36 incidents & 1 update (3/17/13) – Safety Engineering (SAFTENG)

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since 2010	since 2005	since 1/2013	since 2011

2013 Fatality Tracker

Electrical

(2012 = 68)

(2011 = 81)

(2010 = 90)

(2009 = 100)

Forklift/Manlift

(2012 = 52)

(2011 = 84)

(2010 = 110)

(2009 = 88)

Mining*

(2012 = 92*)

(2011 = 248)

(2010 = 480)

(2009 = 586)

*no longer includes China accidents

Explosions

(2012 = 241)

(2011 = 218)

(2010 = 246)

(2009 = 302)

Cranes

(2012 = 52)

(2011 = 50)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 82)

Falls

(2012 = 99)

(2011 = 123)

(2010 = 139)

(2009 = 172)

(2008 = 250)

Work Zone

(2012 = 62)

(2011 = 54)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 69)
(2008 = 69)

Trenching

(2012 = 44)

(2011 = 36)

(2010 = 54)

(2009 = 48)
(2008 = 90)

LOTO/Guards

(2012 = 44)

(2011 = 64)

(2010 = 51)

(2009 = 68)
(2008 = 66)

Confined Space

(2012 = 54)

(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.

INDUSTRIAL

LOTO FATALITY Trash worker crushed by compactor in New York (a teenage worker, 18, has been crushed to death by a trash compactor at a private recycling plant – the accident happened at about 10:30 a.m. at a recycling plant – he was working in the back of the truck when the truck’s compactor came down and struck him in the chest – he was pronounced dead at a Hospital – OSHA is reviewing surveillance video at the plant)

CRUSH FATALITY Wash. Worker Crushed to Death by Piece of Steel (an employee was killed in an industrial accident at 4:27 p.m. – he was crushed by a large piece of steel and died before firefighters and a heavy rescue team arrived – information about how the accident occurred was not available)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Steel plant worker dies after accident (a worker, 27, died after being crushed by a forklift truck – he became trapped under the vehicle while working in the stores area at about 8.30am – he was flown to a hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later)

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY Worker killed in freak accident at factory (a factory worker, 25, was killed after he got trapped in a running machine – the victim was a machine operator – in the accident he ended up with his head getting entangled into the machine that he was operating, leading to severe injuries resulting in his death)

CRANE FATALITY Worker dies in accident on cargo crane at Port of Tacoma (the terminals were closed until Wednesday morning due to a fatal industrial accident – the accident happened on a cargo crane – the employee of a Crane Maintenance company was performing routine maintenance when something went wrong)

AMPUTATION Aerospace worker rushed to hospital after losing his arm in “serious industrial accident” (an aerospace worker, in his 20’s, was rushed to hospital after after his arm was severed in a serious industrial accident around 1pm)

ARC FLASH Three workers hurt in accident at NLMK Indiana (three employees were injured in an accident at the facility at 6:15 p.m. – the three workers were dispatched to the electric arc furnace melt shop on a repair call involving an electrical issue – in the process of troubleshooting the problem, the three employees sustained injuries associated with an arc flash – all three were transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries)

MINE FATALITY Rock falls from mine rook, kills W.Va. worker (regulators are investigating the death of a veteran miner, 63, at a coal subsidiary – rock fell on the miner as he prepared to install a roof bolt – he had 40 years of coal mining experience – his death is the seventh coal mining fatality nationwide this year, according to MSHA, and the first in West Virginia since Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin urged a statewide time-out for safety talks last month)

CONTRACTOR FATALITY @ REFINERY Man killed in workplace accident at Shell (a contract maintenance employee was killed while helping load steel cylinders onto a truck at the facility – he and another employee were near a flatbed truck at 10:45 a.m. while a forklift operator was loading two 16-foot-long cylinders onto the vehicle – one of the cylinders rolled off the truck onto the worker – he was rushed to a hospital, but he was pronounced dead – investigators are still trying to determine what caused the cylinder to roll off the vehicle – he had worked for the company for 33 years)

