Construction Accidents Page 5

Construction Accidents Page #5

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

 

Man critical after construction accident
By Rodney Tanaka Staff Writer Thursday, May 01, 2003 – 
A construction worker was in critical condition Thursday after a piece of equipment from a crane fell on him at Mt. San Antonio College. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the injury at 9:13 a.m. at Temple Avenue in Walnut. Adrian Camacho, 34, was hit on the right shoulder and back and driven to his knees by an arm used to pump concrete from a crane, fire Capt. Ron Nixt said. Camacho works for subcontractor Correra Concrete. He stopped breathing and did not have a heartbeat, so Mt. SAC security guard Jeff Parker performed CPR on the man until firefighters arrived, Nixt said. Camacho was taken to Harbor- UCLA Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition Thursday evening, according to a hospital spokeswoman. The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the injury. The Fire Department will give Parker a letter of commendation, Nixt said. West Covina resident Loretta Riddle, 34, who was driving by when the injury happened, said she wanted Parker to be recognized for his life-saving efforts. Parker continued CPR even after Camacho vomited in his mouth, she said. “He saved this man’s life,’ Riddle said. “He is a hero.’ 

Napa cop spots fire, averts disaster for businesses
Thursday, May 1, 2003 By MARSHA DORGAN Register Staff Writer
A Napa police officer happened to be in the right place at the right time to stop a fire, not a crime. Officer George Ulitin, who was responding to an earlier call of a possible disturbance at the shopping center at Redwood Road and Solano Avenue, most likely nipped a serious structure fire in the bud when he discovered flames poking out between the common back wall shared between Weight Watchers and Dazzling Donuts. “I was checking out the back alley behind the business when I saw flames coming out between the wall shared by the two businesses,” Ulitin said. “I called the fire department and told everyone in the businesses in that building to get out.” In addition to Weight Watchers, other businesses in the smoldering building included Round Table Pizza, Dazzling Donuts and Bicycle Works. All were evacuated, but Weight Watchers, which was closed at the time, was the only business damaged. The cause of fire has been traced to a construction company that was doing asphalt paving patch work behind the businesses, Napa Fire Battalion Chief Steve Stuart said. Workers were using a heating torch along the edge of the buildings, Stuart said. The fire, found in the rear exterior walls of Weight Watchers, was heading for the roof, Stuart said. Armed with axes and chain saws, firefighters munched away at the exterior walls of the business to prevent the fire from rising to the roof. Scristoval Gonzalez, a baker at Dazzling Donuts, said he was baking donuts when he smelled the smoke. “I smelled something burning, and then the police were banging at the door telling us to get out of the building,” he said. “There were three of us inside — no customers — and we left.” Round Table Pizza employee Kyle Owens said the police also alerted him and the other employees to evacuate the restaurant. “There weren’t any customers inside the restaurant, just about 10 employees,” Owens said. “We just left the restaurant and are waiting to find out when we can go back inside.” Using an ax, chain saw and circular saw, firefighters ate away at the exterior walls of the Weight Watchers business to make sure the fire didn’t find its way to the roof, Stuart said. The damage, estimated at $5,000, was confined to the exterior and interior walls of the business, Stuart said. 
“The was no loss of contents.”

Charges against parent firm dismissed in electrical deaths 
By Shamus Toomey Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted May 02, 2003 
A federal judge Thursday threw out criminal charges against the parent company of an electrical firm accused of improperly training two workers electrocuted atop high-tension wires in the suburbs. U.S. Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown dismissed the charges against MYR Group Inc. but left in place criminal charges against its subsidiary, L.E. Myers Co. of Rolling Meadows. Both were indicted Dec. 11 in the deaths of Blake Lane and Wade Cumpston. Lane, 20, was killed atop a Mount Prospect electrical tower in 1999 on just his second day on the job. Cumpston, 43, was killed in a Plainfield accident in 2000. The judge said the men did not qualify as employees of MYR Group under the law, and therefore the parent company could not be accused of failing to properly train them. “The accidental deaths of Lane and Cumpston were tragic,” Brown said. “However, a criminal charge must have a foundation in law establishing criminal responsibility.” U.S. attorney spokesman Randall Samborn said the office is reviewing the decision and will likely appeal. L.E. Myers faces fines of up to $2 million if convicted.

UPDATE Woman Found ‘Not Guilty’ In Fatal Construction Crash, Defendant Faced Conviction Under ‘Andy’s Law’
May 2, 2003
A Macomb County jury found a local woman not guilty on Friday for the Aug. 9, 2002, accident that caused the death of one road construction worker and injured another. Stacey Ann Bettcher (pictured, left) was the first person charged under a law enacted in 2001 known as “Andy’s Law” — named after worker Andy Lefko, who was paralyzed on a Interstate 275 construction site in 1999. The law cracks down on drivers who cause injury or death to road construction workers. Bettcher had pleaded guilty to the charges in August 2002, but changed her plea in February to force the case to trial, Local 4 reported. The families of the victims were surprised and upset by Bettcher’s last-minute switch, Local 4 reported. Police say Bettcher had a long list of prior driving offenses including driving with an open alcohol container and driving with an expired license at the time of the crash. Bettcher could have faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

UPDATE OSHA: Lack Of Shoring Could Have Contributed To Deadly Cave-In
May 2, 2003 
OKLAHOMA CITY — A man died Thursday when he was trapped for more than an hour underground after a cave-in at a construction site in the western part of the city. Marvin Young, 30, was helping connect a new sewer line to the city sewer line in a 12-foot-deep, 6-foot-wide ditch about 1 1/2 miles south of Interstate 40. Young was in the trench when it started to cave in about 11 a.m., said Maj. Brian Stanaland, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City Fire Department. “He jumped to another area and was completely buried over his head, about 9- to 10-feet deep,” Stanaland said. Rescuers reached Young’s body about 12:15 p.m., but were unable to remove it from the trench for several hours, Stanaland said. Workers used hand shovels and could only remove 5-pound buckets of dirt at a time or risk another collapse, Stanaland said. Young’s body was removed from the ditch about 3:30 p.m. Ron Watkins, a safety specialist for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said that large of a trench should have some kind of shoring. “At this moment, it looks like there was none,” Watkins said. Dirt samples removed from the ditch will be analyzed, he said. Young was part of a crew from HMS Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning that was installing the sewer line for a building under construction, Stanaland said.

Construction Cave In
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Tense moments at a local construction site,as rescue workers are called to assist an injured man. A contruction worker was rescued from a trench after a cave-in at a construction site this morning. The site was located near north St. Louis and Zora Avenue in Joplin. Med flight airlifted the injured worker to St. John`s Regional Medical Center in Joplin after he was rescued by local firefighters. Officials say a 15 foot trench collapsed around the worker just after 8 this morning. The construction crew was installing a sewer line for a new housing addition when the accident happened. “While they were doing some excavation one of the workers stepped outside of the trench box which is a box that helps protect against any fall down and the side of the trench actually collapsed in on him,”said Steve Lea, Joplin Fire Department. Authorities say a trench collapse in our area with the type of soil found here, can exert up to 700 pounds per square inch of pressure. Officials say the worker was in quite a bit of pain after being rescued, but his exact condition is not know at this time. Reported By: Jim Jackson

Worker killed in accident at high rise construction site
By ABC13 Eyewitness News
The worker was killed while working on Tremont Towers in southwest Houston Wednesday. An accident at a high rise construction site killed a worker Wednesday. It happened around noon at the Tremont Towers on Yupon and Westheimer in southwest Houston. Workers were moving a load of corrugated steel with a crane when the load shifted. The load fell and hit a worker on the ground. He was rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Houston police and the OSHA are investigating the incident. 

TRENCH COLLAPSE
Thursday, May 01, 2003
A construction worker is dead, after a trench collapsed on top of him. The accident happened about eleven this morning in Oklahoma City, just South of Interstate Forty. The construction crew was working to connect two sewer lines. When the twelve foot trench he was working in collapsed. 30 Year old Marvin Young had been buried by nine to ten feet of dirt. Crews worked for nearly an hour trying to reach him. But by the time they pulled him out, he was dead. The accident will be investigated. 

Freak Cement Truck Mishap Kills Driver
EASTON, PA-May 1, 2003 — A cement truck driver was killed Wednesday on Route 33 when the vehicle’s mixing barrel dislodged and crushed the truck’s cab. The right front tire on a truck being driven by Raymond L. Conley, 31, of Orefield, blew out, causing the truck to skid off the highway and into a culvert, police said. When the truck stopped, its mixing barrel dislodged and rolled over the cab, trapping Conley inside, police said. “The culvert stopped it, and the weight on top of the truck came forward on the driver,” state police Cpl. Robert Mahady said. Conley was driving for Catasauqua-based Rock Hill Materials Inc. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Construction worker critically injured in accident on the job
By ABC13 Eyewitness News
(4/29/03) — The Harris County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a Tuesday morning accident at a northwest Harris County construction site that left one worker critically injured. The man suffered a leg injury when an earth-moving truck backed up over his leg at the site on Hollister and Blue Creek Ranch. He was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital by Lifeflight and at last report was listed in critical condition. 

