44 Incidents & 2 Updates (2/26/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

BIZARRE FATAL FALL Man faints at sight of blood, dies (a federal agency is investigating the death of a worker, 26, at a recycling plant, who died after a chain of events that begin with a cut to his hand – the worker died Tuesday after a Sunday accident – he cut his hand while stripping insulation from wire at the plant – the worker then fainted at the sight of the blood, hit his head on concrete and was taken to a hospital)

GUARDING FATALITY Worker dies after accident at Alberta recycler (worker, 47, was fatally wounded at a plastics recycling plant in which a protective barrier from a plastic chipper came off and the man was struck in the chest with a piece of the machinery – he was taken to a hospital and died later that night)

CRANE FATALITY Port accident fatally crushed dockworker (worker, 47, was working as a “hold man” on the waterfront – her job was to remove the metal “shoes” from bus-sized shipping containers while a crane unloaded them at Berth 51 of the Port Container Terminal – the quart-sized shoes, which lock containers together while they’re stacked aboard ships crossing the ocean, are removed once the containers are unloaded – just after 7 p.m., as a container dangled waist-high so she could remove its shoes, something went wrong – the container swung wildly, catching her in its path and pinning her against another shipping container lying nearby on the dock – a worker quickly pulled her by her legs from beneath the container at which point she was alive but unresponsive – she was pronounced dead at 8:43 p.m.)

PROPANE EXPLOSION @ WWTP – MOVING TEMPORARY TANK 5 Burned In Explosion At Treatment-Plant Site (a propane tank exploded at a wastewater-treatment plant, burning five workers when a fireball ripped through a building they were constructing – one worker was in serious condition and three others were in satisfactory condition at a Medical Center – one was treated and released – the accident happened just after 11 a.m. at the treatment plant, which is being rebuilt and expanded  – a worker was putting a 1,000 gallon propane tank onto a truck to take it off the site – the tank, which was the size of a small car and had been used temporarily for heat, had about 300 gallons of propane in it – the load shifted, causing the tank to move unexpectedly, and a valve snapped off the tank – the truck driver yelled for people to clear the area, and then the explosion occurred – the five victims, all men, were ages 31 to 48, and all had upper-body burns)

CRANE Port Kembla worker crushed (a man, 62, was crushed by a copper pipe in an industrial accident at a Port – he has been airlifted to a Hospital after the accident at copper manufacturing company at about 3.20pm – he was found unconscious under about a tonne of copper piping, crushing both lungs – paramedics stabilised the man and transferred him to a nearby park where he was airlifted to a Hospital in a critical condition – it is believed the man injured had been working for the company for decades and was believed to be working with a remote control crane in a tube mill)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Man dies after forklift accident (a man died following a forklift accident at 7:29 a.m. forklift fell on a worker at Forklift Service business – the victim had “very serious injuries” when first responders arrived – he was taken by ambulance to a Medical Center and then transported to a Hospital – he later died either in route to or at the hospital)

ARC FLASH Airport worker battling for life after suffering burns (engineer, three others suffer burns in Concourse 3 – engineer, 26, who suffered 90 per cent burns is battling for his life – he was critically injured along with four others when an installation they were testing at the Concourse 3 terminal at the airport threw up sparks – the engineer was testing the installation at a sub-station when the incident occurred)

AUGER GUARDING Woman hurt in Elk Grove workplace accident (a worker at a company that manufactures industrial-grade clays suffered a serious arm injury just after 10 a.m. – her arm was caught in an auger that mixes a clay product – the employee was working in the company’s lab where small-batch samples are created before manufacturing – she was conscious when she was transported to a Medical Center with a serious arm injury)

POLE SETTING Light pole falls on electrical worker (a worker was injured when a light pole fell on him at about 8:45 a.m. – a strap attached to a line truck was holding the pole from the top while the worker was using a strap to loosen the pole closer to the ground – as the pole came loose, it slipped from the top strap and crashed down, grazing him on the head and landing on his leg, breaking it – he was taken to a Medical Center)

FATAL EXPLOSION 13 killed at Chinese plant in 1,000-degree explosion (workers clear debris near a burst mold at a steel casting workshop after an explosion blasted sand and concrete from inside it as workers were about to finish casting a ring-shaped piece of steel, killing at least 13 workers and leaving another 17 injured – six of the 17 suffered burns over 65 percent of their bodies and were in a critical condition – two had burns over most of their bodies – the mold, about 10 meters in diameter, exploded, and sand and concrete inside burst out when workers were about to finish casting a ring-shaped piece of steel – the temperature inside the mold was more than 1,000 degrees Celsius at the time and the wood, plastic and other material piled around the mold immediately caught fire)

