27 incidents & 2 updates (7/31/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

CAUGHT BETWEEN FATALITY Union Pacific Railroad worker killed (a railroad worker, 36, has died after being pinned between two railroad cars – he was found on the tracks in the rail yard – he was reportedly working on a railroad car coupling when another car rolled into him, pinning him between the two cars – he died at the scene)

MINE FATALITY – CAUGHT BETWEEN Worker Killed in Accident at West Virginia Coal Mine (the accident occurred around 4 a.m. – the worker, 35, was part a midnight shift crew moving a continuous miner when he suffered crushing injuries between part of that machine and a mine wall – the victim had a year and 14 weeks experience)

FATAL FALL Worker killed in Ctg ship breaking yard (a worker, 45 at a ship-breaking yard was killed falling from a ship around 3:30pm)

FATAL COLLISION w/ TRAIN Collision kills train worker (a railroad employee, 41, was killed when the worker drove a high-rail truck into a parked train – investigating the possibility that he was doing a track inspection – investigators said they believe he might have been distracted for some unknown reason – accident is now said to have happened between about 5:45 a.m. and 6:15 a.m.)

H2S FATALITY @ WWTP Poison gas kills worker at Apple supplier (factory accident leaves one dead, four injured – authorities think it  was caused by “improper operation” at its waste treatment facility – authorities have closed down the waste water treatment facility, and an environmental department is investigating what caused the poisoning – a preliminary examination found the poisoning to be from hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic and flammable gas)

CRANE Harbour worker hit by crane (a worker was injured after he was struck by the hook of a crane while working on a ship – it is believed that the man was working in the hull of a ship when the hook of the crane slammed into his shoulder – the man was stabilized and taken to a nearby hospital)

FURNACE EXPLOSION @ STEEL MILL Two workers injured at Gerdau mill furnace explosion (two workers at a steel plant have been injured during a furnace explosion – the injured employees were being treated at an area hospital – no immediate word on the cause of the explosion, or the extent of the workers’ injuries)

REFINERY FIRE Fire at Valero Refinery (a fire was reported around 8:30 p.m. – the fire broke out in a hydrocracking unit and was out within several minutes, giving the refinery an “all-clear” – ome employees were evacuated for a short time but that has not been confirmed – no injuries were reported and the cause has not been reported – the fire never posed a threat to the community)

EXPLOSION @ FOOD PROCESSING PLANT Farmland plant evacuated after explosion (an explosion occurred at a foods processing plant sending three employees to a local hospital – the explosion was reported in a smokehouse at a ham plant, which produces spiral-sliced hams and employs approximately 525 people – the plant was evacuated and three employees were transported to the hospital for observation as a precautionary measure)

FATAL EXPLOSION Factory blast kills 3 (three people died and six were injured after an explosion happened in a musical instrument factory around 9 am – the factory mainly produces musical instrument cases – two people were killed during the blast and one died in hospital – among the six injured, two have already checked out of the hospital – the fire triggered by the explosion was extinguished by noon – the cause of the accident is still under investigation)

FATALITY UPDATE 2nd person in Tomahawk mill accident has died (the second person injured in an accident at a packaging plant has died – a 29-year-old worker died over the weekend – he and another worker, 47, suffered severe burns when fly ash ignited – another worker died shortly after the accident – the men were contractors at the mill working for an industrial cleaning company)

AMMONIA Three hospitalized after ammonia spill (three people have been hospitalised after inhaling ammonia which leaked from a shipping container at 1.08pm – firefighters in chemical gear dispersed the toxic gas – three people were treated by ambulance staff and taken to a Hospital emergency department – they were in a “moderate condition”)

AMMONIA Chemical leak forces evacuation of food manufacturing building (hazardous materials response unit spent hours trying to clear a potentially lethal amount of ammonia from a business when a large ammonia leak was discovered in a freezer area – everyone made it out of the business safely, without coming in contact with the vapor – the cause of the incident is not yet known)

FORKLIFT Forklift flips over with man inside (a man was travelling in the forklift when it flip on its side around 3pm – according to witnesses, the man was still inside the forklift when it flipped over – he was transported to a Hospital for treatment)

CONSTRUCTION

WORKZONE FATALITY Six-vehicle accident kills two near Westcliffe (six vehicles were involved in the crash that killed two people around 1:20 p.m. – a line of five vehicles was stopped in traffic, facing northbound, in an active construction zone – a tractor-trailer combination approached the construction zone and failed to stop for the line of traffic – the tractor-trailer collided with the rear of the last vehicle in line, ejecting the driver, then traveled off the right side of the road, colliding with a construction worker, 20, before rolling on its side – the worker was with a local construction crew – the driver of a tractor-trailer and the construction worker were killed in the accident)

