72 incidents & 1 update (10/11/15)

2015 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY, OXYGEN DEFICIENCY Worker dies in rail tanker accident, newspaper reports (one of the members of a cleaning crew who suffered oxygen deprivation while trapped in a rail tanker on Thursday (Oct. 8) has died – New Orleans Fire Department responded along with EMS around 9:45 a.m. after one of the three-member crew managed to escape and call for help – one of the other workers regained full consciousness after receiving oxygen, and the other was unresponsive – all three were hospitalized)

QUARRY FATALITY Northumberland Harden Quarry death investigated (quarry worker/contractor, 22, has died in an accident and was pronounced dead at the scene – accident is understood to have involved a tractor – it is believed the man was working on the edge of the quarry)

FORKLIFT FATALITY MAN DEAD IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT IN NE HARRIS COUNTY (worker was crushed to death in an industrial accident around 4:30am – worker had gotten off a forklift and was between the machine and a large spool when the forklift rolled forward, crushing him – employee was a seven-year veteran of the company)

LINEMAN FATALITY Redding PG&E worker killed on the job (lineman, 40, died while working as an electric crew foreman – he had worked for the company for 13 years – the rigging accident happened Wednesday – company has not confirmed the exact time and location of the accident)

EXPLOSION 4 Workers Hurt In Explosion At Pasadena Chemical Plant (three workers were treated and released from a hospital – no information on the fourth – cause of the fire at the silicon plant is still under investigation)

RAILCAR FATALITY UPDATE: Union Pacific Railroad worker identified (worker, 49, was struck and killed by a train – police officers responded to check on a person trapped under a rail car – officers determined the deceased victim had been struck by a rail car and then drug underneath)

FORKLIFT FATALITY UPDATE: Worker dies in accident at distribution center (worker, in his fifties, was killed in an accident at a distribution center around 8.30 am – a collision involved a tractor unit, known as a shunter vehicle, and a male pedestrian, in the loading area of the premises – he was pronounced deceased at the scene of the collision)

BULLDOZER Logging worker critically injured in Summers County (worker, 55, in critical condition after rolling over an embankment while working in a bulldozer around 8:30 a.m. – he was working at logging operation at the time – he was flown to a Medical Center)

STEAM ADM worker injured in Clinton, transported to Iowa City (worker was hurt on the job around 3:30 p.m. at the corn processing plant – worker received steam burns on his face)

CATWALK COLLAPSE Worker injured when walkway collapses at Esbenshade Farms (worker, 35, was injured when a walkway collapsed in a chicken house at 8:50 p.m. – it dropped a man 12 to 16 feet – the worker had been trapped under some metal but was quickly freed – he was helped from the building and to a waiting ambulance – wasn’t clear what caused the walkway to collapse)

LOTO/GUARDING 1 injured in Huber Heights industrial accident (worker, 25, suffered a severe hand injury when his arm was caught in a piece of sanding press equipment – fire-rescue crew was able to extricate the man but his left hand was severely damaged – victim was alert and oriented when he was taken to a Hospital)

UPDATE on HW FATALITY DuPont to pay $724K after explosion that killed worker (company has agreed to pay $724,000 to settle Clean Air Act violations that contributed to a 2010 explosion that killed a contractor and burned another – investigation determined the accident was caused by the ignition of flammable vinyl fluoride, used in making plastics, that had seeped inside a 10,000-gallon tank – as part of the settlement the company will buy vapor and radiation detection equipment for the town’s Fire Department)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker dies in reactor blast (worker, 22, died on the spot and another seven were injured in an accident that took place at an industry – they were working in the factory when there was a blast in a reactor – another seven persons injured in the industrial accident were shifted to hospital here for treatment – condition of some of them was stated to be critical)

CONVEYOR BELT FATALITY @ POWER PLANT Contract worker killed in accident at North Chennai Thermal Power Station (contract worker, 39, was killed in an accident at a Thermal Power Station – he died after a conveyor belt hit him on his chest while he was loading coal)

