41 Incidents & 2 Updates (4/17/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

FATAL FALL @ MINE Worker killed at Quebec’s Bloom Lake mine (an employee at an ore mine fell to his death – the worker was on an elevated walkway at the mine trying to “complete an unspecified task” when he fell – the worker was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead)

FIRE Fire Accident at Vadilal Industries’s Cold Storage Unit (a fire occurred in one cold storage out of total 9 cold storages – the losses are minimal due to the said fire and the loss incurred is fully insured – nNo worker or other person has suffered any injury or death due to the said fire)

FATAL FALL from SANITATION TRUCK Peekskill sanitation worker injured in fall from truck (a city sanitation worker suffered a serious head injury when he fell from the back of a slow-moving sanitation truck about 10:10 a.m. – “It appears he may have misjudged his distance from the handle on the (back of) the truck” – the truck had just started to move from a stop – worker then fell backward and struck his head)

CONCRETE PLANT FATALITY Worker at concrete plant killed (a worker, 67, was killed about 2:10 p.m. – company officials refused comment when reached by phone)

ELECTRICAL VEC line worker critically injured (an Electric Co-op line worker, 55, is in critical condition – he was working at a substation when a large piece of equipment fell on his head – he was taken to a Hospital and then airlifted to a Medical Center where he’s listed in critical condition – this is the second accident involving a worker from this company in three weeks – a line worker was killed on the job doing routine maintenance)

AMPUTATION by TABLE SAW Worker loses three fingers in industrial accident in Linden (a worker, 58, lost three fingers when his attention was diverted from the table saw where he was working – the company cuts large sheets of plastic to fill orders – he was using a table saw to cut plastic when his attention was diverted and he severed his middle finger, ring finger and pinky finger at the knuckle on his left hand – co-workers found the severed fingers and packed them in ice to accompany him to a Hospital)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES Five natural gas workers suffocate in NW China (five natural gas workers suffocated while installing pipes in a valve shaft at about 3:00 p.m. at a glass-making company)

UPDATE on FATAL EXPLOSION Second plant worker dies (the second of two men, 57, who were severely burned in an explosion March 1 at a wastewater-treatment plant has died – he died at 2:05 p.m. Monday – he had been in the burn unit of UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh since the accident – he was the plant’s lead maintenance man – he and an assistant maintenance man were in the compressor room at the plant working on wiring when the explosion occurred – a spark from the wiring set off a buildup of methane gas in the room)

UPDATE on FATAL FLASH FIRE @ REFINERY Workers file suit over Memphis refinery explosion (an explosion that killed a worker at an oil refinery is the subject of a multimillion-dollar wrongful death and injury lawsuit – the March 6 fire at the refinery also severely burned two workers – the lawsuit claims severe and gross negligence – the civil lawsuit was filed by workers who were involved in the explosion – one worker also filed the lawsuit on behalf of his two brothers, one who died and another who remains hospitalized with burns over 70 percent of his body)

LACK of LOTO CAUSED COMPRESSOR EXPLOSION Compressor lockout procedure had role in Susquehanna County blast (a security box left unlocked sparked a chain of events leading to an explosion and fire at a natural gas compressor station – on the morning of the accident a worker was performing maintenance work on compressor unit 3, one of seven natural gas compressors at the station – during that operation the worker isolated the compressor from the others by locking two valve locks – the worker placed keys to the two valve locks in a lockbox, but could not recall placing a personal lock on the lockbox – two other workers then entered the compressor building and did not see the first worker – assuming maintenance on the compressor had finished, the workers reopened the valves and began returning the compressor to service – the failure to ensure that gas remained isolated until work was completed allowed gas to be reintroduced to the compressor before it was ready – three workers in the building heard gas flowing from the compressor and immediately left the building, hitting the emergency shut-down button as they left, which stopped gas flow into and out of the building – it also opened valves that depressurize the compressors – as this was occurring, gas trapped in unit 3 ignited, causing an explosion)

FATAL EXPLOSION Death Toll Increases to 4 in Explosion in S. Turkey (the death toll of an explosion at a textile factory has risen to four – nine others injured in the explosion – the factory produced dyed denim – the explosion is thought to have occurred in a dyeing kier)

CONFINED SPACE HAZARDS OUTSIDE the PORTAL Worker tumbles into tank after fumes fell him (a worker, 45, had to be rescued from a gas-storage tank after he passed out from the fumes and fell in the tank – about 7:30 a.m. the employee was working on a platform inside the tank when he was overcome by the fumes – rescue workers were able to retrieve the man, and he was taken to a Hospital where he was listed in stable condition)

