60 incidents & 0 updates (11/22/15)

2015 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY Lakeville industrial accident kills Burnsville worker (worker, 28, died of injuries caused by an industrial roller at the plant – he was injured about 7:45 a.m. and died shortly before 2:30 p.m. at a Medical Center – plant is a maker of disposable food packaging and catering supplies)

CRANE Worker rescued after accident at Norfolk International Terminals (operator of a straddle carrier is recovering after a crane crushed the cab he was in at terminal – a straddle, or shuttle, carrier is a large vehicle used for moving and stacking shipping containers – it appears the worker was operating the straddle carrier when a crane’s hoisting mechanism was lowered and accidentally struck it, damaging the cab area – a container was not being lowered or hoisted at the time of the accident – a ladder truck had to be used to reach the worker 50 feet in the air, and crews had to cut him out of the cab in order to free him)

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY  Officials: Worker killed after head stuck in piece of machinery (authorities were investigating a death at a stone fabricator – there was an industrial accident at that location but have not released much information – preliminary information was that an employee’s head became stuck in a piece of machinery)

MINE FATALITY Worker dies in accident at Harmony Gold mine (employee was fatally injured in a fall of ground accident)

FATAL EXPLOSION w/ EXCAVATION Gas line explosion: A look at the company behind ‘tragic accident’ (worker died in a massive gas line fire – worker apparently hit a 34-inch natural gas line – the fire that erupted killed the worker, and the blaze destroyed a nearby home – two women and a baby in that house managed to get out, but the women are reportedly being treated for burns)

CRUSHING FATALITY Worker crushed, killed by machinery at Charlotte stone fabricator business (worker at a stone fabricators plant was killed when a piece of machinery fell on him just before 7:30 p.m. – worker was crushed by machinery at the plant)

BARGE AMPUTATION Worker injured after falling off barge at Port Canaveral (worker suffered severe injuries to his legs while working on a barge and fell overboard and into the water at about 10 p.m. – he suffered partial amputation to his legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital)

FIRE Worker Killed, Three Others Hurt in Fire at Cuddalore SIPCOT Unit (fire broke out in a chemical company killing a contract worker and leaving three others injured, including one who got hurt when he tripped and fell down while running to safety – cause of the fire was still not known – four workers were on night duty on the fourth floor of the private pharmaceuticals company and were reportedly handling chemicals at that time, when the blaze occurred – contract worker could not run away because of the thick smoke and died of suffocation – the three others tried to escape and two of them suffered  injuries, while one of them fell and injured himself)

OXYGEN DEFICIENCY FATAL from CARBON DIOXIDE 1 DEAD AFTER LEAK AT COFFEE PLANT NEAR DOWNTOWN HOUSTON (worker has died after a leak at a Coffee plant – an employee was in the section where they decaffeinate the coffee when a valve either broke or leaked carbon dioxide, which overcame the worker – the worker had worked with the company for over 20 years – other workers came to his aid and they called 911 – worker was taken to the hospital in serious condition where he later died)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker killed, 2 others hurt at Coromandel’s fertiliser unit (worker was killed and two others were injured – worker was killed when he was handling some scrip which apparently contained a chemical – there was an explosion and one worker was killed on the spot while two others in the vicinity sustained injuries)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Industrial accident: Fuel tank explosion at Lahore steel factory kills five (at least five workers were killed and four others were injured when a fuel tank at a factory exploded – workers were busy in welding at the Steel Factory when a fuel tank caught fire and exploded – a nearby fuel depot, which holds about 750 gallons of fuel for the generator, suddenly exploded)

FATAL EXPLOSION Coroner identifies employee killed in explosion at Madison County cedar product plant (worker, 61, killed in an explosion at a cedar product plant around 7:45 a.m. – no other employees were injured)

FLASH FIRE Worker burned in flash fire at Henderson plant (worker suffered serious burns after a diesel fuel flash fire about 1:45 p.m. – he was handling equipment when it caught fire – no other injuries were reported, and no buildings caught fire)

FLASH FIRE Insulation worker burned after flash fire (worker for an insulation company has some minor burns after a fire broke out just after 1 p.m. – worker was refilling a generator with gas when the fumes ignited, causing a flash fire – the fire caught a trailer in front of a home under construction on fire – spray insulation stored in 55 gallon drums in the trailer fueled it)

