63 incidents & 0 updates (1/14/16)

2016 Fatality Tracker

Industrial

LOTO/GUARDING FATALITY on CONVEYOR Worker killed in accident at Oceanside concrete recycler (worker in his 40s was crushed to death in an industrial accident – he was pronounced dead at 11:37 a.m. – it appears he did get caught in the conveyor belt of some type of machinery)

LOTO/GUARDING on CONVEYOR Walmart worker loses arm in accident at distribution center (employee lost his arm in an accident at a distribution center – he remains hospitalized after the Dec. 30 accident – victim’s arm was put on ice and he was taken by ambulance to a hospital)

Berkeley city worker dies in garbage truck accident (waste division worker, 52, died after he was hit by a city garbage truck while on his trash collection route – he had worked for the division for 25 years)

LOTO FATALITY Worker killed in elevator accident at Tonawanda Coke (worker, 60, was killed in an accident around 8 a.m. – worker died before EMS arrived – preliminary report shows the man was lubricating gears on the elevator when he was somehow pulled into the machinery)

MINE FATALITY Worker killed in accident at Codelco’s El Teniente mine; operations halted (worker was killed in an accident at a copper mine – no details)

TRUCK LOADING FATALITY Worker killed in Midland County industrial accident (worker, 74, was killed in an industrial accident just before 1:30 p.m. – worker was hit by a piece of oilfield equipment that was in the process of being loaded onto a flatbed trailer)

LATHE FATALITY Udall man killed in industrial accident (worker, 24, was working with a lathe when a part struck him in the head at 6:43 a.m.)

FATALITY Man hurt working on logging machine (worker, 38, was transported to a Hospital after suffering a serious head injury – investigators are trying to determine what struck the worker, who was outside in the mulch yard working on a logging machine at the time of the accident – no one else was injured)

MINE FATALITY w/ CONVEYOR Coal Miner Killed in Southern West Virginia (officials are investigating a coal mine accident that killed a worker, 53 – the fatality involved a belt roller – the victim was a foreman who was working on a mine belt when the accident occurred – the victim was found about 1 a.m.)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Honda worker dies in forklift accident at Ohio R&D complex (contract worker died after being hit by a forklift and suffering a skull fracture – accident happened between two buildings on the site’s campus, and the forklift was carrying an empty trash bin when it struck the worker at 6:01 AM)

Worker injured in accident at General Dynamics incinerator (employee was injured in an accident at 11:50 a.m. and went to the hospital – no other details)

UPS truck driver hits, kills UPS worker in West Sacramento (worker, 48, is dead following an accident around 9:15 p.m. – it appears as though a driver struck the pedestrian who was also identified as a company employee)

FORKLIFT Massachusetts Printing Plant Worker Airlifted Following Forklift Accident (printing warehouse worker was flown by helicopter to a hospital after the forklift he was operating fell about 12 feet off a platform, causing upper body trauma around 1:20 p.m.)

FATAL EXPLOSION Worker Dies In Explosion At Texas Facility While Mixing Chemicals (water treatment company worker, 23, has died in a fiery explosion while mixing chemicals at an oil and gas services facility – cause of the explosion remains under investigation – authorities are looking at whether a chemical reaction or a spark caused the accident – worker was found in a burned-out structure)

HF ACID Worker At Marathon Galveston Bay Burned In Acid Accident (worker was burned by hydrofluoric acid while the employee was working on an alkylation unit, which was shut as part of a planned three-month, multi-unit overhaul)

LOTO/GUARDING AMPUTATION Worker injures hand at meat company Worker, 19, was injured while operating an industrial saw – extent of the employee’s injury was not immediately known – he reportedly cut his right hand while operating the device – initial reports indicated that the hand had been lacerated and severed from the arm)

LOTO FATALITY Worker killed after getting caught on conveyor belt and pulled into cement mixer (warehouse worker, 26, was killed when his arm got caught on a conveyor belt and was pulled into a cement mixer – he was clearing sand around the base of a conveyor belt at a cement bagging plant when his arm got drawn into a roller – he was found when staff realized it had stopped working)

LOTO/GUARDING Employee hurt at Jefferson Southern in Rockmart airlifted to Grady Memorial (worker was airlifted to a hospital following an accident worker was pinned by a machine – upon arrival, the patient had already been removed from the machine)

EXPLOSION 4 Critically Injured in Massachusetts Chemical Plant Blast (explosion at a Chemical plant critically injured four people and damaged the building at about 2:30 p.m. – there was no fire, and no chemicals were released into the air –  cause of the blast was under investigation – four people with shrapnel and burn injuries were brought to the hospital in critical condition)

