33 Incidents & 3 Updates (7/18/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker 

Industrial

Worker critical after ingesting chemicals (a worker, 24, has been rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a workplace accident at a food manufacturer – it appears the male worker ingested an airborne toxic chemical – he was rushed to a Hospital by Paramedics with life-threatening injuries – it’s not immediately known what type of chemical was ingested – the company produces frozen foods that include chicken, fish and beef)

UPDATE on FATAL FALL Worker died on first day on the job (a man, 38 who fell to his death this month from the top of a tank at a refinery was on his first day on the job and had just come from a safety-related worker orientation – the exact reason why he fell that day, however, is still a matter of speculation for the many agencies involved, including the refinery, the coroner’s office, his employer, police and a federal safety office – investigators are looking at a possible medical cause as well as an accident, although toxicology tests are still not complete – he was on a scaffold much like a platform walkway – it rings the top of the tank – workers climb a ladder to access the platform and from there cross over steel barriers to get on top of the tank – earlier in the day, he had completed a four-hour orientation and had been working on the job only a short time when the incident occurred at 3:55 p.m. He was doing routine maintenance, using an arc welder – according to Coroner, the worker said something to one of the other workers, who looked over in time to see the victim slump, or collapse, then fall off the edge of the scaffold – he plummeted 48 feet to the ground – there was evidence that he may have been sick or nauseated)

FATALITY Man dies in industrial accident (an industrial accident has resulted in the death of a worker – the man was taking part in a drilling operation when he was pinned by equipment at about 11:30 a.m. – emergency crews arrived to find a 62 year old man injured in a 12-metre shaft – not yet known how it happened – not sure whether the man was already working in the shaft or if he fell in by accident – upon pulling the injured man from the shaft, emergency personnel deemed his injuries life-threatening – he was rushed to hospital, where he died)

FATALITY Texas Warehouse Worker Pinned Under 1,500-Pound Crate (a warehouse worker died after she was pinned beneath a 1,500-pound crate – a forklift operator told police he placed the seven-foot crate on the loading dock when it wobbled and pinned the worker – she was pronounced dead at a Medical Center shortly after midnight – she sustained massive head trauma as a result of the accident)

ELECTROCUTION Avondale worker killed Thursday has been identified (a worker, 55, was killed at a shipyard shortly before 7:30 a.m. – deputies called to the scene believe he was electrocuted – he was an electrician and worked at the shipyard since 2007 – cause of the accident has not been determined)

GUARDING/LOTO FATALITY Bar-S worker dies after falling into machine (a fatal accident at a foods plant that produces skinless smoked sausage and franks is under investigation – worker, 26, was cleaning a machine that utilized an auger when he fell into it – he later died – a forklift was used to stabilize then cut the auger in two – he was pulled out after it was lifted up – he died at a Hospital the next day)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker Killed in Equipment Accident in Fluvanna (a logging worker, 56, has died from injuries suffered in an equipment accident – he was pinned between a forklift and another piece of machinery – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

MANLIFT & ELECTROCUTION FATALITY Man killed by power lines (a worker was electrocuted and his colleague seriously burnt when their cherry picker touched power lines – one man, in his 30s, died at the scene just before 1pm – it was unclear whether the men were working on the power lines at the time – the second man, in his 20s, suffered significant burns and paramedics took him to a hospital)

GUARDING/LOTO FATALITY Trapped in machine, worker dies (a worker, 35, died in an industrial accident at a wood shaving company around 9:30 a.m. – company produces horse and livestock bedding – police said they arrived at a warehouse on the property to find the man, an employee of the company, trapped inside a machine – he was not responsive and died at the scene)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Mission man dies in forklift accident (a man is dead after a forklift accident – he was on a small forklift and some equipment fell on him – it hit him on the head and killed him)

UPDATE Intel identifies cause of Chandler explosion (a June fire was sparked after a temporary system being used in a solvent treatment room exploded – the temporary system was intended to be used until this summer, when a permanent system was to be put in place – the accident, which sent seven people to the hospital, occurred when a crew was starting a cleanup process on chemicals that are used in making silicon chips – the system has been abandoned in all Intel plants – all seven injured workers have returned to work)

