36 Incidents & 0 Updates (7/28/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker 

Industrial

FATALITY CRUSHED by TRUCK Funeral arrangements set for Pilgrim’s Pride worker (funeral arrangements have been set for a supervisor killed at the plant – he was pinned under a truck while working overnight at the protein conversion plant – he was a 25 year employee of the company – officials are still investigating what caused the accident)

ELECTROCUTION Worker electrocuted at coal prep plant in W.Va. (officials are investigating the death of a welder, 40, who was electrocuted at a coal preparation plant – he was a foreman with 12 years of experience – the plant is undergoing renovations and was not processing coal at the time)

ELECTRICAL Line worker shocked while repairing poles (a line worker was hospitalized after suffering electrical shock while repairing electrical poles – he suffered electrical shock while repairing poles damaged during the 2009 ice storm – the worker was taken to a Regional Hospital)

FATAL FALL from LADDER Worker dies from injuries suffered in 30 foot fall (worker died he fell 30′ from a ladder)

CRANE Worker pinned by crane collapse at Detyen’s Shipyards (a crane collapse at a shipyard trapped a worker just before 8 a.m. – worker was entrapped inside the cab of the crane – firefighters extricated the patient by lifting the crane from his leg)

Man killed in tragic factory accident (a worker has died after he was trapped by steel tubes at a factory – the man, believed to be in his late 50s, died in the accident)

LOTO FATALITY Maintenance worker hit by heavy machine killed in Gordon County (a maintenance worker was killed after a heavy machine hit his head at an industrial plant – worker was airlifted to a hospital, but died several hours later – when he was replacing a hydraulic cylinder the machine swung around and struck him in the head – several workers in the room saw the accident at about 10:30 a.m. and immediately called 911)

FATAL FALL from MANLIFT Worker Killed in Fall at Plant in Harrisonburg (authorities are investigating the death of a worker, in his 50’s, who fell from a lift at a manufacturing plant – the man fell from an 8-foot lift – he died at a Hospital)

MINE FATALITIES 18 killed in 2 mine accidents in Ukraine (a blast at one coal mine and an elevator collapse at another killed at least 18 people – rescuers were still searching for a total 20 miners missing at both mines – the pre-dawn blast at the mine killed 17 workers and left nine missing – investigators suspect the accident was caused by a powerful explosion of methane shortly before 2 a.m. at a depth of 3,000 feet (915 meters) when miners were working the night shift – in the other accident, an elevator used to transport miners and equipment into and out of a mine collapsed, killing one worker leaving 11 others missing)

EXPLOSION Explosion At Harrisonburg Plant Burns Worker (a minor explosion and fire at manufacturing plant sent one worker to the hospital with second and third degree burns – this is the same plant where a worker was killed on Monday in a fall – shortly after 9 p.m. crews responded to an explosion and a fire at the plant – an employee using a pipe bending machine was attempting to clear dust when a flash fire and minor explosion occurred – the fire caused the employee to suffer second and third degree burns to his arms and face – he was transported to a Hospital and later transferred to the burn center at a Medical Center – the explosion occurred in a pipe about 50 yards away from the pipe bending machine – the explosion did cause some damage to equipment in the plant)

ELECTRICAL EXPLOSION Transformer explodes at Dadeland; 2 burned (a transformer exploded at shopping mall sending one worker to a Trauma Center – two maintenance workers were working on the equipment at 11:40 a.m. when it caught fire and exploded at the mall – both workers are badly burned – both were taken by fire-rescue trucks to a landing pad one mile away  – the injured men were then taken by helicopter to a burn center – one worker is in critical condition – the second person has second-degree burns over 15 percent of his body)

HYDROGEN EXPLOSION DURING UNLOADING Fire extinguished after blast at Duferco Farrell Corp plant (a tanker truck loaded with 6,000 gallons of hydrogen exploded and burned at a metals processing plant, burning the driver, injuring another worker and threatening an even larger storage tank – the blast occurred after 6 PM – the truck, from Air Liquide, was at the plant offloading its hydrogen into a storage tank when the explosion occurred – the tanker then burned, endangering a storage tank that contained 12,000 to 14,000 gallons of hydrogen – plant workers and fire crews worked overnight to pour water on the storage tank until the tanker fire burned itself out – the driver, who was taken to the burn unit of a hospital, with second degree burns – the driver’s helper suffered some cuts and was treated and released at a nearby Hospital – plant workers were evacuated without incident and overnight production shifts were canceled)

EXPLOSION Explosion at Power Plant Rattles Astoria (an explosion in the basement of a Con Edison power plant was loud enough to rattle windows – the blast knocked out one of the plants four generators – one firefighter suffered heat-related injuries and one power worker was taken in for a precautionary exam)

Construction

FATALITY Police identify worker killed at construction site (a worker, 34, was killed in a construction accident – accident happened at the construction site of a plant for making oilfield and refinery heat tracers around noon – he died when a metal building frame collapsed – a co-worker was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and discharged)

FORKLIFT Head injuries in forklift accident (a man has sustained head injuries after the forklift he was driving rolled – the man was working on a hill, at 2.45pm, when the forklift slid down a slope and rolled – he was conscious when paramedics arrived on scene)

WORKZONE Woman lucky to be alive after being run over by a dump truck (a traffic-flag worker, 46, is lucky to be alive after getting run over by a dump truck at a work site – she was airlifted to hospital after a vehicle from the work site backed over her at about 3:30 p.m. – she remained stable while awaiting surgery – she was run over by the tire of the truck – she has suffered a number of fractures and internal bleeding, and that surgery will determine the extent of the damage)

