Confined Space Accidents #1
This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
UPDATE, Ship Officer Charged in Death
Wed Feb 6, 8:51 PM ET
TAMPA, Fla. – A ship officer was indicted on misconduct and negligence charges Wednesday in the death of a crewman ordered to clean the ship’s emptied cargo tanks while they were still filled with toxic fumes. Master Gilbert C. Thurston, chief officer on the SS Trinity, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The Trinity was sailing from New York to Houston on May 18, 2000, when Thurston ordered pumpman Frederic Albert Cambra Jr. to mop the empty cargo tanks, according to the federal indictment. Cambra, of St. Helens, Ore., was overcome by fumes in the tanks, which had been filled with the chemical gasoline additive MTBE, the indictment said. He died after crew members tried to revive him. Thurston, who worked for Iowa-based Sabine Transportation Co., should have checked that the tanks’ air quality was safe before ordering crewmen to begin cleaning, the indictment said. Thurston, who lives in Naples, did not return calls seeking comment. The company declined comment.
Huxford man dies in industrial accident
By Robbie Byrd From Staff Reports
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a job-related death of an employee of Huxford Pole and Timber Company in the Huxford community. James Benjamin Johnson, 50, a resident of Huxford, was pronounced dead at 8:27 a.m. Monday, January 22, 2002. He worked in an area called “The Boiler House” where wood chips and bark are stored and loaded onto a conveyer system. Employees advised the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department that it was not uncommon for chips and bark to accumulate up to 25 or 30 feet high on the sides, and that workers would have to rake the chips down into the conveyer system. According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, workers at the facility said they found Johnson’s body by looking through an opening outside the building and underneath the conveyer system. When they got to him, he was under five feet of bark, the Sheriff’s Department reported. They immediately dug him out. Unfortunately, they were too late to save him. “Nobody saw Mr. Johnson get covered up with bark and wood chips,” said Escambia County Sheriff Timothy A. Hawsey. “At this point, we do not know exactly how it happened.” The body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Mobile for an autopsy. No official report is available at this time. Huxford Pole and Timber officials were not available for comment at press time. Gail Davis, with the Mobile office of OSHA, said the case is under investigation. “We were notified by phone (Monday) at approximately 7 a.m.,” she said. According to Davis, on-the-job fatalities must be reported to OSHA and the Department of Labor within eight hours of the incident. “Once we receive notification, we will send someone to the site within 24 hours. We then have six months to complete our investigation.” Davis said an OSHA representative reported to the site early Tuesday morning. She was not prepared to make additional comments about the fatality. “Any comment on the cause of death would be speculation at this time,” Davis said. “We are waiting for the coroner’s report.”
UPDATE, Ellis elevator faces $3,000 fine for fatality
Jan. 16, 2002, By JOY LEIKER, Hays Daily News
ELLIS – An Ellis grain elevator faces $3,000 in penalties following a September incident that killed one of its employees. Golden Belt Cooperative has 15 days to contest the citations, penalties or deadlines contained in the four-page report released this week by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. All violations must be corrected by Feb. 27. The serious violations stem from a fatal accident on Sept. 6 when Bill Wade and two of his coworkers were loading wheat into a rail car at about 11 a.m. Wade was in the drive-through loading area, one of his coworkers was atop a rail car and the other had just stepped away from the grain pit and into the nearby office. When that coworker returned from the office, Wade wasn’t in the same spot. His coworkers noticed his body in the pit of grain, a confined area accessible only by a covered manhole. Investigation officials and coworkers weren’t sure why he entered the pit. Emergency medical technicians pronounced him dead at the scene. Half of the $3,000 penalty was levied because the elevator did not implement the measures necessary to prevent unauthorized entry into the grain pit, a permit-required confined space. The elevator also was cited for not identifying and evaluating the hazards of the space before Wade entered it. Documentation was not available to prove that the space had been evaluated properly before the employee tried to enter, and the elevator also hadn’t developed or implemented the means, procedures and practices necessary for safe entry into the pit. The final $1,500 portion of the fine relates to the initial efforts by Wade’s coworkers to rescue him from the grain pit. The report notes that the elevator did not provide training for employees so they would have the understanding, knowledge and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned and that they were not adequately trained to conduct confined space rescue. Additionally, the elevator was penalized for not maintaining the canceled records of entry into the grain pit and also for not possessing the paperwork to certify training of each employee for work inside the pit. The final citation notes the elevator’s emergency action plan was inadequate. It did not address emergency escape route assignments, procedures to be followed by employees who remain behind to operate critical plant operations, procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed and names and regular job titles of persons or departments who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan. Employees were exposed to explosion and fire hazards, OSHA reported. Robert Redger, manager of the Ellis elevator, was unavailable for comment today. A spokeswoman at the elevator said he was away from the office for the day and would not be available until Thursday.
City utility worker recovering after accident on Mercer Island
2002-01-12, Nora Doyle, Mercer Island Reporter
MERCER ISLAND — A utility worker was knocked unconscious yesterday morning after he apparently tumbled 15 feet down a manhole. The 35-year-old man, whose identity was not released, was in satisfactory condition last night at Harborview Medical Center. Several city workers were doing routine maintenance on a drain in the 7200 block of 93rd Avenue Southeast around 9:44 a.m. when they noticed that the man was missing, Fire Cmdr. Walt Mauldin said. Workers quickly spotted the crumpled man at the bottom of the hole and called 911. The man, who has worked for the city for about five years, was breathing and had a pulse. But he was unconscious when Bellevue and Mercer Island medics arrived. Firefighters and paramedics slithered down the manhole, provided the worker with oxygen and strapped him to a rigid backboard. He was hoisted out of the hole about an hour after crews arrived. It was not initially apparent what caused the man to lose consciousness. Mauldin said he thought the man might have passed out because of toxic fumes in the manhole chamber, but tests of the air in the chamber later showed there were no toxic fumes. It is likely the man slipped and was knocked unconscious, Mauldin said. Another worker was assisted by firefighters and a chaplain at the scene for emotional stress. Last summer, an Enumclaw man was killed after he tried to rescue a co-worker who passed out in a manhole at a construction site in Newcastle. Victor Thomas Mills, 34, fell to his death after he was overcome by a lack of oxygen and passed out. Bellevue firefighters determined that there wasn’t enough oxygen in that manhole, which had been dug three months earlier as part of the sewage system for a housing development. Journal reporter Diana Hefley contributed to this report.
