40 incidents & 3 updates (11/18/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker 

STORY OF INTEREST

Worker Fired; Refused to Wear Devilish “666” Safety Sticker (a worker in a plastics plant claims he was fired for refusing to wear a sticker celebrating how many days the plant had been accident-free – he claims he could not wear the number 666 because it’s the Mark of the Beast in Revelations – he sued the company for retaliation and religious discrimination, in Federal Court – the plastics plant keeps a safety calendar recording the number of consecutive accident-free days, and workers wear a sticker bearing the number during their shift – “As the number of safely worked days crept into the range of the 600’s, plaintiff began discussing with his co-workers and supervisors that he could not wear the number 666 as this number was the sign of the beast and his religious beliefs forbid him from wearing this number,” attorney says – he says his boss told him not to worry about it, as maybe someone would have an accident, or maybe they could let the calendar “to stay at 665 for two days, or some other manipulation to prevent the safety calendar from displaying ‘666.’” – but didn’t happen and the plant reached safety day 666 on March 12, 2010, about 2 years and 9 months after he began working there – he says he asked his boss “for a religious accommodation,” but the boss said “that he was not going to change the safety calendar, that his beliefs were ridiculous, and that he could go to work with a ‘666’ on his safety sticker or face a three (3) day suspension.” – worker says he accepted the 3-day suspension, rather than wear the Mark of the Beast – on March 17, he says, he was fired for refusing to work on March 12, day 666 – worker says he was subjected to harsher punishment for missing work because of his refusal to wear the Mark of the Beast, than he or others would have been subjected had they missed work for other reasons)

Industrial

FATALITY @ SLAUGHTER HOUSE Worker crushed to death by cow carcass (a worker, 23, has died after being crushed by a cow carcass at his workplace – he was taken to hospital after the incident but died from his injuries – it is believed he was trapped when the heavy carcass fell on top of him – he suffered serious head injuries in the accident)

FATALITY @ AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE Worker dies after accident at Airbus (worker, 62, died following an accident at a garage maintenance facility at the wing-making factory – he was taken to a Hospital but died later from his injuries – no details yet)

ATV FATALITY @ LANDFILL Death of worker in Jefferson Parish landfill accident leaves family stunned (worker, 25, died around noon after the covered all-terrain vehicle he was driving flipped over at the garbage dump and caused him to drown in a canal – he was riding near the rear of the landfill on a canal bank when his vehicle lost traction, slid into the canal and flipped over – he was trapped beneath the vehicle and drowned – his father also works at the landfill and arrived at his son’s side about five to 10 minutes after the accident – he tried performing CPR on his son, but was unable to revive him before paramedics arrived)

HOT OIL TRUCK FIRE Truck Fire At Texas Well Site Injures 3 Workers (three workers were hurt when a truck used to pump hot oil caught on fire at a well site – the fire was extinguished by about 8:30 p.m. – one worker was flown to a hospital – no details were immediately available on the worker’s condition – the other two injured workers were treated at the scene – authorities are trying to determine what caused the rig to catch fire)

PLATFORM ACCIDENT North Sea oil worker airlifted to Aberdeen hospital (worker was airlifted from a platform after an accident – a coastguard helicopter was called after a man suffered head and arm injuries in the workshop on site – his injuries were not believed to be life threatening)

PRESSURIZED PIPE FAILURE Man hospitalized after oil field accident (one man was sent to the hospital with injuries after an oil field-related accident involving a high-pressure pipe – the pipe had burst causing the pipe to strike a worker in the head – workers were working with high-pressure piping on the well site at the time of the accident – he was taken to a Medical Center, where he was admitted in stable condition)

MOLTEN METAL EXPLOSION One Steel plant blast burns three (three men were seriously burnt and a fourth knocked down a stairway by the blast when molten steel exploded after water was accidentally introduced to molten steel inside the plant’s electric arc furnace – two of the burnt men had been released from hospital but the third was in a burns unit – worker, 42, had burns to multiple regions – worker, 40, had burns to both hands and a worker, 37, had shrapnel burns to his torso – another man was knocked backwards down a set of stairs by the force – a crane driver sitting overhead suffered from the blast – the accident happened when a furnace crew was removing a partly melted ‘‘skull’’ of scrap from the inside of the plant’s electric arc furnace – the skull somehow dislodged a water-fed cooling plate, which fell into the ‘heel’, which is the molten steel at the bottom of the furnace after it has been tapped)

