Slips, Trips, and Falls Accidents #2
This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
Accident injures man in police station construction
A 30-year-old Wichita construction worker was injured at about 10:32 a.m. Monday, while working on the new Derby Police Station. Derby Police Lt. Tom Prunier reported Rufino Martinez fell while working on a scaffolding about six or seven feet from the ground. Reports indicate someone bumped into the scaffolding causing the accident. Martinez landed on the front of his face. Sedgwick County EMS transported Martinez to Wesley Medical Center where he remained a patient until Wednesday afternoon. Calls were placed to the Sedgwick County EMS Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, but no one was available to answer questions concerning the nature of Martinez ‘s injuries. Victoria French.
Worker hurt as scaffolding is hit
By Christy Tuer
A workman was taken to hospital with serious head injuries today after he fell 15ft to the pavement when a lorry struck the scaffolding he was working on in Shrewsbury town centre. The man fell from the platform outside The Hat Box at the top of Wyle Cop when the lorry collided with the scaffolding at about 8am today. Rush hour traffic came to a standstill elsewhere in the town as it was diverted around the outskirts by police. He was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital with serious head injuries but a spokesman for the Shropshire Ambulance Service said the injuries were not thought to be life threatening. Another man also fell from a lower level of the scaffolding but was not believed to need hospital treatment after sustaining leg injuries. A spokesman for Shrewsbury police said it appeared the lorry had been driving down Dogpole to Wyle Cop this morning when it collided with the scaffolding. Both men had been working on the town centre’s CCTV system on the corner of the Hat Box and Bratton House. Wyle Cop, Castle Street , St Mary’s Street and Dogpole were all closed to traffic going in and out of the town centre and police diversions were set up around the town. The police spokesman said Wyle Cop was likely to be closed for a considerable time until the scaffolding had been dismantled. He added that the men were not from Shropshire and had come to work on the surveillance system from Photoscan, in Sunbury, and Baxall, in Manchester . No one was available to comment from either firm today. Two fire engines and the incident commander from Shrewsbury were also called to the scene.
Death fall from scaffolding
Graeme Oliver, a 39-year old scaffolder in the employ of Scotdem Ltd, has fallen 15 metres to his death when he fell from a scaffolding structure on a demolition site in central Glasgow collapsed. He was engaged on the demolition of a derelict building as part of a city centre regeneration project on a site adjacent to the location of a building collapse only last year. There has since been speculation that one of the scaffolding boards the man was standing on has failed. Scotdem declined to comment upon the incident now subject to HSE investigation.
Driver falls off roller, dies
CONSTRUCTION worker Seah Quee Hoy, 52, was supposed to complete his work on a 50-m stretch of road along Jurong Port Road on Friday. But while driving a steam-roller that day, he fell off after losing control of it and died. Police said the accident happened at 9.20 pm. The steam roller swerved and mounted a kerb after Mr Seah lost control, and he was thrown off his seat and onto the pavement. The unconscious man was taken to National University Hospital, where he died shortly before 10.30 pm. The police are appealing for witnesses. Anyone with information should call them on 1800- 547-1818.
Two injured in house collapse
25.02.2002, By AMIE RICHARDSON
Two men are in hospital with serious injuries after the second home in two weeks collapsed during renovation work in Auckland. Part of a villa in Leighton St, Grey Lynn, dropped from its foundations yesterday morning, sinking 2m and landing on the digger levelling the ground in front of the house. Independent contractor and digger driver Jack Haere, aged 34, had to be pulled from the debris. He was in a serious condition in Auckland Hospital last night and is understood to have a deep cut to his stomach. His co-contractor, Api Waititi, was taken to Middlemore Hospital with a broken leg. On February 14 Jon Keith Lockett, 21, died when a house being moved by his father’s company, Affordable Foundations, collapsed and crushed him. The house was being shifted from the front of a Hillsborough property to the back. His co-worker Kevin Sorraghan, 41, broke an ankle. Mr Lockett’s death was the fourth in the building industry this year. Yesterday in Grey Lynn, owner Vena Tallon was the only person inside the home when it fell. Mr Tallon said he hired Mr Waititi to make some alterations after putting the work out for tender. “It doesn’t seem to be negligence but they have just underestimated the weight of the house and the job. “Fortunately nobody has died. With what they’re doing, it is so critical to get it right. They can’t miss anything out. It’s deadly serious.” Police said they had not discovered exactly how the accident occurred and were waiting for an assessment by Occupational Safety and Health officials. Senior Sergeant Mark Benefield said police were concerned about the accident occurring so soon after the collapse in Hillsborough. However, yesterday’s incident was quite different. He said the workers were lucky to survive the accident. Mr Tallon’s daughter Jeanette Tallon, 26, who has lived in the house all her life, said the work was to have provided better access for her disabled 4-year-old daughter Marieka. Her family were having breakfast in Ponsonby when the accident happened. Her cousin’s partner alerted the family after seeing emergency services outside the home. Ms Tallon said she was devastated by the accident. The house had been a home for not just the seven people who lived there, but also for the rest of her extended family. Neighbour Joanne Clark, who was in her back garden, heard a loud crash and immediately called emergency services before running out to the front of the house. “I started to sweat and my heart beat faster.” She said she knew the family well because her partner had lived next door for about 20 years. “They’re such lovely people. That’s the most heart-breaking thing.” The house was insured.
UPDATE, Worker’s Death at Construction Site Leads to $258,000 in OSHA Penalties for Pasadena Tank Corp. of Houston
DALLAS – Failure of the Pasadena Tank Corp. to protect workers from fall hazards resulted in the death of a worker at a Houston construction site and has led the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue citations against the company, with proposed penalties totaling $258,000. OSHA cited the company, headquartered in Houston, with six alleged willful and serious safety violations. OSHA began its investigation Aug. 23, 2001 when an employee, who was repairing the rooftop of a storage tank, fell 56 feet to the ground when the rooftop collapsed. The employer knew about the unsafe working conditions, but continued to place workers at risk, said John Lawson, OSHA Houston North area director. A similar incident happened two years ago when two employees fell to their deaths from a storage tank. This company’s continued failure to protect its workers from falls is simply unacceptable. The company was cited with four alleged willful violations for failing to protect workers by providing an inadequate fall protection system. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH Act and regulations. The company was also cited with two alleged serious violations for failing to train workers and protect workers from falling objects. A serious violation is one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and that the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. Employers and employees with questions regarding safety and health standards may contact the OSHA Houston north area office at (281) 591-2438, or OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-321-6742, to report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers. Pasadena Tank Corp. has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the area director, or to contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Construction Worker Breaks Ankles In Fall; Washburn Fell 25 Feet
OKLAHOMA CITY — A construction worker broke both ankles after a gust of wind knocked him off a roof, authorities said. Greg Washburn, 26, fell 25 feet and landed on his feet on a concrete slab, Paul O’Leary, a spokesman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority, said Monday. “If he had landed on anything else it probably would have killed him,” O’Leary said. Washburn, of Noble, was working about 1:30 p.m. on a building in southwest Oklahoma City when the wind hit him. He was standing near the edge and slipped, then slid off the roof. Winds were estimated at 27 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. The gust would be enough to cause a man standing on a roof to teeter and fall, the meteorologist said. Paramedics at the scene said wind was a factor, O’Leary said.
UPDATE, Va. Man Survives Peanut Pile Fall
Sat Feb 16, 3:23 PM ET, By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press Writer
NORFOLK, Va. – Trapped beneath tons of unshelled peanuts in a warehouse, Floyd Goodman Jr. refused to panic. Instead, he slowed his breathing to conserve what little oxygen there was. And he prayed. “I was saying ‘Lord help me. This is not the way I would like to go. Lord, I know that’s not the way you want me to go,'” Goodman recalled Friday during a telephone interview from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was listed in good condition. Two days earlier, the 52-year-old, 15-year employee of Golden Peanut Co. had sunk into tons of peanuts when he stepped off a beam. “Basically, I got sucked in,” Goodman said. “I knew there was nothing I could do.” Goodman said he wound up in a squatting position – protected only by a pair of goggles and paper dust mask he was wearing when he fell. Pushing against the peanuts to make room for his body helped a little, he said. Still, “The peanuts mashed against my chest, my head,” he said. “The peanuts were pressing on me.” Firefighters and company employees worked for more than 90 minutes to free him. “Yes, I’m here!” Goodman said he yelled to help rescuers find him. “When I hollered, my breath got short, so I knew it was time to stop hollering. I had to try to think to slow my breathing down.” Goodman said he feared he might be buried alive. “I knew they would find me,” he said. “I was afraid they wouldn’t find me in time.” So, he prayed, telling God he had a sick friend and daughter who needed him, and a family that had grieved enough after his stepfather recently died. “All I could do was pray and pray and pray,” he said. “Every time I moved something, it felt a little tighter. All I can say is, the Lord gave me the strength to my shoulders to try to breathe a little longer.” Goodman’s daughter, Natasha, said her father would remain in the hospital through the weekend for tests to determine if he had a mild heart attack during the ordeal. But Goodman discounted concern about the pain in his left arm. “If I don’t feel for it, it’s not there,” he said of the discomfort. “I feel wonderful – I do.” The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to investigate the accident.
New Zealand actor killed on set in Beijing
One of New Zealand’s best known actors has died from injuries sustained in a fall while on location in the Chinese capital, Beijing. China correspondent Tom O’Byrne reports Kevin Smith was considered one of the country’s hottest movie star prospects. “An agent speaking on behalf of the family said Kevin Smith died of head injuries in a Beijing hospital 10 days after falling several stories from a building. The 38 year old star of stage and screen in New Zealand had been in China working on a movie following his recent success in the hit Xena-Warrior Princess. A spokesman for the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing confirmed Mr Smith’s family had been with him when he died. No to other details of the accident have been released, nor has there been word of whether the Chinese authorities are investigating. Mr Smith’s agent Robert Bruce says the loss of the actor is being felt across New Zealand, as the well known Mr Smith had just been picked to act alongside Hollywood star Bruce Willis in an action adventure film. Tom O’Byrne Beijing.” 17/02/2002 06:37:55 | ABC Radio Australia News
Worker survives being buried in tons of peanuts
A Golden Peanut Co. employee survived a fall Wednesday into tons of peanuts stored in a warehouse in Suffolk, Va. With no word from 50-year-old Floyd Goodman more than an hour after he fell off a catwalk and disappeared into the mountain of legumes, rescuers feared the worst. But eventually they made contact and dug him out from under 12 feet of peanuts, Fire Capt. James Judkins said. Goodman was taken by helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was listed in good condition. Firefighters said there have been five similar incidents in Suffolk. All ended in fatalities. Quick thinking may have prevented Goodman from becoming the sixth, Judkins said. The peanut worker was able to pull a dust mask over his face and cup his hands over it.
UPDATE, OSHA begins collapse probe
By Dave Copeland, TRIBUNE-REVIEW, Thursday, February 14, 2002
Investigators said Wednesday that it could be months before they determine what caused a 165-ton truss to topple and to crush an ironworker at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center construction site. “We really don’t know what the cause was,” Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey said after touring the Downtown site yesterday afternoon. “We have some ideas, and we know where the failure was, but we don’t know why the failure did occur.” Determining what caused the accident will be the focus of the investigation being conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA guidelines require the federal agency to complete its investigation within six months. Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, who toured the site with Roddey yesterday, said there is no evidence of a design flaw with the convention center. Both men stressed that the fatal collapse Tuesday was not caused by pressure put on workers to meet deadlines. With the American flag lowered to half staff atop the partially completed building yesterday, OSHA inspectors began interviewing witnesses and inspecting the site where the collapsed truss killed Paul Corsi, 37, of Moon Township. A half-dozen Pittsburgh homicide detectives took measurements and pictures at the scene and interviewed everyone who witnessed the collapse. All of the information they collected will be turned over to the Allegheny County Coroner’s and District Attorney’s offices for review, said city assistant police Chief William Mullen. “We look really for any criminal aspect to all of this,” Mullen said. “We’re concerned with seeing if there’s any gross negligence involved, and that’s it.” Sports & Exhibition Authority Executive Director Steve Leeper said it is too soon to determine when workers will be able to return to the job site. He said he doesn’t expect any lost time to have significant impact on the remainder of the construction schedule. “Some of the workers came in today (Wednesday) and just determined it wasn’t appropriate for them to continue work, and, frankly, we respect that,” Leeper said. “It’s very likely most of the trades will be back on site tomorrow (Thursday), but, obviously, some of the trades won’t be able to start work because of the fact that the site is presently being investigated.” Leeper used a news conference yesterday to squelch widespread speculation about the cause of the accident. “There could be a number of different reasons for why that steel collapsed. We’re going to wait until we get all of the information before we come out with a final view on that,” he said. Leeper said he expects “broad” insurance policies purchased by the authority to cover any additional costs for the $331.7 million project. He said it is too soon to determine if the fallen truss could be repaired, or if a new one would need to be fabricated. The collapse of the 13th of 15 trusses has baffled construction officials, who said each of the previous 12 trusses had been installed in the same manner without incident. Shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday, Corsi, Donald Lenigan, 41, of Mt. Washington, and Walter Pasewicz, 39, of West View, were standing on the 13th truss and attaching floor beams that would connect it to the 12th truss. The truss was anchored to the convention center’s foundation caissons at 18 of 27 connection points. Workers had completed the installation of all 14 of the second-level floor beams and were installing the fifth or sixth floor beam on the third level when the accident occurred. Murphy said the trusses aren’t fully secured until the cables that make up the building’s signature roof are wrapped around each truss. The cables run north to south over the roof of the building in a groove on each truss to help reinforce the truss’s connection to the building. Cables have been applied to the first eight trusses. “Understand, that when you’re dealing with 160 tons of steel, there are inherent pressure and stresses put onto that until the whole structure is put together,” Murphy said. “There was stress on certain points of this truss, and, for whatever reason, there was a failure at those pressure points – that’s what we’re trying to understand.” Police detectives said the workers they interviewed spoke of hearing several loud pops like “shotgun blasts” before the steel structure began to fall. Police collected several broken bolts for analysis. When the truss gave way, Lenigan and Pasewicz were saved by their safety harnesses, which were connected to the 12th truss. But Corsi, whose harness was fastened to the falling truss, was thrown to the ground and crushed by the falling steel structure. The steelworkers involved in the collapse were wearing a four-point safety harness as required by OSHA, Roddey said. The harness is like putting on a jacket, said Ed Selker, assistant area director of OSHA. Straps wrap over the wearer’s shoulders and under the legs attaching to a belt around the waist, while a rope attaches to the back of the harness. Both Lenigan and Pasewicz were treated at Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side. Lenigan was released Tuesday, and Pasewicz returned home yesterday. Both men declined comment yesterday. “I’m just not ready to talk about it,” Lenigan said. Roddey and Murphy said it appeared as though all three men followed appropriate safety procedures. Each truss is about 100 feet long and 90 feet tall and is designed to support each of the convention center’s three levels and the cable stay roof. They were fabricated by the ADF Group in Terrebonne, Quebec, and assembled on site. Murphy said investigators do not believe there was a problem with the steel used to make the trusses. ADF Group officials did not return telephone calls yesterday. Almost all of the 600 people working on the project opted to take yesterday off. Others arrived at the site in the morning to talk with grief counselors provided by Dick Corp. Five Dick Corp. workers were killed in October, when a box truck veered out of control at a work site near the Vanport Bridge on Route 60 in Beaver County. Prior to that, the company had not lost a worker on a Pennsylvania job site since May 1992, when Donald E. Whitmer, 25, fell 70 feet off a bridge that the company was repairing in Charleroi, Washington County, according to OSHA records. Dick Corp. was ordered in 1996 to pay a $400,000 settlement to Whitmer’s widow and her son. “The Dick Corp. has a tremendous safety record,” Roddey said, citing a recent OSHA safety award for work at PNC Bank’s Firstside Operations Center, Downtown. Jillian Costic, manager of the Pittsburgh RV Show, said she expects the accident won’t have an impact next Tuesday – the move-in date for her show. The Pittsburgh RV Show will christen the first phase of the convention center. The show opens to the public Feb. 23. “I’m really, really sorry about the accident, and that’s what it was – an accident,” Costic said. “Those guys are hard workers and dedicated and wonderful people. I feel horrible for the families.” A second phase of the convention center is scheduled to open in October. The third and final phase – where the accident occurred – is expected to open in March 2003. The first event in the fully constructed convention center will be the 2003 Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show. “We are very sad that, on this building we are so excited about, we now have this tragedy to contend with,” Murphy said.
