69 incidents & 0 updates (5/25/16)

 

­­2016 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

Police ID worker killed in Knoxville metals plant accident (worker, 55, was killed when a pallet of granular materials overturned on him while working in a storage area – he was pronounced dead at the scene just before 8 p.m. – the materials that fell on the man were about “2 tons of sand like material used in the recycling phase of producing hardened rebar”)

TOW STRAP BREAKS FATALITY Worker killed in accident at Hamilton Co. landfill (worker, 38, was killed in an accident at a landfill around 7:45 p.m. – he was operating a bulldozer to pull an excavator out of a pit when the strap connecting the two broke, causing it to strike him – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

REFINERY FATALITY One worker killed in accident at Rosneft’s Komsomolsk refinery in Far East (one worker was killed in an accident at an oil refinery – worker was from a contractor firm working on the site – accident had occurred during tests at a pipeline which was undergoing maintenance works)

DRY ICE Accident at Beatrice dry ice plant sends two workers to the hospital (two workers were injured shortly after 9:00 AM – one worker was taken to a Community Hospital and the other was airlifted to a Hospital – no word yet on their injuries or current conditions – “…it may have been some sort of equipment or machine failure that had some pressurized product behind it.” that caused the accident, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet)

FATALITY Worker killed at Winnipeg metal plant (worker, 59, was killed at the plant while working at about 3 p.m. – few details have been released on the death, but the province ordered work to stop on the movement of metals by overhead crane at the plant – he was a 12-year veteran of the company)

FATALITY Worker killed in ExxonMobil refinery accident (contract worker, 37, died at a refinery while he was working on a heat exchanger when a pipe fell from overhead, striking him in the head and neck – he died at the site shortly before 1 a.m.)

FATAL FALL Ash Grove worker killed in fall (maintenance mechanic died after sustaining injuries from a fall at 2:16 p.m. – worker had been working on top of a cement-mixing tower, or slurry tower, at the time of the accident – he fell from the top of the tower and had fell inside of the silo where they mix the powered concrete – he died from the injuries from the fall – he fell an estimated 40-50 feet into the empty tank)

FATALITY Worker Killed At Calumet Refinery (worker was killed after an accident at the refinery – no details)

Worker Injured In Industrial Accident (worker at a metal manufacturing facility had his leg injured when a pile of steel fell over and pinned his leg – employees freed the man by the time fire crews arrived at the scene – man appeared to be in pain and was conscious when taken to the hospital)

MANLIFT Man loses life in glass plant accident (worker fell 20 feet from a belt-driven lift in one of the buildings – he had gotten onto the lift system and part of his clothing got caught in the mechanism and he was unable to free himself – he was also unable to reach the emergency shutoff cable – the lift was carrying the worker down from an upper level, through the ground floor and into a basement, 20 feet below the ground level – he grabbed onto the concrete floor of the first level as he passed in an attempt to rip his clothing free of the mechanism – “He held onto the floor, but pants didn’t rip” – “Another worker was able to get it shut off. He was hanging and eventually lost his grip”)

CONFINED SPACE – TOXIC Two workers rescued from manhole; one worker in serious condition (two contract workers were overcome by toxic fumes while working in a manhole – both workers were rescued but one worker is in critical condition – one worker was working in a manhole and collapsed due to fumes – another worker noticed and went down the manhole to rescue the worker and he was also overcome by the fumes – Fire Department responded and got both men out of the manhole – it took about ten minutes to get both men out – video with Fire Chief explains what happened)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – HOTWORK FLASH FIRE OSHA investigates worker death at South Dakota ethanol plant (worker was killed and another injured in a fire – cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, but OSHA says the worker who died was welding inside a tank at the time – welder was flown to a burn hospital, where he died – the other worker was treated at a hospital and released – both were contractors)