Construction workers buried alive 
Posted Wed, 30 Apr 2003 
The bodies of two construction workers who died after they were buried under tons of rock, sand and clay when the trench they were digging collapsed, were recovered by rescue workers on Wednesday afternoon. The men were part of a 20-man team laying stormwater pipes for a new shopping centre in Okavango Road in Kraaifontein when the accident happened around noon. Metro rescue spokesman Dr Hitesh Bhoola, who was on the scene, said rescue workers including the fire department and construction workers had dug away furiously to reach the two men but their efforts were in vain. Bhoola said the identities of the two workers, whose bodies were being taken to the mortuary, would only be released once their families had been notified. “This incident now becomes a crime scene because the workers died an unnatural death,” Bhoola said. 

9 construction workers choke in tunnel
By: Rajendra Aklekar April 30, 2003 
On April 24, nine construction labourers working 70 feet under the ground in a tunnel at Appa Pada in Malad were suffocated following a short circuit in the compressor of a drilling machine which led to a minor explosion and fire. The injured workers were shifted to Suchak Hospital and six of them were kept in the ICU under medical observation for 24 hours. The condition of all nine are now reported to be “out of danger”. The police say the BMC had given the contract for laying water supply pipelines by building a tunnel measuring 11.9 km from Bhandup to Charkop to a Vikhroli-based Hindustan Construction Company. Work for the project, including tunnel boring, was on from the shafts at Liberty Garden in Santosh Nagar to Appa Pada. The labourers had dug a 10-feet-wide and 1,250 metre-long tunnel for the purpose. Twenty people were working in the tunnel at the time of the fire, but only nine labourers who were working close to the compressor were injured. The police state, while the work was in progress, a short circuit occurred at 7.15 am in the compressor, leading to a minor explosion. The fire from the explosion started spewing out poisonous fumes of vinyl, which were inhaled by the workers, which caused nausea, giddiness and breathlessness. The names of the six injured workers who were admitted to the ICU are Dinesh Parkar (30), Ramkumar Thakkar (40), Sunil Shinde (32), Kalu Jana (29), Govind Dhumal (36) and Kale (45). The other three whose condition was reported to be stable are Shyam Sundar (27) Satyawadi Pradhan (56) and Mohan (26). 

UPDATE Failure to apply brake caused death
April 29, 2003 19:13 
A LORRY driver who died under the wheels of his runaway vehicle had failed to apply the parking brake, an inquest heard. Andrew Bone, 29, of Carraways, Witham, was delivering scaffolding to a site in London when his lorry began rolling towards rush-hour traffic. Mr Bone, who was employed by Essex-based Pole Position, died from multiple injuries in The Strand on July 23 last year while trying to stop the fully loaded Mercedes lorry careering into the path of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Westminster coroner Dr Paul Knapman, who had ordered a police investigation into the vehicle’s condition, recorded a verdict of accidental death at the inquest yesterday after deciding Mr Bone’s error was to blame. “The death was caused by Mr Bone not putting the parking brake on. It is as tragic as that. If the family were looking for negligence by other people, that has not been forthcoming,” he said. “On the evidence we have it does seem the most likely explanation that the parking brake was not applied.” Mr Bone was seen by fellow workers running alongside the lorry trying unsuccessfully to reapply the trailer brake, then trying to disconnect a vital braking airline before the lorry suddenly jack-knifed, crushing him under the wheels. His death left widow Cheryl to raise their four-year-old daughter Kelsey and a second child born eight months after Mr Bone was killed. The inquest had heard from scaffolder Bradley Whitnell, from Bow, east London, who had helped Mr Bone disconnect the trailer brake by hitting it with an eight-foot length of timber. “I gave it a clunk and it started rolling. He tried the brake, he pumped it three times and he’s running beside the trailer, telling everyone to move back,” he said. Mr Whitnell revealed the same trailer had suddenly rolled forward two months earlier during a separate job, crashing into two parked black cabs. Pole Position manager David Lunn, from Chingford, told the inquest the earlier incident had been put down to driver error. He added the vehicle had been checked every six to eight weeks and no defects were found. Accident investigator Pc William Wright said the handbrake had not been on the lorry when it had been checked after Mr Bone’s death. Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Bone said she and his family had been devastated by his death. Mrs Bone was two months’ pregnant at the time of the fatal accident and has since given birth to the couple’s second child, Tierney. “At the end of the day he died trying to save the lives of a lot of people. It would have been his 30th birthday this year. It has been really hard with two children,” she said. “However, at least I have them – it has helped me cope. He was a wonderful man. His family have been great.”

 

Fire Destroys Uncompleted Raspberry Falls House
Dan Telvock and Allen Browning 
Apr 28, 2003 — A $450,000 house in Leesburg was destroyed by a fire Friday night and burned undetected for a few hours before firefighters were called to the scene. The Loudoun County Department of Fire and Rescue stated that the single-family home at 41616 Swiftwater Drive was under construction and no one was living in it. The Fire Marshals Office deemed the fire was accidental; a welder who was working in the house Friday, April 25, with a cutting torch ignited nearby combustibles. The fire burned undetected for a few hours until it was discovered at around 5:30 p.m. Leesburg, Lucketts, Ashburn, Hamilton and Loudoun fire and rescue personnel responded. Leesburg Volunteer Fire Chief Tom Goss said the house was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. No one was injured. Raspberry Falls subdivision neighbors believe the fire started in the back of the house. Several neighbors said they saw black smoke pouring from an upper story, rear window that quickly erupted into flames. The cloud of smoke could be seen as far away the Rt. 15/Rt. 7 interchange and firefighters had to battle the rush hour traffic on Rt. 15 north before they could even begin to fight the flames. The firefighters set up two “collapsible ponds,” into which fire tanker trucks deposited water, from which the hose crews drew upon to fight the fire. “Inside of 10 minutes of calling [911], the whole house was in flames,” said Matt Martin, a nearby neighbor The house is still owned by the developer, Van Metre Company. The buyers were Vince and Didi Spina, who are still renting a home in Leesburg. They were set to close on the house in about one month. “This is not how we wanted to get in the paper,” said Didi Spina. “We’re devastated.” 

UPDATE Firm has history of violations; Safety officials investigate accident scene
By SYDNEY B. LEAVENS Monitor staff
PEMBROKE – The Pembroke-based company that employed the construction worker who died last Friday afternoon in an excavating accident has been cited for more than 40 violations of federal worker safety standards over the past decade. Randy Twombly, 39, of Deerfield was killed Friday afternoon when the excavator he was operating on F.L. Merrill Construction Inc.’s North Pembroke Road sand pit tipped and rolled down into the ditch below, landing on the roof and crushing the cab. Twombly had worked for the company for two years. Mine Safety and Health Administration officials were on the scene yesterday investigating the cause of the accident. Twombly’s death was the first the construction company has reported in at least 10 years. (Companies are required to report to inspectors fatalities or accidents in which three or more workers are injured; F.L. Merrill Construction has reported neither.) But during that time, the company was cited for violating safety codes at its roadside sites as well as its gravel and sand pits, according to inspections conducted by the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, both divisions of the U.S. Department of Labor. F.L. Merrill Construction has received 28 citations from the Mine Safety and Health Administration for its two Merrimack gravel pits since 1998, the first year for which records are available. Three 2003 violations are still pending. Between 1994 and 2000, OSHA found 17 violations at the company’s roadside excavation sites, at least nine of which officials called “serious,” or likely to cause injuries that would require more than on-the-job first-aid care, from partial disabilities to death. The Pembroke company has paid about $38,000 in fines since 1994, the two administrations’ records indicate. Company officials could not be reached for comment. F.L. Merrill Construction’s long record of violations is not necessarily unusual for an excavating company, said David May, OSHA’s area director. Because construction has a higher injury and fatality rate than other lines of work, government officials inspect construction companies more than most. “Just being in construction creates more of an opportunity for violation if (the company) is not paying attention,” May said. Excavation, one of the more dangerous types of construction, is under particularly close scrutiny, May added. Under a special excavation program, inspectors are required to stop and inspect any excavation sites that are at least five feet deep and do not look adequately secured. As a result, many of the excavation companies the administration inspects are cited for violations, May said. (In all, inspectors find some violations at about 70 percent of all sites, he said). F.L. Merrill Construction has paid about $3,500 for the 28 violations at its sand and gravel pits. Those violations included, in 2000 and last December, failing to correct defects to safety equipment in a “timely manner to prevent creation of a hazard to persons.” The company was cited in both 2000 and 2001 for not properly guarding machines so that workers did not come in contact with moving parts. (Mine Safety and Health Administration could not be reached yesterday to comment on the particular circumstances of each citation.) At roadside excavation sites, OSHA inspectors fined the company on several occasions for inadequately protecting its workers. In 1998, for example, inspectors found that a trench in which two F.L. Merrill Construction employees worked was not shored against the collapse of its walls. Initially, inspectors alleged that the company had prior knowledge of the violation and proposed a $35,000 fine. But on reviewing the matter with company officials, however, they determined the offense, though serious, was not willful and settled on a $2,550 fine. F.L. Merrill Construction has not been cited – or inspected – by OSHA since 2000. Twombly’s is the seventh death nationwide to take place on the job at a sand or gravel pit this year, according to the Mine Safety Health Administration’s Web site. Inspectors hope to conclude their investigation of the accident this week. 

