2010 Industrial Accidents
thru 1/31/10
KRMG Local News Man Killed in Oil Rig Accident (an oil field worker, 35, was killed as workers were winching up a pipe to change a drill bit and then the pipe broke loose and fell onto a mobile trailer)
LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY Scotts employee dies in elevator accident (an accident involving a freight elevator has killed a worker, 53 – he was pinned beneath a freight elevator on the ground floor of the plant – he was pronounced dead at the scene – he was a group leader at the plant and had worked for the company for 15 years – he was working by himself and fellow employees began looking for him after they hadn’t seen him for several minutes)
UPDATE on FATAL AMMONIA LEAK involving IMPROPER LOTO Poison Leak Plugged with OSHA Fine in Iowa (company has settled with the Labor Service for $648,000 after safety violations in August 2007 caused an ammonia leak that killed one worker and left another severely injured – a worker died after her escape route took her directly past the hazardous leak, while another employee fled a different path, but still suffered inhalation injuries and post-traumatic stress – the accident occurred when a company contracted by the plant was working on the liquid ammonia refrigerant piping system and plant maintenance workers tried to move ammonia through the line – part of the line had been removed which allowed the ammonia to flow into the work area – inspectors said that the line should have been locked out during the work and that they also found other safety violations – contractor was also fined and reached a settlement in civil court)
RAIL YARD BNSF Identifies Worker Killed in Railyard Accident (railroad officials have identified a worker, 44, who was killed in a railyard accident – he had worked for the railway for 17 years and worked in switching operations – he is survived by a wife and three children – he was riding on a car that left the tracks and pinned him against a building – he died at the scene – it’s unclear what caused the car to derail)
UPDATE on GUARDING/AMPUTATION OSHA cites Broan-NuTone (OSHA cited the business with one alleged willful violation and four alleged serious violations – violations stem from the July amputation of a worker’s hand at the company – proposed penalties from the violations total $91,000 – a metal pressing machine amputated a worker’s right hand on the morning of July 29 at the plant, leaving portions of her leather work glove pressed and lodged into her injury – a search for her hand in the machine uncovered only small pieces – most of the hand had been pulverized – OSHA issued the willful citation for the company’s failure to provide adequate machine guarding – serious violations include failure to perform regular inspections of mechanical power presses, to provide adequate supervision while employees are working on hazardous equipment and to ensure adequate training was given for maintaining mechanical power press equipment)
GAS WELL PRESSURE Two Longview men injured at Louisiana gas well site (a man injured at a natural gas well site remained hospitalized Thursday in fair condition – two employees of an oilfield services company were injured while performing equipment maintenance at a well – one man, 50, was taken to the LSU center for treatment of a serious hand injury – the other worker suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a Medical Center – deputies determined his hand was severely mangled from pressure exerted by a valve – the well is in the final stages of completion)
FATAL FALL into grain silo 26-year-old man died in NE Ind. grain silo fall (a grain company worker, 26, was killed when he fell about 80 feet into a silo – he died of blunt-force trauma – he was doing routine maintenance when he fell – emergency crews needed more than two hours to remove him from the grain inside the silo)
CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – NITROGEN in a boiler Four workers killed at steel plant (four workers have lost their lives and another is in a critical condition following an accident at a plant – it’s unclear what exactly happened at the steel manufacturer’s plant but it’s believed that the men were carrying out maintenance work when they inhaled a gas – believed to be nitrogen – three of the employees died at the plant, another man fell to his death after apparently becoming dizzy while working on scaffolding – a fifth man’s been hospitalised – accident occurred in the Bof oven number 3 – the oven has been standing idle for a week and the workers were doing maintenance work)
DUMP TRUCK GATE Worker fatally struck by dump truck gate (a man, 39, died from injuries in a workplace accident at a disposal services business – a dump truck began to dump its contents when a gate on the back of the truck swung open and hit the man – investigators say the back gate of the dump truck didn’t appear to be properly secured and hit him as he went to unload some cardboard)
Ammonia Leak in Mo. Hurts 8 (one person was hospitalized and seven other were overcome by fumes from an ammonia leak at a processing plant at about 2:30 p.m. – an ammonia pipe in the engineering room of the plant started leaking – the fumes in the building were strong enough that workers had trouble breathing even after they had been evacuated – one worker who tried shutting down the pipe valves was taken to a hospital with burns around his hands, face and eyes – seven others were treated at the scene – the evacuation was orderly, but long – authorities temporarily shut down a section of Highway 150 between as a precaution)
STACKER FATALITY @ Forest Products Plant Mill worker was fun-loving family man (worker, 39, got caught in the chain of a piece of equipment called an unscrambler at the forest products plant – he was taken to a Medical Center, where he later died – he had been moving along a catwalk near a piece of equipment called a stacker – he tripped and fell and landed on a chain, which had hooks on it)
DRILLING RIG ACCIDENT w/ clothing pulled into shaft Drilling rig worker injured in Salem Township accident (a gas drilling rig worker was seriously injured after he was trapped while repairing the equipment – the man was in the midst of repairing the rig about 7 a.m. when a piece of equipment somehow got a piece of his clothing and pulled him into the shaft, pinning him – two other rig workers who were there freed him by disengaging the hydraulic-operated piece of equipment that was pinning him – it took about 15 minutes – he suffered multiple injuries, including a head injury – he was treated at the scene, then taken by helicopter to a Hospital)
MINING vehicle Trapped miner rescued on West Coast (a miner is receiving treatment after being injured in an underground vehicle accident – it is believed the man, a contract maintenance worker, received minor injuries when the light vehicle he was driving at the mine rolled, trapping him inside – no other workers were injured in the underground incident which occurred about 1.45pm.)
