Construction Accidents Page 3

Construction Accidents Page #3

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

Roofer shocked, airlifted to hospital 
Thursday, March 06, 2003 By NICK FALSONE The Express-Times 
HELLERTOWN — Emergency crews pulled an injured worker off a roof Wednesday afternoon after he received a shock from coming in contact with a power wire, authorities said. The worker, a male who authorities at the scene declined to identify, was flown by helicopter to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township. There he received treatment for burns suffered as a result of the shock, authorities said. The rescue happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. on the roof of Rustic Exteriors, 631 Front St. Crews used an aerial ladder on a firetruck to get to the roof. Shortly before 3 p.m., a crowd of close to 30 people watched the rescue unfold. More than a half-dozen emergency workers on the roof used a backboard to move the injured worker. They placed him in the bucket of the aerial ladder and lowered it to the ground. The injured worker was carried to a stretcher and driven by ambulance to the nearby helicopter. Tony Branco, a supervisor for Dewey EMS, said the worker was laying metal sheeting on the roof when he lifted a piece of it. The sheeting touched a power line running above the roof, and the contact shocked the worker, Branco said. The rescue took awhile, partly because the conditions on top of the roof were dangerous, Branco said. The sheeting was slippery, and a portion of the roof was only covered with wood studding, he said. The worker remained conscious during the whole rescue, Branco said. “He suffered a couple severe burns,” he said. “He was in good spirits.” He was flown to the hospital as a precaution because of the unusual length of time it took for the rescue, Branco said. In addition to Dewey EMS, Bethlehem Fire Department, Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Co., Dewey Fire Co. and the Hellertown Police Department assisted in the rescue. 

UPDATE Burned Dam Worker In Critical Condition
A 22-year-old Arkansas man was in critical condition Wednesday, a day after he was burned by electricity. Manuel Salazar was hurt about 11 a.m. Tuesday after the crane he was standing near hit a 115,000-volt line at the construction site of a backup dam at Lake Murray. Another worker had first-degree burns on his hand after trying to help Salazar, officials said. The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating, said Jim Knight, spokesman for Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The state OSHA department is part of LLR. OSHA, which is not required to investigate when only one person is hurt, stepped in because of the seriousness of Salazar’s condition, Knight said. Salazar was flown to the burn unit at Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta with second- and third-degree burns on 40 percent of his body, officials said. Salazar works for H.B. Mellott Estate Inc. of Pennsylvania, said Brian Duncan, SCE&G spokesman. The company is a subcontractor of Barnard Construction, overseeing the building of the backup dam. The $275 million construction began last month and is expected to be done in 2004. Construction resumed Wednesday after a safety meeting with work crews, SCE&G officials said. 

Load topples trailer
By Advocate Staff Thursday, March 06, 2003 – 
No one was injured Monday morning after a dump trailer toppled onto its side at the northwest end of the Noyo Bridge construction site. According to Caltrans public information officer Ann Jones, the driver of the truck was backfilling the abutment at the north end of the bridge when the accident occurred. When the long trailer lifted its dump bed into the air, the dirt failed to slide out, causing the trailer to become top heavy and off balance. No one was injured in the accident, and traffic was halted by Fort Bragg Police officers for approximately five minutes. By using one of the mobile cranes stationed at the site, MCM construction personnel were able to right the trailer. Caltrans personnel were also on scene to assist. Meanwhile Cal-OSHA investigators are still looking into the cause of the rebar column collapse that took the life of 38-year-old Julio Quintero, of Fairfield, and injured Rex Kamoss, 34, of Long Beach, on Wednesday, Feb. 19. According to Cal-OSHA reports, subcontractor Pacific Coast Steel has a good safety record, having had one fatal accident, with the fault attributed to another contracting company. Pacific Coast Steel and MCM construction officials speculate that the repair and replacement of the collapsed column will not delay the completion of the bridge as scheduled.

Hot Springs Accident Kills One 
Story by News 4 Arkansas Posted 3/5/2003 12:02:54 PM 
A construction worker is dead after a trench collapse. It happened about 10:45 AM Wednesday in downtown Hot Springs at the construction site for the new district court. Hot Springs police say there was a heating and air conditioning trench in front of the building site that collapsed. Two workers fell in. One got out, the other died. The men worked for a heating and air company out of Benton. We have a crew on the scene and will bring you the latest tonight on News 4 Arkansas at 5:00 and 6:00. Watch KARK News 4 for more on this story! 

Construction Worker Killed In Accident; Emergency Workers Say Man Was Hit By Steel Beam
March 5, 2003
BOSTON — A construction worker was killed Wednesday morning at a construction site outside Massachusetts General Hospital. Police said that a steel girder fell on Christopher MacInnis, 30, of Salem, N.H., who was working at the construction site at about 8 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 8:30 a.m. The victim’s father and brother were also working at the site when the accident occurred. MacInnis’ father witnessed the accident. “Beams that were under construction collapsed. There is a large beam that did collapse, and it did strike the victim,” Boston Fire Department spokesman Daniel McDevitt said. Another person suffered minor injuries in the accident. An emergency medical technician was at the hospital on another call. “We responded over to the scene and climbed up the ladder. We initiated treatment along with the Fire Department who began extrication. It was difficult extrication off the roof. We brought the patient down, via a crane, to the ground level. He was transported to the Mass General Hospital emergency room,” emergency medical technician Rich Serino said. The victim was working on the hospital’s new ambulatory care center. “(The victim’s father) is very upset,” Serino said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident. 

Accident involving crane, high-voltage wire halts work at Lake Murray
By LORA HINES Staff Writer
Work at the Lake Murray dam stopped Tuesday when a construction worker suffered a severe electrical burn after a crane hit a high-voltage line. The 22-year-old worker, who was not immediately identified, was burned about 11 a.m. after the crane he was standing near hit a 115,000-volt line, officials said. The man was in critical condition Tuesday night at Doctor’s Hospital burn unit in Augusta, South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. spokesman Robin Montgomery said. Another worker suffered first-degree burns to his hands when he tried to help his burned co-worker, Lexington Emergency Medical Service supervisor Stuart Platt said. The man with the burned hands was treated at the scene. The man inside the crane was not hurt. The severely injured man, who had burns on his left chest and back, plus both arms and legs, was flown to Augusta from the dam’s Saluda River side, where he was working, Platt said. The man works for Melott, a subcontractor, Montgomery said. He didn’t immediately have information about the company. The construction crew stopped work for the rest of the day. It was unclear Tuesday night whether construction would resume today, Montgomery said. It’s not unusual for people who stand near an object that’s been energized with electricity to get burned, Assistant Lexington County Fire Chief Brian Hood said. “That’s why we tell people not to stand under a tree in a storm. Electricity is looking for the closest and best pathway to the ground.” The electricity that hit the crane probably arced and hit the man who was standing nearby, Hood said. “You have to remember that the arc is several thousands of degrees.” The man who was inside the crane probably was safest, Hood said. “If you’re in a car accident and you hit a live wire or pole, you want to stay inside the car,” he said. “People get hurt when they try to get out and put their foot on the ground.” Last month, as many as 90 people started building a backup dam at Lake Murray, Montgomery said. Construction started on opposite ends of the dam, moving toward the center. Work can occur simultaneously in two sections as long as those areas are at least 1,000 feet apart. But plans limit initial work to single sections for nearly half the wall, particularly those at the middle, where water pressure is highest. Construction is to be finished in 2004. The project will cost $275 million.

Broken crane crushes workers
From correspondents in Beijing 06mar03
EIGHT workmen were killed and four injured when part of a crane collapsed at a road construction site in eastern China, state media has reported. The men were working on a project to connect the cities of Huizhou and Hangzhou when the accident happened, the Xinhua news agency said. Twelve workers were sheltering in the work shed from the rain when the outstretched arm of a crane standing ten metres away from the shed suddenly broke off, falling on the shed roof,” it said. Seven of the workers died at the scene, while another died on his way to hospital. The other four were treated in hospital for serious injuries. An investigation has been launched into the accident.

Gas leak a near disaster 
By KYLIE MUNRO AND KRISTY GRANT
Workers and shoppers were evacuated after the accident. Public school, workers told to clear the area. A MAJOR gas leak in central Albury yesterday forced the evacuation of Olive St and kept emergency services in overdrive for two hours. More than 15 businesses and Albury Public School were evacuated as clouds of gas erupted from a burst pipe on the footpath between Baker Motors and the school about 1pm. The pipe was ruptured when a Wagga drilling company, contracted to lay cabling for Telstra, hit the pipe with a horizontal boring machine. Police and fire authorities sealed off the Dean St and Smollett St entrances to the accident site as fears of an explosion grew. Traffic was diverted past Dean St from Kiewa St and Country Energy reacted quickly by turning off the electricity supply to the affected area. Country Energy also temporarily suspended service to surrounding residential areas as a safety precaution. Fire officials ordered mobile phones, two-way radios and anything that could emit a spark to be shut down. Albury Central fire brigade station officer, Mr John Todd, said the leak had the potential to create a disaster. He said fire crews saw dust billowing into the air from a high-powered gas vapour cloud at the scene. “A 450kpa high pressure main had been hit and to avoid a possible explosion we had to use fob nozzles to disperse the gas,” Mr Todd said. “Anything that could throw a spark was switched off and we began to monitor the lowest levels of explosive gas. “We know that when the level of gas in the air drops to a certain level then it cannot explode.” Mr Todd said the situation worsened after gas seeped into electrical conduit cables and tracked to the opposite side of Olive St. Origin Energy spokeswoman Ms Justine Leadbetter said it took workers 33 minutes to fix the problem. “Workers repaired the pipeline and made sure there was no threat of a further leak before declaring the area safe,” Ms Leadbetter said. “The incident was reported promptly to Origin Energy by the contractor who struck the gas line, which made fixing it a lot easier. “We would like to thank everyone that was involved for their co-operation and communication in making sure that the incident was handled as quickly and efficiently as it was.” A spokesman for the Wagga Directional Drilling Company said it was an unfortunate accident. He said the company had followed plans outlining the locations of each gas line but the one they hit had not been marked. “We just didnt know it was there,” he said. Telstra Country Wide area manager for the Riverina Mr Andrew Cottrill said industrial work plans were generated by an agency, Dial Before You Dig, which gathered the locations of cabling, gas and water pipes from authorities.

