39 incidents & 0 updates (11/19/14)

2014 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

CRANE FATALITY WORKER DIES IN ALCOA PLANT ACCIDENT IN SOUTH TEXAS (contractor, 42, has died in an industrial accident at a manufacturing plant – the contract supervisor was hit by a door that was being installed on a tank by a crane)

FATALITY Worker Dead Following Industrial Accident in Westfield (worker, 33, is dead following an accident at a road salt facility – no other details about the incident were immediately released)

Worker pinned under steel beam at South Greensburg plant (worker, between 40 and 50 years old, at a steel fabrication plant was pinned beneath a 1,500-pound steel beam – co-workers already had freed him when crews arrived – no other details)

FATAL ASPHYXIATIONS Texas DuPont workers died from accidental asphyxiation – coroner (four workers were accidentally asphyxiated by methyl mercaptan – spokesman declined to say if the victims were caught by surprise by the chemical or sent to repair a leak in a unit that officials have described as an enclosed, five-story structure – County Medical Examiner’s office previously said coveralls were the only clothing mentioned in preliminary autopsy reports – families of the victims filed lawsuits against DuPont this week)

AERIAL LIFT FATALITY Worker dies in fall at Mosinee paper mill (worker, 55, was killed when he fell from a hydraulic bucket while installing insulation at a paper mill – the accident happened about 9:15 a.m. – the worker fell about 25 feet and died at the scene – he was working alone on the lift outside a building)

TRUCK FATALITY Man, 64, struck and killed by truck in New Bedford (worker, 64, died after being struck by a truck at about 4:30 p.m. – the facility worker had been hit by a flatbed truck driven by another employee – victim suffered severe injuries and was taken to a Hospital where he died – driver of the truck, 59, faces no charges)

FRACKING FATALITY – THAWING FROZEN WATER LINE Fracking accident kills 1, injures 2 in Colorado (an accident at a hydraulic fracturing site killed one worker and seriously injured two others – the three men were trying to heat a frozen high-pressure water line at the oil or gas well site when it ruptured – one man was hit by a stream of water and died from the impact – the injured men were flown to hospitals)

FATAL FIRE Food plant fire kills 18 in China (eighteen people died in a fire at a food packaging plant in China – blaze happened at a carrot packaging workshop – fire engulfed 100 metres of workshop in less than a minute – thirteen people are being treated for injuries, including two who are in a serious condition, one life-threatening – preliminary investigations show that 140 people were in the building at the time, and the blaze was caused by a faulty freezer)

LINEMAN Ameren worker injured in electrical accident, South County residents go dark (worker was injured when he came in contact with electricity around 7pm – he was taken to the hospital – condition is unknown)

2 Boeing contract workers injured, taken to hospitals (two contract workers were injured while working on an airplane on the flight line – one worker was taken by helicopter and another by ground ambulance to hospitals for treatment – no other details)

FATAL EXPLOSION @ WELL SITE Worker Identified in Fatal Ohio Blast (an electrical subcontractor, 48, was killed in an explosion and subsequent fire at a condensate pumping skid – he was testing and calibrating electrical components on the pump – no other injuries were reported)

SULPHURIC ACID Workers hurt in sulphuric acid factory explosion (four workers were injured in an explosion in the sulphuric acid plant of the copper mining and smelting complex – none received life-threatening wounds – one worker has been released from the hospital, two are kept for observation, while the fourth, who has a broken arm, will undergo surgery – reported earlier that the accident occurred when an air blower machine exploded)

DUMPSTER FATALITY Sanitation worker killed at Richmond County Country Club (a private sanitation worker, 40, was killed when a dumpster fell on him – a 10-foot Dumpster landed on the man as he was unloading it off the back of a garbage truck – he suffered severe trauma to his head and torso – emergency responders transported the victim to a Hospital where he was pronounced dead)

FLASH FIRE Jump Starting Propane Forklift Flash fire burns worker’s face (worker trying to jumpstart this forklift was burned in a flash fire – worker suffered burns to his face – the fire happened at a sheet metal manufacturing company – the two men were attempting to jump start a propane-fueled forklift with another forklift – in doing so, they ignited a spark that, mixed with the gas, created a flash fire – one man suffered burns to his face, arms and chest – injures are non-life-threatening – other worker was also burned but refused treatment)

