26 incidents & 0 updates (9/3/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

PAPER MILL FATALITY Sonoco worker killed Monday at Hartsville plant (a paper mill worker, 35, was killed at the packaging plant around 7 a.m. in the paper mill complex – no specific details on the cause of death at this time)

OG&E worker dies in accident (a worker, 22, died during an industrial accident – did not know what caused the accident and did not have many details about it)

CO POISONING FATALITY Generator fumes blamed for bakery death (police are investigating whether generator fumes killed one bakery worker and left another critically ill – emergency crews found the body of the worker inside a bakery just before 7.00am  – his colleague, who is now in a critical condition in hospital, was found unconscious beside him – electricity had been switched off for maintenance work and a petrol generator was being used inside the bakery – it is believed the men were overcome by fumes, however police are yet to confirm the official cause)

ELECTROCUTION Keys Energy Worker Dies In Big Pine Key (a worker, 28, was electrocuted while working on the roof of a home – when deputies arrived at the home, they found a worker, 29, administering CPR to his co-worker – deputies would take over performing CPR until a rescue team arrived and a bucket truck was used to get him down from the roof – he was taken to a Hospital where he was pronounced dead)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Atlanta man dies in forklift accident (a man, 40, has been killed in a forklift accident – he died after being pinned underneath the forklift while he was working on it – the forklift was on jacks when at some point it slipped off the jacks and pinned him)

SOUR GAS WELL EXPLOSION Man injured in explosion (a worker, 63, was sent to a hospital after a trailer he was working in exploded – he was working as a security guard at a sour gas well that is under construction – he was alone when the explosion happened – the worker drove himself to a nearby farm and the worker was air-lifted to a hospital)

ELECTRICAL BURNS Man burnt at power station (a power company worker, 46, was airlifted to hospital with severe electrical burns following a fire at a substation at about 8.30 a.m. – he had suffered severe electrical burns to his upper torso, hands and torso)

HOTWORK Cutting torch sparks fire (a fire started when employees attempted to use a cutting torch to remove the door of a trailer – the accident occurred at about 10:59 a.m. – two trailers filled with various recycled items were set ablaze in the recycling field – no one was harmed as a result of the fire, nor did it spread beyond the trailers)

REFINERY FIRE Four Injured in Fire at Refinery in Mexico (four workers were injured in a fire at a refinery – the fire started while workers were installing a line – one of the workers, 46, is listed in serious condition – the other workers hurt in the accident are 42, 38, and 41 – the fire started around 3:30 p.m. and was “completely extinguished” an hour later – the blaze did not cause any damage to “the refinery’s processing plants – an explosion occurred on Aug. 14 at the same refinery, but no one was injured)

EXPLOSION Explosion At Iowa Munitions Plant (an explosion at an Army Ammunition Plant happened around 5 p.m. on the plant’s line one operating bay during the remote pressing of a 40-pound Octal charge – because the pressing process is remote, the area was unoccupied and no one was injured – the plant’s one emergency crew put out the fire that resulted from the explosion after about 45 minutes – a portion of the building was damaged from the blast – cause is still being investigated)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak contained (fire brigade was called to an ammonia leak at a Milk Powder plant about an ammonia leak from one of its ammonia cylinders – when the crew arrived the plant’s engineers had contained the leak – there was an onsite evacuation but the situation was soon resolved – no one was taken to hospital or suffered any injury)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak in Fulton contained (an ammonia leak at a closed Birds Eye Plant forced city and County personnel to evacuate people from their residences – an unknown number of residents in the area approximately a quarter-mile from the plant were evacuated – the leak occurred in a 1.25-inch return pipe of the refrigeration system at the plant, and was isolated and contained by on-site maintenance – officials were unable to determine the amount of ammonia leaked from the plant – officials weren’t aware of any injuries in the incident – the company had agreed to shut the freezer plant down and remove the ammonia next week)

CONSTRUCTION

COLLAPSE One injured in Eden Prairie construction accident (a construction worker suffered noncritical injuries when steel beams in what is to be an indoor soccer building collapsed like dominoes – he was one of six workers who were erecting steel I-beams when the entire steel structure collapsed about 11:40 a.m.)