SKID LOADER Worker run over by skid loader at Lehigh Cement (a cement worker, 46, is recovering after being run over by a skid loader just after 2:00 p.m. – he was repairing equipment underneath a conveyer belt in the yard area of the plant when a skid loader reportedly backed over top of him – he was taken to Shock Trauma where he remains in serious condition)

FATAL FALL during Fire Drill Bangalore fire dept admits lapses after mock drill accident (the FD admitted to the lapses on their side after a 22-year-old woman died in the fire mock drill – an employee died after the rope by which she was coming down a 3-storey building snapped – she fell from a height and sustained severe head injuries that turned fatal – the drill was being conducted by the fire department in association with the factory to test the preparedness of factory workers and fire officials during a fire)

CHEMICAL FATALITIES Gas leak at China steel plant kills three (a gas leak at a steel works left three workers dead and 10 injured – the leak occurred at the steel plant with noxious gases poisoning the 13 workers – efforts at a local hospital to save three of the workers were ineffective, while three others remain in serious condition and seven were out of danger of losing their lives – the causes of the gas leak is under investigation)

FIRE Texas firefighters extinguish crude oil tank fire (firefighters have extinguished a fire sparked when a crude oil tank exploded at a biodiesel plant – investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire, reported around 7:30 p.m. at the waterfront plant – the fire was put out around 3:30 a.m. – one worker was treated for smoke inhalation)

EXPLOSION 1 worker injured in blast at La. refinery (one worker was injured when a natural gas line exploded at a refinery – the man injured in the blast was being treated for moderate burns on his arms and back at an area hospital and was listed in stable condition – a fire at the plant has been contained and doesn’t pose a threat – police briefly evacuated the area within a one-mile radius of the refinery, but few residents live near there – investigators are trying to determine the cause of the explosion)

Worker injured in excavation explosion (worker was injured after the excavator he was operating exploded – a preliminary investigation showed that the road grader suffered a mechanical failure that caused it to exploded while being operated – the force of the explosion was so great that it blew one of the tires almost 75 feet away from the equipment – the victim was in the seat of the large tractor at the time of the explosion and was able to escape – Fire/EMS were able to treat the victim at the scene for radiant burns and transported him to a Medical Center)

EXPLOSION Explosion at Sarov nuclear facility leads to at least one injury (an explosion of a non-radioactive substance occurred at the All Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics – known by its acronym VNIIEF) in the closed nuclear city of Sarov, reportedly injuring two – or one – depending on the news source – according to an anonymous source at VNIIEF’s safety center, “the explosion posed no risk to the population of the town,” which has a population of 92,000 – Sarov, a tightly guarded nuclear city off limits to foreigners located in the Nizhny Novgorod region, was founded in 1946 as Arzamas-16 – home to Russia’s first atomic and hydrogen bombs)

EXPLOSION Batley biscuit factory evacuated after spark triggers explosion (a factory was evacuated after a stray spark created an explosion which hospitalised a worker – 450 staff followed emergency procedures to clear the plant – the man in hospital is believed to have been working on cleaning out a diesel tank which then exploded in a yard – he was taken to a hospital suffering from burns to his legs – at least five others were treated for minor injuries)

REFINERY FIRE Small fire at Citgo East Plant extinguished (a follow-up team is looking into the cause of a small fire at 7:20 a.m. inside the plant’s crude unit – the fire was quickly extinguished by workers on the scene – no one was injured)

EXPLOSION Three workers hurt after explosion at PUB plant (three workers were injured after an explosion at a Water Reclamation Plant – the three workers were working at an empty sludge storage tank when an explosion occurred at an adjacent sludge storage tank – one of the workers was discharged from the Hospital the same day – the other two, who sustained head and leg injuries respectively, are now in stable condition)

FIRE Fire quickly doused at Campbell County food processing plant (a fire broke out at a food processing plant – firefighters extinguished the flames and left the property within two hours – there was a fire in their air discharge over one of the ovens – workers knocked it down a little bit, but there was still fire coming out the exhaust pipe when firefighters got there and they requested mutual aid – no injuries were reported and personnel left the plant at 1 a.m.)

