Details

Parent Category: Incident Alert Archives

Category: Confined Space Accidents

Published: 03 September 2010

Confined Space Accidents #5

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

CONFINED SPACE RESCUE - ENGULFMENT Firefighters Rescue Man Trapped in Grain Bin (a man spent nearly five hours up to his neck in soybeans after a workplace accident left him trapped in a grain bin - the 21-year-old worker and another co-worker were trying to unclog an auger in a grain bin when the hill of soybeans shifted and he was nearly swallowed - firefighters had to cut three holes in the back of the grain bin to let out some of the soybeans and relieve some of the pressure)

Tank explosion at Taiyo Oil Japan refinery kills 2 (a storage tank explosion at an oil refinery in western Japan killed five workers - the tank, used to store crude oil at the company's 120,000 barrels per day refinery - the fire was extinguished about 10 minutes later - the tank was empty and workers were cleaning it when it caught fire - seven people were caught in the explosion - five were killed and two were injured and taken to hospital)

UPDATE Sewer company fined nearly two (m) million for worker deaths (a company that provides water and sewer services has been fined nearly two (m) million dollars for a sewage tank accident that killed two men and injured another - judge also ordered the company to pay more than 150-thousand dollars in restitution to the victims' survivors, start a safety program and be on probation for nine years - company was found guilty October 14th of negligent homicide, violating a safety standard causing the death of an employee and one count of endangerment in the death of a 26-year-old worker)

CONFINED SPACE FATALITY!!! UPDATE Family Files Lawsuit After DE Refinery Deaths (attorneys for the family of a Maryland man who died in the refinery last year say in a new lawsuit that corporate greed and “reckless and outrageous” safety failures led to the man’s death - claim seeks more than 100-thousand dollars in damages for the death of one of two contractors who suffocated inside a nitrogen-filled refining unit at the plant on November 5th)

Details

Parent Category: Incident Alert Archives

Category: Confined Space Accidents

Published: 03 September 2010

Confined Space Accidents #4

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

Two men found dead inside Guilford manhole
7/6/2003 9:30 AM By: Associated Press
(WHITSETT) -- Sheriff's deputies and safety regulators want to know how a father and his adult son died inside a manhole in Guilford County. Family of David and Christopher Michael found their bodies yesterday morning at a construction site in Whitsett. Their cause of death -isn't- yet known ... autopsies are scheduled for today. The two men had been helping install a water line for the City of Burlington. They were last seen alive Thursday night. State Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators were at the accident site yesterday.

UPDATE Texas Welding Company Agrees to Pay OSHA Fine for Failing to Implement Confined Space Standards Death of Two Workers at Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd. in Ingleside, Texas, Brought Company $294,000 Fine 
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd., has agreed to pay $294,000 in penalties for citations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the company's failure to implement standards that protect workers against welding hazards while working in a confined space. Two workers, one employed by Kiewit and the other employed by subcontractor R.B.T. Welders Inc., were killed in a January accident at the company's Ingleside facility. "It is a tragedy when workers are killed or injured because employers did not follow the rules set out to protect them," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "I am pleased that Kiewit has agreed to make the changes needed to save lives. The implementation of these changes will improve the safety and health of all the workers in the company." According to John Giefer, OSHA's area director in Corpus Christi, OSHA investigated the Jan. 6 fatalities of two welders, one employed by Kiewit and the other employed by R.B.T. Welders, at Kiewit's Inglesde, Texas, facility. The welders were fabricating steel highway bridge footings for barge transport to a new San Francisco Bay bridge. They were killed when accumulated fuel gas ignited in the confined space where they were working. The company was cited for 10 safety and health violations for failing to implement elements of the "permit required confined space" standard; failing to remove welding fuel gas hoses during downtime; not using adequate ventilation for welding operations performed in a permit space; and failing to use electrical equipment according to instructions. The "permit required confined space" standard must be followed when work is performed within a confined space, such as a bridge compartment footing. The standard calls for testing the air in a confined space, coordination of entry with multiple employers, permit use, rescue provisions, and training of workers on the potential hazards prior to assigned duties. Kiewit, a subsidiary of Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc. in Omaha, Neb., employs about 20 workers at the Ingleside, Texas, facility. Nationwide the parent company employs about 900 workers. R.B.T. Welders Inc. of Raceland, La., was a subcontractor at the Ingleside, Texas, facility and has been cited with 20 serious safety violations and fined $106,200. A serious violation is one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a violation about which the employer knew or should have known. Employers and employee with questions regarding workplace safety and health standards can call the Corpus Christi OSHA area office at (361) 888-3420. OSHA's toll-free hotline number may be used to report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers. The number is 1-800-321-6742. OSHA is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

UPDATE Employers warned after wine worker's death 
July 01, 2003, 22:30 
Membathisi Mdladlana, the Labour Minister, today said it was "unacceptable for workers to die while on duty" his department would take the strongest possible action against employers whose negligence allowed such deaths to occur. Mdladlana was responding to reports of the death of Joseph Jordaan, a worker at Uitvlucht Wynmakery in the Western Cape on June 24. Jordaan was killed when he went to the assistance of a fellow worker who was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes while cleaning an underground wine tank at the Montagu Wine farm. Four other workers were hospitalised as a result of the accident. Despite working in a closed environment without ventilation, the workers had not been issued with respiratory equipment. After the accident, labour inspectors issued one prohibition order and three contravention notices. The order prohibits the cleaning of the underground tanks until specified safety measures are implemented. The police are investigating the incident and the Department of Labour is assessing whether or not to recommend the criminal prosecution of the employer. Mdladlana also extended his condolences to Jordaan's family. He called on employers, workers and government to ensure that such incidents do not take place. - Sapa 

UPDATE OSHA Fines Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant Contractor For Alleged Safety Violations Two Workers Burned In January Explosion
BOSTON, Mass. -- An explosion at the Deer Island sewage treatment plant that injured two contractor employees might have been prevented if safety standards were followed for working in confined spaces that contain flammable gas, according to citations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA's area office in Braintree, which investigated the Jan. 14 the accident, has fined Advanced Pipe Inspection, Inc. of Boston $45,500 for 13 alleged serious violations of standards. The company had been hired by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority to clean clogged overflow pipes in the plant's sewage digesters. "OSHA standards are designed to protect workers from the hazards of working in confined spaces, " said OSHA Area Director Brenda Gordon. "These standards must be strictly followed to avoid accidents." OSHA's citations chiefly address deficiencies in the safeguards taken for working in overflow boxes that provide access to the pipes. The overflow boxes contained unsafe levels of flammable gas. According to OSHA's citations, Advanced Pipe Inspection failed to identify and evaluate confined space and other hazards in the work area, did not develop and implement procedures for eliminating or controlling flammable gases, and did not adequately inform or train employees about these hazards. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to either elect to comply with them, to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 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. A summary of the citations is attached. OSHA Citations & Proposed Penalties Advanced Pipe Inspection Inc. of Boston, Mass. Worksite Thirteen alleged serious violations, with $45,500 in proposed fines, for: Failure to implement a written confined space entry program where employees entered the overflow box, a confined space with flammable and hazardous gases; Failure to identify and evaluate confined space hazards, including accumulation of flammable gases (such as methane); oxygen displacement; work in Class 1 Division 1 space (one subject to accumulation of flammable gases); accumulation of pigeon droppings that may contain fungi causing histoplasmosois; and fall hazards; Failure to develop and implement procedures to eliminate or control flammable gas accumulation, ensure continuous air monitoring during entry and test the atmosphere before entry; Failure to supply ventilation equipment, adequate lighting and adequate rescue equipment during entry; Failure to designate the duties of each crew member, provide them adequate confined space entry training and certify training; Employer's written confined space entry program did not include rescue procedures and employees entering space did not wear appropriate rescue equipment; Employer's written confined space entry program did not include a permit entry system, nor were entry permits prepared for employees who entered the space; Authorized entrants, attendants and entry supervisor were not informed of confined space hazards, including flammable and hazardous atmosphere and the confined space's rating as a Class 1 Division 1 location; Failure to inform emergency responders of confined space hazards and provide responders with access to work area to develop and practice rescue plans; Failure to ensure all authorized entrants wore safety harnesses and were connected to retrieval lines during confined space entry; Failure to provide adequate energy control training to employees who entered the space; Failure to develop adequate energy control procedures to address releases of hazardous energy from the sewage digester system; Equipment was used that was not intrinsically safe for a Class 1 Division 1 location. OSHA defines a serious violation as one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazardous condition about which the employer knew or should have known. 

Poisonous gases kill five at DJB plant
Express News Service
New Delhi, June 25: Four contract workers and a senior engineer of a French company died after inhaling poisonous fumes at Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) Rithala sewage treatment plant. Workers alleged safety measures had been ignored. The company, Degremont (India), was working at the site’s flotation thickener unit under a contract with the DJB. The unit is a huge cauldron-like concrete structure at least 15 feet deep. Sewage sludge is collected and mixed in it. As the sludge is noxious, gases such as methane and hydrogen sulphide are present in high concentration. Two persons had climbed down the unit and fainted. Two others had gone in to save them, followed by the engineer. Electrician Fayyaz and foreman Phagu Yadav had gone inside the unit around 11.30 am to fix a problem with the agitator. The mix of gases made them dizzy. Both lost balance and fell into the sludge, at least one-and-a-half feet deep at that time. Operator Birender and helper Dharmender jumped in to save the men. By then, an alarm had been raised and senior engineer Ravi Kumar joined the rescue. The three men met with the same fate as Fayyaz and Yadav. Five lives were lost in 10 minutes. Police and fire personnel reached around 12.15 pm, fished out the workers and took them to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Jahangirpuri. They were declared brought dead. Hours after the accident, the poisonous fumes were still strong. Police, Degremont and DJB officials who had gathered on the roof of the unit had to hold cloth over their noses to prevent dizziness. Ropes, shoes and a torn shirt at the mouth of the unit hinted at the failed rescue mission. The Rithala plant treats 80 million gallons per day (mgd) of sewage. Half the sewage is managed by DJB and the other half by Degremont. The Degremont plant had been inaugurated by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in October last year. Workers at the site alleged that they are not provided with even the basic safety gear. ‘‘There are no gloves. We have never been given gas masks or oxygen cylinders despite the air around the flotation units being foul. We just have ropes. But we never tie these around our waists when we enter the units,’’ said Manmohan, a worker. Surender, brother of operator Birender, said: ‘‘My brother had been working here for a few months and never got gloves or masks. Even if the Degremont offices have oxygen cylinders, they most likely are empty.’’ He broke down saying: ‘‘I wasn’t even told about Birender’s death.’’ Contract manager Dharmesh Varshney, the only Degremont official present at the site, refuted the charge. ‘‘Our workers are always provided with gas masks and oxygen cylinders. The safety equipment being used has been taken away by the police for investigation,’’ he said. According to Varshney, top officials of Degremont are in France. DJB officials visited the site in the evening. CEO P.K. Tripathi said he would read the police and fire department reports before taking action. Prashant Vihar police have registered a case of negligence.

One killed at Kanengo silos 
by Joseph Langa, 25 June 2003 - 18:12:11 
One person died and another was injured on Tuesday when they slid into a hopper and got buried under shelled maize which they were emptying from National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) silos at Kanengo in Lilongwe. Police spokesman George Chikowi confirmed that Wilson Sani Misi of Kanyenda Village in TA Kasumbu in Dedza died of suffocation after he slid into the hopper (funnel) through which the maize was being emptied from the silo. NFRA general manager Patrick Makina said Misi was one of the 16 people who were feeding the hoppers with maize from the silos. “When discharging maize out of a silo, it gets to a point where the silo is almost empty and at this stage the process requires manual feeding of the hoppers which lead to a conveyer belt below. The accident happened when the manual feeding exercise was taking place,” he said. According to Makina, Misi slid into the hopper and got buried under the grain where he suffocated. Makina said the other worker, Dennis Katanda, also slid into the funnel in a desperate attempt to pull his colleague out to safety. Katanda was buried up to the nose by the time the conveyer was stopped. Katanda was rushed to Lilongwe Central Hospital where he was treated as an outpatient while Misi died on arrival at the hospital. 

UPDATE Hugo Employers Fined $427,500 For "Confined Space" Violations; Several Workers Injured; Repair Kar, Seaboard Container Cleaning and 1st Odyssey Group fined $142,500 each
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The alleged failure of three Hugo, Okla., companies to train employees and give them adequate gear for working inside confined spaces with unsafe air has resulted in proposed penalties totaling $427,500 from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA's Oklahoma City office began its investigation of R Repair Kar, Seaboard Container Cleaning and 1st Odyssey Group on Dec. 10 following complaints it received that employees were entering and performing work inside railcars without adequate respiratory equipment. Several employees have suffered long-term illnesses due to the exposure. "When untrained workers enter confined spaces with unsafe atmospheric conditions they can easily become captive victims," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "OSHA standards are clear. Workers must be trained to test the air to ensure it is safe before each and every time they enter a confined space." R Repair Kar, a company that repairs railcar tanks and boxcars, file d for Chapter 11. Seaboard Container Cleaning Inc. assumed R Repair Kar's Hugo-based facility in April. The 1st Odyssey Group provides personnel services including on-site safety and health audits to R Repair Kar. Each company was cited with the same three alleged willful and nine alleged serious violations with a fine of 142,500. "All three companies had a hand in allowing the unsafe working conditions to continue," said James Brown, OSHA area director in Oklahoma City. "However, the Odyssey Group had the authority to put an immediate stop to this by removing its personnel from the hazards." The three alleged willful violations were for failing to provide fall protection, failing to develop and implement an adequate respiratory protection program and failing to evaluate and implement permit required confined spaces as required by the OSHA regulations. OSHA issues a willful citation for a violation that shows disregard of or plain indifference to the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. Among the alleged serious violations were failure to ensure orderly walkways on an elevated walkway platform; unguarded floor openings; lack of a hearing conservation program; failure to ensure fit testing for workers wearing hearing protectors; failure to require the use of eye and face equipment for employees engaged in welding operations; failure to provide drinking water and failure to perform initial lead and cadmium exposure determination. A serious violation is one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a violation about which the employer knew or should have known. The companies have 15 days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the Oklahoma City area director or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Employers or workers who have questions concerning safety and health may contact the Oklahoma City area office at (405) 278-9560 or OSHA's toll- free hotline at 1-800-321-6742. OSHA is dedicated to assuring worker safety and health. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov

UPDATE OSHA Cites Keystone Ski Resort For Violations Of Workplace Safety Standards; Worker Fatality in Nov. 2002 Snowmaking Pit Accident
KEYSTONE, Colo. -- For failure to protect employees working in confined spaces, Vail Resorts, Inc., of Keystone is facing citations and proposed fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor in connection with a fatal accident in November. OSHA's area office in Denver has concluded its investigation the Nov. 25, 2002 accident in which employee Benjamin Bornstein, 28, was engulfed by water in a snowmaking pit's below-ground vault. OSHA's area office in Denver is citing the company for two alleged willful and one alleged serious violation, with a total penalty of $128,250. "Safety standards for confined spaces are designed to prevent a tragedy such as this, but they must be carefully followed to be effective," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "Employees must be aware of the hazardous conditions. They and potential rescuers must be trained to deal with them." According to Adam Finkel, OSHA's regional director, the first alleged willful violation involved failure to post required warning signs on confined spaces and to develop and utilize a written "permit space program" for confined spaces, as well as a lack of confined space training for employees. The second alleged willful violation was the employer's failure to inform an outside rescue service of the hazards associated with confined spaces at their workplace and failure to provide the rescue service with access to the confined spaces so they could plan and practice appropriate rescue operations. The alleged serious violation is associated with the employer's failure to provide an egress ladder for entry into confined spaces. A serious violation is one where there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, involving a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. A willful violation is one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. The company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to decide to comply, to request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. OSHA is dedicated to assuring worker safety and health. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information visit www.osha.gov. 

UPDATE Failure to Develop Procedures for Confined Space Entry Leads to $146,000 Fine for Menomonie, Wis. Employer
EAU CLAIRE, WIS. -- A Menomonie, Wis. company is facing $146,000 in fines proposed by the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following an November 2002 accident in which an employee died while servicing a grain storage silo at a Boyceville, Wis. farm. An OSHA investigation into the fatality revealed that Brave Harvestore, Inc., a company that builds and services grain and silage silos, failed to develop and implement a permit-required confined space entry program and did not have procedures and practices for safe entry into confined spaces. OSHA also charged the company with failing to provide adequate training for workers and allowing them to enter confined spaces without appropriate equipment, including respirators, body harness and retrieval lines, and testing equipment to evaluate the atmospheric safety inside the silo. Brave Harvestore employs approximately 25 workers. A major part of their routine service includes replacing 'breather bags' inside the silos. The bags prevent air from entering the silo and reacting with stored forage. The low oxygen atmosphere promotes fermentation and prevents spoilage of the feed. Consequently, the low oxygen atmosphere promotes formation of toxic gasses and an oxygen deficient atmosphere. "Brave Harvestore was fully aware of this deadly hazard, but failed to take the appropriate measures to protect workers," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "OSHA's first commitment is to protect workers from such tragedies. We stand ready to assist employers of all sizes to make their workplace safe, but we will not hesitate to fully enforce standards when and where it is warranted!" OSHA has inspected brave Harvestore two previous times, the first in 1982 following a fatality and the second as the result of a formal complaint in 1990. Both inspections were related to silo construction rather than servicing. According to OSHA Area Director Tim Kobernat, Eau Claire, the company has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to appeal before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. 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.

Half-ton fuel tank cover falls on SoCal worker's head
Associated Press
COSTA MESA, Calif. - A half-ton fuel tank cover fell on a worker's head Tuesday, killing him, authorities said. The man, whose name was withheld, was working at Dabico Inc. and was lowering the 1,100-pound cover about 3:20 p.m. when it apparently came off its hinge and struck him, said Fire Department Capt. Randy Hicks. The large underground tank is used to store jet fuel. The man was inside the tank working on a platform 18 inches from the top of the tank. "We think he was trying to lower the top down but the hinge mechanism was not completely installed and when he removed the safety bar it just fell on him," Hicks said. Dabico has been in business since 1966 and specializes in ground support equipment for aircraft, such as underground fuel tanks and other fueling systems. A telephone message left after business hours was not returned. A recorded phone message left after hours for the Southern California district office of the state Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board in West Covina was not immediately returned.

Seven killed, seven injured in blast in Alang yard 
Press Trust of India Ahmedabad, May 19 
Seven labourers were killed and at least an equal number injured in a blast inside an oil tanker at Alang ship breaking yard on Monday, district police sources here said. The blast could have been caused due to gas leak as gas welders were being used near the engine of the oil tanker, the sources said. The injured have been rushed to Bhavnagar Civil Hospital they said. Deputy Superintendent of Police HB Barot said that thick smoke emerging from inside the ship was preventing officials from ascertaining the exact number of injured. Barot said there was no major fire after the blast, which occurred in the oil tanker in yard number five. 

UPDATE OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- A jury will decide in September whether a fatal fuel tank blast south of Chico more than two years ago was an accident or involuntary manslaughter. Washington-based cleanup firm Northern Lights Mechanical Inc. and its general manager, Howard Jacobsen, 71, face criminal charges for the February 2001 explosion. Employee Jack Nickerson, 37, who was cleaning out sludge inside a large empty gasoline storage tank, was killed and another worker was seriously burned in the blast. Fire investigators say the explosion at the Jesse Lange facility was caused by static electricity from faulty equipment used during the cleanup process. Butte County's district attorney alleges Northern Lights Mechanical failed to test for and clear explosive fumes from the 50-foot-high tank and that the firm didn't ground the suction equipment used to siphon out the tank. Butte County Superior Court Judge Thomas Kelly has set the trial for Sept. 24. If convicted on all charges, Jacobsen could face up to six years in prison. 

Rescuers pull man from sewage tank 
14 May 2003 
A sewage treatment plant accident is under investigation after a man blacked out in a sewage tank. The man was hauled from the bottom of a five to six-metre deep tank at the Far North District Council's Kerikeri sewage plant on Monday afternoon by volunteer firefighters. He was believed to be a sub-contractor working on maintenance or repairs in the tank, which had about 30cm of sewage at the bottom. Kerikeri fire chief Ralph Rodgers said it appeared the man had climbed down into the tank before passing out. The man was in a serious condition on Monday night but his condition is understood to have improved. 

UPDATE £200,000 fine for firm over silo tragedy 
BY ANGIE BROWN 
FORTH Ports has been fined £200,000 after a worker collapsed and died inside a grain silo after being starved of oxygen. Gary Smith, 34, died within minutes when he climbed into a fermenting grain bin to install a bug trap at Leith’s Imperial Dock. Forth Ports Plc, which operates the docks, yesterday admitted breaching health and safety regulations in failing to provide adequate risk assessment, training and supervision at its site when father-of-two Mr Smith died on May 7, 2001. Today, his widow, Janet Smith, said: "It is a very difficult time for the family. The last couple of years have been a nightmare. It’s just devastating. "I believe it is a large fine but it’s just a number to me. It doesn’t bring my husband back or my children’s father." Speaking outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court, the family’s solicitor, Julie McCormick, said: "This past couple of years have been extremely difficult for them and they are just glad the current proceedings have come to a conclusion." Sheriff Mhairi Stephen was told that when Mr Smith reached the insect-infested grain, for agricultural use, he threw the bug trap into it. But halfway back up the ladder he fell off, unconscious from a lack of oxygen. Pathologists determined he would have died within five minutes. Colleague Gordon Henderson raised the alarm, but it was half an hour before the fire brigade could rescue Mr Smith. Two days after the accident, health and safety inspectors measured the oxygen level in the silo at just five per cent - normal conditions are about 21 per cent. Forth Ports, which employs around 650 staff in Scotland and 1300 throughout the UK, admitted that even though the site foreman knew operators entered silos to set traps, Mr Smith - who worked for the company for three years - was not properly trained for the task. Assistant procurator fiscal Dr Alistair Brown said Mr Smith had been instructed to carry out the job after one of the storage bins developed a stench. The company increased carbon dioxide levels in bins where insects and moisture raised the temperature and the grain began to germinate, he said. Dr Brown questioned why the silos on the Leith site, built in 1936, had ladders at all when a hoist and harness - now required since the tragedy - was the only safe way to enter them. Proper safety measures should have included an oxygen monitor and safety hoist and line in case of a problem, such as the tragedy that struck Mr Smith, Dr Brown said. Defence agent Niall Scott said the bug traps were only used regularly after March 2000 when an improved grain maintenance programme began and had not been part of extensive risk assessments made several years earlier. Usually the traps were thrown into the hatch from outside full silos, but occasionally they were needed in partially full grain bins which required operators actually entering them. Even though the foreman knew operators were simply climbing down the ladders unaided, the silo grain manageress said she had no idea the hazardous practice was being used. This was a gap in the company’s otherwise extensive safety programme, Mr Scott said. A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: "The courts have imposed a significant fine which reflects the seriousness of the incident."

UPDATE Men face charges in manure deaths
By Brian Skoloff Associated Press 
Saturday, May 03, 2003 - MERCED -- A judge on Friday let stand manslaughter charges against two men indicted in the deaths of a pair of irrigation workers who drowned in a manure pit -- but told prosecutors to reduce 20 worker safety violations to a single count. The case is among the first to be prosecuted under a new state law that lets authorities file felony charges for worker safety violations. Merced County prosecutors used that law to charge Patrick J. Faria, a former owner of a Gustine-area dairy, and Alcino Sousa Nunes, the farm's foreman, for the February 2001 deaths. Enrique Araisa, 29, was overcome by gases from the excrement as he tried to fix a pump in a large concrete waste pipe. He fell into a pool of liquid manure and drowned. Jose Alatorre, 22, fainted and fell into the waste while attempting a rescue. One of the workers was tethered to a rope, but no other safety codes were followed, prosecutors have said. The workers at the Aquiar-Faria & Sons dairy were not provided proper training or respiratory equipment and the air in the pipe was not tested before they entered the confined space, according to the indictment, which was issued in February. Work in confined spaces, such as grain silos and wine vats, requires air monitoring and safety harnesses. On Friday, Merced County Judge Frank Dougherty ordered prosecutors to combine the 20 state safety code violations into a single count. He then ordered the defendants to return for a May 23 arraignment on the amended three-count indictment. Attorney Kirk McAllister said his client, Faria, 51, will plead innocent. The attorney for Nunes, 44, would not comment. State regulators say inspections and education efforts were increased following a third manure pit death in August 2002. Sergio Ortiz, 43, of Patterson apparently collapsed from fumes and tumbled into a pipe used to drain dairy waste into lagoons. In that case, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied a $116,550 fine against Ortiz's employer, Turlock Irrigation Construction, for nine violations of the state's confined space regulations, CalOSHA spokesman Dean Fryer said Friday. The company is appealing. CalOSHA has fined Aquiar-Faria & Sons dairy $126,650. The dairy has appealed. Fryer said there have only been three deaths in manure pits on California dairy farms in the last decade. "This type of thing just doesn't happen a lot," Fryer said. "But it has raised concerns for the issue of the gases that come out of the manure pits and exposure to employees." In 2000, CalOSHA inspected seven dairies and found 10 violations, resulting in $15,735 in fines. By comparison, CalOSHA inspected 131 dairies in 2001 and found 388 violations, doling out $458,490 in fines. In 2002, inspectors found 27 violations at 27 dairies and levied fines totaling $11,990. "We hit them hard in 2001 then we backed away ... to let the industry catch up and sort of police themselves," Fryer said. "I don't think the hazards at dairies have increased, but it's become much more public with the recent deaths and stepped up inspections." 

UPDATE Company In Manhole Deaths Cited
April 14, 2003
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- A company whose two employees died in a manhole on Miami Beach has been cited and may be fined. Monday, the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited and proposed penalties against Electrical Technology Corporation for exposing employees to safety hazards. In October 2002, two men were working at 18th Street and Bay Road installing pipe to hold electrical cabling in a 12-foot trench. The work included connected piping to an adjacent manhole. When a hose being used to pump water from the manhole became clogged, one worker went into the manhole and was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas. A second worker tried to rescue the first man from the manhole, but he was also overcome. Both men fell into water in the manhole and drowned. A third worker became sick when he started to enter the manhole, but he was able to climb out. Hydrogen sulfide gas sometimes occurs naturally in damp, confined spaces. It comes from bacteria in decomposing materials, such as plant or animal debris, and sometimes sewage. The report from OSHA says that the standard practice of checking the atmosphere before allowing employees to enter a confined space would have avoided this accident. The agency issued four citations against Electrical Technology Corporation and proposed penalties of $62,000. The company has 15 working days to either comply, request conference with OSHA, or contest the citations and penalties.

Graincorp fined for accident
Tuesday, 8 April 2003
Graincorp has been fined $135,000 for its role in an accident at its Gilgandra silo three years ago. Quick thinking by workmates prevented an employee from suffocating when he was sucked into wheat during the unloading of the silo in May 2000. The NSW Industrial Relations Commission heard how the man's colleagues placed a tube in his mouth which allowed him to breathe during a five-hour rescue operation. The 25-year-old worker was helping to move bulk grain from the 65,000 tonne silo to a rail siding when the accident occured. Heavy rainfall in the area had caused the grain in the hopper to become wet and swollen, blocking the hopper and stopping the flow of wheat. The worker had entered the silo and stood on top of the grain to clear the blockage with a steel bar. However the grain elevator was still running during the operation and as soon as the blockage was freed, gravity caused the grain to head towards the hopper, quickly entrapping the man. Justice Patricia Staunton noted that Graincorp had subsequently put in place remedial steps to remove the risk. Neverthless, there was a need for specific deterrence in ensuring that training was received, understood and re-emphasised, she said. Graincorp's operations company was fined $135,000 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The action against Graincorp was brought by WorkCover who said the accident highlighted the "inherently dangerous" nature of grain loading. "The risks of incidents such as these are easily identifiable and can be avoided," acting general manager Rob Seljak said. "We cannot stress too strongly the need for appropriate risk assessment and safety training when working around silo operations."

Great Kills barge captain found dead in ship's cargo hold 
Saturday, April 05, 2003 By DINA V. MONTES STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE 
Coast Guard officials are investigating the death of a Great Kills barge captain whose body was found Thursday morning inside the cargo hold of an oil barge docked in Brooklyn's Erie Basin. The body of Gregory DiLiberto, 38, of Moreland Avenue, a worker for Reinauer Transportation, Port Richmond, was found by a co-worker around 5 a.m. Thursday, Coast Guard officials said. According to authorities, DiLiberto's body did not show signs of trauma. Petty Officer Matthew Belson, a Coast Guard spokesman, said Reinauer Transportation called the Coast Guard and reported that they were missing a crew member and later found him dead inside the cargo hold. The Coast Guard and firefighters responded to the barge, docked near the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, and recovered DiLiberto's body. Since the death occurred offshore, the Coast Guard is investigating the incident. Family members of the Great Kills resident were notified about his death later that morning by police who told them they believed DiLiberto died of hazardous fumes. "They said it was some sort of accident, he wandered where he wasn't suppose to be," said his mother, Jeannette Gullo. "He was somewhere where there were fumes." The Coast Guard did not deny the reports of hazardous fumes, but refused to comment on DiLiberto's death because of the ongoing investigation. The city medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Reinauer Transportation officials also said they could not comment on whether DiLiberto died of hazardous fumes because of the Coast Guard investigation. The 38-year-old father of one had been working with Reinauer Transportation since 1987 and was in charge of the barge and the process of cleansing residue from other barges, said Burt Reinauer, an officer with the company. "He was a very good employee, well-liked," Reinauer said. "Everyone was upset when they found out about the news." TAG: For an obituary on Gregory DiLiberto, see Page A 11. Dina V. Montes is a news reporter for the Advance.

Man survives silo scare; Worker rescued after being stuck nine hours
The man trapped in a Columbus County soybean silo around 4:30 p.m. Thursday was pulled to safety by rescue workers about nine hours later. Robert Shepherd, who is believed to be in his 30s, did not appear to be seriously injured but was transported to Loris Community Hospital in South Carolina for precautionary reasons. Mr. Shepherd was treated at the hospital and released, a nursing supervisor said. The incident occurred in a Willoughby Road farm warehouse about one to two miles from the state line in Tabor City. It is still not known exactly why Mr. Shepherd, who works at the farm, was in the silo. The farm's owner and several workers refused to comment about the incident Thursday night. The Tabor City Fire Department and emergency and rescue agencies from around the region and South Carolina assisted in the rescue effort. The emergency workers attached ropes and a harness to Mr. Shepherd and built a box around his body to lift him out. At least one other man, who could not be identified, had been in the silo with Mr. Shepherd when he became trapped. Witnesses said the man was able to free himself. 

Confined space death in laundry
Paul Clegg, 23, a laundry assistant, has died in the confined space of an industrial washing machine at his employer's Sunlight Textile Services, Bournemouth, Dorset. It is believed he entered the machine's 5-metre drum and was overcome by the atmosphere within. Colleagues desperately tried to rescue Mr Clegg but it took emergency services some time to recover him by making an opening in the side of the drum, but he could not be revived.