FLASH FIRE Viking Fence blast caused by vapor that ignited (explosion occurred after a spark ignited gas from a cleaning solvent – worker had been working alone in a shop when the incident happened just after 4 p.m. – worker was disoriented and fell backward – he had a bad headache, couldn’t remember anything and was taken to a Medical Center – worker put down a welding tip so he could clean some steel with acetone before welding it – he bumped the tip, which created a spark that ignited acetone vapor emanating from some rags – vapor also ignited inside pipes, resulting in the loud sound – there was no damage)

EXPLOSION Worker hurt in industrial furnace explosion (worker, 74, was reportedly injured by an explosion – explosion occurred at 6:23 a.m. as employees were attempting to light a furnace used in the industrial heat treating process – explosion caused the cast iron door to be blown off the front side of the furnace – blast reportedly burned the employee’s fingers and forearm and singed his hair)

EXPLOSION Worker Burned in Chicken Plant Explosion (worker at a chicken plant was treated for second degree burns after a boiler exploded at the facility at about 3:30 am. – the blast caused a partial collapse of the building)

FLASH FIRE Fire at Marathon plant in Texas City (worker was burned and two others were injured when a fire broke out at a refinery at about 2:45 a.m. – a contract worker was burned in the fire and was flown by LifeFlight medical helicopter to a hospital – two other workers were also slightly injured but they were treated at the scene and released – investigators are trying to determine what sparked the blaze)

BURNS Valero refinery employee burned (refinery employee is recovering from serious burns – unit manager was burned after he fell into a puddle and was burned by a set of steam pipes – he suffered second degree burns – his injuries are non life-threatening and investigation into the incident is underway)

LOTO FATALITY w/ TRASH COMPACTOR Worker crushed by waste compacting machinery (worker, 37, was killed while operating trash compacting machinery at a waste collection centre – he was trying to operate the machine at the waste collection centre when it malfunctioned – he reportedly tried to kick the machine but was rolled into the waste compactor – rescue personnel found the worker inside the refuse compactor of the centralized refuse chute with no pulse and no breathing)

CRUSHING FATALITY Worker Crushed Between Containers at Southbay Truck Yard (worker, 35, was discovered pinned between two large containers parked by a private trucking company about 9:30 p.m.)

LINEMAN ELECTROCUTED Edison worker electrocuted while working on power lines in Paramount (employee was electrocuted while responding to a service call – employee was working on the power lines about 5:20 p.m. when he was electrocuted – he was pronounced dead at the scene – neighbors said that the man had arrived after a power outage in the area and that he climbed the pole himself before apparently slipping and falling into the power lines)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITIES – ONE ENTRANT and TWO WOULD-BE RESCUERS Three workers suffocate to death in septic tank (three men reportedly suffocated to death after they descended into a septic tank – one of them went down the septic tank but did not return to the surface – after a few minutes the second man also went into the tank to find out what was happening to his colleague but did not return prompting the third man to follow the duo down the pit – the fourth worker sensing danger, hesitated going down into the septic tank before the home owner called police – rescue team arrived at the scene only to retrieve three bodies from the tank – preliminary investigations suggested that the three men may have died as a result of suffocation)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY Worker dies (worker, 50, was killed after inhaling the gas inside a wood pulp storage tank at a paper mill – he had been working in the company for the past eight years – at 8.30 p.m. he entered the tank for cleaning when he inhaled the gas and fell unconscious – co-workers rescued him and took him to a private hospital)

HOTWORK Fire crews battle Slaton cotton gin blaze 4 days after fatal accident (workers were doing welding and maintenance and some cotton in the trash caught fire – no major damage to the facility)

FATAL HOTWORK 1 dead in fire at incense stick manufacturing unit (major fire broke out at an incense stick manufacturing unit in which a welding technician was charred to death – technician was carrying out welding work on the basement of the building – fire personnel suspect that welding sparks caused the fire)

FALL into TANK Cal/OSHA won’t investigate woman’s fall into Petaluma poultry plant tank (a security guard making her early morning rounds fell into a tank of foul-smelling, sludgy runoff water at a poultry plant at about 7:15 a.m. – she was attempting to re-set a grate over the in-ground tank, which had shifted – she apparently lost her balance, fell in, with the grate falling in with her – unable to get out, the woman landed in four feet of fluid, about two feet below the top of the tank – with one hand she clung to the ledge above with her outstretched hand and with the other dialed 911 on her cell phone. From her position she was unable to feel the bottom and feared she couldn’t hold on much longer and was sinking into fluid she thought held chicken fecal matter and waste from the slaughter facility)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak sees evacuation of Coles facility near Perth Airport (a Distribution Centre was evacuated about 1.30pm due to an ammonia leak in the building’s cooling system – employees were evacuated safely)