AMMONIA Ammonia Leak in Eastern Cuba (two tons of ammonia escaped and the gas spread across a one square kilometer area following the rupture of pipes on a truck loaded with the gas – the accident caused no loss of life thanks to the timely intervention of the fire department, though 11 local residents were hospitalized for respiratory difficulties – the leak occurred when the vehicle struck a beam while attempting to park)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak at Pepsi plant (employees at a soft drink plant were evacuated due to an ammonia leak around 3:00 p.m. – about 50 pounds of ammonia leaked into the plant – around 4:00 p.m., officials said the leak had been fixed and the employees had been allowed back into the building)

CHLORINE Salem Water Plant Evacuated For What Turned Out To Be Very Small Chlorine Leak (an employee on duty at the Water Treatment Plant evacuated the facility after the chlorine chemical alarm sounded in the office – fire crews utilized chemical level detectors to determine there were no unsafe levels and reset the alarm – the problem was located as a very small chorine leak in a tank inside the chlorine room at the plant  -employees did not return to the water plant until four and a half hours later when the problem was repaired)

UPDATE on MINE EXPLOSION Foremen Are Cited in Massey Explosion (West Virginia regulators issued 253 citations for safety lapses, including two against a pair of former Massey Energy Co. foremen, as part of the state’s investigative report into a 2010 explosion that killed 29 miners – the 600-page report which focused on a technical analysis of the explosion, blamed the blast on poor ventilation, a buildup of coal dust across areas of the mine and a failure to address routine safety hazards – state investigators said their most “disturbing” findings involved the failure of mine foremen to ensure that pulverized limestone called “rock dust” was spread in the mine to render coal dust inert – investigators said one area hadn’t been rock-dusted since mining began there in September 2009 – state officials issued personal citations to two mine foremen for allegedly failing to address the buildup of coal dust – investigators said the foremen were aware of the hazardous conditions for three months before the explosion based on mine examination books they had signed – there was no evidence the problems were ever corrected – Read the full report on the website of the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training)

CONSTRUCTION

CRANE FATALITY One dead after Whitby crane accident (a worker died when a boom from the crane he was operating fell on him at a lakeshore condo construction site – crews were at work building a retaining wall for the structure when the accident occurred – workers were disassembling a boom on a mobile crane and the lattice boom fell down onto the worker at about 1:40 p.m. – the crane operator was pronounced dead by the coroner – there were no other injuries reported)

EXCAVATION/TRENCHING FATALITY TOSHA investigating fatal ditch collapse at Gatlinburg plant (a construction worker, in his late 50s, at a Wastewater Treatment Plant died in an earth wall collapse, the third death at the facility since April – he was fatally injured after being struck from behind by loose dirt and rock – crews are working to demolish a 30-foot-high basin at the plant following a wall collapse in April – two men died in the collapse and more than a million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the nearby River – part of an earthen wall at the site slid down about 10:10 a.m. as demolition crews were digging a ditch)

TRENCH Trapped worker alive and removed from trench collapse (a man was caught in a eight-foot-deep trench collapse – he was working at the site digging a hole for a fiber line when the accident happened – his condition was unknown, but reports are that he is alive and talking to rescue crews)

FALL from CRANE LADDER Worker injured in crane mishap (a crane operator, 44, had to be rescued after falling about five metres down the safety-encircled ladder of his crane – he had climbed to the top and then fell down to the first platform below – the tower is designed with an alternating ladder and platform system to prevent operators from falling the entire distance to the ground – he was climbing up to the cab at the top of the crane when he felt uneasy and lost consciousness – he had to be rescued by the ‘spider unit’ of the fire department)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Construction worker dies (a construction worker died after falling from the 38th floor – he was installing lights on the exterior of a building when he slipped – he was found dead in the fourth floor pool area)

TRENCH FATALITY Worker dies after being partially buried by dirt (as many as three workers were partially buried in dirt and rock at a construction site – the victim was part of a team digging a trench at the site of a new home – they planned to pour concrete in the trench to support a new cinder block wall – while they were working, part of the trench collapsed – two of the workers were able to get out and then dig the third worker out – at that time it looks like he shortly later suffered some kind of medical problem at about 8:30 a.m. – by 10:30 a.m. he had been taken to a Medical Center and pronounced dead – he was only buried up to his thighs and they can’t understand why he suddenly had trouble breathing – then died – he may have been hit by a falling rock and some suspect he suffered a heart attack)

FATAL FALL onto REBAR Construction worker dies in apparent accident in Denver (the fatal incident happened at about 1:30 p.m. when a cement worker was walking a ridge line when he fell into a five-foot hole and was gored by a spike or rebar – the worker, a man in his mid- to late-30s, died at the scene)

FALL Worker at Music City Center falls 40 feet, suffers serious injuries (a worker, in his 20s, fell about 40 feet through a manhole type opening at about 2:30 p.m. – the injured worker was taken to a Medical Center with serious injuries, but the injuries do not appear to be life-threatening – he was hanging glass near the opening and somehow fell in – he was conscious as rescue workers assessed his injuries)

