48 incidents & 0 updates (12/12/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

FORKLIFT FATALITY Forklift fatality under investigation (a forklift overturned at about 7:20 a.m. killing the driver, 21 – he had dropped off a pallet in the parking lot of the business and as he was backing away, a wheel got stuck in a pothole – as he tried to navigate the forklift out of the pothole, he raised the forks and the machine’s weight shifted, causing it to tip – he tried to jump from the forklift but was caught underneath it)

BUCKET TRUCK Utility worker in Alpharetta knocked from bucket of truck in hit-and-run (a utility worker fell about 20 feet from the bucket of his truck in a hit-and-run accident around 9:30 p.m. – the utility worker’s vehicle was hit by a garbage-type truck towing a trailer – the utility worker was taken to a hospital for treatment of broken bones and is expected to recover – police are looking for the vehicle, which has an Illinois tag, and the driver who left the scene)

AUGER AMPUTATION – Salt Truck Kent County Road Commission worker loses arm in auger accident (a worker, 55, is recovering at the hospital after his arm was severed above the elbow in an auger accident – a 36-year employee, was unloading salt from a plow truck about 1 p.m. when the accident happened at the commission’s facility – was near the auger and chute at the back of the truck when he apparently got clothing caught in the mechanism and it pulled his arm into the auger – he also had bruising and a broken rib, but was expected to recover – doctors are monitoring him in case of infection)

ELECTRICAL Worker injured at Boeing Everett facility (a electrical contractor was injured in an industrial accident at about 11 a.m. – a caller to 911 described what sounded like an explosion and possible fire – individual was transported to a Medical Center)

ELECTROCUTION @ Meatpacking Worker Dies In Electrical Accident At Plant (OSHA is investigating after a worker died in an electrical accident at a meatpacking plant just before 10 a.m. – the man was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker killed in accident at gas drilling site (worker, 35, died following a work-related accident on a well site – he died as the result of injuries suffered after being run over by a forklift on the well site)

GRAVEL PIT FATALITY Worker dies in gravel pit accident (worker, 41, was killed while working on a large conveyor belt system that was to be moved – he was struck in the head by a large wheel – he worked as a crushing operator)

LOTO??? One Person Hurt Following Accident At Oscar Mayer (a worker was hospitalized after an industrial accident just before 7 a.m. – a mechanic suffered a head injury and was taken to a local hospital – officials said safety procedures weren’t being followed when the worker got caught between two pieces of equipment – he was able to get out and a nurse who works at the plant helped him until the ambulance arrived)

CRANE DROPS LOAD Crane failure drops 140-foot cylinder into water near BP Cherry Point refinery near Ferndale (a 140-foot long cylinder for a refinery was being unloaded from a barge when it fell in the water – one worker suffered a leg injury when a crane had a hydraulic failure – a recovery effort is under way – the 12-foot diameter vessel is made of stainless steel and weighs 475 tons and is worth several million dollars – the cylinder was left partially floating in shallow water off a beach about a mile south of the refinery)

DOCK FATALITY Teen worker killed in dock horror (a teenager, 19, has been killed after an accident at a dockyard where he worked – he suffered fatal chest injuries when a piece of metal machinery fell on him)

LOTO/GUARDING AMPUTATION Worker loses hand in machine mishap (a worker, 20, has lost his hand in an apparent industrial accident shortly after 9 p.m. – he somehow got his hand caught in a machine – details surrounding the incident have not been released – the worker was taken to the hospital, but crews were unable to save his hand)