CONFINED SPACE – ENGULFMENT Federal OHS investigating grain silo accident at Country Ribbon feed store (worker, 58, was freed by a co-worker and fire crews after being trapped in a grain silo around 9:30 a.m. – he was temporarily trapped and sustained injuries to his face – injured worker remains in hospital in critical, but stable, condition)

FATAL FALL from AERIAL LIFT Man killed in Niantic after chain saw hits power line (worker, 32, was injured while in a cherry picker using a chainsaw, which hit a power line – he then fell to the ground from the cherry picker bucket around 12:50 p.m. – victim was taken to a Hospital, where he later died from his injuries)

LOTO FATALITY Factory worker killed after her head is crushed by printing machine (worker, 23, had been sent by an agency to work in a print room – but when she entered the printing machine at the plant to apply thinners to the ink, the machine started – her head was crushed between the printing pads and the printing table of the machine during the fatal incident, and she died from a severe head injury)

FATAL FALL from LADDER Frontier Communications Worker Falls To His Death (worker, 64, was working on overhead communications lines when he apparently fell off a 15 foot high ladder – he was found lying on the ground around 12:45 p.m. and had suffered a severe head injury – he was rushed by CareFlite to a Hospital where he was pronounced dead)

GUARDING FATALITY Man killed in Millard County industrial accident (worker, 64 was killed after being crushed by the machine he was using at about 9 a.m. – when crews arrived, they found the man dead at the scene – he was operating a machine cutting large bales of hay into smaller bales when he apparently fell into the machine – no witnesses to the accident, but a co-worker heard him “cry out and found him in the machine”)

FIRE caused by WRENCH @ TANK VENT Worker with wrench sparked fire that shut down Alaska oil pipeline (the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was shut down for nine hours, prompted by a fire at Pump Station 5 – flames were seen coming from a pressure vacuum vent on the large circular tank at the center of the pad – the fire was contained, and there were no injuries and no environmental contamination – the fire occurred when a worker using a wrench caused a spark near a vent that releases fumes from a large oil tank – fire occurred following preparatory work for a maintenance shutdown that was planned two days later)

ARC FLASH 2 workmen sustain burns in NTPC Sipat (two workmen sustained serious burn injuries at a power plant due to electrical arc flash at auxiliary pump house – one of the injured has been admitted to a hospital while the other has been admitted to burn and trauma centre – condition of both was stated to be critical – mishap occurred at auxiliary pump house of stage 2 of 500 MW unit – arc flash occurred while the workmen were removing the fuse for isolation of vacuum pump panel of switch gear in pump house – about six months ago, a worker was injured in a similar incident in the power plant)

FATAL EXPLOSION Investigation ongoing in explosion that killed worker (investigators continue to investigate an explosion at a federally licensed explosive manufacturer that killed a worker)

FATAL EXPLOSION – AMMONIA TANKER One dead, 15 hurt in chemical tanker explosion (one worker was killed and 15 others were injured when a chemical tanker exploded at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant around 11 AM when nearly 35 workers were on duty and a tanker containing ammonia exploded)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – TOXIC 2 Spanish Factory Workers Die After Inhaling Toxic Fumes (two workers have died after inhaling toxic fumes after falling into a tank at an animal feed factory – one worker fell into the tank after the ladder he was on broke – a second worker then fell in while trying to rescue him – both men were dead when fellow workers finally pulled them out – one other worker was treated for inhaling the fumes)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – TOXIC 5 workers die after inhaling toxic fumes at Korangi factory (at least five factory workers died while cleaning a chemical tank at a factory – four workers got into the chemical tank to clean it followed by three more men who attempted to rescue them – incident occurred at a factory which manufactures polythene bags – five men who were brought dead to a medical center died as a result of inhaling toxic fumes, while one other worker was in stable condition at the hospital)

HOTWORK Production unaffected by fire at GM plant in Spring Hill (fire was quickly extinguished and will not affect production – the fire in the air handling unit is believed to have been caused by a welding spark – the plant’s fire suppression system quickly kicked in, and the building was evacuated as a precaution)

