Construction Accidents Page 2

Construction Accidents Page #2

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

UPDATE Tower workers warned, 2 say
BY PAUL HAMMEL WORLD-HERALD BUREAU 
LINCOLN – Workers at a 1,524-foot television tower near Bassett, Neb., ignored warnings to replace a weather-beaten and allegedly inadequate steel hoisting cable before an April 22 accident that killed a Mississippi man, two site supervisors said. In the accident, the steel cable snapped, hurling debris that struck and killed Tim Culpepper, one of three workers trying to hoist a heavy transmission line up the tower using the steel cable, a pulley and a winch. His body dangled from the tower 1,200 feet off the ground for eight hours before rescuers could reach it. Webb Hatten, a former supervisor for Pro-Com Communications of Groves, Texas, and Leo Opp, a systems engineer with the Nebraska Educational Television Network, both warned subcontractor East Mississippi Tower Services that the cable not only appeared inadequate for the job, but also might have deteriorated after hanging for five months on the tower. The 5/16-inch cable had been installed by another tower crew that abandoned the job in November 2001. Federal safety officials have alleged that the cable was not only inadequate but also showed signs of damage. Hatten said the accident could have been prevented. “They were ordered not to use the cable that broke,” he said. Several phone messages left with Roy Rogers, the owner of East Mississippi Tower, went unanswered. Monte Davis, a co-owner of Pro-Com, disputed the stories of Hatten and Opp, saying the steel cable had been inspected and cleared for use. “In this instance, it’s still an accident,” Davis said. “No one would have foreseen that the cable would have snapped.” The supervisors’ comments cast new light on the fatal accident, one of two on tall TV towers in Nebraska last year and among a rash of accidents in that industry. Some industry officials have called for more stringent safety requirements of crews working on tall towers, citing safety shortcuts taken by some crews hurrying to meet deadlines. Deadlines apparently were an issue at Bassett, where one crew had quit working in November 2001. Another crew, the East Mississippi crew, did not arrive to complete the job until five months later. That crew, and the firms that hired it, faced fines if the work wasn’t completed, an NETV spokeswoman confirmed. A day before the fatal accident, the East Mississippi crew had an accident at another NETV tower near Alliance, Neb., about 250 miles from Bassett. No one was injured in that accident, but NETV spokeswoman Dara Troutman said crew members had climbed the tower without NETV authorization. The crew then caused a power outage when they dropped a steel hoisting cable across an electric transmission line. The crew tried unsuccessfully to remove the hoisting cable. NETV officials had expressed concern about the lack of experience of the East Mississippi crew, concerns that were echoed by Hatten. The tower, 17 miles south of Bassett, is owned by NETV. Last fall, Culpepper’s parents filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Mississippi against East Mississippi Tower and Pro-Com. Also named in the lawsuit was the general contractor on the job, Nationwide Towers of Henderson, Ky., and the tower crew that had abandoned the job, identified as “John Doe.” In November, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed fines totaling $24,100 against Pro-Com and East Mississippi Towers as a result of the accident. Pro-Com has appealed the $12,000 fines proposed against it. A hearing on the appeal has been scheduled for March 5 in Omaha. 

Crane driver dies after 2000kg steel bars fell on him 
16 February 2003 1604 hrs (SST) 
A 61-year-old lorry crane driver died after a bundle of steel bars weighing 2000kg fell on him on Saturday. The accident happened at about 10.50am while he was delivering the reinforcements steel bars to the Nanyang Primary School construction site at King’s Road. He and a few construction workers were unloading the bars from his lorry when a bundle slipped and hit his shoulders. The man, who was unconscious, was sent to hospital where he died almost two hours later.

MoDOT workers hurt in separate accidents 
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two highway workers were injured Thursday in separate accidents in the St. Louis area. Neither injury was considered life-threatening, but police blamed both on inattentive drivers traveling too fast through work zones. A Missouri Department of Transportation contractor was clipped by a car as he put out safety barrels to close travel lanes on westbound Interstate 70 near Mid-Rivers Mall Drive in St. Charles County. The worker, William McGhee, 27, of Cedar Hill, suffered minor injuries. The car then struck another vehicle. Two people in that vehicle were hospitalized with moderate injuries. The second accident happened on Interstate 44 in Eureka, where state highway worker Jeffrey Hillis was in a truck that was fixing potholes in the center lane when it was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer, MoDOT spokesman Megan McEntee said. Police say the tractor-trailer careened off the road and down an embankment. The MoDOT worker was in stable condition with broken bones. The semi rig’s driver suffered minor injuries. A Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman said a ticket would be issued in the I-44 wreck. He didn’t know if one would be issued in the I-70 accident. 

Construction Worker Killed as Roof Collaspes
From Newsday.com February 14, 2003, 1:46 PM EST
A Queens man died yesterday when a portion of a roof collapsed on him as he and others were working on a construction project at the United Artist movie theater in East Meadow on Hempstead Turnpike. James Monrie, 28, of Woodhaven, was struck by a 40-by-20-foot slab of sheet rock at about 2:15 p.m., Nassau police said. He managed to crawl from beneath the debris by the time emergency workers arrived. He was pronounced dead about a half an hour later at Nassau University Medical Center. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation. 

Accident Shocks and Kills Worker; Another Contractor is Hospitalized
Clifton Heights- February 13, 2003 — A bizarre accident in Delaware county left one man dead Thursday morning. It happened just after 10:30 at 462 East Baltimore Avenue in Clifton Heights. 2 contractors were installing an aluminum liner for a chimney when they were shocked. One worker was on the roof feeding liner down the chimney to a second worker, when the liner came into contact with a 13-thousand volt power line. The worker inside the home was electrocuted. The second worker was shocked, and remains hospitalized. PECO crews were called out to the scene, they say the lines are in working order. 

Man falls 40 feet after construction accident 2/13
By TODD HARPER For The Lebanon Reporter 
Zionsville — An Indianapolis man working on the construction of the new auditorium at Zionsville Community High School is in critical condition at Methodist Hospital after falling approximately 40 feet. Alivio Moralis, a construction worker for Verkler Inc., was finishing work on the roof portion of the construction when the accident occurred, said Brian Miller, deputy chief of administration for the Zionsville Fire Department. The accident took place just before 2 p.m. Miller said Moralis suffered head injuries due to the fall, but was unsure of the severity of the injuries. He assisted medics in transporting the victim to the ambulance. It is not apparent what caused the fall. ZFD crews immediately cleaned up the accident scene and gathered all personal items left behind. Verkler is the general contractor for the school’s project, which has recently been delayed due to the cold weather. It is scheduled to open for the 2003-2004 school year. A response from Jeff Rowland, the contact person for Verkler was not available at press time and ZCHS assistant principal Chris Willis said he was unsure of the exact details of the accident. “I had gotten word that there had been an accident and that a rescue crew had been called,” he said. “By the time I had gotten down there they were taking him away.” Bill Payne of Fanning/Howey and Associates, the architect and designer for the project, said late in the afternoon that his company had just learned of the incident and was waiting word on further details. More information in the accident will be provided as they become available.

Worker airlifted after 30-foot fall
2/13/2003 11:48:24 AM By: Megan Butler, news14.com 
The worker fell about 30 feet off a platform. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A construction worker was airlifted to the hospital Thursday morning after falling from a platform at UNC Charlotte. A coworker said the man fell 30 feet and paramedics said his injuries were serious. MEDIC workers said the worker was as subcontractor working for Buckner Steel in Graham, N.C. He was taken to University Hospital and then airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center. A fellow worker told News 14 Carolina that the injured man was working on a building on the campus when he fell about 30 feet to the ground. news14.com will continue to update this story as new information becomes available.

UPDATE Highway death settled for two-point-five million dollars
(New Haven-AP Feb. 13, 2003 7:30 AM)_ A lawsuit involving a fatal crash on Interstate-95 more than seven years ago has ended with a cash settlement. A North Haven contracting company will pay two-and-a-half million dollars to settle the case from the fiery truck crash in Milford. LG DeFelice Incorporated has agreed to the settlement with the estate of Stephen Hutchinson of Massachusetts. Last week a New Haven jury found that the construction company and the driver of one of its dump trucks caused the fatal accident through negligent and unsafe practices. Hutchinson was killed instantly when the tractor-trailer he was driving hit the rear of the LG DeFelice dump truck on October 20th of 1995. The accident shut down part of I-95 for nine hours. 

Construction worker injured
By Michael Knox Independent Tribune
A Hispanic male was flown to Carolinas Medical Center Wednesday afternoon after an accident at a construction site, Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Deputy K.P. Troutman said. The 26-year-old man was working on the frame of the building, where the roof is, and fell about 12 feet, Robinson said. The accident happened around 12:20 p.m. in the Rocky River Crossing development, at the intersection of Rocky River Crossing Road and Willow Glen Road. Troutman declined releasing the man’s name until the family was notified. He said the man suffered from a concussion while he was working for Carolina Framers. Harrisburg Fire and Rescue Firefighter Tim Robinson said it’s unclear exactly whether he received the concussion before or after he fell. The 26-year-old man was working on the frame of the building, where the roof is, and fell about 12 feet, Robinson said. Cabarrus County EMS also assisted and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate. 

Howell iron worker killed by fallen piling
By carolyn o’connell Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — An iron worker from Howell lost his life in a construction site accident last week. Greg Larsen, 35, was pulled from a stream in Elberon on Feb. 4 after he was struck in the head by a steel piling while working on the construction of the Wood-gate bridge shortly before noon, according to Long Branch Police Department Lt. Bruce Johangten. Johangten said the crane which moved the steel piling may have malfunctioned, allowing a cable to slip and setting the piling free to fall vertically. According to witnesses who spoke with police, several co-workers who heard the piling fall scrambled to get out of the way, but Larsen was not able to get out of the way in time. “The piling was transported vertically, and when it fell, it was like a tree falling on him (Larsen), knocking him off the bridge falling 8 to 10 feet before falling into the water which is approximately waist deep,” said Johangten. The first officers to arrive at the scene were Robert Korn, Joseph Graziano and Sgt. Jason Roebuck. They found Larsen in the water being aided by co-workers who were supporting his neck until emergency medical services and the Long Branch Fire Department water rescue arrived. When the Elberon First Aid Squad responded, Johangten noted, that Larsen was still breathing but unresponsive. Larsen was transported to the Jersey Shore Medical Center Trauma Unit, Neptune, and died at about 9:35 p.m. after surgery due to blunt trauma to the head, said Johangten. According to Johangten, this is not the first tragedy to strike the Larsen family. Thor Larsen, Greg’s brother, lost his life in a similar tragedy almost two years ago in February while he was on the job as an iron worker in South Brunswick. Paul Larsen, also a brother to Greg, had been working at the Woodgate bridge construction project just two weeks ago. Johangten said the accident will be investigated by the Long Branch Police Department Detective Unit, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Adminis-tration and an independent company hired by E. Sambol Corp., Toms River.

