27 Incidents & 2 Updates (9/8/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

ELECTROCUTION Worker killed in Stark County (worker, 20, was apparently electrocuted while working at a meat processing plant – he died after trying to plug a 220-volt fan into a 480-volt outlet while standing in water)

MINE FATALITY Worker killed in Alaska gold mining accident (a worker at a Gold Mine was killed in an accident on the job – the miner was underground at the time of the fatal mishap but gave no further details – no one else was involved)

FATALITY Worker Killed In Industrial Accident At Caterpillar Plant (a worker, 30, was killed in an industrial accident at the Plant – the male victim was dead when firefighters arrived at the scene)

LOTO FATALITY Worker killed on Carter Co. oil lease (a man, 64, was killed while was working on a pump jack – the accident happened around 8:30 a.m. – when the jack turned on the weight hit the man in the head – he was found by someone who happened to be passing by)

FIRE Worker Injured In PCS Phosphate Fire (the fire broke out around 10:00 in the Mill area of the property – the fire was put out around 11:20 p.m.- one plant responder received minor injuries – he was treated on site – the cause of the fire is unknown at this time and an investigation is underway – extent of damage has not yet been determined)

CRANE FATALITY Worker dies in accident at Magnolia steel mill (a worker, 55, at a steel mill is dead after an accident that occurred while changing a cable on an overhead crane – he was the leader of a maintenance crew that was changing the cable – his body has been sent for an autopsy, which should determine the cause of death)

AMPUTATION UPDATE Slaithwaite pallet mill Shaw Pallet fined for saw horror accident (plant bosses have been fined after a worker, 38, lost sections of his fingers in a wood cutting machine- they were fined £7,500 by magistrates after a saw operator lost parts from two fingers as he attempted to tape over gaps in a chute below the machine – magistrates heard the machine would become blocked with sawdust and debris that would escape through holes in the waste chute – workers would often have to clear or repair the machine exposing themselves to dangerous working parts of the machine)

FATALITY Ohio railroad worker crushed to death by train (a railroad worker has died after being crushed by a train engine and a rail car – the victim is an employee who had been aboard the train and then hopped off to work on something)

MINE FATALITY Contractor dies in mining accident (a contract worker, 29, at a Mine was killed while drilling a water well for future mining purposes at the surface mine – he was attempting to separate a pipe connection when he was struck by a tong when stored energy released – this marks the fourth death in two weeks in energy-related fields – MSHA is currently investigating the incident)

Community shocked after death of worker (a man, 27, was killed in an industrial accident around 7.30 a.m.- he began working with the firm in recent times – no other information)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – ENGULFMENT Man Dies In Grain Bin Accident (a worker, 51, has died in a grain bin accident at a farm co-op – he went inside the bin about 9:30 a.m. while grain was being removed and was engulfed by the flowing corn – he was trapped – once rescuers reached him, they could not revive him – it’s unknown why he entered the bin and the incident is under investigation)

LOTO FATALITIES – RETURN TO OPERATION Three Cambodian workers killed in Songkhla factory accident (three industrial workers were killed by flying machine parts in a latex processing factory – the victims, two men, 21 and 26, and one woman, 26, were migrant workers with legal work permits – ten workers were working when the incident occurred – the process required removing parts of the machine for cleaning every two hours – the workers were hit when loose-fitting parts returned to the processing equipment flew off at high-speed, killing the three victims)

BOILER EXPLOSION Boiler Explosion in Central Jersey (an exploding boiler injured three – when paramedics arrived on the scene, they found a boiler unit in the building’s basement had blown up, causing serious injury – two workers also sustained injury in the accident and had to be evacuated by helicopter to area trauma centers – the explosion happened after the boiler overheated, likely from a mechanical malfunction)

EXPLOSION One injured in explosion (a worker was injured in an explosion at a coating factory – the explosion took place at a unit of the factory used for drying colours – the injured person has shifted to a hospital for treatment)

CHEMICAL REACTION in TANK Maine Firefighters Vent Fumes at Treatment Plant (firefighters vented the last of the fumes from an accidental chemical reaction at the Wastewater Treatment Plant – two chemicals, sodium bisulfite and sodium hypochlorite, about 500 gallons altogether, were mistakenly mixed in a 2,500-gallon plastic tank – the combination created a chemical reaction that gave off heat and could have created explosive pressure, if not for the containment tank’s safety features – the 11 workers who had been evacuated from the building at around 7:30 a.m. were allowed back into the building around 4 p.m. to retrieve their belongings from the second and third floors so they could go home)

HOTWORK FIRE Welding sparks ignite fire at recycling center (firefighters put out a fire that started on a conveyer belt – no one was hurt in the fire, which burned a conveyor belt and plastic refuse – parks touched off the fire – employees had been welding brackets on a conveyer belt system, and the sparks ignited the refuse below it, which was stored in semi-trailers – the fire, which destroyed the trailers, then spread to the conveyer belt and burned scaffolding above it – the belt feeds into a grinder, which was also damaged – employees at the recycling center attempted to put out the fire for about 10 minutes before calling the fire department)

