45 incidents & 1 update (12/28/11)

2011 Fatality Tracker

STORY of INTEREST

SF judge orders trial in pregnant worker’s death (a judge has ordered the owner and a manager of a printing company to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter in the death of a pregnant worker crushed by a machine – worker was four months pregnant when she leaned into a box creasing and cutting machine in January 2008 – machine slammed shut, and she was killed – prosecutors say she was not properly trained and the company violated worker safety laws – if convicted, each could face up to four years in jail and up to $250,000 in fines)

Industrial

FALL Oil worker suffers head injury in fall from rig floor (an oil worker in his 50s is recovering in a hospital after suffering a serious head injury on a rig – two rig workers were measuring a drill rod around 5 a.m. while they were on the rig floor – one of the workers was crouched down and the second man was standing behind him – when the man who was crouching stood up, he realized his partner was no longer standing behind him – the worker was found unconscious at the bottom of a ramp below the rig floor – he suffered head injuries and was taken by air ambulance to a Hospital)

MINE FIRE 3 Miners Rescued From Tenn. Mine After Fire (a fire broke out inside a zinc mine, trapping three miners inside for about three hours before they were rescued – two other miners below ground were injured by smoke inhalation – the three miners were trapped by smoke and needed respirators before they could leave the mine – a rescue team helped the miners and they appeared unharmed, though they are being taken to a hospital – there were 54 miners underground when the fire started on a drill rig about 800 feet below the ground – the three men were able to make it to a safe room about a mile underground – about an hour after the fire ignited around 1:10 p.m. EST, they were able to make contact with people on the surface of the mine – it was not clear yet how the fire started)

Longshore worker injured when struck by container (a longshoreman was slightly injured when a container hit him – paramedics took the worker to a Medical Center for treatment of mild to moderate injuries to his lower right leg)

FATALITY No Foul Play In Portage Worker’s Death (an industrial accident killed a glass company worker, 55, on the job Christmas Day – he was disposing of large sheets of glass in an outdoor yard when the glass fell on him – an autopsy revealed he died as a result of multiple internal injuries – workers found the man after he didn’t return from a scheduled break – he was a 16-year veteran at the plant, was doing a task he’d done “hundreds of times before” when he died)

GUARDING FATALITY Worker dies in Utensil Factory at Kulgam (a worker, 27, died after he got stuck in rotation shaft in a Utensil factory – he sustained serious wounds when his clothes got stuck in the rotation shaft of the machine in the factory –  he was shifted to a Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds)

TOWER ELECTROCUTION Tower worker dies in Bonita Springs, Florida (an engineering contractor, 61, died at a level as high as 750 feet – his grandson was also working at the tower, and it was he who called in the report of a problem just before 5 pm)

FIRE Fire at Chesapeake recycling plant ruled accidental (firefighters have determined what caused a fire at a recycling plant around 7:30 a.m. – they arrived to find smoke pouring from a warehouse there and determined that bales of newspaper were slowly burning – the fire was apparently caused when hot exhaust from heavy equipment accidentally ignited combustible material inside the warehouse – no one was hurt)

FATAL FALL Worker killed in quarry accident (a worker, 25, was killed after he slipped and fell about 30 metres at a Quarry – he died of his injuries while receiving treatment at a Hospital – he was helping to operate an excavator drill when the tragedy occurred – he was in the excavator’s cabin when the tragedy  happened – he managed to grab on to a ledge, but it collapsed as the soil was wet and muddy at the time)

GAS LEAK Eight Die in E China Factory Gas Leak (the death toll from a gas leak has climbed to eight after six more workers died – the accident occurred at a wire factory around 9:10 a.m. when gas leaked from a malfunctioning stove and intoxicated 25 workers at the site – another 21 workers who did not feel very well also went to hospital – as of 8 p.m., one worker was in critical condition while the others were in stable condition)

