30 incidents & 1 update (4/12/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

GUARDING/LOTO FATALITY Coroner: Worker bled to death in conveyor accident (a maintenance worker, 24, at a seafood plant died from blood loss – he was caught in a conveyor and died from loss of blood related to his injuries)

PRESS INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT SENDS WORKER TO EMERGENCY ROOM (a worker, 48, had been operating a heavy press when a piece of the metal broke loose striking the worker in the abdomen – Fire & Rescue stabilized the victim and transported him to a Trauma Room – no word on his condition – no other injuries involved)

GUARDING/LOTO FATALITY Aluminum worker dies after falling into shredder (a worker, 44, has died after falling into a shredder at an aluminum processing plant – he had been using a Bobcat to clear scrap metal from the floor – at about midnight, he went on top of a shredder for some reason – he lost his footing and fell in and died almost instantly)

FATALITY HOOKING UP TRAILERS Name released of employee killed at Southeastern Freight Lines (worker, 19, died of multiple body trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene  just after 8 p.m. – when the deputies arrived, they found the worker with grease on both of his arms and on the front of his shirt and a large head laceration – a worker explained how the accident unfolded, the two workers were hooking two trailers together so they could be hauled to another city – the other worker made the tragic error of backing up the trailer, pinning his co-worker between the truck and a dolly – he checked his mirror and did not see him, so he backed up – when he got out of his vehicle, he said he found his coworker on the dolly)

OIL RIG FATALITY North Slope Accident Kills Doyon Drilling Worker (there are still few details about a North Slope oil field accident that killed a man – he died in the accident at an offshore drilling rig site)

FATALITY ASSEMBLING EQUIPMENT Man Killed in KCK Industrial Accident (a man was killed in an industrial accident at a manufacturing business – he was assembling a piece of equipment when part of it fell, hitting and killing him – there were no other injuries reported in the incident)

BRAKE PRESS Alberta worker suffers finger injuries in press accident (an operator and an assistant were using a brake press, a mechanical or hydraulic industrial machine used to put bends in plate or sheet metals – shortly before 12:30 pm, the assistant’s fingers became pinched between the jaws of the press, causing “flattening,” but not enough clamping to sever them – with the machine locked up tight, “we had to get hold of a technician in Kansas City and start dismantling the machine”, “we dismantled three of the motors and then started removing bolts to loosen the machine enough to get her hand freed. With two sets of our jaws and about eight pry bars and some other tools, we pried it about two millimetres, enough to get her fingers released” – the whole operation took about an hour, adding that the worker had already been trapped for an hour before the fire department arrived)

FATALITY Pinoy worker killed in UAE stone-crushing plant accident (a machine operator was killed in an accident at a stone-crushing plant – initial police findings showed that the worker was operating heavy machinery without a license – he died instantly from severe injuries while operating the heavy machinery at the plant)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker killed in accident (worker, 54, died during an accident involving a forklift at the facility – he had worked at the plant for nearly seven years)

LOADING DOCK Worker suffers head injury after being hit by semi (a worker was pinned between a tractor trailer and a loading dock – he was standing on the loading dock when he popped his head out to talk to someone – he stuck his head out of the doorway and the truck smashed him against the wall and the truck – he was rushed to a Hospital and has several facial fractures and at least one skull fracture, but that he was responding to commands at the scene – he’s worked there for more than 20 years)

HAIR and EQUIPMENT Worker hospitalized after hair caught in machine (a woman suffered a head injury when her hair was pulled into a corn bottling machine while working at a plant at about 8:30 a.m.)

GUARDING FATALITY Anger As Factory Machine Crushes Worker (investigation revealed that the victim, 20, had been operating the machine for about a year since he was employed – the machine operator made a ‘mistake’ and the machine trapped his hand and before help could come, he bled to death – at the nearby hospital where he was rushed to, doctors merely certified him dead)

UPDATE Grain Company Faces $406,000 Fine for Deadly Explosion (OSHA has cited a Grain Company with thirteen safety violations for the October 2011 grain elevator explosion that killed six workers and left two others injured – the violations include five “willful” safety violations and eight “serious” safety violations – willful violations include: allowing grain dust, which is nine times as explosive as coal dust, to accumulate, using compressed air to remove dust without first shutting down ignition sources, jogging (repeatedly starting and stopping) inside bucket elevators to free legs chocked by grain, using electrical equipment inappropriate for the working environment, failing to require employees to use fall protection when working from heights – serious violations include: lack of proper preventive maintenance, certification and lubrication of grain handling equipment, inadequate emergency action plan training for employees and contractors, lack of employee and contractor training on job hazards, deficient housekeeping program that did not prevent grain dust accumulations)