FATAL FALL at smelting plant Fire mishap at mine hits coal (a contractual worker, 24, died in an accident at the project site smelter plant – he was working as a welder when he fell down from a height of 80 feet while working and died on spot)
Plant Accident Sends Man to Hospital (a local business owner is hospitalized after an accident at his plant – he was trying to use an accelerator to ignite a corn burner when flames leaped from it, setting the man on fire – he suffered second and third degree burns over most of his body, but was responsive when they found him in the shop – he was air-lifted to a hospital with what firefighters are describing as non-life threatening injuries – investigators are still working to determine how this happened)
FIRE in COOLING WATER TOWER Fire breaks out at Hyundai Motor’s plant (a fire broke out at a car plant – it was extinguished in less than half a hour, causing no casualties or significant property damage – the fire started around 11:25 a.m. at a cooling tower located on the rooftop of the painting plant – the fire burned some of the cooling tower, with no significant property damage – the exact cause is still under investigation, but company officials suspect that it might have started due to short circuit)
UNLOADING TRUCK FATALITY Otay Mesa worker crushed by heavy load (a worker, 54, at a lumber storage yard was killed when several 20-foot boards fell off a truck and knocked him to the ground – he was helping unload the planks when the accident occurred shortly before 9:30 a.m. – he fell backward and hit his head on the ground and died at the scene)
ELECTROCUTION Worker dies after being electrocuted (a worker, 20, died after reportedly being electrocuted by a cable from a park lamp, where the victim was welding a gate – he was taken to a Hospital, but died on the way – the park lamp pole did not have a lamp, but the cable was cut open and touched the victim)
UPDATE on FATAL DUST EXPLOSION Imperial Sugar settles property claim in 2008 explosion (company says it has settled a property insurance claim in the February 2008 explosion at its refinery for a total of $345 million – the sugar producer still faces directors and officers litigation related to the explosion that killed 14 people and injured 36 others, its 2009 annual report shows – a lawsuit filed in January 2009 against 12 current and former directors and officers, however, has been stayed pending an ongoing investigation by independent directors – company also faces 45 lawsuits filed by employees or their families and 28 third-party lawsuits related to the explosion that the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said was fueled by sugar dust – trials for two of 45 worker lawsuits have been set for May 2010 – in its annual report that it believes it has adequate workers compensation and liability insurance for the worker and third-party lawsuits after paying a $500,000 deductible – company’s work comp insurer notified the company that it anticipates charging it about $6.4 million due to “certain loss-based assessments the carrier expected to receive from the state of Georgia’s Subsequent Injury Trust Fund” )
UPDATE on HYDROELECTRIC PLANT EXPLOSION Report Lays Out Blame for Power Plant Explosion (an investigative report detailing the causes of an August explosion at Russia’s biggest hydroelectric plant cites systemic management and engineering problems as at fault for the incident that killed 75 workers – a turbine in the hydroelectric plant exploded due to an uncontrolled, excessive vibration and the lack of a mechanism that could have automatically shut the unit off – the report, which details the chain of events that lead to the proper safety precautions to be missing, revealed oversight failures on a number of levels at the plant – foremost, was the installation of new equipment that could raise an alarm in case of an emergency, but was unable to make the turbine stop – a move that the plant’s management had disagreed upon with the head engineering contractor – report also blamed the incompetence of the council of directors, who apparently lacked the appropriate education for their positions – investigation found that on the day of the explosion, a worker had informed his supervisor that one of the turbines was working incorrectly – plant’s management had already been aware that the turbine in question was 29 years old and only had two months of guaranteed operational ability left – report calls for the management of the power plant, its general director, the head engineer, and a list of others to be dismissed from their posts and brought to responsibility for the accident)
REFINERY FIRE Fire reported at Billings fuel refinery (fire crews responded to a blaze at the refinery – fire crews were joined by the local Fire Department – an alarm at the site blamed the fire on a coker unit, part of the refining process – the fire had collapsed a fuel tank and was burning down the side of the structure – the tank is between the refinery and Interstate 90 – the plant had not been evacuated – police had sealed off surrounding streets)
REFINERY FIRE Citgo Corpus Christi Shuts Unit After Fire (a refinery experienced a brief fire at the platformer reactor that resulted in no injuries)
HOT OIL & ASPHALT 3 hurt in plant accident (a New Year’s Day accident at the plant left three injured – all three were taken to a Hospital, two by ambulance, one via helicopter – emergency personnel could not pinpoint the cause of the accident, but hot oil and asphalt apparently burned the three victims – the extent of their injuries was uncertain)
FATAL EXPLOSION Explosion at China Fireworks Factory Kills 9, Xinhua Reports (an explosion at a fireworks factory killed nine people and injured eight others – the blast occurred at the factory at about 3:50 p.m. – police are seeking plant managers who fled after the accident)
ELECTRICAL EXPLOSION Explosion Reported at Tennessee Power Plant (a failing 4,160-volt circuit breaker caused an electrical arc that started a fire at a coal-burning power plant at around 2 p.m. – it was extinguished before 5 p.m., and no serious injuries were reported – two employees were treated for minor smoke inhalation)
3 hurt in plant explosion (3 people were hospitalized after an explosion at a manufacturing plant – a firefighter suffered the most severe injuries. He was flown to a hospital where he is in critical condition – no other details)
UPDATE on Cement Plant Explosion Explosion at cement plant accidental (the explosion at the cement plant that rocked the midcoast area last week was accidental in origin – the cause was actually a smoke explosion – the explosion occurred about noon Dec. 23 as a four-person demolition crew was working to dismantle a large, empty tank located on the western end of the cement plant – while cutting material away from the outside of the steel storage tank, sparks ignited a big debris pile on the ground – the hot gases and smoke, while that debris pile was burning, went inside the tank – the demolition workers climbed down from the tank and were trying to put out the fire in the debris pile, which was made of normal construction materials including wood, foam and fiberglass insulation – when the particulate, or smoke, matter inside the tank was sufficiently heated, it combined with oxygen with explosive results)
AMMONIA LEAK @ FOOD PLANT Gas leak in Ratchaburi factory (ammonia gas leaking from a fruit processing factory caused panic among nearby residents and sent two girls to hospital with breathing problems – the two seven-year-olds were rushed to a Hospital after the accident occurred at the foods plant at 3.45am. – nearby residents fled their homes after smelling the ammonia – fire engines were deployed to spray water in a bid to disperse the leaked gas more quickly, and the situation was under control hours later – the two girls were sent home later in the day – the accident could have been prompted by the factory’s machinery being overused following an increase in customer orders due to the New Year festival)
UPDATE on FATAL AMMONIA LEAK that killed a civilian driving by the plant SC finds serious violations in ammonia leak (a chemical company committed seven serious violations and was fined more than $23,000 after a ruptured hose caused an ammonia leak that killed a passing motorist in July – the plant didn’t have proper safety valves in place that could have lessened the severity of the leak, didn’t have an alarm system to warn others of the leak and used an improper hose to transfer the liquid anhydrous ammonia from a truck to a storage tank – about 1,800 gallons of the hazardous chemical typically used in cleaning products spewed from a fist-sized hole in the hose on July 15 i t was about a quarter of the 7,500 gallons being transferred – NTSB said it continues to investigate the incident to determine why the hose burst – the liquid quickly evaporated into a dangerous cloud, which drifted away from the plant – the cloud turned bushes and grass black before floating over U.S. 321, killing 38-year-old civilian as she drove to work – more than a dozen people were injured, including two plant workers, who OSHA said didn’t have proper safety training and should have been wearing special breathing apparatus when they responded to the accident)