STEAM EXPLOSION Explosion at Kennecott tailings pond injures one (a worker suffered first and second degree burns when an overheated water container exploded – a work crew had unloaded a water container from a barge, but could not get the lid off – the crew used a grinder to cut the bolts, which heated the container and caused a steam explosion – the injured man, who suffered burns to his face and arms, was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment)

EXPLOSION No injuries after explosion at Cargill plant (an explosion at ananimal feed plant resulted in an evacuation of all 30 employees – the explosion did not cause a fire – no injuries were reported and there was no information on what caused the explosion – there was no damage to the warehouse)

FATAL EXPLOSION Five killed in blast at illegal vodka plant (five men killed in an explosion may have been illegally brewing vodka using potatoes sourced from local farms – the 30ft by 15ft room also contained a warped metal storage unit and a pressurised container lying on its side – a sixth man had escaped after the blast, running out of the unit with his clothes burned off, his arms ablaze and his feet apparently “melting”)

REFINERY FIRE Oil refinery on fire in NE China (no one died or was injured in the accident – onsite monitoring showed that concentrations of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the surrounding air were below the national standard of pollution – the fire was triggered off by leak in a distillation device)

Construction

UPDATE L&I fines WSDOT $22K in worker’s death (a WSDOT maintenance technician was responding to a report of a fallen tree – while he was setting up highway traffic cones, a second tree fell on him and killed him – DOT was fined $22,000 – L&I cited WSDOT for four violations, including: not training all technicians on how to recognize hazardous trees; failing to enforce a pre-activity safety plan for all workers; failing to provide adequate lighting on Rhynalds’ truck; and having no “clear direction on assessing” accident scenes)

CRANE Crane collapses on Franklin Street in downtown Fayetteville (a 110-ton crane working on a downtown parking deck toppled over, crushing two parked cars but causing no significant injuries – operator was taken to a hospital for observation – the crane was lifting a load of metal beams for the structure when it fell about 2:15 p.m. – the crane’s boom fell and slammed into unoccupied cars in a parking lot – see aftermath video of this accident @

CRANE Crane overturns in KL (a 60 tonne mobile crane overturned while lifting a large sign – no one was injured – the crane’s boom came crashing through part of the station roof sending debris onto the track and damaging cables over the track – photos @ link)

WORKZONE Construction worker struck on city street (a construction worker was taken to hospital after being struck by a car while working on a city street – the man was working in the northbound lane at around 12:30 a.m. – a vehicle hit the construction worker and a road maintenance vehicle, adding that the construction crew had placed lighting and warning cones at the site – worker is said to have been seriously hurt in the crash – four people who were in the vehicle were also taken to hospital with injuries)

TRENCH Worker out of hospital after trench collapse (a plumber who was trapped in a trench is out of the hospital and in good health after being buried under a mountain of dirt and mud for about an hour – he’d just discovered a leak in the water main he was sent to inspect when he heard a noise – “It was like King Kong hitting my back,” he said. “When people say your life goes flashing, it’s true. I was thinking of the little girls, and it just kept going and going.” – he was buried up to his chest in dirt in an 8-foot hole he’d dug to access that buried water main)

FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Worker killed in Shatin accident (a construction accident has claimed the life of a 31 year old man – he was setting up scaffolding at around 4 pm when he lost his footing and fell – he was declared dead shortly after being rushed to a Hospital)

Selkirk worker injured in golf clubhouse accident (a man was injured when roof supports slid onto him at a golf clubhouse – the construction worker was taken by ambulance to a Hospital with suspected broken fingers – he was found instead to have a dislocated finger, along with cuts and bruises from the accident – he and a fellow worker became trapped at lunchtime when the roof trusses rolled onto them – they were freed within minutes by a crane driver who lifted the structures off the trapped men)

SAW KICKBACK Henderson water worker injured in saw accident (a Water Utility crew leader was sliced across the throat by a saw in an accident – he was cutting out a section of old cast iron water line when the saw hit an obstruction and kicked back – he was taken to a Hospital and “was in good spirits talking and laughing” – he underwent surgery Friday and the hospital listed him in satisfactory condition)

FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Construction worker dies (a construction worker, 48, died as the result of a workplace accident – he was one of two men who fell off scaffolding – the men fell approximately five feet – the victim lost his hard hat and hit his head – he was taken to a Hospital and then flown to another where he passed away – the other construction worker, 36, was treated for minor injuries and released)

TRENCH FATALITY Worker Who Died in Minnesota Trench Collapse Identified (a worker, 53, was killed when a trench he was digging collapsed on him – he was digging a trench at a public storage outlet – he died at the scene of multiple blunt force injuries)

SCAFFOLDING Three men injured in scaffolding accident at Huntsville’s Lee High (three men were injured after scaffolding fell approximately 20 feet around 2:15 p.m. – the two construction workers fell about 20 feet onto another worker, injuring all three – all three men suffered multiple traumas, but none were life-threatening)

Worker injured at Caterpillar construction (an employee of a sub-contractor working on a construction site was injured and transported to a local hospital – the man was alive and conscious at the time of transport – no other details)

FALL into TRENCH Man Rescued From Trench Near Rodd Field and Saratoga (a construction worker, 49, was seriously injured in trench accident – both of his legs were crushed – rescue personnel spent almost and hour inside the trench working to rescue the man – he was a temporary worker – a piece of equipment was being used to move the fiberglass-concrete manhole cover when the assembly clipped the worker causing him to fall into a 30-foot deep hole)

WORKZONE Bridge worker on Hwy 141 struck by car overnight (a bridge worker, 29, remains in critical condition after being struck by a car – he walked into the path of a northbound car just before midnight and was hit by the front driver-side portion of the car – he was transported to a Hospital where he was initially listed in serious condition – he was later moved to another Hospital, where he’s listed in critical condition)

CRANE FATALITY Worker dies in Karratha crane accident (a worker, 43, was crushed by a concrete well lid that fell as it was being lifted by a crane)

FALL Five metre plunge into concrete pit, worker jokes about ordeal (a man fell to the bottom a five metre pit while working on a construction site – the man, aged in his 50s, was working at the site just after 10.30 am when he fell – he briefly lost consciousness after the fall and suffered a cut to the head – two paramedics were winched down the pit to treat the man – he was taken to a Hospital in a stable condition)

WORKZONE Highway worker injured by vehicle on Houston Harte (a highway worker was struck by a sport utility vehicle – he was transported to a Medical Center with cuts to his head – he may also have suffered a broken pelvis – the initial crash was called in at 2:47 p.m. – a pickup crew had stopped to place work signs on side of the road – he “darted in front of the SUV” to put up a sign – when he saw the SUV he began to run back the direction he came from but was struck by the vehicle)

FLASH FIRE Explosion That Injured Workers Caused By Ignition Of Fumes (fire investigators believe an explosion in the basement of a house was caused by the ignition of fumes from a floor-coating process – firefighters arrived to find the two men, who were involved in remodeling the house’s basement, and two other occupants of the house had evacuated – the two men suffered burns as a result of the explosion and were transported to a Hospital – the other two people in the home weren’t hurt – the two men were spraying a coating on the floor as part of a basement remodeling project – investigators have not determined the exact source of the ignition – the force of the blast blew out two windows at the rear of the basement – plastic sheeting that had been taped to the walls was essentially vaporized in the heat from the explosion – damages are estimated at $10,000)

MIscellaneouS

Man airlifted to hospital after Great Ellingham farm accident (the worker, who is in his 60s, was struck by a falling bale of straw and was left stuck in his tractor – fire crews used hydraulic rescue equipment to release the man, who suffered head and abdominal injuries as a result of the incident)

DMV Employee Killed During Road Skills Test Crash (Police are investigating a single vehicle fatality accident that occurred shortly before noon – the vehicle struck a tree and overturned – the driver was transported by medics to a Hospital – the passenger was airlifted from the scene – the passenger of the vehicle, 56, was pronounced dead around 0130 AM – she is an employee of DMV and was working in her official capacity at the time of the accident – the name of the driver is being withheld at this time – cause of the accident is still under investigation)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Accident kills worker in Mokena (a man, 35, was killed in a forklift accident at a landscaping business at 7:22 a.m. – he had been moving equipment with a forklift – the vehicle flipped over, ejected him and landed on him)