HOTWORK FIRE Cutting torch suspected cause of March plant fire in Bassett (fire marshal says a cutting torch is the likely cause of a fire that destroyed a former furniture plant – a demolition crew used the torch to cut pipes around a large air compressor and investigators believe the fire began after workers left – fire caused an estimated $260,000 in damage – the 230,000-square-foot plant closed in 2007)

REFINERY One Person Dead Following Accident at Alon Refinery (around 11:25, a contract vacuum truck was traveling between the north and south sectors of the refinery when a westbound train entered the crossing area and hit the truck – there was one fatality – the crash is under investigation by law enforcement and railroad officials)

Explosion reported at Caldwell County finishing plant (at least one person was injured in a furniture finishing plant explosion just before 3 p.m. – one person was injured and taken to a Regional Medical Center)

EXPLOSION No injuries reported after small explosion at Mercury Marine (no one was injured when a small explosion – Fire Department was able to contain the fire to a furnace and exhaust system inside the facility – the explosion occurred at about 9:45 a.m. when employees poured alloy-melted molten aluminum – the explosion caused melted aluminum to shoot 25 feet to the ceiling and ignited fine dust particles, which then drafted into the exhaust system – a portion of the plant was evacuated – no injuries were reported)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – SEWER GAS Three die after inhaling poisonous gas (three workers were killed after inhaling poisonous gases during the laying of a sewer-line – another worker remains critical – they were working for a private contractor and died after inhaling the poisonous gases coming out of the under-construction sewer – the owner of the private company is being questioned about why the victims entered the site without any protective gear)

AMMONIA Fakenham: Ammonia leak at a factory (two fire crews were called out to an ammonia leak at a factory at 5.30am – the leak had been sealed by engineers and the fire crews left the leak to be dealt with by the factory owner)

CHLORINE Chlorine Gas Leak In Fairfield (a portion of Commerce Drive has been evacuated and Metro North trains are bypassing the station in town after a chlorine gas leak – the leak happened at a plant that processes gallium trichloride, which is used to make high-end batteries – the area surrounding the plant was evacuated – officials do not know how long the area will be affected – no injuries have been reported)

CONSTRUCTION

WORKZONE FATALITY Road worker crushed to death (a worker, 31, died when he became trapped between a road roller and a digger – he died at the scene at 14:20 – he was working as a contractor on part of the power line project)

TRENCH PennDOT worker hurt in North Huntingdon trench collapse (a DOT worker became trapped after a drainage ditch he was working in collapsed – the man was trapped “up to his chin” just before 11 a.m. – DOT workers and emergency rescue personnel were able to quickly dig the man out of the hole – he was transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries)

COLLAPSE Nobody seriously injured in another collapse at Seabank Hotel (workers at the Hotel, which is undergoing major redevelopment, witnessed another collapse, following the death of a worker on 6 March, when part of the structure housing the night club gave way – this time the accident was relatively minor and according to the hotel management no serious injuries were sustained – part of a brick wall gave way, taking down with it a thin concrete structure which is usually laid in preparation for the precast slabs)

ROLLER FATALITY Pipeline worker crushed by roller (worker, 52, died when the 12 tonne roller he was driving rolled down a bank, crushing him at about 3pm – he was killed instantly when he was thrown from the vehicle and crushed)

MISCELLANEOUS

ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC!!! Connecticut Boy Killed After Being Pulled Into Wood Chipper (a six-year-old boy was killed after he was pulled into a wood chipper while helping his father clear out brush – he became entangled around 8:45 a.m. after he picked up a branch and attempted to load it into the machine – his two older siblings witnessed the incident, which a state policeman called, “a horrible, tragic accident” – the boy’s father owns a tree removal company)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION Old fuel tank explodes (a man, 33, suffered second- and third-degree burns in an explosion that occurred while he was attempting to saw an old fuel tank in half – he was using a gas-powered saw to make the cut at about 1:15 p.m. – he had burns on his face and arms, was taken from the scene by ambulance and then transferred to a LifeFlight helicopter to finish the trip to a Medical Center)

LAB EXPLOSION Worker injured in GM Tech Center blast still in hospital (a worker injured during an explosion in a battery lab at the Tech Center remains at an area hospital and will be there at least one more night – the employee was injured after chemical gases venting from an experimental battery pack ignited around 8:45 a.m. in a small room inside the Alternative Energy Center – the blast blew out windows and damaged some of the building – four other workers were evaluated at the scene by medical personnel after the blast)

CHLORINE Maintenance workers at NFA break valve, set off chlorine-tank leak (a maintenance crew that was replacing a pump in a chlorine tank in the basement accidentally broke a valve, emptying the tank of its contents and the building of its few workers – two of the maintenance workers were taken to a Hospital for evaluation – three others were evacuated during the three hours required to secure and clean the basement where the tank was located – students and staff were on spring break)