36 incidents & 1 update (8/25/13) – Safety Engineering (SAFTENG)

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

121

(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

FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker dies in forklift accident at Stone Brewing Co. (the driver of a forklift was killed when it toppled over onto him at a microbrewery – he was transported to a Medical Center, where he later died)

MINING FATALITY Worker killed during railway mining accident near Jerusalem (the director of a project overseeing the construction of two of the country’s longest tunnels for a rail line was killed in a mining accident after being struck by a small cargo train – the director, 53, slipped as he walked on the track in one of the tunnels being constructed and was struck by a train carrying equipment – although paramedics promptly arrived on the scene they were unable to resuscitate him)

FATAL EXPLOSION@ REFINERY COOLING TOWER during START-UP HPCL refinery accident death toll rises to 6 (authorities said it was expected the toll would increase further – a major fire broke out after an explosion at a newly constructed cooling tower, while the commissioning process was underway – about 100 workers were present at the cooling tower when the accident occurred – while five of those who died were contract workers, one was a regular employee – searching the cooling tower debris for more bodies – of the 37 injured, three are in a very critical state – the entire cooling tower had collapsed under the impact of the explosion – the refinery is operating at 60 per cent of its installed capacity, as some units at the facility have been shut after the accident)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – HYDROGEN SULFIDE – 1 Entrant and 4 WOULD-BE-RESCUERS Five workers die after fall into brine vat (five workers died after they fell into brine vat at a pickle factory – nine of the factory’s workers fell into the vat around 2:55 pm – investigators suspect that the workers died from hydrogen sulfide poisoning – the accident happened after one of the workers fell while cleaning the vat – the other eight workers then fell inside while trying to rescue him – the injured workers were sent to a Hospital – two remained in a coma)

STEAM Blast in MRPL power plant leaves seven injured (seven persons were injured, three of them critically, in an explosion in the steam-based captive power plant – around 5.30 p.m., a pipe burst under pressure, letting out steam and hot water – of the five workers who were working one floor above, one of them was scalded by the rising steam – though the others fled, they suffered serious injuries to their palms – the worker who was hit by the spray of steam fell off the second floor while he attempted to remove the safety buckle – a few workers who attempted to help the fallen worker were also scalded – the blast occurred when efforts were being made to start the steam boiler of the captive power plant)

UPDATE on AMMONIA FATALITIES Cause of accident at Stirol plant established (the main cause of the ammonia accident was poor technical condition of ammonia pipe, caused by corrosion of the environment, as well as the erosion of the working environment, chief of territorial department of the State Service of Mining Supervision and Industrial Safety of Ukraine in Donetsk region Vyacheslav Korol informed – according to him, the ammonia pipe is 29 years old, the rules of its checks were developed in 1969 – these include a spot check every 4 years – the expert panel recommended to prosecute 14 employees, 5 of them, in general the management of the department where the accident occurred to dismiss)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker dead in Pennsylvania following industrial park explosion (worker had been welding near fuel oil tank when it exploded – a 10,000-gallon fuel oil tank exploded at an industrial park and went flying across a road, killing a worker who was welding nearby – the tank spilled 7,500 gallons of fuel and flooded a dike encircling the area, but the spill was contained – the man who died worked for the oil company and had been welding near the tank when it exploded – it was unclear what the man was welding when the tank blew up – he died from blunt-force trauma to his head, and no one else was injured or killed)

Two workers injured by explosion (a worker is in serious condition in hospital after being involved in an explosion at an industrial site – workers were replacing a valve on a hydrocarbon storage facility – after the valve was cracked, which means the valve was being separated from the flange, some residual flammable liquid ignited, causing an uncontrollable fire – the two workers sustained injuries and one of them, a 44-year-old male, was transported to a hospital and released the same day – the other worker, a 26-year old male, was transported to a hospital, airlifted to another hospital and then transported to another hospital for more specialized treatment)

DUST EXPLOSION Fire chief: Dust caused pellet company explosion (dust was the cause of an explosion and four-alarm fire at a wood pellet company – one worker was injured when he was thrown 20 feet because of the explosion and suffered first- and second-degree burns – he was transported to a Hospital and released)

LOTO FATALITY Man crushed to death at Clarion fiberboard plant (a man, 56, was crushed to death at a fiberboard plant around 10 a.m. when he was trying to fix a machine that was leaking hydraulic oil – he was performing maintenance and got crushed between a roller and a frame of a roller – “He probably didn’t take some of the safety precautions he should have. He didn’t lock the system down” – he was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m.)