MINE FATALITY 11 killed in Afghan coal mine accident (eleven miners were killed when a coal mine collapsed around 6 am – the bodies were retrieved but a search was on to find out if any worker was still trapped inside)

MINE FATALITY SA mine worker dies in industrial accident (a worker, 40, at a mine has died in hospital after suffering serious burns while operating an excavator – it was believed the man was operating an excavator at the time he suffered burns – no other data)

ELECTRICAL FATALITY Forestry worker dies after truck touches overhead power cable (a forestry worker, 65, was killed when his vehicle burst into flames after it touched an overhead power cable – he was declared dead at the scene of the tragedy – emergency services found his badly damaged tree harvesting truck on fire – he was found dead inside – the tree harvester had come into contact with an overhead power line)

MARBLE SLAB FATALITY Worker in Tempe killed by granite slab (a worker has been killed after being crushed by a slab of granite that fell on top of him about 3 p.m. – the man was working with large slabs of stone when one fell on top of him)

LOTO/GUARDING w/ PALLETIZER Man hurt in Selah industrial accident expected to survive (a man, 56, was injured in a heavy-machinery accident involving a palletizer – it’s unclear just what happened – there were no eyewitnesses – co-workers heard the man screaming – a couple of co-workers used a forklift to lift the palletizer up to free the gentleman)

ELECTRICAL Electricity burn victim improves (an electrician, 39, was seriously burned in an accident – he was listed in fair condition – he sustained burns to an arm, a leg and his side – accident remains under investigation – a second electrician, 34, suffered minor injuries in the accident)

CAUSTIC Two Alcoa employees burned at job site (two employees were transported to hospitals after suffering burns on the job – the workers suffered chemical burns from a caustic release from a small drain valve about 11 a.m. in the company’s clarification process area – although both workers were taken to a Medical Center after the burns, one was later transferred to an Army Medical Center for treatment – the other employee was discharged)

PONTOON EXPLODES 3 hurt in shipyard blast (three workers at a ship maker were injured, one of them seriously, when an air float used to maneuver a newly constructed tugboat from the shipyard exploded – the seriously injured worker, 26, lost consciousness after the float burst while he and his colleagues were preparing to guide the tugboat to the river at 6am – the  other workers, both in their 20s, were given outpatient treatment at the same hospital – he sustained injuries to the legs and arms)

HOTWORK TANK EXPLOSION  Men welding on tank escape injury when it explodes an explosion rocked a Salvage business, seconds after two employees started using an acetylene torch to cut up an oil field drip tank for salvage – the tank blew its welded-on top several yards in one direction and moved several yards in another direction – an individual cut about two inches into the metal when the top blew off – welders hadn’t purged the tank of vapors, by filling it with water, before cutting into it – internal vapors exploded the tank within seconds of when the welder began cutting it with a torch – firefighters had to use foam to cool the hot tank, since it initially didn’t react well to water)

PROPANE TANK EXPLODES Propane tank explodes at Leprino plant (a propane tank exploded at a food plant – no injuries or structural damage were reported – the blast was reported to police around 7:30 a.m. – Fire Department was working to determine the cause of the explosion – the plant processes more than 7 million pounds of milk and produces more than 700,000 pounds of cheese each day in the portion of the building that is complete, about 500,000 square feet)

Major disaster averted at IOC LPG bottling plant (a major disaster was averted as a fire broke out inside the premises of a LPG bottling plant – due to alertness of of the plant security staff, the fire was controlled in time – the fire broke out because of some electrical sparking from a private construction site close to the plant – under the impact of the spark, the nearby grass and bushes caught fire which gradually spread to the buffer zone of the plant – the fire was controlled within 10 minutes and there was no damage)

Fire at pellet plant (fire broke out for the second time this year at a wood pellet plant – no one was injured in the blaze, which ignited in a conveyor system that runs outside the building – it is difficult to tell exactly what sparked it – when fire crews arrived, smoke and sparks were flying into the main building from the conveyor system and open flames were burning in a few places – the crew cooled things down before turning on the conveyor system’s internal sprinklers—a high-volume “deluge” system with faucets that spray like a fire hose)

