50 incidents & 1 update (2/8/16)

2016 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY Utah bakery worker dies after getting sucked into industrial mixer (bakery worker died after accidentally getting sucked into an industrial mixer – she likely got her hand or clothing caught in the machinery while mixing ingredients and got sucked into the machinery around 10 a.m. – a fellow bakery worker heard her screams and rushed to turn off the machine but she died on the scene moments after the gruesome accident)

LANDFILL FATALITY – STRUCK BY TRUCK Worker killed at Seneca County landfill (worker, 55, was killed in an industrial accident at a Landfill – he was operating a tipper machine just before 11:00 am when he was struck by a tractor trailer that was in the process of unloading – the vehicle was backing up onto the tipper machine, which is used to empty the trash containers carried to the landfill on trailers)

PAPER MILL Worker injured in Baileyville pulp mill accident (contractor working on the tissue expansion project at a Pulp mill was taken to the hospital after she was injured in a workplace accident – she was struck in the legs by falling debris)

GUARDING FATALITY w/ LATHE Police ID Linden worker killed after getting caught in machine (worker, 57, was killed when his clothes became caught in a piece of industrial machinery – he was working on a lathe — a machine that rotates an item on its axis — when he was dragged into the machinery)

Contract worker injured at Montana Resources (contract worker was injured while working on the assembly of a new haul truck – no details)

LOADING DOCK FATALITY – CAUGHT BETWEEN Oneonta man dies in workplace accident (worker was killed at a loading dock shortly after 5 a.m. – worker was backing up a company truck to off-load material when another employee became stuck between the truck’s trailer and the loading dock, causing him to be crushed)

FATAL FALL from CRANE Worker killed in accident at GM plant in Defiance (worker, 50, was fatally injured in a fall around 1 p.m. at the Casting Operations plant – he worked as an electrician at the plant – initial reports indicate that he was performing maintenance work and troubleshooting an overhead crane when he fell 30-feet into a pit below, suffering fatal injuries)

FATALITY Worker killed in accident at Clewiston U.S. Sugar facility (worker, 25, was killed while was washing down sugar on the ground between the plant and the A frame when the A frame moved forward toward the plant and the worker was pinched between the A frame and plant – he was taken to a Medical Center, then airlifted to a Hospital, where he later died)

AERIAL LIFT Officials looking into accident at Port of Wilmington (worker replacing a bulb in a light fixture was injured when he was pinned to the fixture – employee was repairing the fixture in a building when the guardrail of the lift basket he was using “somehow” pinned him to the fixture – another employee, a “spotter on the ground” was able to override the controls and bring the injured worker down, where emergency officials treated him)

FATALITY @ ALUMINUM PLANT Worker dies at Chesterfield aluminum plant (employee died around 2 p.m. from cardiac arrest – she was pronounced dead at the scene – there was an accident that caused her to go into cardiac arrest – crews are still investigating what caused her to go into cardiac arrest)

PAPER MILL RCMP, WorksafeBC investigating after worker killed at Crofton mill (officials are investigating a workplace fatality at a pulp and paper mill around 11:50 p.m. – it’s unclear exactly what happened – the fatal accident happened near the entrance of the mill)

SECURITY GATE Worker is seriously hurt in factory gate accident (employee remains in a serious condition after receiving injuries in an accident involving an electronic gate – worker, in her early forties and married with a young family was dropped off for work around 6am at the factory when she was caught in the automatic gates at 6.15am and sustained serious injuries)

FATAL FIRE Worker killed in fire at Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited unit (contract worker was killed in a fire accident as workers were busy at the coal crushing section when the fire broke out around 2.30pm – the coal was meant to be used in the paper making process – fire spread across a pile of coal in the chamber and soon engulfed three workers – worker, 26, died on the spot, while two others were severely injured)

AMPUTATION w/ CONVEYOR Man’s arm severed in work accident (worker, 24, lost his arm after it caught in a conveyor belt at a waste management site – fire fighters were called to free the man who remained conscious while he was treated – his arm was amputated from his shoulder)

EXPLOSION Explosion at Hornady Manufacturing sends worker to hospital (worker, 42, was injured in an explosion at a manufacturing plant around 6:30 – he has non-life threatening injuries – no word yet on what specifically led to the explosion)

FATAL FIRE on OIL PLATFORM 3 Die in fire on oil platform in Gulf of Mexico (three workers were killed in a fire at an oil platform – fire started in the compression area of the platform and was isolated and then brought under control several hours later – platform did not have to be evacuated due to the fire)

FLASH FIRE Bruce Power employee injured (worker suffered burns to his hands and forearm while working at the nuclear generating site – he was doing routine maintenance as part of the Unit 8 outage, was injured when gas became ignited, resulting in the worker being burned – plant first responders transported the worker to a hospital)

CHEMICAL BURNS Clearwater Paper worker hospitalized for chemical burns (worker has been hospitalized after suffering chemical burns in the pulp mill maintenance area)