Trucker Not To Be Charged In Death Of Construction Worker 
April 29, 2003
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A construction worker was killed early Tuesday on Interstate 40/85 when a tractor-trailer hit him as he worked on a painting crew. The victim is identified as Thomas Ray Myers of Troy, an employee of Blythe Construction Company in Greensboro. The crash occurred about 5:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the interstate between Burlington and Greensboro. A work crew was painting lane stripes on the highway and the state Highway Patrol said Myers was trying to retrieve a small piece of equipment in the road. Myers tripped and fell into the path of the tractor-trailer, according to investigators. Authorities said the truck wasn’t speeding and the driver tried to avoid hitting Myers. Officials said no charges will be filed against the trucker. 

Fire damages Utah Water Research Lab roof
LOGAN, Utah (AP) – Fire damaged the roof of the Utah Water Research Laboratory Monday, but no injuries occurred. There was no immediate damage estimate. Utah State University police Lt. Steve Milne said the fire started on the roof near the middle of the building where contractors were using a propane torch to repair the roof. Workers were heating a temporary patching substance so it would adhere to the roof’s surface.

Traffic Accident
Traffic is back to normal at I-295 and Route 1 in Henrico County, but it was quite a different story Monday afternoon when a dump truck hit an overpass there. The driver had just left a nearby construction project at Virginia Center Commons and apparently forgot to drop the truck bed. It hit the sign, causing $100,000 in damage. The bridge appears to be okay. The trucker is charged with reckless driving. 

Friar on danger list, worker injured in a fall written

by MM Staff Reporter – 29 Apr, 2003 
A Dominican friar is on the danger list after fell down at the stairs in a Zabbar residence on Monday evening, while a worker was severely injured after he fell from a height on a constructions site at Attard on Tuesday morning. The 57-year old friars from the convent at Vittoriosa slipped on the staircase of the residence and during the fall he suffered severe injuries on his head and broke several ribs. An ambulance rushed him to St. Luke’s hospital, where he was placed in the Intensive Therapy Unit. The Cospicua district police are leading the investigations, while the duty magistrate launched an inquiry. In the other accident, the 39-year old workers from Naxxar fell down from a plank he was working on in a construction site at around 0715 CET. Members of the Civil Protection Department rushed to the scene and rescued the man, who was suffering from severe injuries. He was taken to hospital for treatment. The Birkirkara district police are leading the investigations. 

Gas Line Capped at Evacuated School
Web Editor: Sean Rowe Last Modified: 4/29/2003 11:13:48 AM 
A ruptured gas line that forced the evacuation of Redan Elementary School Tuesday morning has since been capped. Students and school staff should be able to return to the building by noon, according to DeKalb Schools spokesman Spencer Ragsdale. Students were temporarily taken to New Covenant Ministries, located less than a mile away from the school. DeKalb fire Lt. Eric Jackson said a contractor working in the area struck and broke the line. Authorities have not reported any injuries due to the accident. More details as they become available. 

Worker falls into trench
Firemen pulled an unidentified Asian worker to safety and rushed him to the Adan Hospital after he allegedly slipped and fell into a 15-meter deep trench in Martyr Fahd Al-Ahmad Area. A medical source at Adan Hospital was quoted by Al-Qabas daily as saying the condition of the worker, who is seriously injured, is stable.

YOUNGSTOWN Man killed at site of demolition; Both men ran to avoid the falling beam, but Charles Thomas ran into its path. 
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR. VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER 
YOUNGSTOWN — A Youngstown man died in an accident at a downtown demolition site Saturday. Charles Thomas, 55, of 131 Boardman Street, was crushed by a falling steel beam at the corner of Front and Phelps streets just after noon. The William Pizzuto Co. is tearing down a parking garage on the block bordered by Front, Phelps, West Boardman and Hazel streets. According to police reports, a worker for the construction company was using a crane to lift a steel beam, but the cables on the crane became stuck on a piece of wood and the beam began to fall. Thomas, talking to another man, was standing on the sidewalk in the vicinity of the demolition work, the report shows. Reports say both men began to run in opposite directions when they saw the beam falling, but Thomas ended up in the falling steel’s path. Police said he died before help arrived. The steel beam that hit Thomas is used to protect streetlight poles from falling debris during the demolition process. Under investigation A spokesman for the Youngstown Poice Department said it is unclear if any charges will be filed. He said police are still investigating. William Pizzuto, owner of the demolition company, said Thomas had been a common sight around the demolition area. He said workers had asked him to leave the area several times before the accident, but he would usually come back. “When I left to go to lunch, [Thomas] was standing there on the corner in front of the [Trinity United Methodist] church,” he said. According to Pizzuto, the area around the demolition site was roped off. Family and friends of Thomas’, a steel worker on disability, said it was a part of his nature to be around construction or demolition sites, making conversation with whomever he could. His sister, LaJena Solomon, said he just liked to watch the work. She had gathered Saturday evening with friends of her brother’s outside Amedia Plaza, West Boardman Street, where he lived. “He was always just the type of person that was just there — no matter where you looked, he would be there, talking and being friendly,” she said. Several of Thomas’ neighbors described him as a caring man who was always looking to make new friends and lend a hand when needed.

Deadly Crash Slows I-95 In St. Johns County
April 28, 2003
A Palm Coast man was killed and thousands of motorists on Interstate 95 were delayed after a crash between a pickup and a dump truck in southern St. Johns County before dawn Monday. The Florida Highway Patrol said the accident occurred in the northbound lanes just before the county Road 206 exit around 5:30 a.m. Police say a dump truck driven by Marian Nash turned around in the median after dumping a load of asphalt. She was hit by the white Chevrolet pickup truck as she pulled into the northbound lane. Laurence Holler, 61 — driver of that pickup — was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt in the accident. The Florida Highway Patrol said that the speed limit in the area is 60 mph despite this area’s designation as a construction zone. Troopers said they are not sure how fast Holler was going when the accident occurred, but their investigation is continuing. Investigators also say fog may have contributed to the crash. Channel 4’s Tammie Fields reported that only one northbound lanes was open for more than three hours until the accident was cleared. Northbound motorists experienced 25- to 30-minute delays due to the congestion.

Man in critical condition after scaffolding fall
By LARRY LUNNIN April 15, 2003
A 38-year-old man working at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was in critical condition after falling from scaffolding that collapsed Monday afternoon. UNL Police Sgt. Douglas Petersen said Guillemo Castillo, an employee of Gagner Construction, fell from a set of scaffolding set up at Woods Hall while other employees were trying to move it. Castillo toppled into a stairwell when one of the scaffolding’s bars jarred loose, he said. Van Vuong was working at the service desk when she heard about the accident. According Vuong, a junior art and math major, the falling scaffolding broke out a window at Woods Hall and prompted several employees inside to run to Castillo’s aid. “It looks like (the scaffolding) just swung around,” she said. To make matters worse, Vuong said, the ambulance might have had trouble finding the building. Woods Hall, home to the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, is not as well-known as other buildings on campus, she said. Petersen said Castillo was conscious when help arrived. But he was taken to BryanLGH Medical Center West for emergency surgery after suffering a fractured skull from the fall. Vuong said the injuries seemed serious. “When they carried him away it did not look like he was moving at all,” she said.

Downtown gas leak leads to evacuation
April 16, 2003 By Jeremy Craig Staff Writer
A gas-line breach on Ellis Street on Tuesday morning caused the evacuation of an entire downtown block, including more than 300 pupils at Curtis Baptist School. Emergency workers responded to the accident, caused when construction crews on Ellis Street hit the gas line at about 11 a.m., said Battalion Chief J.E. Clark, of the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department. No one was injured, he said.