ELECTROCUTION and SCAFFOLDING Construction workers electrocuted (two men, 42 and 27, have been electrocuted on a building site – they were on construction scaffolding when it hit an electricity line while being moved – both men died on the scene – the incident happened when two other men pulled the construction scaffolding, using a rope, to move it and did not realize how high it was and it touched an electricity line – the men pulling the rope were also shocked and taken to a nearby hospital – they were in a stable condition and might be released later on)

FALL from SCAFFOLDING Man critical after fall from scaffolding (worker fell six metres from scaffolding on a building site and was in a critical condition – the accident happened at around 10 am)

FATAL FALL from COLLAPSED SCAFFOLDING Scaffolding collapse kills one, injures four (collapsed scaffolding killed one and injured four others – the accident happened at the 34-storey construction site – the five victims were rushed to a hospital right after the accident, but one died as a result of serious trauma)

MIscellaneouS

FATAL EXPLOSION w/ TIRE One man killed, one injured in Edmonton repair shop explosion (a worker, 53, was killed and a second man left in serious condition after a truck tire exploded at an auto repair shop at 3:54 p.m. – two workers were welding a dump truck to repair a flat tire – the dead man was an employee of the business, while the 54-year-old man who was injured is the owner)

HOTWORK EXPLOSION cutting open DRUM Explosion at Elizabethton leaves one man in critical condition (a man at a garage was injured while using a cutting torch to open 55 gallon drum – he is currently in critical condition at a Medical Center with serious head and face injuries – the nearly empty drum exploded when being opened reportedly due to some type of fumes inside – another employee was knocked down during the explosion)

FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION Principal is suspended after deadly explosion (a school principal has been suspended from duty following a boiler explosion that killed one student and injured six other people at the school – a steam boiler exploded at 4:10pm at the Junior High School leaving a 14-year-old girl dead – five students and a worker were wounded in the blast – two of the injured students and the worker are still in hospital, while the others have already been discharged – an initial investigation found the boiler was dry at the time of the blast – human error has also been suggested – the injured worker was untrained and was filling in for the school’s licensed boiler room worker)

LANDSCAPING FATALITY Landscaping worker killed by falling tree (a landscaping worker, 56, was killed on a job when he was struck by a tree that apparently was felled by a strong gust of wind – he was working with a crew at a residence when the tree fell and struck him – the incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. – a supervisor for the landscaping company called 911)

FATAL EXPLOSION w/ TIRE Tyre worker killed in horror blast (a tyre firm worker, 46, has been killed after a tyre he was repairing exploded – he was working alone when a tipper wagon belonging to one of the firm’s contractors was brought in at around 10.20am – the driver said one of the tyres was damaged and needed changing, and the worker started working on it in one of the company’s buildings – he repaired what he believed was the damage, before the tyre was lifted to test the repair – but the tyre then exploded, causing a large tear in it, and the air hit the worker and blew him across the building – despite attempts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at the Hospital at just after 11am.)

UPDATE on CO FATALITY Pool heater blamed for worker’s death (an improperly installed pool heater is to blame for a carbon monoxide leak at a West Virginia hotel which killed a construction worker and sickened four of his colleagues – the pool heater at the hotel was improperly installed 11 years ago – the system was further compromised when the unit was replaced in December – vibrations from the heater dislodged its exhaust pipe, sending carbon monoxide up the elevator shaft and into the victims’ 5th floor room)

FATAL EXPLOSION w/ TIRE Airman killed after tire explodes (an air force corporal died from injuries sustained when a military aircraft tire that was being retreaded at a base exploded – an airport worker assisting him also suffered injuries in the blast and was being monitored in an intensive care ward of a local hospital – the explosion occurred as the corporal and the worker were performing maintenance work on the tire – preliminary investigation showed that the accident may have resulted from a failure to release the air inside the tire before removing the tire’s old tread)

GREASE FIRE Employee burned in Red Lobster kitchen fire (an employee at a Red Lobster suffered minor burns after a fire broke out in the restaurant’s kitchen at 10 a.m. – the small grease fire was contained in about 24 minutes – one worker was treated for minor burns at the scene – dDamage to the restaurant is said to be about $4,000)

FLASH FIRE and GAS WATER HEATER Worker burned at Hillsboro Club (a worker, 45, was burned during a flash fire that happened while he was repairing a gas hot water heater at 8 a.m. – the worker was taken to a Medical Center for injuries that did not appear to be life threatening – the water heater is in a concrete block structure and the fire did not interrupt operations for the Club that is at full capacity during its high season)

ELECTROCUTION and tree trimming Man electrocuted while trimming tree (a worker, 35, was electrocuted while trying to trim branches of a tree – he along with another worker were hired to clean his water tank and chop off tree branches extending on to the road – worker climbed the tree to chop the branches and accidentally came in contact with a high-tension wire passing through the tree)