31 Incidents & 0 Updates (12/01/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

FATALITY @ COTTON GIN Trenton Man Killed At Cotton Gin (the married father and grandfather, in his 60s, took the job in October to pay for Christmas presents – his death at the cotton gin is under investigation, but officials think it’s possible he was crushed under a huge bale of cotton)

GARBAGE WORKER LEG AMPUTATED Sanitation worker loses leg in accident (rescuers had to amputate a sanitation worker’s leg at the scene of a crash where the man had become pinned between a garbage truck and another vehicle – the worker, 21, was struck when a 1991 Chevrolet Blazer ran into the back of the garbage truck – the garbage truck had stopped, and he was behind the truck dumping a trash can when the two vehicles collided)

FATAL FALL @ WWTP Worker dies in sewage tank in Bangholme, Melbourne (a search team has found the body of a man, 52, who disappeared at a sewage treatment plant; however, police say it will take some time to recover the body – worker went missing while carrying out routine sampling work at the Treatment Plant just after 7am – rescuers spent more than eight hours scouring the massive network of pipes, tanks and drains to find the body just after 8pm – it is understood the man fell in a pumping system where the raw sewerage flows at about 6m per second – colleagues raised the alarm at about 8.45am after realizing the man was missing, spotting his work equipment still at the side of the tank – how the man fell into the sewage tank was still being investigated, but that there were guard rails at the edge of the pit)

PFAS SAVES ANOTHER!!! Worker dangles for three hours from old tower (a construction worker, 53, dangled for three hours from an old TV trasmission antenna he was attempting to dismantle when his climbing gear got entangled in the metal structure – he slipped, toppled head first and was saved from falling to the ground and serious injury or death by his safety belt that caught around his left leg – the antenna and his climbing gear became entwined during the accident – he was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released later in the day)

MINE FATALITY Fatal accident at AngloGold’s Kopanang (a worker has died in a fall-of-ground accident at a gold mine – the deceased was a scraper-winch operator who had worked for the company for 26 years)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Man crushed to death (a man has been killed by a slab of falling stone in an industrial accident at an inner-city kitchen bench manufacturer – he was crushed and immediately killed by a slab of stone – it appeared the slab fell from a pallet when the pallet was bumped by a forklift)

LOTO???? Accident injures 1 at Hyundai supplier (one person was injured following an accident at the plant shortly after 11 a.m. – the worker was working on a stamping press when the accident occurred – the press has very large door that opens when workers work on it, and the lock on the door failed – the door fell on the man, crushing his leg just below the knee)

ELECTRICAL – LINEMAN Co-op line worker injured by high-voltage power line (a line worker is receiving treatment for severe burns after coming into contact with a high-voltage power line on the job – the worker was transported to the burn unit at a hospital following the accident, which occurred around 2:15 p.m. – no other workers were injured – the accident occurred during routine work on the cooperative’s distribution lines in the area – he was by himself in the bucket of a bucket truck when he came into physical contact with the line – his partner on the ground, who had been trained in bucket truck-type rescue procedures, was able to use the bucket controls on the ground to lower him and help get him out of the bucket – the distribution line on which the man had been working carries 7,200 volts of electricity)

ACID Workers burned in cleaning accident at Molson plant (two workers were injured after acid spilled while they were cleaning machinery at the brewery – the two men were operating a bottle-cleaning machine at around midnight when they were sprayed with an acid that is used to wash those bottles that have been brought back to the plant – the workers were taken to hospital for treatment – one of the workers was burned on more than 50 per cent of his body – comapny official described it as a “cleaning solution” that was heated to a high temperature – two firefighters also received minor burns when they came in contact with the substance while responding to the call and were treated at the scene)

FALL from CRANE Wis. Crews Rescue Worker After Fall From Crane (a worker, 45, was released from the hospital after suffering minor injuries in a fall from a crane at 8:55 a.m. – the man was working with another, experienced crane operator on moving a crane from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 when the accident happened – the man fell from an elevated painted platform at the top of the base of the crane to a housing above the tracks of the crane, which was estimated to be 12 to 15 feet off the ground – he was transported to a Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries)

FATAL FALL into SILO Man killed in Trois-Rivières silo accident (worker is dead after plunging more than 30 metres into an empty grain silo – two men who worked for a sub-contractor were cleaning out the silo just before 8 a.m. when one of the men fell in – the man had no vital signs when emergency crews arrived, and they weren’t able to immediately reach him – it was a difficult operation for firefighters because of the height of the empty silo – they reached the man before 12 p.m. and he was rushed to hospital – the other worker was also taken to hospital and treated for shock – both men were experienced in the type of maintenance work they were doing)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Forklift Accident Kills Worker (around 9 p.m. a man working a forklift lost control and was crushed under the vehicle – the man died instantly)

REFINERY FIRE Update on the San Antonio Refinery Fire (a fire at a refinery was a result of vaporizing kerosene – a contractor was installing drain tubing and dislodged a valve which allowed a small quantity of kerosene to spray – that kerosene vaporized and caught fire – the fire was completely contained within the crude unit – there were no injuries)

AMMONIA LEAK @ START-UP Ammonia inhalation at plant (emergency services have been stood down after an ammonia leak at the urea plant – two people were taken to a hospital for precautionary treatment for ammonia inhalation – the plant had re-opened just last week after being closed for more than three months following a fire – the size of the leak was unknown at this stage)