Farm slurry deaths were ‘avoidable’
AN INQUIRY has heard that two farm workers who died after being overcome by fumes in a slurry pit were trying to rescue a trapped heifer. The dead animal was found with a rope round its neck near the bodies of farmer Alexander Miller, aged 62, and 22-year-old farm worker Scott Herries at Barnkin of Craigs Farm at Dumfries. Health and Safety inspector Ian McGillivray said it was most likely the animal had fallen in and the two men had decided rescue it — but there were no eye-witnesses. The inquiry before Sheriff Kenneth Barr at Dumfries was told the bodies of the two men were found in the pit inside a building by neighbour Brian Anderson after he was called by farmer’s wife Margaret Miller who was concerned that her husband and his worker had not been back to the farmhouse since early morning. Mr Anderson said he had smelt slurry earlier that day and went to the pit to look for the missing men “hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.” The bodies were recovered by the emergency services and a post mortem later showed that they had drowned in the slurry after being overcome by fumes. Mr Miller had owned the dairy farm since moving from Northern Ireland in 1972 and Mr Herries, who stayed at Farmstead Cottage at Merkland Farm, Bankend, had worked for him for about five years. Mrs Miller, in a statement, said two cows had died the previous year after falling into the pit. And 29-year-old Margaret Hughes told the court that Mr Herries, her fiance, had said that he had previously rescued one of three calves from the pit — the other two were dead. Firemen gave statements telling how they went in with breathing apparatus and harnesses to retrieve the bodies and discovered the heifer nearby with the rope. Alex Ritchie, of the Health and Safety Executive, said that in a simulation exercise carried out three months later he had found readings of up to 900 parts per million of the very toxic hydrogen sulphide gas at the pit. He said: “It wouldn’t have the rotten egg smell to it … with a reading of that measure there wouldbe no sense of smell, there would be no warning signs.” Mr McGillivray, also from the HSE, said that one breath in a reading of that nature would be fatal. And he stressed: “The basic fundamental rules should be that no one enters these slurry stores unless they have been made safe and even then only if they have been emptied and washed out and left for six hours. “The accident was avoidable, it was not necessary to try to rescue the animal, the rescuers involved should not have put their own safety at risk.” He added: “The gas has different effects on animals and people and I think that if the animal was alive it may have misled them in that they thought it was safe.” Sheriff Barr will give his determination at a later date.

UPDATE York sewer death lawsuit filed
by Keith Heatly Staff Reporter 
Family and friends of deceased York City maintenance workers have filed a lawsuit against chemical companies and York City supervisors. The lawsuit alleges that supervisors and companies are responsible for their deaths and should be held liable. Pamela Holloway, Carolyn Coleman, Jacqueline Jones and David Webb have filed a joint suit in Sumter County Circuit Court against Pro Chem, Inc. and Taylor Labs, Inc. Both companies are makers of a product known as “Red Hot Sewer Solvent,” a chemical used to clean and unclog sewer lines. On March 8, 2001 J.D. Coleman, Otha Hinson, Artur Jones and David Webb were working in a sewer manhole on US Highway 11 in York. In the process of cleaning the sewage lines, the city workers were exposed to poisonous gases. Coleman, Hinson and Jones died from inhaling the poisonous gas. The fourth victim, Webb survived with after being taken to Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa. Webb, the sole survivor of the accident, is suing for injuries and medical cost. The lawsuit claims that th “Red Hot Sewer Solvent,” chemical manufactured and distributed by Pro Chem, Inc. and Taylor Labs, Inc. caused or contributed to the poisonous gas which caused the death of the city workers. Toxicology reports from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences speculates that Methane, a colorless, orderless, extremely toxic gas, was inhaled by the workers. The lawsuit states that the chemical companies are guilty of negligence. Pro Chem and Taylor Labs failed to adequately warn users of the life threatening consequences of using the product. Also stated is the failure of the companies to instruct users on the proper manner and method of using the product or the minimum ventilation necessary to avoid death. 

Worker plunges 20 feet inside W. Side manhole
ROMANO CEDILLOS Tucson Citizen March 13, 2003
A pipeline construction worker was injured yesterday when he tripped and plunged 20 feet inside a manhole on the West Side, a firefighter said. The accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. at West Riverview Boulevard and North Dragoon Avenue. The area is near West Grant and North Silverbell roads. Francisco Montoya, 24, of Tucson, an employee of Spiniello Co., suffered hip and leg injuries in the fall, said Capt. Paul McDonough of the Tucson Fire Department. "Because of the confined space the man was in, it took rescue personnel an hour and a half to get him out," McDonough said. "He was conscious the entire time." Montoya was treated at University Medical Center. A report on his condition was not immediately available. Don Morrow, superintendent of the Morristown, N.J.-based company, said Montoya was unloading equipment from a company truck near the manhole when the accident occurred. "He had just taken the racks off the truck and was beginning to offload equipment to set up over the hole when he tripped," Morrow said. "The (two) other guys with him had their backs to him and didn't see him fall in, but they heard him yell." Frank Torres of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said his office was investigating the accident. 

Officials investigate death of Crown Point man 
March 7, 2003 By Bradley Cole Post Tribune correspondent 
HAMMOND — A late morning industrial accident on Thursday that claimed the life of a Crown Point man remains under investigation. The Lake County coroner’s office confirmed Thomas Ponropinski, 55, of 2231 E. 137th Ave., was declared dead at St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers in Hammond shortly before 10 a.m. Jeff Wells of the coroner’s office said Ponropinski’s death was apparently the result of an industrial accident. A spokesman for the Hammond Fire Department said paramedics were called to American Welding and Fabricating, 2122 Sherman St., shortly after 10:30 a.m. when a co-worker found Ponropinski lying unconscious in the bottom of a tractor trailer. Felix Peak, owner of the company, said he was in shock over the incident and believed Ponropinski may have had a heart attack or seizure. “I don’t know, I’m not a doctor,” Peak said. “I’ve owned this business for 18 years and have never had an accident or an insurance claim. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is here investigating.” Peak said Ponropinski seemed to be a nice guy and a good worker, though he was only employed there for a little more than a week. Wells said Ponropinski had some burns on his body that will be investigated. Peak said he believes Wells was welding prior to his death and may have fallen on top of the weld when he died. 

Inquiry after two men die
March 6, 2003 07:23 
A MAJOR investigation is under way today after two engineers died while working on a disused marine fuel tank on a Suffolk waterway. The bodies of the two men, both believed to have been married with children, were recovered at around 9.30pm yesterday after a seven-hour operation involving firefighters, paramedics, police, coastguard and harbour workers. They had been working in the five-metre diameter, 15-metre long tank for marine engineers Small and co at the shore of Lake Lothing, Lowestoft, when they became trapped. Emergency services were called to the scene to gain access to the partly-submerged tanks, which contained little air for the men to breathe. But after a dramatic seven-hour operation involving more than 30 firefighters from across Suffolk, it was revealed that the two men had died. It is believed they were overcome by fumes. Last night, a spokesman for Suffolk police said: "The Health and Safety Executive has been informed and will be investigating it as an industrial accident and we will be providing assistance. The coroner has also been informed." The men, who were welders for the Lowestoft-based marine engineering company Small and Co, had been working inside one of four partly submerged tanks moored together off land owned by Associated British Ports (ABP) and across the water from dry docks belonging to their employer. The alarm was raised shortly after 2pm when police were called by ambulance paramedics to a derelict quayside industrial site. Although there were hopes the men were still alive, it later transpired that the would-be rescuers realised at an early stage that both men were dead. As police guarded the perimeter and officials from Small and Co, ABP and Lowestoft Harbour came and went, local fire crews were joined at the scene by colleagues from Ipswich, Felixstowe, Bungay and Beccles. As darkness fell, lights and torches flashed across the waters of the harbour as rescuers worked to gain access to the tanks, and soon after 9.20pm the bodies of both men were brought out of the container. At one point it was suggested that there had been an explosion in the tank, believed to have last been used for fuel storage more than 20 years ago. But Suffolk divisional fire officer Eddie Meelan said there was no evidence to support the claim. He said the operation had been difficult. "There was fuel slurry in the bottom of the tank," he said. "But there has been not explosion the we are aware of. They had entered into an oxygen deficient atmosphere and they had been overcome," he added. "We were not aware of any oxygen monitoring equipment." He said the men were already dead when fire crews arrived at the scene at School Road, off Victoria Road, Oulton Broad. Mr Meads said that although some water had got into the tank there had not been any danger of it flooding. An arc welder was used to widen an opening in the tank so that the bodies could be retrieved, although that process was hampered by heavy steel girders built in to strengthen the tank. "We had to be very careful getting in with the breathing apparatus," he said. He added that at the operation's peak there had been 30-35 firefighters on site, backed by a communications control vehicle, a unit to provide additional light, a turntable ladder and a coastguard's boat in the lake. Engineers from Small and Co also helped in the release of the bodies. Mr Meads said it was impossible to say whether either of the men had fallen into the tank, moored against derelict industrial land, sandwiched between Sanyo and Cosalt works sites. "There were no witnesses although there had been other people nearby. There is Jacob's Ladder, a metal ladder, in the tank." But he said that he was not aware that either man had been wearing a harness. It was already dark by the time a heavy-duty crane was brought in to assist emergency service vehicles, including a turntable ladder and lighting unit from Ipswich, specialist rescue equipment from Felixstowe and a control and communications vehicle from Beccles. 

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. 

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 Barge victims asphyxiated, says coroner
WebPosted Feb 20 2003 10:23 AM PST 
VANCOUVER - The B.C. Coroner's office has confirmed that four workers who died in a barge accident in New Westminster last month died because of a lack of oxygen. Kent Stewart, the regional coroner with the Fraser Region, says this finding means no toxic fumes were involved in the men's death. Four workers, who were doing maintenance work, had entered a small confined area below deck. When they failed to come back up, a fifth worker went down after them, and then phoned 911 on his cell phone from below deck. A firefighter responding to the call also ended up being trapped in the hull. Three workers died the day of the accident. A fourth victim died later in hospital. The coroner's office and the Workers' Compensation Board are both investigating what killed the four. The final report is expected in the next few months. 

Gonzales man dies in plant accident 
BARRY HALVORSON Victoria Advocate Saturday, February 15th, 2003 
GONZALES - Ismael VillaGomez of Gonzales died Tuesday of severe burns suffered in an industrial accident at Southern Clay Products. VillaGomez, 26, was working in an empty mixing tank at the company's plant when the accident occurred. "We don't know what happened but apparently a large quantity of steam was released into the tank while he was in there," said Butch Knutson, vice president of research. "I was told that he was alive when the paramedics arrived but later died at the hospital." Knutson said that the company immediately contacted the Mine Safety and Health Administration to report the accident. He said inspectors from the MSHA arrived within five hours and were still on site Friday. The company is conducting its own investigation into the accident in conjunction with the regulating agency to determine the cause of the accident. Gonzales County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Darryl Becker pronounced VillaGomez dead at 2:45 p.m. at Memorial Hospital in Gonzales. Becker ordered an autopsy be done by he Travis County Medical Examiner's Office. Results of that autopsy are not yet available. The Gonzales Police Department was contacted and completed its preliminary investigation into the incident. "At this point in time I don't think that any kind of criminal act was involved," Gonzales Police Chief Bill Chenault said. "From what our investigators have told me, it looks like a standard industrial accident. I think our investigation into the matter is pretty much concluded at this point, pending on what any autopsy might say." Knutson said the company is offering the family counseling and support services. Counseling is also available for employees as needed. With a corporate office in Austin, the Gonzales facility is the only manufacturing plant of Southern Clay Products. It manufactures a number of products based on clay, including paint and nail polish thickeners and materials used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, drilling mud and plastics. The company is a part of the overall corporate umbrella of Rockwood Specialties, headquartered in Princeton, N.J. 

UPDATE 2 indicted in Gustine dairy deaths 
By MIKE CONWAY BEE STAFF WRITER 
MERCED -- A Merced County grand jury has indicted two Gustine dairy employees on manslaughter charges in the deaths of two men in a manure pit nearly two years ago. District Attorney Gordon Spencer said Thursday that the indictment will be made public today after authorities arrest the two men, who work at Aguiar-Faria Dairy. "We are expecting them to surrender in the morning," Spencer said. The two are being charged in the Feb. 22, 2001, deaths of Jose Alatorre, 24, and Enrique Noquez Araiza, 29, both of Gustine. Spencer would not give further details of the indictment. Alatorre and Araiza were cleaning a sump pump when they apparently were overcome by methane gas fumes. Rescuers responding to the 911 call at 990 S. Kniebes Road declared the men dead at the scene. The sump pump where Alatorre and Araiza died was about 4 feet square and 30 feet deep. The incident prompted California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health to begin a massive series of dairy inspections. The agency has carried out 166 inspections since Alatorre and Araiza died, 50 percent more than in the previous decade, and levied nearly a half-million dollars in fines against dairies for safety violations, records show. Last August, another area dairy worker died in similar circumstances. Sergio Ortiz, 49, of Patterson died on another Gustine dairy while working in a standpipe used to carry manure. As Ortiz climbed out of the pipe, he apparently slipped and fell about 12 feet. A co-worker climbed in to help but became dizzy from the methane fumes. The dairy's owner helped the second man get out safely. Merced is the state's No. 2 dairy county, followed by Stanislaus at No. 3. Together, the two counties produce 24 percent of California's milk. Disposing of manure safely has been a concern in the industry. When manure decomposes, it creates methane gas. In high concentrations, the gas can be fatal. Sump pumps, standpipes and other massive plumbing fixtures are used to move the water that flushes out dairy barns into manure lagoons.

EXPLOSION LEAVES MAN BADLY BURNED 
12:00 - 04 February 2003 
A young man was today critically ill following a massive explosion in a storage containment tank at Princess Yachts International at Marsh Mills. The incident happened yesterday at about 1.45pm when the 21-year-old Nationwide Heating Services Ltd employee was working inside the empty cylinder tank, which is 10 metres long by six wide. Fire chiefs at the scene, off Coypool Road, believe the man - thought to be from the Saltash area - was using acetone to remove hardened resin. Police say the man was welding inside the tank. The 21-year-old was flown to the specialist burns unit at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol. Peverell-based Nationwide Heating Services Ltd had been contracted to carry out work at the site on tanks formerly used to store resin for sealing yachts. Fireman Tim Mockridge, Station Officer at Crownhill, said the inside of the container became engulfed in a 'fireball', and the man was unable to escape. He had been lowered into the tank in a harness, through an opening in the top of about 60 centimetres in diameter. The area was cordoned off after a Westcountry Ambulance Service crew arrived. Police officers took photographs at the scene. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today said it would be investigating the incident. Inspectors were this morning due to meet representatives of Princess Yachts International and Nationwide Heating Services Ltd at the Coypool Road site. While the man was working inside the tank, another man was working on the exterior. He was unhurt, and called the emergency services. Station Officer Mockridge said he believed the man was working with 'a very flammable liquid' smelling similar to nail varnish. He said as soon as firefighters arrived they had cut the man's clothes off and covered his burns in water gel. "We believe the man suffered about 90 per cent burns," he said. Andrew Thompson, HSE inspector, said: "We understand that a worker from the contractor Nationwide Heating was working within a resin tank at Princess Yachts International when an incident occurred. "We believe the worker suffered serious burns and was immediately taken to hospital." David King, managing director of Princess Yachts International, today said his thoughts were with the man's family. He said: "Obviously we are very concerned for him, and our sympathies go out to his family. We cannot shed any light on what happened until the investigation is completed." Ian Jarvis, company secretary at Nationwide Heating Services Ltd, said: "Our thoughts go out to the man and his family." 

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

Details

Parent Category: Incident Alert Archives

Category: Confined Space Accidents

Published: 03 September 2010

Confined Space Accidents #3

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

Audrain County Man Dies in Grain Bin Accident
Boone County, 1/30/2003 
An Audrain County man died yesterday in a farm accident. Boone County deputies say 22-year old Marcus Orth became trapped in a grain bin, and suffocated. Orth had been able to call one of his co-workers, saying he was trapped in the bin. Co-workers on the Boone county farm called 911, but they and rescue crews could not free him in time. Doctors pronounced Orth dead at a Columbia hospital. 

Five workers killed in coal bunker collapse 
Nagpur, Jan 28 (UNI) At least five workers were killed and several others seriously injured when a coal bunker at the surface of Murpar underground mines of Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) in Chandrapur district collapsed this morning. While the exact figure of those killed and injured was still not available, WCL officials in Nagpur said that at least five deaths had been confirmed. The bunker, which houses machinery, collapsed around 0915 hrs trapping a large number of workers who had entered the underground mines in the morning, sources said. Details of the mishap were still awaited, they added. The Murpar mines are around 90 km from WCL's Umrer regional office and four kms from Chimur in Chandrapur district. WCL Chief General Manager (Umrer Region) Arun Narain and other senior officials had rushed to the site of the accident, company sources here said.

Worker rescued from concrete-mixing silo
January 24, 2003, 8:11 PM EST
UPPER FREEHOLD, N.J. -- A worker fell into a large mixing silo Friday, and another became trapped while trying to rescue the first. Both employees had been rescued by mid-afternoon at the Clayton Companies plant on Route 526, said Trooper Stephen Jones, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police. Steven White, 22, of Toms River, was feeding sand into a silo to make concrete when the mixture stopped flowing, Jones said. When he stamped his foot on the clogged sand, he fell into the silo. Glen Adams, also of Toms River, climbed into the silo to keep the sand from covering White's head. A Mercer County rescue squad pulled both workers from the silo. White was taken to Capital Health System's Fuld campus, where he was treated for cuts and bruises and released, according to a nursing supervisor. Adams, whose age was not immediately known, was not injured, Jones said.

Workers overcome by toxic fumes 'would have died' 
23.01.2003 3.45pm - By ALAN PERROTT 
Three maintenance workers found unconscious in a concrete silo in south Auckland this morning, would have died if they had been left there much longer, safety inspectors said today. The contractors were overcome by toxic tricoethylene fumes as they applied a rubber coating to the inside of the silo at Atlas Concrete in Wiri. All three were in a life-threatening situation and would have died if they had been left undetected for much longer, a spokesman for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) said. The men were discovered unconscious about 10am by an Atlas Concrete employee who had come to the silo to deliver rags dropped off by one of the workman's wives. Emergency services were called and one of the workmen was taken to Middlemore Hospital for observation. The other two were treated for respiratory problems. The OSH spokesman said none of the men were wearing breathing apparatus and the workspace was not ventilated. Atlas Concrete branch manager Craig Nisbet said the workmen had earlier declined their offer of a gas watch. The inspectors closed the workplace down at 10am and began an investigation. OSH is also investigating the contractual connection between the injured workers who are understood to include Atlas Concrete employees. If the company is found to have neglected its responsibilities, the spokesman said, charges would be likely. 

UPDATE, Fourth worker dies of fumes in barge near Vancouver
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. -- A fourth person has died after being overcome by fumes in the hold of a barge on the Fraser River, police in this Vancouver suburb said. The man died at a hospital Friday morning, a week after losing consciousness with four others who entered the hold, Staff Sgt. Mike Kelly said Sunday. The man's name was being withheld. Three barge workers died Jan. 10 after losing consciousness in the hold of the rusty 30-year-old SeaLink-Rigger. Two others were taken to a hospital. One was released, but the other remained in serious condition until his death. Firefighter Dave Phillips, 42, who was injured in a rescue attempt, was released from a hospital Saturday following treatment for broken ribs and a head injury, assistant fire chief Al Mynott said. An investigation is being made by police and provincial Workers' Compensation Board, but criminal charges are rare in industrial accidents "unless WCB uncovers something, and that's not something that we necessarily anticipate," Kelly said.  Last week the owner of the barge said the accident was a "travesty of errors" that could have been avoided had safety procedures been followed. None of the five workers who went into the hold of the barge used a device which gauges oxygen levels in the air, said Peter Brown, owner of the barge and of Westminster Marine Services Ltd., the company that was doing maintenance on the barge. Such a device was sitting fully charged in an office only a few minutes away from the barge, he said.

UPDATE Firm fixing death barge had safety violations before
Keith Fraser The Province
The firm repairing the barge where three workers were killed -- and another three hurt -- has a raft of safety violations dating back more than 10 years. The trio died Friday after entering the damp, rusty hold of the Sea-Link Rigger. Initial reports indicate they likely suffocated in the confined, oxygen-poor space. Shortly after the accident, the owners of the barge and the repair company branded the accident a tragic sequence of events in which workers who were not assigned to do any work in the hold entered it anyway, failing to first use a sniffer device to detect the oxygen content of the hold. Owners Peter Brown and Edgar Jackson both told reporters the firm was a "good operation" where safety was a priority and the dangers of "dead air" and confined spaces were common knowledge. In fact, Workers Compensation Board officials have released documents showing Westminster Marine Services Ltd. has been cited more than a dozen times: - In 1991, the WCB found that the firm had no written work procedures to direct workers in the safe performance of their jobs in confined spaces, and it had no air testing. - In 1995, a WCB inspection report found that an industrial health and safety program had not been initiated or maintained. - In 1996, a report noted deficiencies in the company's program to provide respirators for workers. - Also in '96, it was found that no proper record of all injuries and manifestations of disease was being maintained. - In 1998, the company was cited 16 times, including in a report that said a satisfactory written confined-space program had not been developed and implemented. - That year, the WCB also found that once again the company failed to offer an occupational health and safety program. Notices of compliance by the company for the 16 violations in 1998 were issued by the WCB several months later. "We haven't seen the WCB report, so we can't comment on it," said an unidentified woman who answered the phone at Westminster Marine. Of the two workers who were hurt Friday, one remains in a coma in hospital. A sixth man, a firefighter, is in hospital with injuries suffered when he fell during a rescue attempt. A service is being held for one of the victims, David Rowley, in Port Coquitlam today. The coroner's office has not yet determined cause of death and says it needs to do further tests.

UPDATE, Barge accident similar to another in 2001
The provincial government has yet to act on the coroner's recommendations from the earlier case in the Interior
David Reevely
A man was suffocated in the container of a barge in the north central Interior more than a year ago, but the province has not yet acted on recommendations that industrial workers be better warned of the danger of bad air in confined spaces. In a situation similar to the accident that killed three men in New Westminster Friday and left a fourth clinging to life, five workers descended one by one into a compartment of the Apex No. 1 in East Ootsa Lake, west of Prince George, on Oct. 4, 2001, and each passed out at the bottom of the ladder. A coroner's investigation showed that rust depleted the oxygen inside the compartment and left the air unfit to breathe. One theory is that the same thing happened in the New Westminster accident, but that has not been proven. Daniel McNolty, 45, the last worker pulled from the Apex No. 1's hold, died at the scene. Four other workers who went down, one by one, to rescue those who had gone before, also passed out but survived. McNolty was one of a crew of six who were refurbishing the 23-year-old barge, said Fraser Lake RCMP Sergeant Rod Holland, who worked on the case. The vessel, which had been in storage since 1991, was being leased by the ministry of forests to transport logging trucks to clear beetle-infested timber, according to a B.C. coroner's report. "He was welding on some rails along the edge so the trucks would stay on the barge," Holland said. "He decided to go down and check out what was going on below the deck." To that end, according to the report by coroner Ronda Kingsley, McNolty opened three of the barge's hatches and climbed down to look for "cracks in the hull integrity." He was gone at least 15 minutes before anyone noticed he was missing, the report says. The compartment into which McNolty had descended had been sealed for about three years, since a 1998 inspection, according to Kingsley's report, and it was the only one of nine hull compartments whose hatch had no ventilation holes. The interior of the compartment was rusty, Kingsley noted, and there was standing water inside. "The chemical process of oxidation or rusting uses up oxygen, thereby creating an oxygen-poor atmosphere," she wrote. According to Workers' Compensation Board findings included in the report, the air in the Apex No. 1's other eight compartments contained 20.9-per-cent oxygen, which is in the normal range for the Earth's atmosphere. The sealed compartment's air was between 15.7 and 16.4 per cent oxygen -- low enough that it can't support human life for long. "[McNolty's] son was working nearby and I guess he went to look for his dad," Holland said. "And then another guy went down, and another went down . . . . You can't see anything wrong, you can't smell anything wrong." Each of them, he said, made it only to the bottom of a two-metre ladder before collapsing. "The last guy on the crew, he realized that everyone was down and out and called for help," Holland said. "It's a good thing he did." Holland said as far as he can remember, none of the workers used safety equipment -- air tanks or ropes, for instance -- when descending the ladder. "I think they had it back at the camp, not on the site," Holland said, and speculated that might have been because nobody was supposed to be clambering around inside the Apex No. 1 that day. Kingsley's report doesn't mention any safety equipment at all. The coroner said the report she wrote is intended to be the final statement on the matter, so she couldn't add much to it. "It's not our job to find fault," she said. "Maybe you can read between the lines." The Workers' Compensation Board, however, found that the workers should have been better educated about the danger lurking in the Apex No. 1's hold, and that there should have been rescue equipment available and pre-arranged procedures for getting injured people out. George MacPherson, who is with the Marine Workers and Boilermakers Industrial Union, said training is mandatory for marine workers in larger, unionized shops, but is often treated as optional in non-union operations. (Westminster Marine, where the three workers were killed last Friday, is a non-union shop.)

UPDATE, Barge survivors on the mend
Jan 13 2003 
VANCOUVER - The three survivors from Friday's deadly industrial accident on a barge on the New Westminster waterfront are recovering. Fraser Health Authority spokesperson Helen Carkner says all of the three injured men are improving, and one has already been released from Royal Columbian Hospital. "One of the workers, Sean Ironside, remains in intensive care at the Columbian," she says. "His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious. The third patient is a firefighter from New Westminster, Dave Phillips, and his condition has been upgraded to good. He's doing quite well." Four workers were doing maintenance work in a small confined area below the barge's deck on Friday morning, but failed to come back up. A fifth worker went down after them, and then phoned 911 on his cell phone from below deck. When emergency crews arrived, a firefighter fell while going down through a narrow entrance into the hull, and ended up being trapped as well. One of the barge's owners, Edgar Jackson, told reporters over the weekend that the workers were only supposed to be working on the hatches leading down to the barge's hold. But some some unexplained reason, Jackson says one of the workers who died, Dave Rowley, went down, and the other men when down to find him when he was discovered missing. The Workers' Compensation Board is not taking that explanation of events at face value however. Spokesperson Scott McCloy says the board will do its own interviews and investigations over the next few months. The hull of a barge is often deprived of oxygen, and workers routinely have an extra oxygen supply before going down. Autopsies are being carried out on Monday on the three men who died in the accident. 

Toxic fumes kill three workers servicing barge
By CP
NEW WESTMINSTER -- Three people died and three more were hurt yesterday after workers servicing a barge on the Fraser River waterfront were apparently overcome by toxic fumes. "Six individuals have been brought from inside the barge," said Staff Sgt. Casey Dehaas of the New Westminster police. The dead and injured had to be pulled one at a time through a small access hole. It's not yet known what caused the accident. "Was it lack of oxygen, was it dead air space, was it noxious fumes? I have no idea," Dehaas said. "There were different chemicals, fumes, that eat up oxygen . . . (and) fermentation that caused them to be overcome. The investigation will determine that." Dehaas said the police probe will ascertain if criminal activity or negligence was involved. The bodies of the three deceased men, covered by plastic sheets, were removed from the barge yesterday afternoon with a crane normally used to load barges. One of the injured men was in serious condition and another in critical condition, said David Plug, spokesperson for Fraser Health Authority. He would not comment on the state of the third man or provide details on the men's injuries. The incident apparently began in mid-morning when workers performing maintenance inside the barge failed to emerge for their break. Another worker went down to look for them. When the first worker didn't return, another followed. That worker managed to call 911 from inside the barge. 

Two workers rescued from sand bin
By CP
PRINCETON -- Two men spent three hours yesterday half-buried in a massive bin of cold, wet sand at an industrial site in this community east of Woodstock before being rescued by emergency crews. The men, employees of Syri-Con Corp., were treated for hypothermia in hospital. At about 9 a.m., maintenance worker James Armstrong stepped into the bin to shovel sand toward a conveyor belt when he fell and sank in up to his neck. Co-worker Ed Szypniewski found him minutes later and jumped in to pull him out. He was buried to the waist. Other employees rushed to the bin and called emergency workers, fearing the sand would collapse and completely bury the pair. "It was scary," said employee Gary Duncan, who used a forklift to help get the men out of the bin. "It went slow because we didn't want the sand to cave in," said Princeton fire Capt. Tony Janssen. "At the start, it could have been dangerous. We couldn't walk on it because we'd pack it in deeper." After emergency workers realized shovelling by hand was taking too long, a city of Woodstock truck was called in and vacuumed the sand from around the two men until they could be pulled out without injury.

UPDATE, Deaths of 3 immigrant workers dog state's dairy industry 
Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times Saturday, December 28, 2002 
Gustine, Merced County -- The brothers shared the bond of their immigrant journey. Over the course of two decades, Sergio and Jose Ortiz together inched toward the stable lives they had dreamed of in the rural Mexican town of their youth. In his pocket, the burly Sergio carried two Social Security cards: one fake, from his years as an illegal immigrant, the other real, tucked proudly next to his green card. Today, those belongings bear the marks of his journey's end, a death so horrific that Jose hides the truth from their frail mother back home. Sergio Ortiz died in a stew of liquefied manure on the job in Gustine (Merced County), a modest dairy town on a narrow highway that slices through cow country like a razor. His death came just 18 months after a similar incident claimed two workers at another Gustine dairy farm. All were overcome by toxic wastewater gases, then drowned, after climbing inside concrete structures where manure slurry is pumped from vast waste lagoons. The spate of deaths has prompted an unusual self-examination by the California dairy industry and representatives of companies such as the one where Sergio worked. Most acknowledge that not enough has been done to comply with state laws requiring better training for workers and deployment of safety devices to combat deadly fumes in confined spaces. The state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, meanwhile, has launched unprecedented inspection sweeps of the dairy industry, which had largely fallen below the agency's radar. Since the first two men, Jose Alatorre and Enrique Araiza, passed out and drowned inside a manure pond pump pit in February 2001, Cal/OSHA has carried out 166 inspections, 50 percent more than in the entire preceding decade. The agency has levied nearly $500, 000 in fines for a wide range of safety problems, records show. The deaths, and the sudden scrutiny by regulators, have shaken the state's 2,000 dairy farms, many of them struggling financially because of low milk prices. "Unfortunately, it takes a bad event for us to wake up," said Xavier Avila, president of the California Dairy Campaign, an association of family-run dairies. Most of all, the tragedies have left a streak of grief, from the fog- shrouded towns where the workers lived to the Mexican pueblos in Guanajuato and Jalisco, where they lie buried. A trend toward bigger operations, with more cows, often means more maintenance is required to prevent corroded floodgates from jamming and pumps from clogging with field detritus, said Bill Krycia, Cal/OSHA's agricultural enforcement coordinator. Farmers must be warned against complacency because workers can enter one of the concrete structures dozens of times without incident before tragedy strikes, Krycia said. The recent deaths in Gustine were not the first to prove the dangers of animal waste to farm workers. Dozens have died in similar circumstances in regions where cold weather dictates that the manure pits be enclosed. In 1989, five family members from three generations all died in one Midwestern manure pit. After those deaths, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health issued an alert, and renewed the warning in 1993. In California, manure and water are gathered in open air lagoons and often rerouted by irrigation systems to fertilize crops of alfalfa, corn and winter forage. It is the system that delivers the witch's brew to the fields that has claimed lives. The three deaths in Gustine bore remarkable similarities: In the 2001 incident, the 29-year-old Araiza climbed into a pump pit and fainted from the fumes. When Alatorre, 22, went to his co-worker's rescue, he passed out too and landed in the waste. Both drowned in the stinking liquid . It was Alatorre's first wedding anniversary, said his wife, Angelica Hernandez, 25. Those deaths -- while much less common than deaths from farm equipment, falls and livestock accidents -- prompted the worker safety agency to refocus its 3-year-old agricultural health and safety project. "California is now the No. 1 dairy state. We're all very proud of them. They have happy cows," Krycia said, referring to a dairy marketing campaign. "Now we want safe and healthy workers." 