FORKLIFT AMPUTATION Worker loses leg after forklift crash (a forklift driver, 39, lost his leg after colliding with a log loader at about 7.30pm – three paramedics attempted to stop the man’s bleeding and gave the injured man pain relief – he was then taken to a Hospital – the man was in a stable condition)

CONVEYOR DE-GLOVING ACCIDENT Worker degloved ankle and foot in conveyor (a timber mill worker suffered a horror accident in which his leg was caught in a moving conveyor belt – that worker in his late teens or early 20s, suffered a serious de-gloving injury to his ankle and foot – de-gloving means the skin has been separated from the tissue)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Maryland Construction Worker Dies at Site (a construction worker, 37, is dead after he was run over by a piece of equipment – he was pronounced dead at Shock Trauma shortly before 12:30 p.m. –  he was working for a contractor when he was run over by a skid loader at the company’s headquarters – a skid loader is a relatively small vehicle, such as a Bobcat, that can be fitted with attachments for grading or lifting)

VEHICLE BACKING FATALITY BC worker hit, killed by company van (a group of workers has been traumatized after witnessing the death of a fellow employee – worker, 24, was hit and killed as the crew van used to carry the workers hit him while backing out of a parking area – a 22-year-old man was driving the van and several of the victim’s co-workers saw the accident, which occurred just after 5 p.m.)

hexavalent chromium RELEASE Orica workers thought toxic chemical leak was under control (workers at the plant believed a toxic chemical leak in August was under control, despite the appearance of yellow droplets and the presence of a “misty rain” – the night-shift supervisor at the plant told an inquiry that the workers had congratulated themselves on containing the leak of hexavalent chromium when they left the morning after it was first detected – but when the site manager arrived for work that day he soon realized the industrial accident was much worse than initially thought – the supervisor told the inquiry that the plant became overwhelmed by the build-up of condensation in a chemical stack – staff at first thought they had stopped the leak by diverting the condensation to a separate vent – but it also became overwhelmed and the chemical began “spurting out” of a temporary repair in the side of the stack, forcing staff to shut down the plant – he believed the leak had been contained on site because none of the vehicles in the staff car park was marked with tell-tale yellow droplets – but when site manager arrived at work at 7am the next day, the true extent of the leak became apparent)

MINING FATALITY First Uranium halts S. African mine after worker killed (worker has been killed in an underground accident at the mine – the fifth person to die at the mine in the past year, causing work at the project to stop while an investigation is conducted -the employee died after a fall of ground at the mine – the incident follows the death of a drill operator in September and the death of another employee in an unspecified incident in August – a ground fall killed another worker in March and one more was killed in a tunnel collapse last November)

UPDATE on DRILLING ACCIDENT, now a FATALITY Man dies after industrial accident (a man, 55, has died after being injured by a pipe striking him in the head while working Oct. 26 – he was lifting a 21-foot piece of pipe off a truck when his legs gave out, causing him to lose his balance and drop the pipe – when he fell the pipe struck him in the head, rendering him unconscious – by the time emergency services arrived on the scene, he was conscious and able to speak to deputies and medical crews about the incident before being transported to a Medical Center – he was later flown to a a hospital where he died as a result of his injuries)

TRUCK UNLOADING FATALITY Factory worker dies (a factory worker, in his early 40’s, died when a load of tiles fell on top of him – he was about to offload a truck filled with tiles – when he opened the back door, everything fell on top of him around 10.30am – other workers tried to remove some of the tiles)

CHEMICAL REACTION FIRE Worker Burned in Hot Tub Business Blast (a worker was hurt in an explosion at a hot tub business – the man, who was among 26 employees inside the business at the time of the 7:37 a.m. blast, suffered burns to his ear and possible smoke inhalation – chemicals were being mixed prior to the explosion, which caused some fire damage to the 3,000-square-foot building’s roof – a roll-up metal door also sustained water damage)