Construction Worker Dies
A Mason construction worker who complained of eye and throat irritations after a day of work died Wednesday morning. Clifford Ilbeck, 40, and other workers say they felt sick after working on a new construction site in Amberley Village Tuesday. Ilbeck was a subcontractor installing tile in a new home. The Montgomery County coroner is awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death. 

Construction Worker Shot
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Shrevport police have charged a 16 year old shreveport male with illegal use of a weapon. The incident happened at a drainage ditch near looney and pierre streets in shreveport. The teenager told police he was shooting at birds not trying to harm anyone. Investigators say one of the bullets fired from the 22 caliber rifle hit 48-year-old richard ryan in the side. Ryan, along with at least three other sub contractors with blount construction, were doing drainage work for the city by building a flood wall behind saint paul methodist church. Ryan was sitting in an excavator truck when he was shot. He remains in LSU Hospital. 

UPDATE Bridge collapse suits seek millions
Thu, Feb 13, 2003 By TOM LAMBERT Observer-Dispatch 
Two lawsuits totaling more than $80 million have been filed against the state in the aftermath of the Marcy pedestrian bridge collapse. Deborah L. Couchman, widow of Scott Couchman, a construction worker who died during the collapse, filed a $50 million lawsuit Jan. 22. Frederick T. McNeil, a construction worker severely injured during the collapse, and his wife Emma McNeil filed a $30 million lawsuit. Couchman and McNeil were working for Tioga Construction Co. of East Herkimer, the project’s general contractor. Couchman was killed and McNeil and eight other workers were injured when the 170-foot bridge twisted, buckled and collapsed 20 feet to the ground Oct. 10. According to the lawsuits, filed in the state Court of Claims, Couchman’s death and McNeil’s injuries were a result of working “in an unsafe, dangerous and hazardous condition and location.” The workers weren’t adequately trained in safe and proper construction site procedures and weren’t harnessed or provided with safety nets/railings to prevent falls, the lawsuits said. The lawsuits also claim a flaw in the bridge design caused the collapse. Jennifer Post, a state Department of Transportation spokeswoman, said that because the matter is in litigation, DOT wouldn’t comment. “We are in the process of doing a thorough investigation of what happened at the bridge to make sure nothing like that happens again,” Post said. She said state DOT officials hoped it would be done by this summer. Marc Violette, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s office, wouldn’t comment on the case before it goes to trial. The lawyers representing Couchman and the McNeils, Eva Brindisi Pearlman and Louis Brindisi, also couldn’t be reached Wednesday. Brindisi, however, has said under state labor law the owner of the property is strictly liable for any negligence on the part of the contractors/subcontractors when an injury or death occurs as a result of a fall from an elevated height. The state owns the site where the bridge collapsed. Meanwhile, at 10 a.m. Friday all parties involved in the case will return to state Supreme Court Justice Robert Julian’s chambers in Utica to work out a schedule for inspection of the site. A date of April 15 has been targeted for the pedestrian bridge to be removed so work can resume on the Utica/Rome Expressway, state DOT officials have said. Portions of the bridge would be shipped to a facility at the Oneida County Airport for further testing.

Gas Line Break Forces School Evacuation
PANHANDLE — Construction workers frantically try to mend a pipe broken by machinery. Within minutes of the leak, highly flammable gas had engulfed the school and homes that sit just yards away. City manager Loren Brand said, “I knew we could smell gas as far as the other side of the football field.” Detection tests show vapors hadn’t entered the school, but any ignition outside would have caused an immediate explosion. That’s why officials were instructed to walk — not drive — the kids away from the school. “That was a concern that it would collect or get contained in like a hallway, a doorway, something of that nature. It could also be under a group of cars that were parked together,” said Brand. Teachers and students admit it was a successful evacuation despite the seriousness of the situation. “If it had really been something, they would have told you to leave everything as is, you know, don’t turn anything off, but they did tell us to turn everything down and let’s go ahead and leave so I knew at that oint we needed to just get out,” said Panhandle Middle School teacher Pennie Ward. So, now all that remains is figuring out why workers felt so free to dig as deep as they did. “It’s just going to take an investigation of to what actually took place. Was there a miscommunication, or was there a misunderstanding, or was it just a pure accident that happened. I don’t know,” said Brand. As soon as Atmos Energy found out about the situation, they quickly shut off the system. City officials are confident most of gas had dissapated within a few hours. They say they’re thankful the wind today was blowing north on Tuesday, otherwise, the entire city might have been engulfed by the leak. The city’s was attempting to widen the highway leading from Panhandle to Borger. Contractors are only a few weeks into a project scheduled to last almost 16 months. They say as long as the leak is contained, construction will continue, but they admit workers will be a lot more careful with the machinery. City officials say all Panhand schools will start at the normal time Wednesday morning. 

Bobcat operator dies after contruction accident in Miramar
BY EVAN HESSEL
A 42-year-old Bobcat operator was pronounced dead after an early morning construction accident in Miramar left him trapped underwater for 30 minutes. The accident took place 8:35 a.m. Wednesday morning at S.W. 185th Ave. and 50th Ct. in Miramar, where new housing contruction is taking place. The worker had just finished clearing debris and was inside his Bobcat, rinsing off the front end in a nearby lake, when it rolled over and sank into 30 feet of water. He was transported to a local hospital shortly before 9: 20 a.m. where he was pronounced dead. 

UPDATE Council fined over worker death
Belyando Shire Council, in central Queensland, has no plans to appeal against a $40,000 fine for failing to ensure the safety of workers. The council was found guilty of breaching the Workplace Health and Safety Act, after council worker John Noel McLennan was killed by a tree that fell while being replanted. Moranbah Industrial Magistrate’s Court heard the replanting was not supervised, the backhoe operator did not have the required ticket and council had only given general safety information. Mayor Matthew Athanassiadis says workplace health and safety standards have improved since the incident. “Of all the bad things that have come out of it, the one good thing is I think it’s woken everyone up, and I think not only is our message getting out there to our workforce, but I think our workforce, too, have sort of grasped it and I think are making some big improvements in the workplace health and safety area,” he said. The Australian Workers Union has declined to comment. 

Worker Dies in Trench Collapse
Tracey Christensen 2/12/2003 12:32:12 PM 
A construction worker died late Tuesday morning after a trench caved in on him in Walton County. Officials say he was not buried alive but likely was killed when he was hit by falling debris. It took three hours for rescue crews to dig him out. Monroe police investigator Diane Campbell says the man had been working on roadside sewer line, near Highway 11, when the 10-foot deep trench collapsed. Monroe police officials were investigating the accident, as well as officials from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. OSHA officials said the contracted company — Harrison and Harrison Incorporated — did not have a record of violating safety regulations. The worker has not been identified.

UPDATE Construction worker killed in fall from house is identified 
LYNNWOOD — A 64-year-old construction worker who died Monday after falling about 10 feet from scaffolding at a construction site has been identified as Duane E. Marberg of Lynnwood. The accident occurred at about 2 p.m. in the 160th block of 60th Avenue West. Marberg, part of a crew building a single-family home, was guiding a hose for a cement truck driver when he fell, police said. 

Man dead after factory roof fall 
CAT BARTMAN February 12, 2003 17:29
An investigation has begun after a man fell 30ft through a skylight onto a concrete floor at a factory in Diss. The accident at the Norfolk Feather Company happened at about 11.30am today when the man was replacing roof lights that were damaged in storms last year. He was taken by air ambulance to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with multiple injuries and skull fractures, but died just after 2pm. No details about the dead man have been released, but he was working for Reads Construction, based in Harleston, and was aged between 40 and 50 years old. The Health and Safety Executive confirmed that its investigators were at the factory in Park Road this afternoon. It is understood the man fell through the roof into part of a processing area where staff were working. No one from Reads Construction was available to comment late this afternoon. Mike Whittemore, managing director of Norfolk Feather Company, said they had offered staff counselling if they needed it “Obviously the staff are all very shocked, it’s an absolute tragedy,” he added. A land ambulance was already at the scene when the air ambulance arrived at 11.36am, and police were called just before 11.45am. A spokeswoman for the HSE said: “Our investigation has started into the accident in conjunction with the police.”

UPDATE I-75 Construction Worker Dies from Injuries
A local construction worker died Monday morning from injuries he suffered during a chain reaction crash on Interstate-75. Ron Gambrell and Bonnie Mills were installing a barrier system in the median last Wednesday, when a pair of cars smashed into their truck. Gambrell passed away Monday morning and Mills is in serious condition. Police cited the drivers for following too close to one another. The Department of Transportation set up additional flashing signs to alert motorists near the construction site. 

UPDATE Billboard company’s latest sign didn’t match design 
By LARRY HARTSTEIN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 
The company whose billboard collapsed last year received a “stop work” order during installation of its latest Snellville sign, city officials said Monday. Snellville lifted the order after two days, and the 672-square-foot billboard should be up today at Mellow Mushroom Pizza on U.S. 78. City engineer John Ososkie said work was stopped because Trinity Outdoor’s sign did not follow the engineer’s design. The billboard was supposed to be anchored by a seamless 60-foot pole, Ososkie said. But last week, an inspector found a 40-foot pole had been welded to a 20-foot pole instead. “That weld is under an extreme amount of pressure,” Ososkie said, noting the billboard’s mounting pole is designed like a flagpole. “They showed us a solid pole in the drawing. We never thought they’d splice it together in the plant.” The city cited Trinity for failing to get the modification approved. Snellville let work proceed after the engineering firm approved the design of the welded pole, and an independent inspection certified it was safe. Morgan Hudgens, co-owner of Buford- based Trinity, said the violation resulted from a misunderstanding. For steel pipes longer than 40 feet, it’s standard to weld two pipes together, Hudgens said. But he conceded that the weld should have been shown in the drawing. “I was a little upset with my people,” Hudgens said. He stressed that “every single weld on the sign was inspected before it ever left the shop.” Faulty welding and design led to the fatal billboard accident last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration concluded recently. On Aug. 1, a 35,000-pound billboard going up on Ga. 124 collapsed and killed three workers. OSHA, the federal workplace safety agency, did not blame Trinity for the accident, saying the company had no way of knowing it had bought a defective billboard. Since the accident, Trinity has hired an engineer and a welding inspector to check every billboard before it goes up. Trinity does not make billboards. The company buys them, finds places to put them and leases the advertising space. Last week’s violation, discovered by building inspector Steve Carter, was disturbing, Ososkie said. It reminded him of what the city found after the collapse when it checked Trinity’s other billboards: They didn’t match their designs. “I just don’t understand why they can’t do what they’re supposed to do,” Ososkie said. “That level of confidence continues to go down every time they don’t follow the rules. It’s just a constant battle to keep [them] on their toes.” Trinity holds seven billboard permits in Snellville. The only permitted site where there’s no billboard is the scene of the collapse. Hudgens said he’s not sure whether he’ll try to put up another sign there. 

