Slip, Trips, and Falls #6
updated 05/06/2010
Nestle Employee Dies After Fall
A tough day in Waverly after a Nestle employee dies from a fall. Fifty-five-year-old Henry Daniels the Third of Waterloo was killed in a work related accident Monday night at the Nestle plant. The Bremer County Medical Examiner confirms Daniels died last night after falling from a skyjack at the plant. The 55-year old was pronounced dead Waverly Municipal Hospital shortly after 10:30. Waverly police say they investigated the scene and are calling it accidental.
UPDATE, Bells Construction fined over worker’s death
One of Tasmania’s biggest construction companies has been fined 20 thousand dollars over the death of a worker during the redevelopment of the Royal Hobart Hospital four years ago. Bells Construction was found guilty of failing to provide a safe workplace when a subcontractor fell through a skylight and died of head injuries. Just before Christmas in 1998, Bells subcontractor Kenneth Daniels went onto a roof area of the hospital to make a mobile phone call. Mr Daniels sat on a skylight, which shattered causing him to fall to his death. Bells was found guilty of failing to provide a safe workplace for not restricting access to the roof or providing warning signs near the skylight. Counsel for Bells, Andrew Gaigen, told the Launceston Magistrates Court this afternoon, while a barrier would have prevented Mr Daniels’ fall, no-one could have expected an experienced worker to sit down on a skylight. Chief Magistrate Arnold Shott said everyone agreed the incident was a tragedy but said Bells culpibility was at the lower end of the scale.
Hathaway Bridge death update
By Tracey Early; News 13 On Your Side
Construction on the new Hathaway Bridge comes to a halt Monday, as workers continue to mourn the loss of a fellow employee. Richard Martin James, a 33-year-old Fountain resident fell from the new bridge on Saturday and died. The Panama City Police Department has completed their investigation and is calling it a “tragic accident”. According to officials at Granite Construction Company, the business responsible for building the bridge, James was standing on a ladder, installing a new segment of the bridge, when the ladder slipped. The ladder fell about 50 feet, then hit a large cable used to hold barges in place, knocking James into the water. He was pronounced dead at Bay Medical Center shortly after the accident. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration are now conducting their own investigation on the incident. The State of Florida has a Death Benefit Plan for accidents like this to help pay for funeral costs. Whatever the plan doesn’t cover, Granite officials say they will pay for. James leaves behind a wife and three sons, ages 8, 10 and 17. According to family friends, James was the only source of income for the family so donations are desperately needed. An account is set up at People’s First Community Bank. For those donations, that account number is 3928488.
Contract employee fatally injured while working at sub base
By Katie Melone – More Articles
Groton — A federal agency and Naval authorities are investigating the death of a construction company employee who sustained fatal injuries Tuesday morning while working on a pier at the Naval Submarine Base. Neither the Naval Submarine Base spokesman, Chris Zendan, nor officials from the man’s employer, Orion Construction Inc., would identify the victim or his hometown. Thomas Guilmartin, the area director at the Hartford office of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, would not comment further on the details of the accident beyond confirming his agency’s investigation. The man worked for Orion, a Texas marine construction company. The Houston-based firm won a contract to upgrade piers at the base in 1999. “Contract employees performing work in support of the Navy and our submarine base are very much members of our team,” said Captain James E. Ratte Jr., the base commanding officer, in a prepared statement. “My condolences, thoughts and prayers are with the family of our lost shipmate.” According to an account provided by Zendan, the man was injured in the accident at approximately 9 a.m. Tuesday. Just prior to the incident, he was working on a floating platform removing metal supports from Pier 32, one of the northernmost piers on the base along the Thames River. The workers were taking the supports from the pier onto the floating platform, and a shift on the platform caused him to fall, or be thrown into the water, and to sustain head trauma. Navy personnel pulled the man immediately from the water, and he was transported by helicopter to The William W. Backus Hospital, where he died of his injuries. Zender could not comment on how he injured his head, but said it was possible he hit the platform, or a pier piling, a support for the pier that is driven into the riverbed. Navy police, investigators with OSHA and paramedics with Lawrence & Memorial Hospital also responded immediately to the incident. Mark Stauffer, the chief financial officer of Orion Construction Inc., declined to comment on the employee or his work other than to say his company was “cooperating with investigation authorities.”
OPPD lineman, 37, dies in fall from utility pole
BY NANCY GAARDER
An apprentice line technician for the Omaha Public Power District died Tuesday when he fell from a power pole near Ceresco. Michael W. Johnson, 37, of Ashland, Neb., was about 20 to 25 feet up an approximately 35-foot-tall pole when he fell, said Cynthia Buettner, a spokeswoman for the utility. He was equipped with a hard hat and a safety belt, Buettner said. The belt is designed to secure a worker to a pole. OPPD is investigating the accident to determine how it occurred, she said Wednesday. The Saunders County Sheriff’s Office also is looking into it. Johnson was working with a crew of three people from OPPD at the time of the accident, Buettner said. The accident occurred about 3 p.m. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which typically investigates workplace accidents, will not investigate this one because OPPD is a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska, said Ben Bare, spokesman for OSHA. Johnson was taken to St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln, where he died. Johnson had worked for OPPD for about 11/2 years. He was married with two children.
Autopsy: Man died from fall
By Staff Reports The Herald
An autopsy performed on a 41-year-old Rock Hill man revealed he died Monday from injuries suffered in a work-related fall rather than heart complications, authorities said. York County Coroner Doug McKown said tree company worker Johnny Jones died when his aorta — the body’s main artery — ripped when he fell about 25 feet from an oak tree Monday afternoon. He is the lone fatality in York County from last week’s ice storm, McKown said. The inclement weather had damaged the tree. On Monday, McKown said Jones may have suffered a heart attack while cutting loose limbs off the tree because co-workers told authorities he had complained of chest pain. Witnesses told McKown that Jones landed on his feet after the fall, which occurred at a home in the Huntington subdivision between S.C. 5 and S.C. 901.