Cement Worker Electrocuted In Suffolk
(AP) – A construction worker was killed on the job Wednesday when a hydraulic pump struck a high-voltage power line in Suffolk. Fire department spokesman Jim Judkins identified the victim as 37-year-old Keith Withrow of Virginia Beach. He says another construction worker – 57-year-old Benjamin Porter of Virginia Beach – was injured in the accident and was taken to a local hospital. Judkins said the two men were working for a cement subcontractor and pouring a foundation for a duplex when the pump struck a 20,000-volt power line just after 5:00pm. He says a co-worker performed CPR on Withrow, but could not revive him. Dominion Virginia Power officials are investigating the accident. 

Broken Crane Halts Rail Traffic and Closes Streets in Jersey City
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
ERSEY CITY, April 17 — A broken construction crane teetered 40 stories above Washington Boulevard today, forcing the closing of several city blocks and a four-hour suspension of light rail service on this city’s waterfront. The 330-foot Manitowoc crane was being operated on a high-rise apartment building when a cable broke shortly before 10 a.m., said Sgt. Edgar Martinez, a spokesman for the Jersey City police. No injuries were reported and no one was evacuated, Sergeant Martinez said. The mishap at the Marbella Luxury Apartments, a 42-story building under construction downtown, reminded many people here of a more serious accident last year. In January 2002, the arm of a 460-foot crane at an office building also on Washington Boulevard malfunctioned, forcing the evacuation of 850 residents and the closing of several blocks for four days. “Last year we were dealing with a German-made crane and it took several days to get the experts and equipment into town,” Sergeant Martinez said. “Fortunately this is an American crane, and it only took a matter of hours to secure the site.” Sergeant Martinez said, “The workers expect the whole process to take about six hours, so traffic will continue to be disrupted, but we hope everything will return to normal by Saturday.” This afternoon, the crane’s owners, Vergona Construction of Englewood, dispatched two smaller hydraulic cranes to the site and secured the Manitowoc as workers continued to make repairs, said Joseph Vergona, a co-owner of the company. “The only difficulty was getting up to the top to do the repair,” he said. “It’s a pretty easy job — we’ll replace the broken parts and it will be ready to go back to work.” The accident suspended service on New Jersey Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system at the Harsimus Cover station for about four hours. New Jersey Transit provided shuttle service to the displaced passengers before full service was restored at 2:45 p.m., said Ken Miller, a spokesman for the transit system. Shortly before 8 p.m. tonight, the streets were reopened and traffic was back to normal. 

Roofing Glue Accelerated Leesburg School Fire
Allen Browning 
Apr 18, 2003 — Roofing adhesives being used in the construction of Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School in Leesburg contributed to Monday’s blaze at the site and may be the cause of flames that engulfed a Loudoun County firefighter, building authorities said Thursday. The fire began when a construction worker using a cutting torch ignited insulation sheets that were stacked on the roof awaiting installation. It was the presence of at least one of two roofing adhesive compounds on the roof that burned Loudoun County firefighter Brett Harne, according to Loudoun County Public School Superintendent for Support Services Evan E. Mohler and Tucon Construction President Keith Maddox. Harne was flown by helicopter to a Washington, DC trauma center for treatment. He was released from the hospital later than night and has returned to duty. Despite the spectacular fire that created flames and smoke that could be seen for miles Monday, school administrators and building authorities says students will have nothing to fea from the materials being used in the roof construction. The entire roofing system to be installed at Reid Elementary is called a ballasted Firestone EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene-terpolymer) roof. Firestone is one of the largest of several manufacturers who market EPDM systems, which are used on flat-roofed buildings. The system consists of a series of Firestone products that are laid over corrugated steel plates, which are welded to steel roof girders. The first layer is the insulation made by Firestone called ISO 95+, which was the stacked insulation that caught fire on the roof of the school. The next layer is a rubber membrane material, for which the roofing system is named, called EPDM. It comes in rolls that are unfurled into sections that cover the ISO 95+ panels, followed by gravel or rocks used to weigh the EPDM down so it does not shift or blow away with the wind. While ISO 95+ insulation panels and the EPDM will burn, they are not nearly as flammable as the various chemical compounds used to connect the sections of EPDM membrane to one another. And it is those chemicals that Mohler, Maddox and a host of other building officials believe ignited Harne, because according to Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) code “flame spread” scales, the ISO 95+ panels are less flammable than wood. “[The panels] have a flame spread of 25,” said Mohler. “That’s not as high as dry wood, which is rated at 100. “Asbestos is rated at zero,” Mohler noted. With a flame spread of 25, the ISO 95+ insulation qualifies as a Class I material, which encompasses the least flammable materials available. By contrast, untreated wood is a Class III material, which makes it among the most flammable materials in use. Class III materials have a flame spread ranging from 76 to 200 while Class II materials range from 26 to 75. However, the adhesive chemicals present on the roof are very flammable, according to the Material Safety Data Sheets that accompany the products. Firestone Bonding Adhesive BA-2004 contains acetone, toluene, and xylene, all of which are flammable, while Firestone Lap Seam Sealant LS-3029A-1 contains naphtha, a flammable ingredient that is also used as cigarette-lighter fuel and in barbecue-lighter fluid. While the roofing adhesives are flammable, Mohler said once the roof is installed they will no longer be present at the construction site. As for the burned area, engineers for the school system and Tucon have already evaluated the damage and steps are being taken to repair it. “We’re replacing seven bar joists,” said Mohler. “It’s quicker to replace them then to mess with cleaning and repainting them.” In addition, two layers, or courses, of cinder blocks at the top of a nearby wall are also being replaced. In the meantime, construction of Frances Reid is still proceeding on other areas of the project. Attempts were made to reach the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office for comment.

Worker burned in job-site accident
Jodie Sinnema The Edmonton Journal Friday, April 25, 2003
EDMONTON – A 29-year-old man suffered second-degree burns to 80 to 90 per cent of his body after an explosion shook a new residential development in southwest Edmonton Thursday afternoon. The man worked for a flooring company and was skinning linoleum in a new house south of Ellerslie Road near 119th Street. He was using a flammable solvent to take out linoleum, which was the wrong colour and needed to be replaced. Fire investigators said the vapours came in contact with the furnace duct in the basement and started the fire in a flash explosion. Damage is estimated at $150,000. One of the man’s employers was nearby when the blast occurred and called the man on his cell. “I beeped him as a joke to say ‘Did you blow up the house?’ But he didn’t answer,” she said, visibly upset as she stood outside the house, slated to be finished by month’s end. “I guess the joke was on me. … We hope he’s OK.” Emergency crews got the call at around 4:15 p.m. and could see smoke rising in the sky from about one kilometre away, fire captain Lorne Sherstobitoff said. “It flashed and the main floor and part of the upstairs was involved with fire,” Sherstobitoff said. “All of the vents were blown out or twisted and by the time we got here, the man was lying in front of the double doors of the garage.” The man was the only person in the house. “It’s a very serious fire because of the explosion and if anyone else was in there, they would have been hurt very badly as well.” Sherstobitoff said all the house windows were closed, but while that may have contained the fire, it may also have slowed the ventilation of the fumes. Supt. Rod Homeniuk of EMS operations said the man is in critical condition and is being treated at the burn unit at the University of Alberta Hospital. “It’s potentially life-threatening,” Homeniuk said. Cara Yager, who lives across the street, said she knew it was serious when she saw the 29-year-old on fire in the garage. “He was burning head to foot,” said Yager, who immediately called for help. She said his hair was burned off, as were most of his clothes. All that was left were his socks, his shin pads and his leather work belt. Neighbour Brad Melnyk came running with a jug of water to pour on the burning man. When flames continued to burn the garage, Melnyk used his garden hose to douse the fire. “It was a little unsettling,” Melnyk said. He had just taken possession of his house on Wednesday and was getting ready to move in on the weekend. “Hell of a welcome to the neighbourhood.” Yager said the man was conscious the entire time and said his name was Spencer. To keep him calm, she asked him details about his past and reassured him. “It’s a scary thing to have happen,” Yager said. “It’s horrible. He’s a young guy, so hopefully, he’ll heal quickly.” 