Collapse kills worker
By Marisol Bello, David Conti and Erik Siemers, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
Steel construction at the city’s new riverfront David L. Lawrence Convention Center has been halted temporarily as federal inspectors try to find out why a three-level steel frame collapsed Tuesday afternoon, crushing to death one worker and injuring two others. Paul Corsi, 37, of Moon Township, died in the collapse that occurred shortly before 3 p.m. as he and fellow ironworkers were fastening the beams near the 11th Street entrance at the Downtown construction site. It was the first fatality in the nearly $1 billion in high-profile construction projects in the city spawned by Plan B, which includes two new sports stadiums on the North Shore. The $331.7 million convention center is to be the final jewel in the crown. Teams of investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as the Sports & Exhibition Authority and Dick Corp., are trying to determine the cause of the collapse. Corsi was an ironworker for the Dick Corp., one of two companies in charge of erecting the steel frame of the building. He stood on truss No. 13 when the beams rippled and crumbled to the ground in an earth-shattering boom. His body was trapped under the rubble for at least three hours as rescue crews and construction workers worked to pull out his remains. Paramedics and witnesses said Corsi, who was wearing a safety harness, “rode the steel as it fell to the ground.” Two other workers were taken to Allegheny General Hospital, North Side, but there were conflicting reports about how they were injured. Greg Yesko, a spokesman for the SEA, said Donald Lenigan, 41, of Mt. Washington, was working on a truss that did not fall, but his harness kept him from falling to the ground. Meanwhile, an Allegheny General spokesman identified Walter Pasewicz, 39, of Beechview, as being the other worker who was injured. The hospital said Lenigan was treated and released for a leg injury. Pasewicz was admitted to Allegheny General in fair condition for evaluation of back and other injuries. Relatives of Pasewicz and Lenigan did not want to discuss the accident last night. Witnesses, police, construction site managers and officials from the SEA said ironworkers had been installing a truss, which is made up of several pre-assembled beams. As the workers fastened it to the foundation and to a third-floor beam, the truss buckled and collapsed. Engineers can’t explain what caused the truss to fail, said John Stanich, senior vice president for Dick Corp., during a news conference. “The whole section came down together,” said Steve Leeper, executive director of the SEA, which owns the convention center. “It is a long section of structured steel that is a major support of the building. “They were literally, I believe, just pulling the section of the steel structure up. I don’t think anyone can speculate the cause of what happened.” As the metal twisted and shards crashed to the ground, the men below scattered. An aerial view of the site shows the heavy beams fell 110 feet straight down in a twisted steel wreck. The accident occurred on the easternmost edge of the almost 400,000-square foot building. It was part of the final phase of construction, just west of the Fort Wayne railroad bridge. The area under construction is to contain administrative offices and meeting rooms. Leeper was touring the completed portion of the building, set to open Feb. 23, when he heard the crash on the opposite end of the site. He was in the secondary exhibit hall when “we heard a noise that was not commonly heard on a construction site.”
He and other SEA officials have said there have been only a handful of minor injuries since construction began in the spring of 2000. “We’ve had a very good record to date on all of our projects. It’s very difficult today to find out we lost someone,” Leeper said. He said there would be no steel construction at the site today. At least two federal inspectors from OSHA were on the scene an hour after the incident. Agency officials will not release any information until they finish their investigation, which could take up to six months, said spokeswoman Leni Uddydack-Fortson. “OSHA will inspect every part of the site over the next 24 to 36 hours,” Leeper said. Firefighters, rescue crews and Dick Corp. personnel streamed into the site as construction workers left for the day. Teams from Equitable Gas Co. took measurements along an access road and under the Fort Wayne bridge to check for any leaks. As daylight turned to dark, emergency crews set up lights in the area of the crash. At 6 p.m., crews huddled around an area surrounded by large steel girders about 30 yards from the river bank. Above them, a safety harness hung from a line connected to the steel structure of the convention center. Construction workers carrying food coolers left the site quietly, some alone, in pairs or groups of three. Several said they had been ordered by the “big guys” not to comment on what happened inside. Others said they saw the metal skeleton twist and collapse all at once. Leeper said the accident will not affect the scheduled public opening of the first part of the revamped convention center, which will host a recreational vehicle convention Feb. 23 through March 3, The trucks are expected to be moved in next Tuesday. Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show executive director John DeSantis said the accident wouldn’t impact his scheduled March show either. Mayor Tom Murphy yesterday expressed his condolences to Corsi’s family and the workers at the site. “In all of the construction we have had in Pittsburgh over the past few years, we have prided ourselves on our strong safety record,” he said in a statement. “Today is a tragic reminder that we can never be too vigilant in our efforts to protect our workers.” Roger Peters, senior vice president of the Pittsburgh-based Dick Corp., said the cause of the crash had not yet been determined, but he said, “Our sympathies go out to the victim’s families and to the others who were injured. First and foremost, safety is our biggest concern at any site.” Yesko said the company, one of about 50 working on the construction, had an excellent safety record, with only a handful of minor injuries, ranging from sprains to broken ankles and wrists. Officials from Iron Workers No. 3, who represent workers at the site, would not comment yesterday. Workers will be offered grief counseling when they report to work today, Dick Corp. officials said.
2 hurt when church roof frame collapses
By Rudolph Bush, Tribune staff reporter, Published February 12, 2002, 5:21 PM CST
Part of an unfinished addition to a West Side church collapsed on two construction workers today as they attempted to erect trusses for a new sanctuary. High wind was a contributing factor in the collapse of several large wooden beams that were to frame the roof of a new sanctuary at Kedvale New Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1305 S. Kedvale Ave., said a spokeswoman for the Chicago Building Department. Mark Moore, 34, was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital at 10:30 a.m., where he underwent X-rays for a possible broken shoulder bone, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was in good condition, but was expected to remain in the hospital overnight for observation. A second man sprained his ankle and was treated and released from St. Anthony Hospital, officials said. Inspectors from the Building Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration plan to investigate, officials said. A city inspector at the site today said at least one wall of the sanctuary would have to be rebuilt because the collapse made it unstable.
Pontotoc man dies after falling into silo; Storage bin was about two-thirds full with soybeans.
By Sandi P. Beason, Daily Journal
PONTOTOC – A Pontotoc man died Friday afternoon after a nearly six-hour effort to pull him from a soybean-filled silo. John Bramlett, 60, owner of Bramlett Grain and Trucking Company, was working inside a silo about two-thirds full of soybeans Friday morning when he fell. “He called us on his cell phone,” said Pontotoc Police Chief Larry Poole. After getting the call, rescue workers were immediately sent to the scene. City and county rescue workers assisted, along with the Tupelo hazmat team and private citizens. “Those beans are just like quicksand,” Poole said. “Every time we tried to pull him out, he went in deeper.” Bramlett was pulled from the silo by Pontotoc rescue workers shortly after 3:30 p.m., and taken to Pontotoc Hospital. Rescue mission Tupelo Fire Chief Mike Burns said Friday’s rescue effort was difficult because it was a confined space entry. “You’ve got to imagine what was happening,” he said. “In the center of the silo, the beans were pulling down. You had a vortex that went down and as the sides (of the silo) came open, the beans on the side went down. It was sort of a volcano shape. “We still had mounds and mounds of beans near the center after we got the sides open and beans started pouring out.” Burns said rescue workers were down inside the silo on top of the soybeans. “If we had not been suspended on ropes, a step would have been three or four feet down quick,” he said. “We were suspended with ropes to the point where if anything happened, we could be pulled back out.” Although backhoes and even shovels were used to remove the beans, Burns said the silo was about two-thirds full when he arrived and work was slow. As beans were removed, the dust created a potential explosion hazard, he said. “Our biggest concern was oxygen deficiency,” Burns said. “We had to wear air lines.” Burns said the 20 rescue workers from Tupelo arrived on the scene just after 10:34 a.m., and the victim was found just after 3 p.m. “The rescue team was back in service at 3 p.m., but some of the special operations teams guys stayed over a little longer,” he said. “They had located the victim at that time.”
Fatal accident
A worker has died of his injuries when he fell from a vehicle he was standing on. Alexander Craig, 38, a scaffolder, is reported to have been blown off balance by strong, gusting winds in Rothesay at the weekend.
Man Dies After Falling Five Stories
Saturday February 02 06:12 PM EST
A 24-year-old construction worker from Langley Park is dead after falling five stories from a commercial building. DC fire spokesman Alan Etter says the man was part of a crew doing some renovations at 575 Seventh Street, Northwest. Paramedics on the scene say the man was badly hurt but conscious when they found him. He went into cardiac arrest when he was placed into the ambulance. Etter says the unidentified man was pronounced dead at Howard University Hospital. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
Seven die as 120mph winds batter Britain
Frank Urquhart
SEVEN people were killed and Scotland’s transport system was thrown into chaos yesterday as hurricane-force winds reaching 120mph battered the UK. The winds left a trail of devastation in their wake from the Borders to the Northern Isles, leaving thousands of electricity consumers without power. Tens of thousands of commuters were also affected as all train services were cancelled at one point. Edinburgh to Glasgow, and Glasgow to Aberdeen services resumed at 5:30pm but were cancelled at about 7pm due to a dangerous tree in the Bishopton area. It was not known when they would resume. The deaths included a man who was killed when a tree fell on a car in the grounds of a hotel in Dunkeld, Perthshire. A woman in the car was also seriously injured. A lorry driver died when his truck overturned on the A77 at Monkton, in Strathclyde, and another trucker died in Glencoe when his vehicle was blown off the road and hit a bridge near the White Corries ski centre. In England, a man was killed when his articulated lorry toppled on the A1 near Catterick, North Yorkshire. A woman passenger was also killed when a lorry was blown down an embankment on the A1(M) in County Durham. In North Tyneside, the driver of a HGV was killed when it rolled down an embankment between Seaton Burn and Gosforth Park. A woman, believed to be in her 40s, died after she was hit by a piece of stone gargoyle that fell from a church while she was walking through the High Ousegate area of York. But it was Scotland which bore the brunt of the storms. As the conditions worsened, with fallen trees and other debris affecting every rail line in the country, Railtrack, in consultation with the main train operators, suspended all services for a time. A spokeswoman for Railtrack said: “It is the first time in living memory that this has happened but the decision was taken on the grounds of safety.” On the Tay Bridge, a wind speed of 110mph was recorded at one point during the day, with gusts reaching more than 120mph in parts of the Highlands – including the summit of Ben Nevis. At one stage yesterday, almost 100,000 people in Scotland were left without electricity – 50,000 in the Scottish Power area and 38,000 Scottish and Southern Energy consumers – after overhead cables were brought down or badly damaged in the storms. Power companies had to wait until the storms abated before repair crews could work in safety. Ferry services to Ireland and the islands were also badly disrupted and flights from a number of Scottish airports were delayed or cancelled because of the exceptionally strong winds. Buildings in Aberdeen, Dundee and Stirling suffered structural damage, and a pupil at Culter Primary, in Aberdeen, had a lucky escape when he sustained only minor injuries after being hit by the covering of a water tank, blown off the school roof. A train driver also escaped with minor injuries when a tree struck a GNER train at the Stanley junction between Pitlochry and Perth. The storms and heavy rain also brought fears of flooding to parts of Scotland. Last night, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued flood warnings for rivers in Perthshire, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire. The agency also warned of higher than usual tide levels in coastal areas around the country.
