Industrial
LOTO FATALITY Landfill Employee’s Death In Shredder Appears Accidental (Sheriff’s deputies are continuing to investigate the gruesome death of a 46-year-old employee at a privately owned landfill – shortly after 10 a.m. a worker went to clear a jammed trash-shredding machine – after he repaired the machine, HE CALLED OUT TO HIS CO-WORKERS TO RE-START IT – a couple of hours went by before the employees realized they hadn’t seen their co-worker since he left to repair the machine – they began searching through the shredded debris that had been deposited in the landfill and discovered his remains)
CONFINED SPACE AMPUTATIONS Man loses legs in workplace accident at Alhambra Foundry, company fined nearly $300K (a foundry has been fined $283,390 for workplace safety, and health violations following an accident that resulted in the amputation of an employee’s legs – Cal/OSHA cited the company for similar violations eight years ago – on Aug. 28, two workers at the foundry were cleaning and unblocking a 38-feet-long auger screw conveyor at the bottom hopper of an industrial air filtration device without effectively de-energizing or locking out the equipment – one of the workers re-entered the 20-inch square opening after the cleaning was done to retrieve a work light from inside the confined space, when a maintenance worker 45 feet away energized the equipment to perform a test -the moving auger screw pulled the worker into the screw conveyor – both his legs had to be amputated to free him)
CRANE FATALITY Maine mill worker dies in a workplace accident (worker, employed at the sawmill since 2013, died in a workplace accident during maintenance on a log yard crane outside of the mill)
FORKLIFT FATALITY Vehicle Falls Off Forklift, Kills Worker At Recycling Center (a vehicle being moved on a forklift fell off and landed on a worker at a recycling center just before 8 a.m. – worker died at the scene – wind did not appear to have contributed to the accident)
LANDFILL FATALITY Worker killed in accident at Hudson landfill (man was apparently killed while working at a privately-owned landfill – it appears the man was involved in a work-related accident involving machinery on the worksite around 10 a.m.)
LOTO/PRCS (???) Worker Critically Injured In Industrial Equipment Accident (worker, 40, is in critical condition after he became stuck in a piece of industrial equipment – CPR was in progress when the 911 call was made – investigation at the scene determined that an employee became lodged inside the conveyor belt housing of a plant screener used for sifting soil on the property – worker lost consciousness while inside the small opening and was pulled out by his co-worker)
FATAL FALL (???) Worker killed after piece of machinery fell on him: State police (worker, 19, died after a heavy piece of machinery fell on him – he was found dead outside at the plant around 2:58 p.m. – cause of death was blunt force head injury, and the manner of death was an accident – company believes he was climbing onto a trailer loaded with log and lumber-handling equipment when he fell, pulling a piece of equipment down onto himself – there were no witnesses)
OIL RIG FATALITY Oil worker killed on Talos Energy platform in U.S. Gulf of Mexico (an oil and gas worker on a platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was killed while replacing piping – worker was injured while removing out-of-service fire suppression equipment and later died as a result of the injuries – no other personnel were injured, and there was no fire or release as a result of the accident)
SHIPYARD Worker injured at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (an assistant shift test engineer was injured while working on the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) submarine around 9 a.m. – she was injured while transiting a hatch aboard USS San Francisco (SSN 711) and remains in critical condition)
FATALITY Wilmington man killed in an accident at Columbus Co. paper mill (worker, 50, was killed in a crash just before 6 a.m. – he was leaving the paper mill when he hit the back of a logging truck – he then went off the road and crashed into a tree)
Man dead after an industrial accident in Etobicoke (worker, in his 30s, has died after being injured in an industrial accident around 6 a.m. after he was pinned – he was rushed to hospital with critical injuries, and was eventually pronounced dead)
LOADING DOCK FATALITY California man crushed between semi and loading dock (truck driver was killed after being crushed between a tractor-trailer and a loading dock around 11:30 a.m. – “The driver said he felt a bump but didn’t hear anything, and he thought his partner was inside taking care of business” – it was about 20 minutes later when someone notified him what had happened)