HOTWORK Small fire breaks out at Weyerhaeuser (sparks from a welding project caused a small fire in the planer mill but did not cause building damage or injuries – the building had been shut down for maintenance work – crews had been working at the mill earlier in the day on a project involving welding and cutting torches – spark caught a sawdust pile and smoldered for hours, sending smoke through the building and triggering the department’s response at about 9 p.m.)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak forces evacuation (a valve at the facility failed, causing the leak – people near the scene said the leak sounded like a jet engine – everyone within a half mile was urged to evacuate via reverse 911 calls and six people were checked out at the scene – crews tested the air and found all levels to be within normal limits, so the evacuations were quickly called off)

AMMONIA Five in hospital after ammonia leak in Sweden (five workers remained in hospital overnight after an ammonia leak at a food factory – eleven people in total were taken to hospital after 150 kilos of ammonia leaked when the ammonia was being transferred between two tanks – two people were left with serious chemical burn injuries – six were able to leave the hospitals later in the evening, while five patients remained overnight)

EXPLOSION Two injured in explosion at Arkansas plant (two people were injured by an explosion at a plant just before 6:40 p.m. – two were injured and taken to an area hospital – fire crews were able to get the flames under control, and the fire was out as of 7:30 p.m – cause of the explosion is unknown at this time, but authorities are continuing their investigation)

EXPLOSION Explosion rocks Delta’s North Star steel plant (a furnace explosion shook the steel plant igniting fires inside the mill but causing no serious injuries – the explosion occurred in one of the plant’s two electric-arc furnaces that melt scrap metal for the manufacture of new steel)

Construction

FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Worker killed in Issaquah construction accident (mason worker, 46, died after he fell from scaffolding at a construction site just before 10 a.m.)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Construction worker killed when lift overturns in Rowlett (forklift operator, 36, was unloading a tractor-trailer at an apartment construction site when the accident happened – a large lift overturned pinning him beneath it about 8:15 a.m.)

AERIAL FATALITY Construction worker crushed to death at Moscone Center (construction worker operating a large cherry picker was crushed to death when he came in contact with a concrete slab in an industrial accident – he was in the bucket of the large boom and attempting to load it onto the back of a flatbed truck when he was killed – he was declared dead at the scene – worker had come to pick up an aerial work platform also commonly known as a high reach boom and take it back to the rental company – during the process of removing the machine, the man was crushed between the heavy device and a concrete structure)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Construction worker killed after falling off roof in Beaufort (worker, 42, fell off the roof at the construction site and was transported to a hospital where he later died from his injuries – it happened shortly before 8 a.m. – worker had just been lifted up to the roof before he fell)

WORKZONE Marbletown highway worker suffers serious leg injury in paving accident (Highway Department employee who was putting fresh asphalt down suffered a serious leg injury when he was pinned between a roller and a paver – worker who had been driving the paver, was standing on the operating platform midday when another town worker who was driving a compacting roller failed to see the stopped paver – the roller collided with the paver, pinning the worker’s right leg between the two machines and causing serious injury – he was flown by helicopter to a Medical Center, where he is listed in serious but stable condition)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker dies in construction accident (worker is dead after a construction accident – workers were in a wooden box on a forklift as it was being lifted – the box began to shift – one worker jumped out safely, but we’re told a second worker fell to the ground and the box fell on top of him – CPR was performed, but the worker was unresponsive)

MINI-EXCAVATOR Worker injured in industrial accident in Chattanooga (worker was seriously injured shortly after 9:00 a.m. in an industrial accident – employee was trying to clean a mini-excavator when the accident happened – firefighters provided some on-scene care to stem the bleeding and then handed the patient off to County EMS, which rushed the victim to a Medical Center)

WORKZONE DUMP TRUCK FATALITY Construction worker killed in dump truck accident (construction worker, 43, was killed after he is accidentally run over by another worker driving a dump truck – worker was outside doing work when a dump truck driven by a co-worker from backed up over him)