UPDATE on FATAL EXPLOSION Pasadena chemical plant explosion due to equipment failure, fire marshal says (fire marshal said in a recently released incident report that faulty equipment caused an explosion at a chemical plant that killed one worker and injured three others – a “piece of equipment attached to a vacuum truck had suffered some sort of failure and blew off of the truck injuring 3 workers and killing another” – report does not detail what the equipment was, or how it blew off the truck)

HOTWORK on OUT-OF-SERVICE COOLING TOWER Welding tool sparks massive fire in Rivercenter Mall garage (fire started inside of a 24-ton cooling unit that was being cut for demolition to be removed from the structure – all of the restaurants and shops in the area were evacuated as crews responded to the scene – fire was sparked as a worker was using a welding torch on the unit, and it ignited some dry timber nearby – other employees on top of the roof then tried to help stop the fire, and one man suffered smoke inhalation in the process – he was transported to a Hospital and at last check was in stable condition – heavy winds and dry materials also played a large role in how quickly the fire spread – not immediately clear how much damage was caused in the fire)

HOTWORK on OIL TANK One Person Taken To Benefis After Welding Accident (worker was welding an oil tank when the explosion occurred)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION on STORAGE TANK Biodiesel plant explosion in Spain kills two, seriously injures one (two people were killed and another seriously injured in an explosion in a biodiesel plant around 11:00 a.m. – two victims were workers who were reportedly to be in their 40s, while the injured person had burns on 80 percent of his body – cause of the explosion has not yet been found – some believe the accident could have been caused by people performing a storage silo, which contained residual flammable gas)

FATALITY Apparent workplace accident leaves 1 dead (an employee of a trucking company, 64, was killed at 4:17 a.m. – he was delivering seat foam to the plant – circumstances of his death were not immediately clear)

FATAL EXPLOSION 1 Person Killed in Plant Explosion in Georgia (worker, 25, has died and six others were injured in an explosion that occurred at 2:37 a.m. at a feed mill related to chicken farming – one of the victims was taken to a hospital and is in critical condition – conditions of the others are unknown – cause of the explosion is now being investigated by authorities)

FATAL EXPLOSION 1 killed in C. Taiwan chemical plant blast (worker was killed and another injured when a chemical plant exploded and caught fire – the injured man suffered burns to about 20 percent of his body, but was fully conscious and remains in hospital – fire was out by 10:20 am – cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but the fire department found chemicals including methanol, xylene and butanol at the scene)

AMMONIA Fire crews stop ammonia leak at Sac cold storage plant (ammonia leak at a cold storage plant was stopped by fire crews – the leak caused evacuations from a nearby mobile home park – one of the machines that stored bread and ice cream outside of the facility had the leak – none of the food inside of the plant was contaminated and no employees were on site at the time of the leak – residents were quickly evacuated from the area and directed to a Community Center – no injuries were reported)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Forklift Accident Kills Man In Bensalem (worker, 52, died in a forklift accident after a forklift fell on him – CPR was performed on the scene but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital – authorities have not said why the equipment fell on the man)

Construction

WORKZONE Construction worker is hurt by car in cone zone (worker, 27, was hit at about 4:30 a.m. and suffered minor injuries – a 2000 Toyota Avalon was traveling east about 4:30 a.m. and entered a closed lane of the freeway – the car struck a trailer, which then hit the worker)

STEAM ROLLER Construction worker hurt in Sunset accident (construction worker, 50, was injured after an accident involving a construction roller at 12:10 p.m. – circumstances of how the accident happened remain under investigation)

CRANE FATALITY CAUSE OF DEADLY NEW YORK CRANE COLLAPSE UNDER INVESTIGATION (a construction crane that was being lowered during strong winds came crashing down onto a street, killing a pedestrian and crushing a row of parked cars – officials said they recovered the mobile crane’s movement recording computer, which could provide clues – such as the angle of the boom – as to why the crane fell – Wall Street worker, 38, was walking on the street below and was killed by the crane collapse)

DEMOLITION CONSTRUCTION WORKER CRITICALLY INJURED AT MADISON AVENUE BUILDING SITE (construction worker is in critical condition after he was injured in an accident at a building undergoing demolition – around 2:30 p.m. the worker was performing demolition work – worker was secured by a rope, when a large chunk of concrete came down on him, striking him in the head)

FATAL FALL Construction Worker, 62, Dies in Fall From East Harlem Building (construction worker, 62, was killed after falling from a building undergoing repair work – he was replacing roof gutters on the six-story building when he fell)

WORKZONE Company Speaks Out After Worker Injured In Scaffold Accident (construction worker remained in serious condition after a semi struck a scaffold on the interstate – four workers were on the platform at the time of the incident – two of the workers were taken to the hospital and one was later released – Highway Patrol said this is an on-going investigation and have not released whether criminal charges could be filed)

WORKZONE Eastbound I-10 reopens after crash involving construction worker (construction worker was struck by a vehicle – no other details at this time)

