50 incidents & 0 updates (11/11/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker 

Industrial

RADIATION Idaho lab accident may stem from damaged container (all 16 workers exposed to radiation at the Laboratory were allowed to go home following the incident, which officials said likely resulted from decades-old plutonium powder that escaped its damaged stainless-steel shell – after a follow-up lung scan, one worker still tested positive for radioactive material in the lungs and was receiving extra attention at the lab’s medical facility – seven of the employees tested positive for external skin contamination, and six had positive nasal swipes – all 16 workers will undergo weeks of testing, including urine analysis to evaluate their level of exposure – none of the exposed workers was exhibiting outward symptoms of radiological exposure – they were allowed to go home because they posed no threat to others – filters meant to keep radioactive material from being released from exhaust systems inside the facility functioned properly – workers wearing lab coats and gloves but not respiratory gear were recovering the fuel so it could be shipped to a U.S. Department of Energy facility in an undisclosed state – lab officials suspect the stainless steel cladding that surrounded the plutonium was damaged years ago, beginning a slow-but-steady process of plutonium oxidation that led to the exposure – when workers opened an aluminum box that housed the fuel plates and cut away plastic wrapping, they noticed several grains of powder that escaped)

FATAL EXPLOSION One Killed, Five Injured in E.China Plant Blast (one worker died and five were injured in an explosion at a polishing factory around 9 a.m. – six workers were injured in the blast, and one of them died in hospital – the explosion occurred when aluminite powder, a raw material for making polishing products, stored at the factory caught fire – there were more than ten people working in the factory when the accident happened, and the factory was blown open by the powerful explosion – on Oct. 24 aluminite powder caught fire in another Wenzhou factory, causing an explosion that left 16 people seriously injured and forced the evacuations of more than 100 nearby residents)

MANLIFT Accident at Delaware grain elevator critically injures 2 workers (two maintenance workers have been critically injured in an accident at a grain elevator – the workers were operating a boom-lift that toppled backward and fell to the ground – the lift was raised about 40 feet off the ground – the men, both in their 30s, were performing maintenance and trying to reach a conveyor belt on top of a grain silo – it appears one worker tried to reposition the lift, and one of its wheels went down a small embankment – that may have caused the lift to fall backward – they landed on a gravel surface – both were wearing safety harnesses – they were flown to a Trauma Center in critical condition)

MINE Worker injured at Gibson County, Ind., mine (a worker was injured at a Mine shortly after midnight – the accident at the underground mine occurred while a water line was being installed – the worker’s injuries were not life-threatening – he was transported to a Medical Center as a precaution)

GUARDING/LOTO Worker injured at Mr Binman plant (a man has been seriously injured in an accident at a waste and refuse facility – he was injured when his leg got caught in a machine at the plant – he has been taken to the a Hospital)

GUARDING/LOTO Worker loses fingers at egg farm affiliated with DeCoster (a worker lost two fingers at an egg farm – few details were available other than that the accident happened at 8 a.m.)

GUARDING/LOTO Worker Injured as Hand is Trapped in Machinery Rollers (a worker was injured when his hand was trapped between the heated rollers of a machine – he was operating a pre-preg machine at a factory – the worker was attempting to clean the machine whilst it was still running – his rubber glove became entangled with the heated rollers of the machine and his hand was pulled between them – a colleague stopped the machine after seeing the accident – his hand was trapped for an hour whilst emergency services freed it – two of his fingers were fractured, and he suffered burns to his forearms)

CRANE FATALITY Shintech worker run over by crane (a supervisor was run over and killed by a small crane driven by a contract employee near the chlor-alkali unit – it is the third death at the plant in fewer than six months – in May, an employee and a contract worker were overcome by fumes and died in a vessel in a process unit that was not operational)

LOTO FATALITY One dead in two separate Alberta workplace accidents (two workplace accidents occurred in separate areas of the province, including one that killed a man, 31 – the fatality occurred late in the morning when the worker was crushed at a sand and gravel operation – the man was removing excess gravel from a conveyor when his arm got caught and he was pulled into the machine’s rollers – the second accident happened at a construction site where a worker got pinned beneath a collapsed crane – it took a heavy rescue team about half an hour to free the man, who suffered only minor injuries)