Fire breaks out at Verwood chemicals plant (following reports of a small explosion and fire at a chemical cleaning plant – the fire was extinguished and firefighters using breathing apparatus and chemical protection equipment inspected the site for leaks – no reports of any injuries)

Fire shuts down production at Crownline plant (a small fire at a boat plant has shut down production until January – the cause of the fire is unknown – the fire started in two places in the ventilation system but was extinguished by employees before the fire department arrived – the plant had to be shut down until 4 a.m. while firefighters ventilated the building)

Cause of mill fire unknown (there was a fire in the dry molasses bin – workers had been working on trying to clean it out – don’t know how the fire started, but they found the fire in it and were trying to put it out themselves and called the FD – when fire personnel arrived on scene they had heavy smoke coming out of the top of the silo and then at the bottom of the silo, we had a considerable amount of fire in that bin itself)

AMMONIA Faulty valve cause of ammonia leak at factory (an ammonia leak from an ice-making factory in an industrial park was triggered by a faulty valve – the leak was not very serious – the factory operator had been ordered to submit a full report on the incident and take steps to ensure the problem did not recur – a team of DOE investigators were sent to the scene after people complained of a pungent smell wafting from the factory – the water-mixed ammonia that flowed into the public drain did not cause any serious damage as it was localised to the factory area – the ammonia leak killed all the fish in the drains and also burnt the grass in the surrounding area)

CHLORINE 3 fall sick after chlorine gas leak in S 24 PGS (three persons were taken ill following chlorine gas leak from arsenic-free water treatment plant – one of the three ailing persons had to be admitted to a Hospital as his condition was serious – two others were admitted to local health centre but discharged later)

CHLORINE Chlorine leak contained (a chlorine leak at a Wastewater Land Application Treatment Plant was contained before it left the building – a small amount of chlorine leaked from a tank delivered – a small amount of chlorine leaked from what is suspected to be a malfunctioning tank valve – the leak was discovered at around 6:15 a.m. by an automated system that also began an air-scrubbing process that converts the chlorine gas into liquid bleach for safe disposal)

EXPLOSION Propane explosion injures one in Spring Hill (a propane tank exploded – the fire occurred at a Propane Plant around 2:30 p.m. – at least one person received minor injuries – emergency crews evacuated homes near the plant as a precaution)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker Killed in Small Explosion at North Ga. Firm (a worker at a business was killed after a small explosion – a chemical solution caused the explosion – it was similar to what happens when gas builds up in a grill and then flames up when it is lit)

Construction

CRANE FATALITY Worker dies as pipe falls on him (a worker, 22, died after a heavy cement pipe fell on him at a construction site – the accident took place around 5:00pm when the worker along with other workers were lifting about 40-foot long cement pipes using cranes – a pipe slid and fell on him causing severe head injury – he was taken to a Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead)

TRENCH FATALITY Japanese contractor dies following construction accident at Kadena Air Base (a contractor, 42, at an Air Base was killed after a trench he was working in collapsed – the man and another worker were injured in the incident, and both were treated at the scene by air base emergency responders before being transported to a nearby hospital – one worker was pronounced dead at the hospital – the second man suffered only minor injuries)

CONCRETE POURING Worker injured after construction site accident in south (emergency teams rescued 16 laborers after the roof of a building under construction collapsed – one of the workers suffered minor injuries – workers had been pouring cement on the roof of the three-story mall when its roof caved in – fifteen workers were rescued from the rubble and one of the laborers suffered cuts and bruises)

WORKZONE FATALITY DOT worker injured in accident dies (a DOT worker, 21, injured when he was struck by a car on Dec. 14 has died of injuries sustained in the accident – he died Monday at 2:20 p.m. at the hospital – he was working as a flagman on U.S. 29 in Pike County on Dec. 14 when he was struck by a vehicle – the driver of the vehicle is 19)