Teenager rescued from grain bin
UNION–A 17-year-old male was rescued after falling into a grain bin in Union Friday afternoon. According to Gibson County Sheriff Department reports, J.D. Smith, 17, of Union, was inside the filling bin while his 16-year-old cousin was working outside. The corn apparently moved, causing Smith to be submerged in grain up to his chin. Chad Butts, Chuck Longabaugh and Alan Woolsey of the Gibson County High Angle Rescue Team, entered the grain bin and rescued Smith. The grain bin was cut from the outside, in order to release pressure from Smith’s body. Smith was pulled out of the grain bin and transported to Deaconess by the Air Evac Lifeteam. Assisting in the rescue effort were Gibson County Medic 2, the Air Evac Lifeteam, the Princeton Fire Department and the Francisco Fire Department.
Warner man dies in farm accident
By Amanda Alexander, American News Writer
A farm accident near Warner on Wednesday night left a 31-year-old Warner man dead.
Mark Hanisch was working around 5:50 p.m. when he was sucked into grain inside a bin on a farm west of Warner. One guy was at the truck to make sure it wouldn’t overflow and another was inside the bin when all of a sudden the grain stopped coming out and they couldn’t see (Hanisch) any more, said Brown County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Schmitt. One tried using a payloader to open up the side to get him out faster, Schmitt said. Hanisch died at the scene. No one else was injured.
UPDATE, 5 sailors die in mishap at Kuantan port
KUALA LUMPUR) Five Chinese sailors died after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a cargo ship at Malaysia’s eastern port of Kuantan, port officials and doctors said yesterday. The men, aged between 23 and 42, died on Christmas Day while cleaning the ship, the St Vincent-flagged 18,000-deadweight ton MV Sunvazs, a port official said. ‘All of them were Chinese nationals,’ the official said. ‘The casualties happened while cleaning the ship,’ the official said. ‘The ship had arrived in Kuantan empty after discharging fertilisers in Thailand.’ The Bernama news agency, quoting a doctor at a Kuantan hospital, said the men died from suffocation after inhaling toxic fumes. It said the men were from China’s eastern province of Jiangsu. The ship’s agent in Kuantan declined to comment. – Reuters
UPDATE, Company cited, fined in workers’ deaths
By Orith Goldberg, Staff Writer, Friday, December 7, 2001
State regulators slapped a Tarzana heat-treating company with more than $150,000 in fines and eight citations after finding the company did not properly ventilate a cooling tank where two Burbank men died earlier this year after being overcome by gas, officials said Thursday. The findings by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health stem from an investigation into the deaths of workers Steve Horan, 36, and Duane Pesicka, 43, on May 17 at Bodycote Thermal Processing, which does heat treating and metal brazing in the 18600 block of Oxnard Street. “The violation of health and safety codes put these employees in danger,” said Dean Fryer, spokesman for Cal-OSHA. “Because of the violations, two employees suffered fatal injuries.” Pesicka, a maintenance worker at Bodycote for six years, delved into the tank, 5 feet wide and 9 feet deep, to repair a leak in the hydraulic equipment. Argon gas had settled into a drained oil pit at the bottom of the tank, and fumes from the gas overcame him, Fryer said. “They didn’t properly ventilate the pit,” Fryer said. “When the employee went to do maintenance, the argon gas was down there.” Horan, who was outside, rushed in to try to pull out Pesicka — who was his neighbor and best friend as well as his co-worker — but was knocked out by the fumes. A firefighter who was at the scene on May 17 later said Horan died a hero. Fryer said procedures should have been in place to ensure that no gas moved through the lines into the furnace and that there was proper ventilation. The company faces $153,720 in fines and eight citations with 17 different violations, he said. Since fatalities were involved, a report will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for review, he added. The company is appealing the citations and fines to an administrative law judge. Bodycote’s general manager, Phil Stella, said Thursday that there would be no immediate comment on the case, but he said funds had been collected for the families of the victims. The men’s wives also declined to comment on Cal-OSHA’s findings. The Horans and Pesickas had been neighbors for nearly four years. Pesicka’s wife, Mary, said the two men were so close that people would ask if they were related. Horan, a maintenance supervisor who worked at Bodycote for nine years, left two sons, 12 and 14, and a 10-year-old daughter, as well as his wife, Betty. Pesicka left his wife, an 8-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter.
Man buried in dirt and dies at gravel company
Wednesday, December 5, 2001, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARKER — A gravel company worker was buried in dirt and died on the job, authorities said. Juan Dominguez, 52, of Sunnyside, was dead by the time he was pulled from a dirt-filled hopper Tuesday at Columbia Asphalt & Gravel Inc. in this Yakima Valley town.
Yakima County Coroner Maurice Rice said Dominguez probably died of asphyxiation. An investigation will be conducted by the state Department of Labor and Industries, sheriff’s Sgt. Max James said. Dominguez, a front-end loader at the company, had been pouring dirt into the hopper. After being filled, the hopper is shaken by a vibrating device to even out the dirt and force it onto a conveyor belt. A co-worker saw Dominguez pounding on the side of the large bin, probably because dirt was clumping up on the sides rather than falling properly toward a conveyor belt below, James said. Soon afterward, the same co-worker noticed there was no dirt on the belt, walked over and saw Dominguez’s feet sticking out the bottom of the hopper, James said.
Power plant worker burned when fumes ignite
November 7, 2001 – Omaha, NE
A contractor working at an Omaha Public Power District plant entered a large water tank with a wet-dry vacuum cleaner and there was an explosion. The contractor was hired to remove lead-based paint and repaint two large water tanks. Vapors had apparently accumulated in the tank, and a spark from the vacuum ignited the fumes. The contractor had some burns on his body but was conscience during the ambulance ride to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
UPDATE, Firm Fined $153,720 for Workers’ Deaths
Safety: Regulators find eight violations at Tarzana plant where two employees were asphyxiated.