1 Dead, 2 Injured In I-10 Construction Accident; Workers Electrocuted By Power Line 
February 11, 2003 
NEW ORLEANS — One worker was killed and two others were hospitalized Tuesday morning after a construction accident on Interstate 10. The accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. at I-10 and Richland. Police said three workers in a bucket truck were electrocuted when the truck accidentally came in contact with a live power line. The three were rushed to East Jefferson General Hospital, where one man died of his injuries. His name is being withheld pending notification of his family members. The condition and names of the other men have not yet been released. The workers were independent contractors out of Baton Rouge, police said.

Man dies in fall at Lynnwood construction site 
Herald staff 
LYNNWOOD — Authorities are investigating a death that occurred Monday on a construction site when a man fell from some scaffolding. The accident occurred about 2 p.m. in the 160th block of 60th Avenue W., where workers were building a single family home, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Trudy Dana said. A man in his mid-50s was on a catwalk guiding a hose for a cement truck driver who was pouring a concrete foundation. The driver saw the man have some difficulty and apparently lose his balance. He looked away for a moment and then realized the man had fallen to the ground, she said. The Snohomish County medical examiner is investigating. 

UPDATE Broadcaster files $7 million lawsuit over fatal tower collapse
MARK THIESSEN Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. – A $7 million lawsuit has been filed over the collapse of a 1,965-foot television transmission tower near Hemingford that killed two people. Duhamel Broadcasting of Rapid City, S.D., is suing Structural Systems Technology Inc., of McLean, Va., for $4.5 million to replace the tower and the $2.5 million in risk insurance it claimed the company failed to purchase even though required under their contract. Duhamel is the parent company of Scottsbluff television station KDUH. The tower south of Hemingford had been used to transmit the ABC affiliate’s signal throughout the Nebraska Panhandle. The tower collapsed Sept. 24 while a work crew was attempting to strengthen the structure for the addition of a digital transmitter. Two workers died and three others were hurt. Duhamel claims in its federal lawsuit that Structural Systems Technology was negligent by not using temporary braces on the tower as it worked to strengthen the structure. Duhamel’s insurance carrier determined that was not covered under the broadcasting company’s policy and it refused to pay to rebuild the tower, which was the tallest structure in Nebraska and 500 feet higher than Chicago’s Sears Tower. Fred Purdy, president of Structural Systems Technology, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office Tuesday by The Associated Press. Calls made to Duhamel Broadcasting President Bill Duhamel and his Omaha attorney, Jack Douglas, also were not immediately returned. To replace the tower’s signal, Duhamel is constructing a new 1,500-foot transmitter tower 2 1/2 miles east of Angora. By moving the tower 32 miles to the southeast and shortening it, KDUH will have nearly the same coverage area and can save more than $1 million, Bill Duhamel has said. Before the collapse, the Scottsbluff station’s signal reached viewers from the Colorado state line to southwestern South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. The tower collapse caused viewers throughout the region to lose their only ABC affiliate. KDUH last month said it had restored service to about 70 to 80 percent of its former viewers. The station’s service to cable subscribers had not been interrupted.

Early morning accident causes delays
By Monica Sattley February 10, 2003 
An eight-hour delay occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 30 Monday morning as the result of a tractor-trailer charging through a concrete barrier, hitting construction equipment and finally skidding to a halt in two pieces. The driver suffered a minor cut, the Arkansas State Police reported. No other vehicles were involved. At 2 a.m. the driver of a truck carrying epoxy resin from Freeport, Texas, to Huron, Ohio, “lost control of her vehicle,” said ASP Trooper Quinn Best. The road was not icy, Best said. “There were no road conditions whatsoever,” he said. When the truck struck the concrete barrier, it then bounced off equipment owned by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department’s contractor, PBS&J. The equipment included a generator, a skid-loader, a crusher and a front-end loader. “When it hit the front-end loader, it ripped the trailer in two,” Best said. The tractor half “continued on and the trailer straddled the concrete barrier.” Traffic was re-routed to the service road while the tractor and trailer were towed away and 75 gallons of diesel fuel were cleaned up. “There’s a lot to clean up in an accident like this when it involves a commercial vehicle,” Best said. 

Accident kills man at City Hall work site 
By Brent Flynn , Staff writer 02/08/2003 
One man was killed and another was injured when a forklift backed into two workers at the Lewisville City Hall construction site on Wednesday. Duane Pope, 43, of Carrollton was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m. at the 100 block of West Church Street. Pope was a supervisor for one of the subcontractors on the project, Dallas-based Don Burden & Associates. Chief Executive Officer Don Burden said Pope had been with the company for 1-1/2 years and was a “very nice guy.” Pope was reportedly talking to Randy Davis of Invensys, another subcontractor on the project. An employee of Rowlett-based CMD Masonry, whose name is being withheld by authorities, was reportedly using a 10-ton industrial forklift to lift stone arches for use on the front of the building. He then lowered the boom and started backing up. When he backed away from the building over a curb and turned back to the right, he hit the two workers, officials said. Davis was hit on the right side and fell to his left, suffering five broken ribs. He was taken to the Medical Center of Lewisville and released later that day. The major question being asked by city officials and investigators after the accident is why the two men did not hear the forklift’s back-up warning alarm. Invensys project manager Robert Mintor said that after speaking with Davis, he still does not know how the accident happened. “The only thing Randy has told me is he didn’t hear or see anything,” Mintor said. “He said he didn’t have a clue what was going on until he was on the ground looking at the tire getting ready to roll over him. He said, ‘First I was walking and talking, then this thing was on top of me.’ He’s emotionally very upset over what happened. They had just met, and (Pope) was showing him around the job site. He had only been there 10 minutes when it happened.” Mike Talmont, Occupational Safety and Health Administration assistant area director, said that as far as he can tell, the warning alarm and horn on the forklift were functioning at the time of the accident. “The back-up alarm worked when I got out there and the horn worked, so I’m not sure why they didn’t hear the back-up alarm,” he said. “When I had them back up for me, it was working.” Talmont said he is waiting to see additional documentation on the extent of the forklift operator’s training before he can determine whether or not a safety violation was to blame for the death. “They are supposed to be trained and certified to operate the vehicle,” he said. “I saw his card that was dated August 2002. I was asking for a little bit more documentation on what that training entailed.” City of Lewisville spokesman James Kunke said police investigators are waiting for a toxicology report on the forklift operator and the deceased. A preliminary report is expected in mid to late next week. Commercial Structures and Interiors of Lewisville is the construction management company overseeing the building project. Company spokesman John Peveto issued a statement Wednesday about the accident “This is a very unfortunate accident that saddens us all,” he said. Mayor Gene Carey expressed his condolences for Pope’s family. “It was a tragic accident, and our prayers and thoughts go out to their families,” he said. This was the second fatality associated with the construction of Lewisville’s new city hall. Brian Keith Cummings, 27, of Howe, Texas, was killed on March 14, 2002 when he was caught between a large drill bit and a counter weight on the back side of a crane. 

Crane falls on Anaheim home; None are hurt, but about 400 residents lose electricity as power lines snap. 
By ZAHEERA WAHID The Orange County Register 
Anaheim The boom on a 65-ton crane crashed onto the roof of a house Friday when the machine tipped, taking down power lines and leaving about 400 residents without electricity, authorities said. No one was injured in the accident, which was reported at 2:20 p.m. in the 2300 block of Seville Avenue. The 185-foot crane, which had been erecting poles for the Anaheim Public Utility, tore a long, deep hole through the middle of the roof, Fire Department spokeswoman Maria Sabol said. The end of the boom landed in the back yard of a second home. All four tires supporting the crane’s deck were off the ground as the machine balanced on two extended legs and the roof of the single-story house. “It was kind of an eerie sound,” said Mike DeMore, who lives next door. “A nice crashing sound and a snapping of wires. I was on the phone at the time and the phone went dead.” No one was inside the damaged home at the time of the accident, Sabol said. DeMore was among the neighbors evacuated for several hours while the situation was assessed, and a 300-ton crane was brought in to right the smaller crane. Crews secured the tipped crane and brought it upright at 7 p.m. About 80 people remained without power Friday evening, but their electricity was expected to be restored by midnight, Sabol said. The contractor on the project, Pouk & Steinle of Riverside, sent investigators to determine the cause of the accident, Sabol said. Pouk & Steinle had hired the crane through a subcontractor, city spokesman John Nicoletti said. Pouk & Steinle moved the residents of the damaged home into a hotel, Nicoletti said.

Fatal accident at Target Distribution Center Thursday; Worker killed after fall at Midlothian roof site
By ROB WILLIAMS Daily Light staff writer
MIDLOTHIAN – A worker was killed Thursday after falling from a roof at the construction site of the Target distribution center in Midlothian. The accident occurred around 2:34 p.m. at the distribution center, which is in the RailPort industrial park, Midlothian Deputy Fire Chief Tom Montgomery said. The worker was adding roofing materials to the metal roof and apparently fell 30 to 35 feet onto a concrete slab, Montgomery said, where firefighters found him upon their arrival. “When the firefighters got there, they did not detect a pulse and did not detect any respirations from the worker,” Montgomery said. Firefighters immediately began efforts to revive the man, but were unsuccessful; the worker was transported by ambulance to Baylor Medical Center-Ellis County where he was pronounced dead, Montgomery said. The cause of the accident is under investigation, Montgomery said. The name of the worker was not immediately available for release. Company officials were not available for comment by press time. 

