39 incidents & 1 update (9/27/15)

2015 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker dies in industrial accident in Waco, crushed by lift (worker, 51, was crushed by the hydraulic aerial lift that he was servicing)

FATALITY Arkansas woman killed in industrial accident in Ashdown (worker, 52, was killed in a railcar accident at a paper mill – she died at the scene of the accident – she was an equipment helper in the shipping department – details of the accident were not released)

Worker suffers minor injuries in accident at Valero plant (worker suffered minor injuries at one of the heaters inside the refinery, and one employee was treated at the refinery’s first-aid center – no fire, and all employees at the plant were accounted for)

EXPLOSION Worker injured at Reading Alloys (worker was injured in an apparent industrial accident – he is believed to have suffered burn injuries and was flown by helicopter to a hospital – initially reported as an explosion around 7:10 p.m., the incident was apparently confined to a work area at the plant)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Scrap Yard Worker Killed by Military Bomb Blast ID’d (metal worker, 46, was killed when high explosive inside a military bomb he was cutting into detonated – he was using a torch to cut through a piece of metal that turned out to be a MK-82 general purpose bomb when it exploded at around 12:15 p.m.)

Worker Injured At Kia Plant (worker, 57, was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries following an apparent accident – accident comes nearly one year after another worker was killed in a workplace accident at the same plant last October – no word on what caused the accident)

TRUCK UNLOADING Worker injured in Dartmouth industrial accident (worker, 44, at a trucking compound was briefly trapped under two pieces of steel pipe at about 3:30 p.m. – he was unloading sections of steel pipe roughly 30 centimetres in diameter and six metres long from a delivery truck – two pieces of piping fell on the worker, briefly trapping him underneath – he suffered a serious but not life-threatening injury to his lower legs)

SANITATION WORKER FATALITY Sanitation worker killed by his truck in Melville, police say (worker, 44, was killed when he fell off the back of a garbage truck and was struck by the vehicle as it was backing up)

TRUCK UNLOADING Worker critically injured in Ship Creek industrial accident (worker, 31, was loading and unloading freight with other workers when a large wooden crate fell on him – he sustained “serious injuries to his head and upper torso” and was taken to a hospital in critical condition)

COMBUSTIBLE DUST EXPLOSION Fire at Nakanishi bearings plant in Winterville injures worker (worker sustained burns over nearly 80 percent of his body when a fire broke out in the ductwork he was cleaning – no other injuries in the blaze – fire spread through part of the plant’s vent system and onto the roof, and was extinguished by responding fire crews within 15 to 20 minutes – the ventilation system does evacuate dust generated in the plant’s manufacturing process)

UPDATE Charges Laid In Fatal Veolia Blast (Ontario Labour Ministry has charged a company and an on-site supervisor in a deadly explosion last October – company faces six charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act including two counts of failing to take every precaution reasonable for the protection of a worker – company did not cease the metalizing process at the workplace after being warned of hazards by its engineers and failed to ensure the dust collector was suitable for the process – six people were sent to hospital, five with serious injuries, following the explosion October 25, 2014 – worker, 37, later died of severe burns – the blast, that originated in a dust collection system outside of the paint shop, damaged a section of cinder block wall and caused part of the roof to collapse)

FATAL CATASTROPHIC FAILURE of NITROGEN PRESSURE VESSEL Deadly explosion kills chemical plant employee (worker, 54, has been killed in an explosion at a chemical plant – he was working on a nitrogen tank which exploded – he was standing on a stairway next to the elevated tank at 5:30am, when the container exploded – officials said that pressure had built up inside the tank, and they are trying to find out why – the blast knocked the man off the steps and threw him ten metres in the air – paramedics declared him dead at the scene)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Factory Explosion Almeria, One dead and at least two injured (worker has been pronounced dead and at least two others have been seriously injured in a factory explosion – investigators have stated the blast was likely to have been caused by welding works accidentally igniting a canister of inflammable waste – the deceased is believed to be a sub-contractor who was welding pipes to a fuel storage tank when the explosion occurred – two other men suffering from smoke inhalation have been treated and released from hospital)

FATAL ACID TANK EXPLOSION Worker dies in acid tank explosion (worker was killed in in an acid tank explosion inside a Steel plant – an acid tank in the factory exploded accidentally – no word on cause)