By ANDREW BLANKSTEIN, TIMES STAFF WRITER
State regulators have fined a Tarzana firm $153,720 for an accident that killed two workers at its metallurgical plant in May. The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it cited Bodycote Thermal Processing for eight violations, including a $70,000 fine for willfully failing to protect employees from potential asphyxiation from argon and nitrogen gases. Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, both of Burbank, died May 17 in a furnace at Bodycote’s plant in Tarzana. “If the employer would have followed proper rules for labor conducted in confined spaces such as these furnaces, the death of these employees could have been avoided,” agency spokesman Dean Fryer said. “What made this even worse is that violations continued in the weeks following the accident,” Fryer said. “And the company didn’t attempt to change their procedures.” Pesicka, a maintenance worker, was overcome by gas as he replaced a valve in the 9-foot-deep furnace. Horan, a plant engineer who supervised Pesicka and was his best friend, went in after him, but also succumbed to the fumes. The firm also was fined $25,000 for failing to implement procedures to rescue employees who might be overcome by gases used in the industrial process. The agency found the company failed to provide employees with proper body harnesses for rescue in case of emergency, failed to ensure proper ventilation, and failed to provide written emergency procedures. Messages left at the company’s Dallas headquarters and its Tarzana plant were not returned. The firm, which had a clean record with the agency for 11 years before the accident, has until Nov. 27 to appeal. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident. The plant specializes in heat treatment for airplane parts and other metals. Processes use cylindrical vacuum furnaces 6 feet in diameter that can reach up to 2,000 degrees. High temperatures oxidize metal, while the gases nitrogen and argon help treat it, officials said. Argon is a nonflammable gas that depletes oxygen. Cal/OSHA concluded that an air sample was not taken immediately before the worker entered the furnace, as required by law. In addition, the company failed to comply with state law requiring that at least two people work together, one inside and another outside watching in case of an emergency. The agency also concluded that the firm failed to provide a respirator with a facemask that would have allowed a rescuer to enter safely. Betty Horan said she and her three children were devastated by the loss of her husband but proud of his heroism. “His final act showed the kind of man he was,” she said.
UPDATE, Former Falls man perishes on ship
10/31/2001By: Associated Press, October 31, 2001
LAPLACE, La. (AP) – Three men, including a former International Falls resident, died Tuesday in the hold of a ship that was bringing in scrap metal to a steel mill, authorities said. The three men apparently went into an area of the hold about 3 a.m. that had an insufficient amount of oxygen, passed out and died, said Capt. Mike Tregre, a spokesman for the St. John the Baptist sheriff. Mike Palmer, assistant chief of the LaPlace fire department, said ship crew members had removed one of the men when firefighters arrived. Firefighters with breathing equipment entered the hold and removed the other two. Thomas M. Murray, 52, a U.S. Customs senior inspector, went into the hold for a routine inspection and the ship’s captain and a crew member followed him in after the inspector did not return, said Dean Boyd, a Customs spokesman. Murray was a 1968 graduate of Falls High School and the son of former International Falls Mayor Jack and Donna Murray. U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Robert C. Bonner called the loss of Murray’s life “tragic.” “Inspector Murray lost his life during an examination of the hold of a vessel in which toxic fumes were apparently present,” said Bonner in a statement released Tuesday. “He died in service to his country, doing what his fellow inspectors and Customs employees across the nation do every single day, at a time when it has never mattered more: protecting America.” Bonner concluded by asking all Customs employees to join him in “remembering inspector Murray and his family in your thoughts and prayers.” Murray had worked for the U.S. Customs Service for 31 years. He began his career in International Falls in 1970, after serving in the U.S. Air Force. The identities of the captain and crew member were not immediately released. Autopsies were pending. A second customs inspector and a crew member were hospitalized, Boyd said. Customs, the Coast Guard, the sheriff’s office and the FBI were investigating. The ship, the Panamanian-flagged Sakura I, had docked at the Port of Gramercy to make a delivery to Bayou Steel Corp. The vessel had come from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Boyd said. The freighter contained ferrous scrap, a product used in steelmaking, and was undergoing a routine inspection prior to its tranfer to Bayou Steel, the company said.
Customs inspector, 2 crew members die in ship’s cargo hold
October 30, 2001 Posted: 11:07 AM EST (1607 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A U.S. customs inspector and two crew members of a Panamanian vessel died Tuesday in Louisiana after they entered the vessel’s cargo hold at the port of Gramercy on the Mississippi River. “We haven’t determined whether it was a lack of oxygen, or fumes, or some other cause,” U.S. Customs Service spokesman Dean Boyd told CNN. A second customs inspector was hospitalized. Boyd said the customs inspector, the captain of the Sakura I and a crew member entered the hold after the ship arrived at about 3 a.m. CST Tuesday from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The ship was carrying scrap metal.
UPDATE, Better safety in confined spaces
By JANE RITIKOS
PUTRAJAYA: Employers, contractors and subcontractors of premises with confined spaces are now bound to ensure they have trained staff, systematic safety procedures and a properly equipped working environment under a new code. The Code of Practice for Safe Working in a Confined Space, launched by Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn yesterday, comes in the wake of increasing cases of such fatalities. Under the code, employees who enter confined spaces, serve as stand-by persons or authorise other employees to enter such spaces, must undergo safety training schemes approved by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health. The code also outlines duties of the employer, contractor, entry supervisor, stand-by persons and an authorised gas tester who will conduct atmosphere tests. The requirements include effective and adequate means of communication, emergency and rescue procedures and ventilation equipment. Confined areas include storage tanks, tankers, silos, pits without adequate natural ventilation, sewers, tunnels, shafts, ducts, any shipboard spaces entered through a small manhole, cargo tanks and oil tanks, among many others. Under the code, employers must also post danger signs in confined spaces. If the employer needs the employee to enter the space, the employer has to develop and implement a written confined space entry programme and if there is no need for entry, he must take effective measures to prevent entry by others. Dr Fong said there were 17 deaths this year, compared to 12 last year, from inhaling hazardous gas and suffocation because of a lack of oxygen or fire within confined spaces. In June, nine people died while the ST New Renown tanker was being repaired at the Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd dockyard in Pasir Gudang. Dr Fong said the fatalities could have been avoided if the employer had provided and implemented a safe working system and co-ordinated work in the confined space. The main cause of the accidents occurred during the sub-contracting stage. The sub-contractor employed and those down the line did not have knowledge of the dangers involved. Dr Fong said the code was drawn up after discussions with employers and employees. The new code is to upgrade the existing ‘Guidelines for Safe Working in A Confined Space’ introduced in 1999 and is legally binding. He said employers flouting the code could be fined RM50,000 or be jailed up to two years, or both. The code applies to all persons who enter and manage a confined space, excluding underground mining, or working in a space at other than atmospheric pressure. Dr Fong said a seminar on the code would be held in Johor today to explain how it affects employers, employees and unions.
