48 incidents & 1 update (4/29/15)

Over 12,500 exclusive unsafe acts/conditions and accident/injuries photos

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UPDATED the Members Area Photo Library on 4/4/15 with 189 Shocker, Accident, and GRAPHIC Injury photos

2015 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

FATAL FALL and H2S Man dies after helping co-worker at Douglasville refinery (worker died in a refinery accident after he tried to help a co-worker who went into cardiac arrest – it started when a worker went into cardiac arrest – as he was being helped, a vent was somehow opened, which released hydrogen sulfide gas – one of the workers rendering aid was sprayed in the face by the gas and fell 20 feet off of a platform and later died – three other people were transported to the hospital, including the man who went into cardiac arrest and two others)

SANITATION FATALITY Lafayette County sanitation worker dies in garbage truck accident (worker, 38, who had been with the waste department for at least a decade was killed in a one-vehicle accident involving a garbage truck – he died after the sanitation truck he was loading turned over, pinning him underneath just before 8:30 a.m. – two other workers on the truck were not injured)

UPDATE PRCS/LOTO FATALITY Bumble Bee Foods, 2 employees charged in death of worker cooked with tuna (company and two employees were charged by Los Angeles prosecutors with violating safety regulations in the death of a worker who was cooked in an industrial oven with tons of tuna – worker was performing maintenance in a 35-foot-long oven in October 2012 when co-workers loaded it with 12,000 pounds of canned tuna and turned it on – temperatures reached 270 degrees during a two-hour process to cook and sterilize the tuna – worker, 62, was found when the oven was opened – plant Operations Director and former safety manager were each charged with three counts of violating Occupational Safety & Health Administration rules that caused a death – charges specify that the company and the two men willfully violated rules that require: implementing a safety plan; rules for workers entering confined spaces; and a procedure in place to keep machinery or equipment turned off if someone’s working on it)

phosphoric acid and FALL Mosaic worker burned by phosphoric acid (worker at a fertilizer plant suffered severe burns over most of his body after he fell into a tank of phosphoric acid – he was pulled from the tank and the acid was washed off – he suffered thermal burns, as the acid was about 175 degrees Fahrenheit – he is currently in critical condition – it is unclear what led to the accident – worker was reportedly helping prepare the tank for maintenance when he fell into the 12×2 tank of acid)

GUARDING FATALITY Man Pulled Into Rock-Crusher, Dies at Plant (victim was pronounced dead at an asphalt recycling plant when he was pulled into Rock-Crusher about 10 a.m. – rescuers arrived at the plant to find the man suffering from trauma to the body and was pronounced dead on the scene – investigators say the employee was working on or near a rock crusher when his harness became tangled in a conveyor belt and he was pulled into the machine)

FATAL FALL into LIQUID NITROGEN Factory worker freezes to death in liquid nitrogen accident (worker, 65, died instantly after falling into a vat of liquid nitrogen at a factory – he was an experienced worker at the factory, which produces mechanical and vacuum devices – the precise causes of the fall are unclear – it is thought that the man was trying to remove something from the vat when he lost his balance)

FIRE Oil Field Worker Severely Burned In Saturday Fire (an oil field worker was critically injured in a fire and was transported to a Hospital and then transferred to a Burn Center – fire occurred at an oil facility – when the first firefighters arrived on scene they found an large “container” of oil on fire)

MINE 3 workers injured by ground shifting at Pennsylvania quarry (three workers were hurt, two seriously, after ground shifted at an underground limestone mine causing a rush of air through the mine’s entrance, near where the men were found – workers were about to enter the quarry when they were hurt about 5 a.m. – miners were found about 50 feet from the entrance – two who were unconscious were flown to hospitals and the third was taken by ambulance to a hospital closer to the mine)

GRINDER IOSHA investigates injury at Oerlikon Fairfield (employee, 45, was flown to a hospital after suffering an injury on the job about 12:30 a.m. – he was listed in stable condition – he was injured when a part in a center grinder machine broke and pieces of the part struck his neck and face)