WORKZONE Woman in fatal near Shumway stopped for construction worker (a traffic accident that killed a woman occurred after the victim slowed down to wait for a worker picking up construction cones at about 10:50 a.m. – driver apparently intended to turn onto 2000th Avenue, but was waiting for a worker to pick up construction cones from a road oiling project when the Saturn was struck from behind by a 1987 Ford pickup)

TUNNEL COLLAPSE FATALITIES 4 dead after part of Xiamen-Zhangzhou Highway Tunnel tunnel collapses (four people died and four others were injured after part of a tunnel under construction collapsed around 2:00 a.m. – a total of eight workers were in the tunnel when the accident occurred – serious injuries left two workers dead en route to hospital, and another two were confirmed dead when rescuers found their bodies at around 7:10 a.m. – the other four injured workers have been sent to hospital for treatment – the cause of the accident is under investigation)

BLOWTORCH BURNS Construction worker on Seattle’s Capitol Hill critically burned (a construction worker accidentally set himself on fire while using a blow-torch – he is in critical condition – bystanders saw the male in his 40s on fire after his torch lit a bottle of flammable liquids and then himself on fire – he has first-, second- and third-degree burns on his hands, legs, and torso, but was conscious and alert when taken to the hospital)

MANLIFT Construction manlift collapses in downtown GT (one man was injured and power lines were downed – the injured worker was being treated for facial injuries and medical staff did not suspect he had suffered a brain injury – the manlift smashed into an electricity pole on its way down, before slamming into a building across the road around 11.30 a.m. – the worker inside the bucket was taping clear plastic sheeting to the windows of the bank when the manlift collapsed – the man was still inside the bucket when the lift came crashing down)

EXPLOSION Brockton VA construction blast injures worker (an explosion at an active construction site sent one construction worker to the hospital and forced officials to evacuate the entire outpatient care building about 2:40 p.m. while workers were remodeling the dental clinic on the fifth floor of the outpatient care building – the construction worker suffered moderate burns and was taken to a Medical Center where he is expected to be okay – fire officials are still investigating the cause of the explosion but said some kind of gas leak was suspected)

EXPLOSION Explosion at Broadway and E Thomas construction site sends worker to hospital (a worker, in his 40’s, received serious injuries after an explosion at the construction site at 2:42 p.m. – people at the site indicated the explosion may have been caused by misidentification of a container of alcohol)

UPDATE on HOTWORK FIRE Welding work sparked blaze at Pier 29, fire officials find (a $2.4 million fire at Pier 29 last month isn’t expected to affect construction for the America’s Cup – a four-alarm fire that caused $2.4 million in damage was apparently caused by welders doing work in the building – they apparently inadvertently started the blaze while doing some welding – crews were welding a ladder to a wall near a crack in the concrete and “a spark got in there,” setting the building ablaze)

ACETYLENE CYLINDER WELDING FIRE Construction torch sparks hotel garage fire – cylinder catches fire (a fire broke out in Level 1 of the Hotel garage just after 10 a.m. – the fire started on a control knob of a 3-foot high acetylene tank, and fire crews doused the tank to keep it cool – an independent contractor was in the basement of the parking garage building a new restaurant when a welding torch malfunctioned, causing the small fire – the contractor had the proper permits for the torches, but they will be amended to include a fire watch any time welding is taking place at the site – the fire was extinguished and the tank, which was on a cart, was removed)

MISCELLANEOUS

MOWER FATALITY DNR worker dies in mower accident at Iowa park (a Department of Natural Resources worker has died in a mowing accident – the man was mowing around a parking lot when he apparently got too close to a steep embankment – the mower rolled and landed on top of him – he died at the scene)

TREE TRIMMING FATALITY Worker killed cutting down tree in Berks Co. ID’d (a worker, 49, was killed while cutting down a tree – he died in the accident shortly after 10:30 a.m. – he was part of a crew that was dismantling an 80 foot tall tree)

ELECTROCUTION TREE TRIMMER Worker Electrocuted in Johnston (a landscaper, 23, is dead after being electrocuted on the job – he was cutting trees when his trimmers hit a live power line and he was shocked by 12,500 volts of electricity – he then fell off a 12-foot tall aluminum ladder)