Man dies after being buried
By The Associated Press
MURRAY, Ky. – A county coroner says he’s unsure what happened to a Murray man who died after he was buried underneath a mountain of grain in a silo accident on Wednesday. Calloway County Deputy Coroner Mike Garland said it was unclear what happened to Daniel Berg, 23, at the Shoemaker Enterprises-Grain Division silo. When Garland arrived about on Wednesday, Berg was buried under a couple of feet of grain. We’re not sure if the grain came loose underfoot or what exactly happened, Garland said. Garland wouldn’t speculate on the cause of death, saying he would rather wait for the results of an autopsy that was performed Thursday morning.
UPDATE, Firm’s safety record touted after fatalities
The Associated Press, Friday, August 31, 2001
Topeka — Despite citations for “serious” construction violations, a risk consultant said Topeka’s Emerson Construction has a great safety record. That assessment comes just days after three Emerson employees died in an accident at a job site in southwest Topeka. The cause of death has not been determined. Killed Monday were Norman Emerson, 64; Lawrence Saloga, 53; and Brian Phelps, 22. They were in a manhole testing a sewer connection for leaks. Dave Sortore, risk control consultant with Bituminous Insurance Co., which insures the construction company, said Emerson has a preferred risk rating. Sortore said he was “very surprised” by the accident. “The whole circumstance is weird,” Sortore said. “This is not something I would have predicted.” Judy Freeman, area director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said the agency has not issued any findings during its investigation. Emerson, which was founded by Norman and Harley Emerson more than 40 years ago, has been cited by OSHA for violations. The most recent came in May while employees were installing a sewer pipe in a 13-foot-deep by 65-foot-long trench. The violations were for not having an adequate exit from the trench, danger of falling debris and not having sides of the trench properly shored. The company was fined a total of $4,250. While OSHA described the violations as “serious,” Todd Emerson, the company’s human resources director, said they were minimal. “I don’t know of anyone else in this business who hasn’t been in violation at some time,” said Emerson, who is Norman Emerson’s nephew. Sortore vouched for the company’s record. In four years, the company has had one injury claim and one vehicle accident, he said. He said the company is proactive about taking on safety initiatives. Emerson does self-inspections that involve cameras and videos, Sortore said. In addition, Emerson informs employees of safety plans, Sortore said, and provides hard hats, goggles and shoes. Todd Emerson said it is still too early to speculate about what happened Monday. “Each situation is different, every test is a little different. No two manholes are identical,” he said. “We don’t know what happened. It shouldn’t have happened. That’s the best I can say.” Autopsies were performed on the victims. The results are expected this week.
UPDATE, Sewer accident remains under investigation; Authorities don’t know why three men died in manhole
By JOHN MILBURN, Associated Press Writer
TOPEKA — Authorities continue to investigate a construction accident that claimed the lives of three workers in a sewer connection. Autopsies were being performed Tuesday on the victims, who were employees of Emerson Construction and died while checking a new sewer line for leaks in a new subdivision in southwest Topeka. The three workers were pulled Monday afternoon from a 23-foot-deep manhole. Authorities have identified the victims as Norman Emerson, 64, of Tecumseh; Lawrence Saloga, 53, of Pratt; and Brian Phelps, 22, of Topeka. Emerson had been with the company since he founded the business nearly 40 years ago with his brother, Harley, said Todd Emerson, the victim’s nephew. “We honestly don’t know what happened entirely,” Todd Emerson said. “Until they can find something wrong, we do not know.” He said the deaths have hit the company hard. Saloga had worked for the company for about nine years, while Phelps had for a shorter time. “We’re all family,” Todd Emerson said. The company employs about 35 people. Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bailey said officials have shied away from saying what caused the deaths, adding that anything without the autopsy results “is purely speculative.” He said the autopsies on the victims were completed Tuesday and results will be released later in the week. Emerson was confirmed dead at the scene, and the other two were taken to hospitals, where they later died, Bailey said. Sharon Mandel, chief medical examiner for Shawnee County, said it will be several weeks before additional toxicology tests of blood and other tissue are complete. The men were discovered in the concrete-lined manhole by a co-worker, who called 911 from the housing subdivision at around 3 p.m. Bailey said the first man was in the manhole for about 30 minutes before he was pulled out by rescuers. Nearly two dozen rescuers responded to the scene, an undeveloped area near the city limits which was being prepared for construction of roads and new homes. The three were vacuum testing a manhole that joined several sewer lines in the subdivision. Emerson Construction said it likely would have a news conference to discuss the accident, although the time and place has not been determined. Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate the accident. Todd Emerson said the company is working with the agency to piece together the sequence of events. Judy Freeman, of the OSHA office in Wichita, said the investigation could take up to six months to complete. She did not know when investigators would visit the site. According to the state office of health care information, there were 13 occupational deaths related to construction in 1999, the most recent year for which Kansas figures are available. Spokesman Charlie Crevoiserat said the high during the 1990s was 20 in 1995, with a low of eight in 1992.
OSHA: Investigation into Dairyland Power death to take months
By Chris Hardie/Lee Newspapers
The investigation into the death of a worker killed a week ago after an explosion at the John P. Madgett Dairyland Power station in Alma, Wis., will take several months, an OSHA director said Wednesday. Charles Burin, area director for the Eau Claire and Minneapolis offices of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said it will be three to four months before any information is released on the Aug. 9 death of 29-year-old Edward Earl Boles of Clinton, Iowa. Boles, who worked for Phillips Service Corp. of Camanche, Iowa, was killed instantly while working on a contract job for Dairyland Power to clean the station’s boilers, the La Crosse-based electrical cooperative said. “We started our investigation on Friday afternoon and were back in there today,” Burin said. “This might be a complicated one.” Jim Boggs, a senior vice president with Phillips, said Wednesday Boles was a field supervisor for the project and was experienced in explosives. Boggs said Boles was using explosives to clean the coal scale and buildup from the boilers when the accident occurred. “We’re certainly concerned first and foremost about the family of one of our employees,” Boggs said. “We will continue to cooperate with OSHA and Dairyland and perform our own investigation.” Boles had worked five years for the company and was working with his best friend at the time of the explosion, his family said. “His best friend was above the hole, and Ed was in it,” said Karen Boles of Clinton. “His friend, who is like our other son, was not injured – except emotionally, of course. “I worried about him on his job,” she said. “But he was doing what he loved.” Phillips notified OSHA about the accident, which the company is required to do under OSHA guidelines, Burin said. The fatality is not the first to occur in the plant. According to OSHA inspection records, a Dairyland employee was killed in 1989 when he was crushed by an overhead door. Dairyland was cited for an OSHA violation and paid a $490 fine. Chris Hardie is the local news editor for the La Crosse Tribune in La Crosse, Wis. The
Quad-City Times contributed to this story.