LAW & DISORDER: Construction worker dies in scaffold fall
By Dana Treen and Dan Scanlan , Times-Union staff writers
A 45-year-old construction worker died yesterday at the Shands Jacksonville hospital after he fell from a scaffold at the YMCA in Mandarin Thursday and landed on a steel rod sticking out of the ground. Eldon White of the 4000 block of Moncrief Road was walking on top of a scaffold at the Williams Family Branch YMCA about 4:15 p.m. when he fell about 8 feet, hitting his head, Sgt. Rick Parker said. The construction crew is adding a new lobby to the 10415 San Jose Blvd. YMCA.
Investigation under way after accident
Saturday, January 26, 2002, 1:24 AM, By Robert Baun
Federal officials launched an investigation Friday into the cause of a construction accident near Fort Collins that left six people injured, including four workers. The accident occurred Thursday afternoon at 4709 E. County Road 40, where DMD Construction was raising a post frame building for a riding arena. The structure collapsed at 3:32 p.m., and four workers fell 30 feet from the roof. Two workers were treated for minor injuries, while two other workers remained hospitalized on Friday evening. One of the hospitalized workers is scheduled for surgery today, said Dennis Swenson, a co-owner of Fort Collins-based DMD. “The other one should be up and walking by Sunday or so,” Swenson said. The worker scheduled for surgery is Bret Phillips, 31, a family member confirmed on Friday. Dionne Phillips said her brother broke his pelvis, his left wrist and shattered his left elbow. Names of the other injured workers were not disclosed. An investigator for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, inspected the accident site on Friday. “We checked all our bracing – it was in accordance with the way we do things,” Swenson said. “I can’t put a finger on what it was that happened.” Details of the investigation will remain confidential until the agency issues a final report, said Jackie Annis, acting area director at OSHA’s Denver office. Swenson called the collapse “a freak thing. Like I told OSHA, we’ve built 1,300 buildings over the past nine years and never had something like this happen. It’s just a mystery.” Wind is a possible culprit. “One guy said a little gust of wind came up,” Swenson said. “In the stage of framing we were at, it can affect things.” The building was about halfway through construction, he said. DMD plans to return to work Monday on the building.
Employer blamed for worker’s fall from ladder
A CONSTRUCTION worker from China fell 2 m when the ladder he was on slipped on the newly cemented floor at an MRT worksite because its legs did not have rubber caps that would have prevented it from doing so. Mr Wang Jian Zhong, 35, then a plasterer, fractured his right wrist when the fall happened at the site of the People’s Park MRT station on Nov 21, 2000. Because of the accident, he still suffers severe pain in his wrist, which is permanently stiff. Yesterday, after a hearing on who was liable for what happened, Judicial Commissioner Lee Seiu Kin said that Mr Wang’s employer, sub-contractor Fu Xing Lai Engineering & Construction, was the only one responsible. How much the company will have to pay Mr Wang will be assessed later by the Assistant Registrar. The unemployed father of one is asking for more than $250,000. He said in his affidavit that he arrived here in January 2000 and started working for the company on Feb 12 that year. About nine months later, on Nov 21, he and a colleague went to the store to get ladders and found just two there. Neither had rubber caps on their legs. When he told foreman Na Li Jiu about the danger of using the defective ladders, he was told to proceed with the job. But 10 minutes after starting work, the base of the ladder slid backwards and he fell, landing on his right hand. He was warded for two weeks and given medical leave until October last year. The subcontractor, which denied liability, claimed the accident was due solely to Mr Wang’s negligence, saying the man had obtained a ladder without first checking to see if it was in good condition. Mr Wang’s lawyers were Mr N. Srinivasan and Ms G. Prasanna Devi, while Mr Pascal Netto acted for the subcontractor.
Judith Gap man dies in accident on Rocky Boy
Tim Eberly
Jan 24 – A Judith Gap man died Tuesday afternoon during a logging accident on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. Steve Thomas Butorovich, 27, fell while transferring logs at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday onto a transport truck, said Rocky Boy police investigator Stan Gardipee. The accident occurred on Sandy Creek Road, one mile east of the western border of the reservation. Butorovich likely died instantly when he landed on a steel platform connected to his truck, Gardipee said. The impact crushed his spinal cord and forced it into his brain, the investigator said. Butorovich, a trucker and loading operator for Judith Gap-based Miller Trucking Inc., was on a one-day assignment to transport logs from Rocky Boy to Townsend. Butorovich and Marshall Aamold, his co-worker, had been working for about an hour before the accident. I didn’t see the accident, said the 46-year-old Aamold, who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Butorovich for 15 to 20 minutes before tracking down several local men to call authorities. I just saw that he wasn’t on his truck anymore. He’d fallen off the seat of the loader. Aamold discovered Butorovich’s body sprawled across the platform. Butorovich fell to 8 to 10 feet from a seat elevated above the truck to coordinate the collection of logs. Gardipee said Butorovich’s seat was broken, but the mechanic from Miller Trucking, John Hershberger, disputes that. The seat is not broken; it’s bent, Hershberger said today. I looked at the seat this morning and the seat was in good condition. Nobody knows exactly what happened. Butorovich, who was single, weighed 460 pounds and was nicknamed Tiny. He had a lot of weight behind him when he fell, Gardipee said. Hershberger said he may have stood up to observe the logs, and when he sat down against the back of the seat, it may have bent underneath him. A couple weeks ago, a bolt loosened from a hinge on the seat, so there was an ongoing deal to make sure it was working, Aamold said. Hershberger said it had been repaired and was in perfect condition. We’re dealing with it from the safety aspect, Hershberger said. It’s my driver that lost his life. I do the service on all the trucks, so it’s been hard. We’re kind of walking around in a daze. Doctors in Missoula performed an autopsy on Wednesday, and found alcohol was not a factor in his death, Gardipee said. Butorovich and Aamold had been working together for a year and a half. He was a fun man to be around, Aamold said. He just enjoyed life. He was just that kind of guy. After Aamold’s CPR on Butorovich proved unsuccessful, Aamold drove five miles and asked some men, who were cutting firewood, to call 911. He could not get service from his cell phone. I wish that things were different, Aamold said. I just wish I could have done more for him. Butorovich had two sisters, and one of them, Susan Miller, is married to the owner of Miller Trucking, Tony Miller. He could not be reached for comment. Miller Trucking is a log-hauling company with eight trucks and seven employees. Butorovich had been employed there for about five years. He loved what he did, Hershberger said. He was where he wanted to be. Judith Gap is 131 miles south of Havre, on the northern edge of Wheatland County.
Suspended Workers Rescued From Building
Wednesday January 23 08:22 PM EST
What started out as a building-condition survey Wednesday at City Center Square ended up as a rescue of three stranded workers and an Occupational Safety and Health Administration Investigation, KMBC 9 News’ Peggy Breit reported. Three people were on a swing stage 25 floors up were making their way down the exterior when something went wrong. “One of the motors wouldn’t stop, and the other motor couldn’t quite keep up with it, so they tried to hit the emergency,” rescued worker Flora Calabrese said. “That didn’t stop it. We unplugged the power in the middle. That didn’t stop it. We were starting to get (really) out of tilt. Finally, the safety brake kicked in, and it stopped us.” The swing stage stopped, but the three workers didn’t have a way to get down. Firefighters arrived and went up to the 24th floor of the Cooling and Herbers law firm. “(I) followed them, and they went right into my office and there (are) three people right outside my window all waiting to be rescued,” building tenant Jim Cooling said. After first considering pulling the three up to the roof on ropes, they decided to call a glass company in to remove a pane and pull the workers through, Breit reported. “(I) stepped over and got a lot of hands helping (me) up and through there,” Calabrese said. Calabrese thought for a while that her safety harness might get in the way. “I thought I was going to get caught up on the rope and kind of be hanging from that rope, but I didn’t think I was going to fall to the ground or anything like that,” Calabrese said. Cables, ropes and harnesses are all required for jobs such as the one Calabrese has to ensure workers’ safety, Breit reported. OSHA is among the many groups investigating what happened. The faulty motor had been checked and OK’d for use prior to the accident, Breit reported. Two men with Calabrese were running the swing stage, she said. Calabrese said she has been doing this kind of work for 10 years, and she said it is the first time anything like this has ever happened to her. The incident lasted less than 30 minutes, Breit reported.
HOME SAFETY Ridgeland man dies in fall from tree
Published Mon, Jan 21, 2002
RIDGELAND — A man died Saturday morning after he fell from a tree, said Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls. Dan Maney, 57, of Carters Mill Road was trimming a pecan tree in his yard with a chain saw, Sauls said. Maney was cutting a limb when it hit him in the head, causing him to fall out of the tree and land on his head, Sauls said. Sauls said he fractured his skull and was killed on impact.
UPDATE, Bay Bridge safety plan reviewed
Outcome to determine if three contracting firms can continue their work
By Guy Ashley, Published Tuesday, January 22, 2002, CONTRA COSTA TIMES
SAN FRANCISCO — State transportation officials huddled Monday to review a proposed safety plan that will determine if three contracting firms will be allowed to continue their work on a $170 million Bay Bridge seismic retrofit project. Caltrans announced last week it had ordered the project’s contractor, a joint venture of California Engineering Contractors and Modern Continental Construction Co., to submit a plan showing how it will increase worker safety on the project after a Jan. 4 accident in which a painter was killed. A key part of the order requires the companies to show that the painting subcontractor, Robison-Prezioso, is qualified to use mobile work platforms of the type involved in the accident that killed 33-year-old Darryl Clemons of Oakland. The companies collaborated on a safety plan submitted to Caltrans late last week, leading to a series of meetings that began during the weekend and continued Monday, said Jeff Weiss, a Caltrans spokesman. Clemons was among several employees moving a platform when the 18,000-pound structure buckled in the center, pinning him between its outer edge and the underside of the bridge’s upper deck. The death was the latest in a series of accidents connected with the 3-year-old project to retrofit the bridge’s western span. Clemons’ father, also a painter on the project, was badly injured in February when he fell more than 80 feet onto the platform below the bridge roadway. State investigators later cited Robison-Prezioso after determining 57-year-old James Clemons was not wearing a safety harness when the accident occurred. In September, a 3-ton panel used by the painting company accidentally fell onto the bridge roadway, killing a passing motorist. Weiss said it is unclear when engineers for Caltrans will decide whether the safety plan is adequate. If Caltrans finds it inadequate, the agency has warned it will terminate its contracts with the companies and turn over control of the project to a bonding company. Officials for the contracting firms could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
S.A. Zoo Employee Injured
Monday January 21 02:56 PM EST
An employee at the San Antonio Zoo was injured Monday after he fell off a six-foot wall. Zoo officials said a horticulturalist was working on a wallaby exhibit, which was empty at the time, when he tripped and fell off a six-foot wall, zoo officials said. The man fell on his back and was transported to Metropolitan Methodist Hospital where he was being treated for minor injuries.
Earthquake in Turkey Kills One
Monday January 21 8:11 PM ET
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – A construction worker was killed Monday when an earthquake tossed him off a scaffolding in the western city of Izmir. The 4.7-magnitude quake sent people running into the streets in panic. It struck at 4:36 p.m. and was centered in the town of Manisa, about 30 miles north of Izmir, seismologists at Istanbul’s Kandilli Observatory said. There were no reports of injuries or damage besides the single fatality. Private NTV television said terrified people gathered in Izmir’s square when the quake shook buildings. The temblor was felt in the cities of Aydin and Denizli, further south. Most of Turkey lies on the active North Anatolian fault. Ruptures in the fault caused two massive quakes in 1999 that killed 18,000 people and devastated large parts of northwestern Turkey.
Man falls to his death at Carroll’s
By:Mark S. Price, The Sampson Independent (01/12/2002)
WARSAW – An accident at a plant near Warsaw claimed the life of an employee when he was tragically killed after falling from a grain elevator early Friday morning. WARSAW – An accident at a plant near Warsaw claimed the life of an employee when he was tragically killed after falling from a grain elevator early Friday morning. Mark O. Bradley, 44, of 190 Thomas Luke Road, Jacksonville, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics after responding to the 7:19 a.m. call of an accident at a feed mill owned and operated by Murphy-Brown, LLC. A spokesman from Emergency Services in Duplin County said, “When the call came in there were unconfirmed reports that a man fell between 25 to 30 feet from a grain elevator to his death.” The plant’s public information officer said, “Murphy-Brown and its employees are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Mark’s family and friends.” He also said, “A grief counselor is being provided by the company to assist its employees in dealing with this loss.” The company’s safety department is working diligently with OSHA and the Duplin County Sheriff’s Department to thoroughly investigate the accident. Further details of the accident investigation will be made available by the Duplin County Sheriff’s Department at the conclusion of the investigation.
Mark S. Price can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 17 or [email protected].
