28 Incidents & 0 Updates (6/24/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

MINE FATALITY Worker killed in mine accident (a mine worker was killed in a rockfall – he was struck by a fall of ground at 1.45pm – he was immediately evacuated to hospital, but passed away)

FATAL WALL COLLAPSE Three workers die in factory wall collapse (three workers died and four others were injured when a wall of a sewing factory suddenly collapsed at 4:10 pm – rescue efforts were deployed and seven workers were found in the debris. one of them, 19, was found dead while six others were severely injured – the injured were taken to a Hospital and several hours later, two more workers, 31 and 39, died – several large, heavy rolls of cloth that had been piled behind the wall could have caused the wall to fall)

LOTO Malfunctioning valve traps worker’s arm (a worker seriously injured his arm while working on equipment about 2.30 pm – the company deals in paint and printing solvents and acetone – it appeared the injured worker, in his 40’s, was cleaning some equipment when his arm got stuck in an operating air valve which malfunctioned – it resulted in the air valve closing on his hand – he was taken to a Hospital in a serious condition)

LOGGING FATALITY Man killed in Gaston County logging accident (a man, 35, was killed during a logging accident around 9:15 a.m. – he was killed after a base of a tree landed on top of him as it fell – workers at the site tried to free him from underneath the tree but he had already succumbed to his injuries)

British Columbia worker pulled from collapsed lumber pile (a pile of lumber toppled over and injured a worker – fellow workers pulled the lumber off their colleague in the minutes after the pile collapsed – the injured worker is recovering from several broken bones)

ELECTRICAL and BUCKET TRUCK Utility worker shocked, burned on the job in NH (a utility worker has suffered second- to third-degree burns while working in the bucket of a utility truck – the worker, is in his 40s, and was involved transferring electricity from one pole to another – the worker was shocked and suffered burns to the abdomen and has been hospitalized)

ELECTRICAL City worker injured Thursday (an employee is hospitalized after being injured on the job – an electric lineman who has worked for the city since 2005 was working to repair damage at one of the city’s substations when he received the electrical burns – he was severely burned on his right hand and arm, but the injuries do not appear to be life threatening)

WORKZONE FATALITY Consumers Energy worker dies after vehicle hits him in Hillsdale County (a utility worker, 56, died after a vehicle hit him as he prepared to assess damages caused by a downed tree limb – he was behind his truck when a 1999 Buick Park Avenue hit him about 7 a.m.)

EXPLOSION Manhole ‘Explosion’ Injures Con Edison Worker (a possible explosion beneath a manhole cover hospitalized a worker and startled others – a worker, in his 50s, was taken to a Hospital at about 11 a.m. suffering from injuries caused when a “manhole exploded” – the worker had been beneath the manhole when the event occurred but his injuries were not believed to be serious and he was hospitalized for evaluation – since the cause and nature of the event are still under investigation, and the fact the workers’ injuries were not more serious, an actual explosion may not have occurred)

EXPLOSION Injuries after explosion at Cork plant (one person has been injured following an explosion at an oxygen bottling plant just after 2pm – it is understood the injured person is a worker at the plant)

REFINERY FIRE BP Ends Refinery Fire (refinery has taken control of the fire that started in a sulfur plant – the fire was extinguished an hour after the fire started and the plant is now operating at normal levels – two workers were taken to a hospital following the fire for observation)

FATAL EXPLOSION @ LPG LOADING RACK Fire at Dana Gas LPG plant kills one (one person died and four were injured in an explosion at the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant – the company blamed two LPG trucks belonging to a local LPG trader for the fire and accompanying explosion that killed a truck driver and caused extensive damage to the loading facility)

FIRE Paynesville feed plant damaged by fire (a feed plant was heavily damaged after a fire just before 7 a.m – flames were visible through the roof when when crews reached the scene – no one was injured but the structure was heavily damaged – the cause of the fire has yet to be determined)

AMMONIA 3 people hospitalized due to ammonia leak at QC ice plant (at least three people were rushed to a hospital after an ammonia leak from an ice plant overwhelmed residents in the area – some 200 residents temporarily left their homes because of the strong smell while others covered their faces with wet towels – many residents complained of irritation in the eyes and nose – an initial investigation showed the ammonia tank’s main valve at the ice plant was broken – there are about 400 kilos of ammonia in the tank)