FATAL EXPLOSION Worker injured in an explosion at TN ordnance factory (worker, 25, was seriously injured in an explosion at the ordnance factory – an explosion occurred at the plant inside the government-owned factory around 11 am and left a 15-foot deep crater at the spot)
MOLTEN EXPLOSION Worker severely burned in Mt. Pleasant explosion (emergency services responded to an explosion at Smelter that left two workers injured – one person with severe burns was LifeFlighted after the explosion around 7 a.m., while another suffered minor injuries and refused transport – the explosion occurred when water from the past two day’s heavy rains leaked into the facility and made contact with molten aluminum)
Methyl bromide suspected as Tauranga port worker ‘quarantined and decontaminated’(worker had to be “quarantined and decontaminated,” and his clothing burned after an incident at the Port of Tauranga – three people went to a Hospital after the incident for exposure to methyl bromide, a highly toxic gas used to fumigate logs at the port)
FATALITY Employee at Haifa Bay factory found dead with severe burns (worker, 47, was found dead with burns all over his body – Police were investigating whether the man was electrocuted – emergency services pronounced him dead at the scene – the man had suffered significant burns all over his body)
FIRE Chemicals cause explosion at Warren County business, no injuries reported (workers were batch mixing a chemical called S500 for sealant, during that process, they had an explosion that blew out part of the building, and then the container that holds the S500 started to catch fire)
UPDATE on Semi Conductor EXPLOSION State investigation returns 7 violations against Wacker for Sept. 7 explosion (state investigation into a Sept. 7 explosion at the semi conductor plant returned five serious violations and two “other-than-serious” violations ranging from failing to properly train employees to not following generally accepted good engineering practices – company must pay more than $25,000 in fines or legally challenge TOSHA – a TOSHA investigation into a separate incident that sent five employees to area hospitals with chemical burns a week prior to the explosion was released last week – that investigation found two serious violations and resulted in more than $20,000 in fines for the company – the TOSHA report for the Sept. 7 explosion found the facility failed to conduct necessary inspections; did not ensure materials, parts and equipment were suitable for what they were being used for; along with other violations – the explosion at the $2.5 billion plant resulted in a plant worker, a firefighter, four deputies and seven local residents being treated at local hospitals – it also caused several schools to go on lockdown – the company announced Wednesday that the Sept. 7 incident was caused by a mechanical failure in the company’s hydrogen recovery building – “A new piston, part of an upgraded compressor design purchased last year, fractured, resulting in the release of hydrogen that ignited. To restart the plant, we will be returning to our original compressor design that has operated safely for decades at XXXXXX sites and many other global companies,” according to a statement)
ELECTROCUTION Factory worker electrocuted (factory worker was electrocuted when he touched live electricity wires – as a result, he received a fatal electric shock)
HOTWORK Fire causes minimal damage at Klausner (a small fire at a Lumber company caused minor damage – staff was welding and an ember fell into some wood shavings that caught fire – employee’s quick response helped prevent the fire from escalating – damage was contained to the shaker unit at the lumber yard – fire did not cause any major damage nor stop production)
HOTWORK Small fire extinguished at Schaumburg manufacturing facility (firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze at a manufacturing facility – no one was injured – the fire appeared to have began in a ventilating fan for one of the welding machines at the manufacturing facility – within about 15 minutes of arriving, firefighters had extinguished the fire, which caused minor damage to the roof)
REFINERY FIRE Fire at Shell oil refinery in Alabama contained (fire that broke and was contained and did not cause any injuries or property damage – the fire and associated leak, which was caused by a failure of a fuel pump)
ASPHALT TANK FIRE Tank at asphalt plant explodes in Commerce City (storage tank caught fire at 11:25 a.m. – FD fought 15-foot high flames before bringing the blaze under under control – no evacuations required and no injuries reported)
FORKLIFT FATALLY Forklift operator dies after being crushed in accident at Arcadia chicken plant (worker, 40, died after the forklift he was operating ran off the back loading dock at a chicken-processing plant – he was crushed in the accident just before 7:15 a.m. – he jumped off the forklift and was pinned against a high beam by the forklift – ambulance took him to a Medical Center where he later was pronounced dead due to internal injuries – he was employed by a contractor that was repairing something at the plant)