Two brothers die trying to save co-worker; In their attempt to rescue a colleague who had passed out, both faint and fall in oil cargo tank; police conducting probe 
By Selina Lum 
TWO brothers working on board an oil tanker died on Friday, hours after they fainted and fell in a cargo tank while trying to help a co-worker who had passed out from the fumes. Covered in oil, Mr Ong Chiou Long, 30, and Mr Ong Chiou Haur, 26, were already unconscious when they were pulled out within half an hour, at about 5 pm. They were taken by helicopter to the Singapore General Hospital, where they died at about 9 pm, within 10 minutes of each other. The brothers were part of a group of workers that had been checking cargo tanks on the Singapore-registered Hua San tanker, which was in Malaysian waters. When they rushed in to rescue their co-worker, they passed out from the fumes and fell into the oil. The colleague is unhurt and is believed to be resting at home. The tanker is now berthed off Johor. The ship's operator, Ocean Tankers, could not be reached for comment. The Singapore police are investigating the case as ''unnatural death'. Yesterday afternoon, surrounded by about 30 relatives and friends, the brothers' bodies lay side by side, covered with white cloth, at a void deck in Bukit Batok East Avenue 4. Their brother Chiou Hui, 27, had gone with a Taoist priest to conduct rites on the ship to guide their souls back. His younger brother had been checking cargo tanks for about half a year, while the eldest had been on the job for less than two months. Before, all three sons had helped out at their father's dry goods store a few blocks away from their home, selling fruit, dried foodstuff and roasted meat. Chiou Haur, who is single, lived with Chiou Long's family. Their father, who would not give his first name, said: ''Last night, I nearly went mad. For two healthy people to go just like that...'' The only one who seemed oblivious to the grief was Chiou Long's two-year-old daughter Alicia, ''Lei Lei'' to her relatives. Her mother, Madam Nina Melani, 24, who comes from Pontianak, West Kalimantan, broke down and cried: ''I'm so worried for my daughter. What are we going to do now?'' When her husband decided to take up cargo tank inspection recently after leaving the family business, she was against the idea. ''And now, he's gone without even saying goodbye.''

UPDATE, Man who died in bid to save friend honored as hero; Victor Mills jumped to aid man who had passed out in manhole 
2002-12-26 by Nora Doyle Journal Reporter
There was no other option for Victor Mills on an August day last year. When he saw his friend suffocating in a manhole at the construction site where they were working, Mills had to do something. Mills died trying to save him. ``He was the type of kid that knows right is right, and wrong is wrong,'' said his father, Mel Mills. ``When that situation came up, he just did it. He knew he had to try and save his friend. That's the kind of kid he was.'' His friend, Jason Moore, survived. Mills, 34 at the time of his death, was recently named by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission as a recipient of the Carnegie Medal. The medal is given to people who risked their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Mills was one of three of this year's recipients who died in the performance of an heroic act. ``I was very proud. He very well deserved it for what he did,'' said Mills' mother, Sharon Brehmer. Victor Mills was one of four people working on an excavation project at a construction site in Newcastle on Aug. 29. Moore had begun to act strangely after climbing into a manhole on the site, probably from a lack of oxygen inside, said a Bellevue Fire Department spokesman right after the accident. Mills jumped in to help Moore, but fell 20 feet headfirst. After a few minutes, Moore regained consciousness and climbed out, but Mills was declared dead at the scene. Mills was raised in Auburn and attended Auburn High School, where he was a good student and played soccer, his parents said. Later living in Enumclaw, Mills and Moore became friends. It was Moore who encouraged Mills to take a job with Robinson Construction Inc. ``They were a team,'' Mills' mother said. They worked together about seven weeks before Mills' death. Mills was one of four children, the last and the smallest of the group. But, at 6 feet 2 inches tall and 212 pounds, he grew up to be the biggest, his mother said with a smile. Mills was fun and well-liked, and he followed his parents' advice to become indispensable to his employer, working nights and weekends, and learning to operate every piece of machinery, said Mel Mills. ``I'm honored that he's getting this award,'' he said. One hundred and eight people were awarded the Carnegie Medal in 2002. Each winner or their survivors receive a $3,500 grant.

Four die after inhaling poisonous gas
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 By Peter Tindwa
Four people have died yesterday and a colleague injured allegedly after inhaling poisonous gas inside a septic tank at TanPak Industry in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam. All affected people are employees of the industry.Sources at TanPack said that the injured employee has been admitted to Mwananyamala hospital where his condition was reported to be improving.Some TanPack employees also told this newspaper yesterday that the five workers entered the tank in to clean it after they were assigned by the management. However, they allegedly inhaled poisonous gas from chemical waste kept in the tank.The deceased have been identified as Michael Joseph (25) from Kijitonyama, Kassim Mkinga (24) a Kigogo resident, Laurian Warioba (25) of Kijitonyama and Mustafa Salum (25) from Tandika. The hospitalised worker has been named as Abdallah Omari (24).It has also been learnt that in the past, the tanks used to be cleaned by special trucks, "but nowadays, garbage workers are usually asked to go in and clean them after they have ben emptied."Narrating the event, the Dar es Salaam Regional Police Commander, Alfred Tibaigana, confirmed that the tragedy occurred at around 5.30 pm last Sunday. He said the deceased were casual labourers recruited by the industry and that they entered the tank after they were asked by their seniors to do so.He said two people, who were foremen of the deceased were being held and questioned by the police in connection with the incident.

UPDATE, Concrete Company Fined for Silo Suffocation Accident
By The Associated Press
A concrete company has been fined $16,800 for an accident in which a maintenance worker fell into a silo filled with cement powder and suffocated. A Department of Labor spokesman says the Thomas Concrete plant in Raleigh had four serious safety violations. The department says Lathan Earl Williams had climbed into the silo October 23rd to knock chunks of powder loose from the structure's side. He was hanging from an internal ladder, but lost his grip and fell through several tons of the fine cement powder to the bottom of the silo. The department says Thomas Concrete failed to mark the silo as a dangerous confined space and failed to produce a written safety program for entering such a space. Human resources and safety manager Bob Schultz says the plant says no one was supposed to enter the silo.

Death ruled accidental
BY DARCY HENDRICKS STAFF WRITER
The death of a 31-year-old man has been ruled accidental, two weeks after his body was found in a water reservoir at a Niles industrial building. The man, an Oak Lawn resident, was reported to have died from closed- space asphyxia while working at a plant on North Lehigh Avenue, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Police said officers, along with the Niles Fire Department, responded to the incident after being notified by another employee. The employee told police the dead man had last been seen around noon on Dec. 5. Employees leave work about 3:30 p.m., and according to the police report, it was not uncommon for the victim to stay to clean up his tools before he left. According to the police report, the witness noticed the victim’s tools in the building, and his car parked in the lot, on the morning of Dec. 6. He later discovered the body in the reservoir.

Drainage worker In Kerala killed due to suffocation 
8-December-2002 
Kerala:Thiruvananthapuram - A worker was killed due to suffocation when he was engaged in clearing a drainage manhole at Mudavanmughal in Thiruvananthapuram. Police identified the victim as Vijayakumaran Nair (44) of Muttathara. Vijayakumaran and Sukumaran were clearing the manhole when the former swooned. He was taken out of the manhole by the fire force personnel and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

1 killed, 7 injured in a blast at Sewri 
By: UNI December 7,2002 
One person was killed and seven others were injured in a blast in the tank of a barge under repair at the Bombay Port Trust (BPT) High Bunder at Sewree this evening, police said. The incident took place around 1645 hrs, police said. Fire brigade and police officials have reached the spot and said preliminary investigations pointed to an accidental blast. While four of the injured have been rushed to the government-run J J Hospital at Byculla here, one of the workers is still trapped inside the tank, police said adding that efforts were on to rescue him. The statements of two of the workers who sustained minor injuries are being recorded, police said. "Initial reports say the blast appears to be a an accident but we are checking out other possibilities too" says Javed Ahmed, Joint Commission of Police - Law & Order. ''This morning the tank was repaired, painted and then a coat of ethanol was applied. While some welding was going on in the adjacent chamber, gas spread out from the chamber resulting in a fire and the blast'', a senior police officer told said at the accident site. The blast is close on the heels of the explosion at the mumbai central railway station here yesterday in which 25 people were injured.

UPDATE, Autopsy indicates drowning in Keystone death
By The Associated Press
KEYSTONE - A Keystone resort worker drowned after becoming entangled in a flooded, below-ground vault used in the resort's snowmaking system, the Summit County coroner said today. The body of Benjamin Isaiah Bornstein, 28, of Dillon was found Monday, partially submerged with his clothing snared in the pipes, valves and other controls, said Dave Parmley, chief of the Snake River Fire Protection District. Firefighters and paramedics rode snowmobiles to the accident site after being called at 4:50 a.m., Parmley said. Bornstein was pronounced dead at 7:27 a.m. at Summit Medical Center after efforts to revive him failed, said Jill Berman, spokeswoman for the Summit County Sheriff's Department. Coroner Dave Joslin said Tuesday that Bornstein died of asphyxiation due to drowning. No other significant injuries were found, Joslin said. Bornstein was inside a cylindrical structure five feet in diameter and four to five feet deep. It contains the pipes for compressed air and water required to make and blast out snow, said Chuck Tolton, Keystone's director of mountain operations. After snowmaking was finished, the hatch over the vault would be closed and snow raked over it, so skiers would be unaware they were skiing over buried pipes and machinery. Two other workers called for help when they saw water flowing out of the vault. "This kind of death in ski area operations is extremely rare, and it has hit the community, starting with the young man's friends, very, very hard," Tolton said. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Summit County Sheriff's Department and other agencies were investigating.

Keystone worker is killed, Water traps man in snow-machine well
By Ryan Morgan
Tuesday, November 26, 2002 - KEYSTONE - A Keystone Resort employee died early Monday morning when the snowmaking machine he was repairing flooded, submerging him in gallons of frigid, rushing water. Benjamin Bornstein, 28, was working in a shallow snowmaking well, a metal tube 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet tall that holds the pipes feeding compressed air and water into the snow machine, when something went wrong about 5 a.m. Rescue workers who rushed up the mountain on snowmobiles found Bornstein trapped in more than 5 feet of rushing water, unable to pull himself out, said Snake River Fire Rescue Chief Dave Parmley. Fire Department Lt. Damon Exum, Bornstein's roommate, was one of the first on the scene. He worked feverishly to rescue his friend from the water and eventually succeeded at pulling him out, but it was too late, Parmley said. Bornstein was whisked down the mountain and taken by ambulance to Summit County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 7:27 a.m. Authorities don't know whether he drowned or was killed after being slammed around by the water. Chuck Tolton, Keystone's mountain manager, said he'd never heard of such a death. "This is the first incident that I can remember," he said. Parmley said the loss was especially devastating for Exum and many of the other firefighters who also knew Bornstein as a friend. "There was a very personal tragedy in this," Parmley said. "It was a difficult day for a number of our personnel. It's a great loss for them." But Parmley praised his firefighters and Keystone's emergency workers for their efforts to save their friend and co-worker.  "Everything was done that could be done, considering the situation was so far removed from normal," Parmley said. Summit County Coroner Dave Joslin scheduled an autopsy for this morning and declined to speculate on the cause of death. "It could be drowning. It could be asphyxiation. It could be trauma," Joslin said. Although the gravel-lined vault should be dry, water pressure inside the pipes ran at 600 to 800 pounds per square inch. Somehow, a pipe ruptured. Bornstein had worked as a snowmaker for about two years, and his death left Keystone's 36 other snowmaking crew members stunned, resort spokeswoman Dawn Doty said. While skiers and snowboarders frolicked in fresh powder amid sunny weather on Monday, most crew members either went home or spent the day with counselors, she said. "It's a tight group. Someone described it like they're a band of brothers," she said. "They take care of each other. They know what's going on in each other's lives. They work behind the scenes. They do the unsung work so that everybody can have a great day on the mountain." Despite heavy snowfall, Keystone's snowmaking crews were working hard, trying to put as much snow as they could on the slopes in advance of the holidays, Doty said.

Police, OSHA investigate industrial death
Rescue workers said the worker was already dead by the time they arrived.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and OSHA are investigating an accident that left one worker at a towing company dead. The accident happened just after 9 a.m. Friday at Coy Towing Service on North Hoskins Road in Northwest Charlotte. Workers called 911 after they found the worker unconscious in a confined area. They said they believe he was trapped inside a tanker and may have been overcome by the fumes. Rescue workers said the worker was already dead by the time they arrived. Currently, police and OSHA are saying they are not sure what caused the victim's death.

Three welders burned in silo explosion
Associated Press
NEW LONDON, N.C. - Three men were severely burned in a freak explosion just as they were finishing a welding job in a silo Monday, officials said. Tony Eddins, 22, of Albemarle; Robert Poplin, 58, and Bob Pickler, 50, both of Mount Gilead, were in critical condition at the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill, a hospital spokeswoman said. The three had been welding a metal chute for about an hour and a half inside one of eight silos at Fiber Composite Corp., which makes wood composite for decks and rails. As they welded the last 6 inches of the chute into place, an explosion occurred about 9:30 a.m. "They triggered the dust and there was an explosion," said Stanly County Fire Marshal Bill Rogers. The silo, though empty, had contained wood and polyethylene chips, said Fiber Composite President Douglas Mancosh. Dust particles mixed with oxygen in the right proportions can explode when sparked by static electricity or a welder's flame, officials said.

UPDATE, Tyson deaths examined
Kentucky hearing witnesses in tragedy at waste-rendering plant where two workers perished in vat of chicken parts
By CHUCK STINNETT Henderson Gleaner
HENDERSON, Ky. - Witnesses began testifying Monday concerning two gruesome deaths three years ago at a Tyson Foods Inc. chicken waste-rendering plant in Robards, Ky. Tyson is appealing charges filed by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet's Occupational Safety and Health Program that the company committed willful violations of worker safety regulations and should be penalized $139,500. Tyson and the state agree that the company had safety precaution guidelines in place and that the guidelines weren't followed the night of the double fatality. But the company maintains that the victims were at fault, while the Labor Cabinet said Tyson failed to properly enforce its own safety program. The matter concerns the events of July 22, 1999, at the Tyson protein plant, where chicken feathers, blood, dead chickens, hatchery wastes and other poultry byproducts are cooked and processed to be used in dog food and other animal feed. Witnesses at the hearing in the Henderson County Public Library testified that James Dame Jr., 40, an hourly production worker from Slaughters, Ky., was emptying a "tote" or container full of chicken waste into an underground bin at the "raw dock" of the protein plant. Dame lifted the tote with a forktruck, but when he lowered the forks to empty the container, the tote slid off and fell into the 10-foot-deep bin. He contacted the maintenance crew, and leadman/maintenance mechanic Scotty Richmond arrived with a crane. A seat called a boatswain chair was attached to the crane, and Dame was lowered into the bin to attach a chain to the tote so it could be hauled up. Richmond and his brother, maintenance welder Eugene Richmond, testified that this method was commonly used for retrieving totes that periodically fell into the waste bins. Scotty Richmond said a co-worker gave him the signal to raise Dame. But, Richmond said, "When he (Dame) got up to where I could see him, he fell over backwards" back into the bin. Another co-worker, truck driver Larry Boling of Henderson, said he ran over, but Dame had disappeared beneath the pool of chicken waste. "The only thing I could see was his white hard hat" floating on top. The night-shift production supervisor, Michael Hallum, 24, of Madisonville, Ky., was immediately summoned by radio and arrived within a minute or so, witnesses said. "He paced back and forth saying, 'Oh my God, oh my God,' " Boling said. "Then he told Scotty, 'Lower me down, now.' " The boatswain's chair had disappeared in the bin, so Hallum climbed onto the metal "headache ball" at the end of the crane's cable and was lowered into the pit. "He was down for about 10 seconds, maximum. Then he said, 'Get me up, now,' " Boling said. "He got close to the top, holding on to the cable with both hands, then he just let go and fell back down, feet first." In his subsequent investigation, Henderson County Coroner Don Cantley concluded that the two men had been overcome by fumes inside the vat and suffocated. "This is a very sad occasion, a very tragic accident," David Sarvadi, a Tyson attorney, told state hearing officer Thomas J. Hellman in his opening remarks. But, Sarvadi continued, "The employees did not follow rules that had been established. They did not follow their training." Tyson hopes to prove that it had taken precautions against such accidents. It had ordered chains welded to the totes; the chains were supposed to be secured to the boom of the forktruck to prevent it from sliding off into the waste bins. But the Richmond brothers acknowledged that workers didn't always follow the procedure. The company also contends that workers were instructed not to dump the chicken waste directly into the bins, but rather to dump it onto the floor and scoop it into the bin using a piece of equipment called a Bobcat. Tyson also insists that it provided training on confined-space entry, such as going into a poorly ventilated area where chemical fumes might accumulate, and provided equipment such as safety harnesses, breathing apparatus and an oxygen sensor. "Had they followed the rules - even if they 
didn't follow all, if they followed some - the accident would not have happened as it did," attorney Sarvadi said. The Labor Cabinet, meanwhile, presented witnesses who said that hourly employees and supervisors alike routinely retrieved dropped totes just as Dame attempted to do. While acknowledging that he had signed documents indicating he had received training in confined-space entry and other areas, Scotty Richmond (who, like his brother, no longer works at Tyson) insisted that it was only classroom training, "not hands-on training." "Tyson did have a confined-space program, but did not follow it," John Parsons, a Labor Cabinet attorney, told hearing officer Hellmann. "It did not take the precautions to prevent the fatalities." Testimony in the hearing is expected to last up to three weeks. Then the two sides will have several months to present written briefs and responses. Ultimately, Hellmann will make a recommendation on the matter to the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission for a final decision. The review commission will consider the facts in the case in determining whether the Labor Cabinet was proper in finding that Tyson had committed "willful" violations, meaning it knew it was violating safety regulations but proceeded with what one attorney described as "plain indifference or intentional disregard." Tyson's Sarvadi insisted that the law "does not make an employer a guarantor of safety. It requires that an employer make all reasonable steps" to comply with the regulations. In separate matters, the families of Dame and Hallum have filed civil lawsuits against Tyson.

Oil Tank Fire in White Oak
Tense moments in Gregg county today, as an oil storage tank catches fire with a work crew inside. Just after 10:30 Saturday morning fire and rescue units converged on the plains oil storage facility on Highway 42 near White Oak. Six workers had been cleaning an empty tank when something went wrong. Something sparked and the tank caught fire with the workers trapped. The workers were quickly evacuated, and treated at the scene. One was hospitalized for smoke inhalation. Fire crews think either vapors or oil residue sparked. The tank began to buckle from the intensity of the flames inside. Fortunately there were no serious injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Farm accident almost proves deadly
by Trudy Bosch, Grenfell Sun & Broadview Express (News)
But for the grace of God and a well placed hose, Leland Johnson may not be alive today. Early Wednesday evening, Johnson and fellow workers were on site at the Double Bar D farm to combine the remaining crop. The group began at 3 am, continuing their work throughout the day. At approximately 5 pm they were unloading their last load of canola off of a semi trailer. The cold weather combined with ice and snow had cause the canola to bridge up when it was being taken off the truck. If it doesn’t come out smoothly it will fall down in chunks,” explained Mark Dimler, one of the owners of the farm who was on site that day. When grain is dry it almost flows like water.” The group consisted of Johnson, Dimler, Raymond Zorn and Dwayne Oshowy. They had just started to unload when they noticed a problem. They opened the shoot on the bottom of the trailer and nothing came out so Dwayne was going to get a crowbar to poke underneath to get it flowing,” Dimler stated. Dimler was in the tractor running the auger and spotted Johnson climbing on the back of the trailer. He saw that the guys were having trouble moving the canola so he left the tractor to offer a hand. By the time he got to the truck the canola had begun to move through the shaft. Dimler climbed the trailer to see how well the canola was moving. Johnson was no where in sight. I climbed to the top and then looked over and I didn’t see him anywhere and then I heard him scream - kind of a death-defying scream. That’s when I knew something was wrong.” With a quick yell to the men on the ground the shoot was closed to prevent more of the canola from moving. Dimler crawled along the edge of the trailer and spotted Johnson - in the middle of the trailer surrounded in canola up to his chin. Johnson was submerged in a cave of grain measuring 4 feet across in diameter and rising approximately 2 feet over his head. While the wall of grain threaten to crush him, Johnson was using his one free hand to try and keep the grain away from his mouth. It appeared that he had stepped through a cavity that caused him to sink into the canola. Johnson grabbed a hold of the bars of the top of the trailer to keep from falling while calling for help at the top of his lungs. The combined noise of the tractor and the auger muffled his pleas and he eventually let go and became surrounded in the grain. Dimler quickly took in the situation and yelled down for someone to find a hose. Zorn quickly jumped into a half ton truck and sped to the shop situated a few hundred yards away. Dimler said, I guess you could say it was almost a miracle that there just happened to be a heater hose, perfect length and diameter sitting right by the door to the shop.” Zorn returned in a few minutes with the hose in toe. The hose was given to Johnson who in turn used it for breathing. Meanwhile back at the trailer while Zorn went to find a hose Dimler and Oshowy waited helplessly. They dared not go into the trailer fearing the cave of canola would fall and cover Johnson’s head. While the men were waiting for Zorn’s return, Oshowy’s brother Lowell appeared on the scene in a truck. Dwayne switched places with Dimler on top of the trailer while Dimler jumped into the truck to head back to the yard for a tractor and front end loader. I went back to get it to have over top of the trailer in case they were successful in getting a rope tied around Leland then we would have something to lift him out,” Dimler explained. Back at the accident, once the hose was in place, Oshowy jumped in the grain, keeping himself in a safe area and requested small sheets of plywood to form a box around Johnson which would protect him from the wall of canola if and when it fell. Once the safety device was in place the men took turns shoveling as much of the canola from around Johnson as they could. It was reported that on at least six occasions he was completely covered in the seed using only the hose to breath. During this time Dimler also called his parents. When his mother answered the phone he immediately requested that his dad come out and aid the men who were struggling to save Johnson's life. He also asked his mother to phone the ambulance. Johnson had already been in the canola half an hour by the time the ambulance arrived. The men had already boxed him in and were hard at work shoveling. As they made progress putting a dent in the grain pile they pushed the walls of the box farther down, uncovering Johnson inch by inch. The EMTs handed him an oxygen mask making it easier to take in oxygen. Once both of his arms were free they fashioned a harness from a nylon strap and secured it under his shoulders and tied it to a rope which in turn was secured to the front end loader. The Grenfell Fire Department arrived on scene 20-30 minutes later. They provided light for the men to continue their work. Shoveling continued for over an hour when finally Johnson was uncovered to the bottom of the rib cage. The harness was attached to the front end loader with a cable and wench and the men slowly freed him by hand. After over an hour and a half in the trailer Johnson was free. He appeared shocked but mostly unhurt, even climbing down the trailer himself. For precautionary reason he was taken to the Broadview Hospital to be checked out. The following day his was fine, his only complaint being a sore chest. As for the rest of the men, Dimler, the Oshowy brothers and Zorn? Well they had to finish unloading the trailer. We were shaking a bit later on that night and even right then unloading the rest of the tractors we had to be careful because that grain was still sticking,” Dimler commented. This was the first farm accident to happen on the Dimler’s land but the quick thinking and actions of Raymond Zorn, Mark Dimler, Dwayne and Lowell Oshowy prevented a serious accident and saved a man’s life.

UPDATE, B.C. wine-country residents shocked by deaths
By CAMILLE BAINS
VANCOUVER (CP) - British Columbia's winemaking industry is at a loss to explain how two winemakers died in a freak accident no one has ever heard of happening before. Victor Manola, owner of the Silver Sage Winery in the Okanagan town of Oliver, B.C., died Sunday after falling into a fermentation tank. Winemaking consultant Frank Supernak, died when he fell in, too, attempting to rescue Manola. It's believed the men suffocated because of the carbon dioxide generated in the enclosed tank by the fermenting wine. The lack of oxygen meant they couldn't breathe. The incident has shocked residents in the Okanagan Valley agricultural community where "wine is the world," said Bob Tennant, a winery owner in the area. "Everyone's just sick about it," Tennant said as winery owners throughout the Okanagan planned to help Manola's wife Anna get wines from the family business to store shelves. The accident came as a blow to the British Columbia's flourishing wine industry, which last week took 152 out of 268 medals at the Canadian Wine Awards. Harry McWatters, founding chairman of the B.C. Wine Institute, said everyone is deeply saddened by the tragic deaths. "Our industry, although we may be very competitive in the marketplace, we all share a passion for what we do," he said. "There's little doubt in my mind that the industry will come to a position where these families can reach out and find some assistance to get them through this vintage." The accident is so bizarre that nobody in the industry can even begin to figure out how someone could fall into a fermentation tank. "This is my 35th vintage in the business and nothing like this has ever happened," McWatters said. "This is very much a freak accident." Manola, 41, was on a ladder while reaching into the tank to get a wine sample for testing around noon Sunday when he fell into a hole measuring about 38 centimetres across, said Sgt. Bob Reuter of Oliver's RCMP detachment. Supernak, 47, went to help and also fell into the tank, which was about two-thirds full, Reuter said. "Whether he got dragged in or fell in himself, they both ended up in the tank," Reuter said. Rescue workers sawed off the top of the tank and drained it before rescuing the men, he said. "It's just a totally tragic accident," said Reuter. The wine industry is considering ways to eliminate such incidents from happening again, McWatters said. "We're all going to have to do some self-analysis here about what could be done," he said. "I think it really comes down to making sure that people don't work alone in cellars in this kind of situation and that they recognize the potential danger of the lack of oxygen. You don't see the danger." Winemaker Steve Wyse, who works at the Burrowing Owl Vineyards in Oliver, said Manola, who had two adult children living in the Vancouver area, was the pillar of his family. "He was a unique guy," Wyse said. "He was making the only pinot blanc ice wine with a chili pepper in it." Manola and his wife were also adding a bed-and-breakfast in to their property, where they would have celebrated their third vintage. Supernak, who had a wife and two children, was a microbiologist who was involved in every aspect of winemaking - from vineyard work, to the crush and final analysis, said Wyse. "Frank taught me a lot about winemaking," Wyse said. "That's who he was. He was willing to give everybody every little bit of knowledge that he had. He was the best. He could turn grapes into magic." The coroner's office and the Workers' Compensation Board were investigating the deaths.

Winery mishap kills two men
By CP
OLIVER, B.C. -- A bizarre winery accident has claimed two lives after one man tumbled into a wine tank and another tried to save him. Victor Manola, owner of the Silver Sage Winery in Oliver, B.C., about 260 km east of Vancouver, was bending over the top of a large plastic tank when he slipped in, said his wife, Anna Manola, yesterday. "The winemaker ... jumped in to take him out and he couldn't come out," she said. CHBC-TV in Kelowna reported the 2,270-litre tank was three-quarters full at the time and that rescuers resorted to draining the tank and cutting off its top in order to retrieve the men's bodies. "I let the wine out of the tank," Manola said softly. "It was too late." The coroner's office and Workers' Compensation Board are investigating, CHBC said.

UPDATE, Chemical Scare Kills Wyoming Man
November 9, 2002
WALKER -- Investigators are trying to piece together what happened in the final moments of a worker's life. A 35-year-old man died while working at the H.B. Fuller plant just before 9pm Friday. Now the company on Kinney Avenue in Walker searches for answers as they grieve a loss. Company officials confirmed Saturday that Jeffrey Laroway of Wyoming died in their building, overcome as he worked with chemicals. Officials from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) were on the scene, trying to figure out why It happened. Late last night, fire officials determined he was either cleaning out the container that mixed the chemicals or he was in fact mixing them. Another employee found Laroway inside a vat. "An employee found him slumped over," Fire Chief Bill Schmidt said. "They pulled him back and tried CPR." Crews worked much of the night to decontaminate firefighters and other workers: 18 people in all were hosed down and transported to hospitals as a safety precaution. They were all released by today. The company says this is an isolated incident and tell us conditions within the facility have been declared normal and safe today. H.B. Fuller is a Fortune 500 company that provides adhesives, sealants, and coatings for the manufacture of other, more familiar, brand-name products. A company spokesman says grief counselors will help employees through the tough time. "We care deeply for our employees well-being and safety, and our thoughts go to those who have been affected." Walker Police tell us they won't have an official cause of Laroway's death until results of an autopsy and OSHA investigation are released Monday.

Worker dies at Walker plant
(Walker, November 9, 2002, 6:36 p.m. updated ) 
Today investigators are looking for what killed one worker and sent more than a dozen others to the hospital. Late Friday night the H. B. Fuller plant, located in the 2700 block of Kinney in Walker, had to be evacuated after it appears one worker was overcome by fumes while cleaning a vat. Workers found a man slumped over and unconscious. On Saturday the Walker Police Department identified the man as 35-year-old Jeffery Laroway from Wyoming. According to police the cause of his death is believed to be from the inhalation of oxygen depleted gases. Two other workers who were also in the area had to be decontaminated after they complained of symptoms. In all, ten firefighters and about eight workers were put on a bus and driven to Spectrum Butterworth Hospital for decontamination. Spectrum representatives tell 24 Hour News 8 decontamination went successfully, and all have been released at this time. Hazmat teams say the fumes did not pose a threat to any area around the plant. 24 Hour News 8 discovered this morning Grand Rapids Fire officials believe two of the chemicals that were involved were Propylene Carbonate, a liquid that can be an irritating if inhaled or ingested, and Triethyl Glyconal.

Manitoba: Rules were ignored at site of workers' death, judge says
WINNIPEG - Two men who asphyxiated in a railway tanker at CanAmera's canola-crushing plant in Manitoba would still be alive had company policies been followed, an inquest judge has found. David Schroeder and James Friesen died in 1996. The judge called for a safer working environment, improved supervision and better equipment for the 70 employees.

UPDATE, Fines totaling $161,000 proposed against farm
BUSHNELL, Fla. - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed that Hillandale Farms pay $161,000 in fines linked to the death of a worker earlier this year. The fines, announced Wednesday, include $125,000 in proposed penalties for allowing employees to work without proper safety equipment and failing to remove grain dust accumulations. Hillandale was also fined $36,000 for seven other citations. Michael M. Collins died May 1 after sinking into a silo holding 30 tons of corn kernels. OSHA area director Les Grove said Collins was not wearing a body harness or any other protective equipment. Collins died of asphyxiation four hours later, after the pressure of the corn crushed his chest. "This was a tragic accident that should have been avoided," said John Henshaw, OSHA's assistant secretary of labor. Hillandale Farms has 15 business days to contest the fines and citations before an independent OSHA commission. Bushnell is about 45 miles northwest of Orlando. 

Two die of asphyxiation 
KANPUR, OCT 29 (PTI)
Two persons died of asphyxiation while cleaning a choked sewage line in Jaroli area here today, police said. Two sweepers had gone in a main hole at Jaroli area to clean a choked sewage line and failed to come out for a long time, police said adding their colleagues then went inside and found them in an unconscious state. Both of them were rushed to a hospital where they died later, police added. 

UPDATE, CFMEU demands probe into water tower collapse
The building workers union is calling for a full inquiry into working conditions at the site of the collapsed water tower at Lake Cargelligo in central western NSW. The tower collapsed last Tuesday, killing two construction workers. The site was being managed by a sub-contractor employed by the Department of Public Works and Services. An occupational health and safety officer for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), Steve Keenan, inspected the site late last week. He says the ladders that were being used were home-made and the scaffolding workers were standing on had been tampered with. "We demand a full inquiry into this project, we demand that no further work take place, rectification work of any kind to take place there until all parties sit down [and] put the appropriate measures in place, so that these incidents and accidents don't happen again," he said. The union has also expressed concern staff who were working to construct the water tower were not adequately covered by workers' compensation. Mr Keenan says the policy, which had been purchased to cover the six employees working at the site, was worth far less than it should have been. "I've got to say, this is the worst site I've ever seen," he said. "I was involved in the Newcastle accident, investigating that and it didn't come close to this one, this one was really appalling and it makes you sick that the Department of Public Works have allowed this project to move on the way it has." It is understood a meeting is to be held in Griffith later this week to discuss the possibility of legal action. Representatives from the CFMEU, WorkCoverNew South Wales, the Labor Council of NSW, and the Department of Public Works and Services are expected to attend. The CFMEU has also written to the Minister for Public Works and Services, Morris Yemma, requesting an urgent conference. 

