55 incidents & 0 updates (1/25/15)

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2015 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

Portland Man Dies After Accident At Middletown Steel Factory (worker, 40, died at a steel processing factory at about 9 a.m. – details about the exact nature of the accident were not released)

MINE FATALITY Mine worker killed in Missouri accident (worker killed while reportedly removing loose rock when some loose material fell and struck the cab of his equipment – he was performing a standard safety practice of scaling the mine roof (checking for and removing loose rock from a working mine area) when some loose material fell and struck the cab of his equipment, fatally injuring him – no other employees were injured)

Worker taken to hospital after accident in Suffolk (worker, 58, was taken to a hospital after he was trapped under a piece of farm equipment that fell on him about 7:30 a.m. – he had been working under the farming equipment when a piece fell on him – firefighters freed the man, who was taken to a Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening)

FORKLIFT Worker seriously injured in Pulaski logging accident (one person has been hospitalized after a logging accident – a logging crew was clearing rough cut timber when a forklift fell on the operator – victim was taken to a trauma center with severe injuries)

STRUCK by FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker in North Delta killed in forklift accident (worker, 36, was killed after being struck by a forklift at a packing plant – he was run over by a forklift at around 2:30 pm. and sustained serious injuries – emergency responders were not able to help the man, who reportedly died at the scene)

Utility worker flown to Boston hospital following accident in Marstons Mills (a utility worker was flown to an area hospital following an industrial accident – the utility worker was reportedly been struck by a 4×4 piece of wood cribbing being used to support new utility poles – firefighters arranged for a MedFlight helicopter transport to a Hospital – his injuries were reportedly non life-threatening)

CRANE FATALITY Steel worker killed in Middletown industrial accident identified (worker, 40, was killed just before 10 a.m. in an industrial accident at 8:45 a.m. – the sheet metal worker was moving heavy sheet metal on one of those those sliding cranes when the beam ran into building and the metal banged one employee who was, severely injured – that victim died from his injuries)

FATAL FALL and LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY Accidents At Fukushima Daiichi, Daini Nuclear Power Plants Kill Two Workers (two workers died in separate accidents at two Japanese nuclear power plants – one of the workers had fallen into an empty water storage tank at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant and died at a local hospital – he was reportedly trying to remove the lid from the tank, when he fell into it – he was wearing a harness, but the hook was found tucked inside the harness – second accident took place when the worker was injured and then rendered unconscious while he was inspecting equipment at a facility sorting radioactive waste – he was reportedly caught in equipment and died after suffering a severe head injury – number of accidents, including heat strokes, at the Fukushima Daiichi plant has nearly doubled to 55 in this fiscal year)

PAPER MILL POWER HOUSE FATALITY International Paper worker killed (worker, 57, was on the maintenance crew at the mill when he was injured in an accident at the mill’s Power House, which burns fuel oil and bark to generate electricity for the plant’s two paper machines)

Man who died in manufacturing plant accident was 62 years old (worker, 62, was a machine operator at the plant – sheriff’s department refused to release details about the accident but said foul play is not suspected – an autopsy by the County Medical Examiner’s Office will try to determine the cause of death)

FATAL FALL into TANK Florida sewage plant worker dies after falling into a tank (worker’s body, 48, was found at the facility lodged in a pipe – it is not known how he fell into a tank, but a grate was missing and the city’s mayor ordered ‘departments to reinforce safety protocols for all high-risk jobs’ in the wake of the death – he had been reported missing from his post some 18 hours earlier – cops and colleagues spent much of that time searching the 100-acre site before officers spotted that a grate was missing – unclear exactly how he fell)

MINE FATALITY Worker dies at mine in WA’s Pilbara (worker died at a mine accident – the fatality occurred on a mining exploration lease which is part of a manganese mine – accident involved a fitter who was working a dozer being used to clear land for exploration drilling)

REFINERY EXPLOSION Blast At Petroleo Brasileiro Petrobras SA (ADR) Refinery Injures Three Workers (three workers were severely injured, following an explosion – this is the second serious accident in about a week at Brazilian oil major – injured workers have suffered burns, affecting 10-75% of their bodies, and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital – no details)

MINE FATALITY Three accidents at Freeport, one dead (one person was killed during a series of vehicle accidents at the site of a gold miner – contract worker, 27, died after he was hit by a mining truck driven by another worker from the same company – #2 a truck collided with another truck carrying six passengers – no fatalities reported in the incident – heavy rain and fog had affected the mining area when the accident occurred – #3 an Isuzu pick-up truck rolled over after hitting a retaining wall – driver suffered minor arm injuries while his passenger was unhurt)