UPDATE OSHA fines companies in fatal fall
By David Gilligan Advocate Reporter 
UTICA — The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined two companies in the death of a construction worker who fell at Utica High School. OSHA cited general contractor Robertson Construction Services and its subcontractor, Exterior Systems Inc., for failure to remove scrap metal, roof decking and plastic from the roof of the high school, which contributed to the January death of Jason Thatcher, said David Wilson, spokesman for OSHA’s Columbus regional office. Each company was fined $2,000. Thatcher, 32, of Delaware, died Jan. 15 after he fell at the site of the new Utica high school. Thatcher was an employee of Powell-based Exterior Systems. Specific information on the fall and the nature of Thatcher’s injuries were not available before press time. Both companies have contested the case. Lawyers for the companies and for OSHA are preparing their cases. Neither company could be reached for comment Tuesday. There was no answer at the phone number listed for Exterior Systems, and the safety rector for Robertson Construction Services Inc. was not available. North Fork schools Superintendent Tom Slater was unaware of the result of OSHA’s investigation until contacted by The Advocate and declined to comment on the findings until he could study them further.

Man critical after falling through roof 
05 March 2003 
A man is in critical condition in hospital after falling five metres through a roof in Petone yesterday morning. The 47-year-old man and a colleague were working on the roof of a building in Nelson St when the accident happened about 9.30am. Occupational Safety and Health were investigating the incident, a spokeswoman said. It appeared the two men had been dismantling a roof when they both fell through it, landing five metres below. One man was uninjured and the other had serious head injuries, she said. The injured worker was from Porirua-based company Fogartys Structural Services. Company director David Fogarty said he believed the men were setting up when the accident happened. “I just hope he’s all right, he’s a bloody nice guy,” Mr Fogarty said on his way to the site yesterday. “We’ve never had an accident on a building site before, and normally our jobs all go very smoothly. He is not a man who is accident-prone – some people are, but not this guy, he’s brilliant.” Mr Fogarty hoped to find out more about how the accident happened after talking to his workers, but his thoughts were with the injured man. The man was taken to Wellington Hospital in a serious condition by Wellington Free Ambulance after the fall. A hospital spokeswoman said he was in intensive care in a critical but stable condition. 

Ceilings collapse at Ridgefield Town Hall
RIDGEFIELD, Conn. (AP) – Some employees at Ridgefield Town Hall picked a good time to go to lunch Monday. Ceilings collapsed in the probate and human resources offices at about 1:30 p.m. after construction workers cut through a support beam while installing an elevator. The three employees who work in the two offices were at lunch at the time and the offices were closed, The News-Times of Danbury reported. No one was injured. Office lights, insulation and plasterboard came tumbling down as the attic floor collapsed onto newer, suspended ceilings. “We were holding a meeting about smallpox vaccinations in the lower-level conference room when there was a loud rumble and crash,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi said. “I ran out into the hall and looked outside to where they’re working on (preparations for) the elevator and saw a large pile of bricks and a huge cloud of dust,” he said. The Ridgefield Fire Department evacuated the building. At 3:30 p.m., workers were shoring up the structural support of the attic and roof truss with 2-foot-by-6-foot boards. Town Hall was expected to open Tuesday at its usual time of 8:30 a.m. The elevator project has had previous problems. When construction began last fall, buried oil tanks were discovered and had to be removed. Construction also was delayed for two months when scaffolding was put too close to power lines in November and had to be moved. Ridgefield received a $500,000 Americans with Disabilities Act grant to pay for the installation. The town contributed $50,000 toward the project. 

UPDATE Propane torch likely cause of blaze, investigators say
By MARLA CRANSTON The Daily News 
A propane torch used by roofing contractors was the likely culprit behind last week’s blaze on Gottingen Street, Halifax regional fire investigators confirmed Monday. No criminal charges are pending in the accidental fire, which left 20 people homeless and destroyed three businesses, fire-prevention manager Mike LeRue and Craig MacDonald told a news conference at Halifax City Hall. The problems began when workmen from Five Star Roofing and Masonry repaired an outdoor canopy above the first floor of 2098 Gottingen St. “They were applying a roofing membrane that requires a propane torch to heat it to cause it to seal, to set it in place. This is a normal practice, and there are precautions that should be taken,” said MacDonald, adding on-site fire extinguishers and a fire-safety plan were in place at the time. But the torch heated up a nearby wallspace, and the smouldering spread throughout the building’s walls, floors and ceilings for 45 minutes before any flames were visible. Tenant John Bouris, also a contractor, spotted smoke coming up through his living room floorboards, alerting the roofers immediately. They used fire extinguishers and buckets of water on the area, and made periodic checks afterward. “I think it was an honest mistake,” Bouris said as he wandered around the rubble looking for his cat Geronimo, missing since the fire. “It’s a tricky business using torches on old houses. You have to be really, really careful, and they know that. I’m sure they feel badly enough. I’m just glad everybody got out.” Bouris and partner Sheila Burke, who owned the Glamourama clothing store underneath their flat, lost everything. They had tried to get insurance several times, but were declined. Bouris hopes tenants will be fully compensated for their losses, but in the meantime, he’s heartened by the fundraising efforts underway. “People have been wonderful. I’m amazed at their generosity,” he said. Tonight, the Khyber Club at 1588 Barrington St. hosts a benefit show with Superfriendz, Dusty Sorbet and The Debonnaires, starting at 9 p.m. for a suggested donation of $8. After raising $1,000 on Sunday, the Marquee Club hosts another benefit show March 15 with The Heelwalkers and guests. Metro’s Royal Bank branches are also taking donations for the North End Fire Relief Fund, through account number 1021195, transit 0003. The roofing company and property owner Steve Abbass, who also lost his home in the fire, did not return calls yesterday.

Worker Killed In Church Community Center Roof Collapse
POSTED: 7:58 a.m. EST March 3, 2003
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A church held a memorial service Sunday for a construction worker who died over the weekend when the roof of new community center collapsed beneath him. Geraldo H. De Oliveira Jr., 31, was pronounced dead at a hospital within an hour of Saturday’s accident at Eternal Life Christian Center’s new community and recreation center. The Brazilian man lived in Harrison. Miqueiaz Franco E. Silva, 19, also of Harrison, was treated for a leg injury and released, police said. The church’s pastor planned to hang a plaque bearing De Oliveira’s name at the community center after it is completed. “His death will not be in vain,” Pastor Vollie Smith said. “We are going to make him an honorary member of our church and dedicate a plaque in his honor … because his efforts will not be forgotten.” The men worked for Myler Church Construction Co. of Indiana. Rick Pitre, Myler’s northeast regional vice president, said the national firm had never had a construction site fatality before. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known. The construction site was closed Saturday while the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigates. Franklin Township police Sgt. Marie Bandtlow said the department received no reports of problems at the site before the collapse and all permits were in order. 

UPDATE Worker is killed in fall at Brandeis 
By Peter Demarco, Globe Correspondent, 3/3/2003 
WALTHAM — A 39-year-old Malden man fell to his death while working on a new three-story dormitory at Brandeis University on Saturday, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are trying to determine the cause. Mark Chopelas, a laborer working for William A. Berry & Son, a Danvers-based construction management firm, was in an inside stairwell in the partially completed structure at about 8 a.m. when he fell, his family and officials said. He was taken from the South Street construction site to Waltham Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. Chopelas, of Malden, had been working on the dormitory since he joined the company in January. David Passafaro, a vice president at William A. Berry, said officials would meet soon to discuss ways to honor his memory. ”He was always with a smile on his face. Always willing to help anyone in need,” said an uncle, Timothy Chopelas, of Melrose. Mark Chopelas, who would have turned 40 this month, was born and raised in Malden. His family ran Malden Square’s Chopelas Cantina for more than 60 years before it closed in the 1980s. Rich Fazzio, area director of the Methuen-area office of OSHA, said he hoped the weekend’s accident would compel other construction firms to review safety procedures. ”Falls are one of the leading causes of death and serious injury in the Commonwealth. I believe it is the leading cause in the last decade,” he said. Fazzio said he would not give any additional details about the company’s record because an investigation is continuing. Passafaro said he did not know whether William A. Berry, which was founded in 1857, had ever lost an employee to a job-related accident. The company has had a clean safety record in recent memory, he said. Construction on the 70,000-square-foot dormitory will resume today except in the section of the building where the accident occurred. Fazzio said the company could face fines if it is found in violation of safety regulations. 

UPDATE Midlands company fined in deaths of two workers
(Columbia) March 3, 2003 – A construction company has been fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an accident that killed two workers, 15 and 16-years-old. Rigo Beto Xaca Sandoval and Moises Xaca Sandoval died on January 28th when a trench collapsed at the future site of the Blythewood High School. OSHA fined Burriss Electric more than $42,000 for violating six safety violations. The violations included workers not wearing helmets and not having a competent person on site to inspect the trench.

Scaffold collapse sends workmen down lift shaft
The collapse of a scaffolding tower on the inside of a lift shaft led to the fall of three construction workers of WC Cornfield & Son some 10 metres down the partly constructed shaft on a construction site at Leegomery in Telford on Friday morning. Three men, aged 34, 38 and 51, were rescued from under the debris of the collapse by fire rescue services and were admitted to hospital with leg, back and chest injuries, a 4th man in the team escaped with less serious injuries, his condition was described as “walking wounded.” HSE arrived on site in the afternoon to open an investigation. 