NATURAL GAS EXPLOSION in ENERGY FIELD Eight workers injured in Russian gas blast (an accident at an energy field in Siberia slightly injured at least eight workers – natural gas blew out the roof and wall panels of a workshop but didn’t start a fire – emergency workers described the incident as an “uncontrolled boom” that occurred during the installation of equipment at the giant gas field)

POWERLINE Worker injured after tree falls on N.W.T. power line (contract worker recovering with non-life-threatening injuries – the man was taken to a Health Centre and then flown to a hospital – injuries are not life-threatening)

FLASH FIRE Oilfield Worker Burned in Explosion (an explosion at a oil field rig badly burned a worker – the worker suffered third degree burns on more than 70 percent of his body, including his face – he was apparently trying to ignite a gas operated heater when it exploded – he was flown to a Medical Center in critical condition)

UPDATE on BOILER FLASH BACK Injured mill worker remains hospitalized (the mill worker, 53, who was badly burned March 5th remains hospitalized after a boiler flared back at him while he was attempting to relight it – he’s still in critical condition as he continues to recover – the coal and bark fired boiler was down for routine maintenance, and he was using standard operating procedures to put the boiler back into service when the incident occurred)

CHEMICAL BURNS Worker burned in La Porte plant fire sues company (an electrician who was burned in a chemical plant fire last week has filed a lawsuit that offers more details about the incident that sent him to the hospital and black plumes of smoke billowing from the facility – worker “suffered severe chemical burns to his face as a result of the defendant’s negligence” – the March 4 incident happened as a contractor electrician was working on an actuator that “was corroded and in disrepair” according to the lawsuit – at some point, “the actuator broke and ejected a chemical” into his face, the filing states – worker was assisted to a safety shower by a co-worker, then rushed to an on-site clinic where medical personnel tried to wash the chemical off his face – he eventually was transported to a local hospital and treated for facial burns – shortly after the incident, the blaze was caused by magnesium oxide that exploded then caught fire)

EXPLOSION while filling PROPANE CYLINDERS Worker injured in propane tank explosion in Milford (an employee, 55, was taken to the hospital with first-degree burns after propane tanks he was filling exploded – the man had already been taken to a Regional Medical Center, presumably by co-workers, by the time firefighters arrived – the worker was filling 30-pound propane tanks from a 1,000-pound tank when one of the smaller tanks exploded – the ensuing fire took out three or four more of the smaller tanks – the cause of the fire, which will be announced later, was one of two things: static electricity or a faulty pump from the 1,000- pound propane tank – the feeder hose to the larger tank had melted – the valve to that tank was shut off)

PLYWOOD MILL FATALITY Plywood worker dies in freak accident (a plywood worker, 32, died when the sharp end of a machinery carrying logs pierced through his stomach at about 9.30am at a plywood mill – he died on the scene)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Plant Hotwork explosion (seven workers were killed and 13 injured when a chemical storage tank exploded in an industrial plant – the tank storing polyethylene exploded in the plant around 9:00 p.m. – the explosion killed seven workers and seriously injured 13 others – those injured were sent to a nearby hospital – welding work was being done when the tank exploded)

ARC FLASH 2 ULA workers hurt in explosion at Vandenberg AFB (two workers were seriously injured in an electrical explosion at an Air Force Base – the two employees were transferred to a hospital that specializes in treating burn victims – the two were working at a Space Launch Complex when an “arc flash” occurred)

HOTWORK @ MEAT PLANT OTTUMWA FIRE: Meat Plant Ignites (a fire at a meat packing plant could have been worse than it actually was according to firefighters – people first spotted flames coming from the pork processing facility around 2 p.m. – the fire broke out in an area where there weren’t any people or animals – there are no reports of injuries – it took firefighters 3 hours to put out the flames that were caused by welding – welding and maintenance on a new tank being installing, it got ignited and caused the fire, creating a tremendous amount of black smoke – there was a lot of grease built up, which is very flammable – approximately $250,000 in damage)