HOTWORK Structural fire at Malakwa mill (all were accounted for and no one was reported to have been injured – reports indicate the fire may have stemmed from welding work done sometime in the morning – reports were that two people in there were doing some hot works welding in the morning and, over a break, either the fire could have ignited when they weren’t in the building)

CONFINED SPACE HOTWORK EXPLOSION SHERIFF: 3 men injured in explosion at Proliant plant in Lytton, IA identified (explosion sends three to hospital – worker, 34, was inside a large storage tank and was going to patch weld a seam in the tank when the explosion occurred – worker, 32, was assisting and worker, 52, was in the room at the time of the explosion – explosion occurred in the rendering section of the plant – one worker’s injuries were life-threatening and another were severe – investigators are still on scene to try to determine a cause of the explosion)

HOTWORK Fire at Sports Complex-42, no casualty (a huge quantity of chemical rubber meant for pasting astroturf field at the Sports Complex and a charcoal mixing machine were gutted in a fire – there was no casualty – the machine in which charcoal was prepared caught fire due to overheating – the fire engulfed the machine and spread further sending packets of chemical rubber, which were lying nearby, aflame – the fire occurred due to a spark at the spot where welding work for raising grills was on)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Explosion kills 19-year-old welder at worksite in Saskatchewan (worker, 19 was opening a barrel with a torch – the barrel contained a type of spray foam – they all believed it was water-based and it exploded – teen was pronounced dead at the scene)

AMMONIA SCRUBBER EXPLOSION 12 injured in explosion in Tata Steel plant (12 workers were injured in an explosion in an ammonia scrubber at the coke plant around 10.30 a.m. – ten were contractors and two employees of the company – the injured were taken to a Hospital – area of explosion was shut down for maintenance work)

FATALITY @ POWER PLANT Muskogee man dies from workplace injury (worker died as a result of injuries sustained when he reportedly was struck by a falling handrail while working from the ground at a Power Plant)

AMMONIA Two treated, Kemps plant evacuated after ammonia leak (an anhydrous ammonia leak at an ice cream plant at around 7 p.m. resulted in two people having to be treated by firefighters and the plant’s workers being evacuated – businesses were evacuated for the duration of the incident – police have shut off the leak and are waiting for the plant to air out to acceptable levels – nobody was injured in the incident and the two individual who were treated did not require hospitalization)

CHLORINE Small chlorine leak at water plant injures 1, forces nearby residents out of their homes for more than 2 hours (one person was taken to the hospital and several homes were evacuated more than two hours due to a small chlorine leak – a plant employee was taken to the hospital because he was directly exposed to the chemical)

CHLORINE Chlorine gas leak contained at Parkville water plant (a chlorine gas leak at a water treatment plant – there are tanks of chlorine in a room at the facility and when the power goes off, caps on the tanks tighten to try to prevent a leak – when the power came back on, the caps loosened like they’re supposed to and somewhere along the line one of the valves was leaking – there were no evacuations and no injuries)

FORKLIFT Man trapped in toppled forklift refuses medical assistance (forklift toppled forward with the operator inside – he was assessed by paramedics at the scene and was not injured – he refused further medical assistance or treatment)

FORKLIFT Man in hospital after forklift accident (worker, in his 40s, suffered suspected leg fractures after an industrial accident involving a forklift – he was knocked over by a forklift in an industrial accident)

CONSTRUCTION

TRENCH FATALITY Construction worker killed in Manor while installing drainage pipes (construction worker, 24, died around 11:20 a.m. as crews were putting storm water drainage pipes in – he died when a bucket from an excavator fell off its hinge and fell on him)

WORKZONE FATALITY DOH worker killed in Brooke County accident (state Division of Highways worker was killed around noon along state Route 88 when she was apparently struck by a state-owned vehicle – crew was doing a base failure repair project when the accident occurred – reports indicate a medical condition may have caused the worker to fall – driver of the slowly backing vehicle may not have seen her)

WORKZONE & TRENCHING FATALITY Worker Killed In Bizarre West Philly Accident (a plumbing contractor, 27, was working in an excavated area around 8 p.m. when a vehicle then lost control and fell into the hole – worker was crushed and died at the scene)