Window-Washing Deaths Tied To Same Company
Monday January 14 11:57 PM EST
A man who was washing windows on top of a building fell four stories to his death Monday, KMBC 9 News’ Emily Aylward reported. It was windy when Michael Beck, 34, was working in the Pine Ridge business park off Interstate 35 in Lenexa. While strapping cables to wash windows, he fell. Many people saw the accident, and others said they did everything they could to help. Vikki Streeter said she saw Beck set up, and well before lunch, she was convinced that something went wrong. “I was on the other side of the office, and I heard a loud thump hit the window,” Streeter said. Police said the window washer somehow slipped. People in nearby buildings saw Beck laying down cables to repel down the windows, then witnesses said he mis-stepped at the edge of the roof. “He did not look good. You could tell that his injuries were very serious,” Streeter said. Winds were recorded up to 30 mph Monday, Aylward reported. “It’s traumatic for witnesses and the victims to see anything of that magnitude happen,” Streeter said. The company the man worked for, Quality Window Cleaners, has seen plenty of it recently. In July 2000, the company had three men fall six stories at Research Medical Center. Two were badly injured, and one man died. Quality Window Cleaners, which is based in Holden, Mo., did not return KMBC’s phone calls. Beck apparently worked for the company for several years.
Worker injured in fall; Contractor drops 40 feet after his harness snaps
By Victoria Cherrie, JOURNAL REPORTER
A contractor was in satisfactory condition at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center after falling 40 feet from a water-storage tank yesterday, officials said. Andrew Kalos, 30, landed on his feet and was able to walk away from the site. The accident occurred about 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Shattalon Drive and Bethabara Road. Kalos, who works for Brickwood Contractors in Manassas, Va., was strapped near the top of the tank when his harness snapped and he fell, witnesses said. “I turned to say something to him and he did a Road Runner on me,” said Bill Pybus, an engineer from AEC Engineering. He and Kalos had been checking the paint on the tank and were on their way down when Kalos fell, Pybus said. Both men had gear for rappelling and safety, he said. Kalos fell about 40 feet. He hit the side of the tank and landed on his feet about a foot from a thick concrete slab and a metal pipe that extends from the tank’s interior, Pybus said. “He’s very lucky,” he said. Kalos complained of severe leg pain but declined to be taken by ambulance to the hospital, said Sgt. Brian Blakley of the Winston-Salem Police Department. A co-worker took Kalos, the site foreman, to the hospital, Pybus said. The men have been working on the water-storage tank since July when the city-county utility department hired Brickwood to paint and repair it, said Ron Hargrove, a utilities-plant engineer for the department. The $243,000 project, which is near completion, will also bring the tank into compliance with new codes, he said. Hargrove said he was not aware of any other problems on the site or with the contracting company. The company is not required to report the accident. Only fatal accidents or accidents involving three or more people who are injured and hospitalized must be reported to the N.C. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division, said Greg Cook, a division spokesman.
Officer hurt in fall from window
By MICHAEL ELIASOHN / H-P Staff Writer
NILES — A city police officer helping evacuate people from a fire at a three-level city apartment building was injured when he fell from the top floor. Another officer taking part in the evacuation also was injured. A few hours later, Niles Township firefighters were extinguishing a fire in an apartment building under construction in that municipality. The city fire, reported at 2:15 a.m., was at North Niles Villa, 1819 N. Fifth St. The township fire, reported at 5:25 a.m., was at Berrien Woods Apartments, 1900 E. Main St. The injured police officers were Chad Mitchell and William Emral, both of whom were treated at Lakeland Hospital, Niles, and released. Police Chief Richard Huff said Mitchell was in a hallway and to escape the fire, ran to the open air stairwell and tried to swing over the edge of a balcony. His hands slipped and he fell to the ground below. Half of the first level of the building is below ground so the building height equals that of a two and a half story structure. Emral suffered smoke inhalation while on the second floor. Fire department Lt. Donald Wise said the fire started in a first floor apartment near the door, then went out into the hallway. He said the male occupant, name unavailable, and a neighbor unsuccessfully tried to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher before calling the fire department. “That’s why it’s so important to call us first,” he said. Wise said investigators from the fire and police departments were unable to find an exact cause, only that it is “not suspicious.” Kathy Rapach, regional manager for the owner of North Niles Village, said nine apartments in the 16-unit building were occupied and there are eight buildings in the complex. “We are trying to place the residents (in other apartments),” she said. “I think we can take care of them and we’re thankful they are all OK.” Wise said damage to the building, which appears repairable, was estimated at $100,000 to the structure and $50,000 to contents. In addition to smoke and fire damage, he said there was water damage on the first and second floor — the latter from an occupant leaving a faucet on, causing water to come through the ceiling — and some third floor damage from having to cut holes in the ceiling to make sure the fire hadn’t spread into the attic. Berrien Woods Apartments manager Theresa Gipson said the building that burned was one of nine under construction at the complex. Nine other buildings are occupied. She said the building exterior was complete and workmen were ready to start installing drywall on the inside. The building would have been done in about two months.
2 workers hurt when roof collapses
Published January 10, 2002
EVANSTON — Two construction workers were slightly injured Wednesday afternoon when the roof collapsed on an Evanston home that was being renovated. One of the workers jumped from the second story as the roof fell at about 2:30 p.m. Another worker suffered a broken leg from the falling debris, said Evanston Fire Department Cmdr. Ken Dohm. The workers were in fair condition in St. Francis Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. The workers were part of a construction crew that was putting an addition on an 85-year-old house in the 1600 block of Greenleaf Street, authorities said. The roof collapsed when its weight shifted and knocked out the supports that were holding it up, Dohm said. “It was like an explosion,” said Alvetta Pertiller, who owns a small store next to the collapsed house. “When I went outside to look, I couldn’t believe it.”
Construction worker in critical condition after fall from roof at I-69 welcome center
By Nikki Sattler-The Reporter
BRANCH COUNTY — A 21-year-old construction worker was in was in critical condition Tuesday evening after suffering head and other injuries in a work-related accident. Greg Homan of Vicksburg, who is employed by Kalamazoo’s Frederick Construction Company was working on the roof of the Michigan Welcome Center on northbound I-69 Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The worker fell from the roof, a fall of about 12 feet, and sustained substantial head injuries. LifeCare Ambulance was at the scene, assisted by the Branch County Sheriff’s Department. Due to the worker’s head injuries, as well as other injuries sustained in the fall, he was airlifted by Air Care to Kalamazoo’s Bronson Hospital, where he remained Tuesday. Frederick Construction Company is contracted to work on part of the Welcome Center construction project. The Welcome Center is managed by the Travel Michigan Bureau, which manages all Michigan Welcome Centers and is in charge of contracting companies for such projects. Officials at Frederick Construction Company were unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Worker falls to death down lift shaft
A construction worker has died of injuries sustained when he fell down a lift shaft on an Edinburgh construction site. The man, named as Gary Auld, 45, fell through 15 metres on the site where flats are under construction at Queens Quay in Leith. He died at the scene. Mr Auld was sub-contracted to the principal contractor, Morrison Construction, for whom a spokeswoman confirmed the details of the accident. She said: “As a company which gives highest priority to safety, we are of course carrying out a thorough investigation into what has occurred and are working closely with the police and HSE to establish the precise circumstances surrounding this tragic accident.”
UPDATE, Cal OSHA Investigation Fatal Bridge Accident
1/08/02
A spokeswoman for the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration said today it would take about six months to determine what caused a fatal accident on the Bay Bridge on Friday. Susan Gard, spokeswoman for the state agency that investigates work-related accidents, said today that CalOSHA has hired a Hayward metallurgical laboratory to determine what caused an 18,000-pound traveling painting platform on the lower deck of the bridge to buckle, killing 33-year-old Darryl Clemons of Oakland and injuring three other workers. “Hopefully we’ll determine what caused the failure on the structure, and determine a way to prevent future failures,” Gard said. Once a determination has been made, Gard added, CalOSHA will examine what — if any — penalty should be levied against Robinson-Prezioso, the subcontractor that employed the painters. Gard said that in the course of the two-year-old Bay Bridge retrofit project, Robison-Prezioso has been cited for not adhering to laws that require employees to wear proper respiratory equipment and lead exposure. Robison-Prezioso was fined $26,100 in July for failing to ensure that employees were adequately tied off, Gard said. Coincidentally, that fine came when Darryl Clemons’ father, James Clemons, who was also a painter, fell from a platform and was critically injured, Gard said. The California Department of Transportation has halted all retrofit work on the Bay Bridge indefinitely and CalOSHA has issued an order barring Robison-Prezioso from operating the three remaining platforms until the investigation is complete. Gard said that although the investigation of the accident will focus primarily on the collapsed scaffolding, CalOSHA could also extend its investigations if it finds problems with any of Robison-Prezioso’s operating procedures.
Tops Supermarket Collapses, Injuring Workers
NewsNet5, Wednesday January 09 01:42 PM EST
Part of a Tops Supermarket being built in North Olmsted collapsed Wednesday morning. Police said that a scaffolding collapsed at the construction site on the Brookpark Road extension. A handful of workers sustained minor injuries. The Tops market was formerly Ames in North Olmsted.
UPDATE, Company under scrutiny that employed worker killed when Bay Bridge scaffold collapse
By Paul Glader, ASSOCIATED PRESS, January 4, 2002
SAN FRANCISCO – The company employing a worker crushed to death Friday on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been fined $194,335 in the past year for earlier accidents and violations on the earthquake-retrofit project, including a serious injury suffered by the dead man’s father. “Even though each one of these accidents is separate in nature, there is an overall safety issue in this project that needs to be addressed,” said California Division of Occupational Safety and Health spokesman Dean Fryer. “That is of great concern to us.” Night and day, nearly 200 workers are suspended 300 feet above San Francisco Bay on the double-decker bridge. They replace rivets and sandblast paint on the western span as more than 270,000 vehicles a day zoom past between Oakland and San Francisco. “We know this kind of work is dangerous, but we just can’t accept this loss of life,” said Jeff Weiss, spokesman for the state transportation department, which hired Robison-Prezioso Inc. to paint the bridge as part of a $170 million, five-year seismic retrofit. Darryl Clemons, 33, of Oakland died when an 18,000-pound aluminum work platform, known as a “traveler,” buckled in the middle as it was being moved and he was pinned against the bottom of the upper deck by one of the edges. Three other workers suffered minor injuries. The four men and James Clemons, the dead man’s father, all were employed by Robison-Prezioso. James Clemons, also of Oakland, was seriously injured Feb. 28 when he fell 90 feet from scaffolding while working with a painting crew. Fryer said he had not been wearing his harness, and the company was fined $26,100 for not training workers in proper safety measures. “I didn’t want him to go back on the job after his father got hurt,” Vida Clemons, Darryl Clemon’s wife, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “But he said he needed to work to survive, for his family.” The Santa Fe Springs-based company paid another $168,235 in fines last May when safety inspectors found bridge workers had high levels of lead in their blood and the company failed to provide respirators for workers sandblasting old paint from the span. On Sept. 26, a 5,400-pound piece of equipment fell and crushed a pickup truck, killing motorist Anthony Menolascino, 47, of San Jose. The investigation Friday’s accident could take as long as six months. “We want to look at maintenance logs, training logs and take a closer look at the scaffolding,” Fryer said. Few companies do industrial painting and sandblasting, according to Caltrans spokesman Jeff Weiss, and Robison-Prezioso may be the most inexpensive. “This is a very challenging project,” said N. Randy Gordon, project manager for Robison-Prezioso. “The allegations Cal-OSHA has thrown out in the past are just that – allegations.” Gordon said the scaffolding was made specifically for the bridge project and was inspected daily. He said Darryl Clemons, a painter like his father, had worked for the company for about a year. He described him as a “good hard worker, one of our better guys.” The accident happened on the lower, eastbound section of the span about 12:45 a.m. The crumpled platform was removed from the bridge and the span was reopened to traffic around 7:20 a.m.
Millworker, 32, loses left leg in wake of accident
By Lisa Curdy – Daily World writer
1) Cergene Clark, 32, of Elma, was in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle today after his left leg was amputated just below the hip. The Mary’s River Lumber Co. worker was hit by a forklift Wednesday. It was a tragic day at the mill. 2) Later in the day, benchman Carl Butterfield was killed when he fell 12 feet while changing a saw blade. An autopsy determined he died from a severed back due to a blunt impact to the torso, Coroner Ed Fleming said today. “Shell” Clark, who had worked at the mill since 1997, was struck by the forklift while walking along a road inside the mill compound. Millworkers have speculated that the forklift driver at first didn’t even realize he had hit Clark. “A forklift is a very big and heavy machine,” said Brad Kirkbride, the mill’s chief operations officer. “It’s very possible he may not have even known the forklift hit him.” The manager declined to name the forklift driver, and said he hadn’t talked to him personally. The mill uses forklifts to transport lumber around the yard, Kirkbride said. State Labor & Industries investigators were at the mill Wednesday and Thursday. “We have opened an inspection with Mary’s River,” L&I spokesman Bill Ripple said Thursday. “We’re required to investigate all occupational fatalities. “We’ll basically find out if the employer is doing what’s required under the law.” A longtime friend of Clark’s, David Davis of Elma, said today he was at the hospital with him all day Wednesday. “I’m going up again in a few minutes. He’s still in real bad shape.” “Big” is how Davis described Clark. “He’s 6 – 3, 375 pounds,” Davis said. “He’s very funny, very kind and very big hearted. He’d do anything for anybody.” Clark and Davis both volunteer for the Twin Towers Search & Rescue unit, based out of Elma. The Search & Rescue unit was named before Sept. 11, and didn’t help in New York, Davis explained. Clark’s wife, Terri, has been devastated by her husband’s accident, Davis said. An account for Clark’s medical expenses has been set up at Simpson Credit Union in Elma and McCleary under the account name of Cergene Clark, Davis said.
Man building his own home is buried when garage collapses
Friday January 04 07:04 AM EST, by LINDA MAN – The Kansas City Star
Firefighters used chain saws and power saws to extricate a man from a collapsed garage when the walls and ceiling trusses fell on him Thursday. Another construction worker also was injured. A witness said the owner of Mid America Custom Design Inc. was on top of the uncompleted garage, building his own home, when the trusses gave way from under him. Officials said the collapse occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at 1106 S. Outer Belt Road, on the west side of Route H, between Levasy and Oak Grove.