UPDATE, Two bodies taken from tower 
23oct02
THE bodies of two South Australian men crushed when the roof of a water tower collapsed in the NSW Riverina have been recovered by rescue workers. Anthony Beytell, 37, from Adelaide and Craig McLeod, 34, from Port Pirie, were killed when the roof of the partially constructed tower at Lake Cargelligo gave way yesterday. A police spokeswoman said the first body was recovered at 10.05am (AEST) today and the second at 11.30am. "They were taken to Lake Cargelligo Hospital for formal identification," a police spokeswoman said. Two other men injured in the collapse were recovering in hospital today, while a third has been released. A 20-year-old Griffith man was flown to Orange Base Hospital with serious injuries while a 42-year-old local was airlifted to Wagga Wagga Hospital, also in a serious condition. Both men were believed to be in a stable condition, the spokeswoman said. A 26-year-old local, Scott Woods, was released from Lake Cargelligo Hospital after treatment for minor injuries. The group had been pouring concrete when the roof collapsed, sparking a huge search and rescue effort with considerable resources deployed from Sydney. A sixth worker escaped by clinging to outside scaffolding. A post-mortem examination will be carried out at Dubbo Hospital in the next few days to determine the exact cause of death of the two men, the spokeswoman said. "This information will be included in a report for the coroner being prepared by detectives from Parkes police station," she said. "WorkCover will also be carrying out inquiries into the incident." 

UPDATE, Bulk carrier blast highlights faults in safety regulation 
The World Today - Tuesday, October 22, 2002 12:22 
ELEANOR HALL: When eight seamen were sent in to paint the ballast tank of the bulk carrier, Nego Kim, in November last year their routine task turned into a tragedy. All eight crew members were killed when fumes from their painting accumulated to dangerous levels causing an explosion. Well, today a report into the disaster points to serious flaws in the regulation of safety in international shipping. Releasing the results of its investigation, the Australian Safety Transport Bureau has reported that the crew were not given adequate instructions or equipment for their task, and were unaware of the dangers of what they were doing. Matt Brown reports from Canberra. MATT BROWN: On the afternoon of the 18th of November last year, just off the port of Dampier in Western Australia, the Hong Kong registered bulk carrier, Nego Kim, was waiting to load cargo of scrap metal. Its 170 metres of deck stretched out into the distance from the ship's bridge. Despite the breeze, it was a warm afternoon on deck and eight crew members had just spent the last two hours spray painting inside one of the huge carrier's ballast tanks. Kit Filor from the Transport Safety Bureau says the crew were almost certainly unaware of the danger creeping up on them. KIT FILOR: It's really a bit like filling your car in perhaps in your sitting room. The fumes from the paint which are, were, are hydrocarbon, just like petrol if you like, toxic fumes. They were in themselves toxic. They would have affected the brain. And the lower explosion limit where a spark could cause an explosion would have been reached fairly quickly, in about 40 minutes. But it would've been that slow build up. Probably impinging on the senses very slowly to the degree where probably the increase would not have been detected. MATT BROWN: There were just two relatively small hatches in the ballast tank that were being used both for ventilation and the avenue for all of the crew's gear. And a spark maybe from a dropped light or another source triggered a tragedy that wiped out the ship's entire deck crew. KIT FILOR: Inside the tank it would have been oppressive. Temperatures probably around about 40 degrees. And at about 4:30, just after 4:30, the, there was a loud explosion. The solid steel deck was ripped up into a big arch. Three men standing just aft, or just backward of this tank were blown down the deck and they were killed. There was a man in the tank. He suffered severe burns to about 90 per cent of his body. There were three men standing on top of the tank and they were blown over, four men actually, and they were blown overboard. One body was recovered some time later. The man in the tank actually survived 16 days but eventually died of his, of his, injuries. MATT BROWN: The Transport Safety Bureau's recommending a change to the international shipping manuals so they reflect the dangers and recommend precautions for working in confined spaces. It sounds almost too mundane to be pointed out. But Kit Filor says that's the nature of the factors at the heart of many deadly accidents. KIT FILOR: Painting is such a routine mundane task on ship. It's done every day almost on all ships, that people just, and this is the nature of accidents. They don't recognise the dangers because they're so used to them. And change the location, change the circumstances slightly, and you actually induce a real hazard and people don't recognise it. MATT BROWN: The bureau also found that the rescue plan at the Dampier Port had not been updated to take the closure of the port's control tower into account. But that while it's ultimately for the coroner to decide, the death was so rapid that ambiguities in the plan probably had no effect on the loss of life. 

Two dead in tower collapse
By Michael Owen-Brown and Kara Lawrence 23oct02
THE bodies of two construction workers, believed to be from South Australia, were thought to be under tonnes of rubble in a water tower in western NSW last night. One man was confirmed dead and there had been no contact with the other. They were among a crew of five men who plunged about 16m into the tank when its roof collapsed about 11.30am yesterday. Two men were quickly rescued from the debris and taken to hospital, while a third was trapped by the leg and not freed until early evening. The accident occurred near Lake Cargelligo, 450km west of Sydney, as the men poured concrete to form the roof. Four of the workmen were believed to be contractors for SA firm BGA Projects, which won the tender to build the tower, and some were believed to be from Adelaide. One was a 26-year-old from Lake Cargelligo, who was one of the first rescued. The three injured men were taken to Lake Cargelligo Hospital, two with minor cuts. The man who was trapped for several hours had head wounds and a severe injury after his leg was pierced by a steel bar. Concreter Ralph Storr was working near the men when a large section cracked off and sent them sprawling under a shower of concrete, steel and scaffolding. "I heard a really big noise and the side of the concrete that was already on top collapsed, the whole lot (fell) down," he said. He estimated about 100 tonnes of rubble fell into the tank. WorkCover investigators were among 50 officials and rescuers at the scene. A coronial investigation will be conducted. The reservoir is 16.25m high and 18.6m in diameter, and is nearing completion. It was to be the first stage in a major project to establish a new water supply for the area. Lockie Beuzeville, 79, who lives near the construction site, said ambulances, police, fire and emergency services crews were on the scene in minutes of the accident. However, he said initial rescue attempts were hampered by the fact the operator of a crane next to the tank was one of those trapped. Eventually another crane operator was found and a second cran dispatched to the scene to lift rescuers into the tank.

UPDATE, Company cited in deaths of 2 workers, Spectrum Organic Products to appeal $137,895 fine levied by Cal-OSHA
October 19, 2002 By JEREMY HAY THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A Petaluma health products company where two workers died while cleaning a steel tank was cited Friday for multiple safety violations and faces perhaps the heaviest fines ever levied against a North Coast business. The state workplace safety agency said Spectrum Organic Products Inc. failed to provide proper training and safety equipment to employees who clean tanks used to process flaxseed oil for use in a variety of nationally retailed organic food and health products. Spectrum has 15 days to appeal $137,895 in fines proposed by the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration. After Javier Del Rio, 42, and Francisco Estrella, 24, died inside the 12-foot high tank, company executives said both men performed the cleaning regularly and they had been properly and recently trained. Police investigators concluded that Estrella died trying to rescue Del Rio from the tank, a death trap because it was full of argon gas, which is used to displace oxygen as part of a cleaning process to kill bacteria. "If pro er procedures would have been followed, there would not have been these fatalities," said Dean Fryer, a Cal-OSHA spokesman. "The employer bears the sole responsibility." Spectrum officials didn't return calls seeking comment. Jethren Phillips, the company founder and chairman of the board, issued a statement via e-mail saying: "The company does not believe that we knowingly engaged in any wrongful conduct." He said the fines will be appealed and the company will "present facts that may not have been presented in the post-accident investigation." Eight of the nine citations Cal-OSHA issued to Spectrum were ranked serious, one of the most severe categories. They included that the company did not post danger signs, had no training program and didn't inform employees about the dangers of working in confined industrial spaces such as the oil processing tank. The agency also found that Spectrum didn't provide respirators, communications gear or emergency rescue equipment for workers performing the kind of work Estr ella and Del Rio were doing when they died. All of the violations have since been corrected, according to Fryer. The citations were consistent with testimony given to police by Spectrum's plant floor employees, and contradicted testimony of executives and managers who said training and safety guidelines were in place. Co-workers of the dead men at Spectrum's Copeland Street manufacturing and bottling plant told investigators that they never received training and had "to figure out by themselves how to clean the tanks." Workplace safety consultants have estimated that as many as 200 people die a year in confined space industrial accidents, and state law mandates that companies maintain a rigorous and ongoing training program as well as provide appropriate equipment. Del Rio, a Santa Rosa resident, and Estrella, who lived in Rohnert Park, earned $12.25 an hour and had worked at the plant for five and six years respectively. Fryer said he wasn't aware of a larger fine levied against a North Coast employer for workplace safety violations. The largest fine ever levied by Cal-OSHA was $810,000, imposed against the Tosco oil refinery plant in Martinez after an explosion that killed four workers in 1999. In 2001, the Williams Selyem Winery near Forestville paid $6,000 in fines stemming from the death of a 20-year-old winery worker who was asphyxiated in a wine production tank. Spectrum also may face separate criminal charges if the Sonoma County district attorney decides that criminal negligence on the company's part led to the April 25 deaths.

UPDATE, Gas exposure claims 2 in Ankleshwer
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2002 11:39:53 PM ]
AHMEDABAD: Two persons died in an accident on Wednesday in the Ankleshwer Industrial Estate in south Gujarat. Both the workers apparently died while cleaning an ammonia reactor in Chemo Pharma, engaged in manufacturing dyes and intermediates. According to Bharuch police, the accident took place at 9-30 am on Wednesday when four workers of the company went inside a vessel in the auramine plant of the company for maintenance work. According to a complaint lodged with the GIDC police station of Ankleshwer area, one of the two died almost immediately because of leftover ammonia gas in the vessel. Another employee of the company, who was rushed to rescue the first one also died due to the gas exposure. The victims have been identified as Narendra Basu and Ramjagir Prasad. The two other workers, Vijayshankar Yadav and Raisinh Parsinh, who also accompanied Prasad and Basu are said to be in critical condition and have been admitted in the Jayaben hospital in Bharuch. A case has been filed under section 176 of the CrPC. When contacted by ET, K Srivatsan, co-ordinator, Disaster Management Committee of Ankleshwer Industries Association said that there was no leakage of gas in the company. He said the situation is under control.

Two workers die, two affected after inhaling ammonia gas 
SURAT, OCT 16 (PTI)
Two labourers died on the spot and two others were seriously affected after they inhaled amonia gas while cleaning a tank in a chemical unit in GIDC area at Ankleshwar town in Bharuch district today, police said. The deceased were identified as Ramjani Prasad (44) and Narendra Basu (40), they said. The affected labourers were immediately admitted to a private hospital at Total taluka town where their condition was reportedly improving, police said. A case has been registered against the chemical unit K A Patel and CO., they added. 

UPDATE, OSHA Investigating Thursday's Deaths
After mysterious fumes killed two utility workers in a manhole, the subcontractor for those men is being investigated. NBC 6 has learned, through our coverage partners at The Herald, that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited the subcontractor, Electrical Technology Corp., for safety violations three times since 1999. One of those violations included an electrocution. OSHA is investigating Thursday's deaths. fficials in Miami Beach said that they two utility workers were apparently overcome by sewer gas and killed in a manhole. Authorities said that the two men were installing tubing in a manhole Thursday under contract from Florida Power and Light. The first worker reportedly climbed into the manhole to begin installing the tubing for an underground power connector. The second went into the manhole after the first failed to resurface. Police first thought the men were electrocuted, so they briefly shut power off before discovering the gas fumes.

Worker Burned in Industrial Accident Near Victory Field 
An industrial accident near Victory Field has left one person seriously injured. Police say it happened Thursday at 5:31pm in the area of 300 South West Street. Two subjects were working in a manhole at that location. Investigators say as one worker exited, there was a steam explosion inside the manhole, throwing the second worker, Marty Williams of Indianapolis, from the manhole. Williams suffered second and three degree burns over 90-percent of his body. He's in stable condition at Wishard Hospital. Authorities say the workers were apparently addressing a valve problem at the location. Both of the men work for Distance Thermal Energy. 

2 workers die as sewer gas floods hole; OSHA is investigating deaths
BY RICHARD BRAND AND NICOLE WHITE
A pair of utility workers were killed Thursday in Miami Beach when the underground hole they were working in became flooded with lethal sewer gas, fire-rescue workers said. One worker was overcome while working in the 10-foot-deep utility access hole and fell into a two-foot-deep pool of water. His supervisor, checking on why the worker wasn't answering, climbed down a ladder and also was felled by fumes. He suffered an apparent seizure, fell into the water and also died, fire-rescue workers said. Fire department officials said they did not see required safety equipment, including gas detection meters and ventilation systems, at the scene. Killed were Osvaldo Martinez, 41, who recently lived at 1921 W. 63rd St., Hialeah, and Orlando Mendoza, 32, of 880 W. 74th St., Hialeah. It was unclear Thursday night who was the supervisor. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. The men worked for Electrical Technologies Corp., which has offices in Medley and is a subcontractor for Florida Power & Light. They were working at 18th Street and Bay Road, installing underground PVC pipes that will carry electrical cables. They were not working in a sewer. The men succumbed to the gas shortly before 2 p.m. A co-worker watched the supervisor go down, suffer what looked like a seizure and fall off the ladder, fire department spokesman Javier Otero said. ''He was putting himself in peril by going in,'' Assistant Fire Chief Russell White said. ``His intentions certainly were heroic.'' Off-duty police officer Romilio Perez, who was directing traffic at the construction site, called for help at 1:56 p.m., Otero said. ''It was a recovery operation from when we got there. These guys had no chance,'' Otero said. Rescue workers found Martinez and Mendoza bobbing in the water next to each other. The rescuers donned gas masks and protective suits and descended into the utility chamber, where they put a harness around each man. The victims were hoisted out and taken for autopsies. The causes of death were unclear Thursday night. The smell was still present at street level an hour later. Power was cut to about 4,400 customers for 90 minutes because of fears the gas could ignite from a spark. Workers who go underground are required by OSHA standards to first test the air by sending down a gas testing meter. If any toxins are detected, workers must ventilate the chamber before entering it. White said that when rescue workers arrived, they did not find some of the standard safety equipment required for underground work. ''We did not see gas detection meters or ventilation systems upon arrival,'' he said. Fred Beckman, head of the city's public works department, said city workers test the air before going through manholes and also wear an alarm that alerts them to any gases while they are underground. ''My guess is as soon as he hit whatever it was he couldn't breathe,'' Beckman said. ``You could pass out almost instantaneously.'' An Electrical Technologies employee who answered the company's main phone line refused to comment. According to OSHA inspection records, the company was cited for a safety violation for trench work on Miami Beach in 1999, but the problem was corrected within two weeks. Details of the violation weren't available Thursday. So-called ''sewer gas,'' which consists largely of hydrogen sulfide, isn't necessarily from a sewer. It can be a naturally-occurring product of decaying plants and other biological products. The ground under Miami Beach is full of sewer-gas pockets, White said. The area where the accident occurred was once a mangrove swamp -- and would have been a likely place to find pockets of sewer gas, White said. ''We're basically a floating sewer,'' he said. ``[The supervisor] should have had better knowledge of what he was dealing with.'' Herald staff writers Tere Figueras and Julienne Gage contributed to this report. 

UPDATE, State fines city $9,000 in sewer workers' deaths
By BERT DALMER
State investigators have concluded the city of Des Moines shares blame for the deaths last summer of two Missouri workers in an aging city sewer line. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported Wednesday that it issued two violations and recommended $9,000 in fines against the city last month. The violations contend that city engineers failed to ensure that contractors had a rescue plan or were apprised of city rescue procedures before they began underground repairs near 1901 Dewolf St. last April. One city official called the citations "absurd" and promised to challenge the decision. The $2.7 million repair job by Insituform Technologies was a few days from completion July 9 when Daniel Grasshoff, 25, and Brian Burford, 19, were overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas, an unpredictably dangerous byproduct of sewage. The men collapsed face-down and drowned in more than a foot of watery sewage. Witnesses said the Chesterfield, Mo., company had gas monitors, fresh-air pumps and respirators at the scene, but none apparently were in use while Grasshoff and Burford worked inside the 5-foot-high pipe. State investigators cited Insituform last month with 20 willful and serious safety violations, proposing a fine of $808,250 - one of the largest in state history. City officials have said they rely on qualified contractors to assume safety precautions because they aren't trained to do so. The city's only role on the sewer job, said Public Works Director Bill Stowe, was to make sure that repairs were performed to specifications. "The idea that we would have responsibility for understanding the intricacies of this job turns logic on its head," Stowe said. "Insituform are worldwide experts in permit-required confined spaces. That's like telling an airplane pilot how to fly when we aren't pilots." Officials at Insituform, which has acknowledged safety lapses at the Des Moines job site, also were surprised Wednesday to learn that the city was blamed in the accident. "I thought we would take the full brunt," said company spokeswoman Michele Lucas. The city can contest the violations and fines. Insituform met last month with state officials to discuss a settlement of its violations, but details of the negotiations were not available. Polk County Attorney John Sarcone said his office continues to review the case to determine whether workers were criminally negligent. Potential charges could be as serious as felony manslaughter, he said.

UPDATE, OSHA fines local company for death of man in pipeline
By GREG RUSSELL
A July death has brought a fine for a local construction company from the Occupational Safety Hazard Administration (OSHA). A $3,000 fine is reportedly in order for B.J. Co. Contractors, employer of the late Israel Martinez. Martinez, 20, died July 10 after collapsing in a manhole on E. Highway 82, roughly a mile east of Brammer Supply. Suffocation was the reported cause of death at the time, explained OSHA Acting Area Director Mike Talmont of the Fort Worth office, citing autopsy reports. B.J. Co. Contractors, owned by Jess Cason, has been fined that $3,000 amount for certain reasons -- a lack-of-training violation and for a violation of general safety clauses, with a cost of $1,500 each. Cason was unavailable for comment Wednesday and Thursday morning. Wayne Clark, who was with Martinez at the site on July 10, declined comment Thursday morning. Talmont pointed out Wednesday morning that these penalities were based entirely on classification and violation. "And things are considered, such as the size of the company and their history," he said. After the investigation and ruled cause of death, he pointed out, reduction factors and proposed penalties come into consideration. OSHA Citation 1, Item 1, filed through the U.S. Department of Labor, noted that Martinez and co-worker Gustava Barcones, who passed out trying to aid Martinez, were not sufficiently alerted to the possible hazards involved. That may explain why they didn't think to wear safety equipment. Barcones, contacted this morning, was not fluent enough in English to make a comment on the fine. OSHA Citation 1, Item 2 insisted that the men weren't furnished employment free of those recognized hazards. But since this company has committed no serious violation in the last 3 years, Talmont added -- and the company is small, the possible fine for Martinez's death was reduced by 70 percent. "I haven't heard anything from the company," Talmont said, saying that the fines can be appealed. "I think they're going to come in and talk about it -- they're scheduled to come in and talk about it in a couple weeks." Rosa Mendez of Mendez Bakery said that at the time of his death, her business began collecting money for Martinez's funeral expenses. "The people responded," she said. "I gave the money to his brother-in-law." And as for the OSHA fines, Mendez admitted, "That's good for the family," adding that she wanted to send appreciation out to the people who offered money in July to Martinez's cause.

Details

Parent Category: Incident Alert Archives

Category: Confined Space Accidents

Published: 03 September 2010

Confined Space Accidents #2

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

 

Missaukee farmer killed in silo mishap
By Judy Toomey, Staff Writer October 09, 2002 
LUCAS — A Missaukee County farmer died Tuesday morning while working in the top of a silo on his Lucas farm. According to Missaukee County Sheriff’s Office reports, David Schutte, 46, was attempting to level corn away from equipment when he was overcome by a lack of oxygen caused by carbon dioxide build-up inside the 95-foot Harvestore. A worker who was outside the silo attempted to rescue Schutte but was unable to reach him. The worker called 911 from his cellular phone, and rescue units including the Missaukee sheriff’s office, Cadillac and McBain fire departments, Missaukee County Rescue and EMS, the Michigan State Police and the United States Coast Guard, along with numerous friends and family members, responded to the scene. Rescue workers and neighbors were able to reach Schutte, who was lowered to the ground by the Cadillac Fire Department’s aerial rescue truck. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene due to asphyxiation. Missaukee County Sheriff Jim Bosscher said Schutte had been a lifelong area resident who had taken over the family farm from his father. “He had been farming all his life. He was a well-respected, very nice individual,” Bosscher said. Farmers are well aware of the danger of working in silos, said Kenneth Rosenman, a Michigan State University professor of medicine who tracks work-related deaths for the Michigan Fatality Assessment Control Evaluation program. However, mishaps still occur. “In recent years, there have been at least three deaths in similar situations in Michigan,” he said. According to Rosenman, two byproducts are produced by the fermentation of grain inside silos. In cinderblock silos, a nitrous oxide-type gas is most commonly produced. In more airtight lined silos — such as the Harvestore in which Schutte was killed — carbon dioxide is given off instead. Both gases can be deadly. Carbon dioxide replaces oxygen in the atmosphere and can lead to asphyxiation, while inhalation of nitrous oxide can result in pulmonary edema, or an accumulation of fluid in the lungs, Rosenman said. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, farming was second only to mining as the profession with the highest occupational fatality rate nationwide in 2001. “We tend to think of farming as idyllic, but there is a lot of hazardous equipment involved,” Rosenman noted. MiFACE statistics indicate that in 2001, 175 people died in work-related accidents in Michigan. Fifteen were farmers. Rosenman said that number is disproportionately high. While the number of manufacturing sector workers killed on the job is larger, there are many more factory workers in the state than there are farmers, he said. He indicated farming usually is ranked high on the list of the nation’s most dangerous professions. “Farming, manufacturing and fishing take turns being the riskiest,” he said. There are 15,000 silos in the state of Michigan. All are potentially hazardous, said Howard Doss, former farm safety specialist for Michigan State University. “You should never treat a silo as if it’s safe,” he said. Because fermentation begins almost immediately after an upright silo is filled, it’s important for farmers to stay out of silos until the process is finished, Doss said. “After you’re done filling up a silo, you need to stay out of it for the first 48 hours. If you have to do something like cover it or level it, do it immediately then get out of there. Don’t even wait until after lunch,” he advised. Silo gasses can linger even beyond 48 hours. “Cases (of accidents) have been reported days and even up to a week or so after filling a silo,” Rosenman said. Sheriff’s office reports did not indicated when the silo Schutte was working in had been filled. Doss said people entering silos should be equipped with a portable oxygen source such as the breathing apparatus worn by firefighters. “But for practical purposes, you can’t do it. The (silo) opening is so small, it’s difficult to get through by yourself, let alone with an airpack on your back. People take risks, and you’re seeing the result of that,” he said.

Two Men Fall in Chemical Tank
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
A frightening scene for two workers at a chemical plant in Haughton tonight. The Bossier Sheriff`s office tells us one of the workers fell into a tank filled with a flammable chemical known as heptane... used in oil or paint thinners. His co-worker jumped in, and was able to get him out, only to then fall in himself. A team of workers eventually got him out and the two were rushed to LSU Hospital. We`re told, they`re in serious condition tonight.

UPDATE, Fines reduced after safety improvements at UMaine 
ORONO (AP) -- State labor officials have reduced the University of Maine's fine for 12 safety violations. The decision comes more than three months after the accidental death of a UMaine employee at the school's aquaculture research center in Franklin. William O'Coin suffocated when he entered a concrete aquaculture tank to rescue a 16-year-old summer employee who had been overcome by hydrogen sulfide fumes. Following O'Coin's death, the state Bureau of Labor Standards took the university to task for a number of violations, including its failure to implement a policy on employees entering confined spaces. But this week, the state reduced the $111,000 fine to $51,000 after determining the university has responded appropriately to the accident. UMaine officials say the school plans to create a new Department of Safety and Environmental Management, which will consolidate existing safety programs.

Worker Rescued After Falling Into 15-Foot Pit
NBC 6 News Team
MIAMI -- Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue crews responded to the scene Monday when a worker fell into a 15-foot concrete-lined pit. The 30-year-old man was painting the inside of a sewage pump lift station on the 1100 block of NW 163rd Street when he reportedly lost his balance and fell off the ladder into the hole, which extends some 20 feet below the ground. The worker suffered neck and back injuries in the fall, according to Jeff Strictland of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Crews lowered a gurney into the hole and hoisted the man to safety without incident. He was listed in good condition at an area hospital Monday and is expected to make a full recovery. The lift station is owned by the city of North Miami. 

UPDATE, Officials: Toxic gas in manhole killed men; Company fined for not providing equipment, training to employees
Associated Press
MONCKS CORNER, S.C. - Officials say two surveyors found at the bottom of a Berkeley County manhole in July died from inhaling hydrogen sulfide. Emergency crews measured levels of hydrogen sulfide at 39 parts per million almost an hour after the bodies of Claude E. Bentley III, 31, of Charleston and John "Randy" Wall, 20, of Summerville were found in the manhole near Ladson on July 18, according to a state Labor Department's Office of Occupational Safety and Health investigation report. An acceptable level of hydrogen sulfide concentration in the workplace is 20 parts per million with a maximum level of 50 parts per million inhaled for no longer than 10 minutes, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Exposure to 700 to 800 parts per million or higher is lethal within seconds. Officials still have few answers about why the men entered the sewer system or how the gas reached lethal levels. Authorities say there is no way to measure the gas at the precise time the men entered the manhole because the cover was off, allowing the gas to dissipate. Bentley and Wall, who were employees of Charleston-based General Engineering Laboratories, went to the site to do a final survey for extending Berkeley County sewer lines to a new housing development. State safety officials earlier this month fined General Engineering Laboratories for not providing proper hazard training or equipment to the two employees.

UPDATE, Firm cited for 7 safety violations in death
SARASOTA COUNTY -- A federal agency has cited a construction company $68,700 for violating workplace safety rules in the March death of a worker at a county sewer project. Miguel Paramo was overcome by noxious fumes and passed out after rushing down a manhole on March 29. He entered the confined space to rescue a younger brother after a 2-inch pipe burst. Paramo, 33, died shortly after being taken to Bon Secours-Venice Hospital. He and two younger brothers were part of an E.T. MacKenzie crew building a county lift station at Laurel Road and Bayview Drive. he Occupational Health and Safety Administration investigated the accident and Thursday cited Bradenton-based E.T. MacKenzie for seven violations. They included not having a "competent person" perform frequent and regular inspections of the job site, and not providing workers with safety equipment such as a harness and retrieval system that could have pulled them out of the lift station. Workers were also exposed to such hazards as raw sewage without having the lift station properly ventilated. Officials with Bradenton- based E.T. MacKenzie could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon. Company officials have 15 working days to request an informal conference with OSHA officials, where they can present evidence. They also have the same amount of time to contest the citation. If E.T. MacKenzie contests, then an administrative law judge will hear the case. Michael Ortiz, the Sarasota attorney representing the Paramo estate, declined to comment. Les Grove, the area director for OSHA's Tampa office, also declined to comment. OSHA's investigation focused on E.T. MacKenzie. The federal agency has no authority to investigate state and local governments, such as Sarasota County. The county awarded E.T. MacKenzie a $481,483 contract in November to build the Nokomis lift station. Terry Simoni, the county's risk and safety manager, has said the county's contract with E.T. MacKenzie required the firm to comply with state and federal safety standards. 

WORKERS RELEASED FROM JRMC AFTER ACCIDENT AT PB ARSENAL
By Carl D. Holcombe/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Four men injured Thursday in a workplace accident at the Pine Bluff Arsenal have been released from a local hospital, officials said. Two men were released late Thursday from Jefferson Regional Medical Center and two were released Friday morning, said Barbara Slifer, an Arsenal spokeswoman. They were injured in a late-morning accident when they were exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, according to Arsenal officials. The men were operating a gasoline-powered sandblaster in a closed unventilated conventional weapons storage building when they were overcome by carbon monoxide, according to Arsenal officials. The accident didn't involve the chemical weapons stockpile, storage igloos or the demilitarization facility, Arsenal officials said. None of the workers, who were sub-contractors of Tri-State Industrial Inc., were wearing appropriate protective gear, said Jerry Weilacher, chief of industrial hygiene at the Arsenal's U.S. Army Health Clinic. The incident is under investigation by the Arsenal. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will also likely investigate, Slifer said. One worker arrived unconscious Thursday at JRMC but was revived, Arsenal officials said. Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas produced by incomplete combustion. Extended exposure can lead to headaches, nausea, convulsions, permanent neurological damage and death. A level of 50 percent of carbon monoxide in a person's blood-gas level can kill -- smokers typically already are at 9 percent. The four workers had exposure levels of 17 percent to 33 percent, Weilacher said. 

UPDATE, Firm Fined $68,700 In March Death
A federal agency has cited E.T. MacKenzie, a construction company, $68,700 for violating workplace safety rules in the March death of a worker at a county sewer project. Miguel Paramo was overcome by noxious fumes and passed out after rushing down a manhole on March 29. He entered the confined space to rescue a younger brother. 

UPDATE, Man who fell into wine tank suffocated 
BEE STAFF REPORTS 
ESCALON -- A 19-year-old Lathrop man who fell into a large concrete fermentation tank Wednesday died from asphyxia by atmospheric suffocation, the Stanislaus County coroner's office reported Thursday. Jose Padilla, a temporary worker at Canandaigua Winery for the past three weeks, was not supposed to be on top of the 29,000-gallon tank because it already had been drained of its wine, a company spokeswoman said. Padilla broke through a metal safety grate atop the tank, which is 14 feet high, coroner's deputy Kristi Herr said. He fell approximately 11 feet and landed on top of a thick pulp mixture of grape skins and seeds. Padilla last was seen at about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Fifteen minutes later, a worker noticed the missing grate, looked down into the tank and saw Padilla's body lying face down. "The fumes would have rendered him unconscious within seconds," Herr said. He was transported to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto and pronounced dead. The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death. The winery remained open Thursday, but the tank was closed pending a report from CalOSHA.

Lake Crystal Man Dies in Grain Bin Accident 
Minnesota Ag Connection Editors 
An 18-year-old Lake Crystal man has died after being trapped in a grain bin. Jason Brandenburg was on his first day on the job at Grain Commerce, a grain elevator north of Lake Crystal in south-central Minnesota. Authorities say Brandenburg was last seen around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday by a co-worker on top of one of two grain bins. Co-workers began looking for him when he couldn't be found after lunch. After searching the elevator area, workers began to punch holes in the grain bin to empty it. Authorities found his body around 6:30 p.m. He was dead at the scene.

UTILITIES FIRE/ HAZMAT
Stubborn Coal Fire At Martin Drake Power Plant. No One Hurt.
by News 13 team.
A fire breaks out at the Martin Drake power plant near downtown Colorado Springs. No one was hurt. The fire broke out early Tuesday morning after utility workers were performing routine maintenance on one of the boilers. When they discovered a coal dust fire, they called the fire department. Coal dust fires at power plants aren't rare, but fighting one in a confined space presented firefighters with some unique challenges. The coal dust had collected just below the boiler, and when the inspection door was opened, oxygen allowed the dust to catch fire. Crews are planning to have the plant back on line later this week. The boiler which was shut down as a result of the fire supplies about an eighth of the city's electric power. Colorado Springs Utilities is buying power through a multi-state grid to make up for the lost capacity.

UPDATE, Iowa OSHA Issues Citations For Deadly Sewer Incident
CHESTERFIELD, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 2002--Insituform Technologies, Inc. today announced that the Iowa OSHA issued a Citation and Notification of Penalty in connection with a July 8, 2002 accident in Des Moines involving the death of two Company workers and the brief hospitalization of five other Company workers. The citation lists OSHA and Insituform safety procedures that were not followed. Iowa OSHA has proposed penalties of $808,250. The Company intends to continue discussions with Iowa OSHA regarding the accident, the specifics of the citation and the penalties. Since the July accident, Insituform has taken several actions focused on safety in its Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) operations. These include a comprehensive review of all aspects of the CIPP confined space entry safety program and a rolling, one-day stand-down of all domestic CIPP operations to review confined space entry safety procedures. Insituform has a good safety record. Through July 1, 2002, Insituform's EMR (Experience Modifier Rating - a widely-used indicator of safety performance) was 0.72, which is 28% better than the average for the industry. Insituform Technologies, Inc. is a leading worldwide provider of proprietary technologies and services for rehabilitating sewer, water and other underground piping systems without digging and disruption. More information about Insituform can be found on its Internet site at www.insituform.com.