FALL AK Steel contractor ‘lucky to be alive’ after 20-foot fall (worker, 23, is in serious condition after falling approximately 20 feet into a concrete pit – the injured man is a contractor – “he had multiple injuries, there were some fractures” and was listed in serious condition – he was injured while performing industrial cleaning work at the plant)

ELECTRICAL Worker in critical condition after shock while working on Phoenix power line (worker was in critical condition after he was shocked while working on a power line – firefighters found a man whose hands and pants had been burned – he was taken to a local burn unit)

WELDING RIG EXPLOSION Worker critically burned in oxywelding blast at Edinburgh North (worker, 61, is critically injured after oxywelding equipment he was using exploded)

ELECTRICAL ARC FLASH FATALITY Blast at Indian chemical factory kills 1, injures 4 (one person died and four others injured at a chemical factory after a blast caused by a short circuit – a short circuit in the weighing scale that was being used to measure chemicals caused the accident – the worker died of burn injuries)

FATAL EXPLOSION w/ TIRE CHANGING 19-year-old killed in tire, rim explosion at Sophia garage (worker, 19, was killed after a tire and rim exploded at a County garage – he was working on installing oversized tires on his truck when the accident happened – he was putting an oversized tire on a rim when the tire and rim exploded – fragments of the rim hit him in the head, killing him instantly – investigators believe the explosion came from the tire separating from the rim when air was pumped in)

EXPLOSION Explosion at Gas Plant near Corpus Christi (an explosion occurred at a gas plant – the gas line has been shut down – there are no reported deaths or injuries – no other details)

EXPLOSION Molten steel explosion rattles homes near Pennsylvania plant (officials are investigating a molten steel explosion that rattled nearby homes and could be heard 10 miles away – the explosion occurred about 11 p.m. outside the plant – a contractor was cleaning a slag pot used to melt scrap metal when some of the molten scrap came into contact with water, causing the explosion – nobody was hurt – the blast broke an apartment window and shook homes enough that automatic fire and car alarms were activated)

One person dies in accident at Great Dane (one person was killed in an industrial accident at the trailers plant – spokesman at the fire department confirmed that there was a fatality at the plant, but could not release any further information)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak spreads panic in Sambalpur (ammonia leaked from a private cold storage – on feeling a burning sensation and breathlessness, many people rushed to the hospital – employee of the cold storage was hospitalized with breathing problems – the pungent smell of the gas was felt within a radius of around 2 km)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak near to Park Lawn Rink sends one man to hospital (firefighters struggled to close frozen valve on compressor – an ammonia leak in a building adjacent to a Rink sent one man to hospital with minor injuries – area residents and occupants of a Middle School were directed to remain indoors as a precaution – “The biggest issue was shutting off the valve. The valve had frozen because of the leaking ammonia” – firefighters closed the valve and stopped the leak at 7:43 p.m.)

AMMONIA Flowers Tyson food plant evacuated (food plant was evacuated for a small Anhydrous Ammonia leak – the company had the leak contained before EMA arrived – there was no threat to the environment and there were no injuries in the incident)

CHLORINE Paper mill workers fall ill after chlorine gas leak (forty-four workers at a Paper Mill have fallen ill after chlorine gas leaked from a pipe – many workers at the mill’s bamboo yard complained of breathing trouble and were taken to the Paper Mill hospital – four critically-ill workers were referred to a Medical College Hospital)

TOLUENE Chemical leak stopped at Mallinckrodt plant in St. Louis (about 20 to 30 gallons of a flammable chemical mixed with water overflowed and spilled – building was evacuated and the spill was being cleaned – nobody was injured and nobody had to be treated – chemical is toluene, which is used as a solvent – workers were mixing toluene with water as part of their normal manufacturing process when some spilled)

Ethyl Acrylate Akzo Nobel chemical spill contained, health department says (a 21-gallon chemical leak occurred overnight and did not get outside a designed containment area – spill is being blamed on a pump failure at the plant – the chemical as ethyl acrylate – spill produced a pungent odor that could be detected up to three-quarters of a mile away from the plant)

FORKLIFT Man Survives Freak Forklift Accident (a forklift overturned on top of its driver, a contract employee, who had material atop the forklift – “He had a load up in the air and was backing with it and the counterbalance rolled over” – the forklift was angled in such a way that moving it straight up might have hurt the man worse. – FF’s used air-filled bladders to gingerly lift the forklift off him – he was flown by Careflite to the hospital – he did have a pretty significant leg injury)

FORKLIFT Man loses finger after Aylsham forklift truck accident (worker, in his 60s, lost one of his fingers after trapping his hand in a forklift truck – he also suffered severe cuts to two other fingers – he was taken to a Hospital for further treatment – he was not in a life-threatening condition)