UPDATE on MINE FATALITY PotashCorp, supervisor charged in death of worker (company was handed five charges, all alleging failure to provide safety and supervision, under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act in connection with a death in September 2008 – a mine supervisor, was also charged under the act with “failure to take reasonable care to protect the health and safety of a worker who may be affected by his acts or omissions” – the government investigation into what happened, released two months after the incident, said a lack of training, a failure to mark hazards and having no seatbelt in the vehicle worker, 60, was riding in played a role in causing the death – his jeep went over the edge of a ramp as he was trying to negotiate a corner on his way to an assigned job – the jeep fell about two metres to the ground and he was pinned underneath – during the shift before he died, two workers almost suffered the same fate at the same location – one wheel of their vehicle hung over the ledge before they were able to reverse up the ramp to safety – the workers didn’t report the ledge was a hazard, which should have been marked – each charge carries a maximum penalty of $300,000 paid to the provincial government and two years in jail)
FATAL FALL Worker dies clearing roof from snow (a 35-year-old man died clearing a roof from snow – the rail worker plunged through a roof at the city’s freight station after it apparently gave way under his weight)
Oregon Steel Mills worker succumbs to injuries (a 40-year-old man who was extricated from under a stack of steel plates at a plant died from his injuries – he was working in the plant’s plate heat treat complex about 6 p.m. when he was crushed by a stack of steel about five feet thick and pinned to a rolling crane – firefighters responded to the scene within ten minutes of the accident, using airbags to remove some of the plates while performing life support at the foundry – flew the man to a hospital in critical condition, but the efforts of emergency personnel were not enough – he died of “traumatic crush asphyxia”)
EXPLOSION FATALITY Fatal blast at Ind. steel plant under review (worker died from head injuries suffered in an explosion – four other workers were injured when they became caught in a blast of superheated steam after water met with molten steel in a plant furnace – he was at the end of his 12-hour shift that day)
EXPLOSION FATALITIES PetroChina to Restart Plant After Deadly Explosion (tanks containing liquefied petroleum gas caught fire and exploded at the plant around 5:30 p.m. – initial investigations show a gas leak may have caused the explosion – explosion has killed five workers in the second major incident involving the company within nine days – five bodies have been recovered from the scene – one is still missing after the blast – the explosion and fire at the plant were seen as far away as 20 kilometres (12 miles) – one worker was seriously hurt while five others have minor injuries – the plant where the explosion occurred makes synthetic rubber – the explosion has caused some air pollution in the district and local residents have been advised to wear masks when they are outdoors)
FALL Union Pacific worker injured near Gaviota (an employee, 52, was injured when the hillside gave way beneath him – he fell 100 feet to the beach – he suffered moderate injuries but was able to walk to a State Beach, where he was treated and transported to a local hospital – the man and his coworkers were backing away from an oncoming Amtrak train when the accident happened)
FATAL EXPLOSION One killed in natural gas explosion (a worker, 27, was killed during a natural gas explosion at an Air Force Base – he had worked for the gas company for two years – the accident happened about 5:30 p.m. at the company’s facility, located on the southeast side of the base property – he was at the site performing equipment maintenance, but the company will have to investigate the exact cause of the blast)
HOTWORK New Details on Mill Accident (worker, 63, is suffering from severe second and third degree burns on his arms, chest, neck and face – he is a contract worker – a witness says that the worker was cutting a metal pipe with a saw that produces a large amount of sparks – one of the sparks caught his shirt on fire – a chemical extinguisher was used to put the fire out – he was treated there and then transported by air to another facility)
FORKLIFT FATALITY Forklift operator dies in Battle Creek accident (a worker has been crushed and killed by a forklift he was operating – he was knocked from the forklift about 10:45 a.m. or was trying to avoid falling plastic containers when his leg became caught – he was dragged by the machine into other containers and pronounced dead at the scene – he was in his 50s and was a 25-year employee of the company)
MINE FATALITY Petra suspends work at Koffiefontein mine after worker dies in accident (the death of a worker at a mine – the accident was equipment related and did not occur due to mining operations)
LOTO or GUARDING Worker Injured In Accident At Waco Plant (a worker whose hand got stuck in a plastic injection machine at a plant that produces plastic flowerpots was taken to a local hospital around 3 p.m. – other details were not immediately available)
MINE FATALITY Worker killed in accident at Signal Peak mine (a worker, 57, was killed in an accident at the mine in a shop – the death comes less than a week after the Mine Health and Safety Administration cited the mine for not immediately reporting a Dec. 23 accident that left one miner with broken ribs)
MINE FATALITY 12 people killed in China mine fire (a fire in a China coal mine trapped and killed 12 workers – a short circuit in an underground cable caused the fire)
21 dead in China gas leak, execs admit cover-up: state media (the death toll from a gas leak at a steel plant has risen to 21, after executives admitted they had covered up the true scale of the accident – when the gas leak occurred, officials initially said that only seven workers were killed – but company executives confessed that they had covered up the death toll during questioning by a joint investigative group made up of police and work safety officials – the deputy manager of the plant was subsequently arrested and two other factory officials placed under house arrest for the alleged cover-up – the gas leak occurred as workers were assembling a furnace)
LOTO or GUARDING Machine operator loses left leg in plant accident (an employee, 21, lost his left leg when he slipped into a machine at a toilet paper manufacturing plant – after spending 90 minutes trapped in the machine, the operator was freed after fire officials responded and were able to cut the machine with the ‘jaws of life’ shortly after 1pm. – he lost his left leg from the hip)
ELECTROCUTION Worker electrocuted at Pretium plant (worker died of an electrocution at a bottle molder – he was an outside contractor working on an air compressor – he touched a live connection inside a control panel – he was treated at the scene, but pronounced dead at a Hospital)
LOTO or GUARDING Meat factory worker is minced up for a SECOND time – at company that sliced … (a factory worker faced his 4th operation in a week, on his birthday, as surgeons fought to save his crushed arm after it was “eaten” by a meat factory machine – firemen had to spend 20 minutes cutting him free, after his arm became mangled in a meat tenderising machine for a total of 40 minutes)
CONFINED SPACE FATALITY Four workers died while cleaning sewer, employer negligence suspected (worker died with three of his friends, all in their twenties, reportedly from asphyxiation while removing garbage from the tunnel, after being pushed by a strong current and running out of oxygen – the workers had been hired by the Public Works Agency – one had worked for the Public Works Agency as a daily worker for around one year – police suspected the deaths of the four men was a result of negligence – detectives found that none of the workers had been given safety clothing or equipment before entering the sewers – they only had a flashlight, and on the day of their deaths it had been raining, causing the water levels to rise up to their waists – incident occurred because of a sudden increase in water levels)
LOTO FATALITY Technician Killed During Maintenance Work (a technician, 34, was killed while carrying out maintenance work on an air-conditioning unit at a cement factory – he was believed to have been struck by the unit’s blades, causing him to fall from a ladder about 2.30pm. – he sustained injuries on the head, hands and ears, died on the way to a clinic – the victim and five other technicians were carrying out maintenance works on air-conditioning units when the mishap occured – he had been employed at the factory for six years)
EXPLOSION @ GAS PLANT Worker hospitalized overnight after explosion at oil field facility in … (authorities are investigating the cause of an explosion at a natural gas processing facility – the blast occurred about 8 p.m. – the lone male worker at the site was kept overnight at a Crosby hospital as a precaution and released – a damage estimate is not yet available)