Worker injured in fall from Concord roof
CONCORD A 27-year-old worker installing a satellite dish on a home on North Branch Road was injured after falling from the roof yesterday, police said. henry Francisco of Worcester was flown by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was treated and released, according to a hospital spokeswoman. He was working on a house at 138 North Branch Road when the accident occurred at about 12:10 p.m., according to the Fire Department. “He simply fell on the ground,” said fire Lt. Jon White. The man was able to walk around to the front of the home to wait for emergency workers to arrive, White said. The man was conscious when firefighters arrived, according to White. The name of the man’s company was not available. Police said the accident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Worker hurt in storm
ROBERT Harrison is nursing two black eyes and a swollen nose, but he says his injuries are amazingly minor considering the ordeal he experienced during Port Macquarie’s hailstorm. The electrician had found shelter from the hail in a demountable block next to a construction site where the old Sandcastle motel once stood opposite Town Beach. But moments after he locked the door and shut a window, the entire structure began lifting from the one-storey-high scaffolding. “I felt the whole thing lift but then it settled back down again,” Mr Harrison recalled yesterday. “I knew what was happening but I had nowhere to go. About 20 seconds later it lifted again but this time it flipped off the scaffolding.” The demountable, along with six others at the site, fell from the scaffolding on to the asphalt of William St. “I landed straight on my back … I could still hear the storm outside so I thought the best thing to do was to stay put until it passed,” Mr Harrison said. “I had to climb on a bin to get to the door because it was locked. “The others outside couldn’t get it open.” Mr Harrison was taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital where he was treated for bruising and swelling to his nose and eyes. His son Jamie, and two other workers, were inside other demountables when they came crashing down but none were injured. Site project manager Joe Sidoti said work at the site had been put on hold until assessments were made by Hastings Council and Work Cover. “We would really like to thank all the people who rushed over to help,” he said.
Injured worker flown to Pitt
By Sun Journal Staff
A man described as an injured construction worker was flown by helicopter Monday afternoon to Pitt Memorial Hospital. New Bern Fire Chief Bobby Aster explained that fire trucks were dispatched to Lawson Creek Park to secure the area around 3:30 p.m. for East Care to land. Aster said the helicopter pad at Craven Regional Medical Center was in use and East Care had to land at another site. Aster said the construction worker fell from a building he was working on in downtown Middle Street. Official said Craven Regional Medical Center emergency medical service personnel requested the assistance in expediting the landing at Lawson Creek Park. The name of the injured man and cause of the incident were unavailable at press time.
Worker dies after falling from tree
A Rock Hill man has died after he fell about 25 feet from a tree while trying to trim branches that had become loose following the wintry storm last week, authorities said. Johnny Jones, 41, was pronounced dead about 1:30 p.m. Monday at Piedmont Medical Center, York County Coroner Doug McKown said. Jones was working at a residence in a subdivision for a tree company. Jones had no obvious injuries and his death could be the result of a heart attack, McKown said. “Witnesses say he has been experiencing some chest pains in the past couple of days and we think that is what might have done it,” McKown said. McKown said Jones’ co-workers think he had a heart attack because he didn’t make any noise when he hit the ground. McKown said his office will perform an autopsy.
Sanctuary rebuild falls
By CHRISTOPHER BROOKE Staff Reporter
The rebuilding of the Blue Ridge Chapel Baptist Church was reaching to the heavens before part of the structure failed last week and collapsed on workers who were installing roof trusses. But Pastor David Moore said the church near the Blue Ridge Parkway will recover from this setback, just as the congregation decided to rebuild after termites weakened the original sanctuary. Six workers were installing the last 12 or so of the 1,400-pound trusses before the collapse at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. It came just before a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow and ice on the Twin Counties. The workers fell with the trusses to the ground. One fell the full height of 36 feet. Moore was working on the ground outside the new sanctuary, preparing to send up another truss when the accident happened. Fearing the worst, he immediately called 911. “I just knew someone was dead.” Five of the men got up immediately and helped the sixth man, who was trapped by a truss on top of his midsection. Cutting the man loose took five minutes or less, Moore said. The Galax Fire Department responded, and Pipers Gap Rescue Squad transported the injured worker to Twin County Regional Hospital. The collapse bowed the framed walls and the floor buckled and broke underneath where the worker was trapped, the pastor said. The worker was probably spared more extensive injuries by the floor giving way. “We think it was a miracle that out of six men, only one had to go to the hospital,” Moore said. The injured worker had only bruises. Most of the 28 trusses installed came down. Moore did not want to speculate about the cause of the accident, noting that the truss company, the insurance company and the architect will all review the situation. The church will have to tear down some of its rebuild to repair damage caused by the accident. Moore estimated the damage at $100,000. He’s confident the insurance company will reimburse the church. “We’re not defeated,” he stressed. “We really feel we’re going to go back as soon as we can tear out and carry on.” Members are thankful to have Oakland School to meet in, but they are looking forward to getting back into their own facility. Blue Ridge Chapel Baptist Church has received a lot of support from the community and other churches after the congregation was forced to tear down its sanctuary. A fellowship hall built in 1985 survived because it escaped termite damage. “This is just one of the setbacks that happen,” Moore said of the accident. “We just have to look to the future when we get our house of worship back.”
Construction Worker Dies In Building Fall
(New York-WABC, December 6, 2002) — An investigation is under way at an East Side construction site after a worker fell to his death this morning. The accident occurred at 58th and Lexington. Jim Hoffer reports. Fifty-Eighth and Lexington is one of the largest on-going construction sites in Manhattan. Shortly before 9:00 a.m. today, a 28-year-old ironworker fell from the 12th floor to the 10th floor at this construction site. The worker died shortly after the fall. Officials believe that this worker slipped on a patch of ice and that is what caused this fall. Now OSHA (Occupational Safety And Health Administration) is investigating whether the worker should have been wearing a safety harness. By law, workers are supposed to wear a safety harness under certain conditions. It must be noted that this particular construction site is one of the largest and safest construction sites in Manhattan. This past Tuesday, building department inspectors were at this site and found no current safety violations at this site. However, there were a few violations over the past few years since the construction started, but it was nothing serious. Now OSHA and the buildings department are investigating this incident to see exactly why this worker fell. This fall comes in the midst of some real concern by the buildings department about construction fatalities. There has been a 50% increase in construction accidents in the city so far this year.
More problems plague project
John Slykhuis, Staff Writer
A construction accident last Wednesday saw two workers rushed to hospital, one by helicopter ambulance, but it is not expected to delay the Willow Beach water treatment plant, according to York Region project manager Laura McDowell. A section of roof trusses for the low-lift pumping station being installed collapsed under a load of plywood, sending two unidentified men plunging 12 metres to the ground. One man was transported to Southlake Regional Health Centre, where he was treated for minor injuries. The second was flown to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto with injuries including a broken ankle and hip. He was operated on last week and is expected to be released in about three weeks. The Ontario Ministry of Labour “has put a stop work order on that portion of the construction site. It’s with the subcontractor to provide a safety program with the (ministry) and, dependent on that, they’ll lift the order, so it’s a timing issue when that order gets lifted”, Ms McDowell said Monday, adding she is expecting that within a week. The project has suffered a few setbacks since last year, including the Thanksgiving weekend sinking of the construction barge and crane. The barge was finally brought to the surface last Friday and towed to Jackson’s Point, where it will undergo further repairs before returning to the site to help raise the submerged crane. “From the surface, there was a perception that nothing was happening, but they had a team of nine divers and, because of the depths and the decompression, they could only work 20 minutes in a four-hour shift, so that dictated the pace they had to go,” Ms McDowell said. Despite the problems, water is expected to start to flow early in the new year for a series of test runs. The entire area will have municipal water and sewers within the next two years. “I think, overall, we have to keep in sight we are going to give the residents a reliable source of water. It’s a good project and with any construction project of this size — $30 million — you’re going to have your ups and downs,” she said.