Scaffold Collapse Kills Calif. Man
By WILLIAM SCHIFFMANN, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – One worker was killed and two others injured Friday when an 18,000-pound section of scaffolding collapsed on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The three men were working to strengthen the span in the event of an earthquake, according to California Department of Transportation spokesman Colin Jones. The accident happened on the lower, eastbound section of the span at about 12:45 a.m. The names of the victims were not released. The man who died was crushed by a movable platform attached to the bottom of the upper deck, said Jeff Weiss, another Caltrans spokesman. The platform is 30 feet wide – it spans three lanes of traffic – and 60 feet long, he said. The two injured workers were taken to hospitals, but were not seriously hurt, officials said. The bridge, which connects San Francisco and Oakland and carries several hundred thousand motorists a day, reopened around 7:20 a.m. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In September, a 5,400-pound piece of equipment also involved in the earthquake retrofit project fell from the side of the bridge and crushed the cab of a pickup truck, killing the driver. In February, a worker was badly injured after falling 90 feet from scaffolding secured to a bridge support tower.
3 Die in 100-Foot Fall in Arkansas
FORREST CITY, Ark. (AP) – Three men replacing guy wires on a cellular telephone tower plunged 100 feet to their deaths after a rope used to hoist them to the top of the structure broke. The men, part of a four-person crew, were killed Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff’s investigator Glenn Ramsey said. The crew worked for Allstate Construction Co. of Wagoner, Okla., and was replacing the guy wires on a 250-foot tower owned by Alltel Corp. The dead were identified as Brian Barnes, 23, and John Seabolt, 26, both of Muskogee, Okla.; and Jamie Anders, 27, of Hattiesburg, Miss. Ramsey said he was told the rope hoisting the men up the tower was tied to the front of a pickup truck driven by the crew’s foreman, who backed up, lifting the men into the air. The foreman, identified as Barnes’ uncle, Forest Barnes, 50, of Muskogee, was not injured. David Bates, assistant area director with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Little Rock, said safety investigators traveled to the site Thursday morning. He said OSHA has regulations on how to hoist workers but he wasn’t sure which rules would have applied.
Roof crew members injured in collapse
The brothers and their nephews were helping build a clinic when one truss broke and the whole structure fell.
By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer, St. Petersburg Times, published December 27, 2001
SPRING HILL — It was supposed to be a quick job for some extra cash over the holidays. But the first day of work proved treacherous Wednesday for a construction crew from Brooksville — all relatives — when roofing materials they were installing on a planned pain management clinic on Mariner Boulevard collapsed, sending two brothers and their three nephews to the hospital. “One of the trusses broke and it all collapsed,” said Benigno Rojero. “I was up there too, but I jumped.” Rojero said his brothers Antonio and Gerardo, 34 and 42, were airlifted to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, along with his nephews, Jose Martinez, 20, and Rafael Rojero, 28. Another nephew, Manuel Rojero, 28, suffered a hand injury and was taken to Oak Hill Hospital, he said. Rescue workers said the men suffered multiple broken bones and teeth, while one of Manuel Rojero’s fingers was severed in the accident at the corner of Mariner and Bali Lane. Bayfront officials said the men taken there were still being evaluated late Wednesday, but their condition was listed as “non-life-threatening.” Oak Hill officials declined to release Manuel Rojero’s condition. According to Benigno Rojero, the men were helping frame the concrete-block building’s roof, installing wooden trusses with the help of a crane. All five were standing among the trusses, securing them, when one broke, toppling the others. John Carter of Brooksville was also working at the site Wednesday afternoon. He heard the noise, then looked up. “I saw it snapping at the bottom,” he said. Rojero said he and his family had a week off from their regular jobs at Brooksville-based Nichols Masonry Inc., so they decided to help with the roofing project as a way to make some extra money. Representatives of Tampa-based Precise Construction, the firm putting up the building, did not return a call for comment Wednesday.
Handyman critically injured in roof collapse
CAPE COD TIMES
OSTERVILLE – A handyman was critically injured yesterday morning when a porch roof collapsed on him.The accident occurred at 8 East Main Road, at the intersection of Main Street across from Armstrong-Kelley Park, shortly after 10 a.m. The injured man was identified as Ken Nielson, 53, of Needham, according to the Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills Fire District. Nielson suffered “multiple trauma,” according to a firefighter, when the roof over a first-floor deck collapsed. Nielson was taken by ambulance to a parking lot at Dowses Beach, where a MedFlight helicopter flew him to Brigham & Women’s Hospital. He was listed in critical condition last night. Barnstable police and building commissioner Peter DiMatteo are investigating, along with firefighters. Nielson was alone when the collapse occurred. Three tree workers across the street heard the crash and rushed to help Nielson from the wreckage. Lucas Hanson, 19, of Sandwich, Langston Knipler, 25, of Sagamore, and Brady Yacek, 23, of Marstons Mills ran across the street and lifted the roof off Nielson. The house was owned by the Williams family until earlier this year, when it was sold to Jonithan Sloan of Weston.
Elevator-shaft accident fatal
By MARSHALL WHITE
A 47-year-old elevator repairman was killed in an accident at Artesian Ice Co. on Monday. Thomas D. Frazer of Overland Park, Kan., was pronounced dead at Heartland Regional Medical Center, said Cmdr. Jim Connors with the St. Joseph Police Department. Mr. Frazer, an employee of Dynatron Elevator Repair of Kansas City, was working on an elevator at Artesian Ice’s facility at 2700 S. Missouri Highway 759, Mr. Connors said. It was a tragic accident and investigators are trying to find out what happened, said Dick DeShon, president of Artesian Ice. Mr. DeShon has been with Artesian Ice since 1957. He said the company has had only a few work-related injuries and this is the first fatality at the site. Another Dynatron employee said Mr. Frazer was working on the second floor of the cold-storage portion of the facility. According to a police report, he opened the door to the elevator shaft about 11 a.m. and stepped into the shaft. Mr. Frazer fell one floor, and his leg was impaled on scaffolding installed in the elevator shaft, Mr. Connors said. His leg was bleeding profusely, and he asked the other employee to go for help, Mr. Connors said. Paramedics responding to the scene found that Mr. Frazer had stopped breathing, Mr. Connors said. Police do not suspect foul play in the incident, but police and the medical examiner investigate all unattended deaths. The case also will be investigated by the federal Occupational, Safety and Health Administration. The body was released by the medical examiner about 12:45 p.m., after the family was notified, Mr. Connors said.
OSHA levies fines in death of worker
From staff reports, Lake City Reporter, December 1, 2001
Lake City paving company Anderson Columbia is facing a $77,000 penalty from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the Aug. 7 death of an employee in which the company is accused of failing to provide protection from fall hazards. The company was cited for one alleged willful violation with a $70,000 proposed penalty for failing to provide an adequate seat and seat belt for an employee working in the back of a truck. The additional $7,000 penalty would be for an alleged serious violation for failing to properly secure materials being transported in the same compartment as employees. Anderson Columbia officials did not return repeated phone calls Friday afternoon about the penalty. According to OSHA, the accident occurred when the employee was placing traffic warning signs along U.S. 41 near White Springs, where the company was installing pipelines. The employee reportedly would sit next to remaining signs in the bed of the truck as the driver slowly drove to the next location to place a sign. As the driver approached the final location, he looked in his rear-view mirror and saw his co-worker laying in the road. An OSHA investigation determined that the employee fell from the truck bed as he tried to reach for a sign that was caught by a gust of wind. He died from massive head injuries four days later. “To prevent this type of needless tragedy, OSHA standards require employers to provide employees with adequate seats and seat belts when they are transported in, or work from, vehicles,” said James Borders, Jacksonville area director for OSHA. Borders said Anderson Columbia’s written policy requires employees to ride on the seats provided and use seat belts, but company officials did not enforce the rules. A willful violation is defined as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of OSHA and regulations. A serious violation is defined as one where there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard. Anderson Columbia has 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Board.
Man in stable condition after falling from ladder
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT
The condition of a Key West man who fell 15 feet from a stepladder Tuesday was upgraded, although he is still being closely watched. Julius “Skip” Everett, 44, was trying to get through a hatch to the roof of the Mel Fisher Museum, 200 Greene St., to change a flag when he fell. “He is in neuro-surgery ICU, but his condition is stable,” said a spokesperson at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Everett had been in extremely critical condition when he was flown to the Ryder Trauma Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital after he apparently fell on his head after removing a plywood hurricane shutter. Two workers in the room said they saw him at the top of the 15-foot ladder with one foot braced on a beam and one foot on the ladder. Neither of the workers actually saw Everett fall, police said. One worker administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation while the other called 911. Everett initially had no pulse. Key West Police Officer Jeff Williamson took over the CPR until paramedics arrived. Everett may have suffered a broken neck.
Suit filed in MWA worker’s death
By Christopher Schwarzen, Telegraph Staff Writer
Nearly one year after the death of a Macon Water Authority employee, his family filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court for unspecified damages. Vanessa Jones, 48, and her children – Channing, Erin and Danielle – are seeking damages against the Macon Water Authority for violating Walter Frank Jones’ civil rights. Jones, 56, died Jan. 19 after falling 55 feet down a pit at the Town Creek Reservoir water treatment plant. Specifically named in the suit as defendants are each authority board member, former executive director Gene Holcomb and several supervisors, including Chester Stewart, who worked with the crews at Town Creek that week. Not included is the authority’s Safety Coordinator Bob Meloche. Jones, through her attorneys Greg Dobson of Macon and Thomas Moore of Birmingham, Ala., contends the authority knowingly violated her husband’s civil rights by not training him properly to remove sand from interceptor pits at the plant and knowingly allowing him to work with faulty equipment and under hazardous conditions. Moore says evidence suggests the boom truck, which lowered a bucket to be filled with sand up and down in the pit, had the wrong cable attached to it, and that it wasn’t being used properly by crew members. Authority supervisors and crew members, including Jones, were riding the bucket up and down in the pit instead of using a safety ladder and harness system. A Macon Telegraph investigation after the accident indicated the men were not trained to use the safety equipment and that often safety equipment was not provided while the work in the interceptor pits was completed. Crew members also said work conditions were harsh, including limited lighting and work breaks. Lifting heavy sand into buckets for hours caused fatigue, and that is why they rode the bucket instead of climbing the ladder 60 feet. Three other investigations subsequently initiated by the water authority confirmed there had been inadequate safety training and improper usage of equipment at the work site. The Jones family is receiving workers’ compensation benefits following Jones’ death. Those payments will stop once a total of $125,000 is received. But the family says that’s not enough to cover the mental and economic losses incurred by Jones’ death. State law prohibits suits against employers in such accidents, requiring all settlements to be under the workers’ compensation laws, but Moore said he thinks federal law allows a civil rights claim. He said other such cases have been successful, but gave no examples Monday. Water Authority attorney Warren Plowden said he received the suit and was turning it over to the authority’s insurer. He said another attorney will probably be hired, but his office also will be involved. “I don’t think they have a case in federal court,” he said. “We’ll see.” Holcomb, who said he had not seen the suit yet, wouldn’t comment, other than to say: “I’m not surprised.” Frank Amerson, board chairman and acting director, couldn’t be reached by telephone for comment. Holcomb came under fire from the board following the accident for lax training procedures. An e-mail from Meloche to Holcomb warned of several safety violations that Meloche has witnessed, urging Holcomb to make changes before someone died. The violations Meloche witnessed were not at the site of Jones’ death. The e-mail, obtained by The Telegraph, was dated just days before Jones’ accident. Holcomb eventually took full responsibility for the accident and was suspended without pay for three days. Other staff members also were suspended without pay. Since the accident, the authority has revamped its training procedures and programs. A federal judge had not been assigned to the case Monday, but could be as early as today. Moore said he expects the case to come to trial within a year. The attorneys for Vanessa Jones have requested a jury trial. Jones says it will be difficult to walk into a courtroom and see the authority members there, but she plans to be strong. “Nothing can replace the love I’ve lost,” she said of her husband, to whom she was married 23 years. Economically, her husband’s lost income has hurt the family also, she said. Even though she works, it has been difficult to make the house and utility payments. She receives $187.50 a week in workers’ compensation benefits. Her youngest daughter also receives a similar check.
UPDATE, FATAL ACCIDENT AT MT. PLEASANT, S.C., MARINE TERMINAL LEADS TO PROPOSED PENALTIES TOTALING $62,500
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. — Using a faulty scaffolding design and failing to protect workers from fall hazards which contributed to the death of an employee at a Mt. Pleasant marine terminal have resulted in 12 serious citations with proposed penalties totaling $62,500 for two contractors, the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced today. The fatality occurred at the Wando-Welch Terminal on the morning of May 30 at a jobsite supervised by Konecranes America, Inc. Five employees of a sub-contractor, Palmetto Industrial Construction, Inc., were preparing to refurbish a crane owned by the South Carolina State Ports Authority at the time of the accident. The workers were on a crane, 125 feet above the wharf, building a scaffolding platform that would be used during refitting of rail lines that ran along the length of the crane boom. Two workers, who were wearing safety harnesses but were not tied off, had just finished stowing a metal scaffold plank onto the existing scaffold platform. “While stepping onto a smaller scaffold, one of the workers fell into the Wando River and drowned,” said Atha. “Several factors contributed to this tragic accident, but clearly, if this worker had been properly tied off, he would not have fallen.” OSHA issued eight serious citations against Palmetto Industrial Construction, Inc., with proposed penalties totaling $34,650 for alleged violations which include failing to: construct a scaffold that could support four times the estimated load weight; use scaffold-grade planking; provide safe access to the scaffolding, and establish and maintain an effective fall protection program. Konecranes America, Inc., received four serious citations with proposed penalties totaling $28,000 for similar alleged scaffolding violations. The two companies have 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The accident investigation was conducted by the federal OSHA office located at 1835 Assembly St., Room 1468, Columbia, S.C.; phone: (803) 765-5904
Sheraton fall still under scrutiny The case raises key safety issues for the construction industry.
