32 incidents & 0 updates (8/29/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

Electrical

            53

(2011 = 81)

(2010 = 90)

(2009 = 100)

Forklift/Manlift

39

(2011 = 84)

(2010 = 110)

(2009 = 88)

Mining

51

(2011 = 248)

(2010 = 480)

(2009 = 586)

Explosions

181

(2011 = 218)

(2010 = 246)

(2009 = 302)

Cranes

35

(2011 = 50)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 82)

Falls

72

(2011 = 123)

(2010 = 139)

(2009 = 172)

(2008 = 250)

Work Zone

36

 (2011 = 54)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 69) 
(2008 = 69)

Trenching

21

(2011 = 36)

(2010 = 54)

(2009 = 48) 
(2008 = 90)

LOTO/Guards

29

(2011 = 64)

(2010 = 51)

(2009 = 68)
(2008 = 66)

Confined Space

41

(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.

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

DRILL RIG FATALITY Two killed in machinery accident on Stena Clyde drilling rig in the Otway Basin, south of Warnambool (an offshore drilling rig has been evacuated after two people were killed by a “machinery failure” as they drilled for gas – the workers, 32 and 60, were killed working on the rig – early reports indicate the men died operating heavy machinery which failed when part of a drill dislodged and struck the men – one man was killed instantly at 9.15 a.m. while his co-worker is believed to have died as he was flown to hospital)

ARM AMPUTATION in CONVEYOR Poultry processing plant worker has arm reattached after accident (a worker lost his arm in an accident – doctors reattached the arm in a surgery – doctors predicted a complete recovery with full use of his arm – it was not known at this time how the accident occurred – it happened as the worker was finishing up his duties at the end of the shift – he got his arm in a piece of equipment that runs like a conveyor – the worker was hired April 2011 but had taken the mandatory safety courses required of all employees)

AMPUTATION Worker’s hand injured in machine accident (a worker, 55, severed part of his hand after catching it in a machine – he caught his hand in a machine shortly after 1 p.m. – initial reports from dispatch indicated the man’s hand was fully separated from his arm, but Emergency Medical Services later said the “lower portion of his hand” was amputated, including some fingers – the business manufactures custom cabinetry – he was transported in critical condition where he had surgery – his hand could not be reattached)

FATAL EXPLOSION @ REFINERY Fire extinguished at Venezuela refinery after blast that killed 41 (all fires have been extinguished at Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery after more than three days following a deadly explosion – the flames had been put out in the three fuel tanks that had been ablaze – firefighters were working to cool down one of the tanks – the explosion early Saturday morning at the refinery killed at least 41 people and injured more than 150 – a gas leak led to the blast, but investigators have yet to determine the precise causes – at least 20 of those killed were National Guard troops who had been stationed at a post next to the refinery)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY @ SEWER PLANT Man Dies at St. Charles Sewer Plant (a sewer plant worker, in his 50s, died in a sewer pit – he apparently became trapped at a lift station that is part of a Wastewater Treatment Lagoons -co-workers found the man unconscious and unresponsive – the cause of death was not immediately clear)

GUARDING FATALITY Worker bleeds to death after arm torn off in rock crusher (worker, 43, died in an accident at a stone crushing plant – he died after his hand got trapped in the heavy stone crusher machine – he died a few hours after his arm was cut off from his body at the shoulder and died due to profuse bleeding – it took more than an hour for the ambulance to arrive and rush him to hospital)

FATAL MINE EXPLOSION Methane Blamed for Alrosa Diamond Mine Blast (methane gas is thought to have been responsible for an explosion that killed two workers digging a mine  – four other workers were injured in the accident, which took place 365 meters underground – seventeen people were underground at the mine which is currently under construction – 12 people came to the surface on their own, including the four injured workers – five miners, including the two dead men, were taken up to the surface by militarized mining rescue team)

DUST FIRE Worker Badly Burned in Fire at California Metal Shop (a man suffered burns on 30 percent of his body after a fire at a metal shop – the fire was put out by employees before firefighters arrived – the man was operating a metal machine that overheated and sparked, causing dust and cardboard to catch fire – two people were originally reported injured, but only one was taken to a hospital)

EXPLOSION Explosion and fire at factory (workers were evacuated after an explosion and fire at a factory – about 70 workers at the horse box manufacturer, and 135 at neighboring business, were evacuated while fire crews rushed to the scene – it was not known what had exploded and whether the explosion sparked the blaze, or vice-versa – nobody was injured in the incident, shortly before 1pm)

FATAL EXPLOSION – CHEMICAL REACTION Man mixing chemicals killed in explosion (a worker, 37, was killed by an explosion as he mixed chemicals at a biodiesel plant – the man and another employee were mixing sulfuric acid and methanol, which presumably led to the explosion – the other employee suffered minor injuries – two nearby vehicles caught fire and were totaled and a nearby metal warehouse also was damaged)

FATAL EXPLOSION @ QUARRY China cement plant explosion kills nine (an explosion at the quarry of a cement plant killed nine people and left one person missing around 2:30 p.m. – workers were unloading explosives off three trucks – the trucks were carrying 13 ton of explosives and workers had already unloaded 6 tons when the accident happened – employees of the quarry and workers who transported the explosives from a local private explosives company were among those killed)

PLANT FIRE Major fire at Alembic’s solvent recovery plant (a drug maker had a major fire outbreak at its solvent recovery plant – no loss of life has been reported – fire occurred with blast in a solvent recovery plant)

AMMONIA Nestle Confirms, All Clear at Freehold Factory (an ammonia leak occurred and was self contained and cleared in less than an hour – the leak was self-contained to a small area and was cleaned up within an hour of the call to authorities – the leak contained less than one percent of ammonia)