Seven labourers die in Doda district
At least seven labourers of Bhagliar Hydro Electric Project died and two others were wounded critically at dam site Chanderkote in Doda district when a trolly, on which they were standing, fell early this morning. Police sources said the trolly, which was being used for carrying the labourers for construction work in a tunnel, could not stand the load and crashed to ground after its iron rope broke, killing seven labourers on the spot and injuring two others. The mishap took place at around 0300 hours early today, police said. The injured have been shifted to Jammu Medical College. Meanwhile senior Congress leader and MLA, Mohd Sharief Naiz has expressed sympathies with the bereaved families and demanded that ex-gratioa relief be paid to the next of the kin of the deceased. He also demanded an enquiry into the mishap. Earlier, the eight-day long strike in the Rs 4600 crores Bhagliar Hydro Electric Project was called off yesterday following an agreement between the contruction company and the workers. The multi-crore project is being constructed by J P Industries.
UPDATE, Skylight fatality site ruled unsafe
By CATHERINE ANDERSON
A WORKER fell through a skylight and died at a Royal Hobart Hospital worksite because his employer failed to make the site safe, a court found yesterday. Kenneth Noel Daniels, 47, of Clifton Beach, died after he fell about 4m through a skylight on to concrete on December 22, 1998. Bells Constructions and Technologies Pty Ltd, of Victoria, pleaded not guilty in the Hobart Magistrates Court to one count of failing to provide a safe working environment at the Royal Hobart Hospital on December 22, 1998. Chief Magistrate Arnold Shott handed down his finding yesterday after a court hearing in August 2000. Mr Shott found Mr Daniels went through a window hole, which had the glass removed, on to the roof to make a mobile phone call. When outside he sat on a raised skylight which shattered, and he fell through and sustained serious head injuries. Mr Shott said the skylight had had a cover made for it for protection against falling debris on the worksite, but the cover was not fitted. “Signs were not in place to warn of dangers associated with entering the unfenced or unguarded roof area or sitting on the skylights,” Mr Shott said. He said the fragility of the skylights had been foreseen because skylight covers had been made for them. The court heard skylight covers were manufactured because the roof was going to have a scaffold over it and the covers would stop material falling through. But the scaffold was not built and the covers were not installed. Mr Shott said Bells Constructions and Technologies Pty Ltd did not conduct a risk assessment of the roof area even though its location, features and accessibility suggested risks to workers. “The construction and display of suitable warning signs and the giving of instructions could have been readily and quickly accomplished,” he said. Mr Shott will sentence the company on December 17. Under the Workplace Health and Safety Act the maximum penalty is a fine of $150,000.
Worker hurt in 30-foot plunge
Report by Jessie Bould
An investigation has been launched after a 33-year-old man plunged 30 foot down a pit while he was working at a Bridgnorth factory. The worker suffered head and facial injuries after he tumbled from a girder at Bridgnorth Aluminium. He was rescued by firefighters who used specialist equipment to pull him to safety. Shocked factory bosses and their contractors are now investigating the cause of the accident, which happened around 5.45pm on Saturday. The Health and Safety Executive has also been informed and will launch its own investigation into the fall. The man, who has not been named but is from Halesowen, was plucked to safety from the pit by firefighters and ambulance crews who had been scrambled to the site. He is currently being treated in hospital for his injuries, which were not life threatening, and his condition was today said to be comfortable. A spokesman from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service today said: “We were called at 5.46pm to Bridgnorth Aluminium to assist the ambulance in helping a person who had fallen into a pit.” Crews from from Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth were scrambled to the scene with an incident commander from Shrewsbury, he added. The man was hoisted to safety on a spinal board by the fire crews who used special lines to lift him out of the pit. Today a spokesman from Shropshire Ambulance Service confirmed they were called out to the firm and a man in his 30s was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. Mr Simon Macvicker, deputy general manager at Bridgnorth Aluminium, said the man was not a direct employee of Bridgnorth Aluminium but a sub-contractor from a construction company working on an extension at the factory. Mr Macvicker said the accident happened when the worker was boring concrete and he had suffered facial and head injuries. He said: “We as a company have a very rigorous attitude to safety and our safety procedures and when we employ contractors we take great effort to tell them what we expect from them. “It is a shock for us and for the contracting company and although he was not our employee we will learn from the accident and wish him a fast recovery,” Mr Macvicker added. He added that a meeting between Bridgnorth Aluminium officials and their contractors was due to take place later today to discuss the accident.
Pair injured in building site drama
REPORT By JAMES KEMAL
A BUILDER is nursing two broken arms after scaffolding he was working on collapsed and hit a man below last Wednesday. The incident happened on the site of an unfinished hotel owned by Ibis – part of Accor – in the grounds of conference centre ExCeL at Royal Victoria Dock, Canning Town. Tony Brown, 35, from Romford, fell with scaffolding and other debris, knocking 42-year-old Constantine Corpali off a ladder. A metal shutter also hit Mr Corpali, of Finden Road, Forest Gate. Ambulance crews rushed to the scene but found it difficult to get to the two men lying on the second floor, so called the Fire Brigade. Firefighters from East Ham and Silvertown eventually harnessed the two construction workers into a skip and brought them to the ground. A dozen workers watched from the top of the building as they were lowered down. The two men were then lifted into ambulances and taken to Newham General Hospital, Plaistow, and The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel. Police stayed on scene to talk to inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive. Mr Corpali, who complained of having back and neck pains, was released from Newham General the following day. A spokesperson for the Health and Safety Executive told the Recorder Mr Brown has two broken arms and injuries to a leg. He was discharged from The Royal London at the weekend. An Accor spokesperson said: “On arrival at the site around the time of the incident, Accor’s project manager for the ExCeL constructions suspended work on the site. “He ensured that the construction site manager for construction agency Vinci Miller and representatives of ExCeL were all aware of the situation and had taken the necessary precautions to inform the emergency services. “Accor very much regrets the incident. A thorough investigation into the circumstances is being carried out and Accor is co-operating fully with the emergency services and the police.”
