29 Incidents & 2 updates (1/3/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

LOADING DOCK FATALITY Man killed at loading dock (the manager, 40, of an auto parts store was crushed to death by an 18-wheeler when the driver backed up the truck to make a delivery – he died at a Medical Center just before 9:30 a.m., about an hour after the accident occurred – the driver of the truck, 59, told police that he had waited overnight to unload the truck parts he was delivering and the manager was the first to show up to help him – the two cut the seal on the tailgate doors and the driver walked to the front of the truck and got behind the wheel – driver saw the manager moving trash and thought he was out of the way when he began backing the semi to the loading dock – but when he pulled the truck forward to straighten out his trailer, he saw the manager fall to the ground)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Fall off roof claims life of worker (a man was killed after falling from the roof of a business – he fell about 30 feet off the roof around 9:30 a.m.- he was on the roof showing workers from a roofing company some leaks when he fell off – he fell on his head and died instantly)

FORKLIFT Arlington mill worker flown to hospital after accident (a mill worker was flown by helicopter to a Medical Center after an industrial accident – firefighters were called around 10 a.m. – they treated the man, 60, who apparently had been run over by a forklift – he apparently suffered broken bones and possible internal injuries)

UPDATE – HARD HAT SAVES ANOTHER LIVE Safety helmet saves worker from potentially fatal injury (a maintenance fitter at a steel plant could have been killed when part of a 300kg roller-shutter door fell on him – but his safety helmet took the brunt of the blow – the protective headgear worn by the worker, 51, was split by the impact of the warehouse door, which he and colleague, 59, had been sent to repair – the door had been hit by a forklift truck, causing it to become stuck – the men were removing nuts from the door’s supporting pillar when it became loose and collapsed – both the workers suffered badly broken legs, and one also sustained cuts to his head and shoulder, after part of the falling structure struck him)

MINE One hurt in Boone County mine accident (one person was hurt in an accident at a coal mine about 8:40 a.m. – a male worker injured his arm on a belt at the Mine – dispatcher did not know how badly the miner was hurt)

RAIL WORK FATALITY Construction worker died after hit by train (a man has died after being hit by a rail mounted vehicle on the rail line near the entrance to a tunnel at about 9pm – it is believed that the vehicle was being taken off the tracks when it’s brakes failed to engage and it rolled down an incline and struck the contractor who was using equipment further down the tracks – he died at the scene from his injuries)

FATAL FALL Rig Hand Killed off Brazil, Two Others Injured (a worker died and two were slightly injured in an accident on an oil rig – the workers fell onto the rig’s deck while they were boarding the rig from a boat that had brought them to the site)

STEEL MILL Two workers hurt at U.S. Steel plant (two employees were hurt, one seriously, in an accident with remote-controlled locomotives moving an iron sub ladle – one of the workers was brought to the hospital; the other was treated at the scene – no other details provided)

MINE FATALITIES Five die in Vietnam gold mine accident–official (four miners and a rescue worker died after apparently inhaling toxic fumes at an illegal gold mine – the deaths occurred when some 10 miners were working at the site)

FATAL FALL down ELEVATOR SHAFT Hotel worker falls down elevator shaft, dies (a worker, 65, plunged to her death in an elevator shaft at the Hotel – she had just finished her shift as a housekeeper when she entered the service elevator of the historic hotel – the doors may have opened, but the car was nowhere in sight – she fell several floors to her death – state records show all the elevators passed inspection a year ago, with only an emergency light having to be fixed in one of the units)

CHEMICAL REACTION Chemical accident sends nine to hospital (nine people were taken to hospital after a chemical accident at the farm equipment plant – the incident happened after workers at the plant poured an unknown chemical into a barrel of water around 9 a.m. – the chemical reacted with the water, creating vapours that were inhaled by some of the workers. – the workers were taken to hospital as a precaution – no serious injuries were reported – the plant was shut down for a short time while firefighters worked to contain the chemical)

LOTO  WORKER CRUSHED IN LEMON GROVE EDCO PLANT (a worker, 57, cleaning a packing machine at a disposal plant was crushed and injured severely when the machine accidentally started up – he may have been in the machine for 10 to 15 minutes before anyone realized he was inside – he was breathing when found, but had no update on his condition)

ELECTROCUTION  Worker electrocuted (a man was electrocuted, 31, and two others sustained injuries when a heavy machine which was using came into contact with an high-voltage electrical wire – the men were attached to a firm which had undertaken a contract to put up telecommunication cables)

FATAL EXPLOSION  Four killed in Turkish ammunition facility blast (an explosion at a military ammunitions disposal facility has killed four workers – the blast caused a large fire in the military-owned four-story building – authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion)

SILANE EXPLOSION  Chemical explosion causes minor damage at Lexington facility (a chemical explosion caused minor damage inside a facility – no one was injured in the blast, which occurred just before 1 p.m. inside the building – the explosion was caused by gas that leaked from a storage tank into ventilation ducts in the ceiling – the tank was filled with silane gas, which can become flammable when it comes in contact with air – workers were replacing the tank before the blast – one worker was in the area when the chemical exploded, but was not injured – damage was contained to the ventilation ducts, and the fire did not spread through the building)