GUARDING FATALITY Worker crushed in Thai pet food factory meat grinder (worker, 37, was killed after he slipped into a meat grinder at a pet food factory – the man, who had worked at the factory for five years, was unable to extricate himself from the grinder because it was filled with glue used to create artificial bones for dogs to chew on)

GUARDING FATALITY Ice plant worker dies in freak accident (an ice plant worker, 51, died after he accidentally slipped his left leg into an ice crusher machine – he was assisting his co-workers in pushing ice blocks into the crusher when his left foot slipped into the machine, mangling his left leg – he was rushed by his fellow workers to the nearest hospital but he was declared dead on arrival)

FORKLIFT Worker injured at Granville Island industrial site (man has been sent to hospital after he was injured in an industrial accident just after 10 a.m. – it’s believed a loader had tipped on its side and the worker’s foot became caught between the loader and the ground – he was freed and taken to a hospital)

UNLOADING FATALITY Shipping container accident: two dead, one injured after Wetherill Park timber collapse (three men were unloading a shipping container by stacking timber slabs inside when a large pile toppled over on them – two of the men died and the third has been taken to a Hospital in a serious condition)

CRANE into POWER LINES Iron worker shocked while moving steel beams with a crane; in critical condition (an iron worker is in critical condition after he was shocked while working on the construction of a restaurant – two iron workers were on a crane to move steel beams as part of the setup for a steel erection job – it is believed the electricity arched from a nearby power line to the crane load line while the workers were moving the beams – it caused a jolt to the employee who was guiding the crane load line)

ELECTRICAL Kent Power Worker Injured On The Job in Mason County (man was severely shocked while working on a power line – Paramedics took the man from the scene to a Hospital – they later flew him to another Hospital with serious injuries)

FIRE Extension cords to blame for North Salt Lake welding shop fire (fire crews said extension cords are to blame for a fire that caused $80,000 in damage at a Welding shop – no one was in the building when the fire stared, no injuries were reported)

HOTWORK Fire Forces Evacuation At Orange Grove Center (firefighters found the fire in a room on the second floor, on a conveyer belt – no injuries were reported – employees told firefighters that they were using an acetylene torch to install a new conveyer belt – it is believed that heat or sparks from the torch sparked the fire – fire damage was limited to the area around the conveyer belt)

REFINERY FIRE Crews Respond to Explosion, Fire at Calumet Refinery (Fire Department was called around 3:30 p.m. to a 30 foot asphalt tank on fire – tank is empty and the fuel involved is residual – a cause has not yet been determined and no injuries have been reported)

AMPUTATION Man’s arm severed in Fergus Falls industrial accident (employee, 38, lost his right arm in an industrial accident – arm got entangled in a moving industrial router at the thermofoil plant – he reportedly lodged his right arm in a pinch point of the router during operation – a number of employees certified in emergency response put the arm on ice in an attempt to save it, and first responders had the worker conscious and stabilized – he underwent surgery in an attempt to reattach the arm)

AMMONIA Ammonia Leak Sends Four to Hospital (four people have been hospitalized following a small ammonia leak at a poultry plant shortly after 9 a.m. – plant workers were working on fixing a pipe when the incident happened – they were draining an ammonia line and some vapors were released into the work area – they were taken for minor inhalation exposure)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak at Olean Wholesale could cause shortages for some stores (a big wholesale distributor sustained an ammonia leak that resulted in more than a $1 million loss of products – leak at about 3:30 a.m. resulted in the disposal an of unknown quantity of dairy, meat and produce)

CHLORINE Minor’ chlorine leak spurs evacuation of 50 homes (four people taken to hospital and residents told to shelter in place – about 50 homes were evacuated as a precaution because of what officials described as a “minor” chlorine leak – as a result of the leak, four people were transported to area hospitals for evaluation)

CONSTRUCTION

CRANE FATALITY Worker Killed in Midtown Crane Accident (crane operator, 40, was killed after he was pinned by the equipment – he was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident – worker was operating a crane atop a flatbed truck when he became caught between the crane’s boom and the flatbed around 11:47 a.m. – hydraulics malfunctioned and the victim was caught between the knuckleboom and the flat bed itself)