ETHANOL LOADING BAY FIRE 1 injured in Harvey plant explosion (a trucker’s leg was slightly burned in an explosion at an industrial site – firefighters quickly put out the flames and the man is being treated at a Hospital – the truck’s other driver was not hurt – the truck was in an ethanol loading area at the company’s terminal when the fire started about 11:15 a.m. – the company is investigating the cause)

GAS-FIRED POWER PLANT EXPLOSION Explosion rocks gas-fired power plant in Iowa (an explosion at a gas-fired power plant occurred at approximately 10 am during a routine startup of the No. 2 gas combustion turbine – two employees were at the facility to monitor the unit during an annual generating capacity test – both escaped the explosion without injury – damages from the incident were limited to the property, which several local news outlets are reporting to have leveled nearly half of the building – cause of the explosion is currently unknown)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak contained at Aberdeen storage facility (emergency crews contained an ammonia leak at a distribution center around 4:49 p.m. – there were no injuries, but people in the building were evacuated – crew members closed a valve on a pipe to stop the leak, which he said came through a pipe flange – the leak occurred in seals to a “king valve” in the line leading to the cooling units)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak forces evacuation of New Brunswick bottling plant (leak isolated to refrigeration unit outside plant – no injuries reported – unsure how much gas escaped)

CHLORINE LEAK Local waste water plant experiences chlorine leak (a chlorine leak at a county waste water plant at approximately 3:30 p.m. evacuated around 200 people – hazardous materials team entered the plant to investigate the cause of the leak)

CONSTRUCTION

FATAL FALL from ROOF Construction worker dead in downtown industrial accident (a construction worker is dead after falling from a new building under construction – the man was working on the 70th floor of the building, when he fell 55 floors (181 metres), landing on the 15th floor rooftop of the building next door, about 24 metres away – emergency crews did their very best and they were very quickly, but they were unable to help this patient – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

AMPUTATION Odenton construction worker suffers ‘incomplete amputation’ of leg (a construction worker, 40, had his right leg partially severed from his body after being struck by a piece of heavy machinery at a construction site – he was transported by a State Police helicopter to a Shock Trauma Center – his injury was serious, but considered non-life-threatening)

Worker dies in truck accident (a worker, 44, was killed after the truck he was riding rammed a concrete railing – the truck was supposed to deliver lumber and was negotiating a curve when its brake malfunctioned causing the truck to ram into road railings – he was declared dead when he and the driver were brought to the Hospital)

FALL from RETAINING WALL Manhattan construction worker in critical condition after falling 12 feet when wall collapses in apartment building (worker, 20, was on the job at an apartment building when the wall he was working on partially collapsed at about 10:30 a.m. – he is in critical condition after falling from a 12-foot high retaining wall – he is listed in critical condition)

FATAL FALL Construction worker killed in Summerlin accident identified (a construction worker, 26, was killed in an accident – his cause of death is still pending – it’s unclear how far he fell or how it happened)

STEAMROLLER FATALITY Worker killed by street roller (a road worker, 32, was killed in an accident on a building site – he was driving a street roller when fell down an embankment – colleagues who heard his screams ran to his aid but he had been decapitated in the accident – the worker was supposed to have been working on a building site chopping wood for excavation work but instead was driving the street roller, which he was not authorized to do, he lost balance on the machine and fell complete with the street roller ten metres down the embankment – the street roller landed on top of him)

Pipeline Worker Injured In Industrial Accident (a worker is injured in an industrial accident – a medical helicopter took the worker to the hospital at about 1:30 p.m. – the injured person was working on a pipeline – no word on how the injury occurred or the worker’s condition)

TRENCH FATALITY Man dies after trench fall in McLean (a man died at a residential construction site – fire crews arrived to find an adult male dead in a 15-foot trench next to a home on the street – it appears that the man and several co-workers were digging the trench when he fell in, causing dirt to collapse around him)

FALL into FOUNDATION Worker injured at Grimsby construction site (a construction worker suffered serious injuries around 12 p.m. at a housing construction site – a male construction worker about 50 years of age was knocked down while pumping concrete and fell into a foundation – he suffered injuries to his ribs and was transported to hospital – injuries are not thought to be life threatening)

FATAL FALL Chinese construction worker dies in accident in Ctg (a construction worker, 35, died after he fell from an under-construction shed – he fell from a height of around 20 feet while he was working in the factory shed which is being constructed by the company – he sustained severe injuries in the head – he was rushed to a Hospital where doctors declared him dead)

NAIL GUN Construction worker shoots self with nail gun in Easton (a construction worker, 42, was flown to a hospital after he accidentally shot himself in the knee with a nailgun while working at a new home – he suffered serious but non life-threatening injuries)