EXPLOSION 2 workers injured in concrete plant blast (an explosion at a concrete plant has left at least two workers seriously injured – the explosion occurred about 4:30 p.m. – cause of the explosion is unknown – one plant employee with unknown injuries was taken by Life Flight to a local hospital – status of the second worker is unknown)

FATAL EXPLOSION One killed, three hurt in rig blast (one man was killed and three others injured in an explosion on an oil rig – an apparent explosion during drilling operations – one worker, 23, was pronounced dead on the scene and two more were airlifted to the hospital – the fourth worker was taken to the hospital)

VAC TRUCK EXPLOSION @ Waste Water Plant Injuries and Decontamination during California Industrial Site Fire (firefighters were allowing spot fires to consume an unstable substance that ignited at a wastewater facility injuring at least two people – incident began when a vacuum truck exploded at the Waste Water Company around 3:45 a.m. – the blast scattered an organic peroxide that began to crystallize and spontaneously ignite – “As the liquid began to dry out, the companies on scene noticed that it was very unstable and reactive. And as they stepped on it, or tried to remove their engine, it would spontaneously ignite under the tires of the engine or their boots,” he said – firefighters backed off, leaving one engine behind – a half-mile perimeter has been established at the facility, disrupting local traffic)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak in Ghaziabad meat factory sends three workers to ICU (ammonia leak was reported from a factory – around 28 people from a meat processing factory were rushed to the hospital – three of them are currently in the intensive care unit – workers recognized the characteristically pungent smell immediately, as a result of which most were able to escape in time – the cause of the leakage is yet to be identified and a probe has been initiated)

CONSTRUCTION

FATAL ELEVATOR FAILURE One dead, three injured as elevator splits in half (at least one worker was killed and another three were heavily injured when a platform, part of a scaffolding that elevates workers, split in two on the ninth floor – the platform, which was holding four workers carrying marbles to the sixth floor of a 16-story building, fell from the ninth floor – unknown how the platform broke into two)

FALL from ROOF Man injured in fall from McDonald’s construction building site in Graniteville (worker suffered a hand injury when he fell from the roof of a building under construction – scaffolding was involved in the injury where the man fell about 15 feet in the accident – he was conscious and alert and was being transported to a Medical Center – radio transmissions indicated that the man who fell was a worker at the site and that he suffered an open fracture to the right hand)

FATAL FALL from CRANE Construction worker dies after plunging more than 10m from crane (worker, in his 50s, fell to his death after dropping off a crane at a building site – patient required specialist paramedics after falling as he was still within the crane – initial investigations suggest the man fell approximately ten metres and died at the scene)

EXCAVATION UPDATE: Man suffers critical injuries in Cranston industrial accident (a worker, in his early 30s, was critically injured on the job – he sustained a severe head injury after being struck by some apparatus or machinery they were manipulating while doing some underground utility work – police escorted the ambulance as it raced the worker to a Hospital with a life-threatening head injury – victim was above ground when the accident happened)

WORKZONE Three construction workers, driver injured in crash on U.S. 441 (no one involved in the crash suffered life-threatening injuries – a car struck a trailer attached to a work truck parked on the shoulder – three construction workers were injured – they had been picking up road signs from a resurfacing project completed last week)

WORKZONE Construction worker struck and injured by car in Fargo construction zone (worker was struck and injured by a car in a construction zone at about 9:30 a.m. – the victim, who works for a sidewalk contractor, was crossing 25th Street on a green light at an unprotected location when he was hit – he was transported by ambulance to the hospital with head and hip injuries)

BACKING VEHICLE Construction worker injured in Atlantic City (construction worker was injured after being pinned between two vehicles – a construction vehicle was backing up when it struck a construction worker and pinned him between the vehicles – his condition is still unknown at this time)

TRENCH FATALITY 1 dead after construction accident on Interstate 71 on-ramp from state Route 97 in Bellville (one person died in a construction accident on an exit ramp – crew was installing new sanitary lines when a trench collapsed – one of the workers was missing when rescue crews arrived – the missing man was found, but was declared dead at the scene)

HOT WORK ROOFING FIRE Roofing worker’s accident sparks fire that destroys Roseville restaurant (a roofing contractor’s error may have started the two-alarm fire that consumed the 7,200-square-foot building – about 20 customers and employees safely evacuated the restaurant when smoke began to infiltrate the banquet and dining rooms about 1:30 p.m. – a contractor working on a roof repair job may have accidentally set off the fire with a propane-fueled torch – three propane containers were present on the roof, but did not explode)

AUGER DRILL Worker trapped in Highway 4 construction accident (a construction worker was seriously injured after he became trapped in a piece of machinery and had to be extricated – worker was trapped in a large auger, a tool for boring holes in the ground – it took some time to extricate the worker, who was flown to a Medical Center with a crushing injury in critical condition around 8:15 p.m.)