FORKLIFT Construction Worker Injured in Crane Accident (construction worker, 25, was rushed to the hospital after a work site accident – he was working at an apartment building when the construction fork lift flipped onto its side striking another lift – worker was in the basket of the lift but fell out, when it tipped – he was pinned under shingles and other construction equipment)

FATAL WALL COLLAPSE NJ construction worker killed in wall collapse (construction worker, 56, was killed when a cinderblock wall fell on him at an industrial building – he was working outside a building when a 9-by-12-foot section of the wall fell on him around 11:30 a.m. – emergency responders found the man trapped beneath cinderblocks on the west side of the building – he was taken to a hospital, but was pronounced dead there a short time later – the victim and other workers were removing the wall in preparation for the construction of a garage door into the building when the accident occurred – no other injuries were reported – cause of the accident remains under investigation)

FATAL FALL Worker killed after falling from building at construction site in Financial District (worker, believed to be in his late 30s, has died following an industrial accident shortly after 11 a.m. – he fell from the third floor of a building that is currently under construction and was pronounced dead at the scene after efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful)

WORKZONE and AERIAL LIFT Utility worker critically injured after car slams into crew in West Chester (utility worker is in critical condition after he was hit by a car – one vehicle was involved in the crash shortly after 3:30 p.m. – four other workers and the driver were also injured – driver crossed left of center and slammed into the utility workers and a parked utility truck – worker was in a cherry picker at the time of the crash, while the others were around the truck)

WORKZONE Man killed in Rt. 15 crash, DOT worker seriously injured on scene (DOT worker, 54, was seriously injured while on the scene of an accident around 1:43 a.m. – a DOT crash truck responded to the scene around 3:30 a.m. and parked in the left lane to block off traffic, as a DOT crew was setting up road closures – a Toyota Corolla then struck the rear of the DOT truck and continued to travel southbound, before hitting the DOT worker who was outside the truck establishing a flare and cone pattern)

WORKZONE Worker thrown from DOT truck hit by car in Hartford (accident happened around 7:30 a.m. when a car and truck collided near exit 27 – a two-man crew in a Department of Transportation pickup truck parked on the right shoulder was struck from behind, and one of the highway workers who was in the bed of the truck placing the last cone for a survey project, was thrown from the truck – worker, 53, went over the guardrail and down a river embankment)

TRENCH Worker Injured In Freak Construction Accident In Northeast Philly (a construction worker, 49, was injured after he became trapped in a trench at about 9:40 a.m. – he was working inside the trench when dirt caved in, trapping him – he was eventually freed and taken to a Hospital where he is listed in stable condition)

FLOOR COLLAPSE Worker Injured When Floor Collapses At South Everett Construction Site (worker suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries in a construction accident – man was working on the main level of a unit under construction when a portion of the upper floor collapsed upon him – he was transported to a hospital)

ELECTRICAL Worker in planned Allentown supermarket suffers serious electrical burns (worker, 32, suffered a serious electrical shock – the electrician was working on a freezer unit and suffered a serious electrical shock – he was unconscious after the 4:35 p.m. accident – he reportedly was working on an electrical junction box in the basement freezer unit when he was hurt – he suffered serious burns to his hands)

CRANE FATALITY Worker killed in crane collapse in Brampton (an industrial accident kills one man, in his 40s, as a crane falls at a community centre construction site – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

BACKHOE Backhoe injures city worker (city employee was airlifted to a hospital after suffering injuries while working around a backhoe a little before 9 a.m. – the crew he works with were finishing up a streetscape project – he was airlifted to a hospital – no other details)

FALLING PIPES FATALITY Worker killed in warehouse horror (circumstances leading to a worker being crushed to death in a tragic accident at a warehouse remain a mystery – a member of staff, believed to be in his 50s, had been crushed to death by falling pipes – it isn’t yet known how the pipes came to fall)

CRANE FATALITY into POWER LINES 1 man electrocuted, 2 hurt when truck crane hits power lines at western NY construction site (a construction site accident that killed a man, 46, and injured two others when a crane moving a steel beam struck power lines – he had delivered a load of I-beams to a construction site – he extended the boom of the truck’s crane and came into contact with overhead power lines, electrifying his vehicle – he was electrocuted and pronounced dead at the scene – two construction workers standing near the beam were shocked – deputies say one suffered a minor injury, but the other suffered serious burns to his hand, scalp and back – he’s listed in guarded condition)