UPDATE on FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION PORT EXPLOSION REPORT REVEALS TANK CORROSION ‘EASILY’ DETECTABLE (an investigation into the cause of the port explosion last May has uncovered a litany of alleged physical faults and management shortfalls at the sullage plant, including claims that storage tanks were heavily corroded and badly maintained – investigators attributed the explosion to holes in the roof of tanks used to store petroleum products, which allowed highly flammable vapour to escape – the tank rooftops were dotted with 60 perforations caused by long term corrosion – two men welding on top of one of the tanks caused the vapour to ignite, resulting in the explosion – one of the welders, 40, later died as a result of the burns he sustained – investigators also found evidence that, in their view, suggested serious flaws in the way the plant was operated – they were also critical of the degree of control that Nature exercised over subcontractors, including the two men who were welding on top of the tank when it exploded – management had failed to act on recommendations relating to the upkeep and maintenance of the plant)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – TOXICITY One Dead, Another Critical in Mishap at Vista Paints (one man, 62, died and another was in critical condition after being exposed to chemicals at a paint manufacturing plant – the men were unconscious when they were found by a co-worker inside a paint mixing tank at the plant – the coworker, with the help of other employees, pulled the men out – one was pronounced dead at a hospital and a second man, 45, remained hospitalized in critical condition – authorities believe that the chemical that caused the fumes is a paint stripper – fumes were confined to the area where the men were working, according to a division chief with the Fullerton Fire Department – no other workers reported symptoms – CAL-OSHA said the men are believed to have been working inside the tank when they were overcome by the fumes)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION Welding truck explodes, worker on back escapes serious injury (a man escaped serious injury after he was blown clear from the back of an exploding welding truck – the man was treated and released at a Medical Center – the explosion happened sometime after the man had been using a torch to cut bolts from a train car – none of the fuel cylinders inside the truck ruptured, “but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have leaked and caused the explosion” – the cause of the explosion is still under investigation – the blast at about 10 a.m. heavily damaged the truck – a piece of it was found more than 100 feet away)

PROPANE TANK EXPLOSION Propane tank explodes at recycling center (a fire and explosion that could be felt and heard from over a mile away happened a Recycling Center around 3:20 p.m. when a worker was moving around a pile of scrap metal with an excavator and had no idea that a propane tank was under the dirt – when the propane tank was hit, it exploded – the fire spread to the surrounding field and only took about 10 minutes to extinguish)

UPDATE on FATAL AMMONIA INCIDENT – 2 MORE FATALITIES, now 5 deaths Two treated in Agra after gas leak (two people were treated at a hospital after an ammonia gas leak at a cold storage near here killed five workers and destroyed potato crop around it – workers told the police that an ammonia cylinder exploded and fell on the chamber roof of the cold storage, as a result of which five workers were crushed under the huge machine  – the gas spread over two km affecting villagers and vehicle drivers on the road – over 20 people had to be hospitalized as they complained of breathlessness and some fell unconscious – they have all been discharged – the five workers who died were repairing and welding a chamber and a pipeline while emptying the storage tank)

CHLORINE @ PAPER MILL Four taken to hospital after chlorine leak at Luke mill (four employees at the paper mill were transported to area hospitals after a reported chlorine leak in a storage tank at the mill – the 11:30 a.m. incident forced a brief closure of Route 135, however, no alert was issued to the community directing residents to remain indoors – the leak reportedly occurred in a storage tank holding the chemical chlorine dioxide – the employees were treated for respiratory distress – the hospital activated its decontamination area and two patients were treated and listed in stable condition – the mill returned to normal operations at approximately 12:20 p.m. – a full investigation of the incident is under way)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak sends worker to hospital (about 30 employees were evacuated and two fire departments called out when an ammonia leak at a Fisheries resulted in one worker being sent to the hospital – the leak was reported at 7:38 a.m. – firefighters arrived at the plant and found that the leak had been contained – the leak began in a refrigeration unit – some gas escaped into an oyster-opening room where about 30 people were working – the workers were evacuated to the plant parking lot – one woman was taken to a Regional Medical Center after complaining of nausea, but was later sent home – fire department sensors showed no dangerous levels of gas)