CONSTRUCTION

AERIAL LIFT Worker injured at TJC construction site (worker, 28, was injured when the hydraulic lift he was working on tipped over, causing him to fall to the ground – he was buckled into his safety harness at the time of the fall- suffered some broken bones and lacerations – he was conscious when he was transferred to a Medical Center)

WORKZONE FATALITY Construction worker killed in traffic accident on Hwy. 280 (worker, 20, was directing traffic along the back of the construction site and around 4 p.m. a vehicle struck him from behind – driver told investigators at the scene she was reaching to pick up her coffee when she ran off the road and struck the worker)

TRENCH Breaking: Worker Rescued After Being Buried in Clinton Street Accident (worker fell into a trench while doing some work – worker (an outside contractor) wasn’t injured – he was in the process of shoring up a wall in order to repair a pipe when the accident happened – worker was trapped in gravel and rock)

FALL from ROOF Worker killed in farm fall accident in County Armagh (worker, in his 50s, died in an accident at a farm shortly before 13:30 GMT – another man was injured, but his condition is not thought to be life-threatening – the men were working on the roof of a new farm building when they fell)

FATAL OVERPASS COLLAPSE Coroner identifies worker killed in Ohio overpass collapse (worker, 35, died when a collapsed overpass covered southbound lanes of Interstate 75 with hundreds of tons of concrete and steel – a tractor-trailer driver was injured – driver suffered minor injuries when his rig ran into the collapsed section of overpass, which was being demolished)

Turkish worker dies in construction site accident (worker, 40, died when the formwork around a concrete column fell on the worker)

LOTO FATALITY 3 Chinese workers die in accident at Vietnam hydropower plant construction site (an industrial accident occurred at a hydropower plant killing three Chinese workers and injuring another – four workers were swept away by strong currents where the plant is being built – these workers were working inside a water transmission tunnel of the plant but they had not informed the management board of the construction site about their work, so when river water was released into the tunnel, they were swept away)

EXCAVATOR ROLLOVER Man injured in Falls industrial accident (worker was injured when the piece of heavy construction equipment he was operating rolled down a hill and trapped him inside the cab shortly after 11:30 a.m. – he was operating an excavation machine on the top of a large pile of dirt, estimated to be 25 feet high, when it apparently got too close to the edge, overturned and rolled down the hill)

CONCRETE POUR COLLAPSE Construction Accident In Northern Pickens Co. Injures Two (two construction workers were injured after officials say they fell to the floor below while pouring concrete – the workers were pouring concrete on the third floor when the flooring gave out causing them to fall onto the second floor – one worker was transported by ambulance to the hospital while the other airlifted – both workers were alert after the accident and their injuries do not appear to be life threatening)

CONCRETE POUR COLLAPSE At least 3 people sent to hospital in Willits bypass bridge collapse (w/video) (Highway 101 bypass bridge under construction collapsed, injuring five people – two workers were briefly trapped and at least three people sent to the hospital – the collapse turned an approximately 150-foot section of bridge into a giant pile of sticks and steel and dumped wet concrete – workers were pouring concrete into a section of falsework, which is the frame of the bypass when the bridge section collapsed – two of the workers suffered moderate injuries and two had only minor injuries)

Worker hit by 40kg falling boulder at North West Rail Link site (a construction worker, 39, has been hit by a falling boulder while working near the entrance to a tunnel – he was hit by the 40-kilogram boulder while welding – he was treated by paramedics at the scene for cuts and lacerations before being taken to a Hospital – a rock had become dislodged on the surface and tumbled about 25 metres down a concrete embankment and struck him from behind)

CRANE into POWER LINES Construction worker injured, rushed to hospital (construction worker was rushed to a Hospital after there was a crane accident on a construction site – he was shocked while standing inside a crane truck after a crane boom made contact with an active power line – the arm of the crane was lifted and touched the power wires above it twice, temporarily shorting out power to the neighborhood – first responders took over CPR when they arrived from bystanders who had been trying to help – neighbors and construction workers on scene immediately rushed into action, performing CPR on the victim)

FALL Worker injured at sewage treatment plant in Pickering (worker fell and it wasn’t a great distance, but was unable to give details on the accident – “nothing life-threatening or anything overly serious” – employee was taken to hospital as a precaution)

CRANE FATALITIES Four killed in crane demolition accident (a crane undergoing deconstruction collapsed at a shipyard killing four workers at about 9:46 a.m. – the crane’s machine room fell about 20 meters to the ground immediately killing four workers, including one who was crushed by the debris – authorities believe that the workers, employees of a demolition contractor, were in the process of detaching the machine room from the 40-ton crane – three of the workers were cutting through structures holding the machine room in place, while another was working inside the machine room)