UPDATE Turlock company fined in fatality 
By RICHARD T. ESTRADA BEE STAFF WRITER 
A Turlock construction firm has been fined $116,500 in connection with the death of an employee in a dairy manure pit, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health reported Friday. Sergio Ortiz died of asphyxia while working in the bottom of the manure pit on Aug. 27 at the Rego Dairy in Gustine. Turlock Irrigation Construction, a private company, was cited for violating nine state regulations, which led to the death of the employee, Cal-OSHA spokesman Dean Fryer said. The dairy was not fined because it was not performing the work, Fryer said. “It’s the employer’s responsibility to provide the proper training and equipment, and the employer did neither,” Fryer said. Turlock Irrigation Construction, which had been hired to replace a flow gate in the 12-foot deep pit, declined to comment Friday. The Merced County district attorney’s office still is investigating the incident and could file criminal charges against the company and its employees. Eight of the nine violations committed by Turlock Irrigation Construction were described as “serious.” “Anything over $100,000 we consider a large fine,” Fryer said. “They have 15 working days to appeal or pay the fine.” The company has been in trouble with Cal-OSHA before. It was fined $5,625, according to Cal-OSHA records, for violating safety standards on a Modesto trenching job in September 2000. The company failed to reinforce the trench walls, which could have collapsed, Fryer said. In the Gustine dairy death, Cal-OSHA’s investigation concluded that Ortiz was overcome by methane gas while working in the manure pit. Methane is produced by cow manure. Ortiz was not trained to work in the dangerous conditions of a manure pit, Cal-OSHA found. Nor did he have the safety equipment or other protective respiratory gear required for the work. Other violations leading to Ortiz’s death, Cal-OSHA reported, were that the manure pit was not empty, the air quality was not tested and employees were not trained in rescue procedures. A similar incident killed two employees of Aguiar-Faria & Sons Dairy in Gustine in February 2001. Neither worker was trained or equipped to enter the manure pit, and both died after being overcome by methane. Those deaths led the Merced County grand jury to indict Aguiar-Faria & Sons Dairy and two of its supervisors last month for involuntary manslaughter. In the Gustine death, the state’s investigation found that Ortiz was at the bottom of the pit, one foot on a ladder and one on a pump, while working on the gate. Below him, a thick mixture of manure and water was creating the lethal methane. Ortiz convulsed and fell on his back into the liquid, according to another worker, and his head slipped under the water. The worker went down the ladder to try to rescue Ortiz, but was overcome by methane and had to exit the pit without Ortiz. According to Cal-OSHA, the Gustine Volunteer Fire Department was called, but the construction company had none of the required ropes, harnesses or other equipment needed for the firefighters to enter the pit. Ortiz was retrieved when someone looped a rope around his leg, which was still hooked in the ladder, and pulled him out. He was transported to Memorial Hospital Los Banos, Cal-OSHA reported, where he was pronounced dead. When interviewed by Cal-OSHA, employees said they did such manure pit work with some “frequency.” When asked what they knew about working in a confined space, employees were vague, according to the report. 

Construction worker dies in Waltham 
By Jennifer Rosinski Sunday, March 2, 2003
WALTHAM — A construction worker was killed while on the job at Brandeis University yesterday morning, campus police said. Campus police said the man, who they would not identify, was killed in an 8 a.m. accident on South Street, where a new residence hall is being built. The man, believed to be in his 20s, worked for William A. Berry & Son of Danvers. “We’re heartbroken about this accident and the loss of one of our people,” said David Passafaro, the company’s vice president. “There’s an ongoing investigation by us to find out what happened at the site this morning.” A medical helicopter was called after the accident, but canceled when authorities realized the man was already dead, according to police communications. Campus police called the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which ordered all work to stop while the accident is under investigation. Officials with the Waltham police and fire departments and company representatives would not release the worker’s identity until his relatives are notified. Details of the accident will not be released until the company can get a complete picture, Passafaro said. Several men were working on the new residence hall at the time of the accident. A Brandeis University spokeswoman was not able to provide further details. 

Man escapes death in fall 
Abu Dhabi | By Nissar Hoath | 02/03/2003 
A construction worker escaped death by inches when he fell from a platform and landed on a scaffolding at a hotel construction site here yesterday. The accident occurred when the high platform on which the labourer was working slipped off its support because of gusting winds. The worker landed on another platform made of wooden planks, sustaining multiple fractures and bruises. He also sustained severe injuries when part of a wooden plank pierced his back. The South Asian worker remained suspended on the loose wooden planks in mid air until a rescue team from Civil Defence brought him down. The rescue attempt attracted a huge crowd, causing a traffic jam on Khalifa Street. The crowd was dispersed by police. The Civil Defence rescue team arrived with a crane, an inflatable air bed, ambulance and paramedics. The strong, gusting winds made their task difficult and slow. The worker was rushed to Central Hospital. According to a Civil Defence official, he is out of danger. Recounting the incident, another worker at the site said: “We thought he would hit the ground and die. But by the grace of God, the scaffolding below saved his life.” The workers at the site were without proper safety equipment in the strong wind. The wooden planks were not secured firmly to the metal scaffolding, and some workers had no safety belts. After this accident, work was stopped at other construction sites in the city. 

Painter dies while working on Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens
By the Associated Press March 2 2003
JAMES CITY, Va. — A painter working on a roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg amusement park died Saturday morning after the high-reaching vehicle he was in overturned. Park spokeswoman Cindy Sarko said she did not know the details of the accident. Authorities said Bill Linnin of Hampton was dead when rescue workers arrived shortly before 10:30 a.m. Sarko said Linnin was employed by St. Louis-based Hartman-Walsh Painting Co. and had been working on the Big Bad Wolf roller coaster. The Big Bad Wolf, one of several roller coasters at the park, opened in June 1984. At its highest point, it is 110 feet tall. “We extend our deepest sympathy to the family,” Sarko said. “It’s just a terrible day here at the park.” No one was available at Hartman-Walsh’s company headquarters for comment Saturday. The park is scheduled to open March 22.

UPDATE Cal-OSHA investigates Noyo Bridge 
By TONY REED Of the Beacon 
California Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators have yet to determine the reason that a tall rebar column folded and fell last Wednesday, killing one worker and sending another to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Area resident Dave Plummer reported witnessing the falling column from his living room. A large window in his North Harbor Street home faces the bridge, and he looked up just in time to see the column bend and fall. Plummer reported that the area of the structure closest to the concrete base appeared to have been the weak point, bending while the rest of the column remained straight as it fell. “There was a lot of rattling and screaming,” said Plummer, describing what he heard before seeing the falling column disappear from view behind a tree in his yard. He said that one of the workers remained on the column until it reached the ground. Plummer immediately phoned 911. According to Plummer, no wind was evident at the time of the accident. He noted that the columns had withstood the winds of recent storms without swaying. Work has resumed at the site, but Cal-OSHA says its investigation into the accident is far from over. According to spokeswoman Susan Gard, Cal-OSHA has up to six months to complete its investigation. She said it’s not uncommon for investigations of death in the workplace to take about two months. “We like to turn over every stone,” she said, referring to occupational accident investigations. Cal-OSHA has completed the first part of its investigation, and will interview witnesses, review files and records, and look into whether or not the accident occurred due to safety violations. Subcontractor Pacific Coast Steel, of San Diego is one of the largest contractors of reinforcing steel in the state. Pacific Coast Steel also constructs rebar reinforcement for building foundations, concrete parking structures, stadiums and convention centers and even water reservoirs and dams. The large columns are constructed on the ground and moved to the pillar base by crane. There they are erected, and long guy wires are strung from the column to surrounding anchor points. Forms are then constructed of wood and steel around the rebar columns in the desired shape, and wet concrete is poured into the forms. Once the concrete has cured, the forms are removed, and rebuilt further up the column. Concrete is poured into the forms in three stages, from outside to inside, to ensure that the concrete bonds to the rebar and the previously poured cement. Much like the cheesecloth in fiberglass, the rebar, in conjunction with the surrounding concrete, makes a rigid unit that will withstand a great deal of pressure and support large amounts of weight. By themselves, neither concrete or rebar would support a great deal of weight. According to Cal-OSHA reports, Pacific Coast Steel has a good safety record, and was only investigated twice for alleged violations. In one instance, in June 2002, an accident involving a crane catching on a structure guy wire caused the death of a Pacific Coast Steel employee, but the general contractor was cited, and found to have been at fault. Another citation was issued in 2001 to Pacific Coast Steel for not having an adequate illness prevention program or a trained first aid responder. According to Caltrans spokeswoman Anne Jones, it has yet to be determined how far back the project completion will be pushed by the accident. General counsel for MCM Construction, Ed Puchi said that it was possible that the accident may not affect the completion date at all. Since the company is completing construction work in stages, crews may be able to catch up on the work while other pillars are being constructed, said Puchi. Some of the concrete which has been poured and has hardened around the rebar column will have to be broken away, to expose enough rebar to splice onto. Puchi said that Pacific Coast Steel will have to draft a proposal of how to repair the damage, to be reviewed by Caltrans officials soon. Pacific Coast Steel President Eric Benson said Tuesday that the company has made inquiries to Caltrans engineers as to how to correct the problem, and are waiting for their recommendation. As to the cause of the accident, Puchi said that even though they are the general contractor, the area where the accident occurred was solely the responsibility of Pacific Coast Steel. “We [MCM] had no work involved that contributed to the incident,” said Puchi. All crews are continuing to work on other areas of the bridge construction, and results of the investigation by Cal-OSHA are pending.

UPDATE BURIED ALIVE IN JAIL TRENCH Feb 27 2003
A WORKMAN was buried alive when he fell in a 10ft deep trench inside a jail, a court heard yesterday. Dougie Tindal, 52, of Arbroath, was dead before he could be hauled clear. Morrison Construction, of Edinburgh, face three charges of breaching Health and Safety regulations over the accident in Friarton Prison, Perth, in October 2000. Glasgow-based BD&G Projects and English firm TPS Consult also face charges. The trial continues. 