PRESSURE VESSEL FAILURE Five injured as pipes explode at Sg Selangor water treatment plant (at least five workers involved in the repair work on the water treatment plant were seriously injured when a surge vessel system at the plant exploded – the incident took place just as the plant was about to be reactivated to resume operations, as the repair works had been completed ahead of schedule – there was a failure involving the surge system, two pipes, measuring 1.1-metres, burst – the workers were seriously injured)
UPDATE PRCS FATALITIES – H2S OSHA fines FirstEnergy, Enerfab for deadly Bruce Mansfield Power Plant accident (OSHA has cited two companies for safety violations that contributed to the deaths of two workers overcome by H2S gas at a coal-fired power plant in August – OSHA issued $129,340 in fines to a contractor and $77,604 in fines to the power plant – Five contractor workers were in a pit performing maintenance at the power plant on Aug. 30 when they removed an elbow joint from a pipe that contained hydrogen sulfide gas – the gas flow was not shut off before the work began)
FATAL EXPLOSION (CHEMICAL REACTION???) 3 dead as 40 blasts rock chemical factory near Mumbai, tremors felt 12km away (3 unidentified bodies were found when firemen entered the factory premises after a series of blasts that also partially or completely destroyed four surrounding chemical units – 15 injured when a series of blasts and a fire ripped through a chemical plant of a pharmaceutical company – according to preliminary reports, the blasts occurred in 25 drums containing 200 litres of solvent around 11:15 pm – the 15 injured, three of whom are critical, have been admitted in three hospitals – the number of casualties could go up)
STATIC causes EXPLOSION No injuries after dust explosion at Carlisle factory (static electricity caused a small explosion – there were some flammable materials within the solvent-based product manufactured in the facility – the sprinkler system was triggered, and there was a fast response from the fire departments – there were no flames at any time, but a foam used to put out the small explosion does cause some smoldering)
Construction
PRCS FLASH FIRE Manhole fire sends worker to hospital with minor injuries Wednesday (worker is being treated for minor burns and another one suffered minor injuries after a reported manhole fire and explosion – the men were doing maintenance work on a sewer line when they were injured by a flash fire – both men managed to get out of the manhole and call 911 for help just before 9 a.m. – officials are still trying to determine what caused the flash fire)
FATALITY I-4 worker killed in downtown Orlando construction accident (iron worker, 56, was critically injured in a construction accident – he was struck by reinforced steel shortly before 10 a.m.)
UNLOADING Worker hurt, hospitalized in industrial accident at Union Terminal construction (a subcontractor was hurt and hospitalized in an industrial accident – fire crews responded to a report of a person trapped under an air conditioning unit – he was injured while unloading a piece of equipment)
Man injured in construction accident at Fitchburg’s former Sanitoy Mill (worker, 45, suffered “severe but non-life threatening” injuries after a window fell on him during renovation at 7:38 a.m – a large fourth-floor window frame, roughly 5 by 8 feet, had fallen as the “load shifted” – the frame fell pinning a worker and injuring his right leg and back)
Construction worker airlifted after an industrial accident in Suffolk (construction worker was airlifted after an industrial accident around 2:30 p.m. at a construction site – the adult male victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and was treated by Fire & Rescue personnel before being airlifted for further treatment – officials haven’t released further information about the accident)
CRANE FATALITY Man, 48, falls to death at Lentor MRT worksite, safety timeout called to review work process (construction worker, 48, died in an accident when he fell from a raised working platform 2.5 metres above the ground, while working in a tunnel connecting to the station – accident took place at 3:35 am and the man was unconscious after the fall – he was later pronounced dead by paramedics at 4:30am – four workers had been dismantling a man-lock chamber of a tunnel boring machine following the completion of tunnelling works – the chamber – which was being lowered using chain blocks – suddenly swung and hit the platform that one of the workers was standing on, causing him to fall from it)
FALL from OVERPASS Construction worker injured at South Memorial Parkway work site (worker fell off a road overpass – he was in serious condition when the person was taken to the hospital)