Atlantic utility worker falls 10 feet while in manhole
August 9, 2001 – 12:23 AM, By PAT ARNEY, Staff Writer
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – A contractor’s worker at the Atlantic County Utilities Improvement Authority slipped off a ladder in a manhole Wednesday and fell about 10 feet to the bottom, a fire official said. Todd Mock, whose age and hometown were not available, was climbing down the ladder to change a valve when the accident happened about 4 p.m., said Assistant Fire Chief Leonard Tilley of the Farmington Fire Company. Mock was alert and conscious when Vince Jones, of the Atlantic County Emergency Management Office, and 2nd Lt. James Garth, of the Farmington Fire Company, removed him from the manhole, Tilley said. Mock could be seen flexing his bare feet as he lay on a gurney inside a Galloway Township Ambulance Squad vehicle, awaiting transfer to a helicopter that flew him to the Atlantic City Medical Center, City Division. Mock was discharged shortly after his arrival at the hospital, according to a nursing supervisor. ACUA President Richard S. Dovey said the worker was employed by Grace Industries Inc., a contractor installing a drainage system for a new landfill cell at the ACUA complex off Delilah Road here. The manhole is located along the perimeter of the landfill, where the landfill’s two liners collect leachate, Dovey said. The leachate then feeds into the sewage plant for treatment. Tilley said he reported the accident to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Atlantic County Health Department because Mock was not wearing a harness and had no one watching his activities when he climbed into the manhole.
OSHA probing manhole fatality
The Associated Press
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a Caledonia man at Columbus Air Force Base. John David Linn, 53, was killed when a pressure valve in the manhole he was working on blew Saturday. He died of multiple traumas to the head. Clyde Payne, OSHA spokesman, said it is too early to say what may have caused the valve to fail. Lowndes County Coroner Don Harris said pressure to the valve was turned off.
Final UPDATE, Bakery fined for employees’ oven deaths
The two men were carrying out maintenance work
A bakery company and three company directors have been fined #373,000 after two workers died inside a bread oven. The men were carrying out maintenance work when they became trapped inside the machine where temperatures were above 100C. They died from burns and heat exposure after being unable to escape. Fresha Bakeries, trading as Harvestime Bakeries had admitted breaching health and safety regulations. David Mayes, 47, of Rushey Mead, Leicester, and Ian Erickson, 43, an engineer from Walsall, West Midlands, died after maintenance on the bread oven went wrong at Harvestime’s plant in Thurmaston Boulevard, Leicester in May 1998. The men were sent into the oven only two hours after it had been switched off. They climbed in through the bottom and onto a conveyor used to take the dough through the giant machine. All they were wearing for protection were all-in-one suits. Anthony Barker QC, prosecuting, said: “The oven was normally set to run at 260C. It had only been turned off for two hours and the centre was 100C when these two men went inside. “No-one, it seemed, looked at the temperature gauge at the side of the oven which would have indicated it wasn’t safe to go in.” Mr Erickson, had taken a radio with him and after a few minutes inside sent a panicky message saying it was too hot. “They were trapped. There was no system of reversing the conveyor and no system of getting them out of the oven,” said Mr Barker. It took 17 minutes – the time it took for the conveyor to pass through the oven – before other workers could help the men. Mr Erickson was brought out in “a state of collapse” and had extensive burns. Mr Mayes was trapped inside the oven and had to be freed by the fire service. He had 80% burns to his body and died at the scene. John Bridson, 54, of Hale, the managing director of Fresha Limited, the company which owns the bakery, admitted two charges of failing to provide a safe system of work. The production director, Brian Jones, 60, of Hertford, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to a single count of the same offence. The chief engineer, Dennis Masters, 45, of Mountsorrel, admitted one charge of failing to take reasonable care for others at work. Fresha Bakeries were fined a total of #250,000 and ordered to pay costs of #175,000. The firm’s owners, Harvestime Ltd, of Walsall, West Midlands, was fined a total of #100,000 and made to pay costs of #75,000. Mr Bridson was fined #20,000 and ordered to pay costs of #5,000. Mr Jones was fined #1,000 and Mr Masters #2,000 because of their financial means. They also escaped having to pay costs. The prosecution followed a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and Leicestershire Police.
UPDATE, Oven deaths sentencing due
Monday, 16 July, 2001, 14:53 GMT 15:53 UK
A bakery company and three of its directors are awaiting sentencing after two men were killed in an industrial bread oven. The two were carrying out maintenance work when they became trapped and were carried through the 75 foot oven on a conveyer belt. Unable to escape, they died from burns and heat exposure. Fresha Bakeries, trading as Harvestime Bakeries, pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to provide a safe system of work. David Mayes, 47, of Rushey Mead, Leicester, and Ian Erickson, 43, an engineer from Walsall, West Midlands, died after maintenance on the bread oven went wrong at Harvestime’s plant in Thurmaston Boulevard, Leicester in May 1998. The men, who were trying to retrieve a broken part, became trapped as temperatures inside the bread oven rose to 100C. Three company directors pleaded guilty charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. John Bridson, 54, of Hale, the managing director of Fresha Limited, the company which owns the bakery, admitted two charges of failing to provide a safe system of work. The production director, Brian Jones, 60, of Hertford, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to a single count of the same offence. The chief engineer, Dennis Masters, 45, of Mountsorrel, admitted one charge of failing to take reasonable care for others at work. The company and directors were being sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Monday. The prosecution followed a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and Leicestershire police.