Man remains unidentified
Birkirkara, MALTA (di-ve news) — A worker died at about 1315 CET after a wall collapsed while he was working at the back of Satariano Showroom, at Valley Road, Birkirkara on Tuesday. The man who fell a height of about one story was buried under the bricks and died on site. Although there were persons present during the accident the victim remains unidentified. From preliminary investigations it resulted that a builder who was carrying out construction works on the back of a store belonging to Satariano Showroom, saw an unidentified man falling, trying to hold on to a wall which was being built and hence pulling down several bricks under which he was buried. He was certified dead by a doctor from Floriana’s Health Centre. The Police assisted by Members of the Civil Protection, lifted the man from under the ruins. Duty Magistrate Abigail Lofaro was informed about the incident and appointed various experts to assist in the inquiry. Police will continue with their investigations.
Worker Falls 18 Feet Into Manhole
Nov. 26 (AP) — A construction worker in South San Francisco is lucky to be alive today after he fell 18 feet into a manhole around 8:25 this morning. He was rescued about two hours after the fall at a landscaping job site at Hillside Blvd. and Evergreen Drive. Rescue crews sent two paramedics down to his location to stabilize him. He couldn’t do anything to help himself out. Paramedics strapped him onto a backboard and then lifted him in a basket. The 22-year-old man is being treated at a local hospital.
LaRue man, 47, dies after fall at plant
GHENT, Ky. — A LaRue County maintenance worker was fatally injured yesterday after he fell 30 feet from a lift at a steel company in Northern Kentucky. Charles Hinton, 47, fell from a manlift while working outside Gallatin Steel Co.’s melt shop department. Hinton, of Hodgenville, had been a maintenance worker for eight years at the plant in Ghent, according to a statement from the company. Hinton was taken by helicopter to University of Cincinnati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3 p.m., hospital spokeswoman Pat Samson said. Samson said Hinton suffered massive head injuries. The company was investigating.
Chemical Spill Kills Industrial Worker
(Niagara Falls, Ontario, November 22, 2002) – – A chemical spill killed an industrial worker Friday in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It happened just before noon at Mancuso Chemical on Progress Street in the Falls. Sources at the scene say a worker fell into the deadly chemical after it spilled. Rescue crews rushed the victim to Greater Niagara General Hospital, where he was dead on arrival. Authorities had to temporarily close the hospital for decontamination.
Chimney sweep has a brush with death
By ANGIE BROWN
A CHIMNEY sweep who was too scared to climb a ladder until a year ago had a “miracle escape” after a dramatic roof-top plunge. Firefighters said 54-year-old Isabel Scott was lucky to be alive today after slipping from a ladder as she worked in the city. Firefighters dashed to the scene after receiving a 999 call to say the sweep had fallen 40ft on to a first-floor roof. Mrs Scott was found lying motionless in a pool of blood by her husband, fellow sweep Mike, 57, who was working with her on the house in Ferry Road. Householder Jane Barnes dashed to help and then called the emergency services after hearing Mrs Scott, from Balerno, screaming as she fell. Her rescuers said she hit every ladder rung below her as she plunged, before landing awkwardly on a flat extension roof on Tuesday morning. Mr Scott, who introduced Isabel to chimney sweeping before marrying her earlier this year, yesterday described how he used his bonnet to stem the flow of blood from his wife’s head as she lay “motionless” after the horror fall. He said: “She fell awkwardly on to a piece of metal on the lower roof which gashed her head. “I had been on the top of the roof and rushed down to the lower one. “I am a qualified first-aider and put a coat round her head. I didn’t like the look of the cut so I asked the lady of the house to call 999. “The blood was flowing out of the cut at her temple on to my hands. I used my bonnet to stem the flow of blood. The ambulance men put a bandage round her head when they arrived. “It all happened in seconds, I watched her in slow motion as she fell from the ladder. She had been holding on to the ladder at the bottom and burled round and fallen. She was motionless.” Mrs Scott was strapped to a stretcher by firefighters and lowered to the ground in an operation similar to a mountain rescue. She was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and released following treatment for a badly gashed forehead. Yesterday, Mrs Barnes, 52, who hired the Scotts’ firm Alba Chimney Specialists to sweep and line her chimney, described the frightening scene she discovered after hearing Mrs Scott’s screams. “I was loading the washing machine when I heard a cry, a series of bumps and then a loud thud,” she said. “I rushed outside and climbed halfway up the ladder and could see her lying on the flat roof of our extension. There was blood everywhere and the skylight was cracked. “I rushed inside and called the emergency services. She was crying and had a huge cut right across her forehead, which was all sooty, from one side to the other.” Mrs Barnes added: “She was in shock. Her partner said he reckoned she maybe got some grit in her eye when she removed a piece of chimney.” The ladder was attached from the extension roof, which stands 12 feet above the ground, up to the top of the stone built house. Emergency crews said they were amazed at the close call. A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said Mrs Scott had fallen down the ladder “rung by rung”. He said: “She was removing a piece of cowling from the chimney when she fell 40 feet down the ladder on to the flat roof below. She has had a miracle escape.” A Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade spokeswoman added: “She has been very lucky.”
UPDATE, Steel worker dies from injuries
20 November 2002
An Auckland steel worker has died from head injuries two weeks after an accident at Pacific Steel. Danny Campbell, 47, died yesterday from injuries he sustained after falling about 6m from a platform at the Auckland mill on November 4. He had worked at the mill since 1973. A tapu-lifting ceremony and service was held this morning at the site, Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little said today. Workmate Maurice Waetford (CRRCT) described Mr Campbell, a union delegate, as a natural leader whose presence was deeply missed. “He was a big man with a big heart who played a big role at the mill. He had mana, he was a great father and a natural leader. He was inspirational.” Occupational Health and Safety are investigating the accident.
Builder killed in fall from roof
A BUILDER from Thorpe St Andrew died after crashing through a roof at a building site in Warwickshire. Paul Brian Glasgow, 42, of Cavalier Close, Dussindale, was one of a group of five men working at the back of the Wobbly Wheel pub in Warmington, Warwickshire, when the accident happened. It is thought he fell 20 feet through a skylight onto a concrete floor. He died at the scene from head injuries. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Warwickshire Police are investigating the accident, which took place at 2.25pm on Monday. A post-mortem examination was set to be carried out today and an inquest will be held at a later date. In August the HSE warned the construction industry to improve its health and safety record ahead of a crackdown. Inspectors concentrated on falls and transport accidents, the cause of most fatal and major injuries. “Our priorities are to help the industry reduce the toll of serious accidents caused by poor transport management and falls from height. The health and safety performance of the construction industry needs radical improvement,” said Richard Boland, HSE principal inspector.
