

Long-time Astec employee killed during accident (an accident left a worker, 61, dead – he was a dedicated employee for more than three decades – he was lowering a silo, when it hit him in the head around 5:30 a.m. – he died at the scene – the exact cause of the accident is under investigation)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker Killed In Salinas Industrial Accident Identified (a worker, 30, died when he was hit with a counter weight while covering a pallet of strawberries – employees found the worker and called for help but didn’t witness the accident – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

TRUCK FATALITY Worker Dies at John Deere Facility in East Moline (a worker was killed in an accident involving a semi tractor-trailer at around 12:30 p.m. in a fenced area behind the building – a person employed by a contractor was working at the facility when the accident happened – a second person was hurt and taken to a local hospital – other than confirming the accident involved a semi, the company did not release details of what happened in the incident)

UPDATE on AMPUTATION Conn. company fined after worker displaced by storm loses fingers in accident (a masonry company has been fined more than $6,000 after a man lost eight fingers in an accident in February – OSHA cited the company for three violations – company did not provide a safeguard to prevent access to a wire rope for a skip hoist used to move concrete and that the employee contacted the wire rope, resulting in the amputation of eight fingers)

DOUBLE AMPUTATION on TWO MAN PRESS Worker Injured In Industrial Accident In Sumner County (a worker was critically injured in an industrial accident – two workers were using a two-man press – there was some sort of misunderstanding or lack of communication, and the worker pressed it down when the other worker reached inside the machine – he lost his left arm and possibly part of his right as well – he was transported to a Medical Center by LifeFlight and was listed in critical but stable condition)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA Man killed in morning accident at Jacksonville asphalt plant (a worker, 42, was killed in a work-related accident at an asphalt plant at 10:08 a.m. – he died at the scene – he was working in a silos-type structure used to load asphalt into trucks – crews were cleaning the machine when something fell on his head, causing blunt-force trauma)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Home Depot employee dies after workplace accident (an apparent workplace accident has killed a store employee, 56, who had been struck by metal doors – details of the case were not released, however preliminary information points to the worker operating a forklift when the doors apparently fell on him – he was rushed to a Medical Center, where he died as a result of his injuries)

TOXIC GAS FATALITY Worker dies in gas leak at Saudi refinery (an accident caused by a gas leak in a refinery killed one worker – the worker was conducting maintenance work at the refinery when the gas leaked – it did not give further details in the statement – the refinery had been closed down for maintenance since mid-April)

FLASH FIRE Plainfield man injured in chemical accident at Austin Powder Co. (a worker, 33, at an explosive manufacturing plant was burned after the chemicals he was mixing ignited – he was mixing chemicals inside a storage bunker at about 10 a.m. at the plant when a “flash” ignition occurred – he was taken to a Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening chemical burns – he later was released – he suffered burn injuries on his lower torso)

UPDATE FATAL BURNS from OVEN Employee burns to death inside industrial pressure cooker (plant has been cited and fined after a state investigation into the death of a plant worker, 62, was found last October inside an industrial pressure cooker at the company’s tuna processing plant – his body was discovered inside the oven, an industrial pressure cooker used to cook canned tuna, and that an autopsy determined that he died from burns – Cal/OSHA issued six citations carrying nearly $74,000 in fines, citing five workplace safety violations, four deemed “serious” and one deemed “general” – Cal/OSHA determined the company failed to take proper safety precautions or properly assess the danger posed to its employees while working inside the large ovens – the citations indicate the worker, a 6-year employee at the facility, and a father of six, entered the cooker to make a repair – his job was to load the ovens with large baskets stacked with tuna – he had entered one of the ovens to make a repair or make an adjustment on a chain inside the machine – he had been assigned to load a particular oven on the morning of his death, according to the Cal OSHA document – he entered the 54-inch by 36-foot oven to make an adjustment to a chain inside)