FATAL EXPLOSION Three dead, others injured in Gibson pipeline explosion (three workers are dead and two people are in hospital burn units after a natural gas plant explosion around 11 a.m. – the facility was not operating at the time and gas was not flowing through the pipeline system during the explosion – contractors were performing scheduled facility maintenance before the blast – 20 people had been working inside the plant – when emergency responders got to the scene, four workers were missing – explosion remains under investigation)

OIL RIG Worker airlifted to hospital after accident on North Sea rig (oil worker has been airlifted to hospital after an accident on a North Sea oil rig around 6.55am – he has a potentially life threatening injury after an accident on the rig – Coastguard said the man had sustained a chest injury, believed to have been caused by a fall)

DAIRY FATALITY w/ VEHICLE Heartland Dairy has third fatality in three years (worker, 51, was ejected from the back of a company vehicle, believed to be a mini-van, and he sustained fatal head injuries in that accident)

AUGER AMPUTATION Worker injured after climbing onto conveyor by ladder to clear goods (short term contract worker suffered severe injuries while working on one of its production lines – he climbed onto the conveyor belt to clear potatoes into the auger in-feed, but slipped from the belt into the collecting hopper – his body was pulled into the auger and he was trapped for an hour while orthopedic surgeons and other emergency services battled to free him – his right foot was partially amputated and he underwent a number of operations including the insertion of a metal plate and screws – his left foot could not be saved and he underwent a below the knee amputation of his left leg – he now wears a prosthetic leg)

FATAL FALL from PLATFORM Worker at Boucherville cement plant killed in fall (worker, 59, was killed following a workplace accident at a cement company just after 9 a.m. – he fell three metres from a platform)

CONFINED SPACE FALL Man injured at spiedie sauce plant (an accident at a sauce plant sent one worker to the hospital around 8:50 a.m. – worker had fallen into a vat that holds vinegar – he was cleaning the 7-foot container and then fell in – the fumes coming from the vat may have caused him to pass out)

ARC FLASH 2 workers critical after Priest Rapids Dam explosion (two of the workers burned by an electrical explosion were in critical condition – three other workers are in satisfactory condition – all five are being treated for burns – a sixth worker was treated at another hospital and was released – all are plant electricians or operators – the two workers in critical condition are in their 40s – a breaker for one of the 10 generators at the dam malfunctioned – the injured workers were nearby – cause of the malfunction was not known)

FIRE 2 injured in fire at Boulder Scientific Company (two people were burned in a fire around 2 a.m. at the company – a fire sprinkler went off and helped contain the fire until fire crews arrived – lithium salts were involved in the fire, but there is no hazard to nearby residents – investigators are still trying to determine what caused the salts to catch fire – no word on the condition of the two people taken to the hospital)

FIRE Worker left injured after fire at Lincolnshire ammunition factory (worker suffered burns and was taken to hospital by an ambulance though their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening – fire damaged the photocopier and smoke damaged the building – firefighters believe an electrical fault to have caused the fire)

Worker hurt in electrical vault blast had cut through power line, Edison says (worker who was hospitalized after an incident in an electrical vault had cut through a power line, causing a “catastrophic failure of the energized cable” – worker was in the vault at about 3 p.m. when it exploded and sent flames shooting into the air – worker went to a trauma center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries – another person was treated at the scene for minor burns and was not taken to the hospital)

EXPLOSION Four injured in chemical plant blast (four people were injured in an explosion and fire that erupted at around 8 a.m. – one victim of the blast was flown by LifeFlight to a Hospital while others were transported by ambulance to a Medical Center – it is the biggest aluminum alkyls complex in the world and produces a variety of chemicals)

FORKLIFT Pilgrims Pride Worker Legs Crushed by Fork Lift (worker was driving a fork lift when another employee got in the way – fork lift ran him over and crushed his legs – worker fractured his right Tibia Fibula and might have crushed the other leg)

