37 incidents & 1 update (1/21/13) – Safety Engineering (SAFTENG)

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since 2006	since 2011	since 2007	since 2012

2013 Fatality Tracker

Electrical

(2012 = 68)

(2011 = 81)

(2010 = 90)

(2009 = 100)

Forklift/Manlift

(2012 = 52)

(2011 = 84)

(2010 = 110)

(2009 = 88)

Mining*

(2012 = 92*)

(2011 = 248)

(2010 = 480)

(2009 = 586)

*no longer includes China accidents

Explosions

(2012 = 241)

(2011 = 218)

(2010 = 246)

(2009 = 302)

Cranes

(2012 = 52)

(2011 = 50)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 82)

Falls

(2012 = 99)

(2011 = 123)

(2010 = 139)

(2009 = 172)

(2008 = 250)

Work Zone

(2012 = 62)

(2011 = 54)

(2010 = 50)

(2009 = 69)
(2008 = 69)

Trenching

(2012 = 44)

(2011 = 36)

(2010 = 54)

(2009 = 48)
(2008 = 90)

LOTO/Guards

(2012 = 44)

(2011 = 64)

(2010 = 51)

(2009 = 68)
(2008 = 66)

Confined Space

(2012 = 54)

(2011 = 62)

(2010 = 112)

(2009 = 73)
(2008 =137)

The numbers above are obtained from the news sources used to compile the Incident Alerts. They are NOT official numbers published by any government agency. They are derived SOLELY from my search engine search strings.

INDUSTRIAL

FATAL FALL Worker dies at limestone quarry north of Las Vegas (an industrial accident has claimed the life of a worker at a limestone quarry – the man died after falling about noon at the Quarry and Plant – the exact cause of death is not known)

LOTO FATALITY Two workers die in factory accident (two workers, including a production engineer, died and two were injured when a machine they were cleaning was switched on accidentally – at 10am a production engineer entered the machine with two other workers to clean it while a fourth worker was at its entry point – just then, someone in the factory’s control room switched on the machine – by the time the fourth worker jumped off and managed to turn the switch off, one worker had started spinning with the machine and died on the spot – the three injured were taken to a hospital where the production engineer succumbed to his injuries)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker killed in Vanadzor chemical plant blast (an explosion killed a worker, 22, at a ammonium chemical plant – no other details)

IPL worker pulled from retention pond after freak accident (a worker was pulled from a retention pond and treated at a Hospital after an accident – security workers witnessed the woman driving into an ash pond and ran to her rescue – the woman was being treated for hypothermia and difficulty of breathing)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Wellington worker dies after accident (a worker, 47, has died after an accident at the port early – he was caught between cargo and a forklift during a warehouse packing operation, which happened just after midnight – he had worked at the port for nine years – emergency staff had attended to the man on site, but were unable to revive him)

OILFIELD Oilfield Worker Airlifted After Industrial Accident (an oilfield worker, 38, had to be airlifted to a hospital after a leg shattering accident – a pipe rack fell on to the leg of the worker – he had to be airlifted to a hospital because)

GAS RIG FATALITY Rig worker dies in in accident at W.Va. prep plant (a worker died when the rig overturned and crushed him – the rig was doing exploratory work on shale gas deposits, drilling 30-foot holes and setting off explosives for seismic testing)

PRESS Worker injured in industrial accident in Niagara Falls (a worker was injured in an apparent industrial accident – a male had his arm caught in a press – he was taken to a hospital with injuries to both hands)

UPDATE on FATAL EXPLOSION Second worker dies after factory blast (a second worker has died following an explosion last November at a lithium plant – the worker had died as a result of infection from injuries sustained in the incident on November 22 – heated sodium sulphate solution spilled onto a number of employees and contractors who sustained second-degree burns – investigations of the causes of the explosion had been completed by the company and concluded an abnormal and unexpected blockage led to a mass of sodium sulphate liquid causing fibreglass pipe work to rupture at a u-bend section)

MINE Miner’s arm crushed in Broadmeadow accident (a mine worker has had his arm crushed at an underground coal mine – the man’s colleagues raised the alarm on Sunday night after noticing he had not returned underground following a trip to collect equipment – a search for the employee discovered he was trapped, his left arm was crushed between a cable reel and the cable reeler – he had been stuck there for over an hour)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – H2S Oilfield Worker Dies From H2S Gas Poisoning In Dawson County (an oilfield worker, 57, dies from H2S gas poisoning at a pumpjack – he was trying to close a valve in the cellar of a pumpjack when the H2S gas (hydrogen sulfide) overcame him – he was working with a three-man crew when the incident occurred – he was pronounced dead at the scene by Dawson County Justice of the Peace)

