21 Incidents & 3 Updates (2/16/12)

since 2006

since 2007

since 2012

   since 2006

since 2010

2012 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

CHEMICAL REACTION One worker injured in chemical explosion at Mercer Milling in Clay (one man was taken to the hospital after a chemical reaction at the plant, which makes vitamin and trace mineral premixes for animal feed – he suffered a minor injury – he was taken by ambulance to a Hospital where he was treated and released – he has returned to work – a sulfur product was being mixed at the time of the reported blast)

UPDATE on CONVEYOR AMPUTATION OSHA cites Publix after Jacksonville employee loses hand (OSHA has cited a Supermarket with safety violations following an accident that cost an employee his hand – cited the chain with 16 violations with proposed penalties totaling $182,000 – the complaint was filed following a September accident in which a worker’s hand was amputated while cleaning conveyor equipment at the company’s distribution facility – the company is being cited as a repeat violator and has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program)

MINE FATALITY Worker died in Adamsville quarry accident (an investigation is underway into why a worker, 40, died in a quarry accident at about 4:30 p.m. – a preliminary report shows a rock apparently became dislodged, and fell onto machinery, in which he was operating)

MEAT PLANT FATALITY Meat worker killed on the job in WA (worker, 31, has been killed in an accident at a meat-processing site – she  was believed to have been working with machinery)

Man Hospitalized After Being Pinned Under Tractor (worker, 47, is recovering after being pinned under a tractor – employees said that they heard a loud noise and then found their co-worker pinned under a tractor – he was apparently repairing the tractor – both rear tires had been removed and the jack that was holding up the tractor collapsed, pinning the employee under the tractor – he was rescued and was taken to Shock Trauma and is in serious condition)

UPDATE Jeffboat Cited For 9 Safety Violations After Worker Fatality (OSHA has cited a facility for nine safety violations, including one willful violation, after a worker was fatally crushed on Aug. 19, when he became trapped between a malfunctioning transfer car and a barge – this fatality is the third at the barge manufacturing facility since May 2010, when two other workers were killed in separate incidents on different days – OSHA has conducted five inspections since that time, resulting in citations for 46 violations, including the nine from this most recent investigation)

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY WARNING! Image could be upsetting to some viewers Factory worker killed by moving machinery a worker, 32, was crushed to death by a hydraulic steel bending machine in a factory – he was working alone on the machine when the tragedy occurred around 6am – he was bending a steel rod at the time – he was found dead with his head and left hand stuck in the hydraulic steel bending machine – coworker immediately shut off the machine but by then, it was already too late – he had been working at the factory for more than 10 years – it takes more than one person to operate it)

HOTWORK FIRE Firefighters respond to small fire at KL Industries in Muskegon, no one injured (a welding machine inside a business caught fire and set off the building’s sprinkler system – there were no injuries – when “combustibles” got too close to the machine and it started a small fire – no one was injured during the incident – the fire forced eight employees working at the time to evacuate)

CRANE Shipyard crane collapses into Seattle’s Elliott Bay (a large crane at a shipyard fell over and the man who was operating the crane reportedly went into the water when it fell – he was rescued and transported to a Medical Center in serious condition – this is the second industrial accident at the shipyard this month – on February 3, a man died after he fell close to 100-feet off scaffolding)

REFINERY FIRE Repairs complete at Come By Chance (a process unit at the refinery is back in operation following a fire described as “minor” – there were no injuries but there was damage to a processing unit – the cause of the fire has not been released)

LEAK Leak at Caltex refinery in Sydney (about 1,000 litres of hydrocarbon has leaked at a  refinery – the substance had leaked into a drain designed to catch leaks and was fully contained on site)

Construction

CRANE Construction accident at World Trade Center site (crane drops metal beams at site, damaging construction vehicle – no one was in the truck when it was hit – one person was checked out by medical workers at the scene, but there were no serious injuries – preliminary reports indicate that the crane was removing the beams from the truck when a cable snapped)

WORKZONE Worker critically injured in Dubai road accident (one labourer, 40, sustained major injures in his head after a car ran over him while he was on duty in a manhole at 10.30am – the driver was surprised to see cones and the diversion and he tried to stop his car but he could not because of high speed – he hit the worker, who was working in the manhole – he was critically injured and transferred to a hospital, however the motorist did not sustain any injury)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Connecticut Construction Worker Killed in Fall From Roof (officials say a construction worker, 46, has died after falling from the roof of condominium – no details were immediately available about the accident – worker was found unresponsive on the ground and died at a Hospital)

CRANE and ELECTRICAL Two injured at Finning (two men, 20 and 27, were injured in an electrical accident – they were using a mobile crane to hook up equipment near overhead power lines – there was a bright flash of light and the pair were knocked to the ground – the 20-year-old has been transported to a hospital – extent of his injuries are still undetermined – the 27-year-old man was treated for minor electrical burns and released)

FATAL FALL from BRIDGE Worker falls off downtown rail bridge, dies (a worker, 42, fell off a rail bridge and into the St. Johns River and later died at a hospital – he was on the bridge, which is undergoing renovations, with two other workers when he fell off just after 2:30 p.m. – he fell 12 feet, hit his head on a metal girder and landed in the water – co-workers couldn’t find the man, who was under water for up to five minutes, and then a passing boat was able to pick him up)

FALL thru SKYLIGHT Man critically injured in North York industrial accident (a worker, in his 40s, was rushed to hospital in critical condition after an industrial accident around 3:30 p.m. – the worker fell 30 to 40 feet from a roof he was working on, through a skylight and onto a concrete floor)

MIscellaneouS

EXPLOSION 2 workers hurt in explosion at construction site in Gastonia (two construction workers have second degree burns on their faces after a workplace explosion – a generator was the ignition source for the gas – the flash fire was over by the time police arrived at the scene – two workers had gone out to crank a generator and apparently propane gas had leaked into the trailer or was left on in the trailer – the two men were burned on their face and body and were taken to local hospitals)

ELECTROCUTION Man dies while working on electric wiring (a maintenance worker, 30, died after he was electrocuted while fixing the electrical wiring at  a house – he was already dead when he was found inside the ceiling of the house – he was discovered with minor burns on the face and left arm at around 6 p.m. by a helper in the household)

CHEMICAL REACTION – CHLORINE Chlorine gas sends dozens to Monterey County hospitals (more than 200 guests were evacuated from a Hotel and about 30 people were taken to area hospitals after the mixing of cleaning chemicals spilled and released a type of chlorine gas at about 10:15 a.m. – the incident was caused when employees in housekeeping mixed the wrong chemicals in the hotel’s basement)