UPDATE, Fatal Atlanta Construction Accident Leads to $76,000 OSHA Penalty For Archer Western
ATLANTA, Ga. — The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Archer Western Contractors and proposed penalties totaling $76,300 following a double fatality at an Atlanta job site. OSHA began an inspection on May 7 at the R.L. Sutton Water Reclamation Facility construction site where three workers had been using a formwork system to pour concrete along the rock face of a 200-foot deep shaft. At about 70 feet above the floor of the shaft, part of the formwork and the scaffold to which it was attached collapsed, hurling the workers to the ground. Two were killed and the third employee was hospitalized for severe injuries. A fourth man working at the bottom of the shaft received a broken arm as a result of falling debris. During the inspection of the accident, OSHA found that 22 of the required 7/8-inch anchors used to secure the formwork system to the shaft wall had been replaced with smaller 5/8-inch anchors, reducing the support capability of the system. “This employer showed intentional disregard for worker safety,” said Andre Richards, OSHA’s Atlanta-West area director. “Company officials knew the replacement anchors were smaller than the original ones holding the formwork together. Yet, no action was taken to correct the hazardous conditions.” OSHA cited Archer Western for a willful violation for failing to properly support and brace the formwork system during the pouring of concrete. A willful citation implies plain indifference to, or intentional disregard of, safety regulations. An additional serious citation was issued because the company failed to adequately train workers, providing specific information concerning the hazards associated with using proper formwork parts and materials. Western Archer has 15 working days to contest OSHA’s citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Inspection of the water reclamation facility work site was conducted by OSHA’s Atlanta-West area office located at 2400 Herodian Way, Suite 250, Smyrna, Ga. 30080-2968; telephone: (770) 984-8700.
UPDATE Labor department clears DOT in bridge collapse
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The state Department of Transportation was not at fault for the collapse of a pedestrian bridge last month that killed one worker and left nine others injured, according a report by the state Labor Department. The labor department concluded that “no violations were found pertaining to the bridge collapse” and said the case was closed as far as its investigation was concerned. “They determined that we adhered to the procedures that we were supposed to. We are pleased to know that we followed all procedures correctly,” said DOT spokeswoman Melissa Carlson. The Labor Department was the first of several investigating agencies to release a report on the Oct. 10 accident, which occurred as workers poured concrete onto its steel deck. The 170-foot long bridge twisted and fell 20 feet to the ground. Carlson said a transportation department report can be expected by Dec. 1. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also is investigating the accident and its report will be “forthcoming,” the labor department report said. Carlson said the transportation department was “still conducting interviews. We don’t have anything conclusive.” “We’re just going to continue to do everything we can to determine the cause,” Carlson said. The Labor Department’s investigation focused “strictly on the occupational safety and health aspects of the accident” as it related to the transportation department workers involved. OSHA will pick up where the Labor Department left off, with a “comprehensive inspection of the site” and safety aspects concerning the bridge’s contractors, the report said. Killed in the accident was Scott Couchman, who was under the bridge when the collapse occurred. Couchman, 46, of Mohawk, and eight of the nine injured workers were employed by Tioga Construction Co., the main contractor on the state-run job. The other injured worker was transportation department principal engineering technician Theodore Fox. The 4-page report said Fox was standing on the southeast side of the bridge while workers were pouring concrete. When the bridge collapsed, Fox was thrown about 30 feet into a drainage gully and received shoulder, arm and pelvis injuries.
Construction accident pins worker beneath elevator mechanism
By EILEEN ZAFFIRO Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH — Emergency workers tend to Florencio Mendoza, 23, of DeLeon Springs, while he hangs from a construction elevator at the Ocean Walk construction site in Daytona Beach on Friday. Florencio Mendoza’s right leg was nearly severed when the counterweight slammed down just below his pelvis, and he suffered serious injuries to his left leg in the 2:30 p.m. accident at the Ocean Walk North time-share high rise being built along North Atlantic Avenue, firefighters said. The DeLeon Springs man had been on top of the elevator, which had some people inside, lubricating moving parts and performing routine maintenance, Fire Department spokesman Lt. James Bland said. Mendoza somehow fell off and got entangled in a metal tower beside the elevator, Bland said. Both of his legs slid inside the tower structure, the counterweight dropped on his upper legs and he was unable to move, witnesses said. Mendoza suffered multiple leg fractures but was conscious as he dangled about seven feet from the ground with paramedics giving him oxygen and inserting an intravenous tube in his arm. Firefighters eventually lifted the counterweight using a hydraulic ram, Bland said. Mendoza, whom co-workers call “Flo” or “Amigo,” was taken by EVAC ambulance to Halifax Medical Center. He was in serious condition early today after extensive surgery Friday. Mendoza should have been harnessed to the elevator or some other nearby structure, Bland said, but officials did not confirm whether he was harnessed or if a safety strap broke. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived at the construction site Friday afternoon to investigate. The resort is being built by general contractor Welbro/Foley of Daytona Beach, and has been under construction for about nine months. The resort is part of the $200 million Ocean Walk Village, which will also include shops, restaurants and a movie theater. About 10 minutes after Mendoza was rushed to the hospital, dozens of construction workers who had been told to leave early started pouring out of the building. Jose Alvarez of Orlando and other workers said they had been told to return to work this morning, but OSHA could decide to keep the site closed, Bland said. James McCullough works at the site, but was off-duty Friday afternoon when he happened to be walking by on his way to the store just after Mendoza fell. McCullough, 22, said Mendoza is well-liked, and known as “a good guy who will always joke around with you.”
UPDATE, Construction worker gets more surgery
Staff report
DAYTONA BEACH — A 23-year-old man seriously injured in an elevator accident while working at a beachside construction site underwent more surgery Saturday at Halifax Medical Center, hospital officials said. Firefighters said the accident happened at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Ocean Walk North, where a time share high-rise is being built along North Atlantic Avenue. The injured man, Florencio Mendoza, DeLeon Springs, was listed in critical condition Saturday night after undergoing another round of surgery, a nursing supervisor at the hospital said. He had already undergone extensive surgery at the hospital Friday. Mendoza was rushed to the hospital in serious condition after being pinned upside down beneath an elevator counterweight. His right leg was nearly severed, and he suffered serious injuries to his left leg, rescuers said. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration arrived at the construction site Friday and are investigating.