MINING & SULFURIC ACID Globe Miner Falls into Sulfuric Acid (a mining accident nearly took the life of a worker – he fell into some sulfuric acid while working – he was hit in the chest by a 500-pound pipe, and fell backwards into a tank of sulfuric acid used to clean metals – he was airlifted to a Medical Center, and while being transported, the flight crew complained of burns to their hands – about 20 firefighters set up a hazardous materials unit at the hospital when the medical helicopter landed – the victim remains in critical condition)
BOILER & CO Boiler malfunction caused workers to fall ill at Kentwood plant, fire chief says (eight people fell ill in a span of seven hours when a boiler malfunction emitted high levels of carbon monoxide at an industrial plant – workers in the mechanical room reported headaches, nausea, and breathing problems and at least six were briefly hospitalized for evaluation – the plant was not evacuated and there was no public safety risk – plant maintenance workers vented the mechanical room and were calling technicians to determine the boiler failure)
HOTWORK Fire hits steering wheel production at Autoliv (automotive safety systems supplier says it will rebuild a steering wheel manufacturing plant that was destroyed by fire during the Christmas holiday break – the fire is believed to have been started by welding work that was being carried out during the shutdown – much of the production equipment at the site was destroyed in the fire but employees extracted around 100 moulds)
EXPLOSION Explosion at manufacturing plant in Summerville (several propane tanks have exploded at a plant – firefighters are currently on the scene – one person has been injured – no other details at this time)
REFINERY FIRE No injuries in NL fire (there were no injuries after a fire at the refinery at 6:30 p.m. – an onsite crew put it out – the unit where the fire broke out was safely shut down – the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage is not yet known)
REFINERY FIRE Fire crew douses small fire at Chevron refinery (a plume of smoke at a refinery was traced to a fire on the seal of an above-ground tank – a refinery fire crew responded about 1:30 p.m. to the tank that holds sour, processed water in the center of the site – the seal encircling the tank’s floating roof is designed to prevent vapors from escaping – crews were applying a water/foam mixture to the seal to extinguish the fire)
EXPLOSION Yokohama plant blasts injured 10 (the number of people injured in explosions at a chemical plant rose to 10 – the explosions occurred at around 5:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the plant – eight people were reported injured but two more informed authorities that they had sustained cuts to the head due to flying debris – none of the injuries was serious – the blasts injured eight workers at the plant, an employee at a nearby factory and a motorist driving near the accident site – a fire triggered by the blasts damaged eight buildings at the plant, including one that was burned down – the explosions occurred at a high-pressure furnace where hydrogen gas was being applied to organic compounds to make material used in liquid crystal televisions)
FIRE Fire damages Lebanon sausage plant (firefighters battled a blaze at a sausage plant – fire appears to have started with a motor compressor in the refrigeration and freezer unit – at one point, they had the fire knocked out – but then they had an explosion in there which immediately engulfed the attic)
UPDATE Bayer cited for MIC tank violations (plant has not properly maintained or tested the underground storage tank where it keeps roughly 200,000 pounds of methyl isocyanate, the deadly chemical that killed thousands of people in Bhopal, India, in 1984, state inspectors have alleged – DEP inspectors issued four citations for alleged mismanagement of the MIC tank – inspectors discovered the problem during a June 2009 inspection, and formal violation notices were issued in late September – no fines have been issued, and DEP officials said last week they don’t know if the plant has fixed the problems)
FATAL STEAM EXPLOSION Two die after factory explosion (an explosion in an automotive rubber firm has claimed two lives, two people suffered severe injuries and another 13 people light injuries – a 33-year-old woman died on the spot and another man died in a hospital – another two men were taken to hospital with severe injuries – the condition of one of them is critical – compressed technological steam tanks exploded in a shelter outside the building – the pressure wave threw a lorry standing outside the building against the adjacent production hall)
AMMONIA Anhydrous tank repaired (report of a gas leak near the elevator led to a tank repair – a woman had become nauseous while driving through what she thought was a white cloud, and contacted authorities – it was later found that an anhydrous hose had ruptured, causing anhydrous ammonia to expel – the valve was quickly closed, resolving the problem – victim did not require medical attention)
AMMONIA Hazmat Team Contains Ammonia Leak At Deli Meat Plant (firefighters responded to an ammonia leak at the top of a plant and employees from the plant and the nearby facility were evacuated as a precaution – team sealed the leak by 6:08 p.m. – no one was hurt – plant is a deli meat supplier)
MINE FATALITY 3 mine workers die in Narwar (three miners were killed and one injured in a mine accident – two mine accidents happened in a single day – in the first accident three miners were killed when the roof of a mine caved in – in another mine accident it is feared 7/8 mine workers were killed in a mine accident – three dead bodies were retrieved while 4/5 workers were still inside – this accident happened at a depth of 3600 feet – one mine worker received minor injuries)
UPDATE on LOTO AMPUTATION OAKDALE: Former Hershey worker gets settlement for severed arm (a 35-year-old woman whose arm was severed as she cleaned a chocolate factory machine will get $100,000 in exchange for criminal charges being dropped against the company – company faced two charges alleging they did not secure safety checks on the machine that injured the worker – in addition to the payment to the worker, company must pay $125,000 in fines to the County district attorney’s office and $88,000 to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA – company did not admit fault as part of the court settlement, but admitted one willful violation and one serious violation to Cal/OSHA – worker also received a $300,000 lump sum as well as $5,000 a month in worker’s compensation for an unspecified amount of time – on March 24, 2007, she was cleaning the inside of a “conomill,” a batter-sifting machine when a rotating paddle in the machine caught her left arm and amputated it at the shoulder – a report by the CALOSHA found that employees weren’t properly trained in how to lock a machine so that it couldn’t begin operating while being cleaned or repaired – OSHA’s report also found a broken switch that was supposed to stop the machine from operating in such a situation)
HYDROGEN SULFIDE FATALITY One Dead, Another Injured After Chemical Leak at NE Texas Gas Plant (one person has been killed and three others have been taken to the hospital after an accident at an oil field job site just after 9:00 a.m. – workers were cleaning a tank when they opened a vent causing them to be exposed to Hydrogen Sulfide – one person, 65, was killed by the fumes – another worker was unconscious when he was taken, but is now listed in stable condition – two others were taken to the hospital – both of them are in stable condition)
RAILCAR FATALITY Railway worker killed at Ford plant (a 42-year-old railway worker, crushed between two boxcars at a Plant died at the hospital hours later – he died just after midnight after he was transferred following emergency surgery – the accident happened just after 5 p. m. in a body shop at the plant where a railway line runs through the property – he worked as a brakeman – he was pinned between two boxcars while coupling a stationary boxcar to a moving boxcar that was coupled to a locomotive – the boxcars are used to bring material in and out of the plant – he had been a full-time employee since 1990)
MINE DOZER ACCIDENT – SEATBELTS SAVE LIVES!!! Dozer tumbles at northeast Wyoming mine accident a 39-year-old worker escaped serious injury when her bulldozer tumbled about 55 feet down an embankment at the mine – she was operating a rubber tire dozer on the edge of a coal bench about 9:30 p.m. when she backed over the edge – the dozer landed on its back end, and then flipped over, coming to rest on its top – she was wearing her seat belt, but she had to be extricated from the machine – she was taken to a Hospital where she was examined and released)
CRANE FATALITY Worker killed at Erie locomotive plant (a crane operator, 46, at a locomotive plant is dead after being crushed by a part he was moving – he was pronounced dead at the plant – he was killed when a part that weighs several tons tipped over after he set it down with a remote-controlled crane – he was an experienced crane operator)
UPDATE on FATAL FALL into a vat Chocolate factory fined for fatal fall into vat | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01 … (federal safety officials fined a chocolate plant $39,000 for safety violations following the death of a factory worker who fell into a vat of chocolate last summer – cited for failing to install railings above the tanks or post signs warning workers of potential hazards – on the morning of July 8, a temporary worker who had started at the plant two weeks earlier, was loading raw cocoa into an eight-foot mixing and melting tank when he fell into the liquid chocolate and was struck on the head by a rotating paddle – after the accident, business was temporarily closed and eventually fined $1,152 by the City of Camden when inspectors discovered the plant had been operating without a mercantile license)