FATAL GUNPOWDER EXPLOSION Death Toll in Czech Ammunition Plant Explosion Reaches 3 (one person is confirmed dead and three are missing as the result of a gunpowder explosion at an ammunition plant – workers were moving gun powder from a production building to a storage facility when it detonated)

STEAM 3 workers burned by steam in accident at nuclear fuel plant (three workers were burned when steam escaped from a wash tank – the release of the steam from the tank was caused by a mechanical problem – the wash tanks are located in the final assembly area where fuel rods made of nuclear pellets are assembled)

DOUBLE LEG AMPUTATION in AUGER Man loses both legs in accident at animal rendering plant (worker, 32, had his legs amputated following an industrial accident – he was injured at an animal rendering plant when he fell into an auger at the plant – he was able to get himself out of the machine and his co-workers performed first aid that saved his life – he was taken to a Medical Center in a helicopter – both his legs were amputated at the knee but he is expected to survive)

CONFINED SPACE Man Injured in Accident at Plant Bowen (worker was on a coal train “and was dumped out (of) the bottom of the rail car when the coal was released – worker had femur fractures in both legs and a large amount of blood loss)

AMMONIA 41 hospitalized after ammonia leak at China chemical plant (forty-one people have been admitted to hospital, including five in serious conditions, following a synthetic ammonia leak at a chemical plant – about 300 kilograms of synthesized ammonia leaked from a cracked pipe – a total of 154 residents who live nearby the accident site were sent to hospital – forty-one remain under observation, including five in serious conditions)

AMMONIA Farmland Foods Evacuated for Ammonia Leak (facility was evacuated due to a strong ammonia odor – at least two people are being evaluated for potential exposure to ammonia)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak shuts down brewery (leak erupted when a valve was hit and cracked – leak was isolated to an enclosed room and firefighters were to go in to try to further contain the damaged equipment and ventilate the building)

CONSTRUCTION

FORKLIFT FATALITY Duluth-area bridge worker killed in forklift accident (construction worker, 18, was killed in a forklift accident on a Bridge project – he died of “multiple blunt force injuries due to a pedestrian-forklift mishap – another worker was injured in the accident)

FATALITY Worker killed in construction accident at UNLV (construction worker, 27, died after an accident on Sept. 23, 2015 was working on a renovation project – the worker was critically injured in an accident that happened just after 11 a.m. – no details)

AUGER Worker breaks bones in West Fargo auger accident (worker, 54, helping to build a fence suffered broken bones when his arm became stuck in an auger – he was taken by ambulance with injuries that were not life-threatening – accident happened when the auger was being used to dig a hole for a fence post – he was brushing dirt away from the hole when the auger caught hold of his glove and his arm was pulled into the auger)

FALL Construction worker injured on the job in Floyd County (worker was injured when he fell off a new bridge being built – extent of his injuries are unknown)

WORKZONE Construction worker injured by hit-and-run driver on E. Loop (worker is being treated for a broken hip – police are looking for the driver)

SAW FATALITY Construction worker killed in Bealeton after power saw accident (construction worker, 46, died after an accident with a power saw – when deputies and fire and rescue workers arrived, they found the man lying in a ditch, with no signs of life and an injury to his upper body – the man was sawing on a work pipe with a gas-powered cutoff saw – saw began binding, which caused it to kick back, causing the fatal injury)

Worker injured at Chicago Riverwalk construction site (emergency crews used a crane to lift an injured construction worker off a barge – his legs were cut by two pieces of sheet metal when something happened with one of the steel beams which were being delivered to the construction site)

FATAL FALL 1 construction worker killed, 3 injured in industrial accident at Yio Chu Kang flyover (construction worker, 24, died – three other construction workers were taken to a Hospital in serious condition – all four men are believed to have fallen from a height of about 6m)

WORKZONE FATALITY East Bay road worker struck and killed by DUI driver (construction worker, 33, was killed in a suspected DUI crash just after midnight – a suspected DUI driver crashed into an area that had been closed for construction – the two lanes on the far left had both been closed off with cones for paving operations – driver crossed into the closed area and struck the worker, then also hit a pickup truck and a generator before coming to a rest – worker was pronounced dead at the scene)

FALLING BRICK Hartford construction worker in critical condition after workplace accident (construction worker is in critical condition after a brick fell and hit him in the head – FF’s found a man on the ground, unconscious – a brick had fallen from the roof area of the four-story building, striking the worker in the head – worker was taken to a Hospital where his condition is described as “extremely critical”)