POWER PLANT FIRE Explosion sparks fire at New Hampshire power plant (a generator overheated, exploded and sparked an oil fire at a power plant – No one was hurt – fire extended through the upper floors of the four-story, 15-megawatt power plant – crews extinguished the blaze within about two hours – firefighters faced slippery conditions in the structure after a lubrication system ruptured and coated the floors in oil)

FIREWORKS PLANT EXPLOSION Explosions rock Ultratec fireworks plant near Huntsville; no one hurt (two minor explosions rocked a fireworks plant – no one was hurt – first explosion happened in side one of the buildings at about 3 p.m. – this was followed by a second blast after sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and emergency crews had arrived on the scene – there’s been minor damage to one of the buildings – two workers were killed in an explosion at the plant on Feb. 6. – two other employees were injured in that blast)

CO KCFD says the General Mills plant was evacuated for a carbon dioxide leak (the leak has been isolated – KCFD said there is no longer the possibility of an explosion – the plant has its own carbon dioxide monitors, and the alarm went off around 11 a.m. – the plant evacuated 110 workers – there were no injuries and everyone is accounted for – plant is a flour mill and packages flour products)

FIRE Chemical fire at plant in S. Sedgwick Co. (investigators are still working to find out what caused a chemical plant to explode – no one was hurt in the fire when a fire broke out in a storage facility – warehouse stores thousands of pounds of sodium chlorite, a dry chemical used for things like producing paper or treating water – the chemical is a class 3 oxidizer)

FLASH FIRE Three Injured in Explosion at Texas Chemical Storage Plant (three people were injured in an explosion and fire at a corporation that produces high-quality bulk containers for transporting liquids and dry filling goods – two firefighters and one employee were injured during the firefight and taken to the hospital – firefighters were struggling to enter the building, uncertain about the chemicals they were dealing with – thirty employees were cleaning containers when there was a “flash explosion” from some type of chemical reaction)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak at Cadbury’s factory (alarms at the building began sounding just before 1.30pm – the leak is believed to be coming from a vessel that contained 300kg of ammonia)

AMMONIA Nearly a dozen people taken to hospital after ammonia leak (an ammonia leak at a food service plant sent almost a dozen people to the hospital about 4:30 p.m. – employees reported smelling a sharp odor and some were experiencing breathing problems – 11 people were transported to a local hospital, a few of whom had severe breathing difficulties – crews determined ammonia leaked from a refrigeration unit in the plant)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Mellette man killed in forklift accident (worker, 43, died when he was pinned under a storage shed that was being moved with the help of the forklift – he was standing by as another person operated the forklift – the shed became unbalanced on the forklift and slid off – he died at the scene)

CONSTRUCTION

BULLDOZER FATALITY Worker, 27, killed in construction accident in St. Pete (construction worker, 27, was killed when he was struck and killed by a bulldozer – accident happened on land under construction for a future apartment complex – the driver of a bulldozer backed-up, striking and killing the worker, who died at the scene)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Roofing worker killed in accident at DeLand car dealership (worker, 35, died in an industrial accident after being pinned between a lift bucket and the edge a building’s roof around 7 a.m. – he was pronounced dead at the scene – he and another man were working on the gutters and roof of the building – second worker suffered an ankle injury when he dropped from the bucket and fell 30 feet to the ground)

Worker killed in construction accident (construction site accident resulted in a fatality at 11:19 a.m. – Sheriff’s Office and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health are investigating the incident – no further details immediately available about the fatality)

Crews rescue trapped construction worker (emergency crews had to rescue a man who ended up trapped inside a piece of equipment during an accident around 4:40 p.m. – crews worked for about an hour to free the man, who had become trapped inside a pan scraper that had collided with another pan scraper – details about his condition were not available)

