33 Incidents & 1 Update (8/8/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker 

Industrial

LOTO FATALITY Metro worker dies of injuries after site mishap (worker, 42, an assistant manager in the electrical department was trying to repair a concrete pumping machine – he inserted his right hand into the device when a heavy metal disc, which closes the gates of the pump, fell crushing it – co-workers immediately took him to a Hospital – orthopaedic and plastic surgeons operated on him on the same day, but falling blood pressure and multiple organ failure made his case critical – his condition worsened when he fell into a coma – he died at 10 am.)

CONFINED SPACE – ONE ENTRANT and ONE WOULD-BE-RESCUER Two Men In Critical Condition After Manhole Accident (two men, 52 & 53 year old brothers, are fighting for their lives after something went wrong in a sewer – the incident happened just before 11 p.m. – one man was working in the manhole and started “having troubles” of some kind – that’s when his co-worker jumped in to help and also became unresponsive – gas fumes knocked one out and the other tried to pull him out but was also rendered unconscious by the fumes – fire department, which is located right across the street didn’t have the right training or equipment to rescue the men so the Lansing Metro Response Team was called in. The tactical team is comprised of Lansing, East Lansing, Delta, Meridian and Delhi Townships – the victims were alive but unresponsive – both were taken to an area hospital, where they were in critical condition and on life support as of Monday night – County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene as well and two of the deputies who had been standing over the manhole, yelling down to the victims, were taken to the hospital for dizziness, tight chest and headaches – they were given oxygen and released after a couple hours)

MINE FATALITY Belmont Co. Man Killed In Mining Accident (an employee was killed in a mine accident – he was an employee with the mine for 10 years – as of 5:15 p.m., the company had not released the circumstances of the accident or said how he died)

JET ENGINE TESTING FATALITY Respected engineer killed testing engine (an engineer, 51, man died at the engine testing area – the engineer was killed when he was sucked into an aircraft engine during a routine test – he has been described as a cautious and diligent worker – he died during a routine procedure at a remote corner of the airfield – emergency services performed CPR but he was pronounced dead at the scene – he is believed to have entered the enclosure while the engine was running)

FATALITY Utility worker dies after accident on Tiger Mountain (the utility company worker, 40, sustained critical injuries after a co-worker in a work truck ran over him in the early morning hours – the crew had had been working on a downed pole – as he removed a wire that was under tension, the taut wire snapped back and knocked him backwards and under the rear tires the truck – the truck happened to be driving past a slow speed, and he was caught under the right rear tires and run over at about 3:30 a.m.)

ELECTRICAL EXPLOSION FATALITY Victim identified in deadly KUA transformer explosion (investigators say it could take months before they figure out what caused a power transformer to explode, killing one worker, 48, and injuring two others – she was an independent contractor with an electrical power service company based in Germany with 22 subsidiaries worldwide – the two other workers, 43 and 60, were airlifted to a Medical Center with second- and third-degree burns – their injuries are very serious, but they are not considered life threatening – the transformer was only a few months old)

CONFINED SPACE FLASH FIRE in TANKER TRUCK Worker burned at tank-cleaning facility in fair condition (a worker who was burned at a tank-cleaning facility was in fair condition – he was getting into a tank when a burst of fire flashed over him – co-workers pulled him out of the tank – he suffered second- and third-degree burns – the tank was the type that a tractor-trailer would haul and not a railroad tanker as had been previously reported by fire officials – the tank was not carrying any hazardous materials – “It was an empty tanker ready to be washed,” she said)

FORKLIFT PROPANE FUELING EXPLOSION Worker hurt in forklift blaze (an employee was hospitalized with second-degree burns after a propane tank on his forklift exploded – he was refueling the propane tank of the forklift he had been operating when he noticed a leak in the canister – he was in the process of shutting the propane from the bigger tank when it flashed on him – as a result, the tank on the forklift ruptured and left the forklift operator with second-degree burns on his leg and upper torso – he was transported to a Medical Center)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Port worker crushed to death by log (a forklift operator, 49, was killed when he was crushed by one of several logs he and co-workers were unloading from a ship – he was declared dead on arrival at a Medical Center – it took his co-workers more than one hour to pry him loose from his crushed forklift and rush him to the nearest hospital – the incident happened at around 4 a.m. – he and three other forklift operators were unloading 20-foot logs from a vessel and transporting them to a stockpile – he was operating the third forklift in a line of four vehicles loaded with logs bound for the stockpile – the last forklift went over a hump, causing one of its front wheels to jump and toss over one of the logs toward his forklift – that log crushed the forklift and pinned the driver against the steering wheel)