Construction

CRANE FATALITY Man killed in work related accident (a worker, 23, was killed at a construction site – he was operating a crane designed to lift a concrete block, when one of the shackles snapped, and hit the man in the head – he was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead)

CRANE No injuries in crane collapse near Dallas (a construction crane collapsed at a highway site – no injuries have been reported in the accident that happened Tuesday night at a site along Interstate 20 – part of the crane was left draped over an elevated highway that’s under construction)

TRENCH FATALITY Wiveliscombe trench tragedy victim named (a man, 49, was found dead and left over night after the trench he was working on collapsed – he was digging a deep trench on a Farm – he was using a mechanical digger to lay some pipe – police believed he entered the three-metre deep trench against advice before the sides caved in on him, causing him to die of asphyxiation – emergency services were called to the scene at around 4.05pm, but his body was left over night due to fears over the safety and stability of the trench)

TUNNELING FATALITY NYC tunnel worker killed in accident (a worker was killed by a falling rock at a tunnel excavation project – the accident occurred around 8 p.m. in a tunnel)

CRANE Crane topples during attempt to remove dangerous poplar (a huge black poplar tree toppled a crane, trapping the operator, 51, who was later taken to hospital with minor injuries – the 80 to 100 year old tree came down at about 10am during removal works taking the 55-tonne capacity machine with it, and closing the road – the operator was taken to a Hospital with just a dislocated shoulder – the operating cabin of the crane was crushed where the truck had fallen on to its side and had extensive damage to the boom – crane had been lowering the black poplar down before the tree pulled the crane over with it)

WORKZONE FATALITY Driver loses control; kills TxDOT contract worker on side of road (a DOT contract worker was killed after being hit by a truck along Interstate 35 around 11 a.m. – the driver of a pick-up truck lost control and went into the grass between the main highway and the access road – several DOT workers were in the grass doing litter clean-up – a worker in his 50s was struck and killed – there is no evidence of a mechanical failure or tire problem with the pick-up truck – authorities are trying to determine why the driver lost control)

MANLIFT hit by TRAIN Passing train knocks worker from high-lift cherry picker (a passing freight train hit a construction crew working on the underside of an overpass, throwing one worker in a high-lift cherry picker about 80 feet to the ground – the worker, one of two hit by the train, sustained serious injuries – a second worker on the ground who also was hit was badly shaken and taken to a local hospital with minor injuries)

SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE Man in hospital after worksite accident (a construction worker, in his 30s, is in critical condition after scaffolding collapsed on top of him – he was working under scaffolding near a shopping centre at the time of the accident)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Construction Worker Killed in Fork-Lift Accident (a construction worker, 48, was killed while operating a heavy duty fork lift – he was trying to lift an old bus when the fork lift became unbalanced and tipped over, crushing him – he was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later)

DEMOLITION FATALITY Worker Killed by Falling Concrete Beam (man was working on the demolition of a parking garage and was killed by a falling concrete beam or wall at the demolition site shortly before 9 a.m. – the victim was dead on the scene)

2 SE Texas workers survive being trapped under house (a man trapped in a crawl space under a small house that collapsed was able to free himself but a second worker had to be rescued – the men were trying to level the wood-frame house – the first man, after about 20 minutes managed to crawl out and he called 911 – emergency personnel dug out the second man, who was transported to a hospital – the worker’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening)

PFAS SAVES ANOTHER LIFE!!! RVC FD Helps Workers Stuck on Malfuctioned Scaffold (one worker hung by only his safety harness before firefighter units arrived at the water tower – two workers who, after a scaffolding malfunction, were left stranded in the air – one worker hung by only his saftey harness, while the other was left stranded on the scaffold platform, which was stuck at a steep angle – accident occured just after 1 p.m. – between the time the alarm was transmitted and the arrival of rescue units, the hanging workers’ co-workers raised a work basket to their level – the worker who was hanging by his safety harness swung safely into the basket, then he and the worker who rode up in the basket assisted the worker on the slanted scaffold – the three workers then lowered the equipment safely without further incident)

GRADER FATALITY Worker dies after skid-loader accident (a construction worker, 37, has died after he was struck by equipment at about 7:20 a.m. – a skid loader was grading when it ran over him on company property – a State Police helicopter flew him to a hospital – he had injuries to his lower extremities and was pronounced dead at 12:20 p.m.)