AMPUTATION Traverse County highway worker’s leg mangled in accident near Wheaton (County Highway Department worker has been airlifted after an accident – he was injured while working near a loaded gravel truck – accident mangled his right leg – toes on his right foot were amputated – he is being treated in the burn unit because of the significant wounds to the leg)

SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE 2 workers suffer non-life threatening injuries after YMCA construction accident (2 construction workers were injured after falling 10 and 20 feet and suffer non-life threatening injuries – workers were injured when something moved underneath the pre-cast plank they were working on causing them to fall – one worker fell about 10 feet to the ground below while the other rode the rubble down about 20 feet to the basement)

Construction worker injured in job accident (construction worker, 56, was hit in the face with a cable – he was taken to a Hospital in stable condition)

CRANE CORONA: 3 workers critical in 91 overpass collapse; investigation under way (a new highway section being lowered into place suddenly dropped more than a foot, hitting wooden support beams that struck workers – nine workers beneath the bridge deck were injured, three of them critically, in the 11 p.m. accident – eight remained hospitalized – something went wrong with the jacking operation and caused the bridge deck to drop about 16 inches – the bridge deck struck wooden support beams, which hit the workers)

PFAS SAVES ANOTHER LIFE Firefighters rescue worker suspended in harness after accident during tree limb cleanup (fire crews rescued a man after a part of a tree fell on a worker – the tree had fallen over a ravine and took down power lines with it – maintenance crews were on scene working to clear the storm damage – a climber on scene was wearing a harness when a 10 foot section of the tree that was being cut fell loose, striking one of the workers – climber didn’t fall down the ravine, thanks to his harness – he was suspended for some time, though, until crews added some slack to his line and lowered him – he remained conscious and appeared to have injured his shoulder from being struck by the tree – transported to an area hospital by ambulance)

AERIAL LIFT Construction worker injured in I-43 work zone (construction worker was injured on Interstate 43 when his lift was struck by a passing truck just after 2 a.m. – worker was on a hydraulic lift under an overpass when the lift was struck by a passing truck – worker suffered leg, chest and rib injuries and was taken to a Hospital)

WORKZONE Construction worker injured in hit-and-run accident (construction worker who was directing traffic was struck by a vehicle, and then the driver fled – she was taken to a local hospital, and it was later determined that she had broken her leg)

EXCAVATOR FATALITY WORKER DIES IN EXCAVATOR ACCIDENT (worker, in his mid 20s, died in a construction accident involving an excavator – the bucket of an excavator struck and killed the man)

FATAL ROOF COLLAPSE Worker Killed In Beachwood Shopping Center Roof Collapse Left Many Who Loved Him (worker, 52, died when a roof collapsed on him during the demolition – he was pronounced dead at the scene after the accident)

TRENCH FATALITY Contract worker injured in trench collapse dies (contract worker, 26, injured in a trench collapse has died – he was trapped under the trench for 18 minutes – he was working to replace sewer lines)

Worker in Fatal Alligator Alley Accident Identified (worker, 43, was crushed under the wheels of a hydraulic dolly   while on the eastbound on-ramp to Interstate 75 – a group of three tractor trailers were entering the interstate eastbound carrying 94-ton concrete beams that measured 170 feet in length – due to their large size, the beams were supported by dollies which needed to be unpinned from the trailers and manually steered to ensure the vehicles would be able to make the turn necessary to enter the on-ramp – worker was walking along side one of the dollies, steering it by remote control, when troopers say he fell underneath the wheels of the dolly – he was later pronounced dead at a hospital)

FATAL DECK COLLAPSE Worker Killed After Deck Collapse in Jamaica Plain (construction worker was killed and another was critically injured after a wooden deck collapsed at a construction site – workers were installing the deck at an apartment building when the it suddenly came crashing down on top of them)

NAIL GUN Nail hits Qld worker’s heart in accident (worker, 45, had his heart pierced after he was accidentally shot with a nailgun – nail actually penetrated his heart – he was rushed to an operating room in an induced coma – he is in a critical condition)

