67 incidents & 1 update (12/22/15)

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2015 Fatality Tracker

INDUSTRIAL

WOOD CHIPPER FATALITY State investigating tree business after worker’s death in wood chipper accident (worker, 19, was pronounced dead at a home where he had been working – the teen had very limited experience in the tree removal industry, but he had worked on cell towers before – it was his first day on the job)

BOILER ACCIDENT 11 workers injured in boiler accident released from hospital (11 contract workers injured in a boiler accident have been released from the hospital – three workers were released the next day and eight were released the same day – accident occurred around 7 a.m. Tuesday in the power plant of at the facility)

MINE FATALITY Industrial accident kills worker (one man is dead after an accident at a cement plant shortly before 3:00 p.m. – worker had been struck in the head by the boom of a tow truck – initially the worker was listed in stable condition, he later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital)

BURNS Industrial accident sends worker to Dalton hospital (an industrial accident sent one person to the hospital – the worker was scalded by hot water and rushed to a local hospital – no one else was injured in the accident – no word on the person’s condition)

CRUSHING FATALITY Lakewood man crushed to death by granite slabs in Westlake workplace accident (worker, 33, died after being trapped underneath granite slabs – workers managed to free the worker before police and paramedics arrived – an ambulance took him to a Medical Center and he was flown to another hospital where he was pronounced dead – the falling slabs struck another worker who did not require medical attention)

MINE FATALITY Preliminary autopsy results released in mine worker’s death (preliminary autopsy results revealed that the worker, 20, died from blunt trauma to the head, neck, trunk and extremities – preliminary investigation indicates the worker was killed while operating mobile equipment – he died at about 11:30 p.m. while working underground at the MC #1 mine )

CRUSHING Worker Injured in Milford Accident (granite and marble worker was injured when he temporarily had his leg pinned under a slab of granite – worker was taken to an area hospital)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Brockton man killed in warehouse forklift accident in Easton (worker, 43, was killed in a forklift accident at a pharmaceutical company that manufactures personal hygiene and medicinal aerosols, liquids, gels and lotions – he was pinned between a forklift and a shelving unit and was bleeding and unresponsive – “He was going to get a down a pallet for another employee. He was backing up and for some reason went into the shelving and the forklift itself went under the shelving which pinned him against it,” – it crushed his chest and his pelvis – an employee moved the forklift as firefighters and paramedics tended to the man)

FATALITY Columbus worker dies in accident (worker, 57, died from injures he suffered while working at the factory about 11 a.m. – he was a supervisor at the brick company – Head trauma was the cause of death – he had worked for the Company about eight years)

FATAL FALL from LIFT GATE UPDATE: Victim’s name released in fatal Belpre plant accident (worker, 59, died after a fall from the back of a box truck while he was lifting a barrel onto the truck – he fell from the back of the lift gate)

FORKLIFT FATALITY WORKER DIES AFTER BEING RUN OVER BY FORKLIFT IN WINSLOW TWP. (worker, 61, was killed when he was accidentally run over by a forklift at 1:23 p.m. at a concrete plant – he was been crushed beneath the forks of a forklift that was carrying a large hopper filled with concrete – it appeared as though he walked into the path of the forklift and the operator was unable to see him – he was pronounced dead at the scene)

PRESSURIZED EQUIPMENT FATALITY Worker dies at Colgate-Palmolive plant in Greenwood (worker, 51, has been killed after a pressurized hose broke loose at the plant – he died after an aluminum pipe hit him in the upper body around 6:30 p.m. – paramedics performed CPR but he died at the hospital not long after he was struck)

STEAM Power plant worker in Oregon burned by steam leak (worker at a power plant was burned by a pressurized steam leak in a boiler tube around 3:30 p.m. – victim was taken to a Medical Center – worker’s condition was not available – no other workers were injured)

TRANSPORTATION FATALITY @ REFINERY Worker killed after being struck by bus at oil refinery northeast of Edmonton (worker, 59, died after he was struck by a bus, then got caught underneath the vehicle, at an oil refinery – bus had just dropped off workers at about 6:30 a.m. at the Refinery site when it struck the worker as he was crossing the street – bus was attempting to make a left-hand turn at the time)

TRANSPORTATION FATALITY @ STEEL MILL Worker killed in mishap at Bhushan Steel plant (contract worker died in an accident inside the plant – a contractor as a worker in the Stores department was hit by a truck inside the plant premises)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY Mercedes Man Dies in Industrial Accident (contract worker died at a nitrogen plant – he was found unconscious at a part of the facility that was under construction and was taken to a hospital where he died – authorities are working to determine the cause that led to his accidental death)