FALL & NEAR DROWNING Construction Worker from Lansing Pulled from River in Hastings (a construction worker, 57, nearly drowns in an accident on the job – the man was working on a new bridge when he fell into the river shortly before noon – the worker was pulled from the water about 100 feet downstream, after being completely submerged for at least five minutes – first responders were able to get the man breathing on his own, while he was being loaded into a med-chopper – early indicators are that “hip-wader” boots, worn by the victim at the time, filled quickly with water pulling the subject further into the river and downstream)

FALL from BUILDING Worker falls from building while working near MacKay Bridge in Halifax (a worker is recovering from serious head injuries after falling from a building just before 9 p.m. – the worker fell about six metres while working on a building)

CRANE FATALITY Worker Killed After Hoist Falls At McDuffie County Construction Company (a worker, 61, was killed on the job after a hoist fell and landed on him – he was rushed by ambulance to a Hospital around 9:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead a short while later – the “Bridge Crain Hoist” that hit the worker was mounted an estimated 18 to 20 feet above the ground, on an I-beam, near the ceiling of a workshop – the hoist weighted between 500-600 pounds)

TRUCK UNLOADING FATALITY Construction Worker Killed in Williston (a worker was killed at a construction site – he was unloading pipes where the company is building a man camp – when a worker cut the metal band that held the pipes together on a truck, the pipes fell and the man was crushed)

TRENCH FATALITY Bethel Island: Man killed in construction accident (a worker, in his 40s, was killed after being crushed by a concrete staircase – the man was digging near a boat dock when he became trapped and crushed by the concrete dock, near the levee – wasn’t immediately clear how the accident happened – he was pronounced dead on the scene)

SCAFFOLDING & ELECTRICAL Workers electrocuted (two contractors working on a shed were electrocuted when their scaffolding touched an electrical line about 11 a.m. – both victims were taken to a Hospital, one by Nightingale and one by ground ambulance – both were in the intensive care unit – one was in critical condition and one was in fair condition)

ELECTROCUTION & SCAFFOLDING 2 workers electrocuted; MEDC issues safety warning (two workers were recently electrocuted when the scaffolding they were moving fell on an overhead line and caused a flashover – the workers lost control of the scaffolding while moving it to another location – it fell on the 11KV OHL, causing direct contact with the ground and producing an electrical flashover, which electrocuted those holding the scaffolding)

HOTWORK Fire consumes Fort Lauderdale gas station (gas station was being demolished – a crew was in the process of tearing down the gas station and were working with a welding torch in the gas station’s car wash – workers said something then sparked)

Construction worker, 25, injured in Lawndale fire (a worker, 25, was critically injured in a fire at 5:35 p.m. – the fire happened in a store front, which collapsed – the injured man is a construction worker who was doing rehab work on the building, a small strip mall)

MISCELLANEOUS

LANDSCAPING FATALITY Man struck, killed on Salisbury Highway (a worker, 28, died after he was struck by a vehicle while doing lawn work at a local business – around 8:16 p.m., he was using a leaf blower, stepped out into the roadway and was struck by a vehicle – it was dark by 8:15 and the worker was wearing dark clothing)

CARNIVAL FATALITY OSHA investigates death of NY carnival worker (a carnival worker was struck on the head by a spinning ride – he went under the ride to take care of something related to its music – when he stood up, the ride knocked him to the ground – the owner said safety procedures call for operators to wait until a ride stops before stepping beneath it – the 16 riders were unhurt)

GAS EXPLOSION Gas explosion in Dominican Republic hotel injures 16 kitchen workers (a beach resort says a gas tank explosion has injured 16 kitchen workers – five workers were hospitalized as a result of the blast – hotel technicians are trying to determine the cause of the explosion, which occurred while the workers were getting ready to serve dinner – there was no fire but the explosion left the kitchen in ruins)