UPDATE New Jersey firm fined $53,000 in worker death as power plant chimney
February 27, 2003 
A New Jersey construction firm will pay $53,000 in federal fines because a worker was killed in August when he fell 100 feet from a power plant chimney that was under construction. Hamon Custodis of Somerville, N.J., also agreed to provide fall-protection equipment to workers more than 6 feet above ground and to provide a full-time safety officer for any projects involving the building of concrete chimneys, under the settlement with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA investigated after Ronald Bush, 46, of Grayson, Ky., fell while installing metal grating inside the chimney at the Allegheny Energy Supply plant in Springdale, about 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Bush was killed when he fell from a 400-high landing to another landing 100 feet below. It was the second fatality at the site. OSHA had fined the company $7,200 because another worker, Chris Beabout, 36, of Washington, Pa., fell 290 feet from a platform inside the same chimney in November 2001. Robert Szymanski, the OSHA director for the Pittsburgh region, called the $53,000 fine “fairly substantial.” Jonathan Lagarenne, chief executive officer of Hamon Custodis, said the settlement with OSHA “focuses on safety enhancements” _ some of which have already been made. The chimney is part of a 540-megawatt power plant scheduled to open this summer, Allegheny Energy officials said. The plant will use three generators, two powered by natural gas and another by steam byproducts. Information from: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

Greensburg man dies 
Jim Cummings Staff Writer 
Timothy Myer, Jr., 30, of County Road 480 East, was pronounced dead at Decatur County Memorial Hospital Wednesday afternoon after being crushed by a skid steer loader being operated by his father, Timothy Myer. The Myerses had just recently moved to the city after living in and operating their construction business out of St. Paul. Details on other family members in the area were not available at press time. At 4:26 p.m., the Greensburg Police department received a report of a male subject injured by an implement vehicle and lying on the ground near a home at 724 N. Franklin St. “The EMS crew was already working on him when I arrived,” said Assistant Police Chief Bob Herbert. “The information I received was that he was pinned by the machine momentarily and released.” Myer was treated at the scene and transported to Decatur County Memorial Hospital. He was later pronounced dead by Decatur County Coroner Doug Banks. “While this is still under investigation, all signs point to this being a tragic accident,” Banks said. “The official cause of death will be listed as crushing trauma to his abdomen.” Banks said he and the police are still attempting to contact several witnesses. Preliminarily, authorities are saying Myer was near the rear of the vehicle when he entangled himself in the New Holland LS180 with a turbo boom. He was apparently trapped between a metal bar at the rear and the hydraulic boom arm. The men were using the LS180 to lift pallets of wood, used in home building, at the time of the accident. Police will release more details as the investigation is completed.

UPDATE Family members bitter over death of E.P. man in trench collapse
Russ Olivo February 26, 2003 
WOONSOCKET — Walter “Gig” Gorski lived long enough to name his daughter, but not to see her born. Gorski, 33, is the man who died Friday in the collapse of a sewer trench on Ballou Street. Police are asking the attorney general to consider criminal charges in the matter because Gorski’s employer allegedly violated state safety guidelines on the job, despite repeated warnings. Gorski’s wife, Kyleen, is seven months pregnant with the East Providence couple’s first child, Mrs. Gorksi said Monday. The child, whom they had named Emily, is due on May 12. “I’m extremely furious over what’s been taken away from me and my family,” Kyleen Gorski said. “I’m angry that we waited so long for this baby and he will never know her.” Kyleen, 28, and other members of her family said they have hired a lawyer to look into the possibility of filing a wrongful-death suit against Walter Gorski’s employer, Mr. Rooter. Police said the company is owned by Don Lapierre of Cranston, who did not return repeated telephone calls for comment on this story. “We know there’s nothing we can do for Gig anymore,” said Jane Roy, Kyleen’s mother. “We have to protect Kyleen and the baby.” Gorski had worked as a laborer for Mr. Rooter for about four months after 10 years with Slater Print Works in Pawtucket, family members said. Shortly after noon on Friday, police said, Gorski was working in a trench with his immediate supervisor, Shaun Rodrigues, also of East Providence, in front of the Ballou Home for the Aged, 60 Mendon Road, when he was killed. The Ballou Home had hired Mr. Rooter to excavate a sewer pipe leading from the nursing home to the main pipe in the street after problems with the plumbing a day earlier. Rodrigues had also hired a private backhoe operator to dig the trench. The crew had reached a depth of 12 feet, officials said, when the sides began tumbling in on Gorski and Rodrigues, who were both inside the hole. Rodrigues escaped and tried to dig out Gorski manually with the backhoe operator, Henry Whitford, who jumped off the vehicle to help. At one point, Whitford returned to the backhoe and tried using the bucket to remove a couple of scoops of soil and rocks from the roughly 25-by-5-foot hole — to no avail. The state medical examiner ruled Monday that Gorski had died of “asphyxia due to obstruction of (the) airway and body compression.” The ruling essentially confirmed what officials had suspected Friday when they said he had been buried alive, dying of suffocation and the crushing of his body. Officials say he probably died very quickly. Clad in his brown jumpsuit, Gorski’s lifeless body was finally lifted from the hole by firefighters nearly six hours after the recovery effort began. Most of the time was devoted to locating a wood-and-steel brace to shore up the hole and prevent it from collapsing on recovery workers as they dug out the victim. After the rescue, public works officials and police said Mr. Rooter was in violation of a state law requiring such a brace — they called it a “box” — for trenches deeper than 6 feet. At the scene, Administration/Public Works Director Michael A. Annarummo said the company had been warned “twice, possibly three times” to abide by the regulation before the city OK’d the work, calling Gorski’s death “a needless, needless tragedy.” In an interview at their home on Farnum Street Monday, Gorski’s relatives said they are so angry at Lapierre that they have refused to let him in their house and have forbidden him from coming to Gorski’s wake on Thursday, at the Barrett Funeral Home in Warwick. Her husband talked about digging trenches as backbreaking work, but she never realized it was so dangerous, she said.”He’d do anything to support his family,” she said. Kyleen, who would have celebrated her third year of marriage in May, learned only a few weeks ago that she was having a girl. In anticipation of the baby, they had begun remodeling one of the rooms in the tidy ranch home in Riverside that she and Gorski bought from her parents recently. Kyleen called her doctor on Friday, worried about the impact of the emotional trauma on her pregnancy. Her doctor told her to check herself into the hospital at the slightest sign of trouble, and a cousin who is a nurse will be nearby during the wake and the funeral. She’s doing fine so far, with support from family and friends. “Walter would have wanted me to be strong for the baby,” she said. Besides his wife and future baby, Gorski, who grew up between two sets of fraternal twins, leaves three sisters and a brother, family members said. 

Probe after worker killed Feb 26 2003
By Guy Newey, Evening Mail
Experts were today probing the death of a teenage construction worker who was killed in an industrial accident. The 19-year-old victim, who has not been named, was working on the site of road engineering works in Green Lanes, Wylde Green, yesterday (Tuesday). Circumstances of the accident are still not clear. Police and ambulance crews were called to the site, run by construction company McNicholas, yesterday morning. A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said the man died at the scene. The Health & Safety Executive has been called in to investigate. Company chairman Colin McNicholas said: “We express our deepest sympathy to the family over what has happened.” 

Rail worker electrocuted
26feb03
A 32-year-old rail contractor has died after receiving an 11,000 volt shock in Sydney’s south. The man was working on the new Heathcote East railway overbridge when the accident occurred, a spokeswoman for the Rail Infrastructure Corporation (RIC) said. She was unable to give further details as the area had been declared a crime scene and was under investigation by WorkCover. Earlier, an ambulance spokesman said the accident occurred shortly before 10am (AEDT) when a crane touched overhead wires on Wilson Parade at Heathcote. The man immediately had a heart attack and was taken to Sutherland Hospital in a critical condition where he died a short time later. It was believed the man was working near the crane when it touched the wires. 

Two hurt after truck hits lift bucket; 1 worker tumbled 13 feet to ground
Wednesday February 26, 2003 St. Tammany bureau 
Two construction workers were injured Tuesday when an 18-wheeler hit a lift bucket they were using to install traffic lights near North Shore Square mall in Slidell. One of the men suffered a broken wrist and ankle when he fell 13 feet to the street. The other worker landed on the 18-wheeler’s box trailer and had minor injuries, police said. Employed by Diamond Electrical Co. in Baton Rouge, the men were installing a traffic light on North Shore Boulevard about 2:30 p.m. when the truck hit the lift bucket, knocking it to the ground, Slidell police Lt. Rob Callahan said. Sherman Sims, 23, fell to the pavement and was listed in serious condition at North Shore Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery on his shattered wrist and ankle, Callahan said. Oscar Harrison, 46, escaped serious injury by landing on the trailer, Callahan said. Firefighters used a ladder to reach Harrison, who was being held for observation Tuesday afternoon at Slidell Memorial Hospital. The accident happened in the southbound lanes near the Exxon station and the mall’s north entrance. The bucket, which was attached to a truck in the closed right lane, was hanging above the left lane, which remained open to traffic, Callahan said. The 18-wheeler’s driver, Dalton McGaffney, 40, of Magnolia, Miss., was not ticketed, police said. 

Mysterious Fumes
An investigation is underway to determine what caused a Fresno construction crew to become sick while digging a ditch. The men were installing a sewer line at Elm and North Tuesday morning when they were overcome by fumes. The intersection is open, but early Tuesday police blocked off about a two-mile area for several hours as a precaution. There were no evacuations. Now, investigators want to know what made the workers so sick they had to be taken to the hospital. Heavy machinery sat in the position workers left it. The six-man crew was installing a sewer line at the intersection of Elm and North when they all started feeling ill. Matthew Waite, a working at the scene, recalled what happened, “We just came through a line and it started smelling real bad and everyone started feeling sick.” The workers thought the nausea would pass, so they waited an hour before reporting the incident. But, the sick feeling didn’t go away. Soon, a hazardous material crew arrived on the scene. Paramedics checked out each of the workers. They were then put in a tent and decontaminated as a precaution. Five men were taken to UMC by ambulance. Firefighters, armed with protective gear, oxygen, and high tech equipment, gathered samples of dirt and water from the ditch. Early analysis shows the men came in contact with a substance similar to benzene, a highly flammable gas. More tests need to be done before they know an exact cause. Investigators say it’s not uncommon for crews to experience unusual smells when doing this kind of work. It will be another day before a cause can be determined. Investigators say the gas could have come from a previous fuel spill or an underground storage tank. All of the workers are now recuperating at home. 