UPDATE, Fumes kill three in oil refinery 
Three members of a cleaning party working at an oil refinery near Corinth died early yesterday after inhaling deadly fumes in a reactor, prompting labor unions and left-wing parties to accuse employers of failing to take adequate safety precautions. The deaths came two days after a couple of workers were critically burnt and another three severely injured in an accident at the Megalopolis Public Power Corporation electricity plant in the southern Peloponnese. According to the management of the Motor Oil refinery at Aghioi Theodori, about 80 kilometers southwest of Athens, Constantinos Sofos, 34, Mario Perletsi, 27, and their overseer, Georgios Ioannou, 55, died after inhaling poisonous hydrogen sylphide fumes. They had not been wearing masks, he said, adding that the three worked for Mekasol, a firm contracted to change the catalyst in the reactor. The General Confederation of Greek Labor said the accident proved “the arbitrary behavior and lack of accountability of employers, and the total lack of safety measures.” The Communist Party spoke of a “crime against the working class.”

Three men die after fume inhalation at oil refinery 
ATHENS, Greece - Three workers died Tuesday after being overcome by fumes in an oil refinery tank they were cleaning, authorities said. Two of the men died while being taken to a hospital and the third died later. The men were employees of Mekasol, contracted to clean equipment at the Motor Oil Hellas refinery near Corinth, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Athens. An investigation has been launched in the incident, authorities said.

UPDATE, Worker rescued from manhole 
By Todd Harper, Times Sentinel writer 
WHITESTOWN -- A potentially lethal accident ended safely for a construction worker after the man fell to the bottom of a manhole at the Walker Farms subdivision on Whitestown's south side Thursday, Aug. 29. Andrew Hammond, 28, of Valenti Held Construction Inc. was inside a yet-to-be-used sanitary manhole attempting to check the flow of the development's sanitary system when, according to reports, he became dizzy and fell about 10 feet to the bottom of the 18-foot hole. The call came in to the Boone County Dispatch at 1:57 p.m. of a man having difficulty breathing after falling down a manhole. Walker Farms is a new subdivision located off of County Road 650 East and C.R. 400 South. The accident occurred just to the west of C. R. 650 East. Whitestown Police Marshal Ralph Roberts said Hammond of Indianapolis may have lost air, which caused him to lose consciousness and fall. Roberts said the only injury reported was to Hammond's ankle. Hammond was taken to Witham Memorial Hospital in Lebanon for observation. Roberts said another construction worker was assisting Hammond at the time of the accident. "They were testing the flow of the line, making sure there weren't any problems," Roberts said. The worker had looked away for a moment, and when he looked back down, Hammond was at the bottom of the hole. The construction crew responded by using an air hose to provide oxygen to Hammond According to Roberts, the planned 1,080-home subdivision, which will be the largest subdivision in Boone County, will have a number of sanitary manholes throughout, and they must be installed before construction on the homes can begin. Roberts said he would not be surprised to see other incidents occur because of the project's size. Lt. Mike Nielsen of the Boone County Police Department said through the years he has seen some similar incidents, but for the most part companies have been very careful when working on sanitary systems. "Most of the guys, especially Valenti Held, are always very careful," said Nielsen, adding they have never had a problem with the company. Immediately after Hammond was helped out of the manhole and onto a stretcher, crews from the Worth Township Fire Department started checking the holes air conditions to determine the level of oxygen in the hole. Fire Chief Kelly Frye said there was minimal oxygen in the hole, but the investigation has shown no signs of toxins or chemicals. According to police, Hammond had reported smelling an odor when he became dizzy. A representative from OSHA arrived about an hour after the accident to examine the scene and to gather the reports from the local emergency agencies.

Worker Killed In Chalfont Accident
One man is dead, another hospitalized in fair condition after they were overcome by fumes while working inside an excavation pit in New Britain Township, Bucks County. It all started shortly before noon inside a well at 95 Creek Road in Chalfont. Officials say one man in the pit was overcome by fumes from a rubberized sealant. A second employee entered the pit to help and was also overcome by the fumes. Rescue crews were called and pulled the men out in 30-minutes. The victims were taken to Doylestown Hospital. One man was pronounced dead on arrival, the apparent victim of a heart attack. The second worker is in fair conditon. Hospital officials say two firefighters required decontamination, but they were not hurt.

Two killed in Martin feed mill accident
By Bill Cissell, Journal Staff Writer
MARTIN -- Two men are dead following an accident Tuesday morning at Mueller's Feed Mill in Martin. The names of the victims aren't being released until authorities notify next of kin. According to plant owner Fred Mueller, the accident happened at 8:30 a.m. when an employee climbed into an almost empty 4,000-gallon molasses vat to begin an annual cleaning. "One of the other employees said he'd only been in the vat about a minute when he seemed to pass out. Another employee went in after the first man and, as he was trying to hand the first man to waiting employees, he passed out in about the same amount of time," Mueller said. He said only about 4 to 4-1/2 inches of molasses were in the bottom of the vat. Mueller said local emergency response personnel had been called, and the first to arrive on scene was a Bennett County sheriff's deputy. "He got a harness on and we used a forklift to lower him. He went down and got the second man out because he was on top of the first guy," Mueller said. The deputy then went back for the first victim. Mueller said it was unclear yet just what happened and why the two men passed out. "This was a very oxygen-deficient confined space," Lt. Dan Goodart, Rapid City/Pennington County Hazmat Team, said. "There wasn't enough oxygen in there to take a breath, and all you would have gotten was (a breath of stuff like sewer gas)," Goodart said. Officials from the Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are expected at the mill today, according to both Goodart and Bennett County Sheriff Russ Waterbury. Both men were unconscious and not breathing after being pulled from the vat. Local Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate Kris Schlack said CPR was performed on both victims at the plant, on the way to the hospital and at the hospital, but neither victim was revived."They were both pronounced dead at the hospital," she said. "We've been cleaning that vat the same way for the past 40 years and never had a problem," Mueller said. The vat has to be cleaned yearly so any remaining lumps of sugar or molasses don't drop into the feed line and plug it. The molasses is mixed with grain that is fed to farm animals. "We won't know the actual cause of death until the autopsies are done (today)," Waterbury said. "It appears it was some kind of fumes." "This is cane molasses, the same stuff you put on your pancakes. We never dreamed it could become lethal," he said.

UPDATE, Man visits firefighters who rescued him from manhole
News-Journal wire services
JACKSONVILLE -- The tears flowed freely as Tony Mathews watched a videotape of his seemingly lifeless body being raised from a manhole where he nearly died a week ago. Mathews visited Fire Station 13 in Jacksonville Thursday to thank the firefighters and paramedics who retrieved him from the manhole and saved his life. In turn, the firefighters showed him a fire department video made of the rescue. "It was so emotional to see yourself being rescued," Mathews said. "I can't say enough about these guys." Firefighters said they normally don't hear from the people they rescue. "We usually drop them at the hospital and that's it," said Engineer Jimbo Taylor of Rescue 13. "We seldom know the outcome." Mathews, 29, of Yulee, is one of three construction workers who lost consciousness Aug. 30 while checking underground sewer lines. At one point, Mathews, Hilario Martinez, 32, and Greg Andrews Jr., 20, were hospitalized in critical condition. All have been released from Baptist Medical Center. Officials now believe the three were sickened by a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide, a gas that can cause sudden unconsciousness and halt breathing in high concentrations. It was first thought they suffered from oxygen deprivation. The level of hydrogen sulfide in the manhole may have been 20 to 30 times as high as it should have been, said John Ream, a spokesman for the workers' employer, Jensen Civil Construction. He said blowers meant to vent the manhole instead pulled hydrogen sulfide from a sewer station down the line. The three men were treated in a hyperbaric chamber, which uses increased air pressure and high concentrations of oxygen to force unwanted gases out of a person's system. Mathews, the job foreman, said he does not remember much of what happened in the incident. "It was a freak accident," he said. "I've got plenty of experience in it, and I couldn't tell you what happened." He said his first recollection was waking in the hospital. An investigation is under way by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine if safety rules were violated.

Worker dies in collapse of water tank's roof
By Dan Hardy, Inquirer Staff Writer
The roof of an empty five-million-gallon water-storage tank that was being demolished at the Philadelphia Suburban Water Co.'s Springfield operations center collapsed this morning, killing a worker. Terry Eugene Clifton, 43, of McConnelsville, Ohio, an employee of the Mayer Pollock Steel Corp. of Pottstown, died of head injuries, according to the Delaware County Medical Examiner's Office. Philadelphia Suburban Water Co., which owns the tank, had hired Meyer Pollock to tear it down. Chris Franklin, a spokesman for Philadelphia Suburban Water, said Mayer Pollock employees had planned to take down the top of the tank today. But about 7:10 a.m., "something went tragically wrong," he said, and the ceiling of the tank, which is 28 feet high and 175 feet across, collapsed while two men were inside. One of the men was near a large entrance that had been cut in the side of the tank and escaped largely unhurt, he said, but Clifton was buried under a pile of metal while he was still about 30 feet from the entrance. Employees of Philadelphia Suburban Water raced to the tank and began working to free Clifton, but he was already dead, Franklin said. The Springfield Philadelphia Suburban Water facility, near Sproul and Beatty Roads, is the company's Delaware County headquarters. The tank contained water until about three years ago, when the company decided it was no longer needed. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected the site today after the accident. Area director Phyllis Kyner said the agency would have no comment until the investigation was complete, which she said would take several weeks. Mayer Pollock Steel is a family-owned business that has been in operation since 1888, according to its Web site. In addition to demolition work, it recycles industrial scrap. Company vice president Dennis Owens did not return a call today asking for comment.

Baltic States: Three killed in shipyard gas leak 
By Sara Toth, TALLINN
Officials are investigating why three men died of methane poisoning Aug. 30 while cleaning pipes in a Tallinn shipyard. Police and a spokesman for the Baltic Ship Repair Group have called the incident an accident but are looking into why the men were not wearing oxygen masks while in the sewage-treatment area. Police identified the victims by their first names as Alexander, 59, Viktor, 62, and Oleg, 67, said Robert Kurvits, a spokesman for the Estonian Police Board. All three were longtime employees at the Baltic Ship Repair Group, a conglomeration of 36 companies based in Tallinn. one man who survived, identified as Arno, 40, had gone down into the basement of a sewage treatment station on the plant's property to clean a pipe, said Priit Laos, a spokesman for the Estonian Rescue Board. The four men were not wearing oxygen masks and they inhaled poisonous methane gas, which occurs naturally in sewage, Laos said. When paramedics and firefighters arrived to the scene shortly after 1 p.m., two victims and one unconscious person had been brought out of the basement by co-workers wearing oxygen masks, Laos said. Firefighters retrieved the third victim from the basement, Laos said. Two other people have died in the last three years from methane poisoning in sewer facilities, Laos said. "This is the first time when so many people have died together," he said. Laos said the deaths could have been avoided if proper procedures were followed. "Everything was wrong here," Laos said. "People working in these kinds of places should know how to behave and what protections to use. These people didn't know." Officials from the Baltic Ship Repair Group declined to comment further about the plant's safety procedures. Police expect the investigation to take at least one week.

UPDATE, State alleges safety violations in gas explosion
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Gas Energy has been accused of violating three safety rules in a natural gas explosion that injured two contract workers in Kansas City last year. A complaint filed Thursday by state utility regulators seeks permission to take MGE to court, where a judge could fine and penalize the natural gas company. The allegations stem from a Dec. 10 explosion in an underground natural gas pipeline vault -- a space containing pipelines, valves and regulating equipment. The explosion injured two contract workers for Midwest Gunite and Restoration, who were removing concrete forms from the newly installed vault doors. Both workers suffered burns, and one had broken bones. A report released Thursday by staff for the Missouri Public Service Commission concluded that the explosion was caused when an impact wrench ignited natural gas that had leaked into the vault. The gas remained trapped in the vault partly because workers had covered most of the opening with plywood, the report said. Workers had not tested the vault for gas before entering it -- a violation of a state rule requiring gas companies to take steps to reduce the chance of an accidental explosion, the report said. The PSC staff also accused MGE of not providing proper instruction and supervision and to the contract employees -- violating one state rule requiring training and another requiring companies to ensure that contract work meets safety requirements. Missouri Gas Energy serves about 500,000 customers in the Kansas City area and western Missouri, including the city of Neosho. A spokesman for the company said he had not seen the complaint and had no comment. The staff complaint alleging violations is to go before the full Public Service Commission, which would decide whether to refer the case to a circuit court to seek penalties against MGE. Fines could range from $100 to $2,000 for each of the three alleged violations, said Bob Leonberger, who heads the PSC's natural gas pipeline safety program. The case also could be settled before the court, or even before the PSC holds a hearing, he said. In such scenarios, "the operators usually would take measures to train people and make sure this stuff does not happen again," Leonberger said. "We're more interested in safety and making sure this doesn't happen again" than in fining companies. Any fines against utility companies go to the state's public school fund.

Workers suffer oxygen deprivation in Jacksonville manhole
Three construction workers were in critical condition Saturday after suffering from oxygen deprivation while working in a manhole. Hilario Martinez, 32, and Tony Mathews, 29, of Jacksonville, are being treated at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville along with Greg Andrews Jr., 20, of Yulee. Fire and rescue units arrived Friday morning but couldn't determine how long the men were inside the precast concrete manhole, said Jacksonville Fire Department spokesman Tom Francis. The men were found 10 feet down in the hole, officials said. The oxygen level where there was about 16 percent, well below the 19.5 percent that's considered oxygen deficient, fire officials said. Homicide Sgt. Randy Justice said Martinez was overcome first, then two other workers went inside, each to retrieve the other. "Basically the three men were entangled within themselves in the hole," said firefighter Randy White. "Normally we would not go into a manhole with three people inside." White and two other firefighters went into the hole. A rope harness was used to secure the men on a ladder before they were hoisted to ground level. The rescue took about 30 minutes. Justice said the workers didn't have a permit and didn't have a safety harness near the hole.

Two rig workers likely died from suffocation
By RUTH RENDON, Houston Chronicle
GALVESTON -- Two men who collapsed and died while helping to clean an oil drilling rig probably suffocated, investigators said Friday. The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office was withholding a ruling in the Thursday night deaths, however, pending further investigation. The men were cleaning out a leg of the Diamond Ocean Quest rig when they were overcome. Co-workers found them after 7 p.m., but they could not be revived, said Galveston Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Varela. One victim was identified as Rigoberto Aragon, 32, whose address was unknown. The name of the other worker, age 46, was being withheld pending notification of relatives. Firefighters said the rig had been sealed for five years and was opened Thursday so that workers could check for damage in the legs, which typically are filled with seawater or mud for ballast. Varela said the two victims were not wearing breathing equipment and probably suffocated because the oxygen level in the leg was lower than that in normal breathable air. He said he didn't know whether the men were monitoring air quality while working in the confined space. The drilling rig, owned by Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc., was docked at Pier 34 while undergoing repairs by Newpark Shipbuilding Pelican Island Inc., said Mary Jones, vice president of risk management and corporate counsel for Newpark's parent company, First Wave Marine Inc.

Construction Worker Injured Falling Into Manhole
A construction worker was injured Wednesday afternoon after he fell into a manhole near the airport. The worker was an employee for a private contractor. It happened at about 1:30 p.m. on Aolele Street near Honolulu International Airport. Officials said the man appeared to have been retrieving some equipment from inside the manhole when he was apparently overcome by fumes and fell in. The man was taken to Tripler Army Hospital in stable condition but was not conscious. Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Richard Soo said that air samples showed that there was hydrogen sulfide gas in the manhole and surrounding area.

Miner Killed In 'Preventable' Accident
A strip miner apparently broke an industry rule and paid for it with his life, WTAE's Chris Glorioso reported. Timothy Barrett, 40, of Dayton, Pa., was found dead Tuesday morning in a hole that he drilled at the Walter Hauser Coal Co. strip mine in Kittanning, Armstrong County. Barrett was doing some auger mining, which calls for a horizontal hole to be drilled into a wall of sediment. He stopped drilling momentarily and went into the hole, where officials believe he either suffocated or inhaled some carbon or methane gases from a sealed shaft that had been punctured by his drill bit. "At the opening there may have been sufficient oxygen for him, but as he got further back there was less for him to breathe," said Mike Ferretti, of the Department of Environmental Protection. "In some cases, it can be almost instantaneous. By the time you realize you can't breathe or you're starting to get dizzy, you've already gotten into an atmosphere that can't sustain life." Officials said Barrett was not allowed to be in the hole, and they do not know why he went in. "Under mine rules, no one is to go back into an auger hole," county Coroner Robert Bower said. Hauser officials and employees said Barrett knew about the rule. "This is an unfortunate accident that could have been prevented," Ferretti said. State and federal mining officials are investigating. The Mine Safety and Health Administration will decide whether Houser will be penalized for the incident, Glorioso reported.

UPDATE, Workplace death spurring UMaine
Associated Press
University of Maine President Peter Hoff asked Monday for a meeting with state labor officials to discuss a fatal accident and ways to improve workplace safety for employees on the campus. The university is committed to resolving the citations and penalties and making safety changes as soon as possible, Hoff wrote in a letter to the director of the Maine Bureau of Labor Standards. "The university is taking whatever steps are necessary to prevent a similar accident from occurring in the future," he wrote. The bureau has cited the university for 12 violations of workplace safety regulations that carry a total penalty of $111,000. William O'Coin, 43, of Ellsworth was killed on July 29 when he was overcome by hydrogen sulfide fumes in a 16-foot concrete aquaculture tank at the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research in Franklin. He died of asphyxiation. O'Coin had gone into the tank to rescue George Schaefer, 16, a summer employee who was overcome by the fumes as he hosed down sludge in the tank. Among other things, the Bureau of Labor Standards took the university to task for failing to implement a written policy already in place that governed employees' entry into confined areas like the aquaculture tank. The university has until Aug. 26 to correct the problems.

Man Dies in Freak Pea Drop
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Reuters) - A Swedish man died Tuesday when he was buried alive under a 13-ton pile of peas in a storage silo, local media reported. The man, who was around 30 years old, was working on an electrical installation on a farm near the town of Mjolby in southeastern Sweden when the peas were dumped on him. Rescue workers pulled the man from the silo but were unable to revive him, a radio station reported.

UPDATE, Safety director: Avoid manure pits without needed equipment 
The Thursday deaths of two farmers reinforced that dangerous gases are produced inside the pits
For The News-Chronicle
Following Thursday's double fatality on the Staats family farm in the Town of Lincoln, a statewide agricultural safety specialist is reminding farm workers of the precautions they should take before entering a manure pit. Stephen Staats, 53, and his son Nicholas, 23, died Thursday morning when they entered an approximately eight-by-eight-by-10-foot manure pit for either maintenance or repairs and were apparently overcome by fumes, the Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department said Friday. Mark Perschwitz, director of the Wisconsin Center for Rural Safety and Health, said the air inside any manure pit must be presumed unsafe to breathe unless it's been tested, which can be involve expensive equipment. Barring testing, Perschwitz said those entering a manure pit should use a self-contained breathing apparatus. He also said the pit should have a ventilation system. Four potentially dangerous gases can be produced inside a pit, Perschwitz said: Hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane. He said hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are especially problematic because they are heavier than air, which means they may not naturally rise out of a pit. While Perschwitz said farm fatalities usually involve only one individual being killed per incident, he noted it's common for "confined space" fatalities, such as fatalities inside a manure pit, to include more than one victim. He said manure pit fatalities can involve one person overcome by gases and another becoming a victim in an unsuccessful rescue attempt, for example. "Basically we tell people to stay out of manure pits." Perschwitz said. The deaths of Stephen and Nicholas Staats are the first farming-related fatalities in Kewaunee County since April 2000 when Harold Haegele, 72, of Algoma died after being pinned in a stone picker on a Town of Ahnapee farm.

UPDATE, University faces more fines in man's death 
Press Herald Staff Reporter, Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
The University of Maine is facing additional fines and citations for allegedly violating workplace safety regulations in connection with the death of an employee last week at the university's aquaculture facility in Franklin. The university learned Monday that the Maine Bureau of Labor Standards is citing it for 12 violations — 11 of which the bureau characterizes as "willful" — that carry a total penalty of $111,000. Initially, the bureau had determined after an inspection last week that there were nine workplace safety violations, only one of them willful, with fines totaling $18,000. The Bureau of Labor Standards inspected the aquaculture facility after William O'Coin, 43, died of asphyxiation July 29 after being overcome by hydrogen sulfide fumes. The Ellsworth man was trying to rescue another employee, George Schaefer, 16, of Sullivan, who had been overcome by the fumes inside a narrow, 16-foot tank where he was trying to clean out some sludge. Schaefer remains in intensive care at Boston Children's Hospital where he is in serious condition. Michael Frett, director of the Bureau of Labor Standards, said Monday that the investigation is ongoing and that the bureau received additional information that led it to amend its initial findings. He declined to be specific, saying the bureau's findings remain confidential by law until the end of an appeals process. University spokesman Joe Carr said the university is reviewing the bureau's new report and has not decided whether to appeal. But he said the university plans to take advantage of its legal right to discuss the proposed penalties with the bureau. The university also issued a statement Monday saying: "We again reiterate our sorrow regarding the tragic events in Franklin and continue to take steps to ensure the health and safety of all university employees." The university previously had said it would not appeal the earlier report by the bureau because it said the findings were consistent with its own investigation. The bureau in its first report dated July 30 cited the university for nine workplace safety violations at the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research; only one of the violations was termed "willful." The bureau defined "willful" as the university's being aware that a confined space existed and that it failed to implement its confined-space entry policy. In the one "willful" violation, the bureau said the university had developed a written policy for employees regarding entering confined spaces but failed to implement it. That one violation carried a $10,000 penalty and the other eight, non-willful violations had penalties of $1,000 each, bringing the total fines to $18,000. But in an amended report dated Friday, and which the university received Monday, the bureau cited the university for a total of 12 violations, and said 11 of them were willful. Each of those 11 violations carries a $10,000 penalty and the 12th a $1,000 penalty, bringing the total to $111,000 in fines. The university must also correct the problems. Some of the violations on the amended report are new and some are identical or rewritten versions of the ones on the old report. The "willful" violations by the university that are alleged in the amended report include: l Not evaluating whether the facility had any confined spaces that workers needed a permit to enter. l Not posting danger signs of the existence and location of such confined spaces and the hazards they pose. l Not training employees about confined spaces or documenting that they were trained. l Not having a rescue plan. The only violation deemed not willful in the amended report was not ensuring that all employees participated in the development and implementation of all aspects of a program regarding confined spaces. Carr said the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research was formerly a private fish hatchery that the university bought three years ago to do more in the growing field of aquaculture research. O'Coin was the systems manager for the hatchery and continued in that position for the university, Carr said. Schaefer is a summer employee. The 16-foot tank that he was cleaning is inside a very large building that has about 20 small tanks that hold fish. The large, concrete tank is used for adding oxygen to the fish tanks, but it had malfunctioned and was being examined, Carr said. He said this was the first time an attempt had been made to clean it since the university owned the facility. The youth was inside the tank, which is six feet in diameter, hosing down about 4 inches of sludge at the bottom of the tank with water to make a solution that could be pumped out. He was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas generated from the sludge, Carr said. O'Coin yelled for help and then climbed in to rescue the youth, whose head was underwater. 

UPDATE, Condition Of UMaine Teen Still Serious; State Finds Violations In Fatal Franklin Accident
The teen-ager rescued earlier this week by his co-worker who died saving him was "still in serious condition" Wednesday at Children's Hospital in Boston, according to a hospital spokeswoman. George Schaefer, 16, of Sullivan was saved from asphyxiation Monday by his co-worker, William O'Coin, 43, of Ellsworth, who died rescuing him. The two had been cleaning sludge from the bottom of a concrete tank at the University of Maine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research in Franklin when they were overcome by toxic hydrogen sulfide fumes. The accident was the first accidental work site-related death in the university's history, UM officials have said. State officials have found there were violations, based on federal standards, concerning "permitted confined space" at the facility, according to David Wacker of the state's Bureau of Labor Standards Workplace Safety and Health Division. The state has completed its preliminary investigation, he said. There are "certain things [that] have to be done before a tank can be entered," Wacker said Wednesday. According to preliminary findings, those steps may not have been taken before the workers began cleaning, he said. The final investigation report by the Bureau of Labor Standards will be sent to Michael Frett, the bureau's director, in the next few days. Frett then will assign violation notices to the university that Wacker said have "citations and penalties" associated with them. University officials were at the Franklin facility Wednesday doing fact- finding research, according to UM spokesman Joe Carr. Representatives from the UMS insurance staff, as well as university health and safety representatives, were talking to the facility staff to gather information and create documentation of what happened during Monday's accident, Carr said. Staff members from the university's employee assistance program, all trained counselors, also were on site in Franklin to speak with employees and assist in any way possible, Carr said. "We're doing what we can to help those affected an continue to take steps toward prevention," the spokesman said.

Two men likely killed by fumes from manure pit
By Nathan Phelps, greenbay press gazette
LINCOLN Fumes in a manure pit may have overcome two Kewaunee County men who died Thursday. Stephen Staats, 53, and his son Nicholas, 23, died after they apparently entered the pit for either maintenance or repairs, the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department said. Rescue crews were called to the farm off Kewaunee County C in the town of Lincoln around 8:30 p.m. on a report of two people trapped in a manure pit — a holding area for animal waste generated on the farm. Both men had been dead about six hours when rescue crews arrived, according to the sheriff’s department. “It’s another one of those potential hazards that unfortunately is on a dairy farm,” said Mark Feuerstein, agricultural agent with Door County University of Wisconsin-Extension. Manure emits several gases — including ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and methane — that can be lethal or cause unconsciousness, said Mark Purschwitz, University of Wisconsin-Extension agricultural safety and health specialist. The pit was about 8 feet wide, 8 feet long and 10 feet high. About 18 inches of manure was on the floor of the pit, according to the sheriff’s department. Kewaunee County Sheriff Dennis Zuege said there were no signs of foul play. Purschwitz said these types of accidents don’t happen often, but the pits pose a danger. In 1989, five people died after entering a manure pit on a farm near Menominee, Mich. “It’s a well-documented hazard,” he said.

Man Dies In UMaine Wastewater Treatment Tank
An Ellsworth man died while trying to saving a 16-year-old boy who collapsed while cleaning a wastewater tank used by the University of Maine in aquaculture research. William O'Coin, 43, managed to pull the boy's head out of the liquid to keep him from drowning and to call out for help before he, too, was overcome by the fumes in the tank, police said. O'Coin died from asphyxiation but the boy, George Schafer, 16, of Sullivan, survived. He was transferred Tuesday to a Boston hospital. The two were cleaning out a 16-foot-tall concrete tank when hydrogen sulfide gas generated from sludge in the tank overwhelmed them, said Maine State Police Sgt. Kelly Barbee. Steve Eddy, a biologist at the University of Maine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research, said the boy climbed into the tank to break up the sludge by spraying it with water from a hose. O'Coin saw the boy succumb to the fumes and yelled for help before climbing down into the tank to save the boy, Eddy said. ''He didn't think twice about it,'' Eddy said of O'Coin. ''He just went right down there after him.'' The boy's head went underwater in the tank, but O'Coin managed to pull the boy's head back out of the water, Eddy said. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition. Eddy said he nearly climbed down into the tank as well but instead climbed to safety because he heard the sirens of emergency vehicles. The tank is in a dimly lit room roughly 50 feet long and 40 feet wide, according to university officials. It housed tanks used for cultivating halibut, which normally live in low-light conditions. Cleaning the 6-foot-wide tank, which is sunk into the floor, was not a routine task, Eddy said. In the two years he has worked at the facility, Eddy said the tank had never been cleaned. The Maine Department of Labor will investigate the accident because it occurred on state property. O'Coin and the boy were not using safety equipment at the time of the accident, Barbee said. What, if any, equipment they should have been using will be determined by investigators, he said.

Worker Rescued After Falling 10 Feet Into Sewage
Rescue Team Uses Ropes, Pulleys To Lift Employee
ALLIANCE, Ohio -- A man who fell more than 10 feet to a sewage-covered floor lay motionless for an hour as firefighters worked to rescue him. Tim O'Neill was climbing a ladder inside a sludge tank when he slipped and fell. The 12-year worker at the Alliance Wastewater Plant had been cleaning the sides of the tank, used to stabilize bacteria in solid waste. Rescue workers had to use a system of ropes and pulleys to lift O'Neill through the 3-foot opening at the top. Rescue workers quickly rinsed him with a fire hose after he was pulled from the tank. Paramedics said the fall left him with possible ankle and back injuries. He was in satisfactory condition Tuesday at Aultman Hospital in Canton.

Investigators wonder what caused survey workers to enter manholes
Saturday, July 20, 2002
BY KATHY STEVENS, Of The Post and Courier Staff 
There are more questions than answers today as local and state authorities investigate the deaths of two surveyors whose bodies were found Thursday at the bottom of a 15-foot manhole near Ladson. So far, officials can do little more than speculate about the deaths. Medical examiners hope to determine through tests what type of gases may have been involved. Safety officials want to know whether the men took appropriate precautions to enter confined spaces. And industry experts simply want to know why the men entered the manholes. Officials do know that Claude E. Bentley III, 31, and John "Randy" Wall, 20, worked for Charleston-based General Engineering Laboratories, Inc. They went to the Bellwright Road manholes to conduct a final survey on a new sewer extension that linked a new housing development off U.S. Highway 78 to Berkeley County sewer lines. Witnesses said they saw Bentley, of Charleston, and Wall, of Summerville, remove manhole covers and disappear into the holes. One witness saw a "puff of smoke" from one hole after one of the men went down. The other man ran to the hole, bent over to look down, then fell inside. The men were dead when firefighters in protective gear brought them up. Ross Wattay, line maintenance supervisor with Berkeley County Water and Sanitation Authority, said he knows of no reason why the two needed to enter the manholes. If they were trying to get an operating permit from the state that would allow the developer to transfer ownership and upkeep of the manhole to the county water authority, they only would need to place a rod into the manhole to check its depth, he said. "Why they went in is beyond us," Wattay said. There are safety rules about entering manholes to avoid deadly gases such as methane, carbon monoxide or hydrogen sulfide. The procedural rules were highlighted in August 1987 when two city of North Myrtle Beach employees died while checking a manhole at a wastewater plant. One man was in the hole when two on the outside heard a splash. The second employee entered and found his co-worker face down in the water. He yelled to the third, who had begun to descend, to get out. "The third employee blacked out on the way up," said Lesia Kudelka, S.C. OSHA spokeswoman. All were treated for hydrogen sulfide poisoning, but only the third employee survived. OSHA cited the city, stating the employer knew or should have known the employees were exposed to hazards associated with working in confined spaces, Kudelka said. She said it could be six weeks before OSHA completes its investigation of this latest accident. Investigators will talk with the men's employer, rescue workers and witnesses. They will review the coroner's report and equipment used to piece together what happened and determine if safety rules were violated. James Stelling, president and CEO of General Engineering Laboratories, Inc., declined to comment Friday. Kathy Stevens covers crime in Berkeley and Dorchester counties. Contact her at 745-5858.