MANLIFT & CRANE FATALITY Worker Falls to His Death at Trulite Plant (an electrician, 31, working at the plant was killed by an accidental fall – preliminary findings indicate that the electrician was working on a lift, and a crane moving glass collided with his lift – he fell about 25 feet and died)

DUST EXPLOSION Explosion injures nine (nine workers were injured, one of them seriously, when a flour machine exploded at a factory – four of the injured were men, including an electrician, 43, who sustained serious burns to his body – the injured were working near a high-powered machine producing tapioca flour when it exploded and caught fire – the flour might have been stuck in the pressure valve, causing the explosion – a worker told police he was packing flour in bags when he heard a loud noise about 20 metres away – he and other workers ran to get fire extinguishers)

REFINERY EXPLOSION Crews Called Out to Explosion at Alon Refinery (a worker is injured after an explosion at a refinery around midnight – few details are available at on the fire or the worker’s condition)

UPDATE now a CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – RESCUER DIES, ENTRANT SURVIVES Man dies trying to save co-worker (worker, 41, died after he attempted to rescue a sub-contractor who had succumbed to methane gas fumes and had fallen into a sanitary sewer hole – worker, 30, is listed in stable condition, with a possible skull fracture – both workers were at a worksite and were excavating near the sanitary sewer hole in preparation of connecting the line on the state-owned land to the line – worker #1 removed the manhole cover to measure for depth – as he leaned over the hole, he was overcome by the build-up of methane gas, causing him to fall into the hole – there was about a 20-foot drop to the bottom – his co-worker entered about three to four feet down into the hole when he too, was overcome by the toxic fumes – the preliminary investigation revealed that he might have fallen head first, possibly breaking his neck – he was found lying face-first in about two feet of water – an autopsy was scheduled to determine the exact cause of his death – a police officer entered the sewer in an attempt to rescue the injured workers – he put on the “breathing mask” (NOT an SCBA!) he carries in his patrol car – another individual helped attach a rope around him so that he could lower himself into the hole – he found both men face down in the sewer water – he turned the men over to get their faces out of the water – he was able to wrap a rope around one of the men and moved both away from the deep water – “having knowledge of this type of work”, he knew he needed to exit the hole as soon as possible because he was starting to feel the effects of the toxic fumes)

CRANE FATALITY Plant employee dies after crane mishap (a worker, 45, was pronounced dead at the hospital after an accident involving a crane – he worked at the plant for more than 15 years)

CHLORINE Chemical leak sends worker to hospital (an electrical malfunction resulted in a chlorine leak at a well-water treatment facility – a city employee responding to the chlorine alarm was later taken to the hospital for exposure to the chemicals – the leak originated from a 150-pound chlorine cylinder and was the result of an electrical malfunction – “More than it being a leak, we had an electronic failure on some equipment and it didn’t shut down the chlorine feed, so it kept feeding gas in the absence of water” – the system “injects the chlorine into the water where it becomes soluble)

Construction

Backhoe pins teen construction worker (a 17-year-old construction worker was injured when the backhoe he was operating flipped over and pinned him underneath – Fire Service brought in heavy rescue equipment to secure the backhoe and free the worker’s foot – the backhoe, which was clearing land, had rolled down a hill and into trees – the injured worker remained conscious throughout the rescue and was taken to hospital – the teen’s injuries are non-life-threatening)

MANLIFT FATALITY Third worker dies at ‘cursed’ Sonae plant (a 62-year-old demolition worker was killed in an accident – he died after being crushed by industrial machinery at the factory – he became the third man to die at the site in less than eight months – iIt is believed he brushed the controls of a cherry picker crane he was using as he leaned over the cage, sending it up into a rolled steel girder, crushing his head and body – he is then thought to have fallen up to 70ft into an abandoned building – he was declared dead at the scene)

