30 incidents & 0 updates (1/31/12)

since 2006

since 2007

since 2012

2012 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

FALL Worker flown to Iowa City hospital after fall (a construction worker who was injured in a fall has been flown to a hospital – emergency workers were called to an Ag Service business around 4:45 p.m. – the man had fallen on his head and was flown to a Hospital)

RAILCAR FATALITY U.S. Steel worker killed at plant (a worker, 55, was killed by blunt force trauma in steel rail accident – he died after becoming wedged between two rail cars and was pronounced dead at the scene)

AIRPORT TARMAC FATALITY Airline Worker Dies When Baggage Cart Hits Shuttle (an airlines employee has died from injuries in a crash between a baggage cart and a passenger shuttle – the employee was flown to a hospital after the morning crash and died overnight – none of the passengers aboard the shuttle was injured)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – ONE ENTRANT and TWO WOULD-BE RESCUERS 3 killed by poisonous gas in clogged tank repair in Zijin Copper plant (three workers were killed by poisonous gas as they were repairing a clogged chemical tank in a copper smelting plant – the accident occurred when a chemical tank in the plant became clogged – one worker entered the tank to remove the blockage but suddenly passed out – his three co-workers tried to rescue him but also lost consciousness – the four were rushed to a hospital immediately but three of them were pronounced dead – one was out of danger after emergency treatment)

SKID LOADER FATALITY  MSHA Probes Death of Western Maryland Quarry Worker ( a worker, 69, died after an accident at a cement plant – he was operating a skid steer loader in a shallow stream – he was trapped when the machine ran into a large hole filled with water and became submerged – workers found him unconscious with no pulse after they used another piece of equipment to pull his machine from the hole)

SAND BLASTING FATALITY  Worker killed in Pascagoula shipyard accident (a worker, 66, died in an industrial accident of blunt force trauma to the upper body at about 11 a.m. – the accident involved sandblasting equipment – worker was a full-time employee who worked as a sandblast helper)

STEEL PLANT EXPLOSION  11 Injured In Steel Factory Explosion (eleven workers sustained various degrees of injury in what some of the victims termed as an explosion – two of the victims are currently receiving treatment at a Hospital where they were rushed to shortly after the explosion – another victim was later referred to a Hospital after it was detected that medics at the initial health facility could not treat him – eight workers of the company, who reportedly sustained minor injuries in the explosion, were said to have been treated at the emergency unit of a hospital and discharged – the victims were part of a ‘night shift’ that had arrived at the factory around 6:00pm – they worked for close to about three and half hours before the incident)

CRANE FATALITY  Man killed in work accident (a worker, 22, was killed instantly after he got trapped be tween a mobile crane and a parked truck – he and another worker, 45, both worked at a fruit packing company and were trying to move the crane out of the car park at the time of the incident – the worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead from multiple injuries)

LOTO AMPUTATION @ FOOD PLANT  Worker loses portion of finger (a worker, 38, lost part of one of her fingers in an industrial accident just after 6:30 p.m. – she was cleaning machinery and severed her right middle finger just below the fingernail – she was transported to a Hospital for treatment)

OIL RIG FATALITY One killed at Texas wellsite (one worker has died in an accident during drilling operations at a well site – the deceased was an employee of a third party – no details)

MINE BULLDOZER  Man critically injured after bulldozer rolls down gravel pit (a construction worker, 50 was hospitalized with critical injuries after the bulldozer he was operating rolled down a gravel pit embankment a little after 11 a.m. at a gravel pit – he was working on one of the bulldozers and actually got too close to the edge somehow and went down – he fell about 40 feet -the bulldozer rolled, it ejected him and some of the equipment landed on top of him – he was transported to a Hospital by air and was listed in critical condition)

MINE FATALITY  Worker killed in accident at mine (company has temporarily suspended operations at five mines after the death of a miner – the 47-year-old miner was working alone in a new development area, on mechanized equipment used for blasting – the fatality involved loose or displaced material from a development heading, but the exact circumstances of the accident are still under investigation – the miner was brought to the surface and pronounced dead by medical authorities)

Worker killed in Northern California logging accident (a logger, 54, was killed in an apparent logging accident – he was found dead between two logs around 2:30 p.m. – it appears he was killed when a felled log rolled onto him)

BURNS Worker burned in mishap (an electrical contractor, in his 20’s, remained in the hospital in stable condition after sustaining second-degree burns in a workplace accident shortly before 10 a.m. – he was injured while working on a machine near the roof – he was transported to a hospital with minor injuries after a “shower of metal” fell on him – there was an explosion and the victim suffered second-degree burns to his shoulders and possibly legs)

FORKLIFT and CO  13 injured in carbon monoxide accident (a faulty propane tank likely caused carbon monoxide fumes that sent 13 workers to the hospital – a report that at least one worker had passed out – EMTs determined that there were several people who may have been overcome by carbon monoxide fumes in one of the buildings – the company says the faulty tank was used to fuel a forklift – nine of the victims were treated and released – the rest were transferred to other facilities) PLEASE NOTE:  a “faulty propane tank” does NOT cause a CO issue!!!  Operating a propane forklift in an area with poor ventilation DOES cause a CO issue!