UPDATE, County workers burned in fire
By PAMELA BRADLEY and ERIC COLLINS, Staff Writers
Six county public works employees burned during an explosion in a Pasadena sewer line yesterday were in good or fair condition this morning as officials continued to probe what caused the flash fire.  Frank Weilman Jr., 43, of Pasadena, and Tom Lange, 42, of Glen Burnie, suffered second-degree burns to 36 percent of their bodies and were flown by state police helicopter to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, said Capt. Robert Rose, a county Fire Department spokesman.  Mr. Weilman remained in fair condition this morning, and Mr. Lange's condition was listed as good, a hospital spokesman said.  Another worker, Steve Dary, 47, of Glen Burnie, was in fair condition, while Larry Kiessling, 49, of Severn, Mark Bois, 40, of Pasadena, and Byron Belcher, 54, of Queenstown, were all in good condition.  "We're all concerned," said Pam Jordan, a spokesman for the county Department of Public Works. "Never in our experience ... have we ever had an incident like this."  The public works crew was conducting a routine inspection of a sewer line off Fort Smallwood Road across from Constellation Power Source's Brandon Shores power plant complex about 1:35 p.m. before the explosion occurred, Ms. Jordan said.  Two of the workers, Mr. Weilman and Mr. Belcher, were inside a concrete vault under the manhole using an electric power tool to open a pipe and examine it for leaks or overflows, she said. The explosion happened soon after.  Mr. Belcher climbed out on his own while other members of the 10-person crew helped Mr. Weilman out. The four others were injured while working on land nearby, Ms. Jordan said.  Officials with the Maryland occupational safety and health office and the county Public Works Department planned to investigate the incident.  Although there was apparently an unusually large buildup of gases in the sewer line, it was uncertain whether the use of the power tool sparked the explosion, Ms. Jordan said.  The incident gained attention from outside the area for a short while, as some media and law enforcement personnel mistakenly thought a bomb had been detonated.  The fire department received two calls from Atlanta-based CNN and at least one call from the FBI, said Capt. Lee Cornwell, a county fire spokesman.

Man killed in concrete mixer
by Anthony France
A London man was crushed to death early today as the concrete lorry he was cleaning accidentally switched on.  The 33-year-old victim was working with his head and shoulders inside an access hatch when the motor started.  The mechanism dragged him inside and the top half of his body was crushed by the huge drum. He was trying to remove a load of concrete at a firm based at Baldwins Farm, in Dennises-Lane, Upminster, shortly after 1am.  A colleague with him was not hurt but was being treated for shock.  Essex police, who are investigating, said they had not formally identified the victim, who was from Elm Park, but his girlfriend and father had been informed.

Petrobras Refinery Explosion Leaves 2 Dead in Brazil 
An explosion in a state-owned refinery in southeastern Brazil left two people dead and three heavily injured, a company spokeswoman said. Security and operations specialists are investigating what caused the late Monday (7/15/2002) blast in the Petrobras facility in Betim, a town 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro, refinery spokeswoman Fatima Ribas told The Associated Press Tuesday. The explosion happened when workers were doing maintenance in one of the flares, the towers where residues of the oil-refining process are burnt. The two fatal victims were employees of local firm Potencial Engenharia that is providing services for Petrobras. The incident adds to various other accidents and oil spills that occurred in Petrobras's facilities the past couple of years. The worst accident happened in March 2001, when the company's biggest offshore oil rig after an explosion sank into the South Atlantic 125 kilometers (75 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, leaving 11 workers dead and spilling 92,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the ocean.

6 workers hospitalized after sewer blast; Men were conducting routine pipe inspection when gases were ignited 
By Julie Bykowicz, Sun Staff
Two Anne Arundel County public works employees were badly burned and four others were also hospitalized Tuesday afternoon when something triggered an underground sewer explosion in the northern part of the county. The men were working inside the system, near the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. facilities in the wooded area between Solley Road and Fort Smallwood Road, when a flash fire ignited about 1:30 p.m., said Capt. Robert Rose, a spokesman for the county Fire Department. Public works spokeswoman Pam Jordon said power tools may have ignited a normal buildup of gases in an underground "vault" that provides access to pipes. County and Maryland Occupational Safety and Health officials were investigating the accident, Jordon said. Frank Weilman Jr., 43, of Pasadena and Tom Lange, 42, of Glen Burnie sustained second-degree burns to the chest, face and arms, Rose said. They were airlifted to John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where Weilman was listed in critical condition and Lange was in fair condition Tuesday night. Public works employees Steve Dary of Glen Burnie, Larry Kiessling of Severn, Mark Bois of Pasadena and Byron Belcher of the Eastern Shore were also transported to the hospital's burn center by ambulance, Rose said. All four men, whose ages were unavailable, were listed in fair condition Tuesday night. One public works official called the blast "minor" because no one was killed and the sewer system did not appear to be structurally damaged. "I've worked here since 1977, and I've never seen this occur," said Paul Lesher, a regional manager for the county public works department. "But I have heard of it happening in many other places." About a dozen county public works employees were preparing a force main as part of a routine sewage pipeline inspection when something ignited a pocket of gases -- including methane -- normally produced by decomposing waste water, Lesher said. Employees described the incident as a flash fire, Lesher said. Seconds after the blast, one of the men working underground was able to pull himself out, and other employees helped the second man out, he said. Early reports indicated the explosion had occurred at a BGE facility, so numerous BGE employees were at the scene Tuesday. But none of the power lines that run parallel to the sewer lines was damaged, Lesher said. The blast did not affect the county's sewer system, Lesher said, because that line had been closed off for the inspection. The sewage pipes in that area are 36 inches in diameter and about 10 years old, he said.

UPDATE, Company challenges fines from explosion
By KAY LUNA/ QUAD-CITY TIMES 
CLINTON, Iowa — Almost a year has passed since 29-year-old Edward Boles of Clinton was killed while handling explosives on the job at a Wisconsin power plant, but the federal case against his Camanche employer continues. Philip Services has contested several citations and proposed fines of up to $133,350 handed down from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, stemming from Boles’ death Aug. 16, 2001. The citations claimed willful, serious and other-than-serious safety and health violations. The case was transferred to a regional OSHA office in Washington, D.C., for litigation in federal court, said Charles Burin, area director for OSHA. The process could be lengthy, he said. “The case is in the very early stages,” said Brent Clark, a Chicago lawyer representing Philip Services. Boles was killed while attempting to clean the inside of a boiler as he worked for Philip Services/North Central Inc. at the JP Madgett Generation Station in Alma, Wis. Dairyland Power Cooperative owns the station. A settlement between OSHA and Dairyland ended in March with the company agreeing to pay $48,600 of the initially proposed $94,500 in fines. The deadline for paying the fines has been extended to Aug. 31. Delays in the process are upsetting for Boles’ mother, Karen Boles, who has been following the federal-citation process closely for months. “For me, I’m concerned that one company is not contesting and the other one is,” she said. “Why are they contesting?” Officials at the Philip Services’ office in Camanche referred questions to the company’s attorney, who said the company filed a notice to contest the citations because it does not believe they are valid or appropriately issued. Clark also said the type of work Boles was performing when he died is a major part of Philip Services’ business, and that the company has continued to perform that work. In the OSHA citations, the company is accused of failing to make sure the person in charge of blasting operations at the Wisconsin power plant used every reasonable precaution to ensure the safety of the workers and sounded a loud warning before each blast. Philip Services also faces alleged violations related to safety requirements for the use of explosives, lack of a site-specific respiratory protection program, hazardous work in confined spaces, inadequate emergency rescue services and blood-borne pathogen requirements. OSHA cited Dairyland Power Cooperative with a “willful” violation for failing to follow safety requirements for work in permit-required confined spaces. The alleged “serious” violations dealt with safety requirements, periodic inspections, rescue procedures, blood-borne pathogens, hazard communication training and insufficient updates on a chemical hygiene plan.

UPDATE, Timeliness of inspection cited in sewer accident; Work was nearly finished before assessment, engineers say.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Missouri company that lost two workers in a construction accident last week had been scheduled for a safety inspection last year, but regulators visited the site much later, missing the chance to supervise crews. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration learned of Insituform Technologies’ sewer project in February 2001, but inspectors didn’t visit the site until Sept. 7, according to a story by The Des Moines Register. By that time, most of the repairs on a mile of the Depression-era sewers had been complete for two months, city engineers said.The oversight calls into question whether state investigators might have identified safety violations earlier and could have prevented last week’s deadly accident. "It might or might not have, depending on a lot of factors, including whether we’d have gone back or not," said Iowa OSHA administrator Mary Bryant. "There was not even anything which indicated there was a site." Daniel Grasshoff, 25, and Brian Burford, 19, drowned in sewage after they inhaled hydrogen sulfide fumes, according to autopsies. Five other workers were overcome by the gases when they attempted to rescue the two men. Federal guidelines require most underground work crews to be tethered to the surface while constantly monitoring the air for toxic gases. City engineers said they spotted air monitors, respirators and fresh-air pumps at the scene, but fire officials said none of the tools appeared to have been used. Insituform said the deaths were the first for the company since 1992, when a worker died in Puerto Rico. OSHA inspection records show that the Chesterfield firm has been cited 23 other times since 1986, including two serious violations over the past nine months. In another case, federal inspectors in Boston recommended a $4,500 fine against the sewer repair company last month when a worker in a manhole was seriously burned in an unexpected rush of hot water. Regulators said crews upstream failed to have a communication system in place to warn the worker of the approaching water. Bryant said the company’s recent spate of citations wouldn’t necessarily have made local inspectors more concerned. She said most of her 21 inspectors follow up on complaints and accidents rather than making random visits. "In the scheme of things, with all the variables, two serious violations over the past nine months may not be that much," Bryant said. Investigators have interviewed officials and seized records from the city engineers’ office, which had awarded three jobs on the east-side sewer repairs to Insituform. Officials said the investigation into last week’s deaths could take months. 

Confined space tragedy on Dumfries farm
Police and the HSE are investigating what is probably a confined space accident which has claimed the lives of two men on a Dumfriesshire farm. Emergency services personnel with breathing apparatus recovered the men on Friday from a 4-metre deep slurry pit. Assistant Divisional Officer Billy McVinnie of Dumfries and Galloway Fire Brigade said: "It was quite a difficult operation given the circumstances and the conditions."

UPDATE, OSHA investigates death
by GREG RUSSELL and RAY PLACINO, Register Staff Writers
Investigators from the Occupational Safety Hazard Administration (OSHA) weren't able to say on Thursday what killed Israel Martinez after he passed out in a manhole on E. Highway 82, but they had thoughts on the subject. "Sounded like a confined space entry problem," said Mike Talmont, acting area director for the Fort Worth OSHA office. Talmont noted that the passing out that preceded Martinez's death can be common -- and it can also be common for someone else to pass out while trying to help, as with what happened to co-worker Gustava Barcones. "They'll see someone pass out, and instead of trying to determine what happened or why, they'll go down and try and retrieve them," Talmont said. "That happens a lot -- or used to. We were hoping this would decrease. But apparently not." Benito Mercado, OSHA safety specialist, and Robin Bonville, OSHA industrial hygienist, were in Gainesville on Thursday afternoon, conducting field tests on manholes on E. Highway 82 -- close to the one where Martinez passed out, which was about a mile from Brammer Supply. Wednesday morning, Martinez and Barcones had been in the manhole working on sewer extension lines; the project was part of a contract between the city and B.J. Co. Contractors, their employer. At the scene with OSHA on Thursday was Wayne Clark, co-worker of Martinez and Barcones. Mercado hadn't finished investigating the evidence and said he couldn't comment. Nor could he allow close media proximity as he conducted a one-to-one interview with Clark, who called 911 after the men passed out. Barcones, with a few comments in English and some translated from Spanish, said that he feels bad about what finally happened -- the death of his co-worker. Donations for Martinez's funeral are being taken at Mendez Bakery, at 819 S. Clements St. But this morning, Barcones said that he smelled nothing in the manhole, and that it took him some 10 minutes to pass out -- while attending to Martinez -- and he wasn't wearing a mask. While Barcones smelled nothing, Talmont went into detail about what tends to be dangerous down in a manhole -- odorless or not. "There are several possibilities," he said. "First thing we check for is oxygen deficiency. Second, combustible gas -- sewer and methane, primarily." Third, Talmont explained, in high temperatures where sewage is present -- as it was on Wednesday -- hydrogen sulfide can be a by-product. "If we know it contains some chemicals, we'd test for it," Talmont said. "Normally in a manhole, those are the 3 things we check for." Also, he pointed out, if the manhole is close to a highway, carbon monoxide can be a strong a factor as anything else. It's just that OSHA hasn't finished checking into all this. "It depends on whether we can get a hold of the worker for interviews," Talmont noted. "It might take a little time to get them ... it should go relatively fast. Then we'd contact police, fire and any other emergency (service) that responded first -- to see if they had any information." Tuesday, city of Gainesville director of utilities Ron Sellman said that the manhole had apparently been tested before and after the incident, and that lack of oxygen and sewer gas weren't a problem. "We checked the manholes in the area (after the injuries); all the oxygen levels in the holes were OK ... When we tested the manholes initially, we did not find sewer gas to be a problem, or lack of oxygen," he said. But Talmont said that though it hasn't been confirmed yet, sources indicated to him that B.J. Co. Contractors didn't have a confined space program, and that the area hadn't been thoroughly tested. The men may or may not have had to wear respirators, he said. "It depends on the situation -- to determine what kind of protective (mask) is needed." Construction projects fall under their own set of safety guidelines, Talmont explained, when asked if; federal regulation codes 1926.03 and 1910.34 standards had been met before Martinez passed out.

Man Dies After Being Pulled From Pipeline

The mystery of why a man passed out in a pipeline Wednesday (7/10/2002) morning has turned into the investigation of his death. Israel Martinez died after being pulled unconscious from a manhole on E. Highway 82, roughly a mile away from Brammer Supply. Martinez's name was confirmed by  Police Chief Carl Dunlap and Kelly Pulte of his employer, B.J. Co-Contractors. Gustavo Barcones, who reportedly went into the manhole to try to help Martinez and passed out himself, was transported to Gainesville Memorial Hospital. He was termed as being in good condition, and may be released today. Martinez's death is still a mystery, with asphyxiation a probable but unproven cause.  They await autopsy results, which may not come back for 60 to 90 days. Ron Sellman, city of Gainesville utilities director said, "We have a contract with B.J. Contractors to install sanitary sewer extensions for newly annexed areas." "And the contract started with B.J. (on) April 1. And their completion date is supposed to be August 28." But the manhole should have been safe for the men, Sellman explained. "We checked the manholes in the area (after the injuries), all the oxygen levels in the holes were OK," he said, although a fan was used to blow air into the pipeline during the rescue. Sellman said, "When we tested the manholes initially, we did not find sewer gas to be a problem, or lack of oxygen."

Update, Sewer accident survivors recuperate, return home

By MAGGIE O'BRIEN, Register Staff Writer
Only one Missouri construction worker injured in a sewer accident remained hospitalized Wednesday. Jim Johnson, 27, of St. Peters, Mo., was listed in good condition Wednesday afternoon at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. The four other injured Insituform Technologies Inc. workers were discharged and on their way home. The St. Louis-area workers - Kent Broz, 32, Mike Walkenhorst, 32, Jim Coffey II, 21, and James "Danny" Brown, 21 - were released Tuesday and Wednesday from area hospitals and flew home with their families on a company plane. Two workers were killed Monday when they drowned in a 15-foot sewer pit on Des Moines' east side. The workers did not use safety equipment available as noxious chemicals permeated the area, Des Moines city officials said. Insituform employees Daniel Grasshoff, 25, and Brian Burford, 19, were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities suspect that the workers inadvertently stirred up low-lying hydrogen sulfide, a noxious byproduct of sewage, and fell unconscious from the fumes. They drowned in more than a foot of sewage waste. Co-workers on the surface came to Grasshoff's and Burford's aid, but were also stricken as they worked to pull the men out. Other Insituform workers, firefighters and employees at nearby Nesbit Distributing Co., 1901 Dewolf St., rescued five men. Spokeswoman Michele Lucas said Wednesday the company continues to investigate the accident. The survivors of the accident and witnesses would be interviewed at length, she said. None could be reached for comment Wednesday. "We'll have some meetings in the next couple of days here," Lucas said. "We haven't drawn any conclusions yet." Lucas said workers are coping with the tragedy. "It's pretty emotional for everyone," she said. Services for Grasshoff, of St. Charles, Mo., will be Friday. He became engaged this year to Jennifer Ann Rath and the couple planned to marry next summer. Rath did not return a phone call seeking comment. Burford, of Lemay, Mo., was enrolled at the University of Missouri in Rolla in the freshman engineering program. He joined a fraternity and often worked out-of-state jobs during the summers. Funeral arrangements are pending. Company officials based in Chesterfield, Mo., said it is standard procedure for crews to use safety harnesses in subterranean jobs because of the dangerous gases. Rescuers said the workers had only hard hats and lights with them in the pit. Federal guidelines call for a number of safeguards at underground construction sites. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says workers in confined spaces more than 5 feet deep must be in constant contact with workers on the surface and tethered by lifelines that can pull them to safety at a moment's notice. City engineers who periodically monitor the progress of the sewer rehabilitation project said the job seemed to be going off without a hitch. Insituform is finishing a $5.8 million contract with the city to repair sewer lines. Iowa OSHA officials were called to the scene late Monday. The agency is serving as the lead investigator into the deaths and continued its inquiry Wednesday. Administrator Mary Bryant said Wednesday the investigation could take three months to complete. If OSHA determines that Insituform willfully ignored safety procedures, investigators could ask the Polk County attorney to file a misdemeanor charge against workers responsible for the lapse. Federal OSHA officials have cited Insituform Technologies with 23 health and safety violations since 1986, including two serious violations over the past nine months, officials said. Those two violations resulted in nearly $6,000 in fines for safety lapses at job sites in St. Paul, Minn., and Boston. OSHA officials, who declined to give details of the past Insituform investigations, said a serious violation exists when a workplace hazard has the potential to cause an accident or illness that could result in death or serious physical harm, but the employer is not aware of the problem. A company can be fined up to $7,000 for each violation.

UPDATE, Rescuers: Safety tools weren't used

Two workers were not using safety equipment available at the scene Monday when they drowned in more than a foot of watery sewage as noxious chemicals permeated the area, Des Moines city officials said Tuesday. Inspectors with the city's engineering department said they had seen air monitors, fresh-air pumps and two-way radios at the east-side site where Insituform Technologies was completing repairs on five miles of a deteriorating sewer system. Company officials based in Chesterfield, Mo., said it's standard procedure for its crews to use the safety tools in subterranean jobs because of the dangerous gases produced by sewage. But rescuers who pulled workers out of a 15-foot pit Monday afternoon said the two men who died, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, had only hard hats and lights in the oxygen-short environment. "To my knowledge, there were not any respiration devices provided," said Acting Fire Chief Doug Rubin. "By the time we were able to pull them to the surface, too much time had elapsed to revive life." The crew's foreman, Kent Broz, said from his hospital bed Tuesday that the breathing devices were not used because the workers thought the site was safe and adequately ventilated. Daniel Grasshoff, 25, and Brian Burford, 19, Insituform employees from the St. Louis area, were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities suspect that the workers inadvertently stirred up low-lying hydrogen sulfide, a noxious byproduct of sewage, and fell unconscious from the fumes. Co-workers on the surface came to Grasshoff's and Burford's aid, but were also stricken as they worked to pull the men out. The co-workers, firefighters and employees at nearby Nesbit Distributing Co., 1901 Dewolf St., rescued five Insituform workers. "All your training says, "Don't go in," " said Jeff Hansen, a city of Des Moines project manager overseeing the sewer project. "But the human side says, "That's your buddy." I have a feeling that's what happened" when the co-workers went in after the first two men. Federal guidelines call for a number of safeguards at underground construction sites, but some of those guidelines were apparently not followed, city officials said. According to rules set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, workers in confined spaces more than 5 feet deep must be in constant contact with workers on the surface and tethered by lifelines that can pull them to safety at a moment's notice. Officials with the Des Moines Fire Department and Polk County medical examiner's office said neither Grasshoff nor Burford appeared to have been hooked to a harness or ankle strap. City inspectors said the harnesses would have been difficult to wear if the workers were walking through the 5-foot-high sewers. Hansen said a foreman told him that Grasshoff and Burford had collapsed after returning from a trip through the concrete structure. Officials with the medical examiner's office said they splashed face-down into 1 to 2 feet of standing water and sewage. "From what they tell me, the two guys had just walked 100 feet down the line," Hansen said. "They were standing in the open-air pit talking when this took place." OSHA guidelines call for the use of constant air monitoring and fresh-air pumps that can immediately infuse a hole with oxygen. Fire crews said they discovered an air monitor at the site, but it wasn't clear whether it had simply been used prior to the workers' entrance. City engineers who periodically monitor the progress of the $9 million sewer rehabilitation project said the job seemed to be going off without a hitch. While city officials said they aren't responsible for ensuring contractors" safety, they said they never noticed deficiencies in Insituform's procedures. "These guys were well-trained professionals. They weren't in their swimsuits diving into the sewers," said senior construction inspector Chester Van Buskirk. Iowa OSHA officials officially were called to the scene late Monday. The agency is serving as the lead investigator into the deaths. "Essentially, what we're looking for are violations of OSHA standards that may have contributed to the accident," said administrator Mary Bryant. "If it's determined that (the pit) is a confined space, we'll be looking at what kind of training they had, air monitoring, personal protection and ventilation." If OSHA determines that Insituform willfully ignored safety procedures, investigators could ask the Polk County attorney to file a criminal misdemeanor against workers responsible for the lapse. Insituform spokeswoman Michele Lucas said top company officials were interviewing those of the 15 workers in Des Moines who were not injured in the accident. Lucas said the company has an excellent safety record and is baffled by the incident. "We don't want to point any fingers right now," she said. "We're trying to get the facts and find out what went wrong." Federal OSHA officials have cited the company with 23 health and safety violations since 1986, including two serious violations over the past nine months, officials said. Those two violations resulted in nearly $6,000 in fines for safety lapses at job sites in St. Paul, Minn., and Boston. OSHA officials were unable to provide details on the incidents. Insituform employs 1,500 workers on sewer and pipe projects across the country and in western Europe. Company officials said their last worker fatality occurred in Puerto Rico in 1992. Steve Spangler, an OSHA-trained safety manager for Scheck Mechanical Corp. in Countryside, Ill., said even well-trained crews can get lackadaisical about safety procedures. "These firms may do 100 of those things, and maybe in two or three of them, there's gas present," Spangler said. "A lot of times, they will just depend on fellows saying, "Hey, it smells like rotten eggs down here." Crews that work like that are going to run into situations where they find guys at the bottom of a pit, as sad as that is." Hydrogen sulfide gives off a scent of rotten eggs, but the chemical also deadens a person's ability to identify the scent for long. Spangler said a four-gas monitor typically used in sewer projects would have detected the toxin in time for workers to respond.

 

2 Workers Dead, Firefighters Among 10 Injured From Sewer Gas

GIGI WOOD, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A sewer pipe ruptured Monday at a construction site, killing two workers and injuring 10 others, fire officials said. Fire officials said the workers likely suffocated because the toxic sewer gas deprived them of oxygen. The workers were in a 16-foot trench at an industrial area on the east side of Des Moines. Acting Fire Chief Doug Rubin said they had climbed down a ladder to get on a platform when they were overcome by fumes. Some fell into the water. ``When they went down in the hole, they go down with hardhats and lights, not necessarily any breathing equipment,'' Rubin said. ``This is something they do all the time. This is obviously an oddity, what happened today.'' Hydrogen sulfide gas is produced by the decomposition of organic materials such as sewage, said Assistant Chief James Mason said. ``These workers were likely not overcome by the gas; however, a lack of oxygen caused them to go unconscious'' he said. He said both victims were found in the water at the bottom of the pit. Five of the injured were firefighters; four of them were taken to a hospital where they were treated and released. Conditions on the others weren't immediately available. City officials said the two dead workers were employed by Insituform Technologies Inc., a company specializing in the repair of city sewers. ``This is a tragedy for all of us,'' said Tony Hooper, president and chief executive of Insituform, based in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield. ``We have to figure out what went wrong at the job site to make sure this doesn't happen again.'' Bill Stowe, city public works manager, said the workers were placing a plastic resin into the sewer pipe. The resin solidifies and becomes a new pipe inside the old pipe.

Department Incident Media Release-LIEUTENANT LINDA FRANGENBERG
Des Moines Fire Department Media Release

Des Moines firefighters responded to a 911 call which reported workers down in a sewer line. The incident took place at 1901 DeWolf, Des Moines, Iowa at 2:22 PM today. First arriving firefighters reported (5) workers down and in need of assistance in the sewer line. Further investigation revealed that a private company had been repairing a sewer line in the City of Des Moines when (2) of its employees were overcome and became unconscious. Five additional employees attempted to rescue their downed co-workers and also were overcome. Firefighters were able to rescue the five employees that attempted to help their fellow co-workers. These five victims were transported to area hospitals. Their conditions are unknown at this. The initial two workers were pronounced dead at the scene. Assistant Chief James Mason reported, "It appears that the two workers had been working in an area of the sewer line that had water in its base. This water had been stirred which emitted hydrogen sulfide gas. Hydrogen sulfide is a naturally occurring gas that is produced by the decomposition of organic materials (sewage). Hydrogen sulfide gas is heavier than air and displaces oxygen from the air. These workers were likely not overcome by the gas; however, a lack of oxygen caused them to go unconscious. Both victims were found lying in the water at the bottom of the pit." Both of the department's Hazardous Materials teams, three engine companies, one ladder company, seven medic units, two District Chiefs, and additional command staff personnel responded to the scene. Five Des Moines firefighters were also transported to the hospital. Four of those firefighters were evaluated for exposure and have since been treated and released. The fifth firefighter is being treated for a heat related injury.

 

Woman Rescued from 30-foot Hole

Associated Press

Rescuers used equipment to lift a 50-year-old woman from a 30-foot-deep hole that she fell into at a construction project near Bonney Lake, Wash. -- east of Tacoma. The woman was a flagger at the construction site, where South Prairie Road was being widened. The hole reportedly had been dug for a piling for the project. The accident happened about 4 p.m. Monday afternoon.

 

Crews Rescue Man Trapped In Hole

Emergency crews rescued a landscaper in Orlando who became stuck in a hole Monday, according to Local 6 News. The man was reportedly behind the Mall At Millenia when he apparently fell into a hole and became trapped. The landscaper suffered possible head and back injuries and is in stable condition, according to Local 6 News . He was tranported to a local hospital. A worker who attempted to rescue the man was also injured, according to Local 6 News. Officials are investigating the cause of the accident. Watch Local 6 News for the latest on this breaking news story.

 

Fatal accident at Peterhead harbour
A fire on board a North Sea oil industry support vessel, Far Service, has claimed the life of one worker. It is reported that he was cleaning out the vessel's tanks, but following an outbreak of fire his body was recovered from the ship's accommodation block. It is understood he was employed by Enviroco who were contracted to carry out the tank cleaning operations.

 

Shipyard Worker Rescued From Tug Boat

A man learning to cut holes in a ship had to be cut out by rescuers Tuesday morning after he fell and hurt himself. Jacksonville Fire-Rescue's special operations crew had to rescue the injured worker from inside the double hull of a tug boat when he fell and injured his back and ribs. The man was training how to cut holes in the steel vessel at shipyards on Adams Street. The rescue operation took less than five minutes. The worker is reported to be in good condition with pain in his lower back, but no broken bones.

Man was submerged 2 hours in fertilizer
The Times-Picayune, By Tara Young; Staff writer
A New Orleans man was pulled from 100 tons of potash fertilizer, a quicksand-like mixture, after being submerged up to his mouth for more than two hours Monday, authorities said. After being rescued Broderick Mayaux, 31, thrust his right fist into the air and apologized for falling through the roof of the boxcar holding the fertilizer. Mayaux was listed in fair condition at Charity Hospital after being rescued by New Orleans firefighters who used electric saws to cut through the steel walls of the boxcar to relieve pressure building around him. After the fertilizer began flowing from the boxcar, firefighters built a makeshift box of plywood around the man until they could dig him out , said Gregory Davis, New Orleans Fire Department spokesman. "The guys worked hard," Davis said. "They had to physically shovel the stuff around him. He sunk all the way down. They put a breathing apparatus on him to keep him from suffocating." Mayaux works for Downsouth Transfer Co., which is subcontracting with the Claiborne railroad yard in the 9th Ward, a railyard spokesman said. Marion Deville, owner of Downsouth Transfer, said Mayaux, himself and another man were transferring the fertilizer from one boxcar to another. Deville said he did not know why Mayaux was on top of the boxcar when the chutes are located at the bottom. One of the workers didn't realize Mayaux had fallen in and was still moving the fertilizer when Deville heard Mayaux screaming. When the men found him, Mayaux was almost completely submerged. Deville said he and a worker began removing handfuls of fertilizer from around Mayaux's head. "It's just one of those things that you don't think would happen," Deville said. "Thank God he's alive."

4 Killed by Sludge Fumes at Dye Factory

Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

A worker who fell into an underground sludge tank and three colleagues who tried to help him died, apparently from toxic fumes, at a dye factory in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Monday morning, the police and firefighters said. Two other workers who also tried to help in the accident at the factory operated by Pyramid, a Japanese textile company, managed to escape to safety and are being treated at a hospital, the authorities said. Hydrogen sulfide gas was detected near the site after the accident, which occurred at around 10 a.m. during an operation to clean the tank, the authorities said. The tank is about 3 meters by 2 meters and about 10 meters deep, they said. According to the company, the first worker began to clean the tank at 9 a.m. Monday and was scheduled to finish at 11 a.m. The company's main business is to develop textiles for industrial use.

Four Workers Die After Inhaling Poisonous Gas

Ghaziabad, India

Four workers, three of them brothers, died and two others fell seriously ill after inhailing poisonous gas while cleaning manholes in an Indian factory.  The workers fell unconscious when water and gas leaked through the walls of one of manholes of Shila Foam factory Sunday night. They were rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in Delhi where four of them were declared brought dead while the condition of two was stated to be serious, police said. A case of negligence has been registered against the contractor who had employed the victims on daily wages, they added.

 

Man Dies Rescuing Co-Worker in North Bay

By The PIXPage Staff

A rescue attempt turned deadly for a worker in Petaluma Thursday. But officials aren't sure which of the two dead employees tried to save the other. The men were found at the bottom of 12-foot tall tank, used to process organic oils at a natural foods plant called Spectrum Naturals."It appears that one of the employees was actually in the tank cleaning it," said Petaluma Fire Marshall Michael Ginn. "They use argon gas as part of their process, which is an asphyxiant. It appears that he was overcome by the gas. Another employee who saw him go in attempted a rescue, and then he became a victim." Firefighters had to pump oxygen into the tank before they could pull the men out. The tank was used to process flax seed oil for organic foods and supplements.

Rising Sun man rescued from grain bin now in fair condition

By Chandra L. Mattingly, Staff Reporter, April 24, 2002

Shawn Horstman, 28, Rising Sun, was in fair condition Tuesday morning, April 23, at University of Cincinnati Hospital, according to hospital public relations senior consultant Patty Holiday. University Air Care transported the Rising Sun man to the hospital after he spent over two hours trapped in a grain bin at Consolidated Grain and Barge, 210 George St. , Aurora , Monday afternoon, April 22. Horstman, a panel operator employed about 1 1/2 years at the grain storage and barge terminal business, got his foot caught in a conveyor inside a 25,000 bushel storage bin, said manager Scott Perkins. “We were just cleaning a bin. He just stepped off into one of the discharge holes,” said Perkins. Employees always work in pairs or small groups when inside the grain bins. Two employees with Horstman immediately called for help after the 4:15 p.m. (DST, fast time) accident, said Perkins. Horstman, who was not covered with grain, was conscious throughout the two hours it took Aurora police, fire department and emergency rescue personnel to free him, said Aurora Fire Department Public Information Office Kevin Turner. Taken to Taylor Field on the north side of U.S. 50 by Aurora Emergency Rescue, Horstman was transported in “non-life-threatening condition, stable condition” to University Hospital , Cincinnati , said Turner. AirCare took off at 6:40 p.m. , according to Aurora Police Department records. Aurora patrolman Dana Cotton, one of the first on the scene, said Horstman’s foot was wedged tightly in the channel containing the conveyor belt. Rescuers were most concerned not to further injure the trapped man. “We had to basically dismantle the whole system to get him out,” said Cotton. Rescuers used handtools, pry bars acetylene torches and other tools to free Horstman. Firefighters stood by with a water hose attached to a pumper because rescuers were concerned about producing “a lot of sparks around that dust,” said Cotton. Most of the tools used are carried by the fire department and Aurora Emergency Rescue, said Turner, including air chisels, pry bars, breathing apparatus. Cotton said breathing apparatus was provided for Horstman throughout the rescue, and he was given pain medicine in the final stages. About 20 to 25 people were involved. Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department provided assistance at Taylor Field, where AirCare landed on blacktop recently installed in the Waterways Park expansion there. Perkins said employee injuries are not common at Consolidated Grain’s Aurora facility, where employees had gone about 1,200 days, well over three years, without an injury. “We work hard at our safety program,” he said.