ELECTROCUTION Worker killed in Cheniere LNG terminal accident in Cameron Parish, TV station reports (worker died after an accident at the site of an energy facility, which is currently under construction – report says paramedics transported the unnamed worker to a hospital – authorities later confirmed the person was dead – this is the second death at the site in less than a month – worker, 45, died Oct. 17 after falling from scaffolding, the report says)

TRENCH FATALITY Construction worker killed in trench cave-in (worker, 47, was killed when a trench collapsed on top of him while he was working – he died as a result of injuries he suffered – he was working in a six-foot-deep trench when the walls caved in and trapped him about 9 a.m.)

WORKZONE FATALITY Man killed, TDOT worker injured in State Route 840 crash in Williamson County (a driver died after his car crashed into the back of DOT truck around 9:30 a.m. – driver of the TDOT truck, 37, was outside of his vehicle picking up trash at the time – the impact caused his truck to knock him over the guardrail – he was transported to a local hospital for treatment – he was last listed in stable condition)

CRANE Construction crane tips over, one worker injured (crane accident at a construction site sends one man to a local hospital just after 1:30 p.m. – a load became unbalanced and that caused the crane to tip over – an excavator, power generator and a port-a-potty were damaged – one worker was slightly injured and taken to a local hospital as a precaution)

FALL from CATWALK Construction worker in critical condition after fall at Kumho Tire plant (construction worker, 19, suffered serious injuries at the site of a tire facility after falling from a walkway just before 10 a.m. – he remained listed in critical condition – he lost his footing, and that’s how he fell – his safety harness was not attached at the time of the accident)

IMPALED on REBAR Construction worker impaled by rebar in fall (construction worker was seriously injured when he fell into a pit and was impaled on a piece of rebar about 2:30 p.m. – he was impaled in the groin by rebar and flown to a hospital)

FALL from ROOF Worker injured in fall off north Forsyth home (worker suffered severe injuries when he fell to the ground from the roof of a home on which he had been working – he fell about 12 feet from the home – he was taken to a Medical Center in unstable condition with life-threatening injuries)

TRENCHING FATALITY Worker dies at Bensfort Road landfill (worker, 56, is confirmed dead as a result of an industrial accident at a Landfill site – he died in a “mishap” at the dump where a massive new trash pit is under construction – accident happened around 2 p.m. – construction crews had been installing the pipe system with heavy equipment when the mishap occurred)

FATAL FALL thru SKYLIGHT Construction worker dies in industrial accident in Millcreek (worker, 57, is dead after falling through a skylight – he was installing solar panels on the roof – he was carrying a solar panel with a co-worker, when suddenly the panel dropped to the ground and there was a sound of breaking glass – he fell about 30 feet down to the concrete floor – son-in-law was also on the roof and immediately went down to attempt CPR and render aid, but according to authorities it was immediately apparent that he could not be revived)

TRENCHING FATALITY Construction worker dies in industrial accident after being buried by soil (construction worker, 23, died in an industrial accident after he was buried by soil – he was erecting formwork when soil behind him collapsed and buried him – officers who arrived at about 6.25pm found the worker buried waist-deep in earth – he was extracted but paramedics later pronounced him dead at the scene)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker killed in explosion at hydro project near Pemberton (worker, 39, was handling explosives at the remote site when something went wrong – second person was transported to a hospital with serious injuries)

FATAL FALL Construction worker dies in Colorado Springs fall (construction worker, 21, died when he fell through the roof at 1:05 p.m. – he fell 22 feet after stepping backwards through a part of the roof that was exposed)

WORKZONE Flagger Injured by Vehicle (flagger was directing traffic around 9 a.m. when the vehicle hit him -he was flown to the hospital in critical condition – so far there are no charges against the driver)

SKID LOADER Man hurt in east Wichita construction accident (construction worker was hurt when a skid loader tipped over on him around 2:30 p.m. – he was eventually freed from the equipment but suffered critical injuries – the man was cleaning a garage and loading trash into a dumpster – when he backed up, the piece of equipment tipped over)

