52 incidents & 0 updates (4/8/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

DRILL RIG CRUSHING FATALITY Harrisburg man killed in NW Pa. drilling accident (a drilling worker, 24, was fatally crushed by a large piece of pipe at a natural gas well site – he was killed instantly when the pipe slipped, crushing him between it and a large beam – a team of workers was placing the pipe together with another piece when the accident occurred about 8:20 a.m.)

LOTO/GUARDING WorksafeBC investigating accident that injured man at Ardew (a man was caught in machinery at about 11 p.m. – the injured man was sent to the hospital, but unsure of his condition or treatment since then)

UNLOADING ACCIDENT – WRONG TANK Workers collapse after chemical leak at Thai factory (some of the 22 workers affected by the leak were discharged from a Hospital after they recovered – the leakage occurred when a truck carrying the chemical was transferring it to a storage tank – the worker in charge of the transfer mistakenly plugged the line into the wrong tank, causing the leak – the factory, which had about 200 workers on shift at the time of the accident, immediately suspended operations and moved other workers out of the area)

GLASS HANDLING FATALITY Glass shop worker dies in accident (an employee, 22, of a wholesale glass showroom died when a glass sheet being taken down from the first floor fell and pierced his stomach around 4.15pm – he was standing on the ground floor and trying to take the six-feet-long sheet from another employee on the first floor when he lost his grip and the sheet fell – it landed on his stomach and the sharp edge pierced through)

FATAL FALL from DRILL RIG Worker falls to death in oilfield accident (an oilfield worker, 33, lost his life when he fell 50 feet onto a steel floor – he sustained fatal injuries when he slipped while doing some service work on a drilling rig –  County EMS & Rescue crews responded to another oil rig accident Thursday afternoon when a worker suffered unknown injuries from an apparent fall at a derrick – as responders arrived at the site, the worker had regained consciousness and was responding to fellow workers, but EMS personnel had to climb 25 feet to the rig flooring to provide medical assistance)

GAS LINE FAILURE 3 workers injured in gas line accident in Nebraska (officials say three workers with the Utilities District have been injured while working a natural gas line – a crew was doing routine maintenance when the line ruptured – one worker was taken to a hospital – two others were treated at the scene for minor injuries – the gas line was shut down)

FORKLIFT Man injured in industrial accident (a forklift truck operator was airlifted to an area hospital after he was injured in an industrial accident just before 2 p.m. – the worker’s lower legs were pinned under the equipment – firefighters extricated the worker – he was transported via medical helicopter to a Medical Center)

FORKLIFT Worker in foot accident (a worker, 58, had his foot snapped in an industrial accident – he was taken to hospital by air ambulance after the incident at an insulation firm – it is believed a fork-lift truck had driven over his foot)

MINE FATALITY Timmins worker dies in mine mishap (a miner was killed on the job at a Gold Mine – the worker was part of a crew working in a development heading underground at the mine – full details of the incident are not known at this time)

WIND FARM CRUSHING INJURIES Wind farm worker crushed at Macarthur site (a wind farm worker, 24, is in hospital with minor injuries after being crushed in an industrial accident – an air ambulance flew the worker from the wind farm to a Hospital with chest, shoulder and head injuries – his injuries were non-life-threatening)

LOTO/GUARDING Worker in serious condition after trapped in machine at Mequon company (a man, 49, has been listed in serious condition at a Hospital after being trapped in a machine at a factory – he was trapped inside a computer numerical control machine – the accident happened at about 6:00 a.m. – no one witnessed the incident, but a co-worker heard cries for help to disable the machine – worker appeared to be conscious and breathing when Fire Department rescue workers assisted him – he has worked at the plant for 23 years, which produces industrial skylights)

MINE COLLAPSE Nine Workers Trapped In Collapsed Mine In South (nine workers are trapped underground after a mine, where they worked extracting copper, caved in two days ago in the south of Peru – rescuers managed to drill a hole in the ground and extended a hose to the trapped miners, supplying them with oxygen, water and food – doctors say that all of the trapped miners are alive, although some of them suffered from dehydration and depression caused by a closed space)

FLASH FIRE Two workers injured in KOC fire (two workers were injured in a fire that broke out in a portable high-pressure air device – the fire occurred at 11:20 a.m. which resulted in the wounding of two workers – the fire broke out while the crew was carrying out a periodical maintenance of a portable high-pressure air device)

FLASH FIRE Four hurt in chemical fire (four workers were injured, with one being flown to a Hospital burn unit – a small chemical fire inside the the coating line area of the plant injured four people – the four were contract workers and they were doing routine maintenance in the coating line area – three of the workers were taken to a Hospital where they were being treated for minor burns – a fourth worker was flown to a Hospital burn center)