HOTWORK FATALITY Worker, 50, dies from major burns at John Pointons and Sons (a welder, 50, died after suffering serious burns at an animal rendering plant – paramedics battled to save him, but the sub-contractor died hours later at the burns unit of a hospital – he was carrying out routine maintenance work at the factory when the alarm was raised)

LOTO Race to save fingers of lift worker (doctors were trying to reattach the severed fingers of a lift worker, 30, that were cut off by gear wheels while he was carrying out maintenance – he and a colleague were working on a lift when he accidentally put his left hand between two moving gear wheels – ambulancemen helped to stop the bleeding and retrieved his fingers – he is an experienced worker and has worked for the company for more than 10 years)

MINE ELECTROCUTION Drummond halts Colombia coal output after accident (a worker died in an accident when the worker was electrocuted)

STEAM ACCIDENT Broken steam line causes injuries at Nevada plant (a mishap at an ethanol plant left several employees hurt – a power surge ruptured a steam line burning two of the workers and knocking another worker over a railing at the plant – the injured were transported to a Medical Center for treatment of non life-threatening injuries – a fourth worker refused medical treatment at the scene)

MINE FATALITY Foreman killed in eastern Kentucky coal mine accident (a foreman, 47, has been killed at an underground mine, the third mine-related fatality in the state in 10 days – he was apparently struck by a piece of equipment inside the No. 9 mine and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead – it was the state’s seventh mine-related death in 2011 – it happened 10 days after two workers at a western Kentucky surface mine were crushed by falling rock and debris in their truck)

FATAL MINE EXPLOSION At least 21 killed in gas explosion at Chinese mine (at least 21 workers have been killed after a gas leak at a mine caused a massive underground explosion at around 6:30am – rescuers were struggling to reach the other workers who had been trapped underground by the explosion – there are thought to be 22 miners who remain trapped, though there has been no news as to how many – if any – remain alive)

FATAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER EXPLOSION Three Indonesian Workers Killed in Freak Accident (three workers lost their lives in strange circumstances aboard a ship docked – the men, employees of engineering company, were working in the engine room of a ship when a fire extinguisher exploded – the victims, were killed when they were hit by fragments of the extinguisher or were poisoned by the CO2 gas as they attempted to escape the engine room – another two men attempted to rescue the trio but were also poisoned by the gas – they were rushed to hospital and are still unconscious)

ARC FLASH Electrical Flash Leaves Two Dover Employees Burned (two City electric employees, 27 & 41, suffered burns in an arc flash incident – they are recovering at separate hospitals – they were working on equipment just after 8 a.m., when there was an electrical flash – neither worker was electrocuted but both sustained burns from the flash – one is in stable condition and the other one was taken to a Burn Treatment Center and he’s in critical condition)

CHEMICAL Worker in hospital with burns (a worker at a chemical plant was admitted to an emergency centre with chemical burns – it is not clear how the employee came into contact with the chemicals – he told paramedics he was mixing two chemicals when a reaction occurred – the chemicals fizzed and splashed on to his body – he suffered severe burns to his right foot, arm and chest)

HOT OIL Worker scalded by boiling oil (an oil refinery worker, 30, was badly scalded on his arms and forehead by boiling oil at his workplace – he only started working at the refinery about a month ago, was said to be handling the palm oil with two other male workers when the mishap occurred around 6p.m. – he suffered serious burns on both arms and his forehead and was sent to the hospital before being referred to the Burn Unit for a follow-up treatment – the other two workers sustained only minor burns in the incident)

REACTOR EXPLOSION Chemical reactor exploded in chemical factory (fire broke out at around 2 p.m. at a chemical factory in a medium-sized unit – in the fire, one worker sustained serious burns while another sustained minor burns – in a serious lapse, at least half an hour elapsed before the injured men were taken to the hospital by the fire brigade – the incident happened at about 2 pm when an employee was working on the chemical reactor – it exploded and he was engulfed in flames)

OIL DRILLING Man flown to hospital after leg is crushed by pipe at local oil site (Cal/OSHA has shut down work at a local oil drilling site after a worker, 28, had his leg crushed between a backhoe and a pipe – Fire Department says it had to use hydraulic tools to lift a 400-foot long pipe weighing thousands of pounds off of the employee – it slammed through the backhoe and pinned the man’s leg)