WORKZONE Worker in critical condition after Tuesday accident (a man, 68, was seriously injured when a vehicle struck him from behind while he was doing road work – he was operating a grinder in a construction zone when he was struck from behind by a car – the driver accidentally drove over the traffic cones and into the construction zone around 9:20 a.m. – driver, 17, was driving southbound at 35 mph when he came upon the construction zone – traffic cones and signs directed southbound motorists into the left turn lane, around construction workers that were working at the intersection – his windshield fogged up and he was unable to see the roadway ahead of him – he continued to drive and went over the cones and into the construction site, hitting the worker – he suffered major injuries and was transported to a Hospital)

LOTO on DUMP TRUCK City worker’s death ruled an accident (an investigation found no equipment problems in the death of a City temporary worker – the worker, 23, died when he got caught between the cab and bed of a dump truck – it was his fifth year working with the City Parks and Recreation Department – city officials hired an outside firm to investigate bell’s death – their report says the truck was working properly and there were no problems that could have contributed to the incident)

EXCAVATOR FATALITY Worker killed by excavator at park identified (a foreman, 57, was killed in a heavy equipment accident while working on a creek restoration project – he began working for the family owned company when he was 15 – the victim was working on foot when an excavator’s operator apparently didn’t see him and backed over him)

Two walls fall on construction worker (a construction worker, 42, suffered multiple broken bones when he was unlucky enough to have two brick walls fall on him – he suffered a suspected collapsed lung and broke his pelvis, right leg, ribs and fingers in the building site accident – it took 30 minutes for paramedics and workers at the site to free the man, who was trapped under a pile of bricks – it appeared a domino effect had caused the brick walls to come crashing down – he was taken to a hospital in a serious condition)

FATAL FALL OSHA investigating after worker dies from fall (a construction worker, 36, died from a fall around 10:20 a.m. – he fell from the roof of a home in a subdivision – he was transported to an area hospital where he died from his injuries)

UPDATE on CRANE FATALITY Boom and crane assembly malfunction causes worker’s death (the mother of a deceased man has filed suit against the manufacturers of heavy machinery, alleging her son died after the machinery fell on top of him, crushing him – she claims her son was working on Sept. 21, 2011, and was attempting to construct a metal tower for a grain elevator – to construct the tower, he and his co-workers were using a truck with a mounted boom and crane assembly on the back – he and his co-employees attached one of the assembled legs of the base section of the tower to one or more straps which were then slung over the crane hook from the subject truck so that the section of the metal tower could be lifted into place – while one of decedent’s co-employees was engaged in operating the boom and crane assembly in an attempt to lift the section of the metal tower, the boom and crane assembly failed, causing the metal tower to shift and fall onto his head and body, crushing decedent and resulting in his death)

FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Man dies in fall at construction site (a construction worker, 42, succumbed to bodily injury after falling down from a scaffolding at a construction site – according to a colleague who was with him on the two-storey high scaffolding, the accident happened at around 4pm when the wooden foot support he was standing on suddenly broke, causing him to fall to the ground – at the time they were fixing the aluminum window frame)

MIscellaneouS

ELECTRICAL FATALITY w/ LADDER  Industrial Accident (a landscape worker, 18, died after receiving an electrical shock in an accident at 11.45 am – he was working as a landscaper when he received an electrical shock – he was rushed to hospital via ambulance, where he succumbed to his injuries)

FATAL FALL into SILO Tragedy as farm worker dies in Brockton silo accident (a teenage farm worker, 18, has died after apparently falling into a grain silo – emergency services were called to the farm shortly before 8.55pm but were unable to save the teenager)

Chemical Explosion At UO Bio Lab Burns Researcher (a University faculty member suffered burns on an arm and some cuts in a chemical explosion in a lab at a campus science building – the man was treated at a Medical Center – the explosion was confined to the work station where the man was handling chemicals – it broke glass but there was no substantial fire damage – building was evacuated for about an hour)