FLASH FIRE Contractors Severely Burned In NRH House Fire (three contractors were severely burned while working on a home around 9:30 a.m. after neighbors reported hearing a loud boom – they were working with lacquer thinner and working on the flooring in a back bedroom and it flashed on them and they were burned – one of the workers turned on a shop vac, which triggered a flash fire and caught the house on fire at least two of the workers suffered severe burns over 80 percent of their bodies – they were airlifted to a Hospital – condition of a third worker, who was transported by ground, is unknown)

Steelworker badly burned in gas blast (worker, 39, remains in hospital with serious burns after being injured in a gas explosion – at about 3.45pm a maintenance team employee received burns after an incident involving a gas explosion which was quickly brought under control – no other details)

WORKZONE and ELECTRICAL Injured road worker airlifted to hospital (a construction worker was airlifted to a hospital after suffering an electric shock while gravel was being laid down for road construction – the man who was hurt was an equipment operator – no word on his condition – no other details)

WORKZONE State Patrol seeking hit and run driver, construction worker breaks leg (a vehicle struck and injured a highway construction worker around 9:50 p.m. – the suspect was driving in a closed lane from the Silver Lake Road exit when the driver hit a worker who was cutting concrete – the car continued driving and exited the closed ramp while dodging barricades, saws and other equipment – at the top of the ramp, the car crossed the grass median to drive around barricades and turned right – the Honda Sedan sustained extensive damage to the front end – the construction worker suffered a broken leg)

MISCELLANEOUS

ELECTRICAL Tree worker in critical condition after getting shocked in Holliston (a tree worker, 26, received a severe electrical shock after his cutting equipment came in contact with a power line around 9 a.m. – he was contracted by a private resident to clear brush where the accident occurred – he was transported by helicopter to a Hospital with serious burn injuries and remains in critical condition)

TIRE Teen in hospital after accident in Lloydminster auto shop (a worker, 17, was severely injured while working on a trailer tire – he is in hospital with severe injuries – he was working on a trailer tire when it blew, hitting him in the head with the tire assembly – this caused a head injury and the worker was been airlifted to a hospital – he is being treated for severe head and face injuries)

GRINDER Worker expected to recover from saw blade mishap (a farm worker, 48, who was seriously injured in an accident is expected to make a full recovery – he was taken by air ambulance to a hospital with life-threatening injuries – he suffered a serious injury when a saw he was working with malfunctioned – there have been reports that the worker was sharpening a saw on a grinder when a piece of the blade flew up and caught him in the throat – there were no eyewitnesses to the incident)

ELECTRICAL w/ CAHINSAW Worker burned after electrical shock at jobsite (worker, 37, suffered second-degree electrical burns to his left hand and arm – he had been using a power chainsaw when he accidentally cut into a live 600-volt power line – he was in stable condition when he arrived at the hospital)

EXPLOSION Explosion in boathouse during maintenance at US Navy base in US injures 8, 1 seriously (an explosion during boat maintenance at a U.S. naval base injured a civilian firefighter and seven sailors, one of them seriously – seven of the eight injured people were treated at hospitals and were released – one sailor remained hospitalized after undergoing surgery for a broken arm – officials were still trying to determine what caused the blast, which occurred around 9 a.m. – it occurred while personnel were doing routine maintenance on a 27-foot aluminum utility boat, which is used to support port operations at the base – blast was confined to a boathouse where the maintenance was being done)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Toddler dies in forklift accident near Milnor (a toddler has died after an accident at a farm at around 5 pm – the 2 ½-year-old girl was killed when a forklift loader was backing up)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

2013 Photo of the Week #34 (Ladder)

2013 Video of the Week #34 (LOTO Failures: High Pressure/Temperature Steam Release During Engine Room Repair)

What is a “Tell-Tale” gauge and why is it significant in process safety

EPA RMP Citations @ chemical plant (chloroform, ethyl ether, formaldehyde, and HF)

EPA RMP Citations @ fertilizer manufacturing plant (NH3 and $58,788)

Fire Pumps: Cavitation (USFA)

OSHA cites salt manufacturing plant for PSM violations (NH3 and $58,100)

OSHA cites candy manufacturer for eight serious PSM violations (NH3 refrigeration and $44,005)

2013 Photo of the Week #33 (Ladder, Scaffolding, Falls)

2013 Video of the Week #33 (RRcar BLEVE in Varna, Bulgaria on 8/14/13)

Is the 1-U form for my pressure vessel really not a PSM requirement