Two killed by toxic fumes in well
AKITA (Kyodo) Two men died after apparently inhaling toxic fumes inside an irrigation well in the city of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on Saturday morning, police said. According to local police, the two men were farmer Masakatsu Shiratori, 54, of the village of Minehama in the prefecture, and Noshiro resident Hiroshi Kakizaki, also 54. The pair were found unconscious in the well by a passerby at around 9:30 a.m. and were taken to a hospital but were confirmed dead, police said. According to investigators, Shiratori apparently collapsed while pumping rainwater out of the well. Kakizaki happened to be nearby and went to help him, but was also overcome, they said. Local firefighters said they detected traces of hydrogen sulfide in the well and other witnesses said there was an odor similar to the exhaust emissions of a vehicle nearby. Police said they are further investigating the cause of the accident. The Japan Times: July 8, 2001
UPDATE, Shipyard deaths not due to safety lapse, says MSE
Nine workers died last week in Pasir Gudang explosion (SINGAPORE) The explosion which killed nine Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd (MSE) workers on Wednesday morning in Pasir Gudang was not due to a lack of workplace safety procedures, according to MSE chairman Mohd Ali Yasin. ‘The incident was unfortunate. They went through all the various procedures, they were inspected thoroughly to make sure that the area was gas-free every time they went into the tank,’ he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report. Malaysian Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik said his ministry will conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident on the oil tanker, New Renown, once it has received a preliminary report from MSE. The eight Malaysians – including one MSE senior foreman – and one permanent resident were found dead by the shipyard’s emergency response squad minutes after the fire alarm was triggered at about 10 am. The nine are believed to have suffocated following a flash fire while they were carrying out welding work according to MSE officials. ‘There was no explosion but a flash fire, the cause of which is still unknown to us. The fire, which lasted about 10 minutes, triggered our alarm system and several other workers who were near the tank alerted our emergency unit,’ the company’s CEO Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman was quoted as saying. The nine victims – who were reportedly carrying out welding repairs to pipes that transfer liquid between cargo tanks – were found sprawled in the 15 by 20 metre cargo tanks with safety suits intact and no severe burn marks. ‘This has led us to believe that they died from suffocation probably due to hydrocarbons, a result of chemical reaction between oil and other substances in the tank,’ said Mr Abdul Rahman. The Liberian-registered 240,830 DWT, 1976-built New Renown is owned by Hong Kong-based Associated Maritime. – By Donald Urquhart
Explosion onboard Monrovia vessel kills nine workers; Workers died of burns, suffocation while doing minor repairs on ship
An explosion ripped across an empty tanker undergoing repairs at the Malaysian Shipyard Engineering here this morning, killing nine workers on board. The nine, eight of whom were contract workers hired by a private engineering contractor and the other an employee of the shipyard, were found badly burnt. They were also believed to have suffocated when the explosion occured at Quay 3 of the shipard at 10.30am. It is believed that the workers, all Malaysians, were involved in some minor repair works on the Monrovia registered tanker, the 300-tonne New Renown, owned by a Hong Kong company, when tragedy struck. The workers were about to finish laying new pipes and changing plates with some welding work being done in one of the storage compartment measuring 12 by 12 metres. The epair work was scheduled to have been completed by today and the tanker was supposed to leave tomorrow. Eyewitnesses said the nine were trapped inside and by the time the first of three fire engines arrived from the Pasir Gudang Fire Station, shortly after receiving a distress call at 10.32am, the workers were believed to have died from their injuries. The first of the nine bodies were taken to the Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru by ambulance and arrived at the HASB just before 2pm. This was followed by seven bodies in a lorry and the last two in a police van. In it’s 28-year operation history , the MSE, which repairs 100 ships a year, has never suffered a catastrophe of such propotion. Safety measures has always been of priority of Malaysia Shipyard and Engineering, since it commenced operations about 25 years ago. Despite constant reminders, MSE has had mishaps and deaths reported. But if statistics were anything to go by, incident rate at the yard continue to remain low taking into consideration about 100 ships are handled each year. In March 1984, an explosion onboard the vessel World Gala resulted in three workers suffering minor injuries. In February 1985, three workers of the engineering divison were hurt in an explosion in the repairs section. Nine days later there was also an explosion onboard a tanker and although no one was hurt, eight workers were overcome by fumes. In September that year, a worker was killed onboard the tanker Rajendra Prasad, after a fire broke out. In June 1986, a fire which broke out in the pump room of a tanker, left four injured. In 1995, two workers were killed on the same day in separate incidents. One was electrocuted while doing some repair work onboard a ship and the other was hit by a falling object while working on a tanker.
Man killed in industrial accident
May 22, 2001
By Dustin Block, May 22, 2001
STURTEVANT – A man was killed Tuesday afternoon at Rohner Asphalt and Grading Contractors while cleaning an industrial machine. Sturtevant Police Chief Art Scola said the man was crushed and died instantly. Police are not releasing his name pending notification of his family. Scola said the man was standing inside of an asphalt crusher and removing pieces of asphalt when the accident occurred. The machine was turned off, but apparently as the victim worked a large blade rotated and trapped him. “Basically this was a tragic industrial accident,” Scola said, who added the circumstances were “very unusual.” “This gentleman had been working with this type of machinery for the last 15 years,” he said. The accident occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Sturtevant police and fire responded, as did Flight for Life, the Racine County medical examiner and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Rohner Asphalt and Grade is located at 9615 Charles St.