TRENCH FATALITY One dead after trench collapses in Edmond (worker, 37, is dead after a 20-foot trench, collapsed, and trapped him around 4:30 p.m. – there were some workers inside of trench at the time but one remains unaccounted for and is believed to be dead – trench is about 20 feet deep)

TRENCH FATALITY Man killed in excavating accident near Delphi (worker, 29, died when the wall of an 8-foot hole collapsed as he was installing drainage tile about 5:15 p.m. – co-workers were able to pull a coworker from the hole, but one worker was pinned in the rubble)

WORKZONE Construction worker hit by truck in Yulee (a pickup truck ran over a construction worker right after the driver said he was rear-ended by a semi-truck in an area currently under construction – the construction worker will survive – he was taken to the hospital by ambulance – it’s unknown what his injuries were)

AERIAL LIFT FATALITY Subcontractor dies after industrial accident at Lubbock Rail Park (worker suffered critical injuries and eventually died after an accident just before 12 p.m. – two workers were using a scissor lift inside the building when the accident occurred)

WORKZONE FATALITY Road worker dies in Sumter County crash (state road worker, 52, was killed after his truck was hit by an 18-wheeler in a construction zone – his dump truck was hit by a semi-truck – truck driver, 28, was taken to a Hospital where he was treated for injuries)

FATAL EXPLOSION in TRENCH Explosives expert, 60, killed on construction site when he became trapped in a trench minutes before blast went off (construction worker, 60, died in blast at a housing development – he had more than 30 years experience – he had been laying out explosives to clear heavy soil for drainage at a new housing development – he went to check on a detonator after it exploded prematurely, but became trapped inside a three-metre trench and could not escape in time before a second blast went off at around 11.40am.)

FALL Worker Rescued After 24-Foot Fall (worker at a water treatment plant was flown to an area hospital after he was rescued from a pit – he fell 24 feet was seriously injured)

CRANE Worker hit by crane in downtown Montreal (worker suffered a serious head injury when he was hit by a crane in a downtown construction site – despite the injury the worker, in his forties, remained conscious and was transferred to hospital – fellow worker suffered a nervous shock, and was also taken to hospital)

ELECTRICAL Worker suffers electrical burns after live cable cut which left Plymouth shops without power (contractors refitting a neighboring store cut through power cables, causing an electrical explosion – contractor suffered “electrical burns to hands and arms”)

FATAL FALL from LADDER Man dies in tragic Hamlyn Heights ladder fall, prompting safety warning (worker, 42, has died after falling from a ladder – he was a self-employed plumber)

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Woman charged in fatal shooting of co-worker slain while breaking up fight (worker, 29, was killed at the security business where he worked after police say he tried to break up a fight between co-workers, one of whom was fired that day – a female employee was working off-site and learned she was being fired – she drove back to the office and got into a fight with another female employee – during the fight, one of the women grabbed a handgun, returned and started shooting – the woman firing the shots was not the woman who had been fired)

MISCELLANEOUS

OXYGEN DEFICIENCY FATALITY Coroner: Salon worker suffocated in cryotherapy accident (worker, 24, died accidentally from the asphyxia caused by low oxygen levels – she was found on Oct. 20 at the spa where she worked after apparently entering the cryotherapy chamber while she was alone the night before – normal air is about 21 percent oxygen, but the coroner said cryotherapy chambers can bring down that level to less than 5 percent during treatments – she had texted a friend about a possible nitrogen leak in the machine, noting that the nitrogen appeared to be used quickly)

Worker on lawn mower hit, killed in car crash, Orlando police say (maintenance worker was hit and killed in a car accident while using a lawn mower in a neighborhood)

FORKLIFT Worker converting Flyers arena for Sixers knocked out in scary post-game accident (worker was knocked unconscious in an on-ice accident – as workers were getting ready to remove netting behind one of the goals around 11:45 p.m. as a forklift carrying heavy equipment was being steered onto the ice – part of the equipment had slid out of position on the forklift and struck a worker said to be in his mid-20s in the head – the man was placed on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital)

FORKLIFT FATALITY 10-year-old boy dies after forklift accident on family farm near Killam (a ten-year-old boy has died after the forklift he was driving rolled into a ditch at a family farm – police say the forklift was driven into a ditch and rolled over – the boy suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead on scene)

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