UPDATE Worker dead in cement hopper
Investigation continues into the death of a road construction worker who was recovered by emergency services from a cement hopper. The incident occurred at the weekend on works in progress near the A830 Fort William to Mallaig road in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday. Update: It is reported that the dead man is Ronald Brown, 25, a concrete plant operator, from Ayrshire. Mr Brown was working on the project being undertaken by civil engineering contractors, Barr Construction. Mr Brown is said to have been working alone at the time of the accident. 

UPDATE Double Fatal Construction Accident Results in OSHA Citations & Over $27,000 in Proposed Penalties for Brooklyn, NY, Employer
NEW YORK — Exposing employees to fatal safety hazards at a Manhattan construction site has resulted in a Brooklyn, N.Y. employer being cited and fined $27,200 by the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA has cited Atlantic Heydt Corp., of 1281 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, for alleged serious and repeat violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act after the agency investigated an accident on Aug. 23, 2002, in which two employees of the company were killed at a construction site at 300 Madison Ave. in New York City. The two most significant citations, both alleged “repeat” violations, relate directly to the accident, in which the two workers fell to their deaths when the material hoist on which they were working plunged 280 feet to the ground. One charges the employer with failing to provide employees working at an elevation of 280 feet with proper fall protection. The other is for failing to comply with the manufacturer’s safety requirements for securing and rigging the material hoist on which the employees were working. “This employer was cited previously for similar violations on another project, yet exposed employees on this project to the same hazards with full knowledge of the potential dangers,” said Richard Mendelson, OSHA’s area director in Manhattan. “That’s totally unacceptable.” OSHA is also citing the company for five alleged “serious” violations, including: unsafe stacking of stored materials at the construction site; exposing employees to the hazards of uncovered floor holes; failing to require employees to use hardhats to protect against falling objects; failing to post the rated load capacity on material hoist cars; and exposing employees using unevenly spaced ladders to fall hazards. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm result from a hazard about which the employer knew, or should have known. A repeat violation occurs when a company has been cited for similar violations within the past three years and the citation has become a final order. Atlantic Heydt Corp. has 15 business days from receipt of their citations and proposed penalties to either elect to comply with them, to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, and/or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The OSHA Area Office in Manhattan conducted the inspection. Its telephone number is 212-620-3200. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses, and protecting America’s workers. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

Fire Causes Downtown Deli To Shut Down; Water Damages Kitchen Area 
February 25, 2003
INDIANAPOLIS — It may be several weeks before a popular downtown delicatessen reopens following a Monday fire. The fire caused around $75,000 damage to Shapiro’s Kosher Style Foods, but officials said it’s the heavy water damage that will shut it down for three to five weeks, RTV6’s Grace Trahan reported. “Thousands of gallons of water have flushed through the building,” owner Brian Shapiro said. “The fire essentially started on a third floor and permeated all the way to the basement.” Investigators want to make sure a mold problem doesn’t develop, Trahan reported. The entire kitchen system was also ruined. The fire was sparked after a general contractor was welding on the roof. Shapiro said the fire department responded quickly but the sprinkler system put out the fire. Shapiro said he’s relieved some of his personal items in the building were saved. “Where the fire occurred was in my great-grandparents’ apartment, and that was built at the turn of the century. Fortunately, none of the antiques were harmed,” Shapiro said. Around 100 customers were in the restaurant when the fire broke out. No one was hurt during the evacuation, Trahan reported.

Police investigate construction worker’s death
Donna Kenny Kirwan February 24, 2003 
EAST PROVIDENCE — A 33-year-old East Providence man was killed Friday when the sides of a ditch he was working in outside a Woonsocket nursing home collapsed and buried him with dirt and construction debris. According to Woonsocket Police, Walter R. Gorski was helping to fix a clogged sewer pipe with aco-worker at the Ballou Home on Mendon Road when the accident occurred shortly after noon.Gorski’s employer, Mr. Rooter Plumbing and Heating, of Warwick, had been hired to do the work. According to reports, Gorski and the co-worker, identified as Shaun Rodriguez, 30, of Riverdale, were inside the 12-foot hole when a backhoe operator watching the scene from above warned them that the sides were crumbling. Rodrigues reportedly was about to climb out after hearing the warning when the cave-in occurred. Rodrigues told police he was buried up to his knees, and saw that Gorski, working at the opposite end of the hole, was nearly covered by the debris.Rodrigues said that he managed to free himself and that he and the backhoe operator tried to free Gorski but were unable to, police said. More than 30 rescue workers responded to the scene, including firefighters from Providence and North Providence. It took rescue workers nearly six hours to remove Gorski’s body. The job was especially difficult because the hole had to be reinforced to prevent further collapse, according to police.After several hours, workers placed a metal box into the hole to shore up the walls so firefighters could enter the hole. According to published reports, Woonsocket’s director of public works said the plumbing company workers had been warned by city officials to reinforce the hole with a metal box if they dug deeper than 6 feet.Police said the incident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the findings will be turned over to the Attorney General’s office. After Gorski’s body was removed from the hole, around 6:30 p.m., it was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Providence. Gorski’s family could not be reached for comment and funeral arrangements are unknown at this time. 

Soldering work ignited destructive blaze, Aspen fire marshal says
By Naomi Havlen Aspen Times Staff Writer 
A soldering operation at a construction site in the Aspen Business Center near the airport caused last week’s fire that resulted in $750,000 in damage, the Aspen fire marshal said. The blaze, which was reported shortly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 18, probably smoldered for hours after construction workers left for the day before erupting into the flames that destroyed about half the structure. Eight units are planned for the building, with one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominiums being refurbished by developer Greg Hills for sale on the free market. Aspen Fire Marshal Ed Van Walraven said the fire began in the ceiling of a basement-level mechanical room, where a leftover hot spot from a soldering operation on copper pipes that day ignited. The fire smoldered in the ceiling before turning into flames that moved up a shaft carrying pipes from the basement. Once in the attic and roof, the fire spread quickly. Firefighters gained full control over the blaze a little before midnight, although sheets of plastic covering large portions of the structure made visibility difficult. Seven fire engines and 30 firefighters responded. No one was injured. Van Walraven said fires caused by soldering work can be prevented if a worker checks thoroughly to make sure all hot spots are out with a fire extinguisher, and then keeps watch over the area for at least 30 more minutes to make sure nothing is smoldering. “It could have been prevented, probably with a little more diligence,” he said. “This fella did what he thought he needed to do, but he didn’t get all of the spots.” Van Walraven added sometimes fires can erupt suddenly even though a worker was diligent. Last July a fire erupted for the same reason inside a wall in The Aspen Times. Van Walraven said the person soldering those pipes was careful about putting out hot spots, but added accidents do happen. “We’re trying to get the word out to really check work when using a torch,” he said. “The best way to prevent this from happening is to stick around and make sure nothing is ignited in the area being worked on.” 

Seattle man dies after crashing into DOT truck
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
A 28-year-old Seattle man died early yesterday from injuries suffered when the car in which he was riding crashed into a state Transportation Department truck on Interstate 5, the Washington State Patrol reported. The man was a passenger in a sport utility vehicle that plowed into the state truck at 11:45 p.m. Saturday near the Roanoke Street exit in Seattle. A worker in the truck was treated for shock but wasn’t injured. The truck had stopped behind two southbound vehicles that had been in a minor wreck, patrol spokeswoman Monica Hunter said. The driver of the SUV was treated for minor injuries at Harborview Medical Center. The passenger’s name was not available.

UPDATE Agency cites city construction company in worker’s death
LAWRENCE FERCHAW, The Saratogian February 22, 2003 
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Federal officials this week cited a city construction company for alleged safety violations in connection with the December death of one of its workers. Jelenik Building and Renovation, however, is contesting the six alleged violations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which charge the company did not properly install scaffolding, adequately train its employees on safety or provide safety equipment for workers. ”We don’t think we did anything wrong,” said David Jelenik, the owner of the company. ”It was just a freak thing.” Jeffery Post, 42, of Milton Avenue in Ballston Spa, died from head injuries he suffered Dec. 7 when he fell from scaffolding at a work site on Vanderbilt Avenue. Jelenik said Post threw a load of shingles onto the scaffolding, which caused the plywood the brackets were secured to to give way. He fell about 10 feet to the ground. The company is subject to $3,750 in fines if the citations are upheld. OSHA alleges that employees were not trained to erect the scaffold according to the manufacturer’s specifications and that employees working on the scaffolding were not provided with a guard rail system or ”personal fall arrest system.” Terry Harding, the assistant area director for the OSHA office in Albany, said she could not comment in detail on the citations because the case is still open. OSHA is required to respond to the site of any worker death within one day. Jelenik said the scaffolding was installed correctly and that the brackets were attached to 1-inch thick plywood instead of the required 5/8-inch thick plywood. ”Safety equipment was available,” Jelenik said. ”The training was there.” After falling, Post was transported to Albany Medical Center, where he died the next day. Post’s wife, Leslie, could not be reached for comment. The family had moved to the area from Florida less than two months before the accident. Jelenik said he and Post had been friends for about 10 years and that he gave him a job when he returned to the area to take care of his mother. OSHA’s job, Jelenik said, ”is to come out and cite you with as many violations as they can.” 

MARION MAN SLIGHTLY HURT AFTER TRENCH WALL CAVES IN WHILE REPLACING WATERLINE 
BY TIM PETROWICH THE SOUTHERN [Fri Feb 21 2003] 
MARION — A city water department worker from Marion was injured Friday morning when the wall of a trench collapsed on him. Clifford Hogue Jr. was taken to Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion after suffering a broken wrist. Marion water commissioner Robert “Dog” Connell said that Hogue and five other workers were digging trenches to lay a new 12-inch waterline along Skyline Drive north of Illinois 13. The project involves replacing the current 4-inch waterline that feeds the General Dynamics facility. “We are replacing the line because they need additional fire protection capabilities,” Connell said. “The project has been going for a couple of weeks.” Hogue was down in the trench when the side wall caved in, hitting him in the legs. The force of the collapse knocked him into the opposite wall and when he attempted to brace himself against the fall is when he believes he broke his wrist. “He said it popped when he hit the other side,” Connell said. Workers quickly pulled Hogue from the trench without any additional injury. No other workers were injured in the incident. Connell said that Hogue was never stuck in the trench, nor was his life in danger at any time. 