UPDATE, Worker: Safety rules ignored - Monadnock High blast injured 3

3-28-02, By GREG COFFEY for SentinelSource

SWANZEY CENTER -- A failure to follow safety protocols may have led to last week's explosion at Monadnock Regional Junior-Senior High School, a school-district maintenance worker claims. The explosion injured three maintenance workers, all of whom are still out of work, recovering from their injuries. The workers were fixing a pipe on a water tank in a concrete pit in the southwestern part of the building. The blast was caused when one of the workers lit a torch, which ignited propane gas that had seeped into the pit. The gas had leaked from a cracked pipe that ran through the ground near the pit. The blast occurred shortly after an evening concert last Thursday at the school. No one else was injured. School was closed Friday and reopened Monday. The explosion was preceded by a series of safety violations that should have been addressed by school district officials, said Art Cable, a Monadnock Regional School District maintenance worker. "When it looks good, (school district officials) are safety-conscious. When it suits their needs, they're not," Cable said. Too many men were in the 6-by-6-foot pit at the time of the blast, and no one was standing above the entrance to help get them out in case of an accident, Cable said. Further, Cable said, maintenance workers were warned at a training seminar last year that a gas meter should always be used to detect gas in confined spaces before work is started. Michael Pratt, one of the injured workers, said the school district shares a gas meter with the Swanzey Fire Department. "In most cases, there's no need (to check for gas) because we don't go into a lot of confined spaces," Pratt said. "It just happened to be a real freak thing." The seminar also stressed the need for safety equipment in confined spaces, such as an A-frame, Cable said. An A-frame is a contraption that sits above the opening of a confined space, and has a set of pulleys attached. A rope is attached to the worker who enters the space. If that worker is injured, he can quickly be raised from the space using the pulleys, Cable said. The explosion is being investigated by the N.H. Department of Labor, said Cynthia A. Flynn, administrator for the department's inspection division. The department routinely investigates any accident involving public workers, Flynn said. The department has completed its investigation, but has not completed its report. The report will first go to school district officials, and then will be made public, most likely early next week, Flynn said. Until then, Flynn would not comment on the investigation. School district officials met Wednesday to further discuss the incident, said Barry N. Fowler, the school district's director of building and grounds. Fowler would not comment Cable's allegations, but said the district has "very specific training and guidelines." Superintendent Curtis J. Cardine could not be reached for comment by press time.

Steam Flash at Power Plant Injures Workers

Two men were transported to the hospital following an explosion at the Zimmer Power Plant in Moscow , OH Wednesday ( 3/20/2002 ) afternoon. The plant is owned by Cinergy. Cinergy spokesman Dave Woodburn said that the injury was caused by a "steam flash." Woodburn said that the accident occurred when workers were "de-slagging" inside a boiler -- a process where excess coal is removed from the sides of the boiler. Woodburn said that a large chunk of the coal dropped to the ground, gathered water, and caused the steam flash. WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Todd Dykes reported that one of the workers suffered first and second degree burns on his face, neck, arms and legs. He's in stable condition at a local hospital. The other worker did not suffer any visible burns, and was taken to the hospital as a precaution, Dykes reported. The plant converts coal combustion waste to gypsum.

UPDATE, Welders Died By Suffocation In Feed Silo
By Angela Leonard, Editor

ELKIN -- The two men who were trapped under chicken feed Thursday at Wayne Farms Feed Mill on N.C. 268 died from suffocation, preliminary autopsy reports show. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the deaths. Two employees of the Silver Lake Welding Service, Inc., of Dayton , Va. , -- Justin Mines, 19, of Harrisonburg , Va. , and Randy Carpenter, 48, of Dayton -- were sucked under chicken feed while trying to repair a feed silo. The accident happened around 10:30 a.m. The men were trapped under the grain for more than three hours before emergency workers could free the bodies. “When rescue workers arrived, they saw that one person was visible at the chute end of the grain bin,” John Shelton, EMS supervisor for Surry County said. Rescue workers said Carpenter’s leg was visible in the chute and had stopped the flow of grain. Mines was above Carpenter, but beneath the grain. Shelton said the chicken feed was about 12 feet deep inside the 40-foot silo when the accident occurred. The two were standing on the chicken feed, patching inside the silo. “They had climbed into the silo on a ladder,” Shelton said. “They disconnected from their safety harnesses. While they attempted to do work on the silo, a truck pulled up and started to load.” The men were sucked down with the feed as the truck was being filled. Workers at the feed mill tried to rescue Mines and Carpenter before emergency workers arrived. “Once this occurred, one of the supervisors tried to rescue the two,” Shelton said. “He rappelled into the silo and tried unsuccessfully to get the feed away from their faces. The grain is like quicksand, the more you move the quicker you sink.” Wayne Farms has operated the feed mill on N.C. 268 for 22 years. Paul Nordin, complex manager at the Wayne Farms plant, said it has been five years since the last accident that resulted in lost time. Nordin said this is the first fatal accident at the feed mill. The feed mill makes chicken feed pellets from corn and soy. Emergency workers from Surry EMS, Dobson and Elkin rescue squads and South Surry , C.C. Camp and State Road fire departments responded.

UPDATE, Catalogue of failures led to deaths
Dundee Sheriff Richard Davidson has delivered a scathing criticism of the inadequate safety procedures, training and working practices which resulted in the deaths of two workers on the Glomar Arctic 1V. Richard King, 56, from South Tyneside , and Roland Duffell, 40, of Northumberland, died in an explosion within a confined space on board the rig undergoing maintenance work in Dundee harbour in July 1998. Sheriff Davidson delivered his scathing remarks at the rig operators Glomar Arctic and the men’s employers McGregor Energy Services Limited, and included workmen on the rig and their supervision. Avoidable Sheriff Davidson concluded the men's deaths could have been prevented had there not taken place a catalogue of failures to observe the rig and employer’s own, and each other’s, recommended working practices. These included:

· a failure to meet legislative requirement;

· a failure to understand the risks associated with working in a confined space into which two flammable gases were introduced;

· McGregor Energy Services did not ensure the adequate instruction and supervision of personnel carrying out this activity;

· a lack of constant gas monitoring;

· no plan for emergencies;

· no fire precautions such as fire fighting equipment;

· inadequate escape routes;

· inadequate means of communication with personnel on the rig deck;

· inadequately trained and instructed supervision; and

· gas hoses carrying flammable gases were exposed to heat damage from molten metal and were left in the confined spaces during non-working periods, and were inadequately repaired

Piper Alpha: Drawing upon lessons learned after the Piper Alpha tragedy Sheriff Davidson remarked upon: "…two major participants in the North Sea oil industry, such as GA and MESL, appear to have paid little more than superficial attention to Lord Cullen’s report. It would be valuable if senior management of both companies were to read Lord Cullen’s report now and act in light of its recommendations."

Company fined $5,000 after worker poisoned by carbon monoxide

Pacifica Seafoods Limited has been fined $5,000 after being prosecuted by the Occupational Safety & Health Service (OSH). The company were sentenced yesterday at the Christchurch District Court. “Workers had been cleaning in a chiller, when one collapsed and was taken to hospital,” said Margaret Radford, Service Manager of OSH Canterbury - West Coast Region.“Later that day another worker complained to his supervisor of a bad headache. He was also taken to hospital, and a blood test revealed that he had carbon monoxide poisoning. “A forklift powered by LPG had been transporting large bags of mussels in the chiller, during the earlier part of the evening. “The chiller was a large enclosed space, and had no means of ventilation with fresh air, other than natural ventilation through the doors. With no means of clearing the exhaust fumes from the LPG forklift, carbon monoxide levels built up. “Usually an electric forklift was used in the chiller, but the machine could not be used this particular evening because it required repairs. An alternative safe means of lifting and transporting bags of mussels within the chiller was not used. “This prosecution should serve to warn employers of the dangers of operating combustion engine forklifts in poorly ventilated areas,” said Ms Radford. “Fortunately, the victim did not suffer any lasting ill effect from this incident.”“There have been a number of incidents in recent years where workers have been taken to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. “The hazards of operating combustion engine forklifts in poorly ventilated areas, such as chillers and holds of ships, should be well known to industry. The best solution is to eliminate the hazard completely, and use only electric forklifts in such areas.” For further information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Service Manager, OSH , Canterbury - West Coast Region Tel: 03 365 2600  Mobile 025 278 1834 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Business Adviser-Public Relations, OSH , Wellington . Tel: 04 915 4390  Mobile : 025 463 538

2 workers die in grain bin; Virginia men were repairing silo

Two maintenance workers from a Rockingham County company died in North Carolina Thursday after they were accidentally pulled into stored grain. Justin C. Mines, 19, apparently died trying to rescue his co-worker, 48-year-old Randy Carpenter. The two had been working on a grain silo in Surry County, N.C., which is just across the state line from Patrick County. Mines, of Harrisonburg, and Carpenter, of Dayton, were sucked into 12 feet of grain, said John Shelton, director of Surry County Emergency Services. The two were employees of Dayton-based Silver Lake Welding Service. The silo was on the property of Wayne Farms Poultry Co. in the southwestern part of Surry County just east of Elkin, N.C., Shelton said. A spokesman for Silver Lake declined to comment about the two, citing ongoing investigations by federal and North Carolina authorities. The accident happened around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, as Mines and Carpenter were trying to make welding repairs to the interior of the silo. Other workers at the site had been unable to open the chute at the bottom of the bin to release the remaining grain, Shelton said. The two men lowered themselves into the silo secured on harnesses so they could start the repairs with the grain still in the bin. They eventually unstrapped their harnesses, Shelton said. The driver of a truck, unaware that the two were in the silo, pulled into the grain chute and released the feed through the funnel at the bottom of the silo - sinking Carpenter, then Mines - Shelton said. "It pulled [Carpenter] into the grain with the consistency of quicksand," Shelton said. "[Mines] attempted to rescue [his co-worker] and was also swirled into the grain." One maintenance worker rappelled into the bin to try to rescue the two but to no avail. Others then began a frantic effort to cut Mines and Carpenter out of the chute with blow torches, Shelton said. Rescue workers and firefighters arrived on the scene during the cutting but weren't able to get to the trapped workers until about three hours later, which was too late, he said.

UPDATE, WORKER'S DEATH IN EXPLOSION LEADS TO OSHA FINES FOR IOWA AND WISCONSIN FIRMS

EAU CLAIRE, WIS. - A company's failure to ensure the safe handling of binary explosives that resulted in the death of a worker at the J. P. Madgett Power Generation Station in Alma, Wis., has led to citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The proposed penalties total $227,850. OSHA issued citations to two companies that alleged willful, serious, and other-than-serious safety and health violations after the fatal explosion last August. Philip Services/North Central Inc., based in Camanche, Iowa, was issued proposed penalties of $133,350 and Dairyland Power Cooperative in Alma was issued proposed penalties of $94,500. Philip Services/North Central Inc., under contract with Dairyland Power Cooperative, was responsible for cleaning the inside of the boiler through the use of explosives, grit, or hydro blasting. The fatal explosion occurred when a binary explosive charge was detonated while in the possession of a Philip Services/North Central Inc. employee. "This tragedy could have been prevented if safety requirements had been followed," said Charles Burin, OSHA area director in Eau Claire, Wis. "A failure to take adequate precautions before detonating explosives was a significant factor in this fatal explosion." OSHA issued a willful citation to Philip Services/North Central Inc. for failing to follow safety procedures for blasting operations. The alleged serious citations were related to safety requirements for the use of explosives, lack of a site-specific respiratory protection program, hazardous work in confined spaces, inadequate emergency rescue services, inadequate procedures for group lockout/tagout, and bloodborne pathogen requirements. OSHA issued a willful citation to Dairyland Power Cooperative for failing to follow safety requirements for work in permit-required confined spaces. The alleged serious violations related to safety requirements for lockout/tagout, periodic inspections, rescue procedures, bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication training, and insufficient updates on a chemical hygiene plan. The companies have 15 working days from the receipt of the citations to contest the citations and proposed penalties with the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission or to request an informal conference with the area director. (Note to the Editor: A summary of alleged OSHA violations is attached to this news release.) SUMMARY OF OSHA CITATIONS

A willful citation issued by OSHA to Philip Services/North Central Inc. alleged:

that the person-in-charge of blasting operations did not use every reasonable precaution to ensure the safety of the workmen; and

that a loud warning was not given before each blast by the person-in-charge after ensuring the safety of all members of the crew.

Serious citations issued to Philip Services/North Central Inc. allege the company:

failed to secure explosives or blasting agents;

failed to follow process safety management requirements related to the manufacture of binary explosives;

failed to establish and implement a site-specific respiratory protection program;

failed to evaluate confined spaces for permit requirement;

failed to debrief the host employer after work in permit-required confined spaces;

failed to evaluate the hazards of confined spaces;

failed to provide protection for confined space entrants from external hazards;

failed to monitor the conditions inside a confined space during entry;

failed to provide necessary communication equipment;

failed to ensure the use of rescue equipment;

failed to provide an attendant;

failed to designate persons who were to have active roles in entry operations;

failed to develop and implement procedures for summoning rescue and emergency services;

failed to evaluate a rescuer's ability to respond;

failed to ensure the protection of each individual during group lockout/tagout;

failed to inform the host employer of their lockout procedures; and

failed to comply with certain bloodborne pathogen requirements.

OSHA issued a willful citation to Dairyland Power Cooperative alleging:

that the hazards of permit required confined spaces were not identified, evaluated, and passed on to their subcontractors; and

practices and procedures were not developed and implemented for safe entry into confined spaces.

Serious citations issued to Dairyland Power Cooperative allege the company:

failed to follow requirements for lockout/tagout such as ensuring the protection of each authorized employee during group lockout procedures and conducting periodic inspections;

failed to debrief contractors after permit required confined space entry;

failed to develop and implement rescue procedures;

failed to evaluate rescue services;

failed to properly complete entry permits;

failed to follow certain requirements relating to bloodborne pathogens;

failed to provide hazard communication training; and

failed to update and review their chemical hygiene plan.

Fumes kill Denton County worker

By PATRICK McGEE, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

A construction worker died and another was seriously injured Wednesday afternoon when they were overcome by carbon monoxide fumes inside a manhole, fire officials said. One worker fell into the manhole after he was overcome by the fumes of a gasoline-powered pump he was using to pump water out of a manhole, Battalion Chief Greg Taylor said. Another worker who called for help and went in to rescue him and was also overcome by the fumes. A firefighter pulled both of them out, Taylor said. The first man who fell in died, and the other was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital by helicopter, Taylor said. The men's identities are not yet known. The accident occured at about 1 p.m. near Old Alton Bridge which crosses Hickory Creek in an unincorporated area of Denton County. The men were employees of Mid Continent Excavation Inc., which is building a wastewater pipeline for the Upper Trinty Regional Water District.

Two injured in industrial accident at Lowe's site

February 14, 2002, By Lance Martin, Herald Staff Writer

GARYSBURG - The first construction accident at the Lowe's warehouse project left two men injured Tuesday morning. Munsrail Baskerville, 25, of Norlina, sustained a fractured leg and 50-year-old Jesus Loera, of Stem, complained of general body pain, said Paul Nowell, commander of the Roanoke Valley Rescue Squad. The men were installing a 1,000-pound water valve when the accident occurred. The valve was secured to a backhoe and was being lowered into a 6-by-10 concrete meter vault when it broke loose from the equipment, Nowell said. The men are employees of H&G Rentals of Henderson. The valve struck Baskerville in the leg. Nowell said when rescue squad members arrived, Baskerville's leg was bleeding and appeared to be fractured. Before entering the vault, rescue workers used air monitors to check the safety of the atmosphere. "We made sure there was no toxic fumes. There was no electricity going to it. There was no danger to rescue squad members," Nowell said. Rescue workers entered the vault and bandaged Baskerville's leg. They lifted him out in a Stoke's basket and transported him to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to Halifax Regional Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids. Loera was carried on a long board and placed in another ambulance. He was also taken to HRMC. Baskerville was listed in good condition this morning and was scheduled to have surgery. Loera was treated and released. Nowell said the 10:48 a.m. accident was the first at the Lowe's construction site. Lowe's announced plans to build in Northampton County May 29 of last year after putting the finishing touches on an agreement for a $60 million distribution center. The distribution center, which may help bring a Lowe's retail center to the area, will ultimately create 600 to 800 jobs. Sixty percent must be filled with low to moderate income people. Construction on the warehouse continues and the wall structures are complete and the roof is nearing completion. Paving of the road leading to the center should begin in March. Lowe's plans to move into the old Gaston Middle School in the next 60 to 90 days. The company will use the school for temporary space for logistics and personnel operations.

Blast in Manhole Injures 8 Workers

By ELENA GAONA, TIMES STAFF WRITER

An explosion in an underground vault injured eight city workers in the Westlake area Wednesday morning. The Department of Water and Power employees, all men, were about to start working on a cable in the 200 block of North Vermont Avenue when the explosion occurred about 10:35 a.m., said Gale Harris, a DWP spokeswoman. Four workers were inside the manhole and four were on the street, Harris said. The explosion occurred when someone underground touched the cable they were about to begin working on, she said. "They were testing an underground cable line and apparently it was still energized and that caused the explosion," Harris said. Fumes also might have triggered the explosion, fire officials said. "It was determined to be a ... fire that flashes from fumes," said Jim Wells, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman. When firefighters arrived, there were no flames, but smoke was coming from the vault, he said. Five of the workers suffered minor injuries and were treated at hospitals, Harris said, but three were taken to Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks. Jeff Hanson, 37, of Santa Clarita suffered second- and third-degree burns to the side of his face and his ears and hands. He was in stable condition, said burn center spokesman Larry Weinberg. Earle Hough, 36, of Littlerock suffered minor burns to his face and hands and was in fair condition. David Ybarra, 37, of Hacienda Heights suffered smoke inhalation and burns to his face, ears and shoulder. He was in fair condition, Weinberg said. Harris said the department is still seeking to pinpoint the cause of the explosion. The blast cut electrical power to more than 1,700 residential and a dozen commercial customers, Harris said. Crews were working late Wednesday night to restore power, she said.

Two die in Kuwait petrochemical plant accident

KUWAIT, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Two foreign workers were killed in an accident at a Kuwait Petrochemicals Co urea plant, newspapers reported on Wednesday. The men, an Indian and a Turkish national, died on Tuesday of suffocation while doing maintenance work at the state-owned plant at Shuaiba refinery, the newspapers said, giving varying accounts of what caused the accident. Late last month an explosion killed four people and damaged major crude oil and gas production facilities in northern Kuwait. ((Kuwait newsroom, +965 240 8945, fax +965 241 2459, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ))

Explosion Kills Chemical Plant Worker Performing Maintenance

Geismar, LA, United States, 2/12/2002- 7:00 AM

An explosion and flash fire at a Shell Chemical Co. plant killed one worker, authorities said. The blast occurred Tuesday (2/12/2002) morning while several employees were cleaning out a container as part of routine maintenance, said Shell spokesman Noel Wheeler. Gregory Gibson, 40, of Gonzales, died later of injuries at a Gonzales hospital. He had worked for the company for four years, Wheeler said. An investigation was being conducted by the company and Louisiana State Police, Wheeler said.

UPDATE, Hearing reopens into ammo-ship fire that killed Florida man

The Associated Press

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Video shown at a new hearing into the cause of a fatal fire on an ammunition ship showed a clogged fuel pipe, but it hasn't been determined if overflow from the pipe caused the fire. The Coast Guard reopened its hearing Tuesday into the fire that killed two crewmen last summer aboard the Sgt. Edward A. Carter Jr., a 950-foot vessel. The fire broke out while the ship was docked at Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal near Southport. Twenty people were aboard at the time. Paul Powell, 35, of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Horace Beasely, 45, of Gretna, Va., were killed. Coast Guard investigator Lt. Cmdr. Rick Raksnis said he reopened the hearing, which had concluded in August, after receiving new evidence. A report is expected by the end of March. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer John Gonzales, an investigator with the Marine Safety Office of Hampton Roads, Va., showed video from a small camera showing pipes lined with chalky debris and dark-colored residue believed to be heavy fuel oil. One of the vent lines also was blocked by debris about 14 feet into the pipe. The clogged pipe may have forced fuel into overflow vent lines, Gonzales said. But investigators have not said if that caused the fire. During the earlier hearing, several experts testified that the fire may have ignited from fuel leaking onto an insulated boiler. A witness with the Marine Safety Lab in Groton, Conn., said a substance on the insulation was fuel oil. The source of the oil was not determined.

Pontotoc man dies after falling into silo; Storage bin was about two-thirds full with soybeans.

By Sandi P. Beason, Daily Journal

PONTOTOC - A Pontotoc man died Friday afternoon after a nearly six-hour effort to pull him from a soybean-filled silo. John Bramlett, 60, owner of Bramlett Grain and Trucking Company, was working inside a silo about two-thirds full of soybeans Friday morning when he fell. "He called us on his cell phone," said Pontotoc Police Chief Larry Poole. After getting the call, rescue workers were immediately sent to the scene. City and county rescue workers assisted, along with the Tupelo hazmat team and private citizens. "Those beans are just like quicksand," Poole said. "Every time we tried to pull him out, he went in deeper." Bramlett was pulled from the silo by Pontotoc rescue workers shortly after 3:30 p.m., and taken to Pontotoc Hospital. Rescue mission Tupelo Fire Chief Mike Burns said Friday's rescue effort was difficult because it was a confined space entry. "You've got to imagine what was happening," he said. "In the center of the silo, the beans were pulling down. You had a vortex that went down and as the sides (of the silo) came open, the beans on the side went down. It was sort of a volcano shape. "We still had mounds and mounds of beans near the center after we got the sides open and beans started pouring out." Burns said rescue workers were down inside the silo on top of the soybeans. "If we had not been suspended on ropes, a step would have been three or four feet down quick," he said. "We were suspended with ropes to the point where if anything happened, we could be pulled back out." Although backhoes and even shovels were used to remove the beans, Burns said the silo was about two-thirds full when he arrived and work was slow. As beans were removed, the dust created a potential explosion hazard, he said. "Our biggest concern was oxygen deficiency," Burns said. "We had to wear air lines." Burns said the 20 rescue workers from Tupelo arrived on the scene just after 10:34 a.m., and the victim was found just after 3 p.m. "The rescue team was back in service at 3 p.m., but some of the special operations teams guys stayed over a little longer," he said. "They had located the victim at that time."

2 die, 1 in coma as gas leaks from pipe

YOKOHAMA -- Two workers were killed and another lapsed into a coma when they inhaled gas that leaked from an old pipe they were trying to remove from beneath a sidewalk early Saturday, police said. Taichi Ikejima, 24, and Kinichiro Ohira, 37, died in the accident while the 52-year-old father of Taichi remains unconscious. Ikejima, his father and Ohira were working in a hole they had dug for the removal work. Six other workers were sickened only slightly because they were above the ground, officials of the Tsurumi Police Station said. The nine workers apparently began digging a 1-meter-square hole at about 9 p.m., Friday, before working on the old gas pipe in Yokohama's Tsurumi-ku. They collapsed one after another at about 12:40 a.m. A security guard sleeping at a nearby factory told reporters that "shortly before 1 a.m., I was awoken by the gas leak." According to Tokyo Gas Co., which operates the pipes in the area, gas leaked apparently when attachments to the old pipe came loose. (Mainichi Shimbun, Feb. 9, 2002)

Details

Parent Category: Incident Alert Archives

Category: Confined Space Accidents

Published: 03 September 2010

Confined Space Accidents #1

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

 

UPDATE, Ship Officer Charged in Death

Wed Feb 6, 8:51 PM ET

TAMPA, Fla. - A ship officer was indicted on misconduct and negligence charges Wednesday in the death of a crewman ordered to clean the ship's emptied cargo tanks while they were still filled with toxic fumes. Master Gilbert C. Thurston, chief officer on the SS Trinity, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The Trinity was sailing from New York to Houston on May 18, 2000, when Thurston ordered pumpman Frederic Albert Cambra Jr. to mop the empty cargo tanks, according to the federal indictment. Cambra, of St. Helens, Ore., was overcome by fumes in the tanks, which had been filled with the chemical gasoline additive MTBE, the indictment said. He died after crew members tried to revive him. Thurston, who worked for Iowa-based Sabine Transportation Co., should have checked that the tanks' air quality was safe before ordering crewmen to begin cleaning, the indictment said. Thurston, who lives in Naples, did not return calls seeking comment. The company declined comment.

 

Huxford man dies in industrial accident

By Robbie Byrd From Staff Reports

The Escambia County Sheriff's Department is investigating a job-related death of an employee of Huxford Pole and Timber Company in the Huxford community. James Benjamin Johnson, 50, a resident of Huxford, was pronounced dead at 8:27 a.m. Monday, January 22, 2002. He worked in an area called "The Boiler House" where wood chips and bark are stored and loaded onto a conveyer system. Employees advised the Escambia County Sheriff's Department that it was not uncommon for chips and bark to accumulate up to 25 or 30 feet high on the sides, and that workers would have to rake the chips down into the conveyer system. According to the Escambia County Sheriff's Department, workers at the facility said they found Johnson's body by looking through an opening outside the building and underneath the conveyer system. When they got to him, he was under five feet of bark, the Sheriff's Department reported. They immediately dug him out. Unfortunately, they were too late to save him. "Nobody saw Mr. Johnson get covered up with bark and wood chips," said Escambia County Sheriff Timothy A. Hawsey. "At this point, we do not know exactly how it happened." The body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Mobile for an autopsy. No official report is available at this time. Huxford Pole and Timber officials were not available for comment at press time. Gail Davis, with the Mobile office of OSHA, said the case is under investigation. "We were notified by phone (Monday) at approximately 7 a.m.," she said. According to Davis, on-the-job fatalities must be reported to OSHA and the Department of Labor within eight hours of the incident. "Once we receive notification, we will send someone to the site within 24 hours. We then have six months to complete our investigation." Davis said an OSHA representative reported to the site early Tuesday morning. She was not prepared to make additional comments about the fatality. "Any comment on the cause of death would be speculation at this time," Davis said. "We are waiting for the coroner's report."

 

UPDATE, Ellis elevator faces $3,000 fine for fatality

Jan. 16, 2002, By JOY LEIKER, Hays Daily News

ELLIS - An Ellis grain elevator faces $3,000 in penalties following a September incident that killed one of its employees. Golden Belt Cooperative has 15 days to contest the citations, penalties or deadlines contained in the four-page report released this week by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. All violations must be corrected by Feb. 27. The serious violations stem from a fatal accident on Sept. 6 when Bill Wade and two of his coworkers were loading wheat into a rail car at about 11 a.m. Wade was in the drive-through loading area, one of his coworkers was atop a rail car and the other had just stepped away from the grain pit and into the nearby office. When that coworker returned from the office, Wade wasn't in the same spot. His coworkers noticed his body in the pit of grain, a confined area accessible only by a covered manhole. Investigation officials and coworkers weren't sure why he entered the pit. Emergency medical technicians pronounced him dead at the scene. Half of the $3,000 penalty was levied because the elevator did not implement the measures necessary to prevent unauthorized entry into the grain pit, a permit-required confined space. The elevator also was cited for not identifying and evaluating the hazards of the space before Wade entered it. Documentation was not available to prove that the space had been evaluated properly before the employee tried to enter, and the elevator also hadn't developed or implemented the means, procedures and practices necessary for safe entry into the pit. The final $1,500 portion of the fine relates to the initial efforts by Wade's coworkers to rescue him from the grain pit. The report notes that the elevator did not provide training for employees so they would have the understanding, knowledge and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned and that they were not adequately trained to conduct confined space rescue. Additionally, the elevator was penalized for not maintaining the canceled records of entry into the grain pit and also for not possessing the paperwork to certify training of each employee for work inside the pit. The final citation notes the elevator's emergency action plan was inadequate. It did not address emergency escape route assignments, procedures to be followed by employees who remain behind to operate critical plant operations, procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed and names and regular job titles of persons or departments who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan. Employees were exposed to explosion and fire hazards, OSHA reported. Robert Redger, manager of the Ellis elevator, was unavailable for comment today. A spokeswoman at the elevator said he was away from the office for the day and would not be available until Thursday.

 

City utility worker recovering after accident on Mercer Island

2002-01-12, Nora Doyle, Mercer Island Reporter

MERCER ISLAND -- A utility worker was knocked unconscious yesterday morning after he apparently tumbled 15 feet down a manhole. The 35-year-old man, whose identity was not released, was in satisfactory condition last night at Harborview Medical Center. Several city workers were doing routine maintenance on a drain in the 7200 block of 93rd Avenue Southeast around 9:44 a.m. when they noticed that the man was missing, Fire Cmdr. Walt Mauldin said. Workers quickly spotted the crumpled man at the bottom of the hole and called 911. The man, who has worked for the city for about five years, was breathing and had a pulse. But he was unconscious when Bellevue and Mercer Island medics arrived. Firefighters and paramedics slithered down the manhole, provided the worker with oxygen and strapped him to a rigid backboard. He was hoisted out of the hole about an hour after crews arrived. It was not initially apparent what caused the man to lose consciousness. Mauldin said he thought the man might have passed out because of toxic fumes in the manhole chamber, but tests of the air in the chamber later showed there were no toxic fumes. It is likely the man slipped and was knocked unconscious, Mauldin said. Another worker was assisted by firefighters and a chaplain at the scene for emotional stress. Last summer, an Enumclaw man was killed after he tried to rescue a co-worker who passed out in a manhole at a construction site in Newcastle. Victor Thomas Mills, 34, fell to his death after he was overcome by a lack of oxygen and passed out. Bellevue firefighters determined that there wasn't enough oxygen in that manhole, which had been dug three months earlier as part of the sewage system for a housing development. Journal reporter Diana Hefley contributed to this report.

 

Teenager rescued from grain bin

UNION--A 17-year-old male was rescued after falling into a grain bin in Union Friday afternoon. According to Gibson County Sheriff Department reports, J.D. Smith, 17, of Union, was inside the filling bin while his 16-year-old cousin was working outside. The corn apparently moved, causing Smith to be submerged in grain up to his chin. Chad Butts, Chuck Longabaugh and Alan Woolsey of the Gibson County High Angle Rescue Team, entered the grain bin and rescued Smith. The grain bin was cut from the outside, in order to release pressure from Smith's body. Smith was pulled out of the grain bin and transported to Deaconess by the Air Evac Lifeteam. Assisting in the rescue effort were Gibson County Medic 2, the Air Evac Lifeteam, the Princeton Fire Department and the Francisco Fire Department.

 

Warner man dies in farm accident

By Amanda Alexander, American News Writer

A farm accident near Warner on Wednesday night left a 31-year-old Warner man dead.

Mark Hanisch was working around 5:50 p.m. when he was sucked into grain inside a bin on a farm west of Warner. One guy was at the truck to make sure it wouldn't overflow and another was inside the bin when all of a sudden the grain stopped coming out and they couldn't see (Hanisch) any more, said Brown County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Schmitt. One tried using a payloader to open up the side to get him out faster, Schmitt said. Hanisch died at the scene. No one else was injured.