PIPE FATALITY Construction worker killed after pipe fell on his head at site in Redfern (construction worker, 35, was killed after after a pipe fell on his head just before 11am – paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to revive the man – no other details)

FATAL FALL PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE COLLAPSE during CONCRETE POUR 1 dead, 4 injured in construction accident at NC community college (a worker died and four others were injured in a construction accident at a community college – accident took place around 10:15 a.m. – all the injured were taken to the hospital, and their exact conditions aren’t yet known – accident involved a pedestrian bridge being built on campus – crews were pouring concrete on part of the bridge when it collapsed – the bridge is about 40 feet above the ground at its highest point)

MISCELLANEOUS

GAS EXPLOSION Officials: worker installing heater hurt in small gas explosion in Danvers school out-building (a worker has been injured in a small explosion in an outbuilding at an Agricultural & Technical High School – no students or school staff members were hurt – the worker was attempting to install a gas heater when the explosion occurred – worker has second-degree burns on his face, neck and arms that aren’t considered life-threatening – it’s believed natural gas was the cause of the 2:30 p.m. accident)

SNOW REMOVAL FATALITY – HEART ATTACK County Employee Dies Removing Snow (a county highway department worker, 56, suffered an apparent heart attack and died while operating a snow blower behind the sheriff’s office – he was employed by the county for less than a year – sheriff’s personnel performed CPR before he was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead)

ELECTRICAL – HANGING CHRISTMAS DECORATION  Utility worker electrocuted in Guiwan (utility worker, 50, was electrocuted while hanging Christmas decoration along the highway – victim suffered burn injuries on the different parts of his body and was brought to a Medical Center for medical treatment – he hung the lantern when he accidentally touched the live wire and got electrocuted then fell on the ground)

SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE Window washer scaffolding collapse at World Trade Center under investigation (platform supplied to window washers, who were left dangling near building’s 68th floor, by company that has been involved in two similar incidents – two men were cleaning windows on the building’s south side when their scaffolding platform collapsed)

GAS EXPLOSION 2 Staff Members Injured In Gas Explosion At Vallejo High School; Lines Had Been Shutoff Since Napa Quake (two staff members were injured at a High School after a maintenance worker re-lighting the pilot caused an explosion – according to officials, the school’s gas lines had been turned off since they had ruptured during the August 24th Napa earthquake – explosion reportedly occurred around 8:30 a.m. in a room near the rear entrance of the school that was described as a “mostly abandoned room” that is occasionally used as a photo lab – there were no students present near the room at the time of the explosion and none were injured)

HOTWORK FIRE – SPRINKLERS SAVE THE DAY!  Fire Officials Say Welding Caused Minneapolis Building Blaze (welding is to blame for a fire at a downtown building at about 7:30 a.m. – when firefighters arrived, heavy black smoke was showing on the eighth floor of a 10-story structure – crews went into battle the fire from the interior – nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire – two workers who were not injured in the fire escaped to the roof and were rescued by emergency personnel – the cause of the fire was accidental due to welding – fire started on the eighth floor and three sprinkler heads went off, holding off the fire until crews arrived)

HOTWORK Fire damages South Side playground (a piece of playground equipment that is being removed from the old Elementary School playground was damaged by fire – public schools maintenance personnel were in the process of removing the equipment from the lot – a torch was being used to cut metal supports – workers ceased using the torch around 10 a.m. approximately 45 minutes later they left the scene to get more supplies – it was during that time the fire ignited – once the fire erupted there was an ample supply of wood chips beneath the equipment to feed the flames)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Man killed in forklift accident in Brentwood (an employee for a concrete company was killed after an accident on the job involving a forklift – he was making a delivery – while removing some items from a trailer, the forklift flipped and landed on top of him – he was pronounced dead on the scene)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Teen dies in forklift accident at Mooroopna (a teenage boy, 15 or 16, has died following an accident involving a forklift at about 10.20 am – when paramedics arrived the boy had passed away – it is believed the boy had died as a result of a forklift accident)

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