BURNS Nestle employee airlifted to burn center after incident at Gaffney plant (a mechanic was airlifted to a burn center after an incident at the plant – he required “specialized medical attention” for burns that he suffered while performing a maintenance task – he was in stable condition – he suffered second- and third-degree burns on one side of his body – burns went from his back to the heel of that foot)

HIGH PRESSURE TESTING Worker Hurt at Oklahoma Natural Gas Services Plant (a man has been injured while conducting high-pressure testing on equipment at an oil and natural gas services plant at about 9 p.m. – the call came in as an explosion, but no blast or fire occurred – the man was conducting high-pressure testing a fracturing device when a jolt of water hit him as it came out of the line – he was transported by medical helicopter to a hospital – other employees at the site weren’t hurt)

GUARDING/LOTO Gainesville worker hurt on job, flown to Atlanta trauma center (a worker was taken by air ambulance to a hospital after he was injured on the job – emergency responders found a worker with his hand caught in a piece of equipment – a couple of fingers had become crushed in some of their production machinery – no other workers were involved)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION cutting drum Chemical explosion injures man at recycling facility (a worker at a metal recycling facility was injured in an explosion – he was using a plasma torch to cut into a 55-gallon metal drum The drum contained residue of Naphtha, a flammable substance used in lighter fluid and fuel for camp stoves)

ELECTROCUTION Worker electrocuted at envelope factory in Douglas (a man, 53, was electrocuted while he was working on a piece of machinery – he was taken by ambulance to a Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:10 p.m. – he was working on a blower motor of a machine used to make envelopes when he was apparently electrocuted – reports indicated that CPR was performed at the scene)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES Two metalworkers cooked to death after colleague accidentally switches on 800C furnace while they were cleaning it (an Austrian metalworker accidentally switched on an oven that two colleagues were inside cleaning, leaving them to slowly cook to death – detectives investigating the horrific deaths in the massive oven say the pair had tried to rip the insulation off the wall of the oven and clawed at the door in a desperate bid to get free – the tragedy happened when the automatic door of the oven at the factory closed – the workers failed to instigate any of the four security measures including putting up a sign indicating that they were inside, and also failing to secure the door so that it stayed open – as a result the door had somehow swung shut and the colleague, believing the cleaning work had finished because he had already seen his colleagues outside and noting the door was closed, had switched the oven on – he is now being given psychological counselling – the two men, one 56 had worked at the factory for several years and a 49-year-old man who had been sent there by a temporary agency – would have realized what had happened when the hot air started to flood into the chamber)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES due to IMPROPER HOTWORK Seven Die in Factory Fire in Peru (seven people died in a fire at a fish oil plant – the fire was apparently started by improper use of welding equipment, but the cause is still under investigation by the fire department and police – the workers died inside a storage tank that they started repairing without taking adequate safety measures – six other people working outside the tank managed to get out of the plant alive – the factory lacked hook-ups for hoses, complicating the work of firefighters, who needed two hours to extinguish the blaze – the workers were trapped in the tank when the fire started and the remains have been sent to the coroner’s office for identification)

HOTWORK Fire breaks out at N.Ky. business (investigators are trying to determine what caused a fire that damaged a business – the fire broke out at an Automotive Services business shortly before 3 p.m.  – the two-story building was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived – the business was closed at the time of the fire which may have been started by a worker using a torch – there were no injuries reported)

HOTWORK Fire in old paint booth damages Rick Weaver Buick GMC building in Erie (a building that is being converted into a collision center for a Buick GMC dealership was damaged when a fire started in an old paint booth at about 1:10 p.m. – crews arrived to find smoke coming from the roof of the one-story building – firefighters had the fire knocked down by about 1:21 p.m. and cleared the scene about 20 minutes later – the fire started in a paint booth inside the building and was contained to the area – an exhaust stack and a portion of the roof also were damaged by fire – there were no injuries in the fire – workers inside the building were using a torch to remove bolts when they ignited some paint, setting off the fire)

REFINERY FIRE Fire doused at Numaligarh Refinery, incurs loss (a major fire broke out in the hydro-cracker unit of a refinery, with the loss estimated to be in crores – the fire was due to a “technical fault” and more precisely, might have had occurred due to “leakage of hydrogen” – there was no spread of fire to the nearby units and fire could be contained within the hydro-cracker unit – there had been no injury to persons engaged in refinery operation during the fire as well as during the fire fighting exercise)

