33 Incidents & 1 Update (5/22/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

FATAL EXPLOSION Pascagoula man killed at Mississippi Phosphates Corp. (a worker, 39, died after sustaining a head injury around 1:30 p.m. – it appeared a piece of equipment exploded and killed the worker – the exact details of the incident and cause of death are not yet known – the accident occurred during a maintenance procedure in a portion of the plant that was not operational at the time)

RAILWAY FATALITY North Yorkshire rail worker killed (a rail worker has died after becoming trapped between two trains at about 12.30 p.m. – paramedics attended, but the man, who is believed to be in his sixties, was pronounced dead at the scene)

UPDATE on LOTO AMPUTATION UPDATE Gravesend worker loses arm at industrial site (worker, 45, had not received proper safety training for using a conveyor belt to transfer waste at a Quarry when the incident happened on December 20 2010 – he had been trying to clear a blockage caused by some stones in the machine, but rather than stop the machine before removing the debris, he removed the stones with the power still running – his left arm then got entangled in the belt and was torn off between his shoulder and elbow leaving just a quarter of the limb intact – an air ambulance took him to hospital but surgeons were unable to reattach his arm and he has been unable to return to work since)

UNLOADING PAPER ROLLS FATALITY Worker killed at Philadelphia Inquirer plant in Upper Merion (an employee, 43, who was preparing to unload rolls of newsprint from a railroad boxcar was killed shortly before 9:28 AM – two rolls of newsprint weighing 1,500 pounds each rolled out of one boxcar after the door to the boxcar was opened – worker was crushed by one of the paper rolls measuring four feet wide and three feet high)

FALL into TANK Worker breaks pelvis after 10ft vessel fall at malt production plant (a worker, 50, fell into a vat at a malt production plant – firefighters and paramedics rescued a worker who fell about 10ft into a steel production vessel – he suffered a broken pelvis and was rushed to a Hospital)

LATHE AMPUTATION Worker’s arm severed by industrial lathe (a worker’s, 60, arm has been severed by an industrial lathe – the arm was severed below the elbow in what is called an immediate and traumatic amputation – the accident happened just before midnight – he was taken to a hospital along with his crushed arm – it’s unclear if the arm can be reattached – he was in critical condition – workers were turning a piece of metal and the man’s arm somehow got caught in the lathe)

FORKLIFT FATALITY 2 maritime workers killed in Seattle accidents (a forklift driver at the Port and a worker pressure-washing on a boat at a shipyard were killed in separate accidents – the fork lift operator was crushed between the fork lift and a container at Terminal 18 – medics took him to a Medical Center where he died – OSHA is investigating the death of the worker in the pressure washing accident which took place aboard a moored vessel and may have involved carbon dioxide poisoning)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – CO POISONING 2 maritime workers killed in Seattle accidents (a forklift driver at the Port and a worker pressure-washing on a boat at a shipyard were killed in separate accidents – the fork lift operator was crushed between the fork lift and a container at Terminal 18 – medics took him to a Medical Center where he died – OSHA is investigating the death of the worker in the pressure washing accident which took place aboard a moored vessel and may have involved carbon dioxide poisoning)

MINE – WATER TANK OVER PRESSURED w/ COMPRESSED AIR Kestrel worker hurt in accident (a mine contractor was injured in an on-site accident and taken to hospital- the man, in his late forties, was believed to have connected a compressed air hose to an underground water tank instead of a water hose, causing it to explode – company confirms that a water tank failed under pressure at its  site – worker who received minor cuts and abrasions was transported to a Hospital and has since been released)