BRIDGE WORK FATALITY Worker dies after accident at Walterdale Bridge construction site (worker, in his 60s, has died after an apparent workplace accident at a bridge construction site – worker was found unconscious at the site just after noon, and was rushed to hospital in serious life-threatening condition and later died – “His fatal injuries appear to be the result of contact with a vehicle or equipment” -investigators have yet to determine what could have caused the accident)
TRENCH FATALITY Trench collapse kills construction worker in Sterling Heights (worker who became trapped when a trench collapsed has died – Fire Chief said it appeared the trench was not properly supported – the collapse happened just before 1:30 p.m. next to a building that is slated for demolition – initial radio reports were that they could hear his voice, right when this happened – the trench was about 18 feet long and 4 feet wide at the top and at least 10 or 11 feet deep)
WORKZONE DUMP TRUCK FATALITY Construction worker struck, killed by dump truck in Cobb County (construction worker, 23, is dead after police say a dump truck around 3 p.m. hit him – he was working near the roadway when a dump truck hit him – preliminary investigation suggests that the right front corner of the truck hit him knocking him to the ground and the truck then proceeded to drive over him)
WORKZONE INDOT worker sent to hospital after semi strikes truck, shutdowns I-74 (a semi rear-ended a DOT safety truck that was protecting a crew who was patching potholes around 11 a.m. – the semi-knocked the DOT vehicle about 500 feet forward, striking another DOT vehicle – one DOT employee was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and released that afternoon – employee was inside the vehicle at the time of the incident)
FORKLIFT FATALITY Worker Dies After Forklift Falls In Water In New Castle County (construction worker, 62, was killed after his forklift fell into the water around 10 a.m. – he was operating a forklift on an elevated pier, and for an undetermined reason, traveled off the pier into the water below – crews recovered the man’s body and pronounced him dead at the scene)
WORKZONE Crash in Jacksonville lands three IDOT workers in the hospital (a DOT worker was struck by a car while filling potholes around 1 p.m. when an oncoming car smashed into a DOT vehicle and one worker – worker was life-flighted and had to undergo surgery – two other workers in the DOT vehicle were treated and released and so was the driver of the oncoming car)
FORKLIFT FATALITY Man in critical condition following workplace accident early Friday (worker was critically injured after being struck by a steel beam at approximately 9:45 a.m. – workers were transferring a cement beam via a forklift when a beam fell and hit a worker – firefighters started CPR on the man and he was later transported to a local hospital in critical condition)
WORKZONE FATALITY One dead, seven injured after driver crashes into workers on Highway 20 (road worker, 44, was killed and seven others were injured after a vehicle crashed into a highway work site – a 38-year-old van driver was arrested and is expected to be charged with impaired driving causing death and impaired driving causing bodily harm – accident happened around 11:30 p.m. when the man’s vehicle collided with an SUV and sent it crashing into a group of workers – five of the workers were seriously injured and two others were treated for shock)
FATAL SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSE Four S. Korean workers die at construction site for skyscrapers in Busan (three construction workers were working on the exterior of an 85-story apartment building when scaffolding supporting the workers fell to the ground at 1:50 p.m. – the structure fell from the 55th floor, some 200 meters above the ground – one more worker was killed after being hit by the plunging structure while he was doing concrete work)
PRCS FATALITY inside CONCRETE TRUCK Worker killed inside concrete mixer (worker, 34, died after being pulled into a concrete mixer – he died from the serious injuries sustained while being tumbled about in the machine – he died immediately inside the mixer due to his serious injuries – the victim was removed from the concrete mixer by his colleagues)
Large Denver fire kills one person, leaves one missing and one person in critical condition (a three-alarm fire raced through an apartment construction site killing one person and forcing panicked construction workers to jump from the second and third floors to escape the flames – fire destroyed one building and damaged or destroyed dozens of vehicles – Six people were injured, including one who was in critical condition and one firefighter who suffered minor burns – one person, believed to be a construction worker, remains unaccounted for, and firefighters searched in areas that were considered safe – two missing people were believed to be workers- the fire broke out around noon in a five-story, 84-apartment building under construction and the blaze sent flames shooting up to 200 feet high – construction workers initially tried to put out the flames, but they were quickly overwhelmed – about 50 workers were believed to be at the site when the fire broke out)