CHLORINE LEAK Three taken to hospital after E. Manchester Twp. chlorine gas leak (a chlorine gas leak at a wastewater treatment plant sent three people to the hospital and prompted some residents of 150 homes to take part in a voluntary evacuation – the three employees were taken to a Hospital as a precautionary measure and are expected to be released later tonight – two of the employees were released from the hospital that night, and the third was kept overnight for observation – they came in contact with chlorine gas that leaked from a 100-pound tank at the wastewater treatment plant)

CHLORINE LEAK 1 hospitalized after chlorine leak in Peoria (a 150-pound tank leaked chlorine – a worker at a domestic well site noticed that one of the tanks was leaking – the site is a place to add chlorine to drinking water – hazmat crews used a “coffin” to contain the leak, basically putting the leaking container into another container and stopped the release of gas – a minimal amount of chlorine leaked, but the worker was transported to an area hospital as a precaution – no evacuations took place near the scene and no one was in any immediate danger – the leak was caused by a faulty valve)

CONSTRUCTION

WORKZONE FATALITY Construction worker killed was pregnant (a road construction worker has revealed that an 18-year-old flag person killed at a job site was pregnant – she was struck by a vehicle driving through the construction zone – it was her  first day on the job after she had taken a training course on being a flag person and also had some on-the-job supervised experience – a sport utility vehicle struck her – charges are pending against a 44-year-old man, who was released from custody a day after he was arrested at the accident scene)

PAVING ROLLER FATALITY Pa. man killed working on paving roller (a mechanic, 55, was killed when he was repairing a paving roller that pinned him while he was working on the device – coroner says in a statement that he was performing maintenance on the roller “when for an unknown reason the machine lurched forward pinning the worker below it)

FALL Construction Worker Falls From 3 World Trade Center Updated 5 hrs ago (a construction worker, in his 30s, fell from a lower floor of 3 World Trade Center – he tumbled about 20 feet and suffered serious injuries to his arm – the iron worker fell approximately 15 feet from a beam while erecting structural steel at the base of 3 World Trade Center)

FATAL FALL Toronto construction worker dies after falling (a worker is dead after a fall at a construction site – it appears that while working on the masonry, the deceased fell to the ground below – the worker suffered a head injury after falling about 10 metres – he was pronounced dead at a Hospital)

Simplon tunnel worker dies following rail accident (a worker, 56, died after an accident on a construction site 1.4 km inside a tunnel – the man was on an aluminum trolley that was pushed along the rails of the work site by a train engine when the trolley derailed at about 09:00, and the man fell heavily onto the tracks – he was then hit by one of the site train’s cars and was rushed to a hospital in critical condition)

WORKZONE Truck runs over worker’s legs in work zone on Interstate 80 (a truck ran over a worker’s legs in a work zone – the accident while the worker, 50, was moving a traffic cone – she appeared to fall under a truck trailer that was involved in the road work – the truck was driving slowly, just 5 mph – she was flown to a Hospital for surgery on her ankles)

FATAL FALL into BORE HOLE Worker dies after falling into hole at worksite (a worker, 30, fell into a bore hole – his body was recovered almost 24 hours after he fell into a 68m-deep bore hole at a construction site – he was caught by a rebar cage after it was dislodged from its lifting chains, dragging him down the hole)

EXCAVATION EXPLOSION North Texas gas pipeline explosion injures four (four utility workers were hurt in a natural gas pipeline explosion and fire at a construction site – an energy crew reportedly hit a gas line causing it to explode – all six utility workers were accounted for after the accident, and four were taken to a hospital with minor injuries)

FATAL FALL Man dies after falling from scaffolding (a man in his 30’s died after an industrial accident just after 9 a.m. -the man reportedly fell from scaffolding while he was working at a house – emergency services responded to the scene, where the victim was located with serious life-threatening injuries – the victim was transported to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries – he was doing stone work on the roof of the house before falling)

FORKLIFT FATALITY EHT man killed when forklift overturns in Rockaway (a forklift operator, 52, was killed when the machine overturned and landed on him as he worked behind a department store – he died instantly when the forklift overturned around 1:30 p.m. – investigators say the forks were raised on the machine, making it “top heavy” while he attempted to turn it – they also say the angle of the turn and the forklift’s speed contributed to the accident – he worked for a painting contractor and was taking part in renovations at the store)

Passing truck kicks up board in Kentwood, hits construction worker in throat (a construction worker, 26, was injured after a flying board hit him in the throat – a two-by-four fell off a passing truck or possibly was launched into the air when the truck’s tire hit it about 10:30 a.m. – the worker complained of pain to his trachea)

MISCELLANEOUS

ELECTROCUTION SeaWorld San Antonio electrical worker killed (an employee, 49, has died after apparently being accidentally shocked while working on a heating and air conditioning unit – he died in the rooftop accident – another employee heard a sound and saw smoke from the area where the worker had been working)

ELECTROCUTION LIRR Worker Killed After Touching Third Rail In Queens (a worker died after coming in contact with the third rail at a station – the worker was doing track work when the accident happened around 11 a.m. – it’s unclear how he came into contact with the third rail – a second employee, who had tried to help his coworker, was also taken to the hospital “as a precaution”)

HOTWORK Welding May Have Sparked Fire At Greenville Shopping Center (welders doing work on some air conditioning units have have caused a fire at a shopping center – a police officer spotted smoke coming from the roof of one of the stores – workers were welding pipes on rooftop air conditioners and left for lunch – it’s possible some hot spots, combined with the wind, may have started the fire – fire caused no structural damage to the vacant store and nearby businesses that were evacuated were allowed to reopen about 30 minutes later)