Lincoln church suffers damage after morning fire
BY WIL SHANE Northwest Arkansas Times Thursday, April 24, 2003
Roofers working on a church in Lincoln on Wednesday accidentally started a fire that ripped through the building, causing extensive damage, and rekindling the pastor’s memories of another church fire over a decade earlier. Rev. Jerry Mizell, pastor of the First Assembly of God Church, said the fire started at about 10 a.m. when roofers were applying a product called Torch On. The material is heated and rolled over roofs to seal leaks. “The heat caught a bird’s nest on fire and it spread through the attic and ceiling,” Mizell said. The pastor was dubbing cassette tapes from an Easter Cantata in the church when he smelled smoke, he explained. “I went up on the roof and talked with the roofers, but everything looked fine,” Mizell said. “So I came back down and went back to dubbing tapes.” A few minutes later, Mizell heard “a yelling, panicked sound” coming from outside. “I thought someone had fallen off the roof and hurt themselves,” Mizell said. As he was coming out of the Fellowship Hall’s back door, Mizell was met by one of the roofers, who said there was a fire. “I called 911 and started carrying out what I could,” Mizell said. He managed to save several musical instruments including keyboards, a drum set, some microphones, a Peavy bass guitar and a Takeminie acoustic guitar. A crew from the Prairie Grove Fire Department was first on the scene and a crew from the Lincoln department arrived later. When asked why the Lincoln department, which is stationed within a half mile of the church, didn’t arrive first, Mizell declined to comment. “We’re fully insured so we’re not too worried,” he said. “These things happen.” It happened to Mizell once before in 1990 when he was the pastor of an Assembly of God Church in Barling. During a remodeling project, that church burned completely to the ground, he said. “The police woke us up at 6:30 a.m. and told us the church was on fire,” Mizell recalled. Mizell’s wife, Sue Mizell, said this latest fire was much less serious than the earlier blaze. “We couldn’t rebuild the church in Barling, but we’ll be able to fix this one,” she said. “In the other fire, we lost everything, even Jerry’s library.” No cause was ever determined in the earlier fire, she added. Other than “a little smoke inhalation” incurred during his efforts to retrieve the musical instruments, Mizell suffered no injuries in the incident, he said. EMT T. J. Howerton, stationed at the Lincoln department, said most of the fire damage was in the ceiling. “When we got there, it was mostly contained in the back and in the roof,” he said. “It moved all the way through the attic and caused some pretty extensive damage.” Howerton said it was pretty clear what started the fire, but said he would make no official comment on the case until an investigation is completed. Mizell said he will meet with representatives from the church’s insurance carrier today to determine a damage estimate and to see how long it will be before the repairs can be completed. 

UPDATE Fatal fall at Fairmount accidental 
STEVE HORRELL , Of the Intelligencer 04/25/2003 
The death of a 26-year-old man who stepped off the edge of the grandstand roof at Fairmount Park Raceway and fell 30 feet to the sidewalk was ruled an accident Wednesday by a Madison County coroner’s jury. Marty Nesbitt, of St. Louis, died on the afternoon of March 15 as he measured a part of the northeast corner of the grandstand roof at the raceway in Collinsville. He had been working for the EZJ Construction Co., of Salem, Mo., along with eight other workers who were measuring the roof and laying PVC pipe. Six of the roofers were on a nearby section as Nesbitt and another man were working together. Nesbitt’s partner told Collinsville Police Detective Rich Wittenauer that just before the accident, Nesbitt had grabbed one end of the tape and walked to the edge of the roof, about 50 feet away. “He said he noticed the tape coming toward him and Marty was no longer there,” Wittenauer testified. None of the workers say they saw Nesbitt fall. Wittenauer investigated the scene and said he noticed what appeared to e handprints at the edge of the roof which Nesbitt grabbed in a futile attempt to save himself. His body was found prone on the asphalt sidewalk below. Later, Wittenauer interviewed Larry Gill, a foreman for EZJ, who confirmed that Nesbitt was not wearing a safety harness at the time. Nesbitt had not been working close enough to the edge for the company to consider using a monitor who could have warned him when he got too close to the edge, Gill told Wittenauer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death to determine whether a monitor should have been used. Nesbitt began working for EZJ six months ago after his release from the military. A toxicology test showed no alcohol in Nesbitt’s system. Madison County Deputy Coroner Ralph Baahlmann said that at some point prior to the accident Nesbitt had used marijuana and that he may have been under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident. 

Construction worker crushed by equipment 
04/25/03
A construction worker died yesterday after he was crushed by equipment while working on the Harvard-Denison Bridge, which crosses Ohio 176 in south Cleveland, police reported. The man, whose name was not available while police tried to notify relatives, died at the scene. He was working underneath the raised hydraulic bed of a machine that vacuums concrete when the bed collapsed on him at 6 p.m., police said. Police suspect the man accidentally kicked a lever that released the bed.

Downtown traffic accident
JACKSONVILLE, FL (Downtown) — Emergency crews, fire trucks and police cars are lining a downtown-area street after a traffic accident Thursday before 5pm. Some construction workers were putting out cones when the accident occurred. It happened on the main street ramp to I-95 south just south of the Main Street Bridge. A detective in a JSO homocide van crashed into the rear of a work crew truck that was picking up cones. He was taken to the hospital with broken legs. 

Plumbing subcontractor rescued from trench
By JENNIFER DONATELLI Staff Writer
A Glen Burnie man was trapped for about three hours yesterday when a trench he was helping to dig in north county partially collapsed. Antonio Loverde, 23, a subcontractor for Linthicum Plumbing, was pulled from the hole after a coordinated effort by scores of emergency workers who flocked to the scene. Mr. Loverde was taken to the Shock-Trauma Center at University Hospital in Baltimore as a precaution. He was in fair condition this morning. Paramedics said he suffered injuries to his right hip, thigh and ankle. He also sustained injuries related to the compression in the trench and exposure to the cold, said Division Chief John Scholz, a county Fire Department spokesman. Despite yesterday’s relatively warm weather, moisture in the soil could have caused hypothermia. Mr. Loverde and Chris Milan, who both work for Suburban Contracting Co. of Kingsville, were repairing the sewer line at the home of Jennifer and Jeff Hodges at 311 Cheddington Road in Linthicum. They had dug a trench measuring 16 feet long, 4 or 5 feet wide and 8 feet deep in some parts, and had removed the shoring to find the gas line when it collapsed, Mr. Milan said. “We walked to the edge of the hole to see what our next move was and the bank gave way,” he said. Linthicum Plumbing owner Timothy Young said this was the first time something like this has happened in his company’s history. The workers followed all the procedures for inserting shoring, or a trench box, in the hole, he said. Firefighters and paramedics from Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, as well as the Howard County Special Operations Unit, the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration and surgeons from Shock-Trauma’s Go Team arrived to help Mr. Loverde, who was trapped up to his thighs and was conscious. Rescue personnel inserted large boards into the trench to shore up the walls. Emergency personnel blocked off Cheddington Road because they were concerned about vehicles causing vibrations and disrupting the trench more, Chief Scholz said. With darkening clouds and sporadic rain, they also were concerned about any moisture that could have hindered the rescue, he said. Rescuers also pumped heat into the trench – moisture in the soil could have caused hypothermia – and oxygen to help Mr. Loverde breathe and an intravenous line, Chief Scholz said. Mr. Loverde also was at risk for crush syndrome, which Chief Scholz described as what happens when toxins build up because of a lack of circulation. When the circulation returns suddenly, septic contaminants could course through the body rapidly, he said. Mr. Loverde’s fiancee, Kristina Miller, and his brother, Phil, looked on anxiously as rescue efforts progressed. “I’m just hoping he’s all right,” Ms. Miller said. Rescuers finally pulled him out using a basket at 4:50 p.m., to the applause of dozens of residents of Crestwood, a neighborhood of about 200 homes. OSHA officials will handle the investigation of what happened. 

Fire damages Greece church
Patrick Flanigan Democrat and Chronicle 
(April 24, 2003) — GREECE — A Greece church was damaged by fire Wednesday, but the church’s pastor does not expect any interruptions to today’s scheduled services. “The damage was isolated to one room off the front vestibule,” said the Rev. John Forni, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church on West Ridge Road. “We’ll do a little cleanup and be back in business.” Bud Phillips, chief of the Greece Ridge Fire Department, said the fire was reported at 10:30 a.m. and under control within 20 minutes. It was ignited accidentally by contractors from Alliance Door & Hardware Inc. who were using an oxygen acetylene torch to replace a window in a meeting room on the west side of the building. The fire spread to the ceiling and wall. Firefighters had to break into the wall from the outside to attack the blaze. “You could hear it moving through the wall when we got here,” Phillips said of the fire. Lou Bivone, owner of Alliance Door & Hardware, said a spark from the torch got into the ceiling. The torch was opeated by a two-person crew — one who works the torch, and one who reacts in case of a fire. The crew members immediately called 911 and began battling the flames with extinguishers when the fire started, said Bivone, who noted fire-resistant blankets had been placed on the floor to keep sparks from igniting the carpet. “They did everything they were supposed to do,” Bivone said of his crew. “It’s just unfortunate that a spark went in the wrong place. This hasn’t happened in the 25 years I’ve owned the company.” Bivone said he expects his company’s insurance policies to cover the cost of the repairs. Forni said he did not know how long it would take to completely repair the damage but said the timing of the fire could have been worse. “Better this week than last week,” he said, referring to Holy Week, which precedes Easter Sunday and is one of the most active weeks on the Catholic calendar. St. John the Evangelist is the home parish for about 2,700 families. A Communion service is set today for 6:25 a.m. and a Mass for 8:15 a.m. To learn whether schedules have changed, call (585) 225-8980.