Authorities order evacuation of homes after chlorine spill  (police informed residents of the surrounding area to evacuate their homes due to a chlorine spill at the sewage treatment facility – chlorine leaks were reported in three of five spare tanks, which were full, at the plant – it was not immediately clear what caused the leaks)

CONSTRUCTION

TRENCH FATALITY Worker buried alive as BWSSB pit caves in (a construction worker, 24, was killed and another, 19, suffered critical injuries after a pit caved in while laying a sewage pipeline – the injured was rushed to a private hospital in critical condition – the site of the accident was a pit nearly 10 feet deep with excavated heaped on the roadside – both were inside the pit around 4.30 pm, and were trying to clear more mud when the accident occurred)

FATAL FALL Roofer’s death at University of Oklahoma ruled accidental (a roofer, 24, died after fell from a roof – he died of multiple blunt force injuries – after the man fell, other workers administered first aid and called 911 – it appears the worker wasn’t properly secured to the building – safety policy requires workers at that height to wear safety harnesses that are fastened to tie-off points)

CRANE Injury at parking garage (a concrete slab weighing several tons swung loose, causing a construction worker to sustain an injury at the parking garage construction site – an iron worker hurt his back after getting hit by a swinging piece of concrete in the garage’s bottom floor at around 10:35 a.m. – the construction material did not strike the worker, and he was injured while moving to avoid the construction material)

TRENCH FATALITY Worker Dies In Staten Island Trench Digging Accident (a construction accident claimed the life of a worker, 29, shortly before 11 a.m. at a shopping plaza – crews were digging a trench to make repairs to a septic system when it collapsed – the worker suffered a severe head wound and did not survive)

Construction Workers Hit With Large Stone (two construction workers were trying to maneuver a large stone when it somehow dropped on their legs – authorities have not released the conditions of those injured)

TRENCH Waterline ‘explosion’ in Salt Lake City knocks man unconscious (a worker was temporarily knocked unconscious when a waterline broke while the man was working in a 10-foot-deep hole – the force of the water threw the man against the side of the hole, knocking him unconscious – the hole started filling with water, but people who were nearby pulled the man out – he regained consciousness and subsequently declined medical attention)

MISCELLANEOUS

GUARDING FATALITY Restaurant Owner Killed At Work (a co-owner of a Bistro, 34, was killed when his head got stuck in a food elevator about 1:15 a.m. – he was with severe head and neck injuries – he was putting food onto the elevator in the basement when another worker activated the elevator from the floor above, trapping his head in the elevator)

Yuma City Worker in ICU After Cactus Accident (a city employee, 40, is in intensive care after being pinned beneath a falling cactus – he remains in the ICU after undergoing surgery – he was fixing an emergency water leak and while working, a 16-foot saguaro cactus fell on him, reportedly breaking his back and his leg and injuring an arm – 146 cactus spines have been removed so far)

ELECTROCUTION in BOOM TRUCK Man killed by electric shock in West Gardiner (the owner, 53, of a Tree Service died when he came in contact with a live utility wire – he was in a boom clearing tree growth away from power lines – it appeared to be killed instantly, citing neighbors and workers who were there)

FATAL TRAILER REPAIR Cochrane man killed on work site after “catastrophic failure of machinery” (a worker, 52, was repairing the rear section of a flatbed trailer when the hinges that connect the tail section of the trailer failed – the backend of the trailer fell onto the worker’s chest – a co-worker found the man unconscious underneath the trailer and called EMS, who were unable to revive the worker)

MOWER ACCIDENT Landscaper pinned under lawn tractor in Southport (a landscaping employee was injured when a lawn tractor he was operating in a yard tipped over a retaining wall, pinning him underneath – he managed to free himself with the help of a co-worker after the accident – he was treated at the scene by firefighters and ambulance personnel, then transported to a Medical Center – the extent of his injuries was not immediately known – the accident happened around 1 p.m. when the man was cutting grass on a steep slope in the back yard of a home – he told emergency personnel the tractor began to slide backwards down the hill, then slid over the small retaining wall and landed on him)

ROLLING TRUCK Worker crushed in lorry accident (a man, 31, was crushed against a wall by his truck – the vehicle recovery worker was airlifted to hospital in a “serious” condition after being crushed against the wall at a garage – he had been about to set off to recover a broken-down vehicle when his truck suddenly began rolling from its parked position, trapping him between the vehicle and the wall of the garage)