GUARDING/LOTO FATALITY 82-year-old Iowa man’s body found in rock crusher at quarry (an 82-year-old man has been killed in a rock crushing machine at a quarry a little after 4:30 p.m. – employee reported seeing his co-worker standing near where rock enters the machine – the co-worker left the area and didn’t see him upon returning – another worker arrived and found his body in the crusher)

REFINERY EXPLOSION Jilin Province Refinery Blast Kills Three (three people have been confirmed dead and eight others injured after a blast occurred at a factory – the blast triggered a fire at an oil refinery – firefighters evacuated nearby residents and have since brought the fire under control – three of the eight injured people have been released from hospital, while another two with more serious injuries are still receiving treatment – the refinery explosion didn’t cause any water or air pollution – the cause of the blast is still under investigation)

REFINERY FIRE Explosion sparks fire at oil company (no one was seriously injured – employees at the company followed the proper procedure assisting firefighters in containing the fire – the fire started at the oil refinery plant just before 12:30 p.m. – a preliminary investigation suggests the fire started in the area of the plant where the vapors that are pulled off the oil during the refining process are stored – there was between $2,000 and $3,500 worth of damage to electrical equipment in the plant)

BIODIESEL PLANT FIRE Crews Respond to Fire Call at Craig Biodiesel Plant (several fire departments have responded to a fire call at a biodiesel plant – an explosion occurred sometime after 1 o’clock at the plant – no one was hurt – the maintenance doors on the facility sustained significant damage – it seems to be a problem with one of the dryers, but they are still trying to locate the source – plant manufactures grain, neutral spirits and other ethanol products)

AMMONIA Orica plant closed after new toxic leak (two railyard workers were hospitalised after being overcome by ammonia fumes which escaped the site – closure of the plant came just a day after the EPA announced it would prosecutethe company in the Land and Environment Court over the August 8 leak, which sent a chemical plume over nearby Stockton)

AMMONIA Leak from 23,000-gallon tank of anhydrous ammonia contained at Boone warehouse (a leak from a 23,000-gallon tank of anhydrous ammonia has been contained around 9 p.m. Monday – no injuries were reported – the leak was contained and nearby roads reopened to traffic around 12:45 a.m. – the entire warehouse had been evacuated, but workers were allowed to return to some parts of it)

RAILYARD FATALITY Teen dies in workplace accident (a worker, 18, died in a workplace accident when he was run over by a tractor-trailer unit in a rail yard – he was run over by the truck as it was backing into a load area to take on a load of construction materials – he was pronounced dead at the scene after a crane lifted the vehicle off him)

CRANE Crane operator injured when dock collapses at CSX Phosphate Terminal in Tampa (a crane operator was injured when the dock under the machinery collapsed at the Phosphate Terminal – fire rescue crews found a 40-foot-tall rail crane tilted on its side over the water – the crane operator had multiple injuries and was taken to a Hospital, where he was in serious condition – cause of the accident is under investigation)

FORKLIFT Man taken to Gozo Hospital after forklift truck accident (a worker, 31, was taken to a Hospital after falling from a forklift truck he was working on – the circumstances leading up to the accident are not yet certain – the man is reported to be suffering from life-threatening injuries)

Construction

WORKZONE FATALITY Construction Worker Killed in Accident on Interstate 77 (a construction worker, 40, killed in a morning accident on Interstate 77 – he was struck by a semi-tractor truck around 10:30 a.m. – the driver stopped and is cooperating with the police department’s investigation)

EXCAVATOR FATALITY Worker dies after digger falls 100ft (a plant operator has died in an accident at a former factory involving a mechanical digger at the site at 5.30p.m. – the man is said to have died instantly after apparently plunging around 100ft while operating a mini excavator)

WORKZONE Construction worker hurt at Legacy Farms site in Hopkinton (a construction worker was rushed by ambulance to a hospital after an accident on a stretch of a Street that had been closed to traffic – the accident took place shortly before 3 p.m., with the man taken to a Medical Center – no details)