Gas leak forces elementary school evacuation
By JEANNA CUNY , Staff writer 04/23/2003 
About 750 students from Wyatt Elementary School at 8900 Coit Road were evacuated Tuesday morning after a gas leak in the area. ‘The kids looked on it as an adventure and we made the best of it,” Principal Nancy Roberts said. “I think our system worked quite well in keeping all the kids safe. That’s our No. 1 priority.” Plano Fire Department officials received a report of a gas odor at 10:02 a.m. The leak occurred when workers damaged a 3-inch gas main on the southwest corner of McDermott and Gifford, while doing construction work on the McDermott Road Church of Christ building, 200 yards east of Wyatt Elementary, she said. Officials with the Oncor gas company were notified of the damage and were on the scene to repair the line. “When our crews went to the school, Plano ISD maintenance officials had already initiated evacuation of the school,” said Fire Department spokeswoman Monique Cardwell. s a precautionary measure, elementary school students, teachers, parents and administrators walked to Rice Middle School at 8500 Gifford until the area was declared safe at 11:17 a.m., she said. No other buildings were evacuated as a result of the accident, Cardwell said. Students returned to class about 12:30 p.m., district spokeswoman Nancy Long said. 

Blazing bitumen sets fire to roofs
Apr 23, 2003, 13:42:00
Workmen accidentally set fire to a roof they were repairing at a bungalow in Staffordshire when hot bitumen ignited. Within minutes flames spread from the garage roof to the house and a conservatory, causing damage running into thousands. The occupants were out at the time. Fire crews had to break in to rescue two dogs. It happened in Sunningdale Drive, Kingston Hill, Stafford, yesterday when a gas bottle became detached from a blow-torch and ignited the bitumen. Within seconds the men were faced with fierce flames and raised the alarm. The flames whipped across the bungalow roof and damaged the conservatory at the rear. Stafford fire service sub-officer Ian Jones said: “The flames spread very quickly but luckily no-one was hurt and we forced entry into the bungalow to get the dogs out. “It would appear the men had no extinguishing materials to hand, such as a small bucket of water, and we would urge anyone carrying out similar jobs and using such inflammatory material to think twice about safety precautions. “However, the men did the right thing in dialling 999 and not trying to tackle the blaze themselves.” The conservatory was worst hit and the garage and bungalow roofs were also damaged.

UPDATE Firm fined £8,000 over near escape
by ALISON BELLAMY 
A CONSTRUCTION company was fined £8,000 after a dumper truck overturned on a building site in Leeds. A man driving the truck escaped uninjured. Morrison Construction admitted putting labourer Anthony Mongey at risk during work at Headingley Water Treatment Work on May 16 last year. The city magistrates were told that Mr Mongey, 59, was working as a sub-contractor for the national company, which was building a concrete water tank at Yorkshire Water’s site at Otley Road. The work was being carried out in partnership with Earth-Tech Engineering. Mr Mongey drove the eight-tonne truck on a one- in-four gradient, a manoeuvre that was against safety advice. It overturned. He was taken to the accident and emergency department at Leeds General Infirmary but was uninjured and returned to work four hours later. Sarah Hague, HM inspector for Health and Safety, said: “There was certainly potential for a fatal accident here. Dumpers on gradient feature prominently on accidents of this sort. “The company has co-operated fully with the HSE investigation.” Paul Burnley, for Morrison Construction, which has 100 sites nationally and employs 1,900 people plus 200 sub-contractors, said: “Mr Mongey, who has 40 years’ experience in the construction industry, was unscratched. Although a sub-contractor, he had been on a full induction course. “Despite safety training , procedures were not followed. “The company was obviously shocked at what happened. An internal investigation was held and this incident is now used in training sessions.” The firm was also ordered to pay £1,409 costs. 

Gas explosion levels home, Nicor employee injured
April 23, 2003 — A construction accident in Blue Island led to an explosion that destroyed one home and damaged at least two others. There are reports that one person was injured. Officials say Nicor was called to the scene after workers struck a gas line in the area. The explosion occurred just after they arrived in the 3100-block of 141st Street in Blue Island. A Nicor worker was reportedly injured in the explosion. His condition is not known at this time.

Expatriate falls to death from crane in Hulhumale 
Tuesday, 22 April 2003 
MALE, April 22 (HNS) – An expatriate worker from Thailand died Monday after falling from a crane in Hulhumale. The accident occurred around 11:00am in the mega-island that is being reclaimed in the lagoon of Hulhule which houses the Male International Airport. The Thai expatriate was a worker involved in road construction in Hulhumale, according to officials. Road construction in Hulhumale is subcontracted to the Thai company, Italian-Thai Developers Public Limited. The private ADK Hospital in Male, where the injured man was taken to be treated, pronounced him dead on arrival. A witness told Haveeru that the man received severe injuries to his head when he fell and that blood gushed out of his ears. “He immediately lost his consciousness. There was blood everywhere on the boat” in which he was brought to Male, the witness told Haveeru. It is not established how high the crane was, on whose top the expatriate was working when he fell. 

Gas leak causes evacuation 
BY MARY JANE FARMER AND JOYCE GODWIN HERALD DEMOCRAT
As gas fumes spewed out of rubble at a demolition site at Grayson County Airport Monday afternoon, construction workers, first response officials and evacuated occupants of two nearby buildings remained calm in the sunshine waiting for the all-clear. Wendell Williams, with Grayson County College, said a demolition crew was working off a survey of the area that was completed about a week ago. As they drove heavy equipment across a building, they struck a capped service riser which had not shown up in the survey. Williams said the crew hit a wall and the above-the-ground riser. Oncor official Martha Dorman said when the wall came down, it knocked the riser off and let gas escape. As the drama played out, gas visibly spewed into the air. Grayson County Airport fire trucks and police took precautions to reduce the risk of explosion. Within minutes, the Grayson County College cosmetology center was evacuated and the Juvenile Detention Center also got the word to move out. JDC officials vacated the eastern-most building, which houses the probation department and the detention center, and moved everyone over to the Boot Camp side of the complex. Director Bill Bristow said the evacuation was handled calmly and orderly. Grayson County College’s cosmetology class was in progress with about 60 students working and several clients having work done to their hair and nails, all of whom were sent outside for safety. Some of the nail work continued on the outside as others waited on hair permanents to set. Dorman said it took Oncor crew members about an hour to find the line feeding the gas. They cut off the valve, plugged the line and, said Dorman, the risers are now abandoned and removed. “We always tell our customers, and it’s our policy, to ‘call before you dig.’ That’s also Texas law,” Dorman said. “This is for everybody’s safety, so there won’t be problems (such as Monday’s gas leak).”

Man Killed At Fairfax Construction Site 
Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Liz Foreman 4/21/03 12:08:59 PM 
A man has been killed in an accident at a construction site on Red Bank Road and Fair Lane in Fairfax. Police said the man was digging a trench around 11 a.m. Monday when he was hit by a 2,000 pound steel plate being handled by a crane operator. An Air Care helicopter quickly arrived on the scene but there was nothing emergency crews could do to save the man’s life. The victim’s name has not yet been released. 

Crane falls on Wal-Mart roof; store is closed
JIM STERN, Gazette Staff Writer April 18, 2003 
RAYNHAM — A construction crane toppled onto an addition of Wal-Mart, severely damaging store infrastructure and forcing the indefinite closure of the mega department store yesterday. No one was injured and the cause of the accident is being debated by various officials. Fire Department officials said a crane being used to load a heating and air conditioning unit onto the roof of the new Super Wal-Mart fell forward shortly after 4:30 p.m. yesterday. The 100-ton crane severely damaged rooftop support beams, a back wall, gas pipes and electrical lines inside the store, Building Inspector Rodman Palmer said. Palmer said the store will remain closed until a structural engineer determines the building to be sound. Construction officials on scene declined to comment yesterday. Lettering on the fallen crane read “Astro Crane,” of Stow. An official cause of the collapse was being debated last night. Fire Lt. James Januse said officials from Astro Crane said a strong wind gust knocked the crane over. Several fire officials said they were skeptical of the explanation, as fire sources said they did not believe the wind was strong enough to push over a 100-ton piece of machinery. Palmer said he was led to believe from interviews and personal observations the jib on the crane extended to far low and back, causing the mechanical crane to drop and the back end of the crane to fall forward. The store was closed for the remainder of the day and Palmer said it was uncertain when the store would re-open. As of 9 p.m., yesterday, a Wal-Mart hired engineer was traveling from Arkansas to study the damage at the store. Palmer said a store construction crew would be working overnight. The State Department of Public Safety and Special Operations were on scene last night. Inspector Paul Wakem declined to answer any questions from reporters. The accident scene created heavy interest among onlookers. Two hours after the crane had fallen, more than 50 people had gathered at the scene. Many carried binoculars and video recorders. One family sat in lawn chairs. 