FALL Worker injured in fall (worker, 29, is reportedly in stable condition after suffering a head injury during a fall – he reportedly fell from a high distance while working on an aircraft – man is currently in stable condition)

FINGER Worker injures finger at ITC Manufacturing after OSHA violations (worker, 27, suffered a finger injury at a wire and mesh manufacturing plant just two days after OSHA slapped the company with fines citing that it failed to protect workers – unclear what led up to the man’s injury)

FATAL EXPLOSION on OFFSHORE RIG One worker killed, 29 still missing after Caspian Sea oil rig fire (dozens of oil workers are feared dead in a fire on an offshore oil platform in the Caspian Sea – at least one worker was killed and 29 others were feared dead after an oil platform caught fire during high winds – fire started after the storm damaged a natural gas pipeline, causing the platform’s partial collapse)

FATAL CONFINED EXPLOSION Explosion at Severnaya Verf shipyard in St Petersburg (explosion at a shipyard killed one worker and seriously injured another three – accident happened during painting works inside the compartment of a ship under repair – paint fumes ignited by hot work in engine department)

FORKLIFT Worker run over by forklift in Wix in workplace accident (worker, in his 50s,  suffered a broken leg and was rushed to hospital after he was run over by a forklift at work at around 2.30pm)

HOT PLASTIC BURNS Four injured at Texas pipe plant (four employees were injured and two remain hospitalized after an extruder apparently malfunctioned and blew melting polyethylene onto their faces and upper bodies about 1 p.m. – the extruder got clogged and when the workers tried to fix it, a pressure release blew out the hot plastic and burned them – two of the employees were treated and released the day of the incident – another suffered second-degree burns to his upper torso , while the fourth worker will probably need skin grafting but also should be released next week)

FATAL EXPLOSION Blast at petrochemical plant leaves one dead, one injured (an explosion left one worker dead and another injured around 11 a.m. during an acrylic manufacturing process)

LOTO FATALITY Worker crushed to death by machine (worker, 31, was fatally injured while carrying out routine cleaning of industrial milling equipment)

ELECTRICAL Dominion employee seriously burned in Culpeper substation incident (worker sustained serious injuries at the substation after making contact with electricity – he was airlifted to a burn center around 8:30 a.m. – he was at the substation doing a routine inspection when he was injured)

CHEMICAL Chobani Worker Treated for Minor Injuries in Chemical Burn (worker was burned by sodium hydroxide – burns were not serious from a fire department standpoint – worker was taken to the hospital to be treated)

PROCESS OPENING GONE BAD Hot Caustic Solution Injures Worker at Processing Plant (worker suffered serious burns to his face and body while doing routine maintenance work on a processing plant – injured worker was cleaning a screen box which was attached to a pipework below a thickener tank when the incident happened – they first opened the drain valve to confirm isolation prior doing four bolts to open the screen box – on opening the screen box door, the operator found the screen full of material; as he pulled the screen out of its housing a blockage upstream of the screen box dislodged – operator was engulfed in 95 degree Celsius caustic solution, receiving thermal and caustic burns to his body and face – an emergency responder discovered that the main isolation valve was OPEN – this was listed as the direct cause of the incident, as the screen box and connected valves were not isolated from the system – it added that the process operator was directly in front of the screen box when the blockage was dislodged – “The isolation of valves was not verified through either a second and independent method of ensuring all valves were closed, or checking the effectiveness of each isolation point by separately observing a “change of state – worker inadvertently thought that he had closed the main isolation valve, but in reality it was done by a blocked pipe, while excessive scale had also build up inside the vessel after there was a delay in the routine maintenance)

CRUSHING FATALITY Christchurch worker dies after being crushed between trucks (worker, in his 60’s, was crushed between two trucks at a work site at 10.15am. – initial scene examinations indicate a worker has been squashed between a moving vehicle and a stationary vehicle)

CRUSHING FATALITY Worker crushed to death under cardboard boxes in Sharjah (worker, 26,  died due to internal bleeding in the chest and head, as well as serious damage to the skull – he died on the spot after cardboard boxes fell on his head while working in a warehouse as he was setting the boxes, which weighed 15kg, in a rack)

CHEMICAL REACTION Chemical release leaves 1 worker hospitalized, Aurora Fire says (a chemical reaction sent one worker to the hospital – two barrels of acid and oxidizer mixed creating a chemical reaction that injured the worker)