Bradenton painter hurt in fall at car dealership
ENGLEWOOD — A 36- year-old painter was seriously injured Thursday when he plunged about 20 feet from scaffolding onto a concrete floor inside the new Bay Harbor Ford dealership. Robert Hurst of Bradenton was taken by helicopter to Lee Memorial Health System’s trauma center in Fort Myers. No one witnessed the accident. Hurst’s fellow workers heard a noise at 1:12 p.m. and found him on the floor inside part of the building, which is under construction. They told emergency personnel that it looked as if Hurst had landed on his head. Hurst was in and out of consciousness when he was transported, and had a serious head injury and some bruises on his ribs, said Charlotte County Fire & EMS firefighter paramedic Wanda Pavone. Angela Milisitz, a public information officer for the hospital, said Hurst’s condition was “undetermined” Thursday evening. Bay Harbor Ford is in the process of building a two-story, 42,000-square-foot dealership behind its current building at 1908 S. McCall Road. Hurst was working for JCM Painting of Bradenton. No other information about the victim was available Thursday.
Worker falls 10 stories into tunnel
By Michaelangelo Conte
A construction worker suffered serious injuries yesterday when he fell ten stories down a Holland Tunnel exhaust shaft, officials said. At 11:30 a.m., the employee of Prismatic Construction of NY, was working on the fourth floor of the tunnel’s ventilation tower on the shoreline of the Hudson River, just east of the intersection of River Drive South and Newport Parkway in Jersey City, officials said. The worker somehow fell into the large exhaust shaft, dropped four stories to ground level and an additional six stories to the bottom of the shaft, said Jersey City Fire Department Deputy Director Jose Cruz. When rescue workers entered the bottom of the shaft through doors of the structure, they found the man had suffered severe head trauma, multiple fractures and other injuries, said Cruz. With the help of emergency medical technicians from Jersey City Medical Center and lighting provided by the Jersey City Fire Department, the man was stabilized before moving him, Cruz said. The shaft is near the tunnel, and Port Authority Police in charge of the rescue shut down the westbound tube. The man was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, Cruz said. Port Authority officials did not release the name of the injured man. Prismatic Construction did not return out calls.
Worker at marina slips into river, dies
While refueling a sailboat for a friend, Jeff Ritz slips, hits his head and falls into the Anclote River, where divers later find his body.
By KELLEY BENHAM
While refueling a sailboat for a friend, Jeff Ritz slips, hits his head and falls into the Anclote River, where divers later find his body.
TARPON SPRINGS — A deckhand fueling a sailboat for a friend died Thursday after he slipped, hit his head and sank into the brown water. Jeff William Ritz, 25, had worked around boats and water all his life, friends said. His father, John Ritz, is the dock master at Port Tarpon Marina, where Jeff Ritz drove a forklift and cleaned, fueled and maintained boats. “That was his life, the water,” said his friend, Tim House of Palm Harbor. “I can’t believe it took him, that quick.” Thursday morning, House asked Jeff Ritz to fuel his 23-foot sailboat, the Crystal Sherry, so he could go fishing later. Ritz brought the boat around to a floating dock at the marina and filled its tank. It was a routine job Ritz had done hundreds of times. As he finished, he stepped off the sailboat, slipped and hit his head on a metal dock cleat used to tie boats. He disappeared into the cold water of the Anclote River. Forklift driver Joe Foster, 44, saw the boat rock as Ritz stepped off of it, and then he saw Ritz fall. He headed over to the dock expecting to tease Ritz as he came out of the water. But Ritz never came up. His shoe floated to the surface. Bob Beuthe, who was working on his cabin cruiser nearby, ran for a diver while Foster called 911 at 10:02 a.m. Bob Dowell, who owns Marine Maintenance at the marina, put on dive gear and started searching. A few minutes later, Tarpon Springs police officer John Ulrich arrived, stripped off his gun belt and uniform shirt and dove into the water with a small air tank he carries in his cruiser. The water was murky with silt, Ulrich said, and the divers could see only inches in front of them. A crowd of about 20 gathered at the dock, calling Ritz’s name. Firefighters and a bystander poked at the water with long poles until one of them hit Ritz’s body, at rest on the muddy bottom directly below where he had fallen. The divers followed the pole down about 10 feet. Dowell brought Ritz up at 10:18 a.m. He had been under water for more than 15 minutes. “We just couldn’t find him,” said Beuthe, 62, of Trilby. “The only reason we knew he was there was because his shoe was floating.” Ritz was unconscious and had no pulse when he was pulled from the water, Tarpon Springs police Sgt. Jeffrey Young said. He was taken by ambulance to Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:20 a.m. Rescuers found Ritz quickly given the circumstances, Fire Chief Kevin Bowman said. Diving into dark salty water is dangerous and difficult. Ritz was found about two minutes after the police diver arrived, Young said. The diver sliced his hands on barnacles under the dock and needed medical treatment. It is not clear whether Ritz drowned or died of head injuries. That will be determined by the medical examiner, Young said. Fueling the boat was just a small favor for a friend. Tim House said he would never forgive himself for asking it. “He was my best friend,” House said Thursday afternoon, standing within sight of his boat and the spot where Ritz fell. The two friends had been out fishing on the same boat a few days earlier, said House, 41. They didn’t catch anything, but they had a good time. Ritz’s wife, Erin, 22, fell in the water that day. She was fine. Boat people fall all the time, marina regulars said. Ritz adored his wife, House said. He married her in 1998, when she was 18. They lived in Holiday. They had no children. Everyone knew Ritz at the marina, House said. He always wore a floppy hat like Gilligan on the TV show. “He was always so much fun, so giddy, laughing and joking,” House said. “He was the Gilligan of the place. So vibrant. “God. It’s such a shame.”
UPDATE, Mill Accident Victim Home Soon
14/11/2002 09:21 AM IRN
The family of a worker seriously injured at an Auckland steel mill hopes he will be allowed to recuperate at home early next week. Auckland Hospital says Danny Campbell is still in a serious condition, after he plunged six metres after falling off a platform at the Pacific Steel’s Otahuhu site ten days ago. Meanwhile, Occupational Safety and Health says its investigation into the incident is not expected to be completed until after Christmas. Regional Manager John Forrest says the inquiry has been held up, because officers have not been able to talk to the victim yet.
Man Falls to Death in Construction Accident
PITTSBURGH – November 13, 2002 — A man died after plunging some 40 to 60 feet Wednesday when part of a roof gave way, authorities said. Kevin Kubalic, 32, of Mercer, was pronounced dead at Presbyterian Hospital at 10:30 a.m., about 30 minutes after the fall, according to the Allegheny County Coroner’s office. An autopsy will be performed Thursday. Kubalic was working for Burns Roofing, of Mercer County, when he fell through the roof and onto railroad tracks below. The company has been replacing a roof on a warehouse in the city’s Lawrenceville section. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was called to investigate.