CRANE FATALITY Crane accident kills 3, injures 1 in central China (three people were killed and another injured when a tower crane collapsed around 2:20 p.m., when workers were dismantling the crane at a construction site – the injured worker is being treated at hospital – an investigation into the cause of the accident is underway)

PIPE EXPLOSION 5 wounded in explosion at Silvan Dam in Southeast (five workers were injured in an explosion at a construction site around 10:15 a.m. in one of the pipes leading from the Dam, which is currently under construction – the explosion took place due to gas trapped in the pipe, according to initial findings)

FALL from ROOF Construction worker survives 30-foot fall at Lynnwood site (construction worker is expected to survive a three-story fall – worker, believed to be in his 30s, was on the roof of a house in a new development when he fell 20 feet, landed on boards on the ground, then slid off those and fell another 10 feet into a hole dug for another house’s foundation – he was conscious when he was taken to a Medical Center)

TRENCH FATALITY Fatality probe underway after worker buried in sewer trench (a man, 55, was buried under several feet of dirt and clay on a a home construction site – a roofer working nearby, heard someone yelling to call 911 – he had been working with a backhoe operator to dig a trench to lay sewer pipes when he was buried)

SCAFFOLDING Scaffolding accident near Brooklyn Bridge (wind likely caused a scaffolding accident – scaffolding is now dangling dangerously over the top of a building forcing street closures – scaffolding is now temporarily secured with rope until it can be removed)

MISCELLANEOUS

BACKING FATALITY Philadelphia Parking Authority Worker Killed In Freak Accident At Impound Lot (a Parking Authority worker, 60, was killed in a freak accident at the Parking Authority lot – a Parking Authority worker was backing up a tow truck and accidentally struck another Parking Authority employee about 6:50 a.m.)

FATAL FALL from TREE Tree trimmer killed just outside Raleigh (worker, 29, was killed when he fell from a tree – he was climbing a tree and it broke from the bottom and he fell about 45 feet in the tree)

CRUSHED Landscape worker crushed by trucks, injured in Santa Rosa (a landscape company employee, 50, working at a home apparently became pinned between two large work trucks and suffered major injuries – he was rushed to a Hospital after he was treated at the property by firefighters and paramedics)

EXPLOSION Explosion at East Providence bakery injures worker (an explosion at a bakery left one worker with burns over 20 percent of his body – explosion blew out the front display windows of the building – four workers were in the bakery when the blast occurred, but only one man was injured, suffering first- and second-degree burns over 20 percent of his body – cause of the explosion has not been determined)

FATAL FALL – ELEVATOR FATALITY Maintenance Worker Dies in Freak Lift Mishap (maintenance worker, 24, was crushed to death after he fell between the lift compartment and the inner wall of the elevator shaft, while engaging in maintenance work on an elevator – lift had been stationed at the third story of the building – worker had climbed atop the compartment and completed the work – in order to test the elevator, he had asked his colleague to call the elevator to the ground floor – as the elevator had jerked suddenly during its descent, worker fell into the small pocket of space between the compartment and the elevator shaft – he called out for help before falling unconscious due to suffocation)

ELECTROCUTION Tree trimmer electrocuted outside home in Miami (worker, 24, was electrocuted while trimming a tree near power lines at a home – one of the two workers was electrocuted while trimming the tree – victim was standing on an aluminum ladder at the time)

Stop by session 721 on

Wednesday 6/10 @ 7:45 a.m.

Process Safety Management

Enforcement Trends and Best Practices

I am also teaching my

1-Day PSM Course

as a ASSE POST Conference Seminar

on Friday 6/12

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

2015 Video of the Week #17 (Failure to LOTO Conveyor Accident)

2015 Photo of the Week #17 (Wood Chipper)

EPA RMP General Duty Clause citations @ Coke facility (Flammables; $50K – Failure to maintain desiccant dryer led to explosion)

OSHA’s Process Safety Management Standard is NOT the only standard that requires “verification of knowledge” after training