FLASH FIRE Hollywood worker injured after explosion (worker suffered serious burns after he was injured in an explosion around 8:30 a.m. – victim was working at a recycling plant – victim suffered third degree burns and had to be airlifted to a Hospital’s Burn Center)

FLASH FIRE inside 55-gallon Drum Small Explosion Blasts Drum, Ignites Fire In South Windsor (explosion happened about 8:30 a.m. when a worker was using a small electric pump to transfer methanol from a 55-gallon drum to a smaller container – while the worker was doing this, a flash explosion occurred, igniting the drum and shooting it about 20 feet until it was stopped by a fence – nearby debris and brush was ignited)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – ATMOSPHERE West Bengal: Toxic fumes kill 3 workers cleaning tannery tank (three workers of a leather unit died and one fell critically ill after inhaling toxic gas fumes while trying to clear a clogged tank of a tannery – six labourers were cleaning the clogged tank about 15-feet deep)

CARBON MONOXIDE 140 workers evacuated from Middlebury factory due to carbon monoxide (factory was evacuated as several workers were taken to a hospital to be checked for possible carbon monoxide poisoning just after 7 a.m. – a furnace exhaust system had rusted through, causing fumes to accumulate in the building over the weekend – many workers were suffering from headaches, nausea and other symptoms typically related to carbon monoxide exposure)

FATAL HOTWORK EXPLOSION Blaze at Pune mattress unit: Owner, joint owners, welding contractor booked; 2 held (a huge fire at a Mattress factory due to the spark from the welding machine and the gas cylinder explosions claimed four lives – police have registered a criminal case in connection with the fire that broke out at a mattress-manufacturing unit located adjacent to an eatery which killed four persons and injured two more – police have booked the owner of the plot where the unit was located, two joint owners of the unit and the welding contractor – no safety precautions were taken as the welding work was going – gas cylinders for the welding were carelessly kept next to the spot where mattresses were kept)

FIRE Early morning fire at Exxon refinery (emergency crews responded to a fire at the refinery around 4 a.m. – a large boom could be heard throughout the city just before the blaze broke out – Fire Department says there’s no outside damage to the refinery – fire was contained to a unit in the refinery and fire crews were working to extinguish the flames around 5 a.m. – no injuries have been reported at this time)

AMMONIA FATALITY Ammonia leak at Medicine Hat nitrogen plant kills worker (worker has died following an ammonia leak at a nitrogen plant – second man who was exposed to the leak has been released from hospital – both were contractors weather-proofing the outside of a large ammonia tank – it’s believed a piece of equipment struck a valve on the tank and caused the leak – leak was quickly contained and the men were taken to hospital)

EXPLOSION High Pressure Caused Newark Plant Explosion (fire chief says “overpressure” in a tank containing hexane and ethanol caused the explosion at a plant that injured five people – blast happened at a company that makes plant sterols – four people were treated at the scene and one was taken to a hospital as a precaution)

Workers evacuated after ammonia leak at Marietta gelato plant (crews worked into the night to contain an ammonia leak that caused workers there to be evacuated – no one was hurt in the incident at the plant – firefighters initially said that about 20 gallons out of a 50-gallon container of ammonia was on the ground, but that the leak had stopped)

FORKLIFT FATALITY w/ Stand-Up and Racking Winter Haven man dies after forklift accident at Davenport business (forklift driver, 41, was pinned between the forklift and metal shelving – he was airlifted to a Medical Center, where he later died – he was driving a stand-up forklift before 7:45 a.m. when he became pinned between the forklift and metal shelving – not yet known exactly how the incident occurred)

CONSTRUCTION

FALL Worker injured after 30-foot fall at UND construction site (worker was injured when he fell about 30 feet at a construction site at about 8:44 a.m. – he was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries – he was working for a drywall contractor)

Construction worker badly injured after falling object hit him in the face at Upper West Side site (worker was on the second floor when he was struck in the face by a falling piece of construction material dropped by another worker – accident left one worker with a serious facial injury  – accident took place in a four-story building under renovation – Buildings Department issued a violation for “failure to safeguard” and a partial stop-work order for scaffold usage)

CRANE FATALITY Odessa man killed in industrial accident (worker, 58, died when a crane offloading counter weights from his truck fell in the area where he was standing – the crane struck equipment and materials below, pinning the worker – first responders reportedly found him dead at the scene)