UPDATE ON LOTO AMPUTATION Plastics firm fined after Liverpool worker loses four fingers (a plastics-recycling company has been fined £2,500 after a worker, 22, had four fingers cut off by a guillotine on 26 May 2008 – he had been trying to remove a jam in the guillotine when his fingers became trapped – doctors were able to reattach two of his four fingers and he now has very limited movement in his right hand – “The company should have had a guard on the guillotine to prevent workers from reaching the blade. An automatic mechanism should also have been in place so that the power was cut if the guard was opened”)
MINE FATALITY Miami man dies after Freeport accident (a contractor, 20, died after an accident at copper mine – he was struck by a piece of 24-inch HDPE pipe at 9:17 a.m. – workers were attempting to move a 50-foot long section of pipe that shifted suddenly and struck him – he was then transported to a Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries)
FORKLIFT FATALITY Roller machine kills driver (worker, 20, a roller machine driver, sustained serious head injuries and died when he jumped off from the machine suspected to have developed faulty breaks – the roller veered off the road and run into a parked taxi cab, pushing the cab into a drain – the witness said the deceased sensing danger, tried to jump from the moving machine but was trapped by a steam belt, sustaining head injuries whilst the machine rolled over his left hand)
MINE FATALITIES 12 Dead in Chinese Coal Mine Fire (twelve workers are dead after a fire broke out at a coalmine – investigations into the accident point to a short circuit of underground cables – 14 miners were working underground when the fire started – only two of the workers managed to escape – a wooden supporting structure in the mine caught fire causing harmful gases and a tunnel collapse)
AMMONIA LEAK Ammonia leak at Waikato Fonterra plant (emergency services have contained an ammonia leak at a plant – the leak occurred after 10,000 litres of caustic soda mixed with 1400 litres of ammonia at the plant while a chemical supplier was unloading chemicals at the plant – a chemical gas cloud was lingering over the plant, but dissipated thanks to a southerly breeze – around 25 people had to be evacuated – one firefighter was in hospital following the incident, but has now been discharged)
AMMONIA LEAK Ammonia leak contained in Walterboro (a small ammonia leak was reported around 12:20 p.m. – hazmat crews have been able to contain the leak to a small area within the parking lot of the business – the leak began when employees were doing maintenance on a tank which contained anhydrous ammonia – no one was injured and there was no evacuation or road closing to nearby residents or motorists)
GAS PLATFORM FATALITY Worker dies in fire on Apache Corp. offshore platform (an early morning fire aboard an offshore oil and gas platforms has left one contract worker dead and halted production on the facility – all three workers on the platform were evacuated, but one worker, 34, died at a hospital – medical personnel still were assessing the conditions of the other two – the cause of the fire is still unknown)
UPDATE on FATALITY DUE TO MISLABELED ONE TON CYLINDER Company pleads guilty in Baton Rouge worker death (a company has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to charges that a mislabeled a container led to the death of a man at a Plant – company was accused of labeling a one-ton cylinder as containing a relatively benign refrigerant – when the cylinder was opened by a worker at the plant, approximately 1800 pounds of spent antimony pentachloride, which is a highly toxic and corrosive hazardous material, was violently released from the cylinder – worker was hit by the material and died the next day – company faces probation of up to five years and a fine either $500,000, twice the gross gain from the offense or twice the gross loss, whichever is greater – in addition, the company may be ordered to pay restitution to the victim – the company where the accident occured pled guilty in 2008 for its role in the incident and fined $8 million, ordered to pay restitution of $2 million to the worker’s three children, community restitution of $750,000 to the Department of Environmental Quality, $750,000 to the State Police Hazardous Materials Unit and $500,000 to the Emergency Operations Center)
Blasts in weapons plant injure worker (two explosions occurred in the military section of the weapons production company – one worker has been seriously injured – the first explosion happened at about 8:30 a.m. in the pyrotechnics section of the factory, but that no one was injured – the second blast came an hour later in the same section of the plant, where caps for rocket propelled grenades are manufactured – one 29 year-old woman employed at the factory was hurt in the second blast, suffering serious injuries to her arm)
AMMONIA LEAK 200 workers flee Sara Lee bakery gas leak (two people were taken to hospital after a gas leak at the bakery – at 11.30pm about 200 staff were evacuated from the building after the leak was detected coming from a flange on an ammonia gas system – they also evacuated everyone who was within 200 metres of the area because ammonia is flammable)
BUCKET TRUCK BOOM COLLAPSES Electrical worker killed in Broomfield accident (an electrical worked was killed when the boom lift he was working in gave way shortly after 10:00 a.m. – two employees were putting up an electrical line, which was not live, when something caused the bucket on the truck to give way – one man was thrown from the bucket and fell onto the truck, sustaining fatal injuries – the other worker was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries)
LINE/PROCESS BREAK Refinery worker scalded by hot water from drum (a refinery worker, 41, was burned over much of his body when hot water gushed out of a coke drum – he suffered burns over about 70 percent of his body – the refinery’s fire brigade responded to the 7:40 a.m. accident, and an ambulance took the worker in serious condition to a Medical Center’s burn unit – his condition was later upgraded to good – he is a coker operator who had worked at the refinery for about two years – a preliminary investigation indicates that he was “deheading” the bottom of a coke drum, in which residual fuel is “cracked” or further refined into other petroleum products – he reportedly was wearing the required safety equipment while trying to finish draining any remaining condensates in the drum – they noticed that it stopped flowing, so they felt it was all drained out – as workers unbolted and broke the seal on the bottom head, “a large gush of hot water came out and struck him”)
MINE Four trapped in N China colliery flooding (four miners were still trapped in a flooded coal mine – the accident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. in a coal pit when six miners were working underground – two managed to escape – more than 60 rescue workers have been pumping out the water and trying to reach the trapped workers – investigation into the cause of the flooding was under way)
ELECTRICAL VAULT EXPLOSION Underground explosion injures 2 HECO workers (two employees were injured by an underground explosion that shook the ground and knocked out power to downtown – the workers were preparing to replace a transformer in an underground vault when the explosion happened at 10:18 a.m. – the vault is about 6 to 8 feet deep – the explosion was followed by a small fire, which was put out by two other employees who were standing above the vault – bystanders pulled the injured men out of the vault before firefighters arrived – paramedics took one man, in his 40s, to a Medical Center in serious condition)
FATAL FALL at REFINERY Fatal Fall Investigated At NCRA Refinery (federal and private officials are investigating a fatal accident at a refinery – a man working on a scaffold fell nearly 30-feet to his death – the refinery, along with a private scaffolding firm and the federal government, are looking into details of the accident – officials have not released the man’s name, or other details of the accident, until their probe is complete)
EXPLOSIONS @ REFINERY Blasts hit Croatian refinery, no casualties (two blasts hit the oil refinery and according to first reports there were no casualties – there is a fire under control on the facility that is used for producing oil derivatives – it is still too early to give an assessment of the damage – causes of the blasts were not immediately clear)
SPRINKLER SYSTEM SAVES MORE JOBS Sprinkler System Contains Tyson Plant Fire (a fire alarm triggered a quick response to the foods plant, where firefighters battled heavy smoke and flames – the fire started in the company’s laundry room – as part of their investigation, officials will be looking at two large gas dryers that are inside that room – the only employees on duty were maintenance workers who managed to escape from the building without injury – the fire was contained quickly thanks to the company’s sprinkler system – the fire damaged about 1,200 square feet of space)