AMMONIA Poisonous gas leak at Magna Park DHL leaves three people hospitalised (a POISONOUS gas leak at a distribution centre left three people hospitalized – three workers on site were taken by ambulance to a Hospital for exposure to ammonia)

CHLORINE 1 suffers minor burns after chlorine leak at Southeastern Mills (employee was treated for minor burns after a chlorine leak – a chlorine pipe used to bleach flour became clogged and caused the pipe to leak a small amount of chlorine – one person who suffered minor eye burns and irritation was treated at the scene – entire mill was evacuated around 9 p.m. while firefighters and mill maintenance workers cleaned up the spill and ventilate the area)

CHLORINE Chlorine leak due to mechanical failure (Water Treatment Plant was shut down for over an hour due to a chlorine gas leak – operators who work in the control building at the plant discovered the leak, which was in the building where the chlorine tanks are stored, when an alarm went off – operators went to investigate, smelled chlorine outside the building and called 911 – leak was contained within an hour and a half after the alarm went off – staff estimate that no more than 30 pounds of chlorine leaked)

FORKLIFT FATALITY Man dies after workplace accident in Desborough (worker has died after an accident at a distribution warehouse shortly before 4.45am after a collision between two forklift trucks)

Construction

Construction Worker Killed in Accident in Clarksburg (construction worker, 28, was killed after being pinned under equipment at a mulch supplier – victim may have been hit by a heavy trapdoor or a piece of equipment – he died at the scene)

WORKZONE FATALITY Construction worker killed, another injured in accident on I-59 North near Attalla (construction worker, 44, was killed on Interstate 59 around 5 p.m. after being struck by a vehicle – second person was injured and airlifted to a Hospital – the two were hit by a driver as they were finishing work for the evening)

GUARDING Construction worker injured in Mansfield dump truck accident (construction worker, 25, was taken by helicopter to a Medical Center after his arm was caught in the machinery of a dump truck – he suffered severe but non-life-threatening injuries to his hand and arm in the accident, which occurred about 8:30 a.m.)

TRENCHING Worker hurt in construction accident on Lafayette Boulevard (worker was injured after a construction accident – crews were replacing a sewage pipe around 5 p.m. when the dirt and cement on the sides caved in, burying the man’s legs – coworkers couldn’t free him, and it took emergency responders around 40 minutes to get the man out – worker was able to walk to the stretcher)

WORKZONE FATALITY  Contract worker struck by car & killed, driver arrested (contract worker landscaping the middle median of US Highway 181 was killed by an alleged drunk driver – he was one of several workers who had been contracted to weed eat the middle median – witness on the scene told officers she witnessed the driver of a 2010 Nissan Sentra strike the victim along with a cable barrier and several posts and leave – driver was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and accident involving death)

Worker killed during construction of new bridge in Aberdeen (construction worker, 58, has been killed during work on a new bridge – he died at the scene of the accident around 4.45pm  – unclear what caused his death)

CRANE FATALITY Worker who died after Charleston construction accident identified (construction worker, 57, died of blunt force trauma at a Hospital Wednesday – the electrician was working under a 180-foot tower during a crane assembly around 9 a.m. when a 40-pound connecting pin fell on him)

CRANE Crane topples on SR-15, pins worker, blocks lanes (a large crane tipped over injuring a worker and blocking freeway lanes for nearly five hours – accident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. – crane operator was loading concrete freeway barriers onto a flatbed trailer – the weight of the load on the crane’s extended boom tipped the crane onto its side – the heavy boom crushed the center of the trailer and caused one or more concrete barriers to fall onto the freeway)

WORKZONE FATALITY Man Killed In Dorchester Hit-And-Run (construction worker was struck and killed by a mini-van just after 8 a.m. – van was later found nearly two miles away with a shattered windshield and a dented front bumper)

STEAM ROLLER FATALITY Construction worker killed after running himself over with a steamroller (construction worker, 56, was tragically killed when he ran himself over with a steamroller after losing control of the steamroller – he was working at a farm when dodgy equipment saw him catapulted from his seat – driver’s seat was sheared off the main part of the machine causing him to fall backwards while still connected to the chair – roller continued to reverse over him – fatally crushing his head – investigation revealed the roller was in a poor condition, the safety cut-out switch was broken and emergency stop button was missing)