CHEMICAL LEAK Shell oil refinery chemical scare in Vic (a section of an oil refinery has been shut down following a chemical leak – about 20 firefighters were called to the plant at about 11pm (AEST) when super-heated flammable sand, used in fuel production, began leaking from a pipe – part of the plant was shut down and roads in the vicinity closed as a precaution while authorities responded to the leak)

REFINERY EXPLOSION 6 Injured in Romanian Oil Refinery Explosion (six persons have been injured in an explosion at a refinery – the explosion was followed by a fire – all of the injured persons are in a stable condition – the explosion is reported to have occurred during repairs of the sewage system but specific causes have been reported yet)

EXPLOSION No Injuries Reported in Idaho Sulfur Explosion (an atrocious smell filled the air, but nobody was injured when sulfur buildup caused an auger atop a warehouse to explode at a fertilizer plant – there were workers near the auger when it exploded at 9:11 a.m. – the employees were handling sulfur and likely triggered the explosion – medical crews checked everyone in the vicinity of the explosion for injuries)

WWTP EXPLOSION 1 injured in blast at Dubuque wastewater plant (one person has been injured in an explosion and fire at the city’s wastewater treatment – the explosion happened shortly before 6 p.m. in one of the plant’s incinerators – one employee suffered nonlife-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital – the water treatment plant is in the midst of a $64 million facility upgrade – damage from the fire was centered in an older part of the plant and was not expected to hinder facility’s operation – fire officials were investigating the cause of the fire)

AMMONIA 300 Hyundai PFCE workers in Kerteh inhale ammonia gas (three hundred workers of a plant maintenance company who were waiting to start their overtime shift at a Gas Processing Plant were nearly killed after inhaling a chemical gas believed to be ammonia – the incident occurred at 8.30pm when the workers were entering the plant to carry out plant maintenance – about 24 workers, who were overcame by the pungent gas, suffered watery eyes, dizziness and vomitting and were sent for treatment – nine were referred to a Clinic and 15 workers were sent to the Hospital while a 28 year-old employee had to be sent to a Hospital after displaying more serious symptoms – there were about 50 workers in the plant while he and another worker were waiting for their turn to enter – company says the ammonia was not from their process)

AMMONIA Six workers hospitalized following ammonia leak at meat-packing plant (the accident was reported at 10:15 p.m.- a total of 50 kilograms of ammonia was released from the plant’s refrigeration system, which contains a total of 20 tons of ammonia – ninety people working at the semi-finished product workshop where the accident occurred were evacuated from the building without harm to their health, while six people were hospitalized and diagnosed with light poisoning with ammonia fumes – the supply of ammonia to the damaged refrigerator was cut off and measures were taken to remove the ammonia leak – ammonia fumes did not spread to other floors of the building – in a separate accident that occurred at the Meat-Packing Plant in the afternoon, an employee was poisoned with ammonia fumes while testing equipment in the compressor workshop – the man also had to be taken to a hospital)

AMMONIA Ammonia Leak Handled Safely at Holland Twp. Plant (nobody was hurt in an apparent ammonia leak – it took workers and firefighters about 10 minutes to cap the leak inside a freezer unit, and employees on duty at the time safely evacuated the building as a precaution – there was no immediate determination as to a cause of the leak as the incident remains under investigation)

CONSTRUCTION

CRANE 2 Construction Workers Hurt (two construction workers were injured, one of them seriously, at a road construction site – the two men were atop a bridge support pillar when they were struck by a crane bucket about 9:30 a.m. – both men were immobilized in a rescue effort several stories off the ground – the more seriously injured man was strapped to a backboard and lifted to the ground by a second crane bucket, then rushed by air ambulance to a Hospital – the second victim received minor injuries and was taken to a Hospital by ground ambulance)

CRANE FATALITY Crane That Killed Worker At 7 Train Site Had Faulty Hoisting System (investigators looking into why a giant 170-foot crane collapsed and killed a worker at the 7 train extension site are homing in on the crane’s “hoisting system” – the crane was not carrying any load when the boom broke and fell apart, but a steel-wire cable of the crane snapped just moments before the accident – officials say it had “a number of defects” in its hoisting system – engineers have found defects in the hoisting system of the crane that failed and, as a result, the maintenance and operation of the crane in the days and weeks prior to this tragic accident has become the focus of our investigation)

ELECTROCUTION with LADDER Conway man dies in apparent industrial accident (police are investigating the death of a man, 25, who died in an apparent industrial accident while doing work on a house – he was doing siding work – co-worker told police that he was moving a 30-foot extension ladder when it tipped back on him and struck nearby power lines – the co-worker says he fell to the ground – worker was pronounced dead at a Hospital)

LOTO Man loses right palm, finger in freak accident (a worker, 45, lost his right palm and one finger of the left hand while cleaning a concrete mixer – the incident occurred when the victim was cleaning the machine after the concreting work of building)