WORKZONE Worker struck, 1 arrested (a man was taken into custody on a drunken-driving charge after his vehicle struck and critically injured a construction worker at about 3:24 a.m. – the vehicle entered a construction zone where workers were paving and struck one of the workers – the impact forced the worker into the asphalt- spreading machinery – driver was arrested at the scene and is being charged with felony driving under the influence –  the worker was transported to a Hospital with life-threatening injuries)

ROOF COLLAPSE FATALITY Worker dies in roof collapse (one worker, 35, was killed and four others were injured as the roof of a building that they were demolishing collapsed – the five were demo’ing the roof of an old one storey abandoned building – a large portion of the roof collapsed and they were trapped under the debris)

CIRCULAR SAW Worker injured by saw at demolition site (the man’s co-workers provided first aid and called 911 after the accident – the 27-year-old man was working to demolish a building when his saw kicked back around 10:10 a.m. – he suffered deep cuts to his chest and upper arm, which were treated by his co-workers using first aid before paramedics arrived – he was in serious but stable condition when he arrived at hospital)

CRANE SLINGS Pool Collapses on Workers, 2 Men Medevaced from Rec Center (two people were flown out by helicopters from the soccer field at a Recreation Center with injuries resulting from the pool they were installing fell on top of them around 11:30 a.m. – three construction workers were leveling a fiberglass pool – when the pool was lifted to be leveled, one of the straps that was securing it in the air came off, which caused the pool to come down on top of two men – the construction workers, 25 and 38, were trapped underneath the pool – the pool was lifted off of the victims by a crane)

TRUSS COLLAPSE Two workers from Wisconsin companies hurt in UP construction accident (two construction workers were hospitalized after trusses fell at the site of a new medical clinic – multiple trusses collapsed and the two workers were hurt after they fell from the structures – other details were not immediately released, and the incident remains under investigation)

MIscellaneouS

AMPUTATION by BROKEN CABLE Worker’s arm severed in brush-clearing accident on State Route 76 (a sub-contractor doing brush clearing/native habitat restoration suffered a severed arm in an accident – he was standing next to equipment that was clearing brush at approximately 1:45 p.m. when a loose cable in the area got caught in the machinery – the cable broke and severed his arm at the shoulder – he was transported by medical helicopter to a Hospital with life-threatening injuries – his severed limb was launched into the air during the incident – immediately following the incident, emergency workers on scene and 25 members of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team with two canines began combing the brush in the area to try and find the severed limb – the limb was recovered at approximately 3 p.m. approximately 50 yards from the piece of machinery – the limb was placed on ice and saline and flown by Sheriff’s helicopter to the Hospital)

ELECTROCUTION Worker killed after tractor hits electrical wire (a farm worker, 44, was killed after a metal boom on his tractor came in contact with a live electrical wire – he was driving when he hit the wire and was electrocuted when he got off the tractor and touched the ground)

MOWER FATALITY Man killed in Jefferson County tractor accident (a contract worker, 34, is dead after his tractor rolled into a canal as he was mowing grass – his tractor slipped off the levy and rolled onto its top in the water with the worker pinned inside – he was pronounced dead at the scene – the man’s family called his boss when he failed to return home from work – the boss dialed 9-1-1 around 5:30 p.m. when he found the overturned tractor)

Worker dies in farm accident (a field worker was killed when he was struck by a trailer – he was working in a field where greens were being harvesting at the time at about 9 a.m. – it appeared the truck towing the trailers with the equipment was moving on around to the back field and he attempted to get a ride on the trailer while it was moving – apparently he lost his grip or fell down and the back trailer ran over him)