RAILWAY WORK FATALITY South Korea railway accident: 5 workers killed (five railway workers were killed when a train ploughed into them as they worked on the tracks – the victims were working on a drain to prevent the tracks from freezing during winter when the train struck them – another worker was seriously injured while a seventh managed to avoid the oncoming train – the group allegedly entered a section of the track without informing the train control centre)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – ENGULFMENT Indian worker drowns in poultry feed mash (one worker died and three others had a narrow escape after they fell into slush at a poultry feed manufacturing unit which manufactures poultry feed from maize and other ingredients – there are three large above-ground silos, each 10 metres high, which can store nearly 350 tonnes of feed – when maize is ground and mixed with other ingredients, the mixture turns into a mash – when the motor of one of the silos malfunctioned, four workers went inside to investigate – the mash appeared to be hard enough to stand on – but when the quartet did, the mash suddenly gave way and they plunged in – other workers managed to pull two to safety – fire services personnel arrived and with the help of other workers managed to pull out the third but the fourth man could not be saved -after flushing out the mixture from the silo, the body was retrieved)

CRANE FATALITY Port Worker Killed in Crane Accident (a man died when he was caught beneath a crane while he was working at the Ship Channel at about 8:15 p.m. – the man’s legs were severed when the crane hit him)

MINE Hoist break traps Saskatchewan miners (an accident at a Uranium Mine made for a long shift for about 40 workers, but no one was in any danger – a hoist at the mine broke and the workers couldn’t get out for several hours – it was decided to keep the workers underground while the repairs were made rather than resort to emergency measures to bring them out)

FLASH FIRE Four people have been injured in western Kentucky, in a flash fire inside a plastics factory (the accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. – two of the workers injured were taken to a University Hospital and one to a University Medical Center – a fourth employee was admitted to intensive care and was in fair condition – it’s not known what caused the fire – the state fire marshal was en route to investigate)

BURNS Worker Badly Burned At Industrial Business In Brentwood (a worker at an industrial facility was badly burned at about 11 a.m. at a steel plant – the victim could be seen walking into an ambulance – he suffered burns to his back after his jacket caught fire – no word on the man’s name or condition)

FLASH FIRE Worker burned during flash fire (a worker, 32, sustained burns to his head, face, and hands during a flash fire shortly before 11:30 a.m. – EMS crews found the injured worker but did not find a working fire when they arrived – the worker suffered second and third degree burns to his head, face and hands – there were no burns to his mouth or nose and he never lost consciousness – he remained alert at the scene during his entire treatment and transport to the burn unit – it is still not known what caused the flash fire)

FORKLIFT FATALITY 3,000-pound oven falls from forklift, kills worker (a man has died after being crushed by a 3,000-pound tortilla oven being loaded onto a truck – it fell from a forklift – one of the three men attempting to load the oven was pinned under it when it fell)

STEEL MILL FATAL EXPLOSION Blast kills 7 in steel mill in Iran (seven workers died and at least a dozen others were injured when a melting furnace in a steel factory exploded – it appeared the factory had been melting down scrap metal that contained unexpended munitions)

REFINERY FIRE Fire at Pasadena Refining under investigation (two explosions were reported at a refinery – one worker was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries – the fire was located in the coker unit – a shelter-in-place was issued for area residents – the shelter-in-place lasted approximately 45 minutes – one worker was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries – all other workers were accounted for – a cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but is investigating it as a structure fire)

COMPRESSED AIR CYLINDER EXPLOSION Workers injured in blast at Kidderminster firm (a worker was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after an explosion at an engineering firm – three other men were hurt in the blast – a compressed air cylinder is believed to have exploded – the badly injured man, in his 40s, suffered multiple injuries to his arms and legs, including fractures, when the blast happened just before midday – the three others had minor injuries and were taken to a Hospital)

AMMONIA EXPLOSION Ammonia leak in Yuma (13 patients were transported and treated for ammonia exposure – one of the 13 patients was transported to a burn center due to his injuries – he is in stable condition and will remain at the burn center for three to four more weeks depending on his recovery progress – as far as what caused the explosion, official says the employee was installing an ammonia tank when it exploded)

EXPLOSION Explosion At Mesabi Nugget Plant (a worker, 42, at the plant was injured after an explosion in one of the plant’s buildings just after 11 a.m. – an explosion occurred in a building called the cooler, blowing out a part of the south wall – he was outside the building when the explosion happened, and was hit on the back of the head by a part of the wall – he suffered a blunt blow to the head and was transported to a Medical Center for treatment)