Injured worker Airlifted a worker, 51, at a construction site had to be airlifted to hospital after being hurt on the job – police aren’t saying what happened at the site – he was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to a  hospital for treatment)

HOTWORK Fumes from fire send downtown construction worker to hospital (fire dept was called out to an apartment building under construction just before 2:00 pm – a welder was working on the exterior of the building, when hot slag dropped from the twelfth floor to the seventh floor – a flammable liquid ignited in a bucket, the fire spread to the building and ignited exterior polyvinyl sheets that were covering a window – the workers were able to extinguish the fire themselves, but one of them had to go to hospital after inhaling fumes – damage to the building was roughly $2500)

CONCRETE POUR COLLAPSE One construction worker killed in Brooklyn building collapse (shoddy concrete pouring blamed for accident that has killed one worker and left four workers in stable condition – the construction worker was killed when the steel skeleton of a condo complex collapsed – five workers were taken to hospitals – one went into cardiac arrest and died later in the day – a preliminary probe revealed the cause of the accident was improper pouring of fresh concrete — which is normally put down first on the lower floors to fortify a building’s base)

TRUCK ROLLING Freak accident leaves man in critical condition after his own truck pins him against garage door (a man, 41, was critically injured when he went behind the truck and then it rolled backward, pinning him against garage door – he stopped a truck he was driving on an inclined driveway and it rolled into him, pinning his body against a parking garage door)

FATAL FALL from FORKLIFT Construction Worker Dies From Fall From Fork Lift in Branson (a constrution worker has died following a weekend accident – the man fell off a fork lift platform about 20 feet in the air – the victim worked for a subcontractor on the project)

TREE CUTTING FATALITY Worker Killed During Tree Removal (a construction worker, 64, died while a crew was clearing a sight line for a land lot after 8:30 a.m. – after the crew removed a tree near the road, one worker was pinned against a tree and run over by the excavator)

HOT TAR Worker suffers severe burns as tar bursts in to flames (a worker suffered serious burns to his hands and arms while helping to repair a roof – the man, in his mid-30s, was carrying a pan of heated tar through the bathroom of a flat above a garage when it burst into flames at about 11.30 a.m. – the man was taken to hospital by ambulance with “severe burns”)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION installing SOLAR PANELS Two injured in Henderson explosion (two people were injured when a welding torch ignited methane gas at a call center, causing an explosion – a solar panel is being installed at the back of the building, and a member of the construction crew was welding copper pipe when the explosion occurred – the worker was knocked about 20 feet by the explosion and was taken to a Medical Center with minor injuries – a second worker was injured but didn’t need to be taken to the hospital – the explosion didn’t cause a fire and any structural damage to the building)

ELECTRICAL and LADDER Rescue crews revive roofer struck by electrical charge (three people were electrocuted when the ladder they were using hit a power line – worker, 23, and another roofer were struck by an electrical current  when a ladder they were moving off a house fell back and touched nearby utility wires – the first emergency crews to arrive on scene found one worker had no pulse – they worked on him with a defibrillator – the rescue workers shocked him once with the defibrillator and administered CPR for about five minutes before they finally got a pulse – the second injured man,  22, was taken with non-life threatening injuries to a Medical Center – the third was in fair condition at a hospital – they were members of a five-man crew doing roof repair at the two-family house when the  10:39 a.m. accident occurred)

MIscellaneouS

FALL through SKYLIGHT Ala. Worker Hurt in Fall at Car Dealership (an auto dealership employee suffered serious injuries when he fell through the roof of the business – he was on the roof cleaning a gutter when he apparently stepped backward onto a fiberglass skylight and fell about 20 feet to the floor of the body shop, landing on his back – his leg also struck a car in the fall)

WORKZONE Middleboro DPW worker struck by car (a Department of Works employee, 39, is in fair condition at a Hospital with broken ribs after he was struck by a car just before noon – he was collecting trash in the area when he was struck as he crossed the road by a 2005 Buick)

Vineyard worker hospitalized after accident (a vineyard worker was reported to be trapped in a vehicle that had rolled over – fire crews arrived to find the work vehicle on its side on a steep dirt road, but the patient was no longer trapped – the patient was later transported to a Hospital by Lifeflight helicopter – condition of the patient is unknown and the cause of the accident is under investigation)