HOTWORK Welding-caused fire at INL prompts evacuations (welders working on the roof of a building at the Laboratory nuclear research site caused a fire that prompted the evacuation of employees – nobody was injured in the blaze – flames were extinguished quickly – evacuated workers were delayed in their departure from the site)

WWTP  Industrial Accident Sends Man to Hospital (a worker, 49, was injured after an industrial accident at a water treatment plant shortly after 9:00 a.m. – no word on how the man was injured – he was taken to hospital for treatment – extent of his injuries are not known, although they aren’t believed to be life-threatening)

Man injured in Moodie Road asphalt plant mishap (an industrial accident at an asphalt plant has left one man, 33, in hospital with serious injuries – he was doing maintenance in an empty crushed-stone hopper when a door fell on his legs – the man was trapped 10 metres in the air – he was sent to hospital in serious but stable condition with “crushing type injuries to both of his legs”)

FATAL EXPLOSION Chemical plant explosion kills one, injures three in Inner Mongolia (a blaze in a chemical plant has caused one death and injured three others around 5 p.m. – a huge amount of flammable gas has been leaked after the chemical plant caught fire and exploded – some tanks containing VDF gas, a flammable and narcotic gas, on the ground floor of the plant’s high-rise workshop caught fire – fire fighters rescued three injured workers trapped in the flames, and evacuated other workers out of the building – an investigation into the cause of the blast is under way)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – EXPLOSION Worker dies in factory blast (a worker, 30, was killed in a blast at a factory – she was working as a helper in the factory unit and died while cleaning a chemical tank – the unit makes chemicals for polishing granite stones)

CONSTRUCTION

WORKZONE FATALITY Worker killed by dump truck in Deerfield Beach (a worker was killed after a dump truck backed over him – the man was part of a construction crew working on a road resurfacing project – the man was taken to a Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead)

CRANE FATALITY Worker killed at Fort Rucker identified (worker, 41, died when a beam crashed onto the crane from which he was working on construction of an AH-64 hangar – he was pronounced dead at 4 p.m.)

WORKZONE FATALITY Worker killed in I-465 construction zone accident (a highway worker, 33, was killed when an excavator backed into him while placing concrete barriers in an Interstate 465 construction zone – the excavator pinned the construction worker between the vehicle and the concrete barriers and ran over him while crews were working – no highway traffic was involved in the accident)

WORKZONE Eastbound Interstate 70 reopened after worker accident (an adult male in a four-wheel ATV doing trash pickup detail flipped over onto the highway and injured – he was transported to an area hospital in serious condition)

LIGHTING STRIKE Chorley worker killed by lightning (a lightning strike killed a worker, 41, while he was drinking a cup of tea – he was working at a building site when the accident occurred shortly before 1.30pm on April 11 – colleagues rushed to the aid of the worker after seeing a flash and hearing a loud bang – it is believed he was taking a break and drinking a cup of tea when the accident happened)

FATAL COLLAPSE One killed, five missing as high-rise collapses (a multi-story building being re-constructed has collapsed killing one worker and injuring 11 – another five people are missing – ten out of 11 injured were hospitalaized – accident happened at around 12.30 am while builders were laying cement – it is unclear what caused the 2,800-square-meter collapse)

BACKHOE FATALITY Worker killed in Leonia construction accident (worker, 20, died after being struck in the head by a concrete sidewalk slab – a four-member crew was repairing a sidewalk for a resident – the concrete slab was being moved with chains and a small back hoe when the accident occurred – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

TRENCH Worker Seriously Injured at 86th Street Second Avenue Subway Site (a construction worker was seriously injured when a slab of concrete or roadway fell on him at a subway construction site – the accident comes on the heels of a fatal crane collapse at the MTA’s No. 7 extension construction site on April 3 – he was in a utility trench just after 12:45 p.m. when he was hit by a piece of roadway pavement or concrete when it was being moved by equipment- he was rushed to a Hospital with back and leg injuries in serious but stable condition)

TRENCH FATALITIES 5 workers buried in Guntur as clay caves in (five construction workers including four women were buried alive and three others were seriously injured while digging clay at a construction site – locals with the help of other workers extricated the bodies of the deceased – the accident occurred at 8 am when the workers, who were digging a four feet pit for the construction of a cellar at an educational institution, were buried under a deluge of clay)

CRANE Worker hurt after crane collapses in Stratford (a crane used in the construction of a Bridge collapsed shortly before 9 a.m. – the crane’s boom toppled onto a metal building and struck an electrical panel near a work staging area – it is unknown how serious the operator of the crane was injured – the worker appeared to be more shaken up than seriously injured while he was taken by ambulance to an area hospital)

ELECTRICAL Construction worker shocked at bank (a construction worker was hospitalized after he was shocked while working at a bank just before 1 a.m. – the worker was doing renovations, but a cause for the accident was unknown – the man was rushed to a Hospital)