UPDATE Worker Struck On Tri-State Highway Downgraded; Victim Listed In Critical Condition 
MONROE, Ohio — One of the two people struck by a car Wednesday morning while working in a highway median has taken a turn for the worse. Ron Gambrell and Bonnie Mills, employees of Security Fence Co. of Northside, were installing safety fence on Interstate 75 near Monroe when they were hit, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported. Gambrell, 52, was flown to University Hospital. He was listed in serious condition initially, but was downgraded to critical condition Thursday morning, according to WLWT. Mills was flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. She is listed in serious condition. The stretch of roadway on Interstate 75 between Interstate 275 and Dayton has seen its share of serious accidents. Workers were out Wednesday to help make things safer, but ended up caught in the middle of danger, WLWT’s Tony Gnau reported. One driver slowed down for the construction workers, but, according to police, the car behind him failed to stop in time because the second driver was following too closely. “A (vehicle) swerved to avoid other vehicles that had already collided with each other,” Ohio Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Michael Black said. “It swerved into the median and hit two workers that were working in the median there.” As the victims were flown from the accident scene, they left behind mangled wreckage that symbolically served as a cruel irony, Gnau reported. The project was to improve safety on that stretch of highway. “We were installing a cable rail system for this exact reason,” worker Darryl Winningham said. Black said that such accidents can be avoided by putting more space between your car and the one in front of you. “Vehicles, when they’re following too close, they don’t have enough time, they don’t leave themselves enough time to react,” he said. “And then they have to swerve, and once you start swerving at 65 mph, you leave yourself nowhere to go except out of control.” Construction workers are, unfortunately, quite familiar with the orange cones, which they say are out there for an important reason. “You’ve got 2-ton cars coming down on you,” Winningham said. “You’re helpless, just defenseless.” Added Black: “We always ask if people leave enough distance in between vehicles so they can react to something that happens in front of them, so this does not occur.” Winningham said Wednesday’s wreck had more to do with general driving habits than the particular stretch of interstate that’s being repaired, Gnau reported. “It doesn’t matter the stretch of road, really,” he said. “It’s all the same. (Interstate) 71, 75, it’s just all the same. It’s just as dangerous as it gets.” Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com for updates to this story as they become available. 

ACCIDENT BUILDER OUT OF HOSPITAL Feb 6 2003
Allison Martin
A CONSTRUCTION worker was rushed to hospital with major head injuries after an accident on a site at Heron Quays. The incident, involving a French speaking cladding installer in his 30s, took place at 2pm on Tuesday (January 28) at HQ1, Morgan Stanley’s new office building. The man – who is believed to have been hit by falling plywood – has now been released. An air ambulance was scrambled and the man was treated by security first aiders until paramedics arrived. A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: “We received a call just after 2pm and three road ambulances and an air ambulance attended an incident at Heron Quays. “The road ambulance found a man in his 30s with major head injuries and unconscious. “It appeared he had been hit on the head by building site debris. “The road ambulance then called for an air ambulance which has a doctor on board,” she added. The man was taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. Fallen site worker’s firm fined £9,000. 

UPDATE $100,000 fine over fatal scaffold fall 
By Olivia Hill-Douglas February 8 2003 
A water tank company was fined $100,000 in the County Court yesterday for unsafe work practices after an employee fell to his death when a scaffold collapsed. Father of two Phillip Mahoney, 36, of Geelong, died on June 8, 1999, after the mobile scaffold on which he was standing collapsed while it was being moved three metres. Another man, James Greenslade, then 44, of Ballarat, fell to the ground with the scaffold. He was seriously injured. Mr Mahoney, who had been working on the construction of a large water tank in Broadmeadows, grabbed the edge of the tank after the scaffold tipped over, but lost his grip and fell nine metres to the ground, striking his head on the scaffold as he fell. Geelong company E. Brockman and Son had earlier pleaded guilty to providing an unsafe workplace and system of work. Judge Roland Williams said moving scaffolding while workers were on it had become accepted in the company. “It had become an accepted system of work… throughout the construction of this tank and, I imagine, o thers,” the judge said, adding that the rules were flouted to save time. “Brockman knew the rules yet, for what it considered to be pragmatic reasons, knowingly connived to breach the rules,” Judge Williams said. Shortly before Mr Mahoney’s death, Mr Greenslade had recommended to the company that workers be off the scaffold while it was being moved, the court heard. Mr Mahoney’s wife, Melanie, said in a victim impact statement tendered to the court: “He should have come home that night as usual.” The court heard that moving scaffolding while workers were on it was common throughout the scaffolding industry. E. Brockman and Son had been operating since 1921. It had won industry awards and made contributions to charities, the court heard. No other deaths had occurred at the company. The court was told that since the accident Brockman had made workplace safety a priority. WorkSafe Victoria executive director John Merritt said the $100,000 fine should be a warning to employers to make sure that employees abide by safety rules.

Restoration efforts drown in flames
With work almost complete, Buxton Inn owners face fire, smoke damage to century-old home
By BRIAN MILLER Advocate Reporter 
GRANVILLE — A fire on Thursday caused $25,000 to $30,000 damage to a home that the Buxton Inn’s owners were restoring. The two-story home at 128 S. Pearl St., caught fire after a torch being used by a worker in a second-floor bathroom ignited a wall, said Lt. Tom Bowman of the Granville Fire Department. There was damage to interior walls on one side of the home and smoke damage throughout the home. No injuries were reported. The home is one of several built by the five children of Major Buxton, who built the Buxton Inn in 1812 on East Broadway, the main avenue of downtown Granville. All the homes are on the same block as the inn. Buxton Inn owners Orville and Audrey Orr have been restoring the homes one by one and then renting them. Restoration work on the South Pearl Street home was almost done when the fire broke out, Orville said. The worker was attaching a fitting on a water line using a torch and accidentally ignited a piece of wood or fiberglass, Bowman said. The wall caught fire and flames traveled through an interior wall up to the attic and down to the first floor. The workman had gone downstairs when he realized there was a fire upstairs and called the fire department at 10:20 a.m. The fire was extinguished at 11:15 a.m. The Orrs had taken pains to bring the century-old woodframe home back to its original state, Orville said. “The hardware and the floors are all original,” he said. The job was nearly finished when the fire broke out. Orr said he wants to complete the project if the damage permits. The Buxton Inn, Ohio’s oldest operating inn still using its original building, is known for its gardens and courtyards. 

UPDATE Firms Fined In Collapse Of Greensboro Wall That Killed Three Workers
POSTED: 9:43 a.m. EST February 6, 2003
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Five companies were fined a total of $32,900 by the state for a wall collapse that killed three men last August at a Home Depot construction site in Greensboro. The state Department of Labor spent six months investigating the accident. It ruled that the 40,000-pound wall was standing without any type of support before it fell and crushed the three workers. Officials say the wall should have been attached at the roof, floor and to other wall sections before braces were removed. Four companies were cited for failing to properly train employees and for not properly supporting the wall panels. Perry Construction Group, Steel Performance and Carolina Steel and Stone were fined $7,000 each. Carolina Tiltup Construction was fined $5,600. A fifth company, Professional Service Industries, was assessed a $6,300 fine because its welding inspector didn’t ensure all welds were complete and wasn’t properly trained. 

Kerala: One killed, 4 hurt in construction site accident 
6-February-2003 
Thiruvananthapuram: One person is feared dead and four people have been injured in an accident at a construction site in the Overbridge locality of Thiruvananthapuram city. The dead has been identified as Ganesan (28), a native of West Bengal. The injured have been admitted to the Medical College Hospital. The accident occurred at 12:30 pm today when soil caved in at the site where work was on to remove earth for the foundation of a building. The workers were employed by a contractor who had taken up contract for removing soil. All the workers are reportedly from Bengal. Search and rescue operations have been launched by the police and fire force. 

Area man injured by sand
By Patricia Breakey Delhi News Bureau
DELHI — A man loading sand into a pickup truck was trapped when a one-ton frozen chunk of sand pinned him against the bed of his truck, Delhi emergency workers said. Gary Rosa and George H. Cochrane Jr. had just completed loading Rosa’s truck with sand at the Delhi Town Shed on Sherwood Drive, when an overhanging section slid down and trapped Rosa, according to Delaware County deputies. Cochrane called 911 on a cell phone, but the call went to the state police in Albany, who called the Delaware County 911 Center. The local 911 dispatcher called the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department with limited information about the incident and the location. The deputies were sent to the Delhi Highway Department on Sherwood Road in Delhi while the Delhi Village Police headed for other sand stockpiles in an attempt to locate the victim and the caller. Rosa, 32, of Delhi was pinned against his truck for an unknown length of time Wednesday morning, before help arrived at about 11:30 a.m., according to Glenn Morrison, Delaware County deputy director of emergency services. “He was out there for a lengthy amount of time,” Morrison said. “And it was cold.” Deputies said it took more than an hour to extricate Rosa. Morrison said it was necessary to carefully remove the sand to free Rosa without bringing more down on him. Rosa was pinned from the waist down, with the upper part of his body lying in the bed of the truck. “We used everything from picks to shovels and anything else we could get our hands on to dig him out,” Morrison said. “We tried using big machinery, but it was too precarious, although it looked like the majority of the overhang had already come down.” Shawn Kauffman, captain of the Delhi Emergency Squad, said moving Rosa’s truck wasn’t an option because sand would have slid, pinning Rosa more. Rosa suffered from hypothermia and had injuries to his legs, Morrison said. Rosa was transported to O’Connor Hospital in Delhi and was then transferred by ambulance to Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. A Bassett hospital spokesman said Rosa was in stable condition but was being kept overnight for observation. Kaufmann said requests for a helicopter went out to transport Rosa, but the Albany Med helicopter ran into a snow squall as it neared Delhi and had to turn back. The Guthrie One helicopter was in the air, but was canceled after Rosa reached O’Connor Hospital. Robert Howard, Delhi town highway superintendent, said Rosa is not a town employee but that he couldn’t make any other comments. Deputies said Delaware County residents and homeowners should contact highway superintendents or town supervisors to obtain permission before they remove sand, cinders, salt or gravel from stockpiles. Delaware County Sheriff Thomas Mills said callers using cell phones to report emergencies should be careful to report their exact location and to give the dispatcher their cell phone number so they can be contacted if more information is needed. Morrison said assistance at the scene of the accident was provided by the Delhi Fire Department and Emergency Squad, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, the state Department of Environmental Conservation police, the Delhi Village Police, the town of Delhi, Cooperstown Medical Transport and Clark Co. employees. The Bovina Fire Department set up the landing zone for the helicopter. 