REFINERY FIRE Iran’s biggest refinery goes up in flames (at least four workers were injured as fire broke out at Iran’s biggest refinery – the fire broke out in the Refinery’s cracker unit which produces gasoline – firefighters were trying to contain the fire and exact cause of the accident could not be immediately known)

STEAM EXPLOSION 4 Hurt in Upstate New York Factory Furnace Explosion (a suspected steam explosion in a factory furnace has injured four workers – all four were burned in the blast around 6:15 a.m. in the plant – it wasn’t immediately clear how serious the injuries were – one of the employees suffered physical trauma in what was believed to be a steam explosion in one of the furnaces – officials estimated $250,000 in damage)

UPDATE on FLASH FIRE Fire marshal: Flammable vapors caused Middleton plant explosion (an explosion in March at the adhesive company was caused when flammable vapors were ignited by an undetermined source – the March 13 explosion, which injured four workers, happened when a flammable liquid solvent was being added to a 4,000-gallon reaction vessel containing polyester resin solution – the office said it had also issued three non-criminal notices of violation to the company and was recommending changes in laws and regulations to improve chemical process safety in the state – the violations were for storing more flammable liquids than the company was licensed to store; failing to obtain a permit for a dust-producing grinding operation; and failing to obtain a permit for the storage of flammable liquids – the company said in May that the explosion was caused by open valves that let flammable gas flood the building)

AMMONIA Three businesses evacuate after ammonia leak at fish processing plant (an ammonia leak in the engine room forced the evacuation of the plant and two neighboring businesses – no one was injured or hospitalized as a result of the accident – with a northeast breeze blowing about 10 mph, officials decided to order the evacuation of two businesses located to the south and east of the fish processing plant – the accident happened when a technician was performing routine maintenance on the plant’s refrigeration system and accidentally opened a valve too far, causing ammonia to leak from a compressor – two members of a state hazardous-materials team entered the building and shut off the valve – firefighters were going to ventilate the building and check for any high concentrations of ammonia before turning it back over to the owners)

AMMONINA Workers evacuated from Ga. cold storage facility (about 40 employees at a cold storage facility were evacuated because of an ammonia leak – the leak happened around 12:30 a.m. – the flow was stopped by an emergency shut-off valve, and firefighters cleared an ammonia cloud that had formed – no injuries were reported, and the workers were able to resume their jobs)

Construction

CRANE Crane topples during work at National Cathedral (a crane brought in for earthquake-related repairs toppled over, injuring its operator and damaging buildings days before the cathedral was to welcome thousands of visitors, including President Obama, for events commemorating the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 – the cathedral was not damaged in the accident – the operator of the crane, which has a 500-ton lifting capacity, was using it to hoist supplies up to the cathedral’s central tower, which suffered cracked spires and statues during the earthquake – the operator was lowering the boom when the crane tipped over shortly before 11 a.m. – the operator was inside the crane’s cab when it fell, and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries – heavy rains and wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph were reported in the area at the time of the accident, but, “We don’t know why it collapsed”)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Construction worker falls from Tiburon roof, dies (a construction worker, 53, was killed when he fell from the roof of a home and landed on his head – he was pronounced dead at a Hospital after co-workers found him next to the house – he had been working on the roof of the home shortly before 2 p.m. when he fell – nobody apparently witnessed the fall)

FALL from SCAFFOLDING – PFAS STOPS one and FAILS on another 2 injured at treatment plant (two workers were injured when they fell nearly 20 feet off of scaffolding at a construction site – the two men were both wearing safety harnesses, but one worker, 27, hit the ground – he was flown to a Medical Center with head injuries after his safety harness failed to stop his 17-foot fall – worker, 44, was taken by ambulance to the Medical Center with chest and rib injuries after his harness pulled him up short of the ground – both were listed in fair condition – the men fell from scaffolding while doing welding work inside the building on the roof of a tank at the facility – authorities are investigating why the men fell and why the worker’s harness did not stop him)

MIscellaneouS

CHEMICAL Police: Woman Dies After Breathing Fumes at a McDonald’s in Georgia (an 80-year-old woman has died after being sickened by fumes at a restaurant – she and her husband were customers at the restaurant – an autopsy will be conducted to determine cause of death – she was one of ten taken to the hospital after firefighters found two customers unconscious inside a restaurant bathroom and others struggling to breathe – eight were treated and released and two were admitted for treatment – authorities suspected cleaning chemicals in the restroom were to blame, but the cause was still under investigation)

TRENCH FATALITY Forbes, N.D., man killed when trench gives way (a farmer, 43, was killed when a trench gave way – he was pronounced dead at the scene – it’s not clear whether he was in the trench or on top of it when it collapsed and covered him with dirt – he was found by family members)