FALL into TRENCH Rescue underway for construction worker injured in trench (a construction worker, 43, was rescued after falling into a trench – he fell into an area of the trench that had the protective walls in place, so the threat of a cave-in was averted – he suffered non-life threatening injuries, including several possible fractures and a possible concussion)

GUARDING/LOTO Worker pulled from mulch machine in Laurel (a worker was seriously injured after he fell and became trapped in a mulch-dying machine at a plant around 11 a.m. – rescuers found a man whose legs were stuck in the hopper of a large piece of machinery used to inject color into the mulch – rescuers sedated the worker and removed parts from the machinery, and were able to pull the worker free about an hour and a half later – he was flown to a hospital with serious injuries to his legs)

TRENCH Worker rescued after cave-in in Pineville (a worker was rescued after being trapped under dirt following a cave-in at a construction site – the worker was in stable condition – the worker was partially buried under the dirt for 20 to 25 minutes before being extricated)

CRANE Crane Collapses (the 40-pound [THAT’s RIGHT 40-pounder – I think they mean 40 Ton!!!] crane was being used for a construction project near I-95 when the accident occured – the crane was being used for construction of a private access road – the crane fell over and into a neighboring parking lot at a shopping center – the crane had a 100-gallon hydraulic fluid tank and that a minor amount of the contents spilled – investigators are trying to determine what caused the crane to fall down)

MISCELLANEOUS

TRACTOR FATALITY @ VINEYARD Keuka Lake Vineyards worker killed in tractor accident (worker, 51, was operating a farm tractor when he lost control of it while going downhill – the tractor overturned, and he was found by a co-worker pinned underneath it – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

LAWNMOWER FATALITY Martinsville Worker Killed In Lawnmower Accident (a Community College employee is dead following an accident involving a car and a riding lawnmower – the employee was on the lawnmower when a car hit it – the victim was pronounced dead at a local hospital)

MOBILE EQUIPMENT FATALITY Hagerstown Suns worker dies in accident (high school senior, 18, has died following accident at Municipal Stadium – he fell off the back of a John Deere Gator at the stadium  and later died from his injuries – he was in the back of the small vehicle and riding on top of garbage bags when he fell off and suffered a fractured skull after the driver turned in the parking lot)

PLANE CLIPS TUG Plane Clips Worker Cart At Lambert, One Injured (a worker is injured on the Airport tarmac, when a small plane clips an aircraft tug – worker was reportedly knocked to the ground by a wing of a plane in an area just north of the Air National Guard hangar – no word on the condition of the victim)

Deadly Compressed Gas Accident (a worker, 45, was killed during an industrial accident at his compressed natural gas shop – he was trying to work, fix a leaking valve on a tank, and he was leaning over the truck and the valve came off the end of the tank and went through, probably, it went through the side of the truck, him, and shot him through part of a sign that was in front of the shop)

FLASH FIRE Mechanic in critical condition after fuel fire (a mechanic, 40, is in critical condition with second and third-degree burns after fuel ignited on the engine he was working on at 3:31 p.m. – crews treated him for life-threatening burns and transported him to hospital- the worker had second-degree burns to his face and chest and third-degree burns to one hand)

CHLORINE Chlorine gas leak burns man in Venice store (a worker was burned by chlorine gas after the chemical leaked at a pool supply store at around 10 a.m., a tank on a chlorine truck suddenly released more than 30 gallons of the gas – the worker was burned by the gas – no one else was injured)

CRUSHED Man Crushed In Weld County Elevator Accident (worker, 28, died of multiple injuries while trying to roll up a large, reusable, plastic grain cover, which is used to store grain on the ground and to protect it from the elements – he had apparently attached one end of the plastic cover to an automated spooling system on the back end of a tractor and had begun rolling it up, when he got caught in the system – there was no automatic shutoff – he got tangled up and wrapped up in the plastic – he was trapped for about 15 minutes before a second crew member came out and found him)

ELECTROCUTION UAMS Worker Dies On the Job (a worker died on the job and the hospital is releasing few details – around five o’clock in the evening one employee found a maintenance worker, 62, unconscious in an equipment room on the 9th floor – nearby doctors and nurses tried life-saving techniques on him but he was later pronounced dead – early reports say the man was electrocuted)

PFAS SAVES THREE MORE Workers dangle after scaffolding collapse (three building workers were left dangling by their safety harnesses 17 storeys up after a cable attached to their platform snapped – the men were doing brick work on the veneer of the 21-storey building when the accident happened, leaving the scaffolding at a precarious 45 degree angle – after about 10 minutes firefighters dragged the men to safety through a 17th-floor window – one was left with a minor scrape while the other two refused medical treatment)