Long-time business owner Wayne Vincent dies at 56
Nov 13, 2002
Local businessman Wayne Vincent, 56, was fatally injured Monday when he fell about 40 feet from scaffolding at his furniture store on U.S. Highway 278 East, where he was working on renovations. He died later at Cullman Regional Medical Center. Vincent, well-known as the founder of several furniture stores in Cullman, was featured in the “Profile” issue of The Times in 2001. He told The Times then that he opened his first Cullman furniture store in 1970, without having enough money to pay the first month’s rent—$90. So the building’s owner gave him a month’s rent for free. “We started out with used furniture. We didn’t have any money, and people would give us their old furniture,” he said. “Then, all of a sudden, antiques were ‘in,’ and my junk became ‘antiques.’ I had piles of old junk I collected through the years that suddenly became precious!” When he saw that antiques were getting hard to find, he converted to new furniture and opened his second store in the old Johnson-Merrill furniture location downtown. He then acquired the Thompson Brothers location and a furniture store owned by a Mr. Steele, who retired. He set up Vincent’s Furniture and Piano Co. and Vincent’s Furniture and Water Beds on Third Street Southeast and took over the old Bargain Town store in the same block. He established a warehouse full of damaged and discounted furniture and odds and ends on Highway 278 East. And he opened a furniture store in Hartselle. Mayor Donald Green said, “I didn’t know Wayne real well, but he and I were both in the furniture business. We have done business together over the years, and he was a very important person in our community in a lot of different ways, not only in business. He has taken stands on issues that were important. He stood for wanting Cullman to be a progressive city and to do what’s right, and he has been very outspoken on the legal sale of alcohol.” When Vincent was only 19 years old, he lost his right hand in a cotton gin accident. He had been married just 10 days and had a wife to support, but he couldn’t work for three months while his hand healed. For Vincent, the disaster turned into “a real blessing. It taught me to think,” he said. “If you can’t use your hands, you have to use something else to make a living. And it taught me to trust in the Lord instead of myself.” He couldn’t get a job for a long time and went to Detroit seeking work. One of the men at a plant told him, “Young man, why don’t you go back to Alabama? We got all the handicaps we need.” “It sounds harsh,” Vincent said, “but it was the best thing he could have said to me.” He did come back home and took odd jobs, without much success. But three years later, the Fairview native took his first steps toward becoming an entrepreneur. “In 1969, I started a little used furniture store in Shedd’s old store in Baileyton,” Vincent said. “When the house payment came due, I had to sell it, but I realized it would be a good business.” During those years, Vincent also heard the call to preach. He began preaching at 20 and pastored his first church at 23, before beginning a career as pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartselle. Throughout all of his business dealings, Vincent leaned heavily on his faith in God for inspiration and instruction and gave full credit to his Maker and his family for every success he had in life. He also held his “wonderful customers” responsible for his success in business, declaring, “if I had it to do over, I’d tell every customer I appreciate them trading with me. So many folks have been good to me.” He was once asked what advice he would give young businessmen. He said, “I grew up the hard way with a lot of struggles, but the Lord’s been good to us. We’ve really been blessed. I think if a fellow will trust the Lord and do his best to serve Him, he can’t go wrong.”
UPDATE, B.C. wine-country residents shocked by deaths
By CAMILLE BAINS
VANCOUVER (CP) – British Columbia’s winemaking industry is at a loss to explain how two winemakers died in a freak accident no one has ever heard of happening before. Victor Manola, owner of the Silver Sage Winery in the Okanagan town of Oliver, B.C., died Sunday after falling into a fermentation tank. Winemaking consultant Frank Supernak, died when he fell in, too, attempting to rescue Manola. It’s believed the men suffocated because of the carbon dioxide generated in the enclosed tank by the fermenting wine. The lack of oxygen meant they couldn’t breathe. The incident has shocked residents in the Okanagan Valley agricultural community where “wine is the world,” said Bob Tennant, a winery owner in the area. “Everyone’s just sick about it,” Tennant said as winery owners throughout the Okanagan planned to help Manola’s wife Anna get wines from the family business to store shelves. The accident came as a blow to the British Columbia’s flourishing wine industry, which last week took 152 out of 268 medals at the Canadian Wine Awards. Harry McWatters, founding chairman of the B.C. Wine Institute, said everyone is deeply saddened by the tragic deaths. “Our industry, although we may be very competitive in the marketplace, we all share a passion for what we do,” he said. “There’s little doubt in my mind that the industry will come to a position where these families can reach out and find some assistance to get them through this vintage.” The accident is so bizarre that nobody in the industry can even begin to figure out how someone could fall into a fermentation tank. “This is my 35th vintage in the business and nothing like this has ever happened,” McWatters said. “This is very much a freak accident.” Manola, 41, was on a ladder while reaching into the tank to get a wine sample for testing around noon Sunday when he fell into a hole measuring about 38 centimetres across, said Sgt. Bob Reuter of Oliver’s RCMP detachment. Supernak, 47, went to help and also fell into the tank, which was about two-thirds full, Reuter said. “Whether he got dragged in or fell in himself, they both ended up in the tank,” Reuter said. Rescue workers sawed off the top of the tank and drained it before rescuing the men, he said. “It’s just a totally tragic accident,” said Reuter. The wine industry is considering ways to eliminate such incidents from happening again, McWatters said. “We’re all going to have to do some self-analysis here about what could be done,” he said. “I think it really comes down to making sure that people don’t work alone in cellars in this kind of situation and that they recognize the potential danger of the lack of oxygen. You don’t see the danger.” Winemaker Steve Wyse, who works at the Burrowing Owl Vineyards in Oliver, said Manola, who had two adult children living in the Vancouver area, was the pillar of his family. “He was a unique guy,” Wyse said. “He was making the only pinot blanc ice wine with a chili pepper in it.” Manola and his wife were also adding a bed-and-breakfast in to their property, where they would have celebrated their third vintage. Supernak, who had a wife and two children, was a microbiologist who was involved in every aspect of winemaking – from vineyard work, to the crush and final analysis, said Wyse. “Frank taught me a lot about winemaking,” Wyse said. “That’s who he was. He was willing to give everybody every little bit of knowledge that he had. He was the best. He could turn grapes into magic.” The coroner’s office and the Workers’ Compensation Board were investigating the deaths.
Winery mishap kills two men
By CP
OLIVER, B.C. — A bizarre winery accident has claimed two lives after one man tumbled into a wine tank and another tried to save him. Victor Manola, owner of the Silver Sage Winery in Oliver, B.C., about 260 km east of Vancouver, was bending over the top of a large plastic tank when he slipped in, said his wife, Anna Manola, yesterday. “The winemaker … jumped in to take him out and he couldn’t come out,” she said. CHBC-TV in Kelowna reported the 2,270-litre tank was three-quarters full at the time and that rescuers resorted to draining the tank and cutting off its top in order to retrieve the men’s bodies. “I let the wine out of the tank,” Manola said softly. “It was too late.” The coroner’s office and Workers’ Compensation Board are investigating, CHBC said.