BACKHOE FATALITY Worker killed in Bangor backhoe accident identified as Waldo County man (worker, 23, was crushed by a backhoe while working on a natural gas line project – the accident occurred shortly before 3 p.m. – a backhoe apparently rolled down a short embankment from a section of shoulder that recently had been dug up – it came to rest on its side, on top of the worker, who was wearing a hard hat)

FATAL FALL from LADDER Jacksonville Construction Worker Killed (coroner says a construction worker, 32, died following an accident when he fell from a ladder, possibly as the result of an electrical shock – he died about 11:45 a.m. at a hospital – a preliminary investigation showed he was on a ladder to turn on a piece of machinery)

AMPUTATION Worker’s leg nearly amputated in Center City accident (a construction worker, 47, was rushed to the hospital after his leg was nearly taken off by a falling rock around 1:00 p.m. – initial reports indicate man was working on a building when a rock fell on his leg – medics say the man’s leg was 90 percent amputated)

FATAL FALL Savannah construction worker dies in accident on Hilton Head (a construction worker, 60, died after falling through the ceiling of a business – he was working on the heating and air conditioning system in the ceiling of the facility at about 9:30 a.m., when he tripped and fell through a hole, falling about 12 feet – he was transported by ambulance to a Hospital where he was pronounced dead)

FATAL FALL Fatal Construction Accident in Cheat Lake (one man was killed after falling from a home shortly after 2 p.m. – a man working on the second floor of a home fell into the basement – the man fell more than 20 feet and landed on concrete – it appeared to investigators that the man landed on his back or neck – he died at the scene)

3 construction workers hurt when building facade drops (three construction workers were taken to the hospital after a chunk of an office building broke off and landed on one of them – a piece of the facade that the crew was working on dropped about 10 stories onto the workers – the chunk was slightly larger than a person – the chunk landed on one construction worker and injured another, and a third suffered a heart attack)

3 injured in COS industrial accident (three iron workers were injured after several 500-pound metal beams collapsed and fell on the men – a group of men were working on the building just before 8 a.m. when something went wrong – heavy metal beams that were meant to support the building’s roof collapsed and struck three men, causing mild to moderate injuries – one of the men was unresponsive for several minutes after being struck and suffered an injury to his head – the two other men were taken to a Medical Center for broken bones and non-life-threatening injuries)

SCAFFOLDING 3 significantly injured after scaffolding collapse (three construction workers were severely injured after scaffolding collapsed at a school construction site – the workers were airlifted to hospitals – the three men were working about 30 feet in the air when the structure fell – two of the workers landed near the bottom of the scaffolding; the other fell on a dirt pile near the scaffolding – investigators are looking into what caused the scaffolding to collapse)

Worker dies after getting tangled in rope (a man, 50, died after getting tangled in rope while working on a roof – he was working on a roof about noon when he became tangled in rope being used to lower equipment – the rope apparently became wrapped around his chest and crushed him – he was taken to a Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.)

HEAT STROKE FATALITY Worker dies of heatstroke, another battling for life (a worker, 35, who was working in the afternoon despite the midday break rule fainted on a pedestrian pavement and died of heatstroke, while another, 21, is battling for life in the ICU after suffering heatstroke and falling from a building under construction)

MIscellaneouS

LOTO FATALITY – GRAVITY and Hydraulics Failure!! Worker Crushed By Luggage Machine At Airport (a mechanic was working on a piece of equipment when it fell on him – the mechanic died from his injuries – the mechanic was doing routine maintenance on the machine that loads luggage into the plane – the hydraulics failed and the machine dropped on top of the mechanic)

LAWN MOWER/TRACTOR SE Ind. Worker Run Over By Tractor (a man, 24, was hospitalized after his tractor ran over him – he was cutting grass alongside Interstate 65 when his mower experienced mechanical trouble – a rod underneath the tractor broke and he climbed underneath to push the rod forward so the mower would move forward – the tractor moved forward and a rear tire ran over his shoulder and waist – he was able to crawl away quickly enough to avoid the mower, and another worker spotted him lying on the ground as he called his foreman to report the accident – the tractor crashed into some trees in the grassy median)

CHAINSAW Village Worker Injures Self With Chainsaw (saw accidentally hits rock while landscaping – the 60-year-old village worker sustained injuries to the arm while trimming bushes – chainsaw hit a rock, bounced back, and cut him – he was transported to the hospital for stitches)

MOWER County Worker Trapped Under Mower In Ditch (a county employee was seriously injured when a mower overturned on him, trapping him in a deep ditch – he was mowing high grass and weeds on the shoulder of a road about 9 a.m. when he did not see a ditch – the mower fell about 15 feet into the ditch, struck a culvert and trapped him underneath)

United Airlines Worker Shot by Passenger (a worker for a US airline was accidentally shot by a passenger during the check in process at a US airport – the airline worker was accident ally shot by a man who was checking in a hunting rifle for an upcoming flight – the man was checking in with his air rifle at Louisiana Airport – he was handing over his gun at the check in desk when it discharged and accidentally shot the airline worker – it is said that the bullet from the gun hit the check in desk before bouncing off and hitting the airline worker in the leg – the airline worker was taken to a nearby hospital but the injuries are said not to be life threatening)

Two overcome by paint fumes at LEC (two employees of the Law Enforcement Center, which is being remodeled, were overcome by epoxy paint fumes – one employee was able to return to work, while the other was taken to a Medical Center)