ELECTROCUTION Worker dies of electrocution at ESB station (a young worker, 22, was electrocuted following an incident at a sub-station at around 3.10 pm – paramedics performed life-support on the worker, but he was later pronounced dead on arrival at a Hospital – it is understood early indications were that he had been electrocuted – he had been working with three others at the time but there were no other injuries – he had been working in a small indoor section of the substation)

FATAL FALL from UTILITY POLE Checks on electricity poles after worker dies in fall near Plymouth (safety checks are being carried out after an electricity engineer, 28, died when a wooden pole on which he was working collapsed – he was part of a team of seven working on the power line when the accident happened – it is understood the wooden pole snapped at its base while he was working up it)

GARBAGE TRUCK FATALITY Garbage worker killed in Utica, New York (a garbage worker, 28, was killed early in the morning after being run over by his truck at a transfer station – he was emptying a load when he realized he left the truck in gear – he attempted to get back into the truck, and fell between the truck and a building, landing under the truck, which ran him over – he was freed by the Fire Department and rushed to a Hospital, where he died from his injuries)

BAKERY FATALITY Bakery worker dies after industrial accident (a woman, 39, has died after she was injured in an accident at work at around 11:30 p.m. – she became pinned between two pieces of equipment – she died from blunt force injuries to her torso)

FALL from LADDER Tulsa Fire Rescues Worker After Falling In A Shaft At Port Of Catoosa (a worker fell into an underground shaft which runs below a grain silo – firefighters rescued a worker from an underground shaft at a silo – a worker was climbing down a ladder in the shaft when he fell about 20 feet – despite the distance of the fall, the worker did not break any bones but was complaining of aches and pains – firefighters used ropes to hoist the worker out of the shaft through an opening 2 foot square – he was taken by a medical helicopter to a hospital to be checked out and is expected to be okay)

REFINERY EXPLOSION Explosion at Holly Frontier Refinery (a gas leak a little after noon led to a fire at a refinery – shortly after noon the refinery experienced a leak at the delayed coker unit – there was a subsequent fire which operators and first responders quickly took steps to contain and control – all employees and contractors were accounted for and there were no injuries – a highly trained fire brigade and operators acted quickly to cool the affected equipment and the fire was isolated and extinguished by 1:45 pm.)

FATAL EXPLOSION One dead, 14 injured in explosion at Sidon plant (one man was killed and 14 others were injured in an explosion at a plant used to process bananas – the worker died from his wounds after being transferred to a local hospital – the explosion resulted from a reaction between chemicals used at the plant, where bananas are ripened before sale)

GAS PLANT FIRE Gas Plant Fire in Madison County Contained (a fire at a gas facility has been put out and investigators say no one is in any danger – the fire happened at a natural gas compressor station – several homes were evacuated at first as a precaution – the fire was confined to a natural gas engine)

AMMONIA No injuries reported following ammonia leak in Quesnel this afternoon (at approximately 3:15 pm there was an ammonia leak at an arena – the facility was immediately evacuated and the Fire Department responded and secured the scene – the leak was capped by around 4:00 p.m. – there were no reports of injuries to any members of the public – surrounding residents have been advised to ‘shelter in place’ or they may choose to leave the area)

AMMONIA Ammonia gas leak at RAK ice factory (an ammonia gas leak at an ice processing factory spread panic and the area was evacuated by the police, before the civil defense controlled the emergency situation in 45 minutes – no casualty was reported due to the timely evacuation of workers after the gas leak happened at around 10.30 a.m. – a probe is now underway to determine the cause of the leak and to determine the extent of any environmental damage caused)

CHLORINE Residents evacuate after reported chlorine leak (residents evacuated their homes after a chlorine leak at a water treatment plant – anywhere between six to eight houses were evacuated after the department went door-to-door to inform residents of a voluntary evacuation – it started when units responded to a check order in the area and found a strong odor of chlorine in the air at the water treatment plant – a representative from the plant met fire rescue crews to let them know he was able to turn off the flow of chlorine and representative was then transported to a local hospital to be treated for exposure – two residents from the area were transported to the hospital and checked out)

CHLORINE Butts chlorine leak sparks Henry haz-mat response (a chlorine leak at a Water Treatment Plant garnered a response from the County Fire Department’s haz-mat team – no injuries were reported – the plant manager and only employee on duty had stated that he heard a “boom” and as he was exiting his office, he got a hit of chlorine in the face from the direction of the chlorine room which housed 1-ton chlorine cylinders – the structure was ventilated and air quality was verified before personnel were allowed to return – no further leaks were detected – no injuries were reported)

CONSTRUCTION

SHEETROCK Plantation Fire Dept conducts hi-rise rescue for injured worker (a worker, 42, sustained serious, but non-life threatening injuries during a construction accident which occurred about 4:20 PM, on the fifth floor of some Condominiums – the man was delivering a cart loaded with sheetrock when it tipped over causing the sheetrock to fall on him – other workers were able to remove the sheetrock from him – paramedics treated him at the site then firefighters used an elevated platform truck – the worker was placed in a Stokes basket and lowered safely to the ground where he was transported)