TRENCH and BACKHOE FATALITY Construction Worker Killed When Pinned by Sliding Backhoe (construction worker, 48, is dead after being pinned against a wall by a backhoe – the backhoe slid forward and a support arm used to stabilize the tractor crushed his abdomen – he was using a shovel to move dirt as the backhoe dug out a footing for a building under construction)
HOTWORK Contractors Spark Fire Near Bridge, Road Shuts Down (contractors sparked a fire while welding and the resulting blaze has shut down a local roadway – a brush fire that quickly burned out of control – Highway 15 was shut down in both directions)
HOTWORK Workers jump for life during massive fire at Vietnam’s thermal power plant (investigation found welding at a chimney ignited the blaze – fire engulfed construction at a thermal power plant forcing workers to take big swing down with ropes around 10:45 a.m. when many workers were at the site)
UPDATE HOTWORK Contractor sued over $2 million in damages after 2015 fire on Whiskey Row (2.5 years after a devastating fire nearly ended a future for Whiskey Row, a lawsuit has been filed against the contractor – investigators ruled that one of the workers accidentally started the fire while using a torch)
TRENCH FATALITIES 2 dead, 1 injured in Fish Hoek trench collapse (construction workers injured in a trench collapse – occurred while construction workers were laying stormwater pipes around 11:51 am – CMR assisted with extrication and treatment of 3 adult males – two of the gentlemen were declared dead at the scene, while the third male was airlifted to a hospital)
Miscellaneous
CARBON DIOXIDE FATALITY @ THEATER Opry worker in weekend accident dies (show worker, 38, has died after he apparently suffered carbon dioxide poisoning during a show at the theater – he was found unconscious during a show in a small, basement-level room that firefighters said had filled with carbon dioxide – he was taken to a Medical Center, where he remained until his death – carbon dioxide is one of the elements used to create a smoke effect during some shows, and the other technicians realized the gas was filling the room – some employees called 911 while others went into the room to use a valve that shut off the gas – two other employees lost consciousness trying to shut off the gas and rescue the deceased, but they were treated and released within hours)
TREE TRIMMING ELECTROCUTION Freak accident kills tree trimmer in San Jose (when first responders arrived, they found the tree trimmer dead, the victim of electrocution after somehow coming in contact with a high tension power line – the tree trimmer was working in the back yard of a home for sale – shortly after 1 p.m. emergency crews were dispatched to the scene on a report that the man was dangling from the tree, about 30 feet from the ground – when first responders arrived, they found the tree trimmer dead, the victim of electrocution after somehow coming in contact with a high tension power line)
AIRPORT JET BRIDGE United employee’s leg run over on tarmac by wheeled jet bridge (worker, 34, was moving the jet bridge to an airplane that had just arrived when a wheel rolled over his leg – he was part of the team helping passengers exit the aircraft – he as taken to a Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries)
AIRPORT FATALITY Air cargo worker killed in industrial accident (worker, 53, died after being crushed by a cargo container at air cargo terminal – he was caught between an air cargo container and steel door)
TREE TRIMMING FATALITY Falling branch kills worker in Hydesville (worker, 42, was doing tree work on the property when he received fatal injuries from a felled tree branch)
FATALITY Cemetery worker in Spain crushed to death by tombstone (worker, 61, at a cemetery has died after a tombstone fell on him – Police are investigating the circumstances of the death)
HOTWORK Smoldering dust to blame for smoke at Oklahoma City Zoo (around 7:45 p.m. firefighters responded to a fire alarm – zoo officials were able to find the source of the smoke as smoldering dust in the ventilation duct – the smoke may have been caused by a spark from a welding repair done earlier in the afternoon)
HOTWORK (???) Fire breaks out in Ottertail, Minnesota; affects at least two businesses (fire destroyed a Marketplace and caused minor damages to the liquor store neighboring it – authorities believe the fire started from a car welding accident, behind the building – No injuries are reported – Officials are investigating to determine what may have sparked the massive blaze)