REFINERY FIRE Shell: Small Fire at Deer Park, Texas, Refinery Quickly Extinguished (a small fire occurred at a Refinery and was quickly extinguished by on-site emergency responders – no injuries occurred and there were no impacts to the community – the cause of the incident is under investigation – the refinery reported equipment failure and emissions of acid gas to the U.S. National Response Center – it wasn’t clear whether this event was in any way related to the fire)

LOTO/GUARDING Firefighters rescue worker caught in machinery at Pasco onion processing plant (firefighters used special equipment to extricate a worker who became caught in machinery at an onion processing plant – the man suffered injuries to his right arm and shoulder in the accident – he was flown to a Regional Medical Center)

EXPLOSION Chemical plant explosion (a chemical plant went up in flames after a hazardous explosion around 4:45 a.m. – by time fire crews arrived, the explosion had extinguished itself – firefighters shut down the plant to check for any chemical leaks as a precaution – the explosion caused around $25,000 in damage – there was one worker in the plant at the time of the explosion but no one was hurt – fire crews are working to determine the cause of the explosion)

AMMONIA Another leak at Orica plant near Newcastle (an equipment fault is to blame for an ammonia leak – workers at the plant activated the site’s emergency response plan at 7.40am (AEDT) as a precaution after a relief valve in the ammonia storage plant lifted due to a mechanical malfunction – staff immediately reset the valve and the faulty equipment was removed – company said in a statement the incident was unrelated to a previous unintended ammonia release due to a lifting relief valve at the plant on March 11 – in that instance a plume of ammonia belched into the air from a vent stack of after the relief valve was activated because of a build-up of pressure)

AMMONIA Ten fall sick after ammonia leak at ice plant (at least 10 persons fell sick due to ammonia gas leak from an ice factory – two fire tenders were at work to plug the leak which was preceded by a fire in the ice plant – some of those who fell sick were taken to a hospital while others were being treated at different nearby nursing homes – they were complaining of nausea – two employees of the ice plant managed to run away)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak at Hopewell Honeywell plant causes emergency procedures (officials at the plant are tying to find out what caused an ammonia leak – the gas leak was contained as the ammonia dissipated into the air – a valve released the gas, which caused employees to go into a safety procedure mode for two hours, staying in places that could be sealed off throughout the facility – there were no injuries or damage caused outside the plant)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES Grain bin victims overcome by gas (a father, 49, and his son, 26, died as the result of a grain bin accident – they died after collapsing in a grain bin – authorities said it appeared they were overcome by gases while they were repairing the bin – firefighters were called to business after the two were discovered inside a bin – the two were atop about eight feet of grain, and crews had to cut through the wall to remove them – “It was an atmosphere situation. And we don’t know what the gas was at this point” – autopsies are pending – they were taken to a Health Center, where they were pronounced dead)

CONSTRUCTION

WORKZONE PennDOT worker struck at Liberty Tunnels by hit-and-run driver (a tunnel worker was struck by a vehicle during the morning rush hour – driver sped away from the scene, leaving the injured PennDOT worker behind – it all started with an accident involving a single vehicle – the worker was about to direct traffic and was hit by a second vehicle – the worker was taken to a Hospital in stable condition with an injury to his left leg)

TRENCH FATALITY Pacific Palisades trench accident victim dies, second man rescued (one of two people who were trapped in a 15-foot trench has died – the second worker in the construction project incident was rescued, an effort that lasted more than an hour after firefighters arrived on the scene – the victims were working for a subcontractor on a storm-water treatment project and were excavating the trench – the worker who was pulled alive from the trench at 2:48 p.m. was rushed by ambulance to the nearby beach, where he was met by a helicopter and airlifted to a Medical Center – the rescued worker’s vital signs “are fine” and he’s now listed in stable condition – it took another two to three hours to extract the body of the second worker from the trench)