UPDATE £40,000 fine for death of worker Feb 6 2003
By Graeme Whitfield, The Journal
A demolition firm was yesterday fined £40,000 for the death of one of its workers at Blyth Power Station. London-based Brown and Mason, which has a £12m contract to demolish the power station, was fined £35,000 for failing to ensure the safety of its employees and £5,000 for failing to prepare a proper risk assessment following the death of Jimmy Hall, 21, in May 2001. After the case, Mr Hall’s mother Pat Henderson, from High Barnes, Sunderland, said she had hoped for a bigger fine to act as a deterrent to other construction companies. Newcastle Crown Court was told the company had not made a proper risk assessment before an operation which led to a 400kg junction box falling and crushing Mr Hall, the father of a young child, to death. It also emerged yesterday that the site supervisor – who was a member of the family that runs Brown and Mason – was not sufficiently trained. Before the accident, Brown and Mason had an unblemished safety record, and had won awards and a personal commendation from Prime Minister Tony Blair for its commitment to safety. Mrs Henderson said: “It was the first year Jimmy had been on the job and I don’t think he was trained properly. “The £40,000 is nothing to a company that size, they haven’t had to go through what I’ve had to suffer. Jimmy’s son was given compensation, but he’ll never get the love Jimmy would have given him. “This is not about the money, it’s the devastation it’s caused. I wanted justice for Jimmy, so that nobody goes through what I had to go through. I hope this will act as a deterrent.” Mr Hall was killed in May 2001, when assistant site manager Richard Brown – the son of one of firm’s directors – cut a wire supporting a junction box that fell on to Mr Hall. But David Rowlands, for the Health and Safety Executive, said the company had not raised possible risks posed by the job with specialist engineers who were on site every day. John Evans, for Brown and Mason, said Mr Hall’s death was a totally isolated incident, and was not a case of a company that was profiting by cutting corners or ignoring warnings. Judge Guy Whitburn ordered the company to pay £3,750 costs. 

Fire causes minor damage in Coweta courthouse 
By RALPH ELLIS Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer 
A roofer’s torch accidentally ignited a fire Monday afternoon in a small section of the Coweta County Courthouse, causing minor damage to the 99-year-old building in Newnan. Tom Corker, county spokesman, said torch flames ignited a section of dry wood near a window about 52 feet off the ground. Fire extinguishers were used to fight the blaze until Newnan firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire. The building was evacuated and nobody was hurt. The county is repairing the historic courthouse, which houses several local government offices, including the clerk of court. The county is building a new judicial building several blocks away.

Man killed, seven injured in roof collapse
Staff Report
LAHORE: A man was killed and seven injured when the roof of a factory collapsed in Baghbanpura area here on Monday. According to reports, the height of the roof of Butt Lathe factory was being increased and once the supporting pillars were removed, the roof collapsed killing one Nadeem Akhtar, a Haroonabad resident, and injuring seven others. The injured were rushed to a local hospital where two of them namely Irfan and Aslam were in critical condition. The factory’s owner, Amjad Butt, said the labourers were busy in increasing the height and suddenly the roof fell on the workers. The body of the deceased has been handed over to the family without autopsy. 

Story of Interest Quick-draw nail guns fire requests for safer triggers
By Virginia Baldwin Gilbert Of the Post-Dispatch 2/02/2003 10:17 PM
Some leaders in the construction industry want workers and contractors to change their trigger-happy ways — nail gun triggers, that is. A study of carpenter injuries in St. Louis region found that for every 100 apprentice carpenters working in residential construction in a year, nearly four are injured seriously enough with a nail gun to seek medical care. Some carpenters have nailed a foot to the floor, shot 2-inch nails into a co-worker’s thigh, nailed their knuckles together, shot a nail into their own knee or head. Employers and workers alike have a new tool for improving safety — a study that collected data from 875 carpenters injured on the job in the St. Louis region in the last three years. The study prompted the Carpenters District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity to increase apprentices’ training. “What we found was that people new to a job site, in particular, were being put in precarious situations,” said John Gaal, director of training and work-force development for the carpenters union. To reach beyond apprentices, the District Council has published safety articles in local and national publications for carpenters. Behlman Builders Inc., one of the region’s larger carpenter subcontractors, requires all its workers to pass written and hands-on safety tests before they are allowed to use nail guns. If a worker has an injury with a nail gun, he or she must pass the test again. But the two men who interviewed hundreds of injured fellow carpenters haven’t stopped at training and work habits. They want the tools changed, and a tool manufacturers’ trade organization agrees. One type of nail-gun trigger, called a contact trigger, allows the user to press the trigger and fire a nail by hitting the end of the tool against a surface. Many carpenters “bounce nail,” by holding the trigger down and repeatedly hitting the nose of the gun to the surface to be nailed. In contrast, a sequential trigger requires that users place the gun in position, then pull the trigger each time they want to shoot a nail. More than half the nail-gun injuries in the study could have been prevented with the safer trigger, said Hester Lipscomb, the Duke University professor who led the St. Louis study. Many contact-trigger guns are capable of firing nine nails a second, said Jim Nolan one of the carpenters who conducted the interviews for the study. “Why would you need to do that?” said Nolan, who built houses for 42 years without ever using a nail gun. Paslode, a division of Illinois Tool Works, developed the nail gun nearly 40 years ago and is still the No. 1 manufacturer. It has sold more contact triggers than sequential triggers, “because that’s what the market wanted,” said Pat Ryan, a spokesman. “In the last 12 to 18 months, there’s been a change,” Ryan said. “A lot of big contractors want the sequential trigger for safety.” Paslode will be changing its nail guns to comply with new safety standards recently developed by the International Staple, Nail and Tool Association, based in LaGrange, Ill. John Kurtz, executive vice preident of the trade association, attended a construction safety conference in Chicago last spring where Lipscomb, Nolan and his fellow interviewer, Denny Patterson, presented their data and urged design changes. The new standards “probably do what they would like,” Kurtz said. Members of the association approved the standards in December, and they are set to go into effect May 1, he said. 

I-95 Accident…Worker Hit by Vehicle 
The accident happened just before 9:30pm Sunday evening. The victim was directing traffic on I-95 where it meets the beltway in Baltimore County, when a vehicle allegedly struck him. The accident involved 2 vehicles, and no one else was injured; however, the construction worker was taken to Saint Agnes Hospital. So far, there is no word about the victim’s condition. 

Firefighter treated for burns 
A Cincinnati firefighter was treated and released from University Hospital Saturday for minor burns to his face he suffered fighting a house fire at 3425 Beekman Ave. Lt. Robert Beckroege had burns on his cheeks when metal clips on his mask heated. The fire destroyed the second floor of the home, causing about $35,000 in damage. It was started by a worker inside the house who was soldering copper joints with a blow torch. 

UPDATE Employer Cleared In Accidental Deaths
Blythewood, S.C. — South Carolina officials say they won’t press charges in the deaths of two teenage boys, who were killed in a workplace accident last week. The brothers died on Tuesday when an eight-foot trench they were digging at a new school collapsed. Investigators say both boys gave their employer valid green cards with incorrect birth dates. The two claimed they were in their twenties, though they were actually just 15 and 16 years old, respectively. State law prohibits people younger than 18 from working on construction sites. 

UPDATE OSHA cites, fines S.C. contractor for crane collapses
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A South Carolina contractor has been cited and fined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for two crane collapses at the company’s Maybank Highway Bridge construction site. Republic Contracting Corp. was cited Monday and could pay $66,500 in penalties. Republic employees were constructing support columns for the new bridge near Johns Island when the first accident occurred Aug. 16. A crane collapsed while lifting a reinforced steel cage weighing about 100,000 pounds from a barge to the inside of a bridge column form. Parts of the crane fell into traffic lanes of the two-lane Stono Rover Bridge. Federal OSHA conducted the investigation because the accident occurred on a floating barge located in navigable waters. The investigation determined that the crane had not been attached to the barge; equipment required to safely lift the load was missing from the crane and the crane’s computer warning system had been by-passed. On Sept. 12, another Republic crane at the same construction site overturned, narrowly missing several yachts and injuring the operator. Federal officials found that this crane also had not been secured to the floating barge. The company has 15 days to contest the federal citations and proposed penalties before the Independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 

Workers hurt when wall falls at Alsip eatery; Crew was working on new addition to Chateau Bu-Sche 
Wednesday, February 5, 2003 By Brent Watters Staff writer
Two construction workers were injured Tuesday after a wall for an addition to the Chateau Bu-Sche banquet hall in Alsip collapsed. The two workers, whose names were not released, suffered injuries to their legs, backs and possibly necks, Alsip Assistant Fire Chief Joe Schmidt said. “They were stable when we got to them. They didn’t appear to have any life-threatening injuries,” Schmidt said. The two injured workers were taken to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields. Information about their conditions was not available late Tuesday. The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. while a crew of about six construction workers were erecting walls for a 2,400-square-foot addition being built on the north side of the banquet hall. The Chateau Bu-Sche is at 11535 S. Cicero Ave. One of the injured workers was straddling the top of the east wall of the addition applying mortar when the 20-foot cinder block wall collapsed. “When the wall fell, one of the workers rode down with the bricks. Both workers were thrown forward in the direction the wall fell,” Schmidt said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. Fire officials believe that high winds may have contributed to the walls collapse. Jeff Bussean, the owner of the banquet hall, could not be reached for comment. Construction of the addition began in November and its completion is scheduled for May. The village had tussled with Bussean for more than a year about his plans for an addition. In Spring 2000, Bussean wanted the village to allow him to allow two large, tents outside the banquet hall for five years while he planned the addition. The village board denied the request, and gave him two years to begin construction of a permanent structure that would be approved by the village. 

Workers Struck On Local Interstate; Victims Flown To Tri-State Hospitals 
MONROE, Ohio — Two people working in the median of a local interstate were struck by a car Wednesday morning. The accident happened just before 9 a.m. on southbound Interstate 75 near state Route 63 in Monroe, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported. Ron Gambrell, 52, of Northside, was flown to University Hospital, where he is listed in serious condition, WLWT reported. The second victim, Bonnie Mills, was flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Her condition is not known. Both victims are employees of the Security Fence Co. of Northside, WLWT reported. The northbound and southbound lanes of I-75 were shut down for about an hour. They reopened at about 9:45 a.m., WLWT reported. The victims are part of a crew installing barriers in the highway median because of a rash of accidents in which cars traveling one direction crossed the median and slammed into oncoming vehicles. When completed, the 14-mile barrier will run from Hamilton-Mason Road in Butler County to just south of state Route 73 in Warren County, WLWT reported. Stay tuned to WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and refresh this ChannelCincinnati.com page throughout the day for details. 