UPDATE OSHA Cites Florida Contractors for Exposing Workers To Fall Hazards That Led to Fatal Accident
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited two contractors for failing to protect workers from fall hazards at a Jensen Beach job site. The agency issued citations, with proposed penalties totaling $158,500, to Continental Painting, Waterproofing & Restoration, Inc., and one citation, with a proposed penalty of $2,500, to Safway Steel Products, Inc. Continental employees were replacing balconies and restoring the exterior stucco of two ten-story condominium buildings on South Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, when the fatal accident occurred. Safway Steel provided the scaffolding systems for the project. On Oct. 17, in preparation for the installation of balcony rails, a Continental employee was drilling holes in the new concrete floor of a balcony when he fell seven stories to the ground. He died later that day at a trauma center. “OSHA’s safety standards for fall protection are designed to prevent a tragedy such as this,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “We are proposing the maximum penalties in this case, because Continental has been cited in the past for similar violations.” According to Luis Santiago, OSHA’s area director in Ft. Lauderdale, the agency issued five repeat citations to Hollywood-based Continenal Painting, Waterproofing & Restoration. One, directly related to the accident, carries a proposed penalty of $35,000 for failing to provide workers with proper fall protection equipment. The others, each with a proposed penalty of $25,000, cited the company’s failure to provide workers with appropriate personal protective equipment and scaffolding with proper fall arrest systems and guardrails. A repeat citation is issued when a company has been cited previously for a substantially similar condition and the citation has become a final order of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The company received citations for other alleged serious safety violations, with $23,500 in proposed penalties. Safway Steel Products, Inc., received a serious citation, with a proposed penalty of $2,500, for failing to properly install the suspension scaffolds. OSHA issues a serious citation when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which an employer knew or should have known. The companies have 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection of the work site was conducted by OSHA’s Ft. Lauderdale office at the Jacaranda Executive Court, 8040 Peters Rd., Bldg. H-100; phone: (954) 424-0242. 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 .

UPDATE Argonaut to open in August; Fire had delayed hotel’s premiere for more than a year 
George Raine, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, April 10, 2003 San Francisco Chronicle 
The opening of the Argonaut Hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf, delayed for more than a year because of a fire at the construction site, is now planned for August, its developer said Wednesday. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants of San Francisco, of course, is opening the hotel in the midst of an anemic economy. Hotel performance has been on a downward spiral nationwide during the past two years, putting a strain on the ability of many property managers and owners to cover expenses, noted the hospitality research group PKF Consulting. However, Gary Carr of the San Francisco PKF office noted that Fisherman’s Wharf hotels have higher occupancy rates than the rest of the city — 72.8 percent for 2002 compared with 65.4 percent for the whole of San Francisco. Even in the off month of January, wharf hotels had a rate of 57.6 percent compared with 53.3 percent overall, Carr said. Moreover, PKF expects an upturn in the hotel business and economy in general in the second half of this year, “and by that time the hotel will be up and running and that should coincide nicely for them,” he said. The hotel is housed in the 96-year-old Haslett Warehouse, which early in the last century was the largest fruit and vegetable cannery in the world. Construction of the hotel was in an early phase on the night of March 16, 2002, when a five-alarm fire damaged the fourth floor and destroyed the roof of the historic warehouse — vacant since the 1980s — at Jefferson and Hyde streets near the Hyde Street cable-car turnaround. The San Francisco Fire Department concluded the fire was a construction job accident, the source a welding operation. Damage was estimated at $5 million. The 198,000-square-foot Haslett Warehouse is owned by the National Park Service and is leased to Kimpton, which is creating the 252-room boutique hotel in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park at Fisherman’s Wharf. Accordingly, Kimpton said Wednesday, there will be a nautical atmosphere at the Argonaut Hotel — wooden plank floors and portholes in the lobby walls, for example. Brass telescopes will be placed in suites for guests to track ships in the bay. The new hotel’s ground floor will include the maritime park’s new visitor center, and Kimpton said rent it pays will be used to help preserve the park’s historic ships — the Balclutha, C.A. Thayer, Hercules and Eureka, at Hyde Street Pier. The developer of the $40 million project is Maritime Hotel Associates LP, an affiliate of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Kimpton’s pattern is to couple its boutique hotels with a restaurant, and adjacent to the Argonaut will be the 134-seat Blue Mermaid Chowder House, designed by Robert Puccini Design and Development of San Francisco. The warehouse fire and its aftermath caused major difficulties for tenants of the Cannery, said Chris Martin, president of Cannery Properties LLC. “It has meant dirt, noise, impact to sidewalks and streets and, obviously, we look forward to the opening of the hotel,” Martin said. He said he expects the opening to coincide with an upward movement in the economic cycle. “You want to hit it on the way up,” and the hotel, at the high end of wharf hotels, will be well positioned, said Martin. Jim Whelan, executive vice president of Kimpton Hotels, said, “This is a world-class city and Aquatic Park is a world-class destination. People will always come back to San Francisco. We expect them to come back to San Francisco when the current tumult subsides.” The four-story, timber-and-brick Haslett Warehouse was built between 1907 and 1909 by the California Fruit Canners Association. After its service as a cannery it changed hands several times and, in 1978, was transferred to the National Park Service. It was later included in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, which was established in 1988. The City of San Francisco declared the Haslett Warehouse a historic landmark in 1974. 

Battle to save man trapped in mud 
Emergency services are battling to rescue a workman trapped in 6ft of mud after a trench collapsed on him. The man, in his 50s, had climbed into the trench he and colleagues had been digging only for the sides to fall in, Gwent Police said. “The sides appear to have collapsed on him, burying him in a depth of 6ft of mud,” a spokesman added. About 30 firefighters are at the scene in Malthouse Road, Llantarnam, Cwmbran, and an ambulance is standing by to take the man to hospital if necessary. The man was working for Bristol-based contractors MJ O’Connor Ltd when the accident happened shortly after 4pm. Firefighters began trying to extricate him shortly before 6pm.

Trench collapse kills construction worker 
09/04/2003 – 12:17:31 pm 
An Italian man has died after a trench collapsed on top of him at a construction site near Ennis, Co Clare, this morning. The man was working on a Bord Gais pipeline in Clarecastle at the time of the accident. Health and safety officials have been notified and gardai are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. 

UPDATE Accident will not delay construction; Two workers recover from injuries from last Thursday’s mishap at Emmet Street garage site
Mary Pumphrey Cavalier Daily Associate Editor 
Despite last Thursday’s accident at the Emmet Street parking garage construction site, facilities management officials said the project is proceeding in a timely manner. They also have determined the workers were correctly following safety guidelines when the accident occurred. Two construction workers sustained injuries when the concrete slab they were standing on fell 11 feet. Both were taken to the University Medical Center, treated and subsequently released within a day. “One guy was back at work the same night” after being treated for a sprained wrist, Project Superintendent Mike Dilley said. The other worker, who tore a ligament in his back, was released from the Medical Center at noon the next day. He is expected to return to work early next week, Dilley said. Site officials said they were grateful the accident had not caused more damage. “It could have been worse — it was a 56,000 pound piece of concrete that fell 11 feet,” Dilley said. The accident initially raised questions as to whether appropriate safety precautions had been taken at the site. “My understanding is that they were following the established procedure,” said David Sweet, University facilities management senior project manager. The accident did, however, cause the involved contracting company to reevaluate their safety guidelines, Sweet said. “Since the accident, the company has added to their procedure to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” he said. The accident occurred because a concrete slab, which had been placed in the structure, had not been properly welded. When workers attempted to move a second concrete slab into place, they caused the first concrete slab to shift sideways and then to fall, Project Manager Kurt Weinfurther said. “It’s as simple as someone forgetting to make a weld,” he said. “In this instance, the weld was not in place prior to” the slab being moved into place. Workers now will be required to securely weld pieces of concrete that they have placed in the structure before they attempt to move other pieces into place, Sweet said. Officials expect the garage, which will accommodate 1,200 vehicles, will be completed by Sept. 25, 2003. While the project currently is running slightly behind schedule, it is still expected to meet its anticipated opening date. “I think it’s going very well and is very close to being on schedule,” Sweet said. The project experienced repeated delays last semester, when the Lewis Mountain Road Neighborhood Association protested the construction of the garage. The association asserted that the increased traffic flow to the garagecould lead to a reduced quality of life for neighborhood residents. Students living in the area also may be adversely affected by increased traffic flow. Second-year College student Anne Deady, who plans to live in the International Residential College next year, adjacent to the Ivy-Emmet intersection, said she fears the traffic increase that could result from the project will produce a noisy environment for IRC residents. Despite these misgivings, Deady said she likely will take advantage of the structure’s proximity. “I’m actually really excited,” she said. “Right now I have a parking pass at the Cavalier Inn and its really expensive because I don’t want to walk all the way to U-Hall in the dark by myself.” 

