32 Incidents & 0 Updates (7/4/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker 

Industrial

MINING Rescuers rush to reach 19 trapped miners in S China (rescuers are working to remove a buildup of sludge from the primary mineshaft of a coal mine, hoping to reach 19 workers who were stranded in the mine after it became flooded and collapsed)

MINE FATALITY Miner killed in Harlan, Kentucky (a coal miner was killed in a roof fall-in a mine – it is the second such accident in less than a week in the coalfields region and brings to eight the number of coal miners killed in the United States this year – he was manning the cables on a continuous haulage machine at the mine when he was struck by a section of wall, according to the preliminary report from MSHA – the rock, seven by three feet and one foot thick, knocked him into the dolly of the haulage machine as it backed up, dragging him along)

LOTO/GUARDING Worker Injured In Industrial Accident (a worker was injured after in accident at a plant – emergency crews were called in the early-afternoon hours after an employee’s arms got caught in a machine – the worker was taken by medical helicopter to a hospital – his condition wasn’t immediately known)

FUELING FIRE Worker burned outside of Nebraska nuclear plant (a worker at a security building outside of a nuclear power plant was badly burned while refilling a gas tank for a portable pump – the pump caught fire and the unidentified worker suffered burns to his arms and face while putting out the blaze – emergency personnel took him outside the plant to a medical helicopter, which transported him to a burn center)

EXPLOSION French nuclear power plant explosion heightens safety fears (blast comes days after nuclear authorities found 32 safety concerns at plant – explosion sparked a fire at the nuclear power station – the blaze sent a thick cloud of black smoke into the sky – the incident took place in an electric transformer situated in the non-nuclear part of the plant and had not resulted in any radiation leak or any other contamination – a statement issued by the energy giant raised further concerns as it omitted to mention the explosion, only a fire, and did not give the cause of the blaze)

EXPLOSION Explosion hits Egypt gas plant (a strong blast rocked a gas station – no casualties were reported due to the explosion, but the flow of gas was stopped – the explosion took place in the early morning at a station along the pipeline – it was the third blast since early February on the pipeline)

FIRE Wood plant fire guts hopper (a timber processing plant’s sawdust hopper and kiln was gutted by fire – security guards at the  plant called the fire service at 3am with crews arriving to find the building well alight – the hopper was destroyed – the building, estimated to be 10mx10m, is at the rear of the site and is isolated from the rest of the plant – it is where the dust and shavings from the timber finishing plant are collected before use as fuel for the plant’s kiln)

FATAL FIRE @ MEAT PACKING PLANT

FIRE Fire forces evacuation of Pa. printing plant (a two-alarm blaze has forced the evacuation of a printing plant – the blaze broke out around 3 p.m. in a paper baler at the the facility – the fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes, but firefighters are trying to clear smoke from the building – there were no immediate reports of injuries)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak evacuates part of school, sends one to hospital (part of an Education Centre was recently evacuated and a staff member sent to hospital following a toxic gas leak – a small refrigerator was being removed from the building by staff – when they moved it, it released some ammonia vapours and a custodians was exposed to the vapours and was sent to the hospital for checks – he was apparently healthy and back at work the following day – no students were in the school at the time of the leak)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak at Cutler fruit packing plant (ammonia leaked out of a fruit packing plant – the ammonia had been leaking since midnight at the plant – road blocks were set up near the plant to keep people away from the dangerous gas – the plant was empty when the leak was reported – authorities advised people in the area to stay inside, close their doors and windows, and turn-off their air conditioning – the cause of the leak is still under investigation)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak sickens workers (five workers were treated at a Hospital after an ammonia leak occurred inside the plant about 11 p.m. – a seal that is part of the refrigeration system at the plant overheated and released vapor amounting to about half a pound in an engineering room – one worker vomited and four others complained of watery eyes and irritation of the throat – leak did not extend to other parts of the plant, and engineers worked quickly to begin repairs)

DUST EXPLOSION Fire reported at WFS grain elevator (a grain facility is temporarily closed after emergency crews responded to a small dust explosion – no injuries were reported – a beam gave out at the grain elevator resulting in a spill – the damage is minimal – the fire started at about 7:45 a.m. when the bottom of a 1,500 bushel hopper bin gave way, causing grain to spill out and a dust cloud to form – officials believe the steel of the hopper bottom fell against another metal object, causing a spark that ignited flames – no employees or customers were nearby when the incident occurred, but employees in the office heard the noise and then saw flames erupting from the bin – employees evacuated the building – firefighters were only on the scene for about 30 minutes – no damage estimates have been given at this time)

Construction

Bridge workers still missing (search is still on for three workers, who went missing after the under construction bridge, on which they were on, collapsed – workers, 18, 19 and 22, were in a JCB excavator with three other workers trying to lay foundation metal sheets when the bridge gave way – two workers escaped with minor injuries, the body of 21-year old site supervisor was fished out of the water by a rescue team comprising local residents, construction workers, and armed forces – it collapsed as the excavator reached the middle of the bridge at about 11 am yesterday – the bridge had a capacity of 24 tonnes while the excavator weighed about 8 tonnes)

BOOM TRUCK and ELECTRICAL Worker receives severe electrical shock (a worker was critically injured after a boom truck accidentally came in contact with live power lines around 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot outside a Credit Union – a contractor operating a boom truck came in contact with high-tension power lines – the worker was attempting to position a sign located on the ground and was using the boom truck to hoist a sign into place – when the truck accidentally came in contact with the power lines, the truck operator received an electric shock – he had life-threatening injuries and was transported to a Medical Center)