Firefighter burns ear in Monroe blaze
John Colvin / Police Reporter Posted on February 5, 2003
Monroe Fire Department investigators say a construction accident ignited a fire Tuesday at a house owned by a local businessman. The department received several calls at 2:38 p.m. Tuesday, and about seven trucks spent the majority of the afternoon and evening combating the fire at 1200 University Avenue. Investigators say the origin of the fire appears to be traced to a worker sweating pipes together in the attic. “The fire started accidentally,” said Kenneth Gibbs, chief arson investigator. “A spark ignited surrounding material.” According to the Ouachita Parish tax assessor’s records, Eddie Hakim owns the property, valued at nearly $250,000. He is one of three brothers who own Luv N’ Care, a company that does business in more than 80 countries and has warehousing or manufacturing facilities in North America, including Monroe, and in Asia. Its products – everything from baby bibs to bottles – are sold by major retailers like Wal-Mart, Kmart, J.C. Penney, Sears, Toys R Us, Rite Aid and others. Firefighters quickly set up a defensive line to fight back the blaze, which had concentrated in the northern section of the almost completed house. Fire Chief Jimmie Bryant said the size of the residence -27,000 square feet in area – proved to be a hindrance. “The accessibility to the structure posed a lot of problems,” Bryant said. “This is one of the largest homes. This is one of most significant stories because it is a residence.” One firefighter was injured, said David Coco, chief of emergency medical services. As first reported at thenewsstar.com, he suffered third-degree burns to one of his ears and was taken to St. Francis Medical Center, according to Coco. “The firefighter was treated and released,” Bryant said. Although there were about 10 construction workers inside the house when the fire started, none of them reported injuries, Coco said. Emergency officials remained on the scene into the evening Tuesday but said the fire was under control. At about 8 p.m. Bryant said they were wrapping up operations. The chief said they requested help from the Ouachita Parish Fire Department if any other fires were reported while city crews battled the fire at the residence next to the University of Louisiana at Monroe. “The parish was called to help at some of the fire stations because of the number we had out here,” Bryant said. 

Concrete floor collapses atop propane tanks; No one injured in Bedford accident
By RICHARD DOOLEY The Daily News 
A freshly poured section of concrete floor collapsed into the basement of a new condominium just off the Bedford Highway Monday, sparking fears of a propane explosion. “About 20 square metres fell in the basement on top of seven or eight 100-pound tanks of propane,” Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Services spokesman John Blandin said yesterday. The floor section, the size of a large living room, fell about three metres shortly before 5 p.m. No injuries were reported. Most of the workers on the Larry Uteck Drive site had finished for the day. A team of firefighters using a device that sniffs out propane fumes entered the basement of Hemlock Park Place about 6 p.m. to check for leaking propane. Although there was a small leak, the gas was dissipating in the air, and firefighters said it posed no threat of explosion or fire. “What we are going to do is put security on the site and deal with it in the morning when we can see what we are doing,” Blandin said. Firefighters said they weren’t sure what caused the collapse. The propane tanks were being used to fuel large heaters at the construction site. Hemlock Park Place is a four-storey condominium complex overlooking Bedford Basin near Hemlock Ravine Park. Condos are advertised for sale between $179,000 and $272,900. The foundation for the large building is complete, but work has not progressed above the first floor. The floor was poured earlier in the day and left to set. Fire officials said damage to the building will likely be assessed today when inspectors are able to enter the construction site. 

Gas line rupture forces evacuation of Bloomington buildings; Construction crew hit line; firefighters called to 3rd incident this year
by Adam VanOsdol Indiana Daily Student Published Tuesday, February 4, 2003
A construction crew digging at the parking garage on the corner of Sixth and Morton streets ruptured a natural gas line Monday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of area businesses and the Monroe County Justice building. The Bloomington Fire Department said there was little danger posed by the rupture but closed off the surrounding city block while workers scrambled to shut off the pipe. The leaking gas sailed north and drifted into open windows at the Monroe County Justice Building down the street, causing nausea and dizziness to those in the building. Except for the 227 inmates, everyone inside was evacuated and went home early. In the end though, the wind actually did more to control the situation, Vectren Energy Company supervisor Mel Williams said. Monday’s stiff breeze quickly dissipated the leaking gas, defusing the potentially explosive situation. “Oh, we’re glad for the weather,” Williams said. “The wind helped more than anything.” An hour after the accident, Vectren workers had successfully blocked the leakage. Fire Department Captain Tim Richards said the city block between Sixth and Seventh streets and Walnut and Morton streets was shut down mainly to keep repair workers safe from traffic. The rupture, which was in a low-pressure line, would have been more worrisome if it had been high pressure, Richards said. “It wasn’t that bad,” Richards said. “It was outdoors, and it was a low pressure line.” The rupture disrupted local business for an hour, but owners didn’t seem too bothered. Firefighters who went around to area businesses to check for gas accumulation forced the employees of Little Zagreb’s Pizza to evacuate. Manager Mark Conlin said he couldn’t do prep work as a result. And owner of the Yellow Cab Company John McNeeley said, “It was an honest mistake.” At the nearby law office of Kelley, Belcher and Brown, bookkeeper Deena Anderson was preparing billing statements when she smelled gas coming in from an open window. When firefighters arrived, they told her she didn’t have to leave, but she did anyway. “They said we weren’t in danger,” Anderson said. “One of our bosses told us to go home.” Williams said he could not comment on the amount of gas that leaked, the cost or whether the pipe was marked. Bloomington Fire Department Captain Roger Kerr said the pipe was unmarked. By 4 p.m. the Justice Building was unusually silent. The only person who stuck around was security guard Don Bennitt, who kept busy by telling confused people that the building was closed for the day. Monroe County resident Charles Bomgardner knocked on the locked door at 4:15 p.m., expecting to pay a small claims fine. Bennitt told him everyone had gone home. “I work the rest of the week,” a frustrated Bomgardner said. “It’s going to be very difficult for me to come back.” Ruptured gas lines have become a common incident for Bloomington’s Fire Department. This is the third since the beginning of the year, Batallian Chief Terry Williams said. “Gas is a scary thing,” he said. 

OSHA begins investigation of fatal construction accident 
By PAUL MEYER , Staff writer 02/05/2003 
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun its investigation into the death of a construction worker killed Monday afternoon along Spring Creek Parkway when the trench he was working in flooded with water and collapsed. Fort Worth resident Adrian Gutierrez, 22, was working in a 10-foot-deep trench when he apparently tapped into a pressurized city water main and became trapped for at least 30 minutes under water. Gutierrez was an employee of Irving-based JCM Contracting Co., hired to work on a city road-widening project along Spring Creek Parkway. “He was tapping into the city water main, and when he released the cap, the pressure was not off,” Fire Department spokeswoman Monique Cardwell said. “The water shot back at him and filled the trench with water. “Because he was under water and it was so cold, once we got him out, we did initiate resuscitation efforts before transporting him to Presbyterian Hospital.” Fire officials received the call for help at 3:14 p.m., arriving at the intersection of Spring Creek Parkway and Communications Parkway at 3:20 p.m., according to Cardwell. Another worker in the trench managed to escape and suffered only minor leg injuries. He was taken to Presbyterian Hospital and released. Kathryn Delaney, OSHA’s area director, said Tuesday that the investigation into the worker’s death will include a systematic look into both the physical circumstances and the employer’s safety record. “On these matters we do not merely look at the physical conditions and circumstances,” Delaney said. “We plan to study the employer’s safety programs, training, and conduct a systematic investigation of the situation.” Delaney, however, refused to speculate on the cause of the accident. “It’s unfair to the family of the victim to speculate at this point about the cause or causes,” Delaney said. “I anticipate it will be at least two months before the investigation is complete.” City Engineer Alan Upchurch, who supervises contracting work throughout the city, said Tuesday that the worker was part of the road project to widen Spring Creek Parkway. Weir Brothers is the listed general contractor for the project, according to Upchurch. Officials with the company did not return calls for comment. “What occurred was a tragedy with the death of the construction worker who was working on a road widening project along Spring Creek,” Upchurch said. “I’m sure there will be some investigating to determine what went wrong, but at this point in time it appears the contractor made a mistake in determining whether the water was shut off.” Typically, Upchurch said, contractors will call the city Water Department to confirm that water in a construction area has been shut off. It was not known if that protocol was followed Monday. “We will typically hold preconstruction conferences before work starts to go over a list of things that need to be done,” Upchurch said. Monday’s events were the second time in recent memory a construction worker has been killed in the city while working on a project. It was over two years ago that a worker was killed near 2600 Central Expressway after the trench he was working in collapsed. 

Worker Dies After Falling Into Well
February 5, 2003
PINEHURST — A man working at a Habitat For Humanity site was killed when he fell head first into a 55 foot-deep well Wednesday morning. The accident happened around 10 a.m. near the city of Pinehurst on Juniper Lake Road off of Highway 211. Thirty-five-year-old Jack Henry King of Lake View was working for a well-drilling company. He was working on the well that he fell into. The well and nearby sandy ground had to be stabilized before any rescue efforts could be attempted. Once the well was stabilized, rescue crews lowered a camera to check the victim. When crews couldn’t view any movement through the camera, they sent a rescue worker down to retrieve the body. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will visit the site. 

Construction worker killed in Lewisville 
02/05/2003 By LESLEY TÈLLEZ / The Dallas Morning News 
One construction worker was killed and a second was injured Wednesday afternoon when a forklift apparently ran over them at the site of the new Lewisville City Hall in Old Town. The injured man was transported to Medical Center of Lewisville, where he was listed in stable condition. The victims’ names were not immediately available, officials said. All three men involved were employed by a contractor, whose name was not available Wednesday. The cause of the accident remained under investigation. Police, firefighters and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were to be involved in the probe. “We are just interviewing workers to try to find out what happened,” city spokesman James Kunke said. “We just don’t know yet.” This was the second fatality at the site. Last March, Brian Keith Cummings, 27, of Howe was killed while working below a crane. Mr. Cummings worked for N.L. Schutte Foundation Drilling Inc., a company subcontracted to do foundation work on the new $12 million City Hall. 