CRANE & POWER LINES Crane accident derails Harbour line services (a crane accident crippled services, virtually cutting off rail link – around 1.20pm when workers were trying to dismantle an abandoned foot-over bridge the crane being used met with an accident – the crane operator suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital – the repair bogie carrying the crane derailed, tilting it to one side and coming in contact with the overhead wires)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Oilfield accident west of El Dorado kills three men (three men were killed while dismantling an abandoned containment vessel for petroleum – the workers were burned when a spark apparently ignited residual oil vapor in the vessel – the explosion happened at an abandoned oil well site and the resulting fire spread to nearby woods – the fire in the vessel was put out, and the Forestry Commission contained the woods fire)

WHITE LIQUOR BURNS @ PAPER MILL One critically burned, three others hurt in plant incident (one person has been critically burned, three others injured after an incident at a paper manufacturing plant – the group was injured during a chemical leak in a pulping area of the mill around 8:30 a.m. – a chemical uses to process wood chips called “white liquor” somehow was released and burned the four employees – three people had to be airlifted to the hospital, a fourth person was transported by an ambulance – one of the victims was later airlifted to a Burn Center with burns to more than 60% of his body – one of the other three victims was released from the hospital)

OXYGEN TANK EXPLOSION W.Va. airport worker burned in oxygen explosion (a man is being treated for burns to 20 percent of his body after an oxygen tank explosion – two other people were injured less seriously – employee was flown to a Burn Center in with burns on an arm, a leg and his face – he was servicing an oxygen booster tank at the time – the other injured people are in good condition at a Hospital Center)

FATAL OXYGEN CYLINDER EXPLOSION Worker dies in Korangi cylinder explosion (a labourer was killed and six others were injured when an oxygen cylinder exploded in a Gas Cylinder Company around 11am when a cylinder exploded during the decanting of oxygen into cylinders – following the explosion, at least three more leaking oxygen cylinders at the factory also exploded causing a massive damage to the factory’s structure – the explosions destroyed one part of double-storey building as the walls and the roof also collapsed – about 45 workers were present at the time of the incident and some of them were trapped under the rubble – explosions also caused a minor damage to a neighbouring garments factory – a teenage factory worker was killed while four other workers, 18, 20, 26, 28, were wounded – one is in critical condition – the hands and legs of the deceased worker were severed from the body due to the impact of the explosion)

EXPLOSION @ COAL FIRE POWER PLANT Explosion at coal-fired St. Clair power plant injures worker (a worker at a coal-fired power plant has been treated for minor injuries following an explosion in a coal bunker at the facility around 9 p.m. – the injured worker was treated at the scene)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Welder Dies In Explosion (a welder died in an explosion while welding a 55-gallon steel drum – it appears the explosion occurred about 2:30 p.m. when the man accidentally ignited fumes inside the container he was welding – no one else was injured in the explosion – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

ACETYLENE CYLINDERS/TANKS EXPLOSION Fire still smoldering after plant explosion (one person was injured, families were evacuated and a US highway is shut down due to a chemical fire around 10:30 a.m. – late Monday afternoon, firemen, company officials and State Police technicians were able to enter the hot zone in order to inspect several cylinders, which were not damaged by the fire – several hundred tanks were still on fire – one person was taken to the hospital with injuries to their eyes – two tanks of acetylene exploded, however, the public relations office for the company says the tanks were empty and waiting to be filled with acetylene – numerous tanks have exploded but their main concern is the two larger tanks that have not exploded – officials believe the explosion was caused by a faulty valve on a tank – the evacuation of homes and businesses has been expanded to cover a one mile radius, but roads within a three mile radius of the plant have been closed – around 40 homes were evacuated)

CHEMICAL Chemical Explosion In Dalton Sends 47 To Hospital For Decontamination (a fire at a chemical plant sent 15 employees from a nearby building to a Medical Center for decontamination – others were decontaminated on site – in all, 47 people came to the hospital for decontamination – the accident occurred while the plant was manufacturing a product called Coagulant 129 – it is used in water treatment – it can cause skin or respiratory irritation, but it was reported that none of the people being decontaminated had symptoms)