By Melanie Payne — Bee Staff Writer, Published 5:50 a.m. PST Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001
Shirley Bohannon booked a room last Tuesday on the 21st floor of the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento. She didn’t stay there, she just wanted it to be empty. “No one belongs in that room that day because they have no idea what was taken from me there that day. I couldn’t think of someone in there,” she said, as her voice cracked. A year ago her husband Phillip and his co-worker Renato Alcala fell from that room to their deaths. Bohannon, co-workers say, fell as he reached to save Alcala. It wasn’t a hotel room then. It was the 21st floor of a hotel construction site where Bohannon, 33, and Alcala, 21, were working. At about 3:20 p.m. Oct. 30, Alcala called for the elevator to pick up the work crew heading home for the day. Less than two minutes later Bohannon was dead, his body on J Street. Alcala was lying on construction hoist bracing several floors below. Three days later, he too, was dead. Those are the facts everyone agrees on. The men fell. How and why is not as clear. Cal-OSHA says the access door for the elevator was faulty. Others say the men were horsing around and crashed into the door with such force they ripped off the hinges. One worker later changed his story. Others believe the issue of horseplay is moot, that the door should have withstood it. It’s a nuance that could mean a great deal of money when trying to establish legal blame for the deaths. But there are broader issues raised by construction experts who say that understanding what went wrong — and correcting it — will save lives. They raise the issue about whether Cal-OSHA, the state’s occupational safety agency, should be changing its role from finding fault and levying fines to seeking changes in procedures and equipment. “These doors are used in construction sites all over the western United States and they should be fortified,” says Robert Buccola, the attorney pressing a lawsuit for Bohannon’s widow and two children. Buccola denies there was horseplay and lays the blame squarely on the door. He said the metal plate that stopped the door from opening either wasn’t in the right position or wasn’t the right size. The door was worn, old and flexible, he said. The hinges weren’t tight. There were gaps where the door didn’t line up. Attorneys for the defendants — Sheedy Drayage Co., who erected the elevator, and Hensel Phelps Construction Company, the primary contractor, wouldn’t comment on the case, citing the ongoing litigation. An issue of safety The Bohannon lawsuit claims that the doors on each of the landings “appeared to be safe and sturdy” but they weren’t. As a result, when Alcala leaned against the door on the 21st floor, it buckled, popped open and sent the two men to their deaths, Buccola said. California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health couldn’t substantiate the horseplay allegation. According to the Cal-OSHA report, there was one reason the men died: The elevator door failed. The elevator ran outside the building and was put up at the construction site as a temporary structure to move workers up and down. When the lift was at the doorway, a lever inside the carrier was released, allowing the door to swing open into the building and the workers to walk into the carrier. According to the OSHA report, pressure from Alcala leaning on the door popped it open and out — in the opposite direction it usually swung — and into thin air. The doors were not supposed to give more than one inch when pressure was applied to them. But when OSHA tested the same make and model door, it gave just over an inch and failed the inspection, the OSHA report said. That wouldn’t have been enough for the men to fall out, but a heavy sustained pressure made the door move significantly more, OSHA inspectors found. “It shouldn’t matter from a safety point of view if you fall against it because you slipped or you fall because someone shoved you. It should stop you regardless,” said James Platner, the associate director of the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights, a health and safety research group affiliated with the building and construction trades department of the AFL-CIO. “If it’s not able to stop you, then it’s a problem. Because certainly people assume it will stop them from going over the edge and it’s fair to assume that,” Platner said. Debating OSHA’s role It’s unfortunate, Platner said, that it takes a fatality to find out the doors failed. But that’s how dangerous situations get changed, he said. The OSHA fines won’t do it, Platner said, because the fines aren’t high enough. The “fear of getting sued” is an “incentive” to make the job safer, but not OSHA fines, Platner said. In this case Sheedy Drayage, Hensel Phelps and Decorator’s Inc., the company that Bohannon and Alcala worked for, were each fined $36,000 in April, Cal-OSHA records show. All three companies are appealing the fines. That’s one criticism of OSHA investigations, says Platner. Their investigations “focus on compliance. Was there a rule broken that caused this?” They fix blame and punish with a fine. A better tack, Platner says, is to call for OSHA to investigate fatalities the way the National Transportation Safety Board investigates plane crashes: not looking to ascribe blame but seeking a root cause of an accident and determining what can be done to make sure it won’t happen again. Cal-OSHA’s Len Welsh, the special counsel for regulatory development, disagrees. He said that the agency does have a preventive role, but that it is obligated by law to investigate safety complaints and accidents, uncover violations and fine the companies that have them. Cal-OSHA has targeted industries with high injury rates, like agriculture and construction, for special emphasis, Welsh said. “We have a lot of mandates,” he said. “We have limited resources and we have to prioritize them.” If OSHA finds a hazard, they suggest a rule to cover it. That proposal is opened for public comment. The Cal-OSHA staff then summarizes the comment and proposes a standard to a seven-member governor-appointed board, which votes whether to make it a rule. It’s a lengthy process. If there were an imminent danger, Cal-OSHA could institute an emergency rule, but there’s no indication that there’s a pattern of door failures or that people are in imminent danger of falling through them, Welsh said. A dangerous job Falls are the most common way a construction worker dies on the job. While overall deaths on-the-job are declining, deaths from falls are on the rise. Last year, 734 people died from falling on the job, up from 721 the year before, and the highest annual total ever recorded by the Department of Labor. Also in 2000, the construction industry had 1,182 deaths, the highest total of any industry group. Seven percent of the nation’s workers are in construction, but they account for 20 percent of those killed on the job. Some of that has to do with the nature of the work, says Greg Zigulis, associate director of the Construction Industry Research and Policy Center at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Construction sites and their work force are temporary. People working on the first floor one day can be on the 21st floor the next. It’s difficult for supervisors to observe every worker at every stage of the job. It’s difficult to set up standardized safety programs. Zigulis and his colleagues, William Schriver and Tom Cressler, reviewed every fatal construction worker accident in the country that OSHA investigated from 1991 to 1999. Although they agreed that falls were the major cause of the deaths, they couldn’t recall that any of the deaths were caused by falls because the elevator doors failed. That’s not to say that the door Alcala and Bohannon fell through wasn’t defective, however. People are used to looking at accidents as one thing causing an event, Zigulis said. It’s like dominoes falling; one starts it and they all go down. “The more current way to model the process is to think of a parallel set of dominoes where a number of things can trigger them falling and that ultimately leads to an incident. It’s hard to say something is 100 percent an employee’s fault or 100 percent management’s fault.” For that reason the conflicting stories coming out of this investigation aren’t unusual. Donald Schroeder, Sacramento’s assistant fire chief, was almost immediately on the scene where Bohannon and Alcala fell. He’d been around the corner when the accident happened. He told Cal-OSHA that he was there in about 20 seconds. Schroeder, according to a statement he gave Cal-OSHA, was near four or five construction workers, about 30 feet from Bohannon’s body, when he asked the group, “What happened?” One person said “they were just goofing around, like horseplay.” Schroeder turned to another worker and asked, “Was it horseplay?” and he “nodded in agreement,” the statement said. An investigation by Angeline Deuel, a Sacramento deputy coroner, provided more detail. She wrote in the case summary that Bohannon and Alcala were “indulging in horseplay by pushing and shoving each other.” Bohannon “apparently grabbed Alcala in a bear hug and the two men hit hard against the secured elevator hoist door.” The door “buckled with the pressure causing the three heavy hinges to pull loose in a zipper like effect and the door to swing outward.” Deuel said that she got her information from the fire department and Cal-OSHA but didn’t interview any of the witnesses. Cal-OSHA’s investigators interviewed Bohannon and Alcala’s co-workers over the days and weeks following the accident. To a person, they were adamant: There was no horseplay. One of the workers who told Schroeder and the police about horseplay, according to Cal-OSHA investigators “changed his story.” As the Cal-OSHA investigator wrote: “…the witness said the word horseplay was improperly used by him. It was pointed out to him that he further reinforced horseplay as rough housing, grab-assing and goofing around. This witness only now would allow that the term horsing around applied only at the gang box for the tool storage in another room farther back and away from the elevator door. He stated now that he was ‘mad’ at the loss of his best friend and in shock and had misused the word horseplay.” Placing blame J. Clark Kelso, a professor at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, says the ambiguities of this case make it ripe for settlement. When “both sides have some uncertainty” they are even more motivated to settle, Kelso said. The plaintiffs’ uncertainty is with the issue of horseplay and the doctrine of comparative fault, Kelso said. If someone is acting unreasonably, he might be considered partially negligent and that could reduce an award. But, Kelso said, “you actually have to be acting unreasonably. And I have some doubts that horsing around is unreasonable.” And even if the jury does believe that Bohannon and Alcala were partially at fault, there’s still the issue of the door failing OSHA standards, Kelso said. For Shirley Bohannon however, there is no ambiguity, no comparative fault, no partial negligence. Her husband died a hero, trying to save his friend. “I found it typical that he was the only one that grabbed out for him (Alcala). It was just Phil. He would have done it for any one of them. And he would have done it over again,” she said. “He always put other people before himself.”
SMUD Worker Killed In Fall From Power Pole
A Sacramento Municipal Utility District employee was killed Tuesday night when he fell from a power pole in Wilton. The worker was one of several in the area trying to restore power to the few hundred remaining SMUD customers in Sacramento County still without power. SMUD officials, who did not identify the worker, said he died at about 9 p.m. The man was working on a pole on Hobday Road in Wilton, a rural town in the southeast area of the county, SMUD officials said. The cause of the fall was not immediately known. SMUD officials said about 260 customers were still without power, but that crews were ordered to stop working following the accident until Wednesday morning. SMUD crews have been working around the clock since Saturday’s storm knocked out power to 51,000 customers.
Worker fell from ladder into razor wire
By BRIAN DENEAL
HARRISBURG – An Illinois Youth Center worker was injured at the corrections complex shortly after 2 p.m. Monday when he fell from a ladder into razor wire. Joe Jackson, the center’s chief engineer, was working near the roof of one of the buildings. “He was on a ladder and fell down and hit the razor wire,” Illinois Department of Corrections Chief Communicator Sergio Molina said. “He was treated there at the facility until the ambulance was called to take him to the local hospital.” Jackson was taken by ambulance to Harrisburg Medical Center and was later transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Evansville. He remained there in serious condition Tuesday morning, according to a hospital spokesman Molina said he had just received word of the incident Monday afternoon and did not know the details of Jackson’s injuries.
Kansas representative injured in fall
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Kansas state Rep. Gene O’Brien remained hospitalized Tuesday in serious condition after falling at a concrete company in southwest Missouri. O’Brien, D-Parsons, was injured Sunday when he fell about 12 feet from scaffolding and landed on a concrete floor at Psi Ready Mix in Branson, said Trevor Hale, spokesman for Taney County Ambulance District. It was not immediately clear how the accident happened. Psi did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press Tuesday. O’Brien was in the neuro-trauma intensive care unit at St. John’s Regional Health Center in Springfield, a hospital spokeswoman said. No other details were released. O’Brien is in his second term. He owns O’Brien Ready Mix, which has Kansas offices in Parsons, St. Paul and Oswego. Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Garner, D-Coffeyville, said he knew nothing of the accident, but said he was concerned for his fellow lawmaker.
Bridge Inspector Dead In Charlestown Accident
A construction accident in Charlestown early Thursday morning resulted in the death of one worker and injuries to another when a 25,000 pound truck with a platform tipped over on its side. Both men were standing on a platform connected to a large truck, which was parked on Cambridge Street underneath Interstate 93. They were inspecting a bridge when the truck tipped over, send the men hurtling 80 feet to the ground. NewsCenter 5’s Gail Huff reported that the accident occured just outside Sullivan Square about 12:30 a.m. The street was closed for five hours while crews worked to rescue the accident victims and clear the scene. The truck was parked on Cambridge Street, which is elevated, so instead of falling 50 feet to the street, the men fell an additional 30 feet to the ground below the elevated roadway. One witness said it appeared that the truck’s stabilizers, which maintain its balance when the platform is extended, were not properly deployed on both sides, which may have caused the entire vehicle to tip over. The vehicle was rented from Colvin Equipment Rental Co. on Prospect Street in Waltham, Mass. The worker who died at the scene has not been identified. The second was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Both were contracted by the Massachusetts Highway Department of inspect the bridges on the elevated expressway. Boston and State police investigators are looking into the accident.
UPDATE, Engineers In Bridge Accident Face Charges
One Worker Drowned In Detroit River
Posted: 10:49 a.m. EST November 9, 2001
WINDSOR, Ontario– Two Canadian engineers who designed the scaffolding that collapsed on the Ambassador Bridge face negligence charges. Domenic Cugliari and George Snowden are accused of being negligent in the design of the scaffold. They were charged Thursday under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. They are scheduled to appear in court Dec. 14. Three workers fell from the bridge into the Detroit River when the scaffolding collapsed last November. Jamie Barker, 28, drowned in the river. The two other workers were pulled to safety. Four other workers were left dangling from their harnesses for several hours after the collapse. Ontario Ministry of Labour spokeswoman Moira McIntyre said that the charges are the first to be brought under a 1990 amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which refers specifically to engineers or architects. The charges each carry a maximum fine of $25,000 and one year in jail. Cugliari and Snowden work for Construction Control Inc., a consulting company based in Woodbridge, Ontario. According to the company’s Web site, Construction Control was founded in 1972 and has worked on more than 20,000 construction projects.