City worker killed by drunk driver while fixing pothole
ABC13 Eyewitness News
(2/22/03) — A city worker is dead after being struck by a drunk driver as he fixed a pothole. Ederell White was on an area of South Braeswood shortly before 10am Friday morning, when 34-year-old Yvonne Webber struck him with her car. White, a 22-year city employee, was pinned between a dump truck and the car. He later died at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Police say Webber’s blood alcohol level was .32%, four times the legal limit. She is charged with intoxicated manslaughter. 

UPDATE Lightning strike man is stable 
AN Indian man injured in a lightning strike in which his workmate was killed was yesterday said to be stable in Salmaniya Medical Complex. Construction workers Shanmugam Ramaswamy, aged 42, was killed and Varuvel Vincent, aged 42, was injured when lightning struck the scaffolding they were standing on, last Thursday. They were hurled seven metres to the ground, at a villa under construction in Janabiya. Mr Vincent suffered a broken left leg and multiple injuries to his left side. He underwent surgery on Friday, said sources. Mr Ramaswamy suffered a head injury and died at the scene. 

Worker Suffers Burns in Small Explosion on Hy-Vee Roof
Friday, February 21, 2003, 3:00:43 PM
(Cedar Falls-AP) — A construction worker has suffered burns in a small explosion in Cedar Falls. Officials say the worker was on top of a Hy-Vee grocery store this morning and was burned when a torch he was using ignited a glue basket. The man is being treated at University Hospitals in Iowa City. The incident happened about 7:30 a.m. The fire was out by the time firefighters arrived. The store’s operations weren’t affected.

UPDATE Man settles catwalk fall for $1.3 million
Democrat and Chronicle 
(February 22, 2003) — A Rochester man was awarded $1.3 million for injuries he suffered when he fell from a catwalk in 2000. Frank Miller settled a lawsuit against Mott’s in Williamson, Wayne County. Miller, a contractor for J.J. Young, a metal fabrication company in Sodus, was working at the apple plant in August 2000 when he fell through a broken grate in a catwalk he was repairing, according to a news release from his lawyer’s firm, Moran & Kufta. Miller, who was 54 at the time, fell 15 feet, landing on his back. His injuries included a spinal fracture that required surgery. He has been unable to work because of his injuries, according to the release. The settlement, intended to cover Miller’s future medical bills, lost wages and disability, came a week before the trial was to begin. Miller, who had been heavily involved in martial arts, taught children karate prior to the accident. A spokesman for Mott’s was unaware of the settlement Friday and said he could not comment.

Bahrain construction worker killed by lightning 
By SOMAN BABY and MAZEN MAHDI MANAMA
Lighting killed one man and badly injured another at a Bahrain construction site yesterday. Lightning struck the scaffolding the men were standing on, hurling them seven metres to the ground. Indian father-of-three Shanmugam Ramaswamy, aged 42, suffered head injuries and died at the scene. The mason for Jidhafs Construction was working on the first floor of a villa under construction in Janabiya, when the accident happened, at 7.30am. Varuvel Vincent, 47, who was working with him, suffered a broken left leg. He is employed by Ridha Abdulnabi Mansoor Hasan Establishment. Both workers’ clothes were burnt by the lightning. More than 10 others who were also working at the site ran to help the two men. They tried to revive Mr Ramaswamy, but it was too late, said his brother-in-law Pathrose Satish, who works for another construction company in Jidhafs. Contractor Abdul Ridha Abdulla was at the site, inspecting the work, when the lightning struck. Mr Ramaswamy leaves a widow, Latha and three children, Shiney, aged 11, Sajini, five, and Rohith, two, who live in their native Thiruvithamkodu, in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. Arrangements are being made to fly his body home. 

Worker injured when wall falls 
Friday, February 21, 2003 From staff reports 
BUSHKILL TWP. — A worker was in critical condition Thursday night at St. Luke’s Hospital after a construction site accident. Tim Horwath, 31, of Summit Hill, Pa., was injured when a wooden wall fell on him at a house construction site in Bushkill Center off Nolf Road, Bushkill Township police said. Horwath and four other men were trying to put the wall up when it fell on Horwath, police said. The wall hit Horwath on his neck and the back of his head, police said. Horwath was trapped in a sitting position under the wall, but his co-workers freed him, police said. 

Accident kills at least eight at UTStarcom site
Reuters, 02.21.03, 3:36 AM ET
BEIJING, Feb 21 (Reuters) – An accident at telecom-equipment vendor UTStarcom Inc’s (nasdaq: UTSI – news – people) unfinished research and manufacturing centre has killed at least eight construction workers and hurt another 18, a company spokesman said on Friday. A part of the facility located in the southern city of Hangzhou collapsed on Tuesday, crushing workers, UTStarcom’s Richard Feng told Reuters. “There are no legal or financial impacts on our operations,” he said, adding the centre would still open in early 2004 as planned. “This is a construction accident. The only relation with us is that when the building is finished, we will use it.” The Hangzhou city government was investigating the cause of the accident, Feng said. The Nasdaq-listed equipment maker has sold about $1.5 billion worth of wireless phone network gear to fixed-line carriers China Telecom <0728.HK> (nyse: CHA – news – people) and China Netcom over the past two years. Both operators lack mobile phone licences but have been building limited-mobility wireless networks based on a technology known as the personal access system, or PAS. UTStarcom has said its PAS technology had more than 7.5 million customers in China at the end of 2002, or more than 60 percent of the country’s market share for the sector. UTStarcom shares closed 26 cents lower at $18.25 in Thursday trading on the Nasdaq. 

Quezon City mayor cheats death
By M. PUNONGBAYAN TODAY Correspondent 
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Friday cheated death when one of his aides pulled the mayor aside when a steel bar crushed into the official’s car near a construction site in Cubao. Reports from the Central Police District (CPD) said Belmonte’s Nissan Terrano, with license plate WCT 128, was hit by a corrugated steel bar that fell from a construction crane around 1:15 a.m. on E. Rodriguez Boulevard in Cubao. Belmonte and his aide, Alex Vidal, were on their way home after visiting the wake of the late mother of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman and Acting Public Works Secretary Bayani Fernando in Marikina, when they passed by a building undergoing construction. Police said Belmonte’s car had no police escorts when they passed near the site of Metro Construction Co. when a corrugated steel bar, which was dangling from a construction crane, crashed at the left portion of the mayor’s vehicle where he was seated. Fortunately, Vidal grabbed and pulled Belmonte aside and the steel bar misse the official’s head. Vidal told Today that he was seated right next to Belmonte who was right behind the driver’s seat, when the steel bar fell on the car, which was badly damaged after the accident. “Katabi ko lang siya. Sa ulo siya tatamaan kung hindi siya nakailag ng mabilis eh,” he said. Vidal said there definitely was a lapse on the part of the construction workers who were erecting a private school in the area. He said there were no warning signs which should caution motorists nor were there enough lights to let drivers see the construction work. “Wala ngang radyo eh. Dapat may radyo sila sa taas at may radyo din sila sa baba para may magsasabi kung ano nangyayari,” he explained. Vidal said the workers were transporting the steel bars using a construction crane which accidentally hit an electric cable, causing steel bar to fall. “Pagbaba namin ng sasakyan kitang-kita pa namin, pati ni Mayor, na nagsi-swing pa ’yung bakal eh. Ni wala ngang nagtatrapik,” Vidal added. Vidal said Belmonte is not taking the matter personally but the mayor is more concerned about the safety measures being implemented in the construction site. Vidal said appropriate charges will be filed against the crane operator and the driver of the truck which transported the steel bars. They were identified as Senando Mateo, 36, the crane operator; truck drivers Erlito Arce, 25, and Rustico Bajan Jr., 27. All three went to the mayor’s office Friday afternoon asking the mayor’s forgiveness hoping that the charges against them would be withdrawn.

Noyo Bridge column collapse fatal
By Beacon Staff Thursday, February 20, 2003 – 
A steel rebar column being erected for the Noyo Bridge Replacement Project collapsed Wednesday morning at 9:10 a.m. Capt. Kevin Broin of the Sheriff’s Office reported they were called about a structural collapse near the north end of the Noyo Bridge. One construction worker was trapped under fallen debris, and a second worker was killed. The victim’s name was not available at press time. Working to free the trapped worker, were members of the Sheriff’s Office, the police department, Coast Guard, Caltrans and Fort Bragg Fire. At approximately 9:59 a.m. the trapped victim was freed and air lifted to Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa for treatment. His condition was unknown at press time. The incident is under investigation. PG&E personnel were on the scene checking the power lines following the collapse. The large steel rebar columns, which will become the bridge support on the north side of the river will have concrete poured around the rebar before completion of the project. Spectators lined the bridge overlooking the accident scene, while families of the workers were granted access to the site while they waited to see if their loved ones were safe. Caltrans was contacted immediately but had no information to release by press time. 

UPDATE Worker ‘fell to his death from faulty platform’ 
A BUILDING worker plunged to his death after stepping on a badly cracked scaffolding platform, a court heard. Graeme Oliver, 39, from Rutherglen, fell four storeys after wooden boards collapsed as he worked in Brunswick Street in Glasgow city centre. A contractor had put up the scaffolding to allow ScotDem to carry out the work. But safety checks failed to spot a 6ft long crack on one of the platforms, a fatal accident inquiry has been told. The accident happened on a site behind the former Goldbergs store, owned by property developers Pathfinder, on February 21 last year. The court heard how one of the platforms was severely weakened by two split boards. Professor John Dunwoodie, a building safety expert, said: “It was asking a lot for the platform to support a 16st man. “Any competent foreman, carrying out regularly inspections, would have spotted the damaged boards.” Contractors Lyndon Scaffolding of Broxburn, West Lothian, insists the platform was part of a “buttress” – used to support the front of a building – and was not supposed to be used by workmen. Foreman Robert Polea of Lyndon Scaffolding, who oversaw the platforms being put up, told the court: “The platform was outwith the main access scaffolding – I had no reason to believe it was going to be used. “With hindsight, the boards should have been removed altogether. The platform was in a no-go area and was not reinforced but there was a bar to prevent workers from gaining access. I accept it should have been brought to the contractor’s attention before work began.” The fatal accident inquiry before Sheriff Linda Ruxton at Glasgow Sheriff Court has been adjourned until March 5. 