Man Rescued From Water Tower
Some Round Rock firefighters had to maneuver through tight spaces to rescue a man Tuesday afternoon. He had fallen while working inside a water tower. Firefighters were working a rigging system with ropes to lower their patient. He was about 128 feet above ground painting the inside of the water tank when he fell off scaffolding. “He fell approximately 10 feet, striking his head and complaining of severe back injuries,” Lt. David Kieschnick with the Round Rock Fire Department said. Round Rock firefighters used this basket to secure the patient before bringing him down. Tight confined spaces is what rescuers like Lieutenant David Kieschnick had to work in. “The initial area getting him out was only 16 inches in diameter that we had to get him out of the reservoir,” Kieschnick said. “Actually they had disassemble some of the the scaffolding to do the patient care and patient assessing,” Round Rock Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Garzarek said. Then they brought the patient down a ladder inside the long tower was not a straight shot. “Three or four different levels that the ladder changed on the way up. About every 30 feet they’d change, change direction from wall to wall,” Kieschnick said. It took about two careful hours to bring the injured man down the water tower. Williamson County paramedics say he was in stable condition. Round Rock’s deputy fire chief credits the rescue to some of the intricate training firefighters go through. “And this is the scenario you paing when you have high angle resuces, or potential high angle rescues. You can look at this tower itself and see it’s fraught with danger,” Garzarek said. The patient is about 30-years-old, and he was taken to Brackenridge Hospital from Round Rock. The lieutenant who was one of the rescuers said the man was alert and talking to them as he was brought down. 

Man falls to death at college
Sunday, February 2, 2003 By Angela Sykes Madera Tribune
A Tulare man fell to his death while working with a construction crew at the Madera College Center Friday morning. Samuel Fidler, 22, a construction worker with Harris Construction of Tulare, was working two stories up at the construction site at the Madera College Center when he lost his balance and fell 28-feet, head first, landing on a slab of cement, according to Erica Stuart, Madera County Sheriff’s Department public information officer. According to Stuart, Fidler died instantly. A source who works at the Madera College Center heard one of the construction workers yelling “Oh – – – -! Call 9-1-1” from across the campus about 9 a.m. Friday morning. Officials from the State Center Community College District, Madera Center declined to make a statement about the incident. Attempts to contact Harris Construction officials for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.

UPDATE Billboard company says no defects in design
LAWRENCEVILLE – The Tennessee company that designed the Snellville billboard that collapsed and killed three workers last August claims it did not contain any defects. An attorney for the Thompson Engineering Group of Athens, Tennessee — Tracy Wooden — made the statement. It came after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday that the structural design of the billboard did not conform to steel industry requirements. Wooden says the company provides an engineering plan for signs but does not make them. OSHA also sent a letter to Phoenix Structures and Services, blaming the company for “extensive flaws” in the welding of the billboard. Phoenix — also of Athens, Tennessee — could not be reached for comment. OSHA’s area director — G.T. Breezley — says he wants the billboard industry to check every sign made by Phoenix or designed by Thompson.

Johnston County Worker Killed In Accident 
Location: Milburn Posted: January 31, 2003
A Johnston County road worker has been killed in an accident while co-workers were trying to pull his road grader out of a ditch. John Black senior of Wapanucka died in the accident yesterday at Milburn, east of Tishomingo. Road foreman Danny Lowe says Black was spreading gravel when his grader became stuck. Lowe says the co-workers were stretching a heavy-duty tow rope, a shank snapped and crashed into the cab of the grader, hitting Black in the head. Lowe says the rope is made especially for towing and the procedure has been used numerous times. 

UPDATE Illinois man had his doubts about surviving cave-in 
By Terry Hillig Post-Dispatch 01/30/2003 09:26 PM
The man who was buried for 20 minutes when a trench collapsed Monday in Bethalto says he wasn’t sure he would make it out alive. “It was wet,” Wes Smith, 19, said in an interview. “There was water in the ditch. I thought it was 3 or 4 inches from my chin.” As soon as the 17-foot trench collapsed, five or six of Smith’s co-workers at Design Excavating of Edwardsville began frantically digging. They were joined by eight or nine volunteer Bethalto firefighters. “I knew they would try their best to get me out,” Smith said of his rescuers. “I knew they wouldn’t give up but I’m sure glad I made it, though. I’m just grateful to them big time.” An air pocket around Smith’s face may have saved him from suffocation. But there was considerable pressure on his chest and it was increasingly difficult to breathe as the minutes passed, he said. Smith was part of a crew installing sewer lines at the Patriot’s Crossing subdivision. Smith suffered bruises and a partly collapsed lung but returned to his home in Girard, Ill., 65 miles north of St. Louis, after spending Monday night at St. Louis University Hospital. He said Wednesday that he was “still sore all over” but knew he was very fortunate. Smith said he had worked for the company for four or five months. He said he liked the job and planned to return to work after Feb. 7 but wonders whether he will feel safe working in a trench. Bethalto Fire Chief John Nolte said Monday that Smith was working without any safety precautions, in apparent violation of federal regulations for sloping or shoring or use of a trench box for work in trenches 4 feet or greater in depth. Robert Plummer, owner of Design Excavating, said the company emphasizes safety and said he was “sick” about the accident but relieved that Smith’s injuries were not more serious. “It’s just really fortunate,” Plummer said. “He is really a nice young man. We look forward to him being back.” The accident is being investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

Building Collapse Forces Temporary Shut Down Of Metro North Service Into, Out Of Grand Central
A partial building collapse in Harlem forced the MTA to temporarily suspend Metro North Train service into and out of Grand Central Station Friday afternoon. Officials say a partial building collapse at 1672 Park Avenue, at 118th Street Friday afternoon left remainder of the building unstable. Because of this, Metro North trains on the Harlem, New Haven and Hudson Lines were not allowed to pass through the area. Service was shut down for about an hour before being restored at about 4:20pm, according to a spokeswoman for Metro-North. The trains were observing 15 mph speed restrictions through the building collapse area late Friday afternoon. And officials expected service to return to normal by about 5:00pm. Officials said subway service in the area was not affected. The building collapsed shortly after 3:00pm. The FDNY said no one was injured or trapped. Officials from the city buildings department, Office of Emergency Management and the FDNY were on scene early Friday afternoon. 

Construction worker hurt in Weston fall
By Evan Hessel 
A 33-year-old Naples construction worker broke both heels and injured his lower back when he fell 18-feet off of a ladder in Weston. The man was working at a house in Woodmill Ranch Estates in the 3300 block of Fairfield Lane, said Todd LeDuc, spokesman for Broward County Fire Rescue. He was standing on a fiberglass ladder leaned against the roof when the ladder collapsed, LeDuc said. 

Graycor settles injury lawsuit; Worker will get $3.75 million after falling from ladder 
Friday, January 31, 2003 By Jennifer Martikean Staff writer
A Homewood construction company will pay more than $3 million to a subcontracted worker who was severely injured when he fell off of a ladder at a job site. Graycor Construction Co. settled the personal injury lawsuit Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court for $3.75 million. Graycor was sued by Charles Gates, a member of Laborers Union Local 96 who was working for subcontractor Weiss Construction doing masonry work at the time of the accident, said Gates’ attorney, Larry Weisman of the Chicago law firm Goldberg, Weisman & Cairo. “The ladder on the job site violated several (workplace regulations) and despite complaints, the general contractor permitted the ladder to be used and Mr. Gates fell,” Weisman said. Gates fell off of the ladder in December 1997 as he was climbing it to work on a project at the University of Chicago Hospitals, Weisman said. Because of the design of the ladder, workers had to carry their lunch and tools under their arms as they climbed, instead of putting them in a container that could later be hoisted up to the work site. When he fell, Gates was attempting to carry his lunch under his arm. “The ladder was built on the job site and it was the only means of access to a certain point of the construction site,” he said. Gates, who lives in Kane County, was hospitalized for about two weeks after the accident and was in rehabilitation for many more months, Weisman said. Gates suffers from vision and memory problems, and needs assistance to perform daily tasks, Weisman said. Graycor was represented by William J. Cremer and Thomas R. Pender of the Chicago law firm Cremer, Kopon, Shaushnessy & Spina. Pender said he could not comment on the case because of a confidentiality agreement.

Worker run over by dump truck; Victim hospitalized after levee accident
Thursday January 30, 2003 By Mary Swerczek River Parishes bureau 
A 32-year-old Marksville man was in stable condition after being run over by a dump truck on the Mississippi River levee across from Ormond Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon. Jonathan Dauzat was pinned under the truck until East St. Charles volunteer firefighters lifted it with air bags and freed him, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Pat Yoes said. Dauzat was airlifted to West Jefferson Hospital. Dauzat was working for James Construction Group LLC marking lines along the levee when Joseph Berryhill, 46, of Westwego, who works for Miller Excavating Service, accidentally backed over him, Yoes said. The accident happened at about 1:45 p.m. “He was bending over marking lines,” Yoes said. “The driver didn’t see anyone behind him and backed up.” Another worker ran to the truck and told Berryhill that Dauzat was pinned underneath it, Yoes said. Yoes said he did not know how long Dauzat was trapped under the truck. Dauzat and Berryhill are among workers pouring asphalt on the levee to build the first eight miles of an 18-mile bicycle path. The first section of the route will tie into the existing path at the St. Charles-Jefferson Parish line and extend to Ormond Boulevard. 