WORKZONE FATALITY Worker killed in collision with minivan in West Chester identified (worker, 68, was killed in an accident when a Honda Odyssey crashed into the back of a landscape maintenance vehicle – worker was pronounced dead at the scene – police do not suspect the minivan driver of being under the influence or speeding)

KILLED 2^nd DAY on the JOB Worker dies following accident on UNLV campus (worker, 27, was critically injured – authorities have not released the specifics on the accident nor have they said what caused it – he was only in his second day as a construction worker)

CONCRETE SLAB FATALITY Worker crushed to death at condo construction site in Pasig (worker, 27, died while his fellow worker is in critical condition after a slab of concrete fell on them while working on the 10th floor of an unfinished condominium)

FALL from ROOF Worker falls 30 feet in Brigus industrial accident (construction worker, 37, is in stable condition after falling 30 feet from a roof of a building under construction – he is reported to be in stable condition)

AERIAL LIFT Painter hurt when bucket-lift truck topples under I-78 in Allentown (worker was injured when the bucket-lift truck holding him 35 feet high fell over as he painted under an Interstate overpass – bucket-hoist arm was holding the worker under I-78 at 2:35 p.m. when the vehicle toppled – worker was placed on a backboard and carried to an ambulance)

TRENCH Crews respond to workers trapped in collapsed trench in West Fargo (construction worker was pulled out of a trench where he had been buried up to his waist after wall of clay collapsed on him – another worker was trapped up to his knee, but appeared to suffer only minor injuries – accident happened about 10:40 a.m. – it took 34 minutes to complete the rescue of both men, who were then taken to the hospital – trench was more like a large pit 15 feet deep and about 34 feet wide at its narrowest, dug on the south side of a half-finished building – the worker with the most-serious injury had been in the pit near a 2-foot-by-10-foot panel in a concrete form – when the north wall of the trench sloughed off, it caused the panel to turn on its side and apparently break his shin and calf bones)

TRUCK LOADING Worker critical after steel beam accident (truck driver, 50, is in a critical condition after an accident involving a steel beam – a load of steel was being loaded onto the truck when it became loose and fell, piercing the man’s body in his arm, leg and torso)

ELECTRICAL Man Critically Injured After Severing Power Line (construction worker was critically injured when he accidentally severed a power line, triggering a small explosion and power outages just after 3 p.m. – worker was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition)

FALL 9-foot fall in Irvine parking garage requires firefighter rescue (construction worker, in his 20s, had to be rescued by firefighters when he fell about nine feet into a subterranean parking garage – he fell into a spot with a four-by-eight opening and could not get out – Firefighters had to drop down a scissors lift to hoist him up and take him to an area hospital, where he was expected to recover from his back injury)

ELECTROCUTION Construction worker electrocuted (construction worker, 22, died of electrocution when he and a co-worker were helping each other to lift the scaffolding it accidentally fell on the extension wire which electrocuted them)

AERIAL LIFT Cherry picker topples in Auckland, trapping operator (cherry picker toppled at a building site, trapping the operator inside – he has been taken to hospital alongside two other construction workers who were also in the cherry picker at the time of the accident – it’s believed the cherry picker was being driven down a small ditch when it toppled)

FATAL FALL thru SKYLIGHT Tennessee man dies after fall at plant in Tuscumbia (worker, 19, died after he was severely injured falling through the roof of a building he was working on – he was injured when he fell 25 feet through a skylight at a building – he was working with a company installing skylights in the buildings at the plant – accident happened just before 6 p.m. at a building in the back of the plant)

MISCELLANEOUS

GOLF COURSE Worker seriously injured in accident on golf course (golf course worker, 59, was seriously injured in an ATV accident – he was raking a bunker with a three-wheeled utility vehicle when it went off a 25-foot retaining wall into a creek bed – co-worker spotted the man lying facedown in the water and pulled him up – he was initially unconscious but was responding to paramedics as they loaded him into the helicopter)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Construction worker killed on farm (worker in his late 60s has been killed in a industrial accident on a farm – he was fatally injured while working on the roof of a shed at a farm when he fell around 1.15pm)