ARC FLASH 2 hydro workers seriously injured after electrical blast (two workers were taken to hospital in serious condition after an electrical panel exploded in an underground parking garage at about 11:45 a.m. ET – one of the workers, 58, suffered second-degree burns on his arms and first-degree burns on his face – he was taken to a hospital in serious condition – a co-worker, 26, suffered first-degree burns on his face and possible internal injuries due to the force of the blast – he was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition)

LEAKING FORKLIFT PROPANE CYLINDER 2 workers burned in propane leak at Enfield metal shop (two workers at a metal shop had to be taken to a Medical Center, after they were burned by propane from a leaking cylinder – two workers were trying to fix a leak in a 30 lb. propane cylinder that was on a lift – while the workers were trying to fix it, somehow the gauge let go, and the workers were burned – when propane at that pressure escapes, the gas does so at a temperature of -44 degrees – which causes frostbite – both are expected to survive – it was fortunate that the propane did not ignite, as there were about 10 to 15 people inside the building working at the time of the incident)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Welder caused explosion at E. Utah oil tank (an explosion killed a welder who was using his torch on a crude oil storage tank at a well site -the blast was sparked by welding and the contract worker was killed – two other people were injured – work was being done on the storage tank before the blast – the blast occurred during routine maintenance, killing the contract worker and leaving another person with minor injuries that didn’t require medical attention – a third victim, a company employee, is expected to recover from injuries at a hospital)

FLAMMABLE METALS FIRE Barrels explode in Stratford fire (there was a fire and explosion at a metal finishing company – one worker was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after some barrels containing flammable metals caught on fire, resulting in a small explosion – firefighters were able to put sand on the barrels, and get things under control before any damage was done to the building)

TERRORISM @ POWER PLANT Blast hits power plant in Iloilo (an explosion rocked a power plant, destroying a steel tower in the area – the blast took place at about 11:30 p.m, damaging the cemented portion of one of the posts – the steel tower is still non-operational – authorities discovered that an improvised explosive device was used by the culprits to blow up the structure)

AMMONIA Orica investigates chemical burn (an employee, 38, was taken to a Hospital after an ammonia leak at the plant just before 9pm – worker sustained injuries to his face from ammonia – he was reportedly conducting routine operation of a valve when liquid ammonia-water mixture escaped and caused irritation to his eye – worker was taken to a Hospital in a stable condition)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak secured at cold-storage warehouse (hazardous-materials teams secured an ammonia leak at a cold-storage warehouse – callers reported a strong smell of ammonia and determined it was coming from the cold storage warehouse – after a maintenance worker shut down the ammonia valves of the building’s refrigeration system, hazardous-materials squads tested the air and checked that the roof where the odor originated was secure – no evacuations were ordered and one person complained of a sore throat but there were no injuries – that person declined transport to the hospital)

TANKER LEAK Cleanup, investigation efforts under way at Bayer CropScience (after the discovery of a hydrogen chloride leak from a tank, officials sent in a team of specially trained emergency responders to begin cleanup efforts – the faulty tank will be removed from the site when local authorities give the go-ahead, so company personnel can examine it – investigators are not sure where the leak was in the tank, but that is something they hope to find through their investigation – readings from 500 to 1,000 feet from the spill did not pick up any traces of hazardous fumes)

CONSTRUCTION

BUCKET TRUCKWorker Recovering From Fall After Accident in Rye Brook (worker, 52, fell from the traffic signal he was working on – he is in good condition although he had to have surgery for a broken elbow and he also received treatment for a broken nose and several broken ribs – he was working on a new traffic light at about 9:43 a.m. when a passing tractor trailer hit the bucket of the lift truck he was working on – the worker was left hanging from the traffic light until a safety connection gave way – the worker landed on top of the passing tractor trailer, rolled off the truck and fell to the pavement face-first)

CRANE SWING RADIUS Construction accident sends worker to hospital (a construction accident sent one worker to the hospital – the accident happened at a Hospital, where an expansion is being built – the employee entered the swing radius of a crane – the worker was hurt and taken to the hospital)