UPDATE Firm cited over death at skybox work site
A Jacksonville subcontractor involved in the construction of a new skybox at the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is facing citations in connection with last year’s death of a construction worker. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration noted problems with bolts used on a brace system and also with fall protection for employees, paperwork filed by the agency shows. A representative for Summit Erectors Inc. could not be reached for comment Wednesday. OSHA records show the business is contesting the three violations noted by the agency. A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for late February. OSHA investigated circumstances surrounding the death of James Sudak, 45, of Jacksonville, an ironworker for Summit Erectors Inc. He died July 24 while setting a concrete column at the stadium. Sudak was struck by a steel brace supporting the column, University Police reported. He fell about 60 feet, landing on a concrete platform. OSHA said bolts used on the brace system were not appropriate and a torque wrench was not used to install bolts onto the brace system. “This could cause the brace to separate from its anchor point on the concrete column and fall onto an employee,” OSHA’s report stated. A cable guardrail system also had been removed so concrete columns could be brought into the site, but an alternative fall protection was not used, creating an 80-foot fall hazard, OSHA found. A wire rope perimeter guardrail system also was loose, creating a fall hazard, OSHA reported. The violations are categorized as serious, meaning they can result in a serious injury, illness or death, said James Borders, director of OSHA’s Jacksonville office. “I don’t think any construction site, large or small, should have any violations,” Borders said. “They’re designed so any employer can meet them.” Borders said OSHA employees spend most of their time at construction sites because of the large number of fatalities reported in Florida. Falls accounted for 23 of the 43 construction-related deaths investigated by OSHA in the state between Oct. 1, 2001, and May 31, 2002, the agency reports. OSHA has proposed the business should pay $9,800 as penalty for the violations. No final determination on the case will be made until the business has a chance to contest or appeal the citations. Borders said the construction project’s general contractor, Turner-PPI Joint Venture, is considered the “controlling employer” at this site and was involved in the inspection. But there was no finding that it violated OSHA rules in this case. Shortly after Sudak’s death, his son and several of his co-worker had said safety standards were ignored. They said the brace had come loose from its bracket and a cable barrier along the ledge over which Sudak fell was not up at the time. Instead, they said, it was put up immediately after the accident. Workers said precautions that could have been used would have been safety walls, harnesses and secondary lifelines – anchored cables with a tether long enough to allow workers to move freely but short enough so they would not fall far in an accident.

UPDATE OSHA points to faulty design in billboard collapse
SNELLVILLE – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says faulty design and manufacturing led to a billboard collapse that killed three workers in August, a federal agency concluded. OSHA’s area director G.T. Breezley said the design by Thompson Engineering Group of Athens, Tenn., did not conform to steel industry requirements. He blamed Phoenix Structures & Service, also of Athens, Tenn., for welding flaws. Breezley said he wanted the billboard industry to check every sign made by Phoenix or designed by Thompson. He’s also notifying billboard companies and industry trade journals, but OSHA won’t issue citations. The workplace safety agency can impose punishment only when companies knowingly expose employees to a hazardous situation, Breezley said. Trinity Outdoor of Buford bought the 35,000-pound billboard, and Fowler Sign Co. of Lilburn employed the workers who were killed.

4 workers injured when crane collapses at Pompano apartment site
By ARDY FRIEDBERG sun-sentinel.com January 29, 2003, 11:31 AM EST
POMPANO BEACH – Four people were hurt – one critically – when a crane collapsed and snapped at a construction site for the new Laguna Pointe Apartments complex, city officials said. None of the injured were immediately identified in the 7:55 a.m. Wednesday accident on the 900 block of West McNab Road just east of Interstate 95. Two of the construction workers were rushed to North Broward Medical Center, and one of those suffered from multiple fractures and other injuries. Another worker was sent to the nearby North Ridge Medical Center and another was treated at the accident scene, said city spokeswoman Sandra King. The reason for the crane collapse was not immediately known, King said. Witnesses said the crane, which had a Zeiger Crane Rental sign on its side, was lifting what are called tunnel forms to the second floor of a building under construction. The forms are used in building floors, King said. For some reason the crane collapsed dropping its load onto the construction area. The worker with the critical injuries was working on the second floor, she said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified of the accident. 

Work site cave-in kills two brothers; Trench collapse at future Blythewood High is under investigation
By LORA HINES Staff Writer 
Two brothers died Tuesday in a torrent of dirt that poured into a trench where they were working at the Blythewood High School construction site. Rigobeto Xaca Sandoval, 22, and Moises Xaca Sandoval, 22, both of 1515 Busbee Road, Gaston, probably died instantly, their skulls crushed by the soil that buried them, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said. They were in what appeared to be an 8-foot-deep, 2-foot-wide trench, he said. The brothers were identified by resident alien cards, Watts said. He did not recall their nationality. They recently had moved in with a couple in a mobile home in Gaston in Lexington County. Before that they had lived in the town of Denmark, officials said. Neighbor Calvin Brown, 34, said they had lived there about two weeks. The brothers spoke little, if any, English, Brown said. The Latino friend they lived with, who would not give his name, said he was overwhelmed by the tragic cave-in. “They were good people,” he said tearfully in Spanish. Someone at the site called for help about 8:20 a.m. as construction workers scrambled to dig the brothers out. By the time rescuers arrived the brothers had been uncovered, Watts said. At least 40 people were at the site working on different projects, said Ken Blackstone, Richland 2 School District spokesman. Crews started work about 7 a.m. The Xaca Sandovals were part of a Burriss Electrical crew that was installing an electrical conduit, Blackstone said. The trench for the conduit had been dug in a compacted area that will become the high school’s foundation. The soil is mostly sandy with some clay, Blackstone said. Burriss is one of six contractors at the site. No one from Burriss Electrical in Lexington could be reached. “The Burriss Electrical family of employees send out our prayers and condolences to the families involved in today’s tragic accident,” company officials said in a written statement. “We are still investigating the accident and are cooperating with authorities.” The state Occupational Safety and Heath Administration, part of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, is investigating, said LLR spokesman Jim Knight. Knight said the investigation could take six weeks. Investigators will interview employees and witnesses to determine what the Xaca Sandovals were doing when the trench collapsed, Knight said. Investigators also will examine equipment and look at how the task was being done to determine whether an OSHA standard had been violated. Construction will continue while investigators work, Knight said. For the last six months, crews have been preparing the site off U.S. 21 for construction, Blackstone said. A two-story, 390,000-square-foot building, costing about $50 million, should be ready for the start of school in 2005, school district officials said. “As early as we are in the construction phase, I don’t know that (the cave-in) will significantly alter the schedule,” Blackstone said. Burriss Electrical, which was awarded the contract to install electricity with a $3,043,400 bid, has been cited nine times in five planned inspections since January 2000, LLR records show. “They have not had an accident,” Knight said. “They have a clean record as far as accidents go with OSHA.” In August 2000, OSHA cited Burriss for failing to make daily inspections of excavations and protective systems to prevent cave-ins at a site at Stivers Chrysler Jeep Inc., 5215 Sunset Blvd., Lexington, LLR documents show. No one knowledgeable in soil analysis or trenching systems and analysis was on that site, records show. Burriss was not fined and the violation was not listed as serious because it involved a 4-feet deep trench, Knight said. OSHA regulates trenches 5 feet and deeper. Richland 2 school board chairman Bill McCracken said the board wants to console the victims’ families. “Our concern is to make sure we do whatever we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said. Staff writers Clif LeBlanc and Nicole Sweeney contributed to this article.

Worker, 19, is injured when trench collapses around him 
By TERRY HILLIG Post-Dispatch 01/27/2003 10:30 PM
A 19-year-old worker survived being buried for about 20 minutes after a trench collapsed Monday morning in Bethalto. “It’s a wonder he wasn’t killed,” Bethalto Fire Chief John Nolte said of Wes Smith, who was flown by helicopter to St. Louis University Hospital after the rescue. Smith was working at the bottom of a trench when it collapsed about 9:30 a.m. He and three co-workers were installing sewers in Patriots’ Crossing, a subdivision being developed along Moreland Road about a mile north of Illinois Route 140. Nolte said Smith, of Girard, was working in a trench that appeared to be 18 to 20 feet deep without any shoring or other protection. Nolte said such protection was required for work in trenches deeper than shoulder height. The workers were joined by eight or nine Bethalto volunteer firefighters, and Nolte said they dug Smith out by hand, “one shovel at a time,” in about 20 minutes. The rescuers were themselves in substantial danger, he said. Smith told his rescuers he had worried about drowning because of rising ground water. Nolte said that loose soil around Smith’s face allowed him to breathe, and survive. “He’s a very lucky person,” the chief said. Smith was listed in fair condition later at the hospital. A spokeswoman said he had no life-threatening injuries and likely would be held for observation overnight and discharged today. Smith worked for Design Excavating of Edwardsville, owned by Robert Plummer. Plummer said Smith was in good shape when he visited the injured man in his hospital room Monday night. “He’s shook up, no doubt about it,” Plummer said. “But there’s no broken bones, and he was walking around.” Plummer wasn’t at the job site when Smith was injured and said he couldn’t comment on the details of the incident. “We stress safety, we stress making proper decisions,” he said. “We’re sick about this.” An investigator from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was dispatched to the site after OSHA personnel in Belleville learned of the mishap from a reporter. Peggy Zweer, OSHA director for 81 counties in Illinois, said the accident was not one that the employer was required to report. Zweber said federal regulations require sloping or shoring or other protection for work in trenches 4 feet or greater in depth. 

£500,000 damages for 22ft fall
10:49 Tuesday 28th January 2003
A LABOURER who suffered brain damage after a devastating fall from scaffolding at the Glades shopping centre in Bromley has won £500,000 compensation. Brian Tighe, 54, suffered skull fractures, a broken back and broken ribs when he fell 22 feet while constructing the Glades in December 1989. His head injuries resulted in severe memory loss and general mental impairment. Mr Tighe is now living in a care home but for much of the past decade he was cared for by his brother Michael who lives in Alderwood Road, Eltham. His counsel, Gerwyn Samuel, said Michael Tighe had taken on his brother’s care “in an attempt to avoid him being institutionalised” but his own marriage had suffered in the process. “For many years they never even had a weekend together,” he told the court. “Michael Tighe was intent on looking after his brother, who really did need full-time care but wasn’t getting it from the social services and so the family stepped in,” Mr Samuel added. But Brian Tighe’s condition had worsened over the years culminating in his final admission to institutional care. Mr Tighe was not a trained scaffolder but on the day of the accident was sent aloft to help lower a space heater to the ground with the aid of a rope. While doing so he overbalanced toppling 22 feet to the ground below. Michael Tighe claimed damages on his brother’s behalf, suing former employers, Tarmac Construction Ltd, of Cornwall Terrace, north London. Mr Samuel told Mr Justice Treacy, a settlement has now been agreed whereby Mr Tighe will receive £500,000 for injuries. The judge approved the providing of a £48,000 settlement to Michael Tighe as some compensation for his past care and expense. 

UPDATE FATAL ACCIDENT 
A 35-year-old West Valley City man has died from injuries suffered in an accident at a Park City construction site Friday. Bidal Banuelos-Castaneda fell about 20 feet from a scaffolding at a construction project at Deer Valley, injuring his head and neck, according to a Park City police report. He was transported by air to University Hospital in Salt Lake City where he later died.