FALL into TRENCH Construction worker injured in Denver, crane helps lift him to safety (a construction worker was injured in a job site accident just before 9 a.m. – the worker fell from a ladder while climbing out of a deep trench – the hole is about 40-feet deep, but firefighters were not sure how far the injured worker fell because there was no eye witness – fellow workers found the worker at the bottom of the ladder and called for help – paramedics stabilized the injured worker and strapped him to a spine board – a crane at the site was then used to lift the board out of the hole and place it next to a waiting ambulance – he was taken to a local hospital)

FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Safety call after Sharjah worker falls to death (a construction worker fell to his death from the 10th floor of a building after the scaffolding he was working on gave way – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

TRENCH FATALITY Worker dies in Denver after being partially buried in a trench (a worker died after being partially buried in a trench and losing consciousness at about 11:15 a.m. – firefighters called to the scene found the victim unconscious in a trench about eight-feet deep and eight-feet wide – it took responders about ten minutes to get the man out of the trench and paramedics worked on him on scene, where he was pronounced dead – the man was working on pipe or an underground line at the time of the incident)

FATAL FALL from ROOF COLLAPSE Three die as airport roof caves in (three workers died as a roof a building caved-in – the cause of the accident was under investigation)

FATAL FALL from BRIDGE Worker dies after fall from New York bridge (an engineer, 54, died after falling from a bridge while on a work site inspection around 10:10 a.m.)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker dies in forklift incident (a construction worker, 27, was struck and killed by a load of oriented-strand board sheets that slid from a forklift – he was assisting a forklift operator in transporting construction materials when the incident occurred)

Construction worker hurt on job site (a construction worker, 26, was hit in the face with the nozzle of a cement pipe – he had been working in a 15-metre-deep pit, lost consciousness before first responders arrived on scene – co-workers performed first aid and used a crane and rescue basket to hoist him out of the hole – paramedics have treated the worker for head and facial injuries – he is in stable condition)

WORKZONE Highway worker badly hurt after being struck along I-75 (police are seeking witnesses to an interstate traffic crash that seriously injured a highway worker, 30, who was picking up trash – he was listed in serious condition at a Medical Center after a vehicle struck him during a wreck on Interstate 75 – the crash happened around 9:45 a.m. – a Scion, traveling north next to a Honda Accord, struck the Accord, which then ricocheted into the worker as he worked in the high-speed berm)

MISCELLANEOUS

AIRPORT Airline worker hurt in accident at Newark Airport (an airline worker has been seriously injured in an accident at Newark Liberty International Airport – employee was pinned between a luggage cart and a food service truck around 9:20 a.m. – it’s not clear how the accident occurred – the worker was being treated at a hospital for “serious injuries” – no other injuries were reported in the incident)

EXPLOSION IDOT worker burned in accident at Towanda (a worker was burned in an explosion and fire at a highway maintenance facility – he is expected to make a full recovery – a piece of pavement-patching equipment exploded at 8:43 a.m. – the worker is an experienced, full-time employee who has a temporary job with IDOT as a “snowbird”, meaning he is hired during the winter to remove snow, clear brush and patch pavement)

ELECTROCUTION Man electrocuted while trimming tree in Little Rock, Ark. (a worker, 27 was tethered to the top of a tree when the limb fell onto the power line – the worker was touching the branch and was immediately electrocuted by an 8,000-volt charge)

ARC FLASH Fire marshal: Carpet store worker saved burning man’s life (a carpet store employee used his body and buckets of water to extinguish a fire on an electrical contractor, 46, after an electrical panel explosion – they were the only ones in the store at the time of the fire, which has been ruled accidental – the electrical contractor remains in extremely critical condition at a Burn Center with third-degree burns over more than 70 percent of his body – the store employee, also at the burn center, is listed in critical condition with second- and third-degree burns to his hands, face, arms and airway – the contractor was in the rear of the store replacing a circuit breaker on the 3-foot tall electrical panel box shortly before 5 p.m. when, for some undetermined reason, a flash fire occurred and ignited the man’s clothing – the man ran toward the front of the store and fell, igniting the carpet underneath him in several places)

FATAL EXPLOSION – WELDING ON DIESEL TANK Kings Mountain man killed in welding accident (a man, 69, died after an accident at his welding business – he was in the shop working on a diesel tank for a customer when it blew up)

FORKLIFT Man severely injured in forklift accident (a man, 18, was severely injured while driving a forklift – he was operating a forklift between farms at 7:15 a.m. when the vehicle left the shoulder and overturned – he was trapped by the vehicle and had to be freed by responders – he was taken to a Medical Center with major injuries)