ARC FLASH  Two burned in Sacul biomass plant accident (two construction workers are being treated for serious injuries following an accident at the biomass plant – the two patients are in critical condition and they will be taken by ambulance to a burn unit – the workers were working on a 444-volt electrical panel when it arced – an on-site safety crew did emergency treatment until an ambulance arrived)

FATAL FALL into COAL BUNKER  Docks worker dies after fall into ship’s hull (a worker has died after he fell into the hull of a boat while shovelling coal at about 1.30pm – it is understood he fell into the hull and then became trapped under falling coal – his work colleagues fought to try to free him)

ELECTRICAL BURNS in BUCKET TRUCK Power Worker Badly Burned on Hunter Mill (a contractor was burned over 50 percent of his body during a mishap – he was working in the bucket of a cherry-picker unit when it was reported to them at 4:49 p.m. he appeared to be passed out – the man, who was doing pro-active reliability work on circuits, suffered flash burns and was flown by helicopter to a burn unit)

Machine crushes Con Mech worker (a worker was crushed by an eight-tonne machine which trapped him from the waist down – the man suffered multiple broken bones after the machine moved along a railway track and wedged him against a static piece of equipment – firefighters had to use specialist hydraulic lifting equipment to remove the huge machine from the tracks and release the man, who was trapped from the waist down – the piece of machinery measured around 5m by 3m and weighed between seven to eight tonnes)

ELECTRICAL w/ AED SAVING A LIFE  Worker ‘shocked’ while servicing power line (a man, 40, was critically injured when he was shocked while working on high voltage power lines – crews had difficulty getting to the remote location with no maintained road system – worker had been treated by fellow workers using an Automated External Defibrillator they carried with them – their quick actions kept the victim alive until advanced emergency medical care arrived at the scene – the victim was air-lifted to a Burn Center with life-threatening injuries – workers told fire crews that the power to the high-voltage lines had been disconnected, but that the lines may have been back-fed from another source that was not disconnected)

HOTWORK  Welding work sparks explosion, fire in Hyannis (welding work and a gas leak sparked an explosion at an automobile recycling business at about 11:30 a.m. – an old camper that was being cut apart caught fire as a welder was working on it – the blaze started with a loud explosion and a large plume of black smoke – nobody was injured in the fire – the explosion turned out to be a tire)

Construction

TRENCH FATALITY Worker buried alive in construction accident (a carpenter, 39, was killed when a retaining wall collapsed on him at a construction site – he was doing work next to an unsupported 13-foot retaining wall, which was described as a “wall of dirt,” when a portion of it sheared off and collapsed onto him, burying him – rescuers were unable to save him and he died – the area was deemed unstable, and a rescue team wasn’t able to remove his body until 9 p.m.)

FLOOR COLLAPSE during CONCRETE POUR Worker injured after floor collapses (at least one worker was injured when a floor collapsed at a casino construction site remained in serious condition – more than a dozen workers were hurt at the site where they were pouring a section of concrete floor)

FATAL FALL  Worker killed in Mequon construction accident (a man, 27, doing carpentry work was killed in a construction accident shortly after 2:40 p.m. – he fell from the upper portion of a structure that was being built at the location)

EXCAVATION  Water Bureau worker severs SE PDX gas line (a gas leak forced the evacuation of some homes – a feeder line to a house was cut around 10 a.m. – electrical power was shut off to surrounding homes to prevent a spark that could have ignited gas that seeped into the houses – fire crews on-scene used a jackhammer to get at the leak)

FALL into CONFINED SPACE  Construction Worker Hurt After Fall at Bronx Water Treatment Plant (a construction worker was injured in a fall at a water treatment plant – he suffered serious injuries – he fell roughly 18 feet into a “confined space” about 9 a.m. – the contractor appeared to have injured his leg)

SCAFFOLDING  Child struck by scaffold plank (a 4-year-old New York girl suffered minor injuries when she was struck by a scaffold board that fell during a scaffold dismantling – workers were removing scaffolding when a 75-pound piece of wood planking fell from less than 10-feet and hit the girl – she walked away with minor cuts and bruises but no serious injuries – the girl’s mother was taking her daughter to school at 8 a.m. when the accident occurred)

MIscellaneouS

EXPLOSION in LAB  Employee injured in small explosion UW-Madison lab (an explosion in a chemistry lab injured a worker at a University – the worker was in stable condition and is expected to released later in the day – the lab was emptied, but authorities said they did not need to evacuate the building)

LANDSCAPE  Landscaping Worker Injured in Fall (a road maintenance crew worker was injured when his riding mower overturned on a steep embankment – the worker was part of a landscape crew – he fell from the riding mower and tumbled about 15 feet, injuring his head)