Contractor Falls To His Death From Roof Of Community Center
Deer Park-AP, November 10, 2002) — A contractor is dead after falling more than 20 feet from the roof of the community center in Deer Park, Long Island. Police say 35-year-old Stefan Anselm was one of a group of 10 people who were repairing the roof yesterday. He apparently lost his balance while throwing debris into a nearby dumpster. Anselm was airlifted to the University Hospital at Stony Brook where he died just after noon.
Three Hurt After Scaffold Collapses, Traffic Along Turnpike Not Affected
POSTED: 1:59 p.m. EST November 11, 2002
PALMER, Mass. — Three workers were hospitalized after the scaffold they were on beneath a stretch of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Palmer collapsed. State police said the workers didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries. They were working under the eastbound side of the Quabaug River Bridge, a span that crosses the river and the road in Palmer. State police said there were no traffic problems because of the accident.
Construction Worker Falls to Death
November 8, 2002 – 10:44 am
Indianapolis homicide detectives are looking into a tragic accident downtown. Detectives say a woman was part of the crew cleaning up a renovation site at 500 North Meridian in the Safeco Building. They say she fell off the fire escape from the third floor. “We have a white female who is in her late twenties, who was a construction worker who apparently was disposing some trash or debris from the third floor here and opened the door and fell off the fire escape,” said Detective Mike Mitchell, IPD homicide.After a preliminary investigation, detectives believe wind may have played a role in the accident. The name of the victim has not been released. OSHA is conducting an investigation, but they believe it was an accident.
UPDATE, Museum fall man died from head injuries
November 7, 2002 23:34
A retired service manager who worked at a military museum in North Norfolk died from head injuries after falling from a ladder, an inquest in Norwich was told. Richard Gallop, 74, of Church Close, West Runton, was working at the Muckleburgh Collection at Weybourne when the accident happened on September 26. Mr Gallop’s friend Jack Willis told the inquest at Norwich Magistrates’ Court that Mr Gallop had brought a do-it-yourself loft-ladder into the shed at the museum where the two men worked cleaning and restoring the museum’s radio collection. Mr Gallop wanted to install the ladder so they could make use of the available loft space. Mr Willis described seeing his friend standing on the lower rungs of the ladder, which was at this stage “locked and stable”, when he returned from lunch. He turned away for a minute and when he looked back he saw Mr Gallop slide down the ladder and fall over backwards, hitting his head on the concrete floor. Mr Gallop was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where he died two days later. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a severe head injury due to the fall but could give no conclusion as to the cause of the fall. Norwich coroner William Armstrong recorded a verdict of misadventure.
UPDATE, Lack of Fall Protection Factor in Charleston Shipyard Fatality; OSHA Proposes $103,000 in Penalties
North Charleston, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today cited International Marine and Industrial Applicators, Inc., for failing to protect workers from fall hazards that contributed to the death of a Hispanic worker. The citations carry penalties totaling $103,000. The fatal accident occurred May 5 aboard a ship docked for repairs at Pier D of the Detyens Shipyard, North Charleston. During repair work on the ship, screening had been removed from an opening in the hull that allowed a large fan on the A/B deck to pull air in or push air out of the ship. The removal of the screening left an unguarded 7-foot by 6-foot hole, 70 feet above the waterline. Working alone, without any fall arrest equipment, and within inches of the unguarded hull opening, the victim climbed a ladder and began removing rust from the top of the eight-foot-high steel fan and the walls that enclosed it. Evidence from the OSHA investigation suggests that the worker tried to reach a section of the wall, lost his balance and fell 78 feet to his death. “Lifelines and safety belts — well named safety equipment — could have prevented this tragedy,” said Jim Drake, OSHA acting area director in Columbia. “The company knew workers should have them, but didn’t have enough for everyone.” International Marine and Industrial Applicators received two willful citations with proposed penalties totaling $70,000 for failing to provide workers with safety belts and lifelines and exposing them to falls through unguarded openings. The agency defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirement of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. OSHA also issued additional citations with proposed penalties totaling $33,000 for failing to: conduct a hazard assessment prior to beginning repairs; train workers in the proper use of safety equipment and provide them with the appropriate equipment; frequently check on employees working alone in isolated areas; develop and implement written plans to minimize employee exposure to infectious materials and dangerous chemicals. OSHA, concerned about the large numbers of Hispanic workers being killed and injured on the job, has instituted safety programs across the country for Spanish-speaking workers and employers who hire non-English speaking workers. The company has 15 working days to contest the OSHA citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by staff from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration area office located in the Strom Thurmond Federal Building, 1835 Assembly St., Room 1468, Columbia, S.C.; phone: (803) 765-5904.
McDonalds to pay $8,000 after worker falls 2.8 metres
A McDonalds restaurant in Whakatane was sentenced to pay $8,000 today after a worker fell 2.8 metres while trying to retrieve happy meal toys earlier this year. Howard and Osborne Ltd (trading as McDonalds) was sentenced in the Auckland District Court after being prosecuted by the Occupational Safety and Health Service (OSH) for failing to protect the safety of a worker. “New Zealanders being harmed and killed at work is simply unacceptable. After the accident, the victim was off work for almost four months,” said Murray Thompson, OSH Service Manager Taupo-Eastern Bay Of Plenty. “The worker suffered a dislocated and broken left ankle, fractured left leg, bruising to her upper arm, shoulder and back and a ruptured achilles tendon when she fell through the ceiling at the restaurant. “The accident happened when the injured worker climbed an aluminium ladder to the loft storage area in the premises to obtain more happy meal toys. While searching through the loft she was making her way around a stack of cartons. She ducked under a beam, took two steps forward and then the ceiling gave way. She fell approximately 2.8 metres, landing in the internal passage behind the kitchen on the ground floor. “The company should have identified the hazard of the risk of a fall in the loft area and informed the employees of the hazard accordingly. This could have included erecting barriers in the loft preventing access to areas without suitable flooring and placing appropriate signage. Judge Toomey noted that this was a case where the hazards could have been readily identified had a responsible employer looked at the work situation its employees were in and thought seriously about it. The hazards were not difficult to identify; in fact they were quite easy if someone had addressed safety in that area. The defendant was given credit for an early guilty plea, no previous convictions, remorse and remedial steps taken, and assistance provided to the victim in her recovery. “Everyone has the right to go to work and be safe. Companies must ensure that workplace hazards are identified and controlled correctly, and that their safety systems are constantly reviewed and updated,” said Mr Thompson.