FALL OSHA investigating Abernathy worker’s fall (worker was seriously injured after he fell while on the job – worker reportedly fell from a structure – the man who worked for an electric company fell 60 to 70 feet and was airlifted to a  hospital)

FATAL FALL from LADDER Hamilton worker killed in fall Tuesday (worker, 49, died following an industrial accident just before 1 a.m. – he was on a ladder while operating equipment when he fell)

One worker hospitalized after being trapped under home (worker is in the hospital after being trapped under a house he was working on – two men were trapped underneath the home but were rescued before they arrived – one man was taken to the hospital after complaining of chest and back pains – officials aren’t sure yet what caused the home to slip off the foundation)

NAIL GUN Workers Shoots Self In Chest With Nail Gun In Simsbury (worker was transported to the hospital after he accidentally shot himself in the chest with a nail gun shortly before 5:30 p.m. – victim was conscious and alert at the time of the accident and was transported to a Hospital for treatment)

TRENCH Syracuse man injured when trench collapsed on him in Salina (worker, 36, sustained minor injuries after a trench he was working in collapsed at a residence – he suffered a minor leg injury as a result of the accident, which took place at 12:33 p.m. – he was helping a friend with a plumbing /sewer problem when the walls inside a nine-foot-deep trench began to collapse around him – he was at the bottom of the trench, became trapped after the soil buried both of his legs)

Miscellaneous

Metro-North worker seriously injured in accident involving electric cart at Grand Central Station (worker was operating an electric maintenance cart when the accident took place – he suffered a serious leg injury)

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY w/ ELEVATOR Elevator Repair Worker Killed in Shaft at New Jersey High-Rise Building (elevator repair worker, 44, was killed after he was dragged up inside an elevator shaft at a high-rise building – he was performing monthly maintenance in one of the elevators at the 52-story building when he somehow got tangled between the elevator door and the top portion of the elevator car – he was dragged upwards and killed – worker was found wedged between an elevator cab and the wall of the shaft and was pronounced dead at the scene)

STORAGE FATALITY DHL worker killed and three injured in tyre container tragedy at logistics centre (worker, 50, died after a container of tyres fell on him and his colleagues – victim was working in an office block when a metal storage container filled with tyres crashed through the roof – workers desperately tried to free him and his three colleagues from beneath the tyres – one man suffered a heart attack and died after being taken to hospital – another worker remains seriously ill with head injuries while two others were discharged after receiving treatment)

ANGLE GRINDER FATALITY Dairy owners share grief at death of worker in accident (worker, 59, died after an accident with an angle grinder in the dairy’s maintenance shed – he had been with the company for a little more than a year – Paramedics were called and treated him on scene for serious chest injuries before he was taken to a Hospital)

GRANITE SLAB HANDLING Worker injured when 1,200-lb. slab of granite falls on him (worker, 24, is hospitalized with injuries to his back and legs after a slab of granite weighing more than half a ton fell on him – he was helping to unload a 1,200-pounds slab of granite when it broke loose from its mount – worker was able to jump partially out of the way but was knocked out when the slab pinned him)

FARM FATALITY Man dies in tragic accident on north-east farm (worker, 32, died following a tragic accident on a farm – he was dragged out of a swamp by colleagues who gave him first aid but he died at the scene – no details)

FALL Innisfil employee hurt on the job (employee remains in hospital in serious but stable condition after an industrial accident at approximately 8:45 p.m.- worker had been injured after falling at the job site and was taken by ambulance to a trauma centre, where he remains hospitalized with head injuries)

ELECTRICAL w/ FORKLIFT 2 workers shocked at Venice industrial park (two workers at a landscaping company were shocked while they were unloading a tractor-trailer carrying large palm trees at the industrial park – a tree being unloaded touched the power line overhead, energizing the tree, fork lift and semi-trailer – one worker was shocked briefly – as co-workers checked on the worker, they saw a second worker in contact with the forklift actively being shocked – the worker fell to the ground, and co-workers started cardiopulmonary resuscitation – when a Deputy arrived, she took over CPR until paramedics arrived – victim was revived but unconscious when transported to a hospital – the first worker who was shocked was not seriously injured)

OVEN EXPLOSION Worker severely burned in restaurant oven explosion (an explosion at a restaurant has left an employee severely burned – an aerosol spray can blew up after it fell onto the conveyor belt of the restaurant’s pizza oven – the explosion blew out the doors of the oven – employee was discovered with burns to his head and upper torso and was taken to a Hospital with first and second-degree burns)

HOTWORK Diesel tank fire caused by welding sparks (fire investigators are blaming sparks from a welding job for a diesel tank fire – while the welder was working, sparks ignited the fuel in the nearby tank – took firefighters about an hour to put out the fire – no injuries and firefighters were able to keep the flames away from nearby houses)

HOTWORK Fire at Foxboro business deemed an accident (upon investigation of the entire scene it appears that this fire was the result of a cutting and grinding operation where byproducts of that operation ignited nearby flammable liquids – building was a total loss – damage from the fire was estimated at $400,000)