Firefighters called to Mitsubuishi Polycrystalline plant when chemical reactor … (firefighters stood by as employees of the Polycrystalline plant tried to cool down a reactor that heated up during a power outage – the power went out at the plant about 8 p.m. – during the outage a reactor containing chemicals heated up, and firefighters were called to the area in case plant workers couldn’t cool it back down – about 9 p.m., after the power came back on, the reactor cooled down)
Disaster avoided at a local ethanol plant (fire crews responded to a hot spot from a piece of corn germ – the hot spot started when a corn germ, or kernel, ignited in the preparation room – stoppage in one of the vertical conditioners exacerbated the problem – a portion of the plant had to be temporarily shut down, but will start back up in the morning – crews have to wash out all of the equipment first)
OFFSHORE Crewman died amid safety failures (an offshore worker died on board a diving support vessel after the most basic safety principles were ignored – crewman, 44, was crushed between equipment on the Well Servicer – he was airlifted to an Infirmary following the accident but was pronounced dead)
LOGGING Worker trapped under log dies (a man, 34, is dead after a logging accident – the forestry worker was injured after being struck by a falling tree – it was not clear whether the man was felling the tree – the man’s colleagues in the area responded quickly and coordinated emergency services to the site, but were unable to save the man and he died at the scene)
REFINERY DOCK TOWBOAT & BARGE Waterloo man dies in barge accident (a refinery barge worker, 25, drown in the Ohio River – he was working to untie a barge from a tow boat when the accident happened – he was on a tow boat and it was basically untying it from the barge – one (line) was overlooked – as the tow boat pulled away, this gentleman noticed there was still one line and ran up to it – the boat jerked and threw him overboard)
MINE FATALITY Newmont Worker Died in Mining Accident (a mining worker died in an accident in a copper and gold mine complex – worker, 41, a buldozer operator who had worked for 11 years for the mining company was buried under the collapsing materials – he was recovered from the collapsed materials but pronounced dead at 2:55 pm local time)
ELECTRICAL 3 injured at Santee Cooper substation three electric workers were injured when they fell into a transformer at a substation – the workers were at the substation around 9:30 a.m. – the workers suffered mostly scrapes and head injuries after being overcome by fumes – medical helicopters transported two of the victims to area hospitals, while the third was transported by ambulance – two of the workers have been released from the hospital, with the third expected to be released by Thursday – all three are expected to make a full recovery – the crew was working around a new transformer, and said the company is trying to establish specifics before releasing more information)
CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – CARBON MONOXIDE Six killed in gas poisoning accident in northern China (the accident occurred when workers began work without checking whether the inside of the furnace was free of carbon monoxide)
EXPLOSION Guntown plant explosion cause investigated (fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of an explosion that injured three workers at a rope company – the accident happened around 2:26 p.m. – one person was airlifted to a Medical Center and the other two were transported by ambulance – one person suffered a ruptured ear drum, but the other two suffered extensive injuries – the explosion was an apparent gas explosion)
OFF SHORE PLATFORM Oil workers evacuated from North Sea drilling rig (oil workers have been evacuated from a North Sea drilling rig after heavy seas battered an offshore supply boat against it for almost an hour – company evacuated staff as a precaution after the vessel crashed into it – the supply ship suffered engine problems in rough seas – both the rig and the ship escaped the incident with little damage)
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE FATALITY Investigation Underway of Company Chemical Involved in Worker’s Death (a man died after he was said to be exposed to a chemical from his workplace, a company that manufactures and markets phytonutrients, herbal extracts and other chemicals for nutritional, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries – a form of selenium is suspected in the victim’s death – his complete autopsy, blood and toxicology results will likely take five to six weeks)
REFINERY FIRE FATALITY Fire at Ghana oil refinery kills one worker (a fire outbreak has claimed one life, according to workers of the refinery – he had been rushed to hospital for burns – the cause of the fire, according to fire officers, was not yet known – the fire has been brought under control and the rest of the staff have been evacuated – the workers said the fire started at the loading area of the refinery – at least nine petrol tankers and a number of sheds have been burnt)
FALL from LADDER Worker hurt in fall (worker fell while working on a ladder atop scaffolding at the generating plant – he was lowered to the ground using a crane and taken to a Hospital with back injuries)
HOTWORK Investigators: Produce plant fire caused by accident (a demolition crew’s torch sparked the blaze that ripped through a small, unused warehouse at a prominent food processing plant about 5:30 p.m. – the uninsured building was set to be demolished, and crews cutting metal inside apparently ignited a flammable material inside – much of the building’s roof collapsed during the blaze, but no injuries were reported)
FIRE AT NUCLEAR PLANT On-site brigade extinguishes initial fire at nuclear plant (fire broke out in a non-emergency, non-safeguard diesel unit at the nuclear plant – the fire started at 1:17 p.m. during routine testing – the plant’s on-site fire brigade responded and extinguished the fire at 1:37 p.m. before the Fire Department arrived – at 2:55 p.m., the fire reflashed and again was extinguished – there were no injuries)
AMMONIA Ammonia leak contained in north Fort Worth (an ammonia leak at a cold-storage company has been contained – no one was hurt, but workers were evacuated from the cold plant – officials had earlier asked people who live north of that area to “shelter in place” – escaped ammonia had built up inside the building, and officials were concerned that some of it might get in the atmosphere as the HAZMAT crews entered the building – no word on cause or what leaked)
SPRINKLER SYSTEM SAVES ANOTHER ONE Fire at Dalton Plant (the Fire Department spent the afternoon fighting a fire at the Recycling Plant – everyone got out safely – the building’s sprinkler system was activated – the fire was contained in the southwest portion on the building, and firefighters credit the building’s functioning sprinkler system with keeping the fire contained until the fire department could arrive on scene to start suppression efforts – no word on damage estimates or cause of the blaze)
FATAL FALL @ refinery Worker dies at LyondellBasell refinery in Houston (a worker died at an oil refinery after an apparent fall – details of the accident, which occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m., were still being gathered – company spokesman said it did not happen in any operating areas of the plant, and that production at the the 268,000-barrel-per-day complex was never suspended, nor were there any chemical releases)
FORKLIFT FATALITY @ box plant Worker killed in accident at International Paper (a third-shift worker, 39, died in an accident shortly after midnight – he died at a Hospital from injuries he received in an accident at the plant – it appears he was trapped between two forklifts (and) had to be extricated – the report did not indicate how he became trapped – the plant assembles boxes and has about 150 employees – NOTE: some news reports are saying he got his leg caught under the forklift and died from those injuries)
MINE FATALITY Miner killed in mine collapse (a coal miner has been killed in an underground collapse at a mine – he was struck and killed by debris around 9:15 a.m. when a pillar supporting the mine roof gave way)
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE exposure @ ENRICHMENT PLANT Worker exposed to radioactive substance at German nuclear plant (a worker has been accidentally exposed to a radioactive substance, uranium hexafluoride, at a uranium enrichment plant – hospital doctors said there was no immediate evidence his health had been damaged – the man, 45, felt well – an air-filtration machine cleaned the contaminated air and none of it reached the outside world – Uranium hexafluoride forms a corrosive acid when it comes in contact with moisture in air and can be lethal from contact alone – company gave no details on how the substance escaped in the container preparation unit at the enrichment plant)
MINE FATALITY Worker dies after BHP accident (a contract worker, 28, died after he was found in a dam at a Colliery – he was found wearing his life jacket in the operation’s main pollution control dam around 11.15am – emergency personnel responded immediately and were able to resuscitate and transport him to a hospital – he passed away the following morning as a result of cerebral hypoxia [the deprivation of oxygen supply to the brain] – an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident)
