28 Incidents & 1 Update (9/27/12)

2012 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – ONE Entrant and ONE “Would be Rescuer” Metrowater worker, engineer asphyxiated in manhole (a contract worker, 45, on duty for Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board died of asphyxiation – a Junior Engineer, 56, of the department who attempted to rescue him also fell into the manhole and died – the worker did not have necessary safe equipment – the accident took place around 2 a.m. after complaints of drainage block and sewage water stagnation in the area – the crew cleared four manholes and finally came to the one where the accident occurred – “As the three men watched, the worker entered the manhole without any safety equipment and was struck by poisonous gas – he struggled to breathe and attempted to come out of the hole – witnessing this, a co-worker stretched out his hand to pull him out but was struck by the gas and fell inside – officials alerted the Fire Department and a team rushed to the spot – following attempts for over two hours, the bodies of the two were taken out of the manhole by firemen)

TANK OVERPRESSURIZED Explosion injures one worker at Irving Oil refinery (the accident happened when a tank undergoing maintenance became overpressurized – an employee suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution)

MINE FATALITY Kentucky man killed in Claiborne County coal mine (a coal miner, 32, died around 5:45 a.m. in a coal mine – he was trapped deep inside the coal mine at least one to two miles underground – a witness report shows the miner was digging at the deepest point of this mine when he asked a co-worker to hold a cable – the next thing the witness saw was the ceiling caving in on him – co-workers were able to pull him out from under the large boulders that crushed him without additional help – no others miners were ever trapped or in danger)

FATAL EXPLOSION Victim of Chemical Plant Explosion Dies (one of the workers involved a chemical plant explosion has died – the accident sent two workers to the hospital with major burns – Thursday morning, 50-year-old Gregory McKnight passed away – at last word, the other victim of the explosion is still at the MED suffering from severe burns)

FATALITY Industrial Accident Claims a Life at Lackawanna Plant (one man is dead, another injured after an industrial accident at a manufacturing plant around 5 p.m. when a 6,000-pound steel beam fell on them – one of the workers, 46, was rushed to a Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries – the other worker, 26, was taken to a medical center with serious leg injuries – he was in surgery but is expected to survive)

SKID STEER BUCKET CRUSHING FATALITY Perdido Man Dies In Flomaton Industrial Accident (a man, 55, was killed in an industrial accident when he was crushed by a piece of equipment – he was pronounced deceased at the scene – he was working on a skid steer loader when hydraulic lines lost pressure causing the bucket to fall, pinning him underneath)

ACID Man burned by acid spill, chemical cloud released (a worker is recovering after being burned by a powerful acid – the accident released a heavy vapor cloud at the business which has since been contained – a malfunctioning pipe leaked Triflic acid at the plant – the substance is 1,000 times stronger than sulfuric acid – it took hazmat crews and firefighters about an hour to contain the spill and clean it up – the man injured in the accident was treated here and not taken to the hospital)

FATAL EXPLOSION Chemical factory explosion in south Korea kills 2 (an explosion at a chemical factory in South Korea has killed at least two workers and injured two others – the explosion occurred when the four people were working near a tank truck carrying chemicals similar to hydrochloric acid – a fifth worker was also near the truck at the time of the explosion and hasn’t been found – the cause of the explosion is still being determined)

MINE Fire at Saskatchewan potash mine out; no one hurt, but some miners underground (a fire that trapped 20 workers underground at a potash mine is out – it was extinguished about 10 hours after it started – twenty workers who were in refuge stations underground will stay put until rescue crews ensure it is safe for them to come out – the fire broke out at about 2 a.m. when a large wooden cable spool started burning)

FORKLIFT & Alcohol do not mix Cortlandt Man Charged After Forklift Prank Leads to Serious Injuries (a man was seriously injured after he and co-worker fooled around with a forklift earlier this month – the worker, 50, who severely injured a co-worker while horsing around with a forklift is due in court next week – Police arrested the man on Sept. 21 after they responded to a 911 call – when police arrived at the scene, they found a man lying on the ground with severe fracture to his left arm that left the bone protruding through his skin, a collapsed lung and other serious injuries – the suspect, who was at the scene, told police that he went out to drink beer with the injured man – when they came back, the victim got on the forklift and told the man start it up – the suspect lift the fork lift eight to nine feet in the air, causing the victim to fall – the forklift operator was arrested and charged with counts of second-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree assault – he is scheduled to appear in town court on Oct. 5)

LOTO/GUARDING on CONVEYOR Shoals worker injured after arm caught in machinery (a man’s arm got caught in a piece of machinery around 5:00 a.m. – his injuries were serious, but he is expected to survive)

HOTWORK Roof catches fire at Otis Elevator (at 1:20 p.m. a first level roof had caught on fire while workers were welding on the test tower – a small portion of the roof was damaged and firefighters ensured that the fire did not extend beyond the point of origin – no injuries were reported)

CONSTRUCTION

EXCAVATION Construction Worker Injured in Accident on UA Campus (a construction worker at a University is hospitalized after part of a retaining wall fell on him – the worker was excavating when part of a wall fell on him – he was trapped for a few minutes but was alert and talking when an ambulance arrived – his condition has not been released, but his injuries are considered to be non-life threatening)

CRANE COLLAPSE Worker hurt after crane falls on him (a man was injured when a crane collapsed on his foot shortly before 1pm – he was taken to a hospital, but last night the extent of his foot injuries was unclear)