HOTWORK FIRE 15-min delay in calling 911 ‘big contributor’ to Edgewater, NJ fire disaster (workers that caused the massive fire at an apartment complex waited 15 minutes to call the fire department, having first phoned their supervisor – the fire displaced over a thousand people was ruled accidental – plumbers were using a blowtorch to make a welding repair in a first-floor apartment around 4:20 pm when the fire began in the walls of the unit – the fire quickly spread – the workers called a supervisor when the inferno began, and did not choose to call 911 for another 15 minutes – the 408-unit building was quickly evacuated, but the delay allowed 240 of the apartments to be destroyed as the fire grew to five alarms)

SCAFFOLD POLE FALLS Caught on CCTV: Horrifying moment two women were struck by falling scaffolding pole in London street – leaving them with serious head injuries (the victims, 53 and 72, were left lying motionless on the ground after being felled by the pole – one women crashed onto her side and the other onto her front as they were hit by the piece of metal – the two women were left with head injuries after being hit by a metal scaffolding pole which fell from a building)

CRANE Crane collapses onto Abu Dhabi building (a mobile crane collapsed onto a building shattering windows and waking residents in the surrounding area – the crane fell shortly before 9am – as well as damaging the adjacent building, the crane also crushed an office trailer on the nearby building site and fell onto a pedestrian path between the site and the building it collapsed into – no workers were injured and that the engineers were fortunate they arrived to work late and were not in the office trailers)

MISCELLANEOUS

TREE TRIMMING FATALITY Accident claims Sawnee EMC worker from Cumming (worker, 27, was killed Wwhile cutting down a tree – he was struck by the tree about 3 p.m. as he and other members of a utility crew cleared right of way – worker sustained severe injuries from the accident and was later pronounced dead at the scene by emergency response personnel)

HOT WATER / STEAM College worker burned in steam accident, airlifted to hospital (a maintenance worker was seriously burned in an accident while working on a steam water heater in the basement of a dormitory – he was transported by medical helicopter to a Medical Center with what Medic said were life-threatening injuries – he was repairing a steam leak around 2pm when a hot-water release valve opened and sent steam and hot water onto his neck and back – he may have suffered second-degree burns)

FARM FATALITY Worker killed in accident at White Meadows Farms (farm worker, 36, has died of his injuries following an accident at around 9:35 a.m. – he was struck by a moving concrete block)

AMPUTATION Farm worker has partial amputation after accident (worker, 21, had an arm partially amputated after a serious accident – he got his arm stuck in a hay-making machine about 6.30 pm)

FIRE Fire injures worker at Iowa hog farm (a methane explosion at a hog farm injured a worker, 34, as he unloaded a feeder in a hog building – explosion took place in the pit area of the building – he sustained serious injuries in the accident and was transported to a Burn Unit – this accident marked the second tragedy to strike the farm in less than a week – another a fire broke out in the same hog building – the building sustained approximately $750,000 in damages – officials do not believe the two incidents are related and both remain under investigation)

Farm worker caught in machinery (worker, believed to be in his early 20s, suffered foot injuries after becoming caught in a piece of machinery on a farm)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

2015 Photo of the Week #5 (Ladder & Fall Protection)

2015 Video of the Week #4 (Tree Cutting Accident!) WARNING! This video may be upsetting to some viewers, NO GRAPHIC images but it is a VERY SERIOUS accident caught on tape – Viewer Discretion is advised. VOLUME WARNING – Turn DOWN your volume as the “F” bomb rightfully gets dropped after this accident!

Cheat Sheet for Classifying Flammable Liquids under the new GHS (NC-OSHA)

OSHRC says fire extinguishers are EXEMPT from HAZCOM Program coverage

FM Global Data Sheet beat CSB to punch on Hydraulic Fracturing in NH3 Refrigeration Systems

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Safety Alert No. 314 – Operator Electrocuted Trying to Charge a Battery

Safety Culture Lessons from the GM Ignition Switch Internal Investigation (BSEE Blog Post)

EPA RMP Citations @ Ammonia Storage facility (NH3; $4K w/ $15K SEP)

EPA RMP Citations @ Natural Gas Tank Battery after Hotwork Explosion (Natural Gas; $30K)

Chemical Security Program Statistics as of January 5, 2015

CFATS Corporate Approach (DHS 1/20/15)

Boiler Operator Attendance EXCEPTION Requirements now mirror a PSM/RMP style management system

FATAL Hotwork Incident (MI-OSHA)