Oil mill worker pulled from pile of cotton seed
By: Jeff Piselli, News Editor, November 08, 2001
A Helena, Ark., man buried chest deep in cotton seed was saved during a dramatic rescue Wednesday at Delta Oil Mill in Jonestown John Hanley, 56, was listed in serious condition this morning at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. Hanley, who works in one of the mill’s 22,000-ton-capacity seed houses, was discovered missing by a coworker at about 3 p.m., according to Plant Manager Scott Middleton. “We have two guys working at all times up there, and they holler back and forth to each other to make sure everything is all right,” Middleton said. “When John didn’t respond, his partner reacted perfectly and started looking for him. After about 10 minutes, when he couldn’t find him, he ran to the end of the building and called for help on the radio.” A rescue team from the oil mill discovered Hanley unconscious and buried up to his chest in cotton seed. He had fallen more than 20 feet from a catwalk that spans the top of the building. Mill employees dug Hanley out of the cotton seed and waited for paramedics to arrive. The Coahoma County Volunteer Fire Department was also called to assist in what would prove to be a challenging rescue. When Bobo firefighter Jerry Mills arrived, “the Emergystat (ambulance service) crew were working on him and had already started an I.V.,” he said. “We had to dig the seed out from underneath the victim and strap him to a backboard before we could lift him out.” Mill employees cut away part of the steel catwalk so the makeshift stretcher holding the still-unconscious Hanley could be lifted by rope to the catwalk in the first phase of the extrication. Meanwhile, other firefighters marked a nearby landing zone for the Hospital Wing rescue helicopter that would carry Hanley to Memphis. As law enforcement, fire, medical and emergency management personnel poured onto the scene, it became obvious that a lot of manpower would be required to get Hanley down the narrow walkway from the top of the seed house to the ground. Fifteen rescuers helped bring Hanley down the steep incline in the county’s rescue stretcher. “We tied ropes to the stretcher and hauled him out,” Mills said. “We worked to the end of the seed house with two firefighters behind and three in front. That way, if somebody fell, there would be somebody to catch him and we wouldn’t drop the patient.” Transferring the basket stretcher from a 10-foot-tall roof at the bottom of the stairs to the ground presented another problem. It was solved when Sheriff Andrew Thompson came up with the idea of using a nearby forklift to lower the stretcher to the ground. Emergystat paramedics and flight nurses from the Hospital Wing worked on Hanley for about 20 minutes, stabilizing him prior to moving him to the helicopter. Placing a breathing tube down his throat proved difficult because Hanley was beginning to regain some consciousness and was fighting the effort. “John, how many fingers am I holding up?”asked one flight nurse. “If you can tell me how many fingers I’m holding up, we won’t have to put in this tube.” A cheer went up from nearby rescuers when Hanley indicated he saw two fingers. Less than two hours after the initial call for help was made, Hanley was flying toward The Med. Exhausted paramedics and firefighters sat on the ground. “I’m just waiting for some feeling to return to my legs,” said Paramedic Angie Parker. The rescue capped “by far the worst day I’ve had since I’ve been in this business,” Middleton said. Another oil mill employee, Frank Wilson, 55, also of Helena, had severely injured his hand in a piece of machinery earlier in the day. While complimenting everyone involved in Hanley’s rescue, Middleton said safety issues would be revisited. “Any time something like this happens, we sit down and reassess our procedures. If there are any changes we can make to make things safer, we certainly will,” he said.
Worker hurt when roof trusses fall
Wednesday, October 31, 2001, By Bryn Mickle, JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Burton – A construction worker was seriously injured Tuesday when a row of 40 roof trusses collapsed at a church fellowship hall. The man, 23, was tying a roof truss about 4 p.m. when the truss he was standing on failed, plunging him under a rain of falling 40-by-80-foot wooden trusses behind Bethel Assembly of God church, 6029 Lapeer Road. “It acted like a domino. They all went down,” Burton Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Johnson said. The man fell next to a 3-foot-high pile of plywood sheets, which Johnson said absorbed the impact of the falling beams and saved the man from further injury or even death. “If he had landed 3 feet in any other direction, he would have been crushed or impaled,” Johnson said. The man was taken to Hurley Medical Center in Flint with suspected internal injuries and injuries to his skull, chin, torso, hip and legs. The victim was one of five construction workers with a St. Charles contracting firm building a brick fellowship hall and multipurpose room behind the church. The other workers were outside the building when the trusses fell. Work on the $250,000 addition began in July, and the roof was expected to be shingled this weekend, said Ronald Sarbo, senior pastor. Sarbo said people at the church joined hands and asked for protection Tuesday morning before the day’s construction began. “From tragedy comes triumph,” Sarbo said. “It could have been very severe. It could have been his life.” Sarbo said he was unsure what caused the trusses to fall, but said there were sheets of plywood piled on top of the trusses. The collapse did not affect the church building, and services will not be interrupted, Sarbo said. The Genesee County urban search and rescue team was called, but Burton firefighters already had used its own equipment to reach the man and stabilize him when the team arrived.
Worker hurt in fall from scaffolding in state Senate
The Associated Press
A worker was injured Wednesday when he fell about 20 feet from scaffolding used for renovations to the state Senate chamber. The accident occurred about 8:20 a.m. The employee of United Anco of St. Louis was taken to a Jefferson City hospital, said Randy Allen, director of design and construction in the state Office of Administration. “It’s still under investigation,” said Mike Clifford, an Anco official based in Indiana. “We have a management team on the way from St. Louis. There were no broken bones.” Clifford declined to release the name of the worker. The scaffolding was being dismantled after workers had completed remodeling the ceiling of the Senate chamber, which has been undergoing renovations for several months.
OSHA investigating worker’s fall at church
RIVERTON – Federal authorities are investigating a construction accident at a local church that left a contractor’s employee injured Monday, police said. Patrolman Bryan Norcross said officers were called to the Central Baptist Church in the 300 block of Main Street at 9:49 a.m. and found that construction worker Michael Cardoza, 27, of Camden had fallen about 10 feet from a scaffolding. He was apparently working on brickwork on the church’s facade when he fell, Norcross said. Cardoza was complaining of back pain and was transported to Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center in Camden. He was treated and later released, a hospital spokeswoman said. Norcross said Cardoza may have lost his balance when he stepped on boards stacked on the scaffold. He identified the man’s employer as Gallo Inc. of Cherry Hill. Officials at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Evesham confirmed yesterday that they are investigating. Wednesday, October 31, 2001
UPDATE, Investigation begins as collapse death toll rises to six
By Eddie Luk
THE Buildings Department has begun an investigation into whether the contractor demolishing the Yau Tong industrial building that collapsed killing six workers violated work procedures. The probe was announced yesterday as searchers found the body of the last of the four men trapped in the debris. Rescuers believe it could take up to two days to recover their bodies. The dead also included a man who was pulled from the rubble shortly after Monday’s collapse, and a critically injured 45-year-old worker who lost his fight for life last night. Director of Buildings Leung Chin-man said his department would investigate seven possible factors in the collapse of the Asia Trade Centre at 19 Sze Shan Street, which also injured nine people. The probe, to last three to four weeks, would try to find out whether: The structure was unsafe before demolition; Structures had been added before demolition; Overweight machines were on the building’s platforms;Concrete parts supporting the structure had been removed during demolition;The contractor and workers followed the demolition plans approved by the Buildings Department;There was insufficient supervision and Piles were removed or disturbed before demolition.“We are determined to prosecute if the investigation reveals that any parties did not follow demolition procedures approved by the department,” Mr Leung said. Recommendations would also be made on ways to prevent future collapses. Two industrial buildings next to the demolition site remained cordoned off yesterday, for fear that the remains of the Asia Trade Centre could collapse further. Bulldozers and rock-crushers were working to clear debris. Meanwhile, the Buildings Department inspected 48 other demolition sites to check for hazards. The Asia Trade Centre, which formerly housed dyeing and electronics factories, collapsed inwards at about 11.12am on Monday. Three of the injured have been discharged from United Christian Hospital. Four others, aged 35 to 73, were in a stable condition last night.
SDA contractor seriously injured by collapse of lamp post
By Jamari Mohtar
A contractor for the Singapore Democratic Alliance was seriously injured when a lamp post collapsed while he was putting up an election poster. This happened in front of Block 282 Tampines Street 22 while the SDA candidates were having their walkabout there. Forty-year-old Yip Kum Hong sustained broken neck and leg injuries. “He was using a ladder to lean against the lamp post. So he just climbed up to tie the notice and then the whole lamp post collapsed together with the worker,” said Johnny Tan, a witness. SDA candidates who were campaigning in the area rushed to help with one of them accompanying Mr Yip in the ambulance. The others continued their walkabout to the nearby Tampines Mart.
Collapse kills three, two missing
By Eddie Luk, 30 October 2001 / 02:27 AM
The ruins of the six-storey Hoi Pan Industrial Building at Yau Tong that collapsed as it was being demolished. RESCUERS were searching desperately early today for two men missing in the ruins of a building that collapsed, killing three workers and injuring nine people – two of them critically. Passing pedestrians fled the shower of rubble and scaffolding as the six-storey industrial building, under demolition in Yau Tong, collapsed inwards at about 11.12am, blanketing the surrounding area in a cloud of thick dust. Some of the 13 workers in the building were hurled from the fifth and sixth floors. A 43-year-old construction worker, surnamed Siu, was pulled out by firefighters from the debris within minutes of the collapse. But he was certified dead on arrival at United Christian Hospital from head injuries. Two othrs, unidentified early today, were found dead late last night. A 45-year-old worker, surnamed Yuen, and a 35-year-old, surnamed Nguyen, were in a critical condition. Two others – one of whom needed brain surgery – were in a serious condition and two were in a stable condition. Three people with minor injuries, including a passer-by whose toes were struck by falling rubble, were treated and discharged. The wreckage of the Hoi Pan Industrial Building at 19 Sze Shan Street remained unstable last night, raising fears for the safety of rescue workers who toiled under floodlights with life detectors in the hunt for the missing workers. Demolition of the 30-year-old structure, which formerly housed dyeing and electronics factories, began on Saturday. Director of Buildings Leung Chin-man said it had complied with all requirements, and all precautionary measures had been taken. He said such a collapse, coming just two days after the start of demolition, was rare. A bulldozer working on one of the upper floors plunged to the ground amid piles of broken concrete as the structure disintegrated. A worker at a nearby building, giving his name only as Mr Chan, said he suddenly heard a loud bang, then saw the structure collapse. Li Tam-kwai, a security guard at another building, said he saw several workers on the sixth floor plummet to the ground. “A big cloud of dust surrounded the area,” Mr Li said. “Some of the debris was thrown far from the building.” Demolition contractor Chong Tai could not be reached for comment on the collapse or compensation for victims’ families. Fire Service Kowloon East Senior Divisional Officer Lee Tin-ping said officers were worried about the safety of rescue workers. “There are difficulties in searching for the remaining victims as other parts of the building may collapse at any time,” he said. “We have to ensure that the rescue operation is conducted safely.” Firefighters used two trucks with ladder platforms to pluck injured victims from the ruins. They paused during the rescue work in the afternoon to study copies of the demolition plan in an effort to ensure firefighters’ safety and help pinpoint those missing. A spokeswoman for the Labour Department said a joint investigation into the tragedy would be set up with Buildings Department.
UPDATE, Firm Fired After Scaffold Collapse
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writers
NEW YORK — The company that constructed the 14-story scaffold that collapsed at a Manhattan office building, killing five construction workers, was fired after officials learned of the firm’s troubled past. Ten other workers, a pregnant bystander and 15 firefighters and police officers also suffered injuries after the scaffold collapsed. City officials said Thursday the scaffolding was constructed without a required permit. Police said a heavy concrete load placed on the structure may have caused part of the scaffold to sway and buckle, eventually leading to the collapse. Authorities responding to the accident had to call in rescue teams from the World Trade Center, two miles away. Buildings Department spokeswoman Ilyse Fink said the department has yet to find a cause and is still investigating the collapse. She said Nesa Roofing and Restoration, which hired Tri-State Scaffolding and Roofing to construct the scaffold, hadn’t obtained the required permit. The leasing agent for the office building, Stephen Green, fired Nesa on Thursday after reporters called asking about the firm’s troubled history, said Gerald McKelvey, a spokesman for Green. Constantine Stamoulis, one of Nesa’s owners, was arrested in May for allegedly hiring someone to impersonate him at a city examination required to obtain a Special Riggers license. The license allows the holder to hoist or lower up to 1,200 pounds of material by rigging set up on a building’s exterior. Stamoulis pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in June and paid a $250 fine and served 10 days of community service, said Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office. None of the owners of the company, including Stamoulis, returned telephone calls for comment. A message left at Tri-State’s office in Deer Park, N.Y., also was not returned.
Five killed in New York scaffolding collapse
October 25, 2001 Posted: 5:27 AM EDT (0927 GMT)
NEW YORK (CNN) — A scaffolding structure at least 12 stories high collapsed in a courtyard behind a Park Avenue office building Wednesday, killing five workers and injuring at least 11 others. “This is a very serious collapse,” said New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who arrived on the scene — about 1 1/2 miles northeast of the wreckage-strewn site of the World Trade Center twin towers collapse that resulted from September 11 terrorist attacks — about two hours after the accident. Witnesses said the scaffolding was supporting workers who were repairing brick inside an exposed airshaft, or vestibule area, in back of the building and several stories up. The scaffolding started to shake at one point, and workers began jumping to get out of the way as it collapsed into a pile. Just after 4 p.m., police responded and were informed by the construction crew that 18 workers were in the rear of the location when a brick facade gave way, causing the scaffolding to collapse. Several men who escaped with scratches and bruises said others were beneath lower planks of the scaffolding when it collapsed and did not appear to have escaped. Two men were brought out on stretchers, and an active rescue operation stretched out for six blocks as police and firefighters brought in heavy equipment. Some rescue workers were diverted from the World Trade Center site to assist. One rescuer has been injured seriously and a firefighter on site has injured his hand.