DEMO CEILING COLLAPSE 5 Injured in Ceiling Collapse at UConn Health Center (five workers were injured after a ceiling on the fourth floor of a lab building collapsed – the workers were doing demolition as part of a renovation project when the ceiling came down on them – the injured workers were taken to the emergency room – the injuries appear to be non life-threatening – four of the workers were released from the hospital that evening)

TRUCK FATALITY Worker crushed to death in Avon in incident involving Lakeville man (a man, 42, died when his co-worker drove over the man with a trailer truck at a crane company – police tried to resuscitate the victim with emergency crews – when crews arrived, they found the victim, who worked as a mechanic, unresponsive on the pavement with serious upper body and facial injuries – an ambulance took the victim to a Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead – a preliminary investigation found the accident happened after a miscommunication between the two co-workers – a piece of equipment on the 48-foot flatbed trailer wasn’t working, so the truck driver stopped the vehicle and asked the mechanic to look at the truck – the mechanic didn’t tell the driver that he was getting under the truck and the driver didn’t see him and moved the truck)

TRENCH FATALITY Fatal accident on Clayson Road (a man was killed in an industrial accident installing new sewer service connections for an industrial building – a slab of concrete had fallen and trapped a worker and an excavator in a 14-foot trench – the man succumbed to his injuries on the scene)

TRENCH FATALITY Construction worker buried alive (a construction worker, 36, died after he was buried in mud after a cave-in at about 2pm – he was believed to have fallen into a hole while he was laying sewage pipes at a site – he was carrying out the task with co-workers when he slipped and fell into the hole measuring about 1.8m wide and 2.4m deep – colleagues tried to help him but to no avail – took about two hours to extricate the body with the aid of two excavators)

SCISSOR LIFT FATALITIES 2 workers dead after machinery mishap (two workers are dead and one is seriously injured after a piece of machinery toppled over – the construction workers were doing some routine maintenance on a bridge lift when a scissor lift fell over – Fire Rescue transported one worker to a Medical Center in critical condition – the other two died on the scene)

FATAL FALL from BALCONY Worker dies after falling from 24th floor in Gelugor (a construction worker, 19, was killed after falling from the 24th floor of a flat that was under construction – he was installing an aluminum frame on the balcony at one of the units when he slipped and fell)

FATAL FALL Worker falls to his death through roof of Camden site (a worker, 50, died when he fell through the roof of a recycling center – he was cleaning the roof of the building when he fell to an elevated platform several feet off the floor shortly before 8:30 a.m. – the man died at the scene of multiple injuries)

MISCELLANEOUS

MUSIC FESTIVAL Two workers critically injured at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival (two workers were critically injured while helping set up for a Music Festival when a giant LED video screen fell, trapping them under it – both men suffered life-threatening injuries, one with both his legs broken when the screen fell – two other workers were less severely injured by falling equipment; one was hospitalized in stable condition, the other treated at the scene)

HOTWORK Embers start insulation on fire at BYU’s Bean Museum (embers from a metal-cutting torch being used at the construction site at a Museum addition was the cause of a brief fire – a torch was being used on the metal frame on the second floor and embers fell, igniting insulation in the concrete wall at 11:10 a.m. – the fire was out in just a few minutes but did create a large amount of smoke that blackened the outside wall in the construction area)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

Clearing up a couple of LOTO myths

WARNING Signs of Electrical Dangers (from NFPA)

Safety from the perspective of EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, AND NOBODY

2013 Photo of the Week #11 (Lab Safety)

Emergency Egress and Fire Doors

2013 Video of the Week #11 (Crane)

A sign Spring is coming… Cal/OSHA Issues High Heat Advisory as Temperatures Rise Across the State

Fire Extinguishers… Did you know they have to be identified?

OSHA revises the Out Reach Program requirements again (2/2013)

Safety Advisory: Unauthorized Marking of Compressed Gas Cylinders

The CSB and API appear to be at odds on Recommended Practice ANSI/RPI 755, Fatigue Risk Management Systems for Personnel in the Refining and Petrochemical Industries, First Edition, April 2010