Worker pinned by wall 2 hours 
John Stark, The Bellingham Herald 
A young construction worker was pinned by the arm for about two hours Wednesday morning when a concrete retaining wall collapsed behind a house at 336 N. Forest St. Christopher J. Valeri, 20, was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital with a crushing injury to his right arm. A hospital spokesman described his condition as stable. Two co-workers on the home-remodeling job who declined to be identified said Valeri was digging in the small space between the rear of the home and the retaining wall when the wall toppled and trapped him. A Bellingham Fire Department rescue team arrived and determined that Valeri’s injuries were not life-threatening, spokesman Corry Morris said. But firefighters feared that a hasty attempt to extricate Valeri could trigger a new collapse of the steep slope behind the house, or even the house itself. Morris said the heavy concrete slab slammed into the rear wall of the three-story house, buckling it inward. Firefighters waited while other workers at the site improvised some supports to reduce the danger of the house collapsing, and a city engineer inspected that work before firefighters began the rescue job in earnest. North Garden Street, above the accident scene, was blocked to traffic while the rescue was under way, because firefighters feared that the vibration of passing vehicles could send more dirt falling onto them and Valeri. While the painstaking work proceeded, Morris said Valeri was given painkillers. At about 11:30 a.m., firefighters deployed heavy-duty air bags that can be filled with compressed air to support many tons of weight. The bags were used to hold up the wall so Valeri could be pulled free. The two workers at the scene said they were employed by Seymour and Sons, a firm that buys houses and refurbishes them for resale. Attempts to reach a company representative for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday. One of the workers said Valeri would probably have been killed if the wall had fallen on top of him. “Luckily, it was just his arm,” he said. 

Crane Mishap + Accidents + Ramp Closure = Rough Day For I-85 Drivers; Construction Expected To Last Until 2007
February 20, 2003
DURHAM, N.C. — Some drivers had a frustrating day in the construction zone on Interstate 85 in Durham. Crews from the state Department of Transportation had to temporarily shut down the U.S. 70 ramp onto Interstate 85 South in Durham County on Thursday, forcing some cars to detour to the I-85 North ramp on Club Boulevard and then back onto I-85 South. Some drivers stuck in the detour were not happy about it. “I think it could be a hazard for the traffic because you’ve got a major interstate, and traffic is lined up pretty far back there. It could be an accident,” motorist Brenda Woodruff said. There were more driver/construction hassles in the I-85 work zone. During the morning rush, Durham police say there was a five-car pile-up at the intersection of Interstates 85 and 70. Police also say a crane knocked wires down briefly blocking the interstate. “I got to find a new route to get here,” motorist Wesley Karl said. The I-85/Highway 70 interchange is now back open to traffic, but DOT officials said construction will last until 2007.

Schnack’s fire ruled accidental
Mandy M. Goodnight / The Town Talk Posted on February 19, 2003
Fire officials have ruled as accidental a Monday evening two-alarm fire that damaged the storage building behind the former Schnack’s building in downtown Alexandria. On Tuesday, businesses like Hibernia National Bank and Caplan’s Men’s Shops opened despite some smoke damage to their respective buildings. The fire started in an area where construction workers were using a cutting torch on a boiler, Tom Force of the Alexandria Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Bureau said Tuesday. Workers tried to keep the boiler cool by pouring water on it, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a fire from starting within one of the building’s walls. Passing motorists reported smoke coming from the building about 5:15 p.m. Monday. Smoke covered the downtown Alexandria skyline, firefighters said. The Fourth and Desoto streets building, owned by Buddy Tudor and Mike Small, is being renovated into a restaurant. The blaze did not heavily damage the exterior of the building. Lumber and other items were in the storage room at the time of the blaze. A fire of that nature “could happen to anybody,” Force said. Firefighters from four stations were able to contain the two-alarm fire before it spread to other buildings. No one was injured, and night employees at the downtown bank were evacuated as a precaution. Alexandria Hibernia President Wayne Denley said Tuesday that normal operations were ongoing and the lobby smelled “as sweet as ever.” Jackie Caplan said Monday night that firefighters were able to get the smoke out of the men’s clothing store, and the store was not planning a fire sale. Mike Grantham of the Alexandria Fire Department said a second alarm on the fire was called to provide extra manpower. He said firefighters did an “excellent” job containing the blaze and getting it out quickly. 

Firefighters rescue injured construction worker
By: JUDY PACK, Citizen staff February 19, 2003 
Local volunteer firefighters traded their bunker gear for ropes and pulleys Friday to rescue an injured construction worker at the bottom of a hole estimated to be 20 feet deep. “The injured man was an employee of a contractor developing some apartments at the intersection of Crenshaw and Beltway 8,” Dewey Irvin, assistant fire chief for the Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department, said. The construction crew was in the process of boring a hole under Beltway 8 when a piece of pipe being lowered into the hole struck the man in the head, leaving him trapped inside the hole. When emergency crews arrived, he was alert and conscious. “Because the man had suffered head trauma and had an injured shoulder, it was a major ordeal to send six firefighters and two emergency medical technicians into the hole to start an IV and put him on a backboard,” Irvin said. Eight more firemen were above ground at the same time, rigging up the pulleys to raise the injured man out of the hole using a stokes basket, he said. Once the rescue was completed, he was transported to the Medical Center in Houston by Life Flight. His injuries were not life-threatening, but any type of head trauma is automatically transported to one of two trauma centers in Houston. Both Ben Taub and Memorial Hermann Hospitals are equipped to treat injuries that cannot be detected by emergency personnel. “We had some heavy-duty equipment at the scene and two ambulance crews because we weren’t quite sure what we were dealing with when the first call to 9-1-1 was received,” he said. 

Man injured from electric shock 
Last updated: Feb 18, 11:15 PM 
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES — A 53-year-old Port Orange man was seriously injured Tuesday after getting an electrical shock while working on a drainage project on South Peninsula Drive, emergency workers said. Pedro Soto was standing on wet ground when the accident occurred at 3:26 p.m., just west of city limits near Van Avenue. R.A. Scott Construction officials said Soto, a popular crew member who has worked for them about four years, was helping put a steel well point into the soggy earth when he was knocked unconscious by an electric jolt. The well point was being used to drain water from the site so work on sewer lines and water mains could proceed along what construction officials called a $3 million project between Oceans Boulevard West and Dunlawton Avenue. The electrocution occurred when the arm of an excavator attached to the equipment Soto was guiding came close to overhead electric lines, creating an arc, construction officials said. Soto’s breathing and heartbeat were stopped by the 3- to 4-second shock, rescue officials said. Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety officers and EVAC paramedics used a defibrillator to restore Soto’s heartbeat and breathing before he was taken to Halifax Medical Center. He was unconscious on arrival and was being treated in the emergency room late Tuesday night. “It’s upsetting,” said Gary Hurst, 48, who was operating the Volvo excavator when Soto fell. “I hope he’ll be OK.” — Jay Stapleton

Dublin man electrocuted in building site accident
February 19, 2003
A 27-year-old Dublin man was electrocuted when machinery he was operating came in contact with overhead lines at a building site in Bray in County Wicklow. Gardaí and Health and Safety officers have examined the scene of the accident at Upper Dargle Road in Bray. 

Propane Tank Fire Prompts Evacuation Of Downtown Ottumwa
(Ottumwa)–A fire Tuesday afternoon forced part of downtown Ottumwa to be evacuated, but it was put out without much problem. The problem started on the construction site for the Americ-inn when a propane tank fell down due to melting ice. At the time, the tank was attached to a torch inside — and when it fell, the fire shot back through the hose to the top of the tank. “It was shooting out pretty good, yeah,” says John Jones, a laborer working on the hotel, “Don’t know what it’s going to do with that propane, it could explode and you never know where the tank’s going to go when it explodes, so it could’ve took right through the building.” Firefighters used a ladder truck to douse the flames from a safe distance within a couple minutes, but still enforced an evacuation of everyone within a block of the construction site. Nobody was seriously hurt during the incident — although one woman fell and scraped her knee while being evacuated.

Core-driller loses part of left arm in accident
GISELLE MAMMANA Tucson Citizen Feb. 19, 2003
A Tucson man is recovering at University Medical Center after unsuccessful surgery to reattach part of his arm that was severed Sunday in a work accident. James Jarred, 27, was doing core sampling near Oracle Junction when he said part of his left arm got caught in the John Henry drill he was operating. The drill severed the arm just below the elbow. “I was trying not to lose my head,” Jarred said today from his bed at UMC. “I thought to myself, ‘just do the right thing.’ ” The accident happened at 1 p.m. when Jarred was taking core samples along State Route 79 near Oracle Junction, four miles north of the Pinal County line. A co-worker walked with Jarred and carried the severed limb about a quarter of a mile to a company truck. From there they drove six miles to the Golder Ranch Fire Department, where a medical helicopter was called. The helicopter took him to Tucson Medical Center, he said. He was later transferred to UMC. Neither hospital would provide further information. Jarred, who is right-handed, was in stable condition this afternoon at UMC and said he felt “pretty good.” He said this is the only construction accident he has ever had.

Worker Caught In Cave-In In South Oklahoma City; Injuries Do Not Appear Life-Threatening 
February 18, 2003 
OKLAHOMA CITY — A construction worker on the Interstate 35 widening project escaped serious injury after being caught in a cave-in this morning in southeast Oklahoma City. The man’s name and age were not immediately available. Fire Maj. Brian Stanaland said the man was working to remove water from a trench on a service road alongside I-35 when the trench began collapsing. Stanaland said the man was able to run to an incline at the end of the trench and was trapped up to his waist about 10 feet below ground level. “The situation was that they deemed it safe enough and entered the hole and dug him out by hand,” Stanaland said. “He was out very quickly.” Firefighters dug the man out within 20 minutes of the accident, Stanaland said. Stanaland said the man suffered possible fractured legs, but no injuries that appeared life-threatening.