DROPPED PIPE Oilfield Worker Dies in Job Site Accident (an oilfield worker, 25, died in an accident at at a job site – he died around 10:00 a.m. after a pipe fell on his head at a construction site – CPR was performed but he died at the job site)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Worker falls to his death from Clayton Park building (a worker, 48, died after falling from an apartment building – he was working on the roof of a four-story structure when he fell)

FATAL WALL COLLAPSE Burnaby man killed after wall collapses at Vancouver construction site (a worker, 62, died after a retaining wall collapsed – the wall collapsed during a residential home demolition – no one else was injured – two workers were cutting the concrete retaining wall, and they had finished the task and were exiting the area when the wall fell)

CHERRY PICKER 2 Construction Workers Hurt After Cherry Picker Overturns (two construction workers are hospitalized in serious condition after an accident involving a cherry picker truck shortly after 11 a.m. – the two men became trapped under the equipment after it toppled over – it took about 45 minutes to free the men – both men have been taken to a hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries)

TRENCHING Nkana mall accident victim survives (one of the two employees at a Shopping Mall construction site was trapped after a trench caved in, has survived from the open depressed skull fracture he sustained in the accident – worker, 32, was alongside his workmate trapped while working on the construction of the mall – the two employees were buried while working in the trench, estimated to be about six metres deep after the wall caved in – a check on their condition at the hospital found that one worker sustained an open depressed skull fracture and brain coma – the other victim was in better condition, as he only sustained soft tissue injuries on both legs)

MISCELLANEOUS

FALL Man escapes injury after pig shed plunge (a worker escaped serious injury after he plunged 13ft through a shed roof and landed in a heap of pig manure – he had been fitting solar panels to the fragile roof of a pig shed at a farm when the accident happened – he was on all fours cutting rails for the panels when he suddenly heard a crack and the roof gave way – he landed, still on his hands and knees, on a soft layer of animal waste on the concrete floor below – and luckily managed to escape serious injury – he suffered a radial fracture to his left elbow and bruising to his legs)

TREE TRIMMING FATALITY Man in tree service accident in Lovelock identified (a tree service worker, 43, died trimming trees – he was lowering part of the tree he was cutting by rope, when the part of tree they were lowering swung back and hit him in the head – he was rendered unconscious immediately – crew members went to retrieve him and found he wasn’t breathing – he was in a harness, so when he was struck, he was still suspended in the tree and didn’t fall to the ground – co-workers lowered the man to the ground and performed CPR, but he was never revived – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

PROPANE FLASH FIRE Men injured in explosion in Eufaula in critical condition (two men injured in an explosion at a plant are in critical condition – nearby elementary and middle schools were evacuated as a precaution – the company was “reworking” the propane tank for a client – estimates it was a 250-gallon tank that was about half full – as workers were loading the tank onto a trailer with a forklift the tank got away from them and rolled off the forklift and broke a valve – propane gas began spewing from the tank and an unknown number of workers ran from the warehouse – after the fallen propane tank and broken valve didn’t immediately cause an explosion, two of the workers ran back into the warehouse – that’s when the worker says there was a “flash explosion”)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

EPA RMP citations @ Ethanol Plant – Startup w/o RMP in place ($30K)

EPA RMP citations @ Food Warehouse ($1,800)

2013 Photo of the Week #19 (Forklift Human Counterweight)

Compliance Tip: Industrial Stairs Angle (Smart Phone App)

OSHA issues REPEAT for cleaning air greater than 30psi ($22K)

2013 Video of the Week #19 (Crane Transport Ooopps!)

Scene Management is a function of IC

Infamous video of FF blown off Ladder Truck in Pasadena, TX

UPDATED TX Fertilizer Plant Explosion analysis (videos/photos)

OSHA issues PSM citations to propane facility after fire ($105,000)

What is LUP & PADHI and what does it have to do with West Fertilizer?