AMMONIA LEAK & CONTRACTOR ERROR Ammonia leak forces Chobani Greek yogurt plant to evacuate (a yogurt plant was evacuated due to an ammonia leak around 9am – the plant was evacuated while the leak was contained – investigation revealed that the leak resulted from an error made by a contractor while working on an AC line in the chill tunnel – two employees were sent to a Hospital for precautionary evaluations – both have been released in good health and no other injuries have been reported)

CHLORINE Crews respond to tier 3 hazmat (a chlorine gas leak at a Fiber Optics plant – building was evacuated, but no injuries were reported)

CONSTRUCTION

AMPUTATION CRUSHING INJURY Worker’s fingertip severed in accident (the tip of a contract electrical worker was severed when a compressor fell on his hand at a job site – his fingertip was placed in a plastic bag, and the victim was taken to a Hospital – the man had sustained a crushing-type injury, and he was released from the Hospital around 6 p.m.)

FATAL FALL Construction worker dies first day on the job at Manhattan worksite (a construction worker, 28, on the job for only one day died after a fall from scaffolding at a worksite – the worker fell two stories from a scaffold and landed on the sidewalk shed of a building under exterior renovation – he started working at the site that very day, fell from the scaffold shortly before 5:00 pm and suffered head trauma – he was not wearing a harness – emergency workers transported him to a Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival)

MANLIFT FATALITY – NO PFAS NJ construction worker dies after lift tips over (a construction accident has killed a worker, 34, at about 9:30 a.m. – he was working at a site where an apartment complex is being built and was 45 feet up in the basket of a boom lift when the four-wheeled base tipped over and threw him off – he landed in the roadway – he was taken to a Medical Center where he was pronounced dead)

Worker Injured at Walgreens Construction Site (a worker, 23, was found bleeding and in pain on the ground at the construction site – it was believed he might have tripped or slipped)

WALL COLLAPSE FATALITY Demolition worker dies in wall collapse (a labourer, 36, was killed in wall collapse while demolishing an old building – a portion of the wall collapsed as he was hammering it around 11:00 p.m., leaving him critically injured – he was rushed to a Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead)

PARKING GARAGE COLLAPSE Worker pinned in Latrobe parking garage (a worker was injured in parking garage renovation project when he became entrapped inside a construction vehicle that fell through the floor and became wedged between the basement and first floor – extent of his injuries were not known, but police said the construction worker was moving his arms and legs when he was taken from the scene at about 11:15 a.m. – as the worker was operating a skid loader that was carrying a jackhammer inside the garage when it fell through – trapped by concrete, debris and a safety bar inside the cab, the man could not move his legs)

FATAL TUNNEL EXPLOSION Tunnel blast kills China construction workers (at least 20 road construction workers have been killed in a blast while working inside a tunnel – blast occurred when a vehicle was unloading explosives in the tunnel – four other workers escaped with injuries, and one was taken to hospital in a critical condition)

MISCELLANEOUS

TRAILER RAMP CRUSHING FATALITY Worker crushed to death (a man has been killed when a trailer ramp collapsed on him – he was a contractor who had been delivering demountables)

AIRPORT BELT LOADER FATALITY Airport worker dead following accident at Pearson (a worker, 48, airport employee is dead after being involved in an accident at 8:42 p.m. in an aircraft parking area – employee was airlifted to hospital – police report that the employee was hit by a belt loader – he was in critical condition with chest injuries when he was transported to a Hospital – according to reports, the man has been pronounced dead)

TREE TRIMMING – CHERRY PICKER Worker Hurt In Tree Removal Accident In Dracut (a crew was cutting down a large oak tree, using a big claw to lower sections of the tree down onto a truck – something went wrong and a part of the tree came at the 57-year-old man who was controlling the lifting jaws of the cherry picker – it took him right out of the seat, sent him flying, head first – he landed about ten feet below on the bed of the truck and ended up with a large gash on the left side of his head – he was conscious and alert as he was taken away from the scene in an ambulance)