FATAL EXPLOSION 4 killed, 20 injured in dyeing unit blast (four persons were killed and 20 others sustained varying degrees of burn injuries, including three in critical condition, when a boiler exploded at a dyeing factory – about 60 workers were employed in the ill-fated dyeing unit which was sealed by the district administration soon after the incident)

SPILL Man overcome by fumes in spill (a worker, 35, has been taken to a hospital with breathing difficulties when he was overcome by sodium sulphide fumes following a spill at a business at about 11.50am – Fire Service personnel in breathing aparatus retrieved the injured man, decontaminated him and cleaned up the spill – he was taken to a Hospital with breathing difficulties)

CHEMICAL Worker in Salisbury exposed to harmful chemical (a worker was exposed to a harmful chemical at about 10:20 a.m.- he was exposed to ethanol fumes and was transported to a regional Medical Center – no other workers were exposed to the fumes)

REFINERY FIRE ConocoPhillips Reports Coke Drum Fire At Illinois Refinery (a process unit upset and coke drum fire occurred at a refinery at around 8:40 a.m. and was on-going at the time of the filing, about 30 minutes later – on-site emergency response personnel were managing the fire)

GAS LEAK @ REFINERY Firefighters contain Mobil gas leak (fire crews took 11 hours to contain a gas leak at a refinery – about 30 firefighters arrived at the refinery just before 2am after a product, containing propane and butane, leaked – the leak occurred when the product became over-pressurized, causing it to backfill into a tank not designed to hold it – the cap on the tank blew off, spurting the gases into the air – crews dispersed the vapours with water jets and set up an exclusion zone around the leak – they monitored the surrounding area to ensure it was safe and then diverted the gases into another vessel – the brigade said the remaining gas in the tank would be flared off over several hours and it no longer posed a threat)

AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE Firefighters contain chemical leak in Tenn (a leaky valve connecting two ammonia tanks at a wood-preservation plant brought more than 20 firefighters after neighbors complained of breathing difficulties – there were no injuries, and those who had noticed the ammonia odor at about 6:10 p.m. were monitored for blood pressure, heart rate and other vital signs – no one required treatment – the leak was not significant enough to evacuate either the plant or any surrounding areas – the chemical leak involved ammonia hydroxide)

Construction

CRANE into POWERLINES Crane Accident Injures Worker (a crane operator is recovering, after an accident – the man was using the crane to unload concrete culverts when the crane’s arm bent backwards – the momentum shift caused crane to tip onto its side, and its cables came to rest on nearby utility lines – as the crane was tipping over the operator jumped to the ground, which caused an injury to either his ankle or foot – he was taken to a local hospital for treatment)

AUGER Worker injured outside Davenport home (a man was injured while using an auger to bore holes in a yard – the incident occurred at 11:25 a.m. outside a private residence – the man was operating an auger on the back of a tractor when the accident occurred)

ELECTROCUTION 1 dead, 6 hurt in Valenzuela construction site accident (one worker, 23, died and six others were hurt after a metallic round bar they were trying to attach to a wooden structure in a construction site hit a high-voltage transmission wire – the contact between the high-voltage wire and the metallic bar sent electric shocks to six workers who were holding the bar – upon seeing this, the deceased worker rushed to help another worker, the person nearest him, but he was electrocuted in the process – fellow construction workers managed to take the victims to the hospital, but one was declared dead on arrival)

FATAL HOTWORK in TUNNEL Toxic fumes kill 6 workers in SW China tunnel (six workers suffocated to death in a smoking railway tunnel under construction at 12:30 am after welders inadvertently ignited rubber materials, unleashing toxic fumes into the tunnel – two workers died at the scene, and another four perished in the hospital)

FALL from ROOF One person injured in construction accident (a man is in the hospital after falling off the roof at a construction site – he fell about 12 feet through an opening – workers used a rescue basket and forklift to get him to the ground – a helicopter eventually flew him to a hospital)