CONCRETE SLAB FATALITY Slab of concrete crushes construction worker at Venice Water Treatment Plant (rescue crews are working to recover the body of a construction worker killed at a Water Treatment Plant – a slab of concrete fell on a contracted worker just before 12:30 p.m. at the plant – no other workers were hurt during the accident)

FATAL FALL from LADDER UPDATE: Construction worker dies after falling off ladder at Sheridan College campus (worker died after he fell off a ladder on the construction site – appears the worker lost consciousness and then fell from a ladder at a height of about five feet – worker sustained head injuries and died)

WORKZONE 2 HIGHWAY WORKERS STRUCK ON ROUTE 1 IN DELAWARE COUNTY (one highway worker is hospitalized and another has refused treatment after both workers were struck by a pickup truck while working along Route 1 at 9 a.m. – worker who required hospitalization is a contract employee for DOT who was removing trash along the highway)

HOTWORK Fire breaks out at hotel construction in Istanbul (fire broke out at the construction site of a twelve-story hotel – fire broke out while the workers were welding)

TRENCH One feared dead in New Lebanon trench collapse (emergency personnel are conducting a recovery operation after one person may have died following a reported trench collapse this afternoon at a home – collapse happened at about 3:15 p.m. during outdoor construction at the residence)

TRENCH WORKER RECOVERING AFTER BEING TRAPPED IN SEWER LINE IN OAKLAND (worker trapped in a sewer is finally free after he was stuck in a small space for more than 13 hours)

FATAL FALL from SCAFFOLDING Man dies after falling 60ft from scaffolding while working on Calderdale Royal Hospital (he suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead a short time later – no details)

Man hurt by falling scaffolding at Centenary Quay building site in Southampton (worker, in his 40s, has been rushed to hospital after sustaining back injuries when a piece of scaffolding fell on him – a scaffolding pole struck him – he was on the sixth floor of a new apartment block when the pole rolled through a hole on the upper floor and hit him on the back where he was working below)

FATAL SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE Five workers die in Mexican scaffolding collapse (five workers were killed and two others badly injured when scaffolding collapsed – authorities blamed “human error” for the accident, in which seven workers fell from a height of 18m – three workers were pronounced dead at the scene and two others died at nearby hospitals – condition of the survivors is said to be serious)

Miscellaneous

Plant worker in fatal accident identified (worker, 24, was killed by a falling tree branch – he was part of a biomass project responsible for cutting down and removing branches from albizia trees when a branch fell and struck him – he was wearing protective gear at the time of incident, was cutting a trunk using a chainsaw about 2 p.m. – after making his cut, he retreated from the area while maintaining a visual on the tree as required by the safety procedures – there was a large dead branch directly overhead but several feet up which snapped due to its own weight as the tree fell backwards)

FLASH FIRE Worker severely burned in explosion, Orange County fire officials say (company technician has been severely burned in a gas explosion at a home – the natural gas line explosion was reported at an unoccupied home at 10:30 a.m. – the worker was near the stove when a natural gas leak created a flash fire – fifty percent of the victim’s body was severely burned and he was taken to a Medical Center as a trauma alert)

BOILER EXPLOSION BOILER ROOM EXPLOSION AT PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL, 1 INJURED (explosion critically injured a maintenance worker, 61, just before 1:30 p.m. – he was working on the boiler when it exploded, leaving him with burns on the lower half of his body)

ARC FLASH 2 DWP workers injured after explosion at LACMA (two Department of Water and Power workers suffered minor injuries when they were knocked down by an explosion at a Museum – explosion occurred during a routine “switching” operation, which caused an equipment failure – one worker suffered a second-degree burn to his left wrist and the other worker had complaints of knee pain – both were transported to an area hospital in fair condition, where they were treated and released – workers were working on two high-voltage lockers in the back of the museum, where the explosion occurred and knocked them to the ground)

CONFINED SPACE Worker rescued from inside Bastrop water tower (worker was cleaning the tank, but when he tried to exit the tank, he couldn’t climb out – medical personnel treated the man for exhaustion and gave him fluids)

HOTWORK Graham’s Newton Field press box damaged in fire (fire broke out at a football stadium, damaging the Field press box – a welding project at the stadium resulted in a fire that caused damage to the structure – a portion of the press box was reportedly damaged)

SCAFFOLDING Window washers rescued after scaffold accident high on 75-story Houston tower (two window washers became stranded near the top of the 75-story building – firefighters safely pulled the workers into a window on the 71st floor around 10:30 a.m.)

AMMONIA Ammonia leak scares many at popular ice rink (an ammonia leak at a popular ice skating rink scared many who at first didn’t know what was going on – ammonia was leaking from a valve under the rink and set off an alarm around 7:30 a.m. – unclear how the leak began)