UPDATE Contractor Acquitted Of Manslaughter
By Karen Freifeld Staff Writer April 8, 2003, 9:59 PM EDT
A Manhattan jury Tuesday night acquitted a contractor of manslaughter charges in the death of a day laborer in an Upper East Side construction accident, but found the contractor guilty of reckless endangerment for an unsafe worksite. Shukun “Michael” Tam, 49, owner of Tamco Corp., was found not guilty of manslaughter in the second-degree for the death of Antonio Romano, 40, an undocumented worker who died when an unfinished floor at 33 East 61st St. loaded with hundreds of 64-pound cinder blocks gave way on May 16, 2002. The contractor also was found not guilty of assault for the injuries to three other day laborers in the collapse. Though it is unusual to bring criminal charges under such circumstances, prosecutors had argued that Tam “consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death and serious physical injury when he ordered 28,000 pounds of cinder blocks to be stored on the top floor of 33 East 61st Street,” as Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Daniel Cort told jurors in his summation. Prosecutors claimed Tam wanted the cinderblocks off the sidewalk out of greed. During the trial, Cheung Keat “Ken” Ai, 33, Tam’s foreman, had testified Tam told him to move them so union officials wouldn’t see the load and demand he hire higher-paid union workers or erect an inflatable raft at the site. Many of Tam’s workers were undocumented Mexicans like Romano who were paid $55 a day. Ai, 33, a Malaysian immigrant with no construction experience before he came to New York in 2001, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month with the promise of 1 to 6 years in prison in exchange for testifying against Tam. But jurors said they were not convinced that Tam consciously knew there was a substantial risk to loading the blocks on the unfinished floor. “There was just too much doubt … [that Tam] was definitely aware of the risk,” said juror Vicki Donner, a photographer, after the verdict about 6 p.m. last night, following more than six hours of deliberations. Tam, who could have received up to 15 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter, faces up to one year in jail and $1,000 fine and could receive as little as probation. State Supreme Court Justice John Bradley set sentencing for May 20. Juror Sean Reilley, 29, a consultant, said the jury convicted Tam of the reckless endangerment because “there was a public safety concern,” pointing out that no scaffolding had been put up, and that there were no guard rails. The workers also did not have hard hats or safety harnesses. Defense attorney Barry Turner was satisfied with the jury’s verdict. “I think it was a fair verdict and reflected their being upset with the general nature of the worksite,” he said. Tam had no comment, but his daughter, Irene, said, “I’m relieved.” 

UPDATE OWSJ Supplies Ltd. fined $50,000 for health and safety violation
TORONTO, April 8 /CNW/ – OWSJ Supplies Ltd., a Mississauga, Ont.-based supplier of structural steel for industrial buildings, was fined $50,000 on April 4, 2003 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in injuries to two workers at a construction site in Toronto’s north end. On December 22, 1999, two ironworkers were positioning roof decking on top of a steel structure when a section of the structure collapsed. The first worker fell about 12 metres (40 feet) to the ground while the other was able to hang on to a bundle of decking that was being placed on the roof by a mobile crane. The first worker suffered serious injuries, including fractured and broken bones and internal and external bruising. The second worker received minor injuries after being lowered to the ground by the crane operator. A Ministry of Labour investigation found the workers were wearing full body harnesses equipped with lanyard (a connecting line from the harness to an anchor to protect the workers against falls), but their lanyards were not tied to anything. The incident occurred on Fenmar Drive in the Weston Road- Finch Avenue West area of Toronto, where an industrial building was being constructed. Following a trial, OWSJ Supplies Ltd. was found guilty, as an employer, of failing to ensure the workers wore a fall arrest system in a situation where they could fall a distance of more than three metres (10 feet), as required by Section 26(1)(a) of the Regulations for Construction Projects. This was contrary to Section 25(1)(c) of the act. The fine was levied by Justice of the Peace Gary Miller of the Ontario Court of Justice at Old City Hall in Toronto. In addition, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. 

UPDATE Company Cited For Alleged Willful Violation In Trench Collapse Federal OSHA issues citations for cave-in that buried workers
SAN FRANCISCO — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Lompoc-based excavation company for serious and willful violations of federal safety standards following an investigation into the death of an employee when a trench collapsed. R. Williams Construction Company received three citations dated March 17, 2003, that carry proposed penalties of $91,000, for violating federal laws which require specific precautions to prevent cave-ins. The federal OSHA investigation of R. Williams was prompted by the Sept. 19, 2002 death of an employee working at the Chumash Casino Project near Santa Ynez. The employee was working at the bottom of a 70-foot long, ten-foot deep trench being prepared for a new sewer line. The employee and a co-worker were buried when the trench collapsed on top of them. The co-worker was rescued quickly, and survived with serious injuries. The violations are particularly egregious because the employer was hired based upon its expertise with underground construction. “OSHA excavation and trenching standards clearly state what safeguards must be in place to protect workers in this type of construction,” said Chris Lee, OSHA deputy regional administrator in San Francisco. “This employer knowingly placed workers at significant risk by failing to take the most basic precautions against trench collapse.” According to OSHA investigators, several workers claimed the employer asked them to sign a statement that they had received training in trenching work when, in fact, they had not. The workers also reported that the statement was in English although some employees, including the injured employee, could not speak, read or write English. R Williams received a citation for one alleged willful violation, with penalties of $70,000, for failing to comply with requirements that trench walls be sloped at an angle of no more than 34 degrees. According to OSHA investigators, the trench that failed had vertical walls from the bottom of the excavation to a height of about five feet, and then sloped back from the trench at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The company received a citation for three alleged serious violations, with fines of $7,000 each. The alleged serious violations were failure to provide a stairway, ramp or other means of escape; failure to have a qualified person inspect the excavation and all protective systems on an ongoing basis during the work shift; and for not instructing employees in how to spot and avoid unsafe conditions in the hazardous excavation environment. R. Williams also received a citation for a single violation, without penalty, for failing to protect workers from being injured by lose rock or soil falling into the excavation. The company 15 working days from the date of the citations to submit an appeal. OSHA 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.

Construction worker dies in fall from Holt bridge
The Associated Press
Police identified a Tuscaloosa construction worker who fell to his death last week while working on the Eastern Bypass bridge in Holt. Otis Morrow, 46, fell 100 feet to his death Friday after stepping onto an unsecured piece of metal being placed by other workers on top of the bridge, police said Monday. Authorities had withheld Morrow’s name until his family had been notified. “It appears to be accidental,” said Tuscaloosa police Lt. Loyd Baker. “It’s still under investigation with our department.” Morrow is the second man to die while working on the bypass bridge. Bobby L. Wade Sr. of Moundville fell and died in October 2001. Wade and Morrow both were employees of R.R. Dawson Bridge Co. of Bessemer, which is building the bridge for the Alabama Department of Transportation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for unsafe working conditions after investigating Wade’s death. The agency said employees on the bypass bridge project were not properly trained for potential fall hazards. Information from: The Tuscaloosa News

Addison man killed in crash identified 
By Beth Sneller Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted April 07, 2003 
Police have released the identity of the construction worker killed over the weekend after being hit by a car while working along Interstate 57 near 159th Street. David Swiderski, 31, of Addison died in the accident, Illinois State Police said Sunday. One other construction worker and the driver of the car remained hospitalized Sunday. The accident occurred at about 2:40 p.m. Saturday when a car driven by Theodore Montgomery, 65, of the 1600 block of East 74th Place in Chicago, swerved into a construction zone, police said. Another construction worker, Carl Tesinski, 26, of the 5600 block of South Melvina Ave. in Chicago, also was injured in the accident and brought to St. Francis Hospital in Blue Island. Hospital officials listed him in fair condition Sunday. Montgomery told police he blacked out and lost control of his car. He was brought to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn and remained in good condition there Sunday, hospital officials said. Montgomery was ticketed for improper lane usage and driving without insurance, said Master Sgt. Wayne Winterberg. After an accident investigation and toxicology report, police will determine whether any further charges will be filed.