WORKZONE Driver hits 2 construction workers on Georgia 400, 1 critically-injured (two construction workers were hospitalized after being hit by a driver along a local interstate – the 21-year-old driver of a white Toyota Avalon drove into a work zone just after 1 a.m. – driver hit one construction worker, who suffered minor injuries, and another who is in critical condition – the one in critical condition was pinned against a guardrail and underwent surgery – the driver first hit a Ford pickup truck, and the truck then crashed into a 48-year-old worker who became pinned between the truck and the guardrail)

TRENCH FATALITY Worker, 27, dead after SW Portland trench collapse (worker, 27, died as workers were installing a sewage line at a home when the trench collapsed – trench collapsed while workers were installing a sewage line – he had been working at the bottom of a trench that was 11 feet deep, 3 feet wide and 70 feet long – worker had been outside the protection of the shoring system when the trench caved in)

TRENCHING Worker rescued after construction accident at Texas A&M (construction worker was rushed to the hospital after needing medical attention inside a trench around 1:40 P.M. – he was placing a pipe inside a manhole when the pipe bounced back, struck him and knocked him into a hole)

WORKZONE FATALITY Accident on I-95 kills construction worker (construction worker, 36, was killed after being hit by a vehicle on Interstate 95 just after 7:30 p.m., – the two right-hand lanes of I-95 northbound were closed to traffic at the time of the accident – he was treated on the scene for head, upper and lower extremity and possible internal injuries before being taken to a Hospital, where he was pronounced dead)

LOTO FATALITY Construction worker dies in accident at AP Secretariat site (construction worker, 22, died when the worker was cleaning the cement mixer with a cow bar – he was trying to clean the inside of the drum when he was sucked in and got crushed to death)

WORKZONE Out-of-control car hits construction workers on Route 30 (two construction workers were hit by a car as others jumped over a guard rail to avoid the vehicle – the car was coming over the bridge when construction workers on the span heard a bang – those workers yelled for others to get out of the way when they saw the car veering toward them after it hit a Jersey barrier – some of the workers were able to hop over a rail but one was struck by the out-of-control car and another was grazed – both injured workers were taken to the hospital – driver did not appear to be intoxicated and was on her way home after an overnight work shift when the crash happened)

WORKZONE Landscape worker struck by car on Rt. 189 in Granby (landscape worker, 23, was struck by a car just before 9 a.m. – he sustained serious, though non-life-threatening, injuries and was taken to a Hospital)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Construction worker dies after falling 20 feet on Far West Side (construction worker died after a 20-foot fall – worker was on the roof of the future convenience store when he fell and suffered a traumatic head injuries – he was transported to a Hospital where he later died from his injuries)

WORKZONE FATALITY Kane County worker hit by pickup truck, killed while filling potholes (Department of Transportation worker, 44, was hit by a pickup truck and killed while he was filling potholes – he died after a man driving a Ford F-250 truck hit him and the truck he and his partner had been driving – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

TRENCH FATALITY Construction worker is killed in trench collapse on Todds Road (construction worker, 22 was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed – he was completely covered by dirt and gravel in the 16-foot trench when emergency workers arrived about 9:40 a.m. – dozens of firefighters worked to try to free him – a married father of three died of asphyxiation)

STREET SWEEPER FATALITY FHP: Construction worker killed by street sweeper (construction worker, 69, was killed after he became trapped under a street sweeper when he was working on a paving project when he was run over just before 10:30 a.m. – he was not operating the street sweeper, but was working on the paving project)

FATAL FALL Worker killed in fall at Person County GKN plant (worker died about 10 a.m. after he fell from the roof and was impaled when he landed on some sort of equipment or tools)