YARD TRUCK accident at WAREHOUSE AWG worker hit by truck (an employee, 50, at a warehouse suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a “yard dog” tractor unit moving trailers in the warehouse parking lot – the incident occurred at 4:53 a.m. in the parking lot of the warehouse – the truck driver didn’t notice the worker had been hit, and kept moving until other workers got the driver’s attention – the injured worker was thrown into the truck’s wheels and dragged quite a distance – firefighters and police officers extricated the man, who was taken to a local hospital for surgery)
TRACKHOE FLIPS off RR FLATBED Gillies man dies in industrial accident (investigators are trying to figure out how an excavator machine fell off a flat-bed rail car and caused a contract worker, 52, to plunge 25 metres down a cliff to his death – the fatality occurred while rail crews were chipping loose material from a rock cut on a remote section of a main freight line – during the operation, the excavator fell off the car and went down a steep embankment, ending up half-submerged on the edge of Lake Superior – it wasn‘t clear how the machine came off the rail car)
EXPLOSION caused by HOTWORK on PROCESS Four people injured in explosion at industrial plant (four people were injured, two seriously, in an accident at an industrial plant – a small explosion occurred at 9:12 a.m. – it happened when workers were making welding repairs to an industrial process – two of the injured workers sustained lacerations and burns deemed to be serious – trauma teams were activated at a Hospital and Medical Center, where each of the injured workers were taken – from there, the two workers were flown by helicopter to larger hospitals – the two less seriously injured workers were being treated at local hospitals)
FATAL EXPLOSION 2 workers die in tank mishap (two men died after an industrial accident occurred at chemical processing facility – the two workers, believed to be in their 30s, suffered cuts and bruises and were bleeding from the ears when the Civil Defence Force arrived at 11.14 am – they were pronounced dead at 11.40 am – the workers were on top of a cylindrical tank – measuring six storeys high and 6m in diameter – when the tank’s roof was blown off – preliminary findings revealed that the workers were installing piping to various tanks when one exploded)
UPDATE on L-selenomethionine EXPOSURE FATALITY Worker not killed by substances at Payson plant, company says (a day after one of its workers died after exposure to a chemical at its plant, the company contends the substances the employee worked with were “all nutritional ingredients; none of which are toxic or dangerous” – state safety officials say they are investigating to determine whether the compound the worker, 30, said he was handling prior to falling ill is hazardous – he became sick on the job Tuesday morning with profuse vomiting, complaining of dizziness and a headache, he told medical personnel at a health clinic he had worked with “L-selenomethionine,” which is used as a source of the trace element selenium that is found in most multivitamins – he had been with the company for two years and worked in the plant’s Quality Assurance Department – he didn’t improve at the clinic and died en route to a Hospital that same afternoon – he had been working with the substance, also known as “LSM,” at the request of a company supervisor, who asked him to measure out a 10.5 gram sample – his job involved sampling and testing a variety of ingredients from suppliers, but he did not handle LSM on a daily basis)
FATAL EXPLOSION @ BOILER Worker dies in Poland explosion (one person was killed and three injured in an explosion at a thermo-electric plant – the explosion occurred in the boiler house to which coal is transported by conveyor – two buildings in the compound collapsed and a third was damaged by the explosion)
1,900 POUND RELEASE of METHYL CHLORIDE, PHOSGENE EXPOSURE, and SULFURIC ACID SPILL – ALL reorted within 2 days
DuPont to close plant for safety checks (plant plans to temporarily shut down most manufacturing processes at its chemical plant for a safety check following a series of leaks, including one that went undetected by plant officials for nearly a week – officials disclosed that a leak of an estimated 1,900 pounds of the toxic and extremely flammable chemical methyl chloride had gone undetected for up to five days – then on Saturday morning, the company reported a leak of less than 20 pounds of sulfuric acid – and later Saturday, a plant worker was taken to an area hospital after being sprayed by phosgene – JUST
IN As ‘safety check’ begins, DuPont reports 4th incident (small electrical fire on a pump tank” containing oleum) And we thought our weekend was crazy!!!!!
EXPLOSION @ REFINERY Explosion not affects refinery plant: Pertamina (there was an explosion at a refinery – the explosion was a result of a flash occurring in a lubricant oil cooler unit, which was far from the oil refinery facility – two employees had been admitted to hospital following the explosion – they were conscious but in a state of shock)
SPRINKLERS SAVE 100 more jobs!!! Fire damages Sampson County industrial plant (firefighters from at least five different departments rushed to an industrial plant fire just after 2 a.m. – the family-owned company makes metal strapping – the fire was sparked in the part of the plant where the strapping is painted – fire was contained to that part of the plant – flames set off sprinklers, which caused some water damage throughout the building)
EXPLOSION and FIRE 4 injured in Leadville building explosion and fire (four people were injured when an industrial building caught fire after an explosion – one person’s injuries were reported to be critical – the fire started at 3:15 p.m. at a former bottling plant – the building was converted to house several businesses, including an automotive-repair shop, a masonry and a woodworking business – all four victims were in the building at the time of the first explosion – three victims were treated for smoke inhalation and one victim, who suffered burns, was transported by ambulance to a hospital)
AMMONIA LEAK Portland Residents Being Evacuated After Ammonia Leak (fire officials are evacuating some residents at this hour after an explosion and ammonia leak at a local storage company – a small explosion was followed by a leak of ammonia gas – no injuries have been reported, but fire officials say residents living near the company are being evacuated as a safety precaution until the leak can be contained and the building properly ventilated)
AMMONIA LEAK Chemical leak at Mars (emergency services were at the plant for more than three hours after a chemical leak – two firefighters in gas tight suits switched of a valve group and shortly concluded it was a leak of ammonia – the factory was evacuated and workers were able to return to the premises around 1.30pm.)
FATAL EXPLOSION @ BOILER Woman killed in explosion in boiler house at fish cannery in Sevastopol (an explosion of air-steam mixture in a boiler house at a fish cannery has killed a woman – at around 1300, mixture of air and steam exploded at the boiler house on the territory of a fish cannery – the explosion killed a 54 year old woman, an operator at the boiler house)
DUST EXPLOSION Explosion occurs in silo at CraftMaster (about 75 firefighters from four departments responded to the plant following an explosion at around 6:30 p.m. in a storage silo at the facility – the explosion occurred inside a silo used to store wood fiber – plant manager said the dust inside the silo reached ignition point, causing the explosion – the plant’s internal fire fighting system was able to contain the combustion, and the plant’s operation was not interrupted during the incident – no one was injured during the fire)
WORKZONE FATALITY – SANITATION Sanitation Worker Is Killed in Queens (a tractor-trailer struck the rear of a sanitation truck, killing a sanitation worker – the accident occurred around 7:45 a.m. when a 1991 Mack truck tried to make a right turn, striking the sanitation truck – the sanitation worker, 41, was taken to a Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 8:15 a.m. – worker was standing at the rear of his garbage truck at the time of the collision – he was an 11-year veteran sanitation man, leaves behind a wife and two children)
FATAL FALL from GRAIN SILO Pilgrim Pride worker dies after fall from grain silo (an employee at a feed mill was killed when he fell about 160 feet from the top of a grain silo – the accident was reported at 1:15 p.m. and the man was pronounced dead at the scene about 45 minutes later)
MOLTEN METAL SPLASH 2 burned at North factory (two factory workers were burned when they were splashed with molten metal from a crucible – one worker was taken a Hospital and the other was taken to a different Hospital after the 1:15 p.m. accident – the injuries were not life-threatening – the exact cause of the accident remains under investigation – the workers were injured while performing a routine procedure and that nothing similar has ever happened at the company – plant manufactures a broad range of devices, including truck and car switches, light switches, small appliances and heating, air and ventilation equipment)