CRANE Toppled Crane Injures Worker at Construction Site (a worker was injured at a construction site when a crane fell off the edge of a wall – the crane operator was reportedly inside the crane operating booth as it fell – the worker suffered a serious leg injury and was transported to a local hospital – his condition was not immediately known)

FALL from LADDER Painter hospitalized after ladder fall (a man has been hospitalized after he fell several metres from a ladder while painting a house – he has suspected broken bones and a back injury – the incident comes six days after an electrician was badly hurt after falling five metres from a ladder onto a concrete floor)

WORKZONE FATALITY Two killed, THP trooper injured in early morning accident in Bradley County (an accident on Interstate 75 involving a tractor trailer, TDOT truck and a highway patrol car killed two people – it happened in the early morning hours claiming the lives of the semi driver and road worker, 28, around 3:30 a.m. – the crash report says the truck was full of live chickens as it traveled through a marked construction zone – at the same time, the DOT worker was out of his truck putting reflective lenses in those pavement markers that are along interstates – the tractor trailer ran into the back of the TDOT truck, which hit and killed the worker – the trucks also crashed into a state trooper who had stopped to help – the trooper is already out of the hospital)

COLLAPSE Metal frame topples, injures two workers (a metal frame collapsed – two people were transported to a Hospital with injuries – one man suffered serious injuries to his head and chest, and the other suffered orthopedic injuries)

FALL from ROOF Worker injured in fall from roof of Novato Target store (a commercial roofing service employee was injured when he fell from the roof of a store – he was working on the roof of the store around 3 p.m. when he stepped backwards and fell about 12 feet to another roof below – the upper roof is 25-30 feet above ground – the man, in his late 30s to early 40s, was alert and conscious when the firefighters arrived and complained of extreme back pain and was placed on a backboard)

UPDATE on HOTWORK FIRE Green Bay warehouse fire ruled accidental (a warehouse fire last week caused by a cutting torch flame igniting paint chemicals has been ruled accidental – a high-end door manufacturer previously operated inside the warehouse – the fire began just after 11 a.m. Sept. 20 when someone tried to cut through a semi-enclosed metal booth where items were previously spray painted – paint chemicals were all over the booth, and the flame from the cutting torch caused a fire that spread quickly – no one was injured)

TRENCH Trench collapse at Chesterfield church traps worker (Fire and EMS have freed a worker, 66, who was trapped in a trench collapse for a couple of hours – he was trapped 6 to 8 feet below the ground level – he communicated with firefighters throughout the rescue and is expected to be okay – he was sent to a Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries – two men were laying the plumbing for the church expansion project when the trench they built gave away – at one point the dirt was up to the man’s chest)

MISCELLANEOUS

TRUCK ROLLS Man injured in Walcott farm accident Wednesday (a worker, 57, was pinned between a pickup and farm truck about 4:25 p.m. – he had been unhooking a pickup from behind a farm truck when the truck rolled backwards, pinning him in between both vehicles – a co-worker was able to quickly assist him in getting free, but he suffered unknown injuries from the incident – his condition is unknown at this time)

GRINDER Flying blade hurts worker (an auto body shop employee, in his 40’s, was sent to a hospital after a blade became lodged in his chest in a workplace accident at 1:45 p.m. – he was repairing a vehicle when his grinder malfunctioned, sending the blade careening into his chest – the man was immediately transported to a hospital – his condition is not life-threatening)

BATTERY EXPLODES Man burned while trying to jumpstart car (a worker, 24, suffered acid burns to his eyes and hands when the battery of a snowcat he was trying to jumpstart exploded in his face – he mixed up the negative and positive terminals when the battery exploded about 9.30 a.m. – he was treated at the scene and then flown to a Hospital)

Worker hurt at cemetery (a worker, 51, is in a critical condition – he was removing an old fence when the incident occurred between 3.30-4pm – it is understood he suffered head injuries but further details were not available)

1 killed, 1 hurt in Colo. prison incident (a female worker at a prison was killed and a second seriously injured – state prison officials had not released the names of the victims, nor a detailed account of what happened – the women were workers in the prison kitchen)

Maintenance worker injured after RV falls on him in Riviera Beach (a maintenance worker is in stable condition after being pinned under a recreational vehicle just before 4:30 p.m. – the vehicle slipped and fell on top of him – Fire Rescue crews freed the worker, who was then taken to a Medical Center)

FALL down SHAFT Maintenance worker rescued from shaft (a maintenance worker was injured after falling down a 10-foot shaft – he removed a large grate covering the shaft, which contained HVAC equipment for the building, just before 9 a.m. – he took one step back, apparently not realizing how close his foot was to the opening, and fell to the bottom of the approximately 4-by-4 shaft – the victim suffered broken bones, but is expected to be okay)

What’s New this week @ SAFTENG.net

Loss of Containment (LOC) Data

Cracking and Ruptures of SCBA Aluminum Cylinders Made from 6351 Alloy

PSM NEP inspection results in 10 Serious and 1 other-than-serious citations totaling $67,000

2012 DOT ERG by the numbers

SCBA Cylinder Catastrophic Failure from Stress Corrosion Cracking

Hydro-Testing of SCBA Cylinders

2012 Video of the Week # 38 (Crane Collapse)

2012 Photo of the Week # 38 (Forklift)

EPA fines two natural gas plants $316,000 for RMP violations

Popcorn Fund Raiser for Scouts and Military

The new “Table 3” in the 2012 DOT ERG

When we claim alarms as “safe guards” in our PHA

TOSHA cites Refinery $63,000 for Fatal Flash Fire (PSM, LOTO, PPE)