FALL through ROOF HATCH Worker At Hartford Baseball Stadium Injured In Fall (worker sustained minor injuries when he fell through a roof hatch during construction of a new ballpark – employee was cut while grabbing onto corrugated metal in an attempt to prevent the fall)

BULLDOZER FATALITY Worker hit, killed by bulldozer (worker, 60, was killed when a bulldozer backed over him while working on a town park – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

TUNNEL COLLAPSE FATALITY Construction Worker Dies in Tunnel Collapse Near Kibbutz (worker, 46, was operating heavy machinery when he got caught in a tunnel collapse at the power plant construction site)

FALL Worker falls four floors from Broadway Ave. construction site (worker, 28, was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after he fell four floors from a building shortly after 9:15 a.m.)

WORKZONE Fairfield Man Killed in Construction Zone Accident Involving Salem Company (worker, 36, was killed in a construction zone accident involving a road repaving crew – driver was northbound approaching the construction zone where a flagman had several vehicles stopped, while southbound traffic was moving through the construction zone – the driver reportedly drove around the stopped vehicles, failed to stop for the construction flagger, and proceeded northbound in the southbound lane – in an attempt to avoid the southbound traffic,  police say he drove back into the northbound lane, striking a construction worker, 25, and then colliding with a backhoe operated by another worker, 28 – driver was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from his vehicle following the impact and was pronounced dead at the scene)

WORKZONE – BOBCAT Police officer hit in head by Bobcat, seriously injured (police officer was flown to a hospital after suffering serious head injuries when he was hit in the head by a Bobcat construction vehicle – he suffered serious injuries when he was hit in the head by a bucket attached to a Bobcat machine – he and another officer were directing traffic when he was struck by the Bobcat and knocked unconscious)

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

2 dead, 2 injured after ex-employee opens fire inside Katy-area business (a disgruntled former employee with a shotgun killed one person and injured two others before shooting himself inside a business just before 9 a.m.)

Miscellaneous

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY Guilderland: Tree worker killed in wood chipper (tree worker, 23, was killed on his first day on the job when he became entangled in a tree grinding machine around 1:15 p.m.)

MOWER FATALITY Worker killed at Brampton golf course (golf course employee was killed while doing groundskeeping around 11 a.m. – employee was operating a lawn cutting machine and it rolled down an embankment over him – he was pronounced dead)

ATV FATALITY Snowbird employee dies after ATV tumbles into creek (worker, 21, died after he was rescued from a Creek following an apparent all-terrain vehicle accident at about 11:15 a.m. – employees looking for a maintenance worker spotted his side-by-side utility vehicle in the creek on its hood – worker had been missing for somewhere between 45 minutes and two hours – about 50 yards down the swiftly flowing water, the employee was spotted caught on a rock – crews performed CPR – he was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead – investigators believe the vehicle tumbled 30 to 35 yards off the flat parking lot into the creek – it was unknown why the vehicle went over the side – he had been at Snowbird for two years and worked as a lift operator in the winter)

MOWER FATALITY Nebraska Game and Parks worker killed on the job (mower accident claimed the life of a Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) employee, 68 – he was mowing when the mower went over a drop-off and landed on top of him – he was pronounced dead at a Hospital)

VEHICLE FATALITY Tree-service worker dies in work accident in Bedford County (crew member of a tree-service company died after being hit by a truck at 11:32 a.m.)

BUCKET TRUCK Employee critically injured in Belton store parking lot (worker was repairing a light in the parking lot when something happened – investigators said they don’t think the worker received a shock – the problem may have been with a bucket truck – no other details)

Man Working On Drain In Easton Parking Lot Run Over By Car (maintenance worker, 45, was run over by a car while working on a drain in a parking lot – as he was working on a septic drain in a parking space driver apparently didn’t see him on the ground and drove over him)

CHLORINE Pool service worker burns self with chemicals, officials say (pool service worker, 20, was hurt when chlorine chemicals exploded in his face as he was mixing them – he had chemical burns on his face and chest – injuries were not life threatening)