FATAL EXPLOSION Man killed in bio-gas explosion (a worker was killed and two colleagues critically injured when a bio-gas tank at a palm oil refinery exploded – three were employees were sent to the refinery to conduct maintenance works – the 11.30am explosion killed the man instantly – the other two suffered between 30 and 90 per cent burns – the explosion was so powerful that it flung all three men some 10m into the air – one landed on a fence nearby and died instantly – one fell heavily on the ground – one landed inside the tank and refinery workers pulled him out shortly after – no word on cause)
GUARDING – HOT LIQUID IN VAT NTN worker seriously burned in accident (an employee at the plant suffered serious burns after his leg entered a vat of hot organic soap – the employee was cleaning a machine at the plant when his leg entered the elevated vat – the soap contained in the vat measured temperatures between 180 and 185 degrees – most of the employee’s right leg was burned – the employee was flown out to a hospital)
FATAL EXPLOSION – FIREWORKS 3 dead in N. China firework blast (three workers were confirmed dead and three more feared dead after an explosion in a firework factory – the accident happened at around 9:58 am at the firework factory when 25 were working at the scene – eleven escaped without injures – the eight injured, including one in critical condition, have been sent to local hospital)
FATAL EXPLOSION Two dead in Beijing chemical plant explosion (two workers were killed in an explosion at a chemical plant – the blast happened around midnight at a workshop – two walls of the factory compound had collapsed, and windows were broken in buildings at least 20 meters from the site)
UPDATE on PHOSGENE ACCIDENT now a FATALITY W.Va. DuPont Worker Dies After Phosgene Exposure (a 32-year employee, 58, who worked as an operator at the plant, died late Sunday night after being exposed to phosgene at the plant on Saturday – he was an integral part of the Belle plant’s Site Emergency Response team for much of his career – ambulance had transported him to a Medical Center’s after he was exposed to phosgene from a leaking transfer hose – a knowledgeable source said that his first exams “came back perfectly clean” and doctors were thinking about dismissing him – no one knew the extent of his exposure and it was decided that he should remain under observation – some hours later, they started to see some symptoms – he had been transported to the hospital in early afternoon on Saturday and died late Sunday)
FATAL FALL from LADDER on SCAFFOLDING Bridge worker dies in fall (a workman was killed after plunging 150ft fell from a ladder on to scaffolding and died at the scene shortly before 8:30pm)
CHEMICAL INJURY Chemical Injures Oscar Mayer Worker (a worker was taken to the hospital after a chemical splashed in his face at about 7 a.m. – the man’s injuries weren’t life-threatening – employees were evacuated from the area of the chemical spill – less than 5 gallons of an alkaline material called Quadexx 100 were spilled into a containment tank designed to catch chemical leaks or spills)
HAZWASTE EXPOSURE 2 workers exposed to chemicals at Raytheon plant (two workers at the Missile Systems plant have been treated and released from a hospital after an incident involving hazardous chemicals – a worker was handling chemical waste material just before noon when he saw smoke – company’s fire department and hazardous material team and the city Fire Department responded to the incident – two workers had “some level of exposure” and paramedics took them to a hospital for observation – the two workers are expected to return to work the next morning)
HYDRAULIC LIFT FATALITY – TIPPED Worker dies after fall at southeastern Neb. meat-processing plant (a worker, 49, at a meat-processing plant has died following a fall about 4 a.m. – he was mending a cooler when the hydraulic lift he was on toppled over – the company is still trying to determine what happened – he suffered internal injuries and died at the hospital)
LOADING DOCK Man Crushed in West Jordan Industrial Accident (a 28-year-old man was taken by helicopter to a Medical Center after he was crushed at the loading dock of a business around 6:30 a.m. – he was working alone at the loading dock when he became wedged between the loading dock and a truck – he was able to call out to a co-worker, who then called police – there was a language barrier that made it difficult to determine exactly what happened – the injured worker was listed in critical condition)
UPDATE on PHOSGENE FATALITY Investigators target maintenance at plant: Probe now centers on hose that … (a team of federal investigators is focusing on the maintenance procedures at a plant, the site of three recent chemical leaks, including a fatal incident – the agency’s probe into the incident that resulted in the death of a worker centers on a frayed, flexible, 18-inch-long, quarter-inch diameter hose made of stainless steel and Teflon that had been connected to a one-ton tank of phosgene – the investigative team has not yet determined the exact circumstances surrounding the worker’s exposure to phosgene – “We’ll look at the company’s maintenance program and DuPont’s flexible hose program, including its inspection and replacement process” – “There will be verification that the correct hose was in use. We’ll examine the hose to see if there were any defects and try to determine why it failed. We will develop a test protocol that OSHA, EPA and others will agree on – investigators haven’t yet determined if the worker was exposed to liquid phosgene or phosgene vapor and haven’t identified any eyewitnesses – “At the time of the incident we know an operator was in the area, conducting normal rounds” – investigators do know how much phosgene was in the one-ton tank at the time of the accident)
GAS WELL Questions remain in gas well accident (an accident at a natural gas well sent three people to the hospital – what occurred was a “forceful uplift in tubing” which launched sections of tubing from the well bore into the derrick – two employees of a contract company at the scene were transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment of non-critical injuries – they were later released after treatment – a third contractor, who also suffered non-critical injuries, was later taken the hospital for treatment as well, and remains hospitalized as of 6 p.m. – the accident occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m., and was caused by equipment failure that occurred during completion work on the well – the cause of the mechanical equipment failure is unknown at this time, and is currently being investigated)
DOCK FATALITY Two men die during a work-related accident at an Alcoa plant in Quebec (two workers are dead after an accident at a smelter – a 30-year-old man died after a one ton weight fell on a him as he was helping load a ship at the company’s harbour facilities – at the same time, a 57-year-old man had a heart attack – he died at the hospital – another man was lightly injured in the 10 a.m. incident)
CONFINED SPACE EXPLOSION Three Burned Thursday In Explosion At Texas Plant and Officials probe cause of flash fire in tank (investigators tried to piece together what happened after two workers were burned by fumes that ignited inside a tank they were painting – three workers were hospitalized with burns after an explosion at the plant where they worked – the explosion happened about 4 p.m. – two workers were airlifted to a hospital, while a third was taken by ambulance – information wasn’t immediately available about the condition of the injured workers or about the cause of the flash blas – they were applying a primer to a tank when the fire broke out)
DOCK FATALITY w/ SEA CONTAINER Worker crushed by sea container (a worker, 36, has been crushed to death during the unloading of a cargo ship – he was crushed between two sea containers shortly after 9am – he had been caught between a suspended container and another lying on the wharf – the suspended one swung towards him and crushed him)
DUST EXPLOSION Grain elevator explodes near Waterproof (the leg of a grain elevator exploded – a worker was in the immediate area during the explosion but no one was hurt – the leg, which draws grain up into the elevator’s storage space, hadn’t been cleaned in awhile, and highly combustible grain dust built up in the leg)
Pres-T-Con worker dies in factory accident (a worker died at the Health Facility where he was rushed after being injured while working at the company’s factory – he worked in the company’s Quality Assurance/Quality Control department – the worksite has been isolated as the probe into what caused it is carried out – no word on cause)
Explosion in Wentworth firm (a container which had paints and solvents caught fire at the factory – the factory makes reconditioned drums which are used to store chemicals)
EXPLOSION @ ASPHALT PLANT Fire at asphalt plant snarls traffic (a fire at an asphalt plant blanketed the area in black smoke and snarled traffic – no one was injured in the blaze, which began at about 3 p.m. with a loud explosion in one of the huge silos – the fire appeared to burn itself out minutes after firefighters arrived – the cause of the fire is under investigation)