WORKZONE FATALITY I-15 worker killed in Box Elder County identified (an I-15 construction worker, 52, was killed about 9:30 p.m. when he was caught between a rototilling machine and dump truck working on resurfacing the interstate)

TWO WORKZONE FATALITIES 3rd construction worker killed on Utah highways in 3 days (#1 – a construction flagger, 54, was killed when she was hit by a drunken driver while working – she was directing northbound traffic through a single-lane construction zone about 1:30 p.m. when she was struck by a pickup – driver didn’t stop and later told police he thought he’d hit a deer – he was arrested for investigation of automobile homicide and leaving the scene of an accident – he also failed a field sobriety test, and a blood draw confirmed a .119 blood-alcohol level — exceeding Utah’s legal limit of .08 – she was the second employee with the company to be hit and killed by vehicles in two days – #2- worker, 31, was killed when a motorist drifted over to the opposite shoulder and struck the worker, who had been pulling weeds in front of the company’s offices)

FALL Construction worker flown to hospital after falling in Ashland (a worker, 55, construction foreman has been rushed to a hospital by medical helicopter after taking a 10-foot fall while working on a new home – he was flown to a Medical Center after complaining of shoulder pain)

WORKZONE FATALITY Road Worker Killed in Pecos (a road worker was killed – he was driving a dump truck behind a large utility truck called a spreader – after they both came to a stop, the contractor got out and walked to the front of his vehicle – the spreader suddenly backed up killing the man)

WORKZONE CDOT worker seriously hurt after being struck by car (a Department of Transportation worker, 64, is in critical but stable condition after being struck by a car – he had stepped into the center lane of the interstate to retrieve a tarp when he was struck by a Honda Civic shortly before 1 p.m. – he has worked for CDOT since 2006 – he was transported by ambulance to a Hospital with “serious injuries” – his truck that was on the right shoulder did have its amber lights activated – he was wearing a reflective vest as well as a helmet when he entered the roadway to retrieve the tarp)

ELECTRICAL Construction Worker Suffers Severe Electrical Accident at WVU (a construction worker was treated for an apparent electrical accident that severely shocked him – a co-worker noticed his legs shaking – the coworker pulled him from the ladder when the man was unresponsive – when fire fighters arrived, they found burn marks and other injuries consistent with an electric shock – the man was transported to a Hospital and was treated and released)

BRIDGE COLLAPSE FATALITY Two Dead after Bridge Collapses in S China (two people have been confirmed dead after a bridge under renovation collapsed around 5:30 p.m. – two workers were checking the renovation progress – one of the workers died en route to the hospital, while the other was found dead after being rescued from the rubble at 9:10 p.m.)

TRENCH FATALITY Construction accident buries men alive (one man has been killed and another is presumed dead following an accident at a construction site – the men had been digging a trench when the trench walls gave way, burying them under several metres of soil – emergency officials managed to pull out one of the workers from the sand by late afternoon – rescue workers are still digging to try and find the body of the second man, who is now presumed to have died as well)

FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Construction worker dies (a labourer, 18, working at a construction site died after he fell from the scaffolding – he was constructing a house – the work of building scaffolding was in progress and he was standing on a scaffolding, lost his balance and fell on the ground and sustained severe head injuries)

MIscellaneouS

GUARDING FATALITY Worker at North Carolina tobacco farm dies in accident after he is pulled into harvester (a immigrant farm worker, 43, was killed on a tobacco farm – he was one of three men operating three tobacco harvesters on the farm – he stopped the harvester but did not shut down its engine when the machine became clogged by tobacco – preliminary findings indicate clothing worn by the worker got caught in the machinery and he was pulled in)

FATALITY Tree-trimmer killed in Solvang accident (a worker, 53, died after being run over by a tree-trimming “bucket” truck – he was part of a two-man tree-trimming crew working – while the second worker was trying to disconnect a chipper-shredder trailer from the truck around 4 p.m., the truck began rolling down the hill, running over the worker and causing fatal injuries – he was flown by helicopter to a Hospital, where he was pronounced dead)