2 Men Die After Inhaling Toxic Gas
Safety: A plant supervisor is killed trying to rescue a friend asphyxiated by argon fumes from an industrial furnace in Tarzana, fire officials say. By KRISTINA SAUERWEIN CAITLIN LIU, DAVID PIERSON, Times Staff Writers
A man was asphyxiated while cleaning a furnace at a metallurgical plant in Tarzana on Thursday, and his best friend died trying to rescue him, authorities said. Neither man wore a mask that might have protected them from deadly argon gas used in the plant to treat aircraft parts, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said. Authorities identified the men as Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, both of Burbank. Horan died of pulmonary arrest suffered as he tried to rescue Pesicka, who was asphyxiated, according to the hospitals where they died shortly afterward. “It was a heroic act,” Capt. Rick Godinez, a Fire Department spokesman, said of Horan, the would-be rescuer. “It’s unfortunate they both died.” Firefighters hauled the two men out with ropes and administered CPR. “He knew what was going on when he went into the pit,” said Horan’s brother-in-law, Rick Frushey, 38, of Burbank. “He gave his life for a friend. Without a doubt, I’m proud. We’re going to miss him forever.” Bodycote Hinderliter operates the plant, which specializes in heat treatment for airplane parts and other metals. Officials from its headquarters in Fort Worth sent representatives to the scene Thursday but declined comment. Bodycote and government investigators also declined to discuss the accident. State and county officials are investigating the deaths at Bodycote, which has had a clean record with the state for the last 11 years, according to Cal/OSHA, the agency that investigates workplace injuries and deaths. Pesicka, a maintenance worker, was overcome shortly after 9 a.m. as he replaced a valve in the nine-foot-deep furnace. Horan, a plant engineer who supervised Pesicka and was described by co-workers as his best friend, went in after him, but was overcome by the fumes. A third man called 911. Horan, who had worked for Bodycote since 1992, lived for his wife, two sons and daughter, ages 14, 11 and 10, Frushey said. He took his children camping, loved riding motorcycles and kept close ties with his extended family, which includes two sisters. “Family came first,” Frushey said. “He always saw the good in everyone and everything. He loved life.” Pesicka’s wife, who declined to give her name, could only muster a few words outside their apartment Thursday. “I don’t have anything to say except I want my husband back.” Pointing to the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, she said, “What am I supposed to do with my kids?” The couple also has a 7-year-old son, said Paige Heaphy, Pesicka’s neighbor. “He was a very loving father, and would do anything for anyone,” Heaphy said. “That’s why we were such close neighbors.” Fire Capt. Bruce Frashure said Horan and Pesicka showed no sign of life when firefighters, who donned breathing apparatus, pulled them out. “For whatever reason, the ventilation just was not there,” said Frashure, who required treatment for dizziness at the scene. The cylindrical vacuum furnace is about six feet in diameter and can reach up to 2,000 degrees. The high temperatures oxidize metal, while the gases nitrogen and argon help treat it, officials said. Argon is a nonflammable gas that depletes oxygen. Because the furnace sits six feet underground and workers inside can only enter and leave through a single opening at the top, the furnace is considered a “confined space,” which makes it subject to stringent state safety and health regulations, said Dean Fryer, spokesman for Cal/OSHA. State law requires that a company sample the air right before a worker enters such a confined space to ensure there is sufficient ventilation and no contamination, Fryer said. There are supposed to be at least two people working together, one inside and another outside the confined space watching the other in case of an emergency. The law also requires a device such as a body harness that would allow the person inside to be quickly pulled out, or a respirator with a face mask that would allow a rescuer to enter safely, Fryer said. The investigation has not yet determined what safety measures had been taken, he said. Investigators will interview the plant’s management and employees, inspect the premises and determine whether workers are properly trained on safety procedures, Fryer said. By law, the agency must complete its investigation within six months. Bodycote’s record suggests its employees in California have not suffered serious injuries on the job for the last 11 years, Fryer said. An investigator from the district attorney’s office is also involved in the investigation, said Tom Simpson, supervising investigator for the district attorney’s environmental crimes unit. Located in an industrial area at 18600 Oxnard St., the plant is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency because it generates small quantities of hazardous waste, said Wendy Chavez, spokeswoman for the Pacific Southwest region of the EPA. That agency’s records show no violations by the plant in the last 20 years. On Thursday afternoon, about 20 workers in faded navy uniforms sat outside Bodycote’s brick building. “They were good guys,” said one man, who declined to give his name. “They thought about everyone. We’re a tight group. . . . I’m going to miss them.”
Burbank men die after gas accident
One man dies a hero’s death as he unsuccessfully tries to save his friend’s life.
By LOLITA HARPER
TARZANA — The Burbank men who died after being exposed to what is believed to be argon gas would have had no indication that a virtual death trap loomed at the bottom of a 9-foot-deep furnace, authorities said. Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, died Thursday at a plant in Tarzana after one man was overcome by deadly gas fumes and his co-worker died trying to save him, authorities said. Neither man was wearing a protective breathing mask. Both men worked at Bodycode Hinderliter, a plant that treats aircraft parts with argon gas, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Argon displaces oxygenated air and creates an atmosphere impossible to breathe in, Humphrey said. The gas is deceptive because it looks like air, but it actually has pushed all the oxygen out of a confined area. Cal/OSHA is investigating the incident thoroughly to confirm that the gas was, in fact, argon and to identify ways to prevent a tragedy like this in the future, Humphrey said. Preliminary indications show Pesicka, who reportedly worked as a maintenance worker, asphyxiated while cleaning the furnace, and Horan, his supervisor, suffered pulmonary arrest trying to rescue him, officials said. A third man saw both men collapse and called 911, Humphrey said. “We certainly commend the second man who went in to help his friend,” Humphrey said. “His efforts were heartfelt, and it is sad that he, too, died.” One man was declared dead at Tarzana Regional Medical Center and the other at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. The men were taken to separate hospitals — both equidistant from the plant — to ensure quality care for each and not overload one emergency room, Humphrey said.
Industrial Accident Kills 2
Fatalities: One man is overcome by deadly gas at Tarzana plant. His best friend dies trying to save him.
By KRISTINA SAUERWEIN CAITLIN LIU, DAVID PIERSON, Times Staff Writers
A man was asphyxiated Thursday while cleaning a furnace at a metallurgical plant in Tarzana and his best friend also died trying to rescue him, authorities said. Neither man wore a mask that might have protected him from deadly argon gas used in the plant to treat aircraft parts, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said. Authorities identified the men as Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, both of Burbank. Horan died of pulmonary arrest suffered as he tried to rescue Pesicka, who was asphyxiated, according to the hospitals where they died shortly afterward. “It was a heroic act,” Capt. Rick Godinez, a Fire Department spokesman, said of Horan. “It’s unfortunate they both died.” Firefighters hauled the two men out with ropes and administered CPR. “He knew what was going on when he went into the pit,” said Horan’s brother-in-law, Rick Frushey, 38, of Burbank. “He gave his life for a friend. Without a doubt, I’m proud. We’re going to miss him forever.” Bodycote Hinderliter operates the plant, which specializes in heat treatment for airplane parts and other metals. Officials from the company’s headquarters in Dallas sent representatives to the scene Thursday but declined comment. Government investigators also declined to discuss the accident. State and county officials are investigating the deaths at Bodycote, which has had a clean record with the state for the last 11 