WORKZONE and CELL PHONE!!!!! Construction worker flagging traffic hit by car (construction worker, in his 20s, flagging traffic was hit by a vehicle – flagger worked for a company installing fiber optic cable – he was flagging traffic at 10:45 a.m. when he was hit by a Jeep – driver of the Jeep told investigators he was checking his phone seconds before the crash; he looked up and the flagger was in front of him – he hit his brakes but it was too late – driver even had a one year old child in the SUV at the time of the crash – they were not hurt – there were three orange construction signs warning drivers of road work and the flagger ahead)

EXCAVATOR FATALITY Body of construction worker found after excavator sinks in pond (Emergency crews found a body at a construction site after a worker, 58, on an excavator went missing – the employee was not wearing a seat belt when the machine went into a retention pond – investigators said the excavator partially sank in the pond – workers were beginning construction in the area – excavator had sunk down into the retention pond below the cab – Divers eventually found the construction worker’s body using sonar technology, and pulled him out just before noon)

TRENCHING OSHA to Investigate Accident That Injured Construction Worker (construction worker, 37, was hospitalized after being rescued when a trench collapsed – worker suffered a broken pelvis – workers were digging under a new house being built when a side wall gave way, briefly trapping one of them from the waist down)

600 Pounds Of Concrete Falls On Stoughton Construction Worker (construction worker, 36, was injured when a 600-pound slab of concrete fell and landed on his head around 7:40 a.m. – it is unclear how high the concrete fell from – man told EMTs that he had no feeling from his chest down, but he was conscious and alert)

HOTWORK Boulder County Sheriff: Welder sparked fire in unoccupied home (a contractor was welding inside a home when he sparked a fire that burned a hole through the roof and caused extensive damage throughout the house)

Worker dies in accident during renovation of InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka (worker died and at least 10 others were injured when a metal shade in a building under construction collapsed – building is a part of the renovation work going on)

SAW and GLOVE Worker suffers serious hand injury in industrial accident (worker, 20, suffered a serious injury when a piece of his glove became entangled in a chop saw blade pulling the glove and his left hand into the saw)

WORKZONE Wrong-way driver injures Missouri highway worker (a head-on collision with a wrong-way driver badly damaged a truck driven by a highway worker – worker, was injured but expected to recover – Department of Transportation night supervisor was driving west on Interstate 70 early in the morning when a wrong-way driver crashed into him)

UPDATE on HOTWORK FIRE Nearly $60 million settlement reached in Taylor Bridge Fire (authorities say the fire likely was caused by sparks from welding or cutting work on a bridge project – settlement of nearly $60 million has been reached for people who suffered damages as the result of a 2012 blaze – the settlement of about $59.8 million was reached between contractors, the state of Washington and more than 120 clients the firm represented after the Taylor Bridge Fire)

BACKING FATALITY Worker dies at Bengaluru Metro site (construction worker, 21, died in an accident after a lorry laden with soil reversed into him – he was killed on the spot around 2.30 a.m.)

FALL into HOLE ICS employee suffering unknown injuries after falling in 40 foot hole (fire and ambulance crews pulled an injured worker from a 40-foot hole at a construction site – accident happened at a water lift station construction site around 11:30 AM – worker was conscious at the time, but sources say he may have been unconscious after the fall with a possible leg fracture)

FATAL FALL from ROOF Calgary worker killed in fall from roof (worker, 54, has died in a hospital following a fall from a roof at a business some time before 11 a.m. – he had fallen from a height of about 2.7 metres)

Man injured by falling steel beam (worker was injured when he was struck by a falling steel beam at a construction site – he approximately 700-pound steel beam fell about 4 feet and delivered a glancing blow to the worker shortly after 2 p.m. – the beam did not entrap the accident victim)

CRANE FATALITY Crane crash victims fell up to 40 metres (a photographer, 41, and his son, 17, were in the bucket of the truck-based crane, taking promotional shots of a construction site when it toppled about 7pm – the teenager was screaming in pain after falling about 40 metres or the equivalent of about 12 stories – witnesses tried to resuscitate the father but he died at the scene – others tried to work out how to free the trapped teenager – crane driver reportedly suffered only minor injuries when the crane came down – crane was at maximum extension when it fell)

AERIAL LIFT and ELECTRICAL Worker electrocuted in Providence, suffers life-threatening burns (worker in his mid-50’s sent to the hospital with life threatening injuries after he was electrocuted – he was operating a lift when he struck a life power line and was electrocuted, causing the triple-decker home to catch fire – he was trying to replace molding around the roof of the building when he was shocked – witnesses say he collapsed on the lift platform – he was taken to a Hospital with severe burns and life-threatening injuries)