Workers Hurt Following Accident at Jamaica Plain Construction Site (two workers at a construction site suffered injuries after a piece of equipment fell on top of them – one worker was transported to the hospital – severity of his injury is not known – second worker did not need medical attention)

DEMO FATALITY Worker killed, 5 hurt in Baguio hotel demolition (construction worker died and five others were hurt when a foundation post they were helping demolish gave way – worker, 25, was crushed by a collapsed post – five other workers were injured, two of them seriously hurt)

ROOF COLLAPSE Roof collapse pins worker (construction worker was pinned when roof trusses collapsed on him – no word on the condition of the worker – worker became trapped on the upper level of the building after the truss system collapsed)

EXCAVATION Investigators: Third-Party Contractor To Blame For Waxahachie Explosion (investigators have said it was a third-party contractor laying fiber optic lines that struck a gas line, causing damage that led to a leak)

FORKLIFT One in critical condition after forklift accident (two people were taken by helicopter to a Hospital after a forklift went out of control and crashed into a dump truck injuring two people on foot at a construction site – worker, 34, remains in critical condition – worker, 65, had minor injuries – operator of the forklift, 24, sustained minor or no injuries – accident appears to be a mechanical malfunction)

MISCELLANEOUS

HOTWORK @ GAS STATION Cumberland gas station worker badly burned while cutting fuel tanks (worker, 34, was badly burned while cutting metal – he was cutting metal on or near a fuel tank around 7:32 a.m. when the fuel caught fire, causing severe first- and second- degree burns to more than 30 per cent of his body – he is currently in serious but stable condition)

NOT WORK RELATED, but you will NOT believe this one… Motorist sets lighter to spider at gas station, burns pump (a man with an apparent case of arachnophobia caused a fire at a gas pump by putting a lighter to what he says was a spider near his fuel door – he escaped injury and his vehicle suffered little damage, but the gas pump was destroyed – a clerk shut off the pump from indoors and called the fire department)

ELECTRICAL Tower worker electrocuted in Indiana (tower worker, 24, was seriously injured when he touched a live electrical wire while doing a broadband deployment – first responders found a man who was injured and hanging from his safety harness about 25 feet in the air on a tower – worker was airlifted to a local hospital where he remains in serious condition – he was held in place by his harness after the electrocution, which prevented him from falling the 25 feet to the ground)

CHEMICAL 9 people transported to hospital for fume exposure (nine people were transported to the hospital after they were exposed to chemical fumes shortly before 11:30 a.m. – a contract worker was performing maintenance on the third floor and was using a lubricant that gave off fumes – it affected 10 employees in the call center on the same floor – symptoms like headaches, nausea, irritated throat, that sort of thing, difficulty breathing – nine people were transported to the hospital for further observation)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

FAMOUS Cargo Tank Failure (Safety Alert)

2015 Photo of the Week #39 (Propane Cylinder, PIT, & Bungee Straps)

2015 Video of the Week #39 (The Last Resort: Vent and Burn – Transport Canada)

FREE Chemical Reactivity Worksheet (NOAA) and 1910.119(d)(1)(vii)

DHS CFATS – Anhydrous Ammonia Top-Screen extension

Catastrophic failure of a pipework clamp connector (HSE Safety Alert)

EPA RMP citations @ food products facility (NH3 & $98,153)

EPA RMP citations @ manufacturer of pesticides (methyl isocyanate and methyl mercaptan & $5.6M)

TN-OSHA PSM citations @ facility (Flash Fire Fatality)

Making sense of the hierarchy of controls (OR-OSHA Podcast)

A REAL working example of how OSHA’s 1% Rule works

EPA RMP citations @ cold storage

warehouse for food products (NH3 & $4,800)

MOCs and Technology

Forearmed is Forewarned, REVISING the NFPA 704 may make sense!

DHS CFATS – What needs to be done when a facility is bought or sold?

2015 Video of the Week #37 (Permit- Required Space Accident – Steam Valve Pit)

PRCS energy isolation methods and locking/tagging

Deciphering HHC/EHS Concentrations for PSM/RMP Applicability

OSHA PSM citations @ food processing facility (NH3 & $71K)

Consolidating two (2) Risk Management Plans into one (1)