years, according to Cal/OSHA, the agency that investigates workplace injuries and deaths. Pesicka, a maintenance worker, was overcome by the gas shortly after 9 a.m. as he replaced a valve in the 9-foot-deep furnace. Horan, a plant engineer who supervised Pesicka and was described by co-workers as his best friend, went in after him, but also fell victim to the fumes. A third man called 911. Pesicka’s wife, who declined to give her name, was standing outside the couple’s Burbank apartment in tears Thursday and could only muster a few words. “I don’t have anything to say except I want my husband back,” she said. Pointing to the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, she added, “What am I supposed to do with my kids?” The couple also have a 7-year-old son, said Paige Heaphy, Pesicka’s neighbor. “He was a very loving father, and would do anything for anyone,” Heaphy said. “That’s why we were such close neighbors.” Horan, who had worked for Bodycote since 1992, lived for his wife, two sons and daughter, ages 14, 11 and 10, Frushey said. He took his children camping, loved riding motorcycles and kept close ties with his extended family, which includes two sisters. “Family came first,” Frushey said. “He always saw the good in everyone and everything. He loved life.” Fire Capt. Bruce Frashure said Horan and Pesicka showed no sign of life when firefighters pulled them out. “For whatever reason, the ventilation just was not there,” said Frashure, who required treatment for dizziness at the scene. The cylindrical vacuum furnace in which the argon was used is about 6 feet in diameter and can reach up to 2,000 degrees; the high temperatures oxidize metal. Because the furnace sits 6 feet underground and workers can only enter and leave through a single opening at the top, the furnace is considered a “confined space,” which makes it subject to stringent state safety and health regulations, said Dean Fryer, spokesman for Cal/OSHA. State law requires that an air sample be taken immediately before a worker enters a confined space to ensure there is sufficient ventilation and no contamination, Fryer said. There are supposed to be at least two people working together, one inside and another outside watching in case of an emergency. The law also requires a device such as a body harness that would allow the person inside to be quickly pulled out, or a respirator with a face mask that would allow a rescuer to enter safely, Fryer said. The investigation has not yet determined what safety measures had been taken, he said. Investigators will interview the plant’s management and employees, inspect the premises and determine whether workers are properly trained in safety procedures, Fryer said. By law, the agency must complete its investigation within six months. Bodycote’s record suggests its employees in California have not suffered any serious injuries on the job for the last 11 years, Fryer said. An investigator from the district attorney’s office is also involved in the inquiry, said Tom Simpson, supervising investigator for the D.A.’s Environmental Crimes unit. Located in an industrial area at 18600 Oxnard St., the plant is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency because it generates small quantities of hazardous waste, said Wendy Chavez, spokeswoman for the Pacific Southwest region of the EPA. That agency’s records show no violations by the plant in the last 20 years. On Thursday afternoon, about 20 workers in faded navy uniforms sat outside Bodycote’s brick building. “They were good guys,” said one man, who declined to give his name. “They thought about everyone. We’re a tight group. . . . I’m going to miss them.” I remember saying: ‘No way. You’re kidding.’ You couldn’t smell anything.” Moments later, they saw fire engines. We grabbed our tools and ran,” Webb said.
Explosion, blaze injures 1 at Indspec
05/09/01 – PETROLIA — A small explosion and fire Tuesday at the Indspec Chemical Corp. plant in Petrolia sent one man to the hospital with burns, but it caused minimal damage to the plant. Al Randall, Indspec plant manager, said an outside contracted-worker was using a portable propane tank to cure the lining of a holding vessel in the plant when the hose on the tank ruptured causing a small explosion and fire at 12:39 p.m. The worker suffered second degree burns on his hands as he closed the valve on the tank. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. Randall would not release the name of the contractor hired for the work or the name of the injured worker. Minimal damage was caused by the explosion and fire, which was put out in a matter of minutes, causing no real disruption to plant operations, Randall said. Petrolia Volunteer Fire Department and the Crompton, formerly Witco, fire department helped to put out the fire with Indspec’s in-house department. Indspec manufactures a chemical called resorcinol, which is used in the manufacture of tires and plastics. Randall said there were no environmental releases of the chemical during the incident.
Six burned in battery explosion on central Alberta industrial site
Canadian Press
BLACKFALDS, Alta. (CP) – Six workers were burned, at least two seriously, after an explosion Wednesday at an oil and gas battery site in a remote area of central Alberta. The explosion happened about 11 a.m. while a tank at the site was being serviced, said Cpl. Terry Best of the Red Deer RCMP rural detachment. “There were a group of employees inspecting a tank of some sort,” Best said. “There was an electrical short from an extension cord they were using for the trouble light and the electrical short caused an explosion inside the tank. “I believe it was from inside the tank and the employees were blown away from the site of the explosion.” The battery, owned by NAL Resources of Calgary, is located about 10 kilometres east of Blackfalds. Such batteries clean and treat oil or gas before it is put into a pipeline. Elaine McFadden, spokeswoman for the David Thompson Regional Health Authority, said all six of the injured were men. The two most seriously hurt were taken to hospitals in Calgary and Edmonton. Jeff McIntosh, a photographer for The Canadian Press, saw one worker being brought into Calgary’s Foothills Hospital. “His shoulder and face was really burned and charred,” McIntosh said. “It was melted into his flesh. I don’t think he was conscious. He was swollen and his face and chest were reddened. He had an oxygen mask on his face. They took him from the helipad and wheeled him directly into the hospital.” The man, whose name has not been released, was in serious condition in the hospital’s burn unit. The man taken to University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton has been identified as Ron Callan, 37. He was in good condition, said a hospital spokeswoman. Two other workers were in stable condition at Lacombe Hospital, and the other two were in stable condition in the emergency room at Red Deer Regional Hospital. Jonathan Lexier of NAL Resources said the battery had been shut down during the maintenance, so no fumes or leaks got into the environment. “The facility was shut down for scheduled maintenance at the time. It was not processing hydrocarbons. It was immediately secured. At no time were nearby residents or the general public in danger,” he said in an interview from Calgary. He said nearest residents were more than half a kilometre away. “Work on the site won’t continue until safety inspectors complete their investigation,” Lexier added. Investigators from Alberta Human Resources and Employment as well as the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board were at the site to determine what happened. Blackfalds is about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton.
Two Workers Asphyxiate Aboard Shipboard Tank
April 2, 2001
Two men who were checking tanks aboard a gravel-transport ship at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd’s shipyard in Kobe asphyxiated from lack of oxygen. One of the dead was a Mitsubishi employee, and the other was a contractor. Mitsubishi Heavy has taught its workers to look at the oxygen density in the tanks before entering as the oxygen supply could become thin due to rust on iron inside, the police said. At the entrance of the tank in question, there was a notice written in chalk saying “oxygen not yet checked.”
Explosion kills man inside truck’s tank
By S.K. BARDWELL, Houston Chronicle
One man is dead inside the tank of a truck he was repairing when it exploded about 8:30 a.m. today in northeast Houston, officials said. The man was working inside the tank on the back of a truck at Global Intermodal Systems in the 11700 block of Wallisville when the explosion occurred, said Houston Fire Department Chief Jack Williams. The man’s body remains inside the tank, which Williams said was used to haul liquid fuel. Williams said no one else was injured in the blast, which remains under investigation.