AMMONIA Staff need oxygen after meatworks chemical leak (two employees required oxygen after an ammonia leak in the freeze blasting room caused the plant to terminate a shift early – the leak began at about 7am and was caused by a faulty valve on the plate freezer – the leak occurred about 50 metres away from the boning room and the decision was made to terminate the shift when management received complaints that the gas had seeped into the working area – four or five people were sent to first aid for oxygen – only two people required oxygen and that was when the evacuation was decided upon)

CRANE FATALITY Man dies in Campbellfield workplace accident (a worker, 26, died after a horrific workplace accident at about 2.30pm at a boat manufacturing business when a 150-kilogram piece of machinery fell on the man from an overhead crane – he sustained fatal head injuries and died in hospital)

Construction

WORKZONE FATALITY INDOT worker killed in fiery crash (a DOT worker was killed while trying to redirect traffic from an accident just after nine in the morning – ice on a bridge in that area caused the first wreck when a car hit a tractor trailer and spun out – when an INDOT worker showed up to help block traffic from that accident, that worker was hit – the worker was stopped, with the emergency lights on to divert traffic and was only sitting for five to ten minutes, then another southbound tractor trailer apparently for some unknown reason collided with the Department of Transportation vehicle that was blocking the lane – both ended in the median and burst into flames – no one else from either of the wrecks was injured)

WORKZONE FATALITY ODOT Worker Killed In Work Zone North Of Ramona Identified (a Department of Transportation employee, 42, was hit and killed by a car just after 8 a.m. – the driver, 18, was diabetic and his blood sugar was extremely high just after the accident – he also has a record of prior arrests for speeding, drug possession and burglary – witnesses say he did not slow down going into the work zone, even though several dump trucks with flashing lights were in the left lane – troopers were mapping out the scene to better determine what happened, but they say the driver had a medical issue that may have impaired his ability to drive – they’re certain the car was moving at high speed, possibly 70 miles an hour, through a one-lane work zone – worker was in the center of the road when he was hit – troopers say that portion of the road was closed, but for some reason the car came right through the work zone anyway)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker killed in horror blast at digging site (a worker, 59, was killed and three others injured – one critically – in an explosion at their work site – five contract workers were preparing to dig a hole by a footpath at a Water Supplies Department construction site when they were hurled to the ground by the blast at about 1pm – the digging may have caused sparks that ignited underground gases – two of the workers were thrown three to four meters, while one was half buried by debris)

HARD HAT WORK! Injured Worker Recovering (a worker, 29, was struck in the head by a piece of frozen mud while working – he is reported to be doing fine – he was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident – a large piece of frozen mud fell from an overhead beam striking the worker)

TRACKHOE FATALITY Track hoe accident kills D&J employee (a construction worker, 53, was found dead after his track hoe got caught in a sinkhole off – he was found around 5:30 p.m. but responders were not able to recover the body until 4 a.m. – he was building access roads into the sand pits when his track hoe became caught in a sinkhole – the equipment, with the worker trapped inside, was almost completely buried)

MANLIFT FATALITY Two men killed in heavy machinery accident Two men were killed in Atlanta Thursday when a piece of heavy machinery they were working in toppled at about 1 p.m. – the men,29 and 42, were working in an 80-foot lift when it fell over at about 1 p.m. – the men died from the fall – the lift was extended to a height of 40 feet – the men were not crushed by the machine – the men were working when the mobile lift got stuck – when the workers tried to move the lift, it fell onto a concrete walkway across the street)

MIscellaneouS

GLYCOL LINE BREAK Workers seriously hurt at detention center (two county facilities maintenance workers suffered serious injuries when ceiling pipes they were working on at detention center burst, burning one of them around 4 p.m. – the maintenance crew was working on rubber seals on the pipes – the pipes are filled with glycol used for heating purposes – a seal had given way, causing the pipe to burst, dousing one of the workers in heated glycol – the second worker attempted to scramble up into the dropped ceiling when it gave way and he was injured -their injuries appear non-life-threatening, but serious)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION cutting drum Barrel explosion in Melbourne injures one (a man is recovering from minor burns to the face after an explosion – he was cutting a makeshift fire pit out of a barrel in the parking lot of the business around 5 p.m. – some ethanol residue on the 55 gallon drum caused the explosion after the worker used a Skil saw to try and cut it down into a make-shift fire pit – worker had second-degree burns to the face)

CRUSHED by a BULL Worker crushed in bull attack (a worker, 31, was flown to a hospital after being crushed by a bull on a farm – he suffered crush injuries to his lower back and abdomen after an “altercation” with the bull and managed to move a short distance before collapsing and alerting other workers to call for help)

STREET SWEEPER FATALITY Worker killed by street sweeper in Bayswater North (a man is dead after being struck by a street sweeper on a worksite just before 11pm – it is believed he was on the street when the tragedy occurred – he died of his injuries at the scene)

OVER PRESSURIZATION FATALITY Fatal explosion at a pistachio farm in Kings County (explosion fatally injured a worker, 51, while several workers were trying to extract fuel from a diesel tank – they were pressurizing it to remove the fuel that was left in it and when it was pressurized the seam gave way and struck an individual – he died from what appeared to be blunt force trauma – investigators believe the victim died on impact)

EXPLOSION Three injured in explosion (one employee was severely burned at a Auto Salvage – three people were injured – he was working on a tire machine at about 12:30 p.m. when an explosion occurred about 30 feet behind him in the southwest end of the main building – the force of the explosion vaulted him forward about 6 feet over the top of the tire machine – not sure what the cause of the explosion was, especially since the area in which it occurred was filled with vehicle axles, tools and other items that shouldn’t have been combustible)