Worker impaled on shovel
From AAP, 17oct01
A MELBOURNE workman has had emergency surgery after falling from a ladder and being impaled on a shovel. Ambulance service spokesman Paul Holman said the worker, aged in his early 50s, slipped from a ladder and fell onto a shovel, which impaled his groin and pierced his abdomen. The accident, which Mr Holman described as “freak event”, happened at a house in Balwyn North in Melbourne’s east about 8.30am (AEST). Mr Holman said the man was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with about 30cm of the shovel handle still protruding from his body. “He has just undergone emergency surgery and it (the shovel) appears to have missed all major organs, so he is extremely lucky,” he said. “It’s just an amazing escape, because it was certainly a freak event.” Mr Holman said the man was climbing a ladder in a trench when he slipped and fell back into the trench and onto the shovel. Comment is being sought from the hospital.
Man killed, 1 injured in scaffold collapse
Published October 18, 2001
CHICAGO — One man was killed and another injured Wednesday in the second fatal scaffolding accident in two days in the city. Gezim Luli was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital at 11:52 a.m., according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A 30-year-old man was in critical condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital, a nursing supervisor said. The three men were doing rehabilitation work on a West Side building in the 0-100 block of North Pine Avenue when the scaffolding gave way at around 11 a.m., police said. On Tuesday, an employee of a glass company was killed and three other workers were injured after they fell two stories from a scaffold at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, police said. The men in Tuesday’s accident worked for Service Glass Co., which had been hired to repair a broken window at the Baumgarten Pavilion on the hospital campus, a hospital spokeswoman said. The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration sent investigators to both scenes, officials said.
Welder dies in fall
Posted: 8:50 PM (Manila Time) | October 16, 2001, By Philip C. Tubeza, Inquirer News Service
A WELDER on Wednesday fell to his death from the 20th floor of a building under construction in Manila. Paulino Lorenzana, 34, a Fuji Reynolds welder and a resident of Upper Bicutan, Taguig, fell while he was on his way to lunch, said investigator SPO4 Rodolfo Rival Jr. of the Western Police District-homicide section. Lorenzana suffered a head injury and a dislocated leg after losing his balance and falling from the 20th story of the unfinished Moldez Tower on Padre Faura corner L. Guerrero Street in Ermita, Rival said. Lorenzana did not fall all the way down to the ground floor but landed on the 12th floor, Rival said. Lorenzana died while undergoing surgery at the Philippine General Hospital. His body was transferred to the Tres Amigos Funeral Parlor for autopsy.
UPDATE, OSHA looks into death of worker on bridge
By Jennifer Acosta, Staff Writer, October 12, 2001
Officials from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration are investigating the death of a man at a Holt construction site Wednesday. OSHA spokeswoman Ramona Morris said inspectors are looking into the death of 44-year-old Bobby L. Wade Sr. of Moundville, who fell from a bridge while he was working on a portion of the Tuscaloosa County Eastern Bypass project, which will link McFarland Boulevard in Northport with Interstate 20/59. “We sent someone out today, and basically, it’s under investigation,” Morris said. “We’re just waiting to get preliminary findings. … We just do an investigation of the facts and make a determination on whether citations are appropriate.” Mark Hearing of the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit said there is no suspicion of foul play in Wade’s death. “Nothing in our initial investigation indicates anything other than accidental,” Hearing said. Engineers with the Alabama Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the construction of the Eastern Bypass, said few details about the incident were available Thursday. “I understand he was tying some reinforced steel off when it happened,” said David Kemp, a construction engineer. Representatives from R.R. Dawson Bridge Co., the main contractor on the project, could not be reached for comment Thursday. If OSHA finds the bypass construction site unsafe, R.R. Dawson and the state could face penalties. “It can be anywhere from $5,000 to $70,000, depending on the conditions at the site and the circumstances surrounding the event,” Morris said.
Beach worker dies after fall at naval shipyard
The Virginian-Pilot, October 11, 2001,
PORTSMOUTH — A 35-year-old civilian under contract to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard died Saturday at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital from injuries he suffered on Friday after falling from scaffolding adjacent to the amphibious assault ship Saipan. Andrew Bacs Jr., 35, of Virginia Beach, died of head injuries after falling from an undisclosed distance about 10:30 a.m. Friday, according to Steve Milner, a spokesman for the shipyard. The accident was confirmed by Milner on Wednesday. Bacs was employed by Sunbelt Rentals, a subcontractor to United Coatings Corp. of Portsmouth, which was under contract by Earl Industries Inc. of Norfolk, Milner said. An investigation is being conducted by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration. No cause of the accident was given.
Fall on boat fatal to Portageville man
10/12/01
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A tow boat operator found dead on the floor of his engine room died from injuries suffered in an accidental fall, New Madrid County coroner Tim Clayton ruled Wednesday. Clayton said the body of John Singleton of Portageville was found between 9:30 and 10 p.m. Tuesday by an employee. Singleton used his boat to move barges on the Mississippi River for Bunge Corp. Clayton said Singleton apparently had forgotten the keys to the boat and was crawling from the deck into the engine room through a porthole. The coroner said he apparently missed his footing and fell, suffering fatal head injuries.
Second man falls at construction site
By CASEY MOORE, October 10, 2001
Another man fell Monday at the VanLandingham Lumber Co. warehouse construction site where another construction worker died last month. Construction worker Otis McGee, 46, of Third Avenue in Columbus was working on the roof of the new lumber warehouse on South Jackson Street. McGee is employed by J & L Metal Roofing. McGee’s co-workers heard a sound, then turned to find him missing, according to the Starkville Police Department reports. There were no witnesses to the 12:59 p.m. accident, police reports state. McGee was treated by paramedics and transported to Oktibbeha County Hospital. He was later transported to the Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus, where he is expected to recover, police officials said. This was the second incident involving a worker falling at the new lumber warehouse. On Sept. 20, Jorge Melo, another construction worker, fell from a steel beam while reaching for some bolts. Melo later died at Oktibbeha County Hospital from injuries suffered in the fall.
Worker Killed When Telephone Pole Falls
Freak Accident Kills Roseville Telephone Employee
SACRAMENTO — A Roseville Telephone employee was killed Wednesday when the pole he was climbing snapped at the base and fell into Greenback Lane. The worker was climbing the pole near Fair Oaks Boulevard shortly before 11 a.m., witnesses reported, when it began to tip. The pole then broke and fell into traffic. The man, whose identity was not immediately known, was killed in the fall, said Capt. Pat Ellis of the Sacramento Metro Fire Department. Ellis said it appeared the base of the pole was rotted out, but that the exact cause would not be known until officials from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and Roseville Telephone completed an investigation. Roseville Telephone investigators on the scene declined immediate comment.
Worker killed at casino job site
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — A construction worker at the Mohegan Sun casino fell 17 stories to his death on Monday, state police said. The man was part of a crew working on the new $1.1 billion Sunburst project, a casino, hotel, entertainment, retail and restaurant complex, scheduled to have a grand opening this morning. His name was not released.
Waynesburg man dies after falling 55 feet
Publication Date: 9/23/01
LEXINGTON — A Waynesburg man died Friday morning after a 55-foot fall from the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. Daniel Louis Adams, 62, died from blunt force trauma as a result of the fall from the Center for the Aging, according to the office of the Lexington-Fayette County Coroner. He was working for Huskisson Masonry at the center when he stepped out of a window onto some scaffolding just after 8 a.m. A board broke, causing the fall. He was pronounced dead by the UK emergency room medical staff. An autopsy was performed Friday in Frankfort. University of Kentucky police and OSHA are investigating.
Area farmer dies in fall
by John Ph. Graf
A rural Galesville man fell to his death Monday morning. Eugene A. Frederick, 47, was apparently trying to open the top of a mineral tank on his farm on Oak Ridge Drive, when the rope holding the ladder he was on broke. According to a Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department news release, Frederick and the ladder fell backwards off the tank and onto the cement about 17 feet below. Frederick died the result of head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by coroner Bonnie Kindschy.
Worker in fair condition after fall
Friday, September 14, 2001, By Will Kangas, Staff Writer
A 43-year-old Lansing man lost his balance and fell from the roof of three-and-a-half story Muffitt Hall on Thursday morning on the campus of Spring Arbor University. Bob Strunk remains in fair condition Friday morning after he was brought by ambulance to Foote Hospital and then flown to University of Michigan Hospital by helicopter around 11:30 a.m.The rescue flight had a slight delay in getting clearance to fly because of strict Federal Aviation Administration clearance requirements after Tuesday’s acts of terrorism. The helicopter met Strunk at Foote instead of flying to campus, said Chief Dick Greenslade of the Spring Arbor Fire Department.Strunk had been talking to a co-worker on the ground and lost his footing when he turned to go back to work, said Spring Arbor Police Chief Russell Ratkiewicz.After weeks of work for Theusch Contracting of Lansing, Strunk was on his last day of roofing Muffitt Hall, co-worker Art Theusch said. The hall is primarily a female dormitory. Theusch was working on the same building when he heard Strunk fall. “As he was falling, he grabbed and was hanging on the edge,” Theusch said. “But he couldn’t get back up.” Ratkiewicz said the Spring Arbor Police Department investigated the accident and will notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which may conduct its own investigation. Tim Theusch, owner of Theusch Contracting, could not be reached.
Retiree dies in fall while helping to fix up church
Friday, September 14, 2001, By Lisa Medendorp, CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Always eager to aid his church, Robert Smith Sr. was up on scaffolding Tuesday, helping his pastor put bricks on the side of the fellowship hall, when both men suddenly tumbled to the ground. “The board just kind of twisted on us and we fell,” said The Rev. Richard Wadsworth, pastor of Ravenna Free Methodist Church. The minister was bruised, but Smith lost his life. The 71-year-old retired mechanical technician was taken to Mercy General Health Partners Sherman Campus where a hospital official said he died Wednesday. A death certificate indicated he died from injuries suffered in the fall. “I really don’t know how it happened,” Wadsworth said of the accident. “He must have taken a blow to the head.” They fell approximately 12 to 15 feet, he said. “Bob was a solid, Christian man and he’s in peace in Heaven right now. We know that,” Wadsworth said. “He’s going to be greatly missed.” Wadsworth said his congregation is in “total shock.” About 65 people regularly attend Sunday services at the church on South Ravenna Road. “Bob was here every Wednesday and Sunday night,” Wadsworth said. The pastor said Smith, who had experience as a bricklayer, was working with Wadsworth and two other people when the accident occurred about 10 a.m. Much of the work at the church is done by volunteers who are age 50 and over, he said. “He was in good health. He’d work sometimes all morning and come back in the afternoon and work,” the pastor said. “He was loved by everyone. He had a good sense of humor and always had a joke to tell.” Smith, of Ravenna, is survived by his wife, Maxine, and his mother, Frances Smith of Traverse City. His first wife, Joyce, preceded him in death. His sons are Jerry and Donald Smith of Traverse City; Robert and Kenneth Smith of Muskegon; John Smith of Ravenna; and Randy Smith of Newaygo. His daughters are Marlene Alexander of Tennessee and Barbara Jean Smith of Muskegon. He is also survived by his stepson, Paul Deno, of Maryland and two stepdaughters, Mary MacLaren of Holland and Janet Wilson of Muskegon. He was grandfather to 32 children. Smith had retired from Gardner-Denver in Grand Haven. Visitation at Throop Funeral Home in Ravenna is set for 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. today. The funeral service will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Ravenna Free Methodist Church.
UPDATE, Second worker dies from injuries
CULVER – The investigation into safety procedures at the Culver-Union Township Library construction site will likely intensify now that a second worker has died from injuries he sustained at the site. A spokesperson at Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne confirmed Luiz Garza, 25, of Plymouth died Saturday morning from massive head injuries he sustained after falling into an elevator shaft Wednesday. W.A. Sheets and Sons of Fort Wayne began working on the project earlier this year to expand the Culver-Union Township Library, located on the 100 block of North Main Street. An employee at the site told the Pilot News Garza worked for one of the sub-contractors at the site. Details of the accident are sketchy. Garza was reportedly working with a large drill on Wednesday when it jammed or came to a sudden stop, and knocked Garza off balance. He fell about 16 feet into the elevator shaft, according to Plymouth paramedic/Marshall County Coroner John Grolich, who has been investigating the work site along with the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Plymouth EMS received a call to assist Culver EMS just after 6 a.m. When rescue units arrived on the scene, Garza was at the bottom of the elevator shaft, unconscious and bleeding from the head. Garza was transported to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Inc.-Plymouth Campus, where at one point, he regained consciousness, according to paramedics. While en route to the hospital, the Culver ambulance broke down. Garza was moved to the Plymouth ambulance and taken to the hospital. Later that morning Garza was airlifted to Parkview Memorial Hospital where he died four days later. The accident marks the second tragedy to strike at the work site during the past six weeks. In August, Clarence Strawderman, 45, of Walkerton, was electrocuted in what co-workers described as an a bizarre accident. A Culver resident managed to capture the accident that killed Strawderman on video tape. A tort notice has been filed in connection to Strawderman’s death by Merrillville attorney Mark Psinos, who said he will name every agency that allegedly played a role in Strawderman’s death in the tort. Culver Clerk-Treasurer Chandra Mevis said she has turned over a copy of the tort to the town’s insurance agency. Government entities have 90 days to respond to a tort notice. At that time the attorney filing the tort can pursue legal action. There have been no orders by IOSHA to stop work at the construction site. Work was halted for one day in August to allow employees at the site to attend Strawderman’s funeral.