Double-decker ripped open in fork-lift crash 
BY FIONA MACGREGOR 
A FORK-LIFT truck sliced open a bus like a tin opener as the double-decker drove down one of the Capital’s busiest streets. One passenger, a 38-year-old man, had to be taken to hospital after torn metal from the side of the bus ripped open his left knee. Passengers told how they heard a loud bang as the forks punctured the metal sides of the bus, tearing a three-feet-long gash of ragged metal along its front left side. The forks left another rip almost 12-feet long down the bus’s rear left side. The injured man had been sitting at the very front of the bus on the left-hand side when the accident happened shortly after 2.20pm yesterday. The number 10 Lothian Bus was travelling up Leith Walk, past the junction with Albert Street, where the fork-lift truck was trying to enter the Walk. Emergency services feared mass casualties when reports of the accident first came in. A female passenger, who asked not to be named, said there had been about two dozen people on board when the collision happened. She said: “We were just passing Albert Street when I heard a bang and the sound of glass breaking. “A woman from downstairs went upstairs and asked whether everyone was all right and somebody said no, there’s a guy been hurt at the front of the bus. “A girl came down and said metal had gone into his leg and she had tied a tourniquet around it. “I got off after about ten minutes because I was so shaken up and the driver of the fork lift came on and asked whether everyone was all right.” Emergency services were on the scene within minutes. A spokesman for the ambulance service confirmed that only one passenger needed treatment. He said: “A 38-year-old male was taken to casualty at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with lacerations to his left knee.” The fork-lift truck was being operated by a sub contractor working for Ballast, a construction firm which is building a five-storey block of flats in Albert Street. David McKenzie of Ballast said: “We understand that the fork-lift truck was stationary with his handbrake on [at the time of the accident]. We are doing everything we can to ensure that the injured party is in good care, and that the police have all the assistance they need . “The fork-lift was licensed to be on public roads, and the driver – a very experienced, certified, fork-lift truck driver – would have been following a frequently-travelled route, turning on to Leith Walk in order to access a second site road.” A spokesman for Lothian Buses said: “We are working with Lothian and Borders Police to establish exactly what happened. “As in any accident that happens, the driver was shaken, he was certainly not expecting something like that as he was driving up Leith Walk.” A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police confirmed the force was investigating the cause of the accident.

UPDATE MAN STILL JAILED FOR FATAL ACCIDENT
Monday, February 17, 2003
A truck driver is still in the Montague County jail following a fatal accident on U.S. Highway 287 south of Bowie in November. Forty-one year old Ted Richard Couch is being held on $100,000 bond facing charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. The accident happened when Couch was driving south on Highway 287. The Department of Public Safety says Couch swerved to the right crashing into a construction crew, killing 26-year old Brock Phillips of Burnet, Texas, and injuring several other workers. The case will now go to the grand jury.

 

Roller kills traffic woman 
By Ben Martin and Pamela Magill 
A WOMAN controlling traffic at roadworks in Wanneroo Road, Neerabup, yesterday was killed by an out-of-control multi-wheeled roller. The woman, 20, whose name has not been released, was a trained traffic controller contracted to the Main Roads WA site. WorkSafe officials were investigating the incident last night but had been unable to interview the driver of the roller, who was in hospital suffering from shock. t is believed the roller hit a kerb about 10am and went out of control, driving in a wide arc and running over the woman. The roller is believed to be relatively simple to operate and workers do not need a certificate specific to that type of machine to qualify to drive it. Machinery operators said the roller would have a top speed of just 20kmh. The driver was employed by a labour hire firm contracted to the company employed by Main Roads. It is believed he has experience driving similar machines. The traffic controller had been employed by Midland-based Advanced Traffic Management for less than a year. A company official said she had industry-based training in controlling traffic. Her death is the second involving heavy plant machinery in less than three weeks. A 35-year-old Falcon man was crushed by an earthmoving machine on January 25 while working on a new housing subdivision in Ocean Keys Boulevard in the northern suburb of Clarkson. The man was on the ground giving instructions to a fellow worker in a scraper when a second scraper reversed over him. WorkSafe is investigating. 

1 Dead, 4 Injured In Roof Collapse
February 17, 2003
EDISON, N.J. — One man died and four people were injured when an aluminum roof collapsed Monday at a job-training school, police said. The identity of the man who died was not immediately released. The injured had broken bones and scrapes, said Lt. William Bunting of the Edison Police Department. They were taken to hospitals. The roof was covering a smoking area outside the Edison Job Corps Academy, Bunting said. He said a combination of wind and snow accumulating on the roof caused the collapse. Authorities were digging through the rubble to determine whether anyone else was trapped after the noon collapse. Also Monday, the roof of a Rite Aid drug store in Clifton collapsed, according to Lt. Ken Dalpos of the Clifton Police Department. He said EMS workers were checking to see if anyone was trapped. It was not immediately known whether the drug store was open at the time. 

Church fire
Welders accidentally caused a fire Thursday afternoon on the roof of St. Isidore Church in Macomb Township, where a $7 million expansion is under way. Macomb Fire Chief Ray Ahonen said fire crews were called to the church at 23 Mile and Romeo Plank roads around 3 p.m. after residents spotted black smoke coming from the site. Officials said the fire began from combustible materials on the roof where welders were working. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from penetrating the main building. Damage was listed at $10,000, Ahonen said. 

UPDATE Fort Hancock to rebuild destroyed school
Darren Meritz El Paso Times
FORT HANCOCK — Eighth-grade student Alejandra Luna was in shock Nov. 2 as she watched Fort Hancock Middle School burn. “I can’t explain what I felt,” she said. “It just caught me by surprise.” Luna is one of 150 students who were left without a place to learn after the fire, which school officials say has changed the community’s sense of security and has prompted residents to pay careful attention to an oft-forgotten adage: Be prepared. Fort Hancock and the school district are building a new middle school that will cost insurers $2.2 million. Officials said little will remain of the old schoolhouse, built in 1925. “The only thing we’re going to keep is the old bell tower,” said Jose Franco, superintendent of the Fort Hancock Independent School District. “We’re going to try and salvage it and create a monument.” Franco said middle-schoolers, who have been going to classes in the high school down the road, can expect a new, modern school in about eight months. The fire was started by an acetylene torch that cut through metal and ignited a piece of wood at the school. It probably could have been extinguished if Fort Hancock, which has about 400 residents, had its own fire department, said Stacy Myers, Fort Hancock school nurse and EMS coordinator. The closest help for a fire is more than 30 minutes away in Horizon City. Since then, the Horizon City Fire Department has donated a fire truck to Fort Hancock, and residents are assembling a small fire department of 16 volunteers, she said. “All of us who work for EMS only had medical training. None of us had fire training,” Myers said. “Horizon City Fire Department is where we’re going to go and be part of their training. And they’ll train our staff as well.” 

UPDATE Concord company fined $100,000 for health and safety violation
BRAMPTON, ON, Ontario Limited, a Concord, Ont.-based contractor which specializes in assembling and erecting formwork used to build concrete walls, was fined $100,000 on February 4, 2003 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in injuries to an employee. On September 8, 2000, a crane operator was moving formwork into place along a retaining wall when the crane’s boom collapsed and the hook block, weighing about 272 kilograms (600 pounds), fell onto a carpenter’s head. The worker suffered serious head and other injuries. A Ministry of Labour investigation found 556347 Ontario Limited had not ensured that, before operation, the crane was in safe operating condition. The crane’s boom angle indicator, which is used to determine the angle of a lift, was not functioning properly. In addition, the wrong load-rating plate was affixed inside the crane. The crane operator knew about these deficiencies. At the time of the incident, the crane’s load was about 70 per cent over capacity. The incident occurred at a new terminal building under construction at Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Mississauga. Ontario Limited pleaded guilty to failing, as an employer, to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring that, before operation, the crane was in safe operating condition, including ensuring the boom angle indicator was functioning properly and the correct load rating plate was on the crane. This was contrary to Section 25(2)(h) of the act. The fine was levied by Justice of the Peace Darlene Florence of the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. Previously, on August 6, 2002, the crane operator pleaded guilty to failing, as a worker, to ensure the crane wasn’t subjected to a load in excess of its load-bearing capacity. This was contrary to Section 151(1) of the Regulations for Construction Projects and Section 28(1)(a) of the act. The worker was fined $9,000 by Justice of the Peace Laurie Pallett of the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. In addition to the fines, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. 

UPDATE Tamarack Developments Corporation fined $150,000 for health and safety violation
Tamarack Developments Corporation, an Ottawa- based housing developer, was fined $150,000 on February 10, 2003 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in the death of a worker at a residential construction site in Ottawa. On January 10, 2001, a surveyor was measuring a site for a house foundation when the surveyor was struck on the back by a power shovel and pinned into a pile of dirt. The shovel operator had been taking excavated dirt from an adjacent lot to a dump truck for removal when the incident occurred. The shovel operator’s supervisor had gestured to alert the shovel operator to the surveyor’s presence behind a debris pile, but the shovel operator had misinterpreted the hand signal as confirmation to proceed. The supervisor, along with the surveyor’s assistant and a truck driver, waved their arms trying to signal the shovel operator to stop, but it was too late. The shovel operator couldn’t see the surveyor from the vehicle’s cab. The surveyor was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. The incident occurred at a construction site on Pinehill Drive in Ottawa. Tamarack Developments Corporation was the owner and constructor of the project. Tamarack subcontracted the surveying, grading, excavation and debris removal work to four different companies. The deceased worker worked for the surveying company. Tamarack Developments Corporation pleaded guilty to failing, as a constructor, to ensure a shovel operator and a signaller jointly established the procedures by which the signaller was to assist the operator, as required by Section 104(3) and 104(4) of the Regulations for Construction Projects. This was contrary to Section 23(1)(b) of the act. The fine was levied by Justice of the Peace Lorraine Watson of the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa. In addition, the court imposed a 25-per- cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act.