CRUSHED BY JERSEY BARRIER Highway worker crushed (a contractor was crushed by a four-tonne slab of concrete on the same section of Hwy where another worker was badly injured this year – the injured road worker was flown to a Hospital for immediate surgery on his limbs, crushed by steel reinforced concrete that fell on him while workers were unloading it from the back of a truck – the accident happened less than 50m from where a contract driver of a runaway water tanker was pinned under a wheel in August – it is believed a large slab of reinforced concrete fell on the man when it was unloaded from a truck – one of the blocks toppled over as it was placed on the ground)

UNLOADING MANLIFT FATALITY Worker dies in heavy-equipment accident (a worker, 59, was killed after the piece of equipment he was unloading off of a flatbed trailer fell off – the worker was driving the piece of heavy equipment off a flatbed truck at about 11:30 a.m. when one of the wheels came off the side of the truck – the man, who was in the basket part of the equipment used to hoist construction workers into the air, hit his head after being hurled to the ground – he died at the scene)

CRANE Faulty Crane Gets Blame For Collapse in N. Jakarta (negligence is to blame for the collapse of a bridge – five concrete girders comprising a section of the bridge toppled over as a sixth was being put into place by crane – the cause of the collapse seemed to be a problem with the crane’s setup – one of the crane’s bearings was not in compliance with the original specifications which contributed to the concrete beams falling – police believed the crane was wobbling because of the unstable bearings, causing the sixth concrete beam to crash into the other beams that were already in place – it is believed the crane’s swaying set off a domino effect, causing the five 30-meter-long concrete beams to come crashing down from their 10-meter-high support pylons)

workplace Violence

MTA worker stabbed by another transit employee during  spat in Bronx subway station (worker, 41, pulled a blade during a work-related argument with his colleague just outside the Allerton Ave. stop for the 2 and 5 train lines about 8 a.m. – the two men, both track supervisors, were flagging traffic under the elevated tracks where construction work was being done – the fight started after one of them, an ex-con who records show did two stints in prison for robbery and grand larceny about 20 years ago, showed up late for the job – the two men, both wearing orange work vests, began to tussle near the intersection, and one stabbed the other, 59, in the stomach with the knife during the spat)

MIscellaneouS

PFAS SAVES ANOTHER!!! Worker Rescued After Dangling From Gramercy High-Rise (a worker dangled from scaffolding eight stories above the ground – firefighters rescued a worker who was dangling eight stories above Second Avenue – for 30 minutes, the worker was suspended by a canvas and leather rope attached to a latch on his safety harness – a co-worker attempted to rescue the man before the Fire Department arrived on the scene just after 1:00 p.m.)

ELEVATOR FATALITY @ UNIVERSITY University worker dies after she climbed out of a stuck elevator and was crushed by the 2,000 lb lift (a University worker, 48, was killed after being crushed to death after climbing out of a an elevator that got stuck between floors – she was halfway out of the elevator when it suddenly began to move and suffered crush injuries – fire crews summoned to an administrative building were able to lift the 2,000 elevator off her – they administered first aid at the scene, but she died later at hospital – unconfirmed reports claim that she had alerted others that she was trapped but allegedly attempted to get out of the elevator car herself before Fire officials were on scene)

AMPUTATION with AUGER Woman loses her leg in farm accident (a young farm worker, 24, is lucky to be alive after getting sucked into an auger – she was cleaning corn out of the bottom of a grain cart around 3:30 p.m. and got pulled into the cart auger by her right leg and part of her right arm – a hunter happening by noticed an issue with the power take off of the tractor and came to investigate – when he saw her lodged in the auger, he turned the machine off and dialed 911 – first responders spent an hour and a half freeing her from the machinery – her right leg was severed above the knee)

Worker At Dry Cleaners Badly Burned (a worker at a Dry Cleaning was badly burned in an accident – her arm and shoulder got trapped in a dry cleaning press – operator error caused the accident – she is being treated at a hospital)