HOTWORK Nuclear submarine damaged, but reactors safe (a Russian nuclear submarine was badly damaged in a shipyard fire, but its two reactors are safe and there has been no radiation leak – the fire broke out during welding repairs on the submarine in a dry dock shipyard – from burning wooden scaffolding the blaze spread to the rubberized coating in the nose section – seven seamen and two firemen were hospitalized with smoke poisoning)

HOTWORK Fire at Modernistic in Plainwell caused by sparking tool  (a fire was likely caused by a spark from equipment being used to remove equipment from a service vehicle – a mechanic at the location was using a cutting torch to remove equipment from a service van inside a vehicle storage area when a spark ignited into flames – the fire was extinguished)

UPDATE AMMONIA EXPLOSION Victim of Ammonia Leak Returns to Yuma (it’s been nearly four weeks since the Ammonia blast at a Yuma cooling plant put 13 people in the hospital for various degrees of exposure to Ammonia – one man, 50, was so severely burned he was taken to a hospital for treatment at its burn center – the man is finally well enough to return – he was treated for 3rd-degree-burns among other diagnoses)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Edmonton man dies in forklift accident (a worker, 63, was killed in an industrial accident involving a forklift – he became caught between the moving parts of the machine)

Construction

OVERLOADED SCAFFOLD COLLAPSE FATALITY Scaffolding collapsed due to overload (an overload on the scaffolding was the reason for a tragedy that led to the death of two workers – the crane that loads the scaffolding overwhelmed it with construction material, adding a much heavier load than it can carry – this led to the platform’s collapse and it plunged from the eighth floor level into an elevator shaft that went all the way down to the fifth basement level – both workers, 27 and 28, died instantly and a third was not with them on the scaffolding but he fainted when he saw their bodies and was released today from the hospital)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION Demolition worker injured during fuel tank explosion (workers were using a blow torch to cut through a steel fuel tank, and the flames ignited vapors within it – two workers were salvaging a 10,000-gallon tank for scrap metal – it was empty of fuel, but did contain residual vapors – the men were using a blow torch to cut through the steel tank, and the flames ignited vapors within it)

SMALL LOADER FALLS THRU FLOOR Man, machine fall through floor at Sanford mill (a construction worker, 29, was operating a small loader when it fell through the first floor into the basement – he escaped serious injury – he and the machine fell about 18 feet through the floor of the mill building, which is being redeveloped – after the accident, he was walking around in some pain but had no apparent serious injuries)

FALL from SCAFFOLDING Construction Worker Suffers Head Injury After Fall From Scaffolding (a construction worker, 44, was injured after falling off a scaffolding – worker was in an “altered mind state” when emergency responders got to the scene – he appeared to misstep and fall head first to the ground where he struck his head on a cement column and concrete walkway at about 10:44 a.m. – there was no safety equipment on him or in the immediate vicinity at the time of the accident)

SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE 7 construction workers hurt as platform collapses in SM GenSan (seven construction workers sustained varying degrees of injuries when the platform they were using collapsed – the victims were installing insulators on the ceiling of the third floor when the accident occurred – the workers smashed onto the concrete floor because they had no safety belts on – six of the seven workers had only suffered minor injuries)

MIscellaneouS

TRACTOR FATALITY Tractor rollover kills local farmer (a farm worker, 59, was killed when the tractor he was riding on flipped over in a ditch around 4:30 – he was crushed by the tractor and suffered severe trauma to his abdominal area)

GUARDING FATALITY of PTO Man dies in SD haying accident (a man, 31, working as a hired hand on a haying operation died after becoming entangled in a piece of equipment – he was pronounced dead at the scene about 3 p.m. – workers were converting round hay bales into square bales when his clothing got caught in a power takeoff shaft – it was his first day on the job)

ELECTRICAL BURNS Two MassDOT employees injured while working in Waltham (two DOT employees are recovering after sustaining injuries while working on a highway bridge – the two employees sustained burns while working – preliminary reports suggest the workers struck electrical wires which caused a fire – one employee, who is a 13 year veteran, was treated and released – another employee has been with DOT for just over two years and is expected to stay at a Hospital for a few days with more serious burns)

EXPLOSION Two Men Injured in New York Cesspool Explosion (a cesspool exploded in the front yard of a home, seriously injuring two men with burns to their faces – the homeowner was in his front yard with a private cesspool company worker about 6:20 p.m. trying to pry open a cement cesspool cover with a metal bar when it happened – the explosion caused a crater type effect in the ground several feet high and wide – there was no fire after the explosion – the two injured men were taken to a Medical Center by ambulances – a second cesspool worker was not hurt – both men sustained serious burns to their faces, but were in stable condition , undergoing treatment in the hospital’s emergency room)

FIREWORKS Disney worker avoided burns in fireworks incident (an employee quickly moved away from fireworks when he heard a suspicious noise before it exploded, avoiding any burns – the park canceled the nightly fireworks display for the seventh time in the past eight nights – it began halting the shows after an employee was taken to the hospital for a possible ear injury on Dec. 22)

HOTWORK 12 vehicles gutted in fire (twelve vehicles, including nine private buses were gutted after a major fire which broke out at a garage – the fire broke out when the garage workers were welding a seat – sparks from the welding machine fell on the seats and they caught fire – workers ran out of the bus and before they could try to douse the fire, it spread to the entire bus and later to vehicles that were parked in the vicinity)