WOODCHIPPER FATALITY Police identify man killed after he gets pulled into woodchipper (worker, 72, was identified as the man killed after getting pulled into a woodchipper – he died after he was “partially pulled into a woodchipper” on a farm around 3 p.m. – he was pronounced dead on the scene – medical examiner said “He is a professional and has been in this business for many, many years” – sharp force injuries caused his death and ruled it accidental)

STEAM BOILER Worker burned by school boiler (worker, 63, was severely burned while working on the school’s boiler – his condition is not known)

FLASH FIRE Gas leak “flash” injures MLGW worker, causes some evacuations (worker has been injured and some neighbors are being evacuated after a gas leak – worker was trying to cap of a gas line leak when there was a “flash” and the worker was burned – worker was taken to a hospital in non-critical condition)

Kentucky pet store worker nearly crushed to death by python (a man working at a pet store has been seriously hurt after a massive python he was feeding nearly crushed him to death – police said they were called to the store and found the snake wrapped around the man – worker was not breathing when the officers pried the snake off him but he resumed breathing shortly afterwards – python weighed about 125lb (56kg) and measured 20ft (6m) long – Officer the snake by its head and uncurled the python from the worker)

CONFINED SPACE HOTWORK EXPLOSION Two burned in fire at airport (a flash fire in a tanker at an airport sent two workers to area hospitals with burn injuries – contractors were grinding and welding inside a fuel tanker at 11:30 a.m. when the tanker exploded – at least two workers were injured and taken to a Hospital – both men were in serious but stable condition in the hospital’s emergency department, and would eventually be transported to the hospital’s burn unit)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Prineville man killed in forklift accident identified (worker, 70, was killed when a forklift he was repairing fell on and pinned him shortly before 5 p.m. – first responders found he had died under a forklift he was working on – they determined the forklift was not working at the time, and the man was working to repair the forks when they fell and pinned him – he had been working alone and was pinned for several hours before being located)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

ASME CODE and NBIC CHANGES 2015 EDITION

2015 Photo of the Week #41 (1 step ladder, 1 extension ladder, and 6′ of rope = what could possibly go wrong)

2015 Video of the Week #41 (Power of a SCBA Cylinder)

What it looks like to go from a Level 2 RMP to a Level 3 RMP

EPA RMP citations @ grocer for delayed reporting of ammonia release, risk management, and emergency planning violations ($110K w/ $180K SEP)

OSHA’s REVISED Field Operations Manual (FOM ) incorporates “employer safety incentive” programs directly into the inspection process

MARPLOT 5.0.2 is now available for download

OSHA publishes Confined Spaces: Protecting Construction Workers in Confined Spaces – Small Entity Compliance Guide (OSHA 3825)

OSHA’s Top 10 Citations for FY 2015

The process of isolating a PRCS

When is entry rescue required and when is non-entry rescue required for entries into Permit-Required Confined Spaces

How many confined spaces do you see?

EPA RMP citations @ WWTP (CL2 & $10K w/ $140K SEP)

OSHA is REVISING electrical safety-related work practices standard for general industry and the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution standards for general industry and construction

What is the real reason for Maximum Intended Inventory?

2015 Video of the Week #40 (FLIXBOROUGH DISASTER 1974)

2015 Photo of the Week #40 (Trenching)

Would you be an entrant? (PRCS isolation)

Difference in PSI Safe Upper/Lower Limits and SOPs Operating Limits

Processing Facilities and PHMSA Jurisdiction (w/OSHA)

OSHA PSM citations @ propane facility (LPG & $135K)

Learning’s from a catastrophic release of 24,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan

Side-by-Side comparison of OSHA’s PRCS Standards