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

Angry Target Worker Crashes Car Into Store (an employee, 21, who was reprimanded by supervisors for his alleged advances toward a female co-worker reacted by crashing his car through the front entrance of the store – no one was injured in the crash, which caused an estimated $20,000 in damages to the building – he was charged in a three-count felony complaint with first-degree property damage, leaving the scene of an accident, and resisting arrest)

MISCELLANEOUS

EXCAVATOR FATALITY Worker Killed in Accident at Naugatuck High School (worker, 32, was crushed and died in an excavation machine while doing tree removal work – he was a subcontractor – worker was removed from the piece of equipment he was operating – he was crushed in the machine)

FATAL TIRE EXPLOSION Worker killed, customer injured at Sears Auto Center in Salem, N.H. (worker, 22, was working on a truck tire – it had been taken off the vehicle and put onto a machine – as he was mounting the tire on the rim it exploded, giving him a fatal head injury – a customer also suffered a head injury and was airlifted to a Medical Center – the explosion happened about 10 minutes before the auto center was scheduled to open)

JET ENGINE FATALITY Air India Worker Killed by Jet Engine (worker was sucked into the engine of an Airbus A319 and died from the injuries sustained from the spinning jet-engine blades – accident happened during the pushback of a flight – this is not the first time an airport worker or mechanic has been killed by getting sucked into a jet engine – in 2006 a mechanic was killed during a maintenance related engine runup of a Boeing 737 in Texas)

STRUCK BY FATALITY Identity Released of Field Worker Killed (worker, 58, was killed around 7:30 a.m. when was hit and killed by the driver of a truck – both the victim and the driver were working on a produce farm – charges for the driver of the truck are pending the outcome of the investigation)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY – ENGULFMENT Creston man killed in grain bin accident (farm worker, 39, died after getting trapped in a grain bin – he had entered the grain bin from the top sometime before 8:45 a.m. – he was working to break up crust that formed on the grain bin’s soybeans – farm owner said he checked on the man after about 10 minutes and couldn’t see him – crews from at least five fire departments assisted in the hours long rescue mission – crews cut at least five holes in the bin and extracted grain using vacuums in before freeing the worker – he had been in the grain bin about 3.5 hours before crews recovered him)

Two die in farm accident (two men, 32 and 36, died in an industrial accident at a farm – no details)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – HAZARDOUS ATMOSPHERE Sunk Island tragedy: Farm workers died in slurry pit (two farm workers, 32 and 36, died after they were overcome by fumes in a slurry pit – both were pronounced dead at the scene)

What’s New @ SAFTENG.net

Is “dispersal of inventory” an accepted method to maintain inventories BELOW PSM/RMP Thresholds?

NFPA 350, Table A.10.9.1 may be the MOST IMPORTANT Confined Space document published in 2015

NFPA 350: Best Practices Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work (Effective 12/4/15)

Why OSHA states “entry” has taken place as soon as ANY PART of your body breaks the plane

Runaway: Explosion at T2 Laboratories

2015 Photo of the Week #51 (Aerial Lift, Forklift, and … speechless)

2015 Video of the Week #51 (Crane into powerline)

OSHA’s PSM Retail Exemption, Anhydrous Ammonia, and 2016 Omnibus Bill

Anhydrous Ammonia leads RMP 5-year Accident Histories with Injuries

FM Global UPDATES their Hot Work Fire Statistics involving contractors (2013)

A chance to hear the reasoning/rationale behind Cal/OSHA’s PROPOSED rules for “PSM @ Refineries”

EPA RMP Citations @ poultry processing facility (NH3 & $8K)

PRCS “program reviews” under 1910.146(13) & (14) (OSHRC decision)

Excess Flow Valves and the International Fire Code (IFC)

OSHRC decision on PRCS Tanker Truck Willfuls

PHMSA to Hold Advisory Committee Vote on Rulemaking Proposal for Excess Flow Valves

2015 Photo of the Week #50 (Temporary Wiring)

EPA RMP citations @ food facility (NH3 & $5K)

EPA RMP citations @ gas packaging plant (NFPA 4 Flammable Mixture & $55K)

2015 Video of the Week #50 (How not to be a roofer)

OSHA PSM citations @ chicken processing facility (NH3 & $154K)

OSHA PSM citations @ chicken processing facility (NH3 & $308K)

OSHRC decision on “minor servicing” and “safety blocks” in lieu of LOTO

EPA RMP citations @ propane facility (LPG & $275K)

How SAFE is Santa?

OSHA’s Fall Regulatory Agenda (2015)