 

UPDATE, 5 sailors die in mishap at Kuantan port

KUALA LUMPUR) Five Chinese sailors died after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a cargo ship at Malaysia's eastern port of Kuantan, port officials and doctors said yesterday. The men, aged between 23 and 42, died on Christmas Day while cleaning the ship, the St Vincent-flagged 18,000-deadweight ton MV Sunvazs, a port official said. 'All of them were Chinese nationals,' the official said. 'The casualties happened while cleaning the ship,' the official said. 'The ship had arrived in Kuantan empty after discharging fertilisers in Thailand.' The Bernama news agency, quoting a doctor at a Kuantan hospital, said the men died from suffocation after inhaling toxic fumes. It said the men were from China's eastern province of Jiangsu. The ship's agent in Kuantan declined to comment. - Reuters

 

UPDATE, Company cited, fined in workers' deaths

By Orith Goldberg, Staff Writer, Friday, December 7, 2001

State regulators slapped a Tarzana heat-treating company with more than $150,000 in fines and eight citations after finding the company did not properly ventilate a cooling tank where two Burbank men died earlier this year after being overcome by gas, officials said Thursday. The findings by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health stem from an investigation into the deaths of workers Steve Horan, 36, and Duane Pesicka, 43, on May 17 at Bodycote Thermal Processing, which does heat treating and metal brazing in the 18600 block of Oxnard Street. "The violation of health and safety codes put these employees in danger," said Dean Fryer, spokesman for Cal-OSHA. "Because of the violations, two employees suffered fatal injuries." Pesicka, a maintenance worker at Bodycote for six years, delved into the tank, 5 feet wide and 9 feet deep, to repair a leak in the hydraulic equipment. Argon gas had settled into a drained oil pit at the bottom of the tank, and fumes from the gas overcame him, Fryer said. "They didn't properly ventilate the pit," Fryer said. "When the employee went to do maintenance, the argon gas was down there." Horan, who was outside, rushed in to try to pull out Pesicka -- who was his neighbor and best friend as well as his co-worker -- but was knocked out by the fumes. A firefighter who was at the scene on May 17 later said Horan died a hero. Fryer said procedures should have been in place to ensure that no gas moved through the lines into the furnace and that there was proper ventilation. The company faces $153,720 in fines and eight citations with 17 different violations, he said. Since fatalities were involved, a report will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for review, he added. The company is appealing the citations and fines to an administrative law judge. Bodycote's general manager, Phil Stella, said Thursday that there would be no immediate comment on the case, but he said funds had been collected for the families of the victims. The men's wives also declined to comment on Cal-OSHA's findings. The Horans and Pesickas had been neighbors for nearly four years. Pesicka's wife, Mary, said the two men were so close that people would ask if they were related. Horan, a maintenance supervisor who worked at Bodycote for nine years, left two sons, 12 and 14, and a 10-year-old daughter, as well as his wife, Betty. Pesicka left his wife, an 8-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter.

 

Man buried in dirt and dies at gravel company

Wednesday, December 5, 2001, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARKER -- A gravel company worker was buried in dirt and died on the job, authorities said. Juan Dominguez, 52, of Sunnyside, was dead by the time he was pulled from a dirt-filled hopper Tuesday at Columbia Asphalt & Gravel Inc. in this Yakima Valley town.

Yakima County Coroner Maurice Rice said Dominguez probably died of asphyxiation. An investigation will be conducted by the state Department of Labor and Industries, sheriff's Sgt. Max James said. Dominguez, a front-end loader at the company, had been pouring dirt into the hopper. After being filled, the hopper is shaken by a vibrating device to even out the dirt and force it onto a conveyor belt. A co-worker saw Dominguez pounding on the side of the large bin, probably because dirt was clumping up on the sides rather than falling properly toward a conveyor belt below, James said. Soon afterward, the same co-worker noticed there was no dirt on the belt, walked over and saw Dominguez's feet sticking out the bottom of the hopper, James said.

 

Power plant worker burned when fumes ignite

November 7, 2001 - Omaha, NE

A contractor working at an Omaha Public Power District plant entered a large water tank with a wet-dry vacuum cleaner and there was an explosion. The contractor was hired to remove lead-based paint and repaint two large water tanks. Vapors had apparently accumulated in the tank, and a spark from the vacuum ignited the fumes. The contractor had some burns on his body but was conscience during the ambulance ride to St. Joseph's Hospital.

 

UPDATE, Firm Fined $153,720 for Workers' Deaths

Safety: Regulators find eight violations at Tarzana plant where two employees were asphyxiated.

By ANDREW BLANKSTEIN, TIMES STAFF WRITER

State regulators have fined a Tarzana firm $153,720 for an accident that killed two workers at its metallurgical plant in May. The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it cited Bodycote Thermal Processing for eight violations, including a $70,000 fine for willfully failing to protect employees from potential asphyxiation from argon and nitrogen gases. Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, both of Burbank, died May 17 in a furnace at Bodycote's plant in Tarzana. "If the employer would have followed proper rules for labor conducted in confined spaces such as these furnaces, the death of these employees could have been avoided," agency spokesman Dean Fryer said. "What made this even worse is that violations continued in the weeks following the accident," Fryer said. "And the company didn't attempt to change their procedures." Pesicka, a maintenance worker, was overcome by gas as he replaced a valve in the 9-foot-deep furnace. Horan, a plant engineer who supervised Pesicka and was his best friend, went in after him, but also succumbed to the fumes. The firm also was fined $25,000 for failing to implement procedures to rescue employees who might be overcome by gases used in the industrial process. The agency found the company failed to provide employees with proper body harnesses for rescue in case of emergency, failed to ensure proper ventilation, and failed to provide written emergency procedures. Messages left at the company's Dallas headquarters and its Tarzana plant were not returned. The firm, which had a clean record with the agency for 11 years before the accident, has until Nov. 27 to appeal. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident. The plant specializes in heat treatment for airplane parts and other metals. Processes use cylindrical vacuum furnaces 6 feet in diameter that can reach up to 2,000 degrees. High temperatures oxidize metal, while the gases nitrogen and argon help treat it, officials said. Argon is a nonflammable gas that depletes oxygen. Cal/OSHA concluded that an air sample was not taken immediately before the worker entered the furnace, as required by law. In addition, the company failed to comply with state law requiring that at least two people work together, one inside and another outside watching in case of an emergency. The agency also concluded that the firm failed to provide a respirator with a facemask that would have allowed a rescuer to enter safely. Betty Horan said she and her three children were devastated by the loss of her husband but proud of his heroism. "His final act showed the kind of man he was," she said.

 

UPDATE, Former Falls man perishes on ship

10/31/2001By: Associated Press, October 31, 2001

LAPLACE, La. (AP) - Three men, including a former International Falls resident, died Tuesday in the hold of a ship that was bringing in scrap metal to a steel mill, authorities said. The three men apparently went into an area of the hold about 3 a.m. that had an insufficient amount of oxygen, passed out and died, said Capt. Mike Tregre, a spokesman for the St. John the Baptist sheriff. Mike Palmer, assistant chief of the LaPlace fire department, said ship crew members had removed one of the men when firefighters arrived. Firefighters with breathing equipment entered the hold and removed the other two. Thomas M. Murray, 52, a U.S. Customs senior inspector, went into the hold for a routine inspection and the ship's captain and a crew member followed him in after the inspector did not return, said Dean Boyd, a Customs spokesman. Murray was a 1968 graduate of Falls High School and the son of former International Falls Mayor Jack and Donna Murray. U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Robert C. Bonner called the loss of Murray's life "tragic." "Inspector Murray lost his life during an examination of the hold of a vessel in which toxic fumes were apparently present," said Bonner in a statement released Tuesday. "He died in service to his country, doing what his fellow inspectors and Customs employees across the nation do every single day, at a time when it has never mattered more: protecting America." Bonner concluded by asking all Customs employees to join him in "remembering inspector Murray and his family in your thoughts and prayers." Murray had worked for the U.S. Customs Service for 31 years. He began his career in International Falls in 1970, after serving in the U.S. Air Force. The identities of the captain and crew member were not immediately released. Autopsies were pending. A second customs inspector and a crew member were hospitalized, Boyd said. Customs, the Coast Guard, the sheriff's office and the FBI were investigating. The ship, the Panamanian-flagged Sakura I, had docked at the Port of Gramercy to make a delivery to Bayou Steel Corp. The vessel had come from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Boyd said. The freighter contained ferrous scrap, a product used in steelmaking, and was undergoing a routine inspection prior to its tranfer to Bayou Steel, the company said.

 

Customs inspector, 2 crew members die in ship's cargo hold

October 30, 2001 Posted: 11:07 AM EST (1607 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. customs inspector and two crew members of a Panamanian vessel died Tuesday in Louisiana after they entered the vessel's cargo hold at the port of Gramercy on the Mississippi River. "We haven't determined whether it was a lack of oxygen, or fumes, or some other cause," U.S. Customs Service spokesman Dean Boyd told CNN. A second customs inspector was hospitalized. Boyd said the customs inspector, the captain of the Sakura I and a crew member entered the hold after the ship arrived at about 3 a.m. CST Tuesday from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The ship was carrying scrap metal.

 

UPDATE, Better safety in confined spaces

By JANE RITIKOS

PUTRAJAYA: Employers, contractors and subcontractors of premises with confined spaces are now bound to ensure they have trained staff, systematic safety procedures and a properly equipped working environment under a new code. The Code of Practice for Safe Working in a Confined Space, launched by Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn yesterday, comes in the wake of increasing cases of such fatalities. Under the code, employees who enter confined spaces, serve as stand-by persons or authorise other employees to enter such spaces, must undergo safety training schemes approved by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health. The code also outlines duties of the employer, contractor, entry supervisor, stand-by persons and an authorised gas tester who will conduct atmosphere tests. The requirements include effective and adequate means of communication, emergency and rescue procedures and ventilation equipment. Confined areas include storage tanks, tankers, silos, pits without adequate natural ventilation, sewers, tunnels, shafts, ducts, any shipboard spaces entered through a small manhole, cargo tanks and oil tanks, among many others. Under the code, employers must also post danger signs in confined spaces. If the employer needs the employee to enter the space, the employer has to develop and implement a written confined space entry programme and if there is no need for entry, he must take effective measures to prevent entry by others. Dr Fong said there were 17 deaths this year, compared to 12 last year, from inhaling hazardous gas and suffocation because of a lack of oxygen or fire within confined spaces. In June, nine people died while the ST New Renown tanker was being repaired at the Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd dockyard in Pasir Gudang. Dr Fong said the fatalities could have been avoided if the employer had provided and implemented a safe working system and co-ordinated work in the confined space. The main cause of the accidents occurred during the sub-contracting stage. The sub-contractor employed and those down the line did not have knowledge of the dangers involved. Dr Fong said the code was drawn up after discussions with employers and employees. The new code is to upgrade the existing 'Guidelines for Safe Working in A Confined Space' introduced in 1999 and is legally binding. He said employers flouting the code could be fined RM50,000 or be jailed up to two years, or both. The code applies to all persons who enter and manage a confined space, excluding underground mining, or working in a space at other than atmospheric pressure. Dr Fong said a seminar on the code would be held in Johor today to explain how it affects employers, employees and unions.

 

Man dies after being buried

By The Associated Press

MURRAY, Ky. - A county coroner says he's unsure what happened to a Murray man who died after he was buried underneath a mountain of grain in a silo accident on Wednesday. Calloway County Deputy Coroner Mike Garland said it was unclear what happened to Daniel Berg, 23, at the Shoemaker Enterprises-Grain Division silo. When Garland arrived about on Wednesday, Berg was buried under a couple of feet of grain. We're not sure if the grain came loose underfoot or what exactly happened, Garland said. Garland wouldn't speculate on the cause of death, saying he would rather wait for the results of an autopsy that was performed Thursday morning.

 

UPDATE, Firm's safety record touted after fatalities

The Associated Press, Friday, August 31, 2001

Topeka — Despite citations for "serious" construction violations, a risk consultant said Topeka's Emerson Construction has a great safety record. That assessment comes just days after three Emerson employees died in an accident at a job site in southwest Topeka. The cause of death has not been determined. Killed Monday were Norman Emerson, 64; Lawrence Saloga, 53; and Brian Phelps, 22. They were in a manhole testing a sewer connection for leaks. Dave Sortore, risk control consultant with Bituminous Insurance Co., which insures the construction company, said Emerson has a preferred risk rating. Sortore said he was "very surprised" by the accident. "The whole circumstance is weird," Sortore said. "This is not something I would have predicted." Judy Freeman, area director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said the agency has not issued any findings during its investigation. Emerson, which was founded by Norman and Harley Emerson more than 40 years ago, has been cited by OSHA for violations. The most recent came in May while employees were installing a sewer pipe in a 13-foot-deep by 65-foot-long trench. The violations were for not having an adequate exit from the trench, danger of falling debris and not having sides of the trench properly shored. The company was fined a total of $4,250. While OSHA described the violations as "serious," Todd Emerson, the company's human resources director, said they were minimal. "I don't know of anyone else in this business who hasn't been in violation at some time," said Emerson, who is Norman Emerson's nephew. Sortore vouched for the company's record. In four years, the company has had one injury claim and one vehicle accident, he said. He said the company is proactive about taking on safety initiatives. Emerson does self-inspections that involve cameras and videos, Sortore said. In addition, Emerson informs employees of safety plans, Sortore said, and provides hard hats, goggles and shoes. Todd Emerson said it is still too early to speculate about what happened Monday. "Each situation is different, every test is a little different. No two manholes are identical," he said. "We don't know what happened. It shouldn't have happened. That's the best I can say." Autopsies were performed on the victims. The results are expected this week.

 

UPDATE, Sewer accident remains under investigation; Authorities don't know why three men died in manhole

By JOHN MILBURN, Associated Press Writer

TOPEKA -- Authorities continue to investigate a construction accident that claimed the lives of three workers in a sewer connection. Autopsies were being performed Tuesday on the victims, who were employees of Emerson Construction and died while checking a new sewer line for leaks in a new subdivision in southwest Topeka. The three workers were pulled Monday afternoon from a 23-foot-deep manhole. Authorities have identified the victims as Norman Emerson, 64, of Tecumseh; Lawrence Saloga, 53, of Pratt; and Brian Phelps, 22, of Topeka.  Emerson had been with the company since he founded the business nearly 40 years ago with his brother, Harley, said Todd Emerson, the victim's nephew. "We honestly don't know what happened entirely," Todd Emerson said. "Until they can find something wrong, we do not know."  He said the deaths have hit the company hard. Saloga had worked for the company for about nine years, while Phelps had for a shorter time. "We're all family," Todd Emerson said. The company employs about 35 people. Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bailey said officials have shied away from saying what caused the deaths, adding that anything without the autopsy results "is purely speculative." He said the autopsies on the victims were completed Tuesday and results will be released later in the week. Emerson was confirmed dead at the scene, and the other two were taken to hospitals, where they later died, Bailey said. Sharon Mandel, chief medical examiner for Shawnee County, said it will be several weeks before additional toxicology tests of blood and other tissue are complete. The men were discovered in the concrete-lined manhole by a co-worker, who called 911 from the housing subdivision at around 3 p.m. Bailey said the first man was in the manhole for about 30 minutes before he was pulled out by rescuers. Nearly two dozen rescuers responded to the scene, an undeveloped area near the city limits which was being prepared for construction of roads and new homes. The three were vacuum testing a manhole that joined several sewer lines in the subdivision. Emerson Construction said it likely would have a news conference to discuss the accident, although the time and place has not been determined. Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate the accident. Todd Emerson said the company is working with the agency to piece together the sequence of events. Judy Freeman, of the OSHA office in Wichita, said the investigation could take up to six months to complete. She did not know when investigators would visit the site. According to the state office of health care information, there were 13 occupational deaths related to construction in 1999, the most recent year for which Kansas figures are available. Spokesman Charlie Crevoiserat said the high during the 1990s was 20 in 1995, with a low of eight in 1992.

 

OSHA: Investigation into Dairyland Power death to take months
By Chris Hardie/Lee Newspapers
The investigation into the death of a worker killed a week ago after an explosion at the John P. Madgett Dairyland Power station in Alma, Wis., will take several months, an OSHA director said Wednesday. Charles Burin, area director for the Eau Claire and Minneapolis offices of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said it will be three to four months before any information is released on the Aug. 9 death of 29-year-old Edward Earl Boles of Clinton, Iowa.  Boles, who worked for Phillips Service Corp. of Camanche, Iowa, was killed instantly while working on a contract job for Dairyland Power to clean the station's boilers, the La Crosse-based electrical cooperative said. "We started our investigation on Friday afternoon and were back in there today," Burin said. "This might be a complicated one." Jim Boggs, a senior vice president with Phillips, said Wednesday Boles was a field supervisor for the project and was experienced in explosives. Boggs said Boles was using explosives to clean the coal scale and buildup from the boilers when the accident occurred. "We're certainly concerned first and foremost about the family of one of our employees," Boggs said. "We will continue to cooperate with OSHA and Dairyland and perform our own investigation." Boles had worked five years for the company and was working with his best friend at the time of the explosion, his family said.  "His best friend was above the hole, and Ed was in it," said Karen Boles of Clinton. "His friend, who is like our other son, was not injured - except emotionally, of course. "I worried about him on his job," she said. "But he was doing what he loved." Phillips notified OSHA about the accident, which the company is required to do under OSHA guidelines, Burin said. The fatality is not the first to occur in the plant. According to OSHA inspection records, a Dairyland employee was killed in 1989 when he was crushed by an overhead door. Dairyland was cited for an OSHA violation and paid a $490 fine. Chris Hardie is the local news editor for the La Crosse Tribune in La Crosse, Wis. The

Quad-City Times contributed to this story.

 

Atlantic utility worker falls 10 feet while in manhole

August 9, 2001 - 12:23 AM, By PAT ARNEY, Staff Writer
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - A contractor's worker at the Atlantic County Utilities Improvement Authority slipped off a ladder in a manhole Wednesday and fell about 10 feet to the bottom, a fire official said. Todd Mock, whose age and hometown were not available, was climbing down the ladder to change a valve when the accident happened about 4 p.m., said Assistant Fire Chief Leonard Tilley of the Farmington Fire Company. Mock was alert and conscious when Vince Jones, of the Atlantic County Emergency Management Office, and 2nd Lt. James Garth, of the Farmington Fire Company, removed him from the manhole, Tilley said. Mock could be seen flexing his bare feet as he lay on a gurney inside a Galloway Township Ambulance Squad vehicle, awaiting transfer to a helicopter that flew him to the Atlantic City Medical Center, City Division. Mock was discharged shortly after his arrival at the hospital, according to a nursing supervisor. ACUA President Richard S. Dovey said the worker was employed by Grace Industries Inc., a contractor installing a drainage system for a new landfill cell at the ACUA complex off Delilah Road here. The manhole is located along the perimeter of the landfill, where the landfill's two liners collect leachate, Dovey said. The leachate then feeds into the sewage plant for treatment. Tilley said he reported the accident to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Atlantic County Health Department because Mock was not wearing a harness and had no one watching his activities when he climbed into the manhole.

 

OSHA probing manhole fatality

The Associated Press

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a Caledonia man at Columbus Air Force Base. John David Linn, 53, was killed when a pressure valve in the manhole he was working on blew Saturday. He died of multiple traumas to the head. Clyde Payne, OSHA spokesman, said it is too early to say what may have caused the valve to fail. Lowndes County Coroner Don Harris said pressure to the valve was turned off.

 

Final UPDATE, Bakery fined for employees' oven deaths

The two men were carrying out maintenance work

A bakery company and three company directors have been fined #373,000 after two workers died inside a bread oven. The men were carrying out maintenance work when they became trapped inside the machine where temperatures were above 100C.  They died from burns and heat exposure after being unable to escape. Fresha Bakeries, trading as Harvestime Bakeries had admitted breaching health and safety regulations. David Mayes, 47, of Rushey Mead, Leicester, and Ian Erickson, 43, an engineer from Walsall, West Midlands, died after maintenance on the bread oven went wrong at Harvestime's plant in Thurmaston Boulevard, Leicester in May 1998. The men were sent into the oven only two hours after it had been switched off. They climbed in through the bottom and onto a conveyor used to take the dough through the giant machine. All they were wearing for protection were all-in-one suits. Anthony Barker QC, prosecuting, said: "The oven was normally set to run at 260C. It had only been turned off for two hours and the centre was 100C when these two men went inside. "No-one, it seemed, looked at the temperature gauge at the side of the oven which would have indicated it wasn't safe to go in." Mr Erickson, had taken a radio with him and after a few minutes inside sent a panicky message saying it was too hot. "They were trapped. There was no system of reversing the conveyor and no system of getting them out of the oven," said Mr Barker. It took 17 minutes - the time it took for the conveyor to pass through the oven - before other workers could help the men. Mr Erickson was brought out in "a state of collapse" and had extensive burns. Mr Mayes was trapped inside the oven and had to be freed by the fire service. He had 80% burns to his body and died at the scene. John Bridson, 54, of Hale, the managing director of Fresha Limited, the company which owns the bakery, admitted two charges of failing to provide a safe system of work. The production director, Brian Jones, 60, of Hertford, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to a single count of the same offence. The chief engineer, Dennis Masters, 45, of Mountsorrel, admitted one charge of failing to take reasonable care for others at work. Fresha Bakeries were fined a total of #250,000 and ordered to pay costs of #175,000. The firm's owners, Harvestime Ltd, of Walsall, West Midlands, was fined a total of #100,000 and made to pay costs of #75,000. Mr Bridson was fined #20,000 and ordered to pay costs of #5,000. Mr Jones was fined #1,000 and Mr Masters #2,000 because of their financial means.  They also escaped having to pay costs. The prosecution followed a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and Leicestershire Police.

 

UPDATE, Oven deaths sentencing due

Monday, 16 July, 2001, 14:53 GMT 15:53 UK

A bakery company and three of its directors are awaiting sentencing after two men were killed in an industrial bread oven. The two were carrying out maintenance work when they became trapped and were carried through the 75 foot oven on a conveyer belt. Unable to escape, they died from burns and heat exposure. Fresha Bakeries, trading as Harvestime Bakeries, pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to provide a safe system of work. David Mayes, 47, of Rushey Mead, Leicester, and Ian Erickson, 43, an engineer from Walsall, West Midlands, died after maintenance on the bread oven went wrong at Harvestime's plant in Thurmaston Boulevard, Leicester in May 1998. The men, who were trying to retrieve a broken part, became trapped as temperatures inside the bread oven rose to 100C. Three company directors pleaded guilty charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. John Bridson, 54, of Hale, the managing director of Fresha Limited, the company which owns the bakery, admitted two charges of failing to provide a safe system of work. The production director, Brian Jones, 60, of Hertford, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to a single count of the same offence. The chief engineer, Dennis Masters, 45, of Mountsorrel, admitted one charge of failing to take reasonable care for others at work. The company and directors were being sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Monday. The prosecution followed a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and Leicestershire police.

 

Two killed by toxic fumes in well
AKITA (Kyodo) Two men died after apparently inhaling toxic fumes inside an irrigation well in the city of Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, on Saturday morning, police said. According to local police, the two men were farmer Masakatsu Shiratori, 54, of the village of Minehama in the prefecture, and Noshiro resident Hiroshi Kakizaki, also 54. The pair were found unconscious in the well by a passerby at around 9:30 a.m. and were taken to a hospital but were confirmed dead, police said. According to investigators, Shiratori apparently collapsed while pumping rainwater out of the well. Kakizaki happened to be nearby and went to help him, but was also overcome, they said. Local firefighters said they detected traces of hydrogen sulfide in the well and other witnesses said there was an odor similar to the exhaust emissions of a vehicle nearby. Police said they are further investigating the cause of the accident. The Japan Times: July 8, 2001

 

UPDATE, Shipyard deaths not due to safety lapse, says MSE

Nine workers died last week in Pasir Gudang explosion (SINGAPORE) The explosion which killed nine Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd (MSE) workers on Wednesday morning in Pasir Gudang was not due to a lack of workplace safety procedures, according to MSE chairman Mohd Ali Yasin. 'The incident was unfortunate. They went through all the various procedures, they were inspected thoroughly to make sure that the area was gas-free every time they went into the tank,' he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report. Malaysian Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik said his ministry will conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident on the oil tanker, New Renown, once it has received a preliminary report from MSE. The eight Malaysians - including one MSE senior foreman - and one permanent resident were found dead by the shipyard's emergency response squad minutes after the fire alarm was triggered at about 10 am. The nine are believed to have suffocated following a flash fire while they were carrying out welding work according to MSE officials. 'There was no explosion but a flash fire, the cause of which is still unknown to us. The fire, which lasted about 10 minutes, triggered our alarm system and several other workers who were near the tank alerted our emergency unit,' the company's CEO Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman was quoted as saying. The nine victims - who were reportedly carrying out welding repairs to pipes that transfer liquid between cargo tanks - were found sprawled in the 15 by 20 metre cargo tanks with safety suits intact and no severe burn marks. 'This has led us to believe that they died from suffocation probably due to hydrocarbons, a result of chemical reaction between oil and other substances in the tank,' said Mr Abdul Rahman. The Liberian-registered 240,830 DWT, 1976-built New Renown is owned by Hong Kong-based Associated Maritime. - By Donald Urquhart

 

Explosion onboard Monrovia vessel kills nine workers; Workers died of burns, suffocation while doing minor repairs on ship

An explosion ripped across an empty tanker undergoing repairs at the Malaysian Shipyard Engineering here this morning, killing nine workers on board. The nine, eight of whom were contract workers hired by a private engineering contractor and the other an employee of the shipyard, were found badly burnt. They were also believed to have suffocated when the explosion occured at Quay 3 of the shipard at 10.30am. It is believed that the workers, all Malaysians, were involved in some minor repair works on the Monrovia registered tanker, the 300-tonne New Renown, owned by a Hong Kong company, when tragedy struck. The workers were about to finish laying new pipes and changing plates with some welding work being done in one of the storage compartment measuring 12 by 12 metres. The epair work was scheduled to have been completed by today and the tanker was supposed to leave tomorrow. Eyewitnesses said the nine were trapped inside and by the time the first of three fire engines arrived from the Pasir Gudang Fire Station, shortly after receiving a distress call at 10.32am, the workers were believed to have died from their injuries. The first of the nine bodies were taken to the Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru by ambulance and arrived at the HASB just before 2pm. This was followed by seven bodies in a lorry and the last two in a police van. In it's 28-year operation history , the MSE, which repairs 100 ships a year, has never suffered a catastrophe of such propotion. Safety measures has always been of priority of Malaysia Shipyard and Engineering, since it commenced operations about 25 years ago. Despite constant reminders, MSE has had mishaps and deaths reported. But if statistics were anything to go by, incident rate at the yard continue to remain low taking into consideration about 100 ships are handled each year. In March 1984, an explosion onboard the vessel World Gala resulted in three workers suffering minor injuries. In February 1985, three workers of the engineering divison were hurt in an explosion in the repairs section. Nine days later there was also an explosion onboard a tanker and although no one was hurt, eight workers were overcome by fumes. In September that year, a worker was killed onboard the tanker Rajendra Prasad, after a fire broke out. In June 1986, a fire which broke out in the pump room of a tanker, left four injured. In 1995, two workers were killed on the same day in separate incidents. One was electrocuted while doing some repair work onboard a ship and the other was hit by a falling object while working on a tanker.

 

Man killed in industrial accident

May 22, 2001

By Dustin Block, May 22, 2001

STURTEVANT - A man was killed Tuesday afternoon at Rohner Asphalt and Grading Contractors while cleaning an industrial machine. Sturtevant Police Chief Art Scola said the man was crushed and died instantly. Police are not releasing his name pending notification of his family. Scola said the man was standing inside of an asphalt crusher and removing pieces of asphalt when the accident occurred. The machine was turned off, but apparently as the victim worked a large blade rotated and trapped him. "Basically this was a tragic industrial accident," Scola said, who added the circumstances were "very unusual." "This gentleman had been working with this type of machinery for the last 15 years," he said. The accident occurred at about 1:30 p.m. Sturtevant police and fire responded, as did Flight for Life, the Racine County medical examiner and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Rohner Asphalt and Grade is located at 9615 Charles St.

 

2 Men Die After Inhaling Toxic Gas

Safety: A plant supervisor is killed trying to rescue a friend asphyxiated by argon fumes from an industrial furnace in Tarzana, fire officials say. By KRISTINA SAUERWEIN CAITLIN LIU, DAVID PIERSON, Times Staff Writers

A man was asphyxiated while cleaning a furnace at a metallurgical plant in Tarzana on Thursday, and his best friend died trying to rescue him, authorities said. Neither man wore a mask that might have protected them from deadly argon gas used in the plant to treat aircraft parts, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said. Authorities identified the men as Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, both of Burbank. Horan died of pulmonary arrest suffered as he tried to rescue Pesicka, who was asphyxiated, according to the hospitals where they died shortly afterward. "It was a heroic act," Capt. Rick Godinez, a Fire Department spokesman, said of Horan, the would-be rescuer. "It's unfortunate they both died." Firefighters hauled the two men out with ropes and administered CPR. "He knew what was going on when he went into the pit," said Horan's brother-in-law, Rick Frushey, 38, of Burbank. "He gave his life for a friend. Without a doubt, I'm proud. We're going to miss him forever." Bodycote Hinderliter operates the plant, which specializes in heat treatment for airplane parts and other metals. Officials from its headquarters in Fort Worth sent representatives to the scene Thursday but declined comment. Bodycote and government investigators also declined to discuss the accident. State and county officials are investigating the deaths at Bodycote, which has had a clean record with the state for the last 11 years, according to Cal/OSHA, the agency that investigates workplace injuries and deaths. Pesicka, a maintenance worker, was overcome shortly after 9 a.m. as he replaced a valve in the nine-foot-deep furnace. Horan, a plant engineer who supervised Pesicka and was described by co-workers as his best friend, went in after him, but was overcome by the fumes. A third man called 911. Horan, who had worked for Bodycote since 1992, lived for his wife, two sons and daughter, ages 14, 11 and 10, Frushey said. He took his children camping, loved riding motorcycles and kept close ties with his extended family, which includes two sisters. "Family came first," Frushey said. "He always saw the good in everyone and everything. He loved life." Pesicka's wife, who declined to give her name, could only muster a few words outside their apartment Thursday. "I don't have anything to say except I want my husband back." Pointing to the couple's 4-year-old daughter, she said, "What am I supposed to do with my kids?" The couple also has a 7-year-old son, said Paige Heaphy, Pesicka's neighbor. "He was a very loving father, and would do anything for anyone," Heaphy said. "That's why we were such close neighbors." Fire Capt. Bruce Frashure said Horan and Pesicka showed no sign of life when firefighters, who donned breathing apparatus, pulled them out. "For whatever reason, the ventilation just was not there," said Frashure, who required treatment for dizziness at the scene. The cylindrical vacuum furnace is about six feet in diameter and can reach up to 2,000 degrees. The high temperatures oxidize metal, while the gases nitrogen and argon help treat it, officials said. Argon is a nonflammable gas that depletes oxygen. Because the furnace sits six feet underground and workers inside can only enter and leave through a single opening at the top, the furnace is considered a "confined space," which makes it subject to stringent state safety and health regulations, said Dean Fryer, spokesman for Cal/OSHA. State law requires that a company sample the air right before a worker enters such a confined space to ensure there is sufficient ventilation and no contamination, Fryer said. There are supposed to be at least two people working together, one inside and another outside the confined space watching the other in case of an emergency. The law also requires a device such as a body harness that would allow the person inside to be quickly pulled out, or a respirator with a face mask that would allow a rescuer to enter safely, Fryer said. The investigation has not yet determined what safety measures had been taken, he said. Investigators will interview the plant's management and employees, inspect the premises and determine whether workers are properly trained on safety procedures, Fryer said. By law, the agency must complete its investigation within six months. Bodycote's record suggests its employees in California have not suffered serious