FALL from COLLAPSED CONCRETE FORM Construction worker injured after fall on Vanier job site (paramedics and the technical rescue team extricated a construction worker, 37, who was injured after an accident at about 8:45 a.m. at a construction site for a residential highrise – he was injured when a platform made of wood and steel beams fell – the platform, being used to pour cement to make a wall, was approximately 1,500 kilograms and six metres tall – he was treated at a  hospital for a fractured skull, fractured arm, hip injuries, a concussion and lacerations to his face and arm)

TRENCH FATALITY Montreal construction worker dies in trench collapse (a construction worker, 53, died after being buried under a half-tonne pile of earth and concrete in a trench just before 5 p.m. – rescue workers pulled the man’s body from the rubble a short time later – he was fixing pipes underground on 54th Avenue near Highway 20 when the earth and asphalt caved in around him at midday – the driver of a backhoe, 43, jumped into the trench to try to save his co-worker, but was trapped up to his waist in debris – rescue workers were able to pull him out)

FALL from DECKING Construction worker injured in Seekonk mishap (a construction worker was taken to a hospital after he fell from a house under construction – the worker, in his mid-20s, fell 12 to 14 feet to the ground from the decking of a second floor and suffered head, facial and other related injuries – it was not immediately known how the worker fell)

FATAL FALL from COLLAPSED LIFT Supervisor, two workers killed in lift accident (a supervisor and two workers were killed when a lift they were using broke down and plummeted eight stories in an under construction building – all were killed on the spot – a criminal case has been registered against project and site managers)

CRANE Man in intensive care after being hit by crane jib (a worker is in the intensive care unit in hospital after he was hit by the jib of a tower crane at about 1000pm at a worksite – the tower crane was lifting a bucket filled with cement when its jib toppled and hit the worker)

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Perry County Man Claims Work Incident was an Accident (family claims a co-worker attacked him while on the job – that co-worker said there was no attack and has a different explanation for the injuries – co-worker, 28, said he defended himself after an argument quickly took a turn for the worst – “Walked into the room and he took his paint mask off and then me and him started arguing about who does what and who didn’t do what” – “Then he hit me in my mouth and then I grabbed him and restricted him into the wall” – soon after that, another worker walked into the room and told them to break it up, so he let him go – “He stood up, kind of looked at me startled, and stumbled over a box of paint and fell down and hit his head” – worker remains in a coma at a Hospital – he suffered head trauma, broken ribs, a laceration to his liver, and damage to his lungs)

MISCELLANEOUS

ELECTROCUTION with PIPE into POWER LINE One Man Dead and Another Injured In Farming Accident (one man is dead and a second is injured in a farming accident in a peach field – 911 Dispatchers got a call of possible electrocution shortly after 4:00 p.m. – when EMS arrived, the injured man was transported to a Burn Center and a call to have the coroner respond to the scene went out – the two workers were laying aluminum irrigation lines in the peach field and needed to cross a small creek – rather than sliding the large pipe across the creek, the workers stood the pipe on end and it made contact with an overhead power line)

FALL into OPEN SEWER MANHOLE Lawn worker falls into open storm drain (a lawn worker fell 15 feet into an open storm sewer just before noon – the worker was mowing the grass when he fell into the hole – the manhole was open and covered with vegetation – he inadvertently stepped over the vegetation that was covering the hole and fell in – the victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition)

Golden Gate worker injured on the job (a bridge worker was injured in an accident on one of the bridge’s sidewalks at 7:47 a.m. – initial reports to the CHP indicated that a scooter was somehow caught in a rail and that someone may have suffered a head injury – the worker struck a railing and was taken to a hospital for observation – injuries are not considered life-threatening)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION cutting drum Worker burned while cutting metal drum in Forest Grove (a farm worker was using a cutting torch on a metal drum when it exploded, setting fire to the man’s clothes – the man immediately “dropped and rolled,” extinguishing the flames on his clothing – the drum was thought to be empty but fire officials think it likely contained enough diesel residue to cause the explosion)

Lawn mower catches fire, worker injured (a lawn maintenance worker, 27, was burned when the lawn mower he was using caught fire – the victim suffered second degree burns to 40 percent of his body – he was taken to a Hospital as a trauma alert)

OXYGEN EXPLOSION Worker hurt in fire, explosion at Metro West Ambulance headquarters (a worker with an ambulance service was hurt on duty when a valve malfunction caused a fire and explosion at 8 a.m., – a vehicle service technician was filling up oxygen tanks in a room of a garage – a valve malfunction apparently caused a fire and explosion, injuring the man)