FATAL FALL Bethlehem City Worker Killed In Construction Accident (a city employee, 58, has died following an afternoon accident at a construction site at a University – a construction inspector in the Public Works Department, he was inspecting a connection to the City’s storm water system shortly after 3:30pm when the accident occurred – he fell in a hole in the street and appeared to have suffered severe head trauma)

COLLAPSE Two workers die in HTC construction accident (two construction workers were confirmed dead in an accident at a construction site – the two, among eight workers who were buried in debris when a steel floor of the new plant toppled on top of the construction crew at around 9:30 a.m., were pronounced dead-on-arrival at the hospital to which they were taken – the six others, who sustained injuries of varying degrees, were also rushed to nearby hospitals for emergency treatment – according to the Labor Safety and Health Department the floor toppled as a result of bad design and lower-than-required strength in the steel materials)

COLLAPSE during concrete pour Second Construction Accident at Kunming City’s New Airport (a construction accident took place at the City’s new airport at 7:10 p.m., injuring 11 workers – inadequately supported roofing templates collapsed during the pouring of concrete – the accident site covered an area about 22 meters (72 ft) long and approximately 26 meters (85 ft) wide – all nineteen construction workers at the site were injured – eleven were seriously injured and eight slightly injured – three remain hospitalized)

ELECTRICAL Electrical worker injured at MetraPark (an electrical worker suffered burns while working and is expected to recover – he was working on a 7,200-volt line he thought was dead, but it was live when he was injured – he was flown to a hospital for treatment of burns – workers were working in the infield of the MetraPark track to hook up lights in preparation for a Fair)

HOTWORK Small fire extinguished on roof at Lee’s Summit North High School (firefighters extinguished a small blaze in the field house at a North High School at 12:49 p.m. after the maintenance staff noticed smoke and a small fire near the ceiling – the school was evacuated – the fire was extinguished with little damage to the building, and it was deemed under control at 1:21 p.m. -the fire was contained to about 10 square feet on the roof – investigators determined that combustible material was ignited by a roofer’s torch – a roofing contractor had been working shortly before noon, applying a roofing membrane with a propane torch – the crew had left for the day before the fire was found)

CRANE Construction crane topples in Tacoma (a construction crane working on a new commuter rail line toppled over – the operator was not hurt – work at the site is temporarily halted until the investigation is complete)

CRANE FATALITIES Five die in construction site crash (accident happened around 6.30 p.m. when part of crane comes crashing down – five persons working in a big housing project were killed when the cage of the crane came crashing down – a sixth man is in critical condition in hospital – all were in the cage – all the six, who were in the cage, were attempting to raise the height of the crane – the cause of the accident is said to be hydraulic lock failure – four men died on the spot, one died en route to hospital- it was the closing hour of the shift and the six were working more than 100 feet above the ground)

MIscellaneouS

FATAL FALL 23-year-old Worker Dies After Fall From Balcony (a worker, 23, fell from a balcony and died – police assumes that his death was an accident caused by alcohol – his neck and ribs were fractured – co-workers reported to the police that before his body was found, he a company driver, had a been drinking with his co-workers)

ELECTRICAL FATALITY Worker dies after harvester hits power lines (a farmworker, 24, has died after the machinery he was working on hit overhead power lines – he was working in a potato field when the accident happened – it is believed he was working on potato harvesting equipment)

FATAL FALL Worker killed in accident (a worker, 28, was killed after an iron rod pierced his chest – he was working on top of a shed, which was part of a rowhouse  – while he was climbing down, he lost his balance and fell on the main gate of the neighbouring rowhouse – he fell in such a way that part of the gate pierced his chest – he was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed during treatment)

ELECTROCUTION Tree trimmer killed by electrical wire (a man trimming a tree was killed when he came in contact with a live wire – two workers were in two separate trees – one of the parties heard what he believed to be a popping sound, then observed some sort of debris or smoke within the air around the secondary tree – that worker got out of his tree and went over to help, but he wasn’t able to get close to his coworker because the area around him was still energized – the trimmer caught in that tree was pronounced dead at the scene)

LOTO FATALITY on AMUSEMENT RIDE Worker Killed In Orlando Area Attraction Accident (a worker at an area attraction has died from injuries suffered in an on-the-job accident – an employee got struck while he was performing maintenance on the Star Flyer ride. The worker, 20, was dangling in his safety harness over 40-feet in the air – the accident occurred while park visitors were also at the scene. Magical Midway employees immediately cleared the visitors from the area while emergency crews secured the area and attended to the injured worker)

AMUSEMENT RIDE Worker hit by rollercoaster at Edmonton mall (investigation is underway after a maintenance worker at a Mall was struck by a rollercoaster after noon – the rollercoaster has spinning cars that carry four passengers at a time – the man was taken to a Hospital and reported to be in serious condition – it is not clear what caused the accident – the rollercoaster was carrying passengers at the time of the incident, but no one else was hurt)

HEAVY EQUIPMENT NY cemetery worker injured by heavy equipment (heavy equipment falls on a cemetery worker, 40, and he suffers serious injuries- he was taken to a hospital following the accident just before 9 a.m. – his condition wasn’t immediately known)

BULL FATALITY Bull Kills Man In Farmington (a worker, 55, died after a bull trampled him at a Farm – he called another worker at the farm on his cell phone for help after being trampled in a pen – ambulance took him to a Hospital where he later died – the bull was in the wrong paddock and the worker, who was alone at the time, tried to move the bull with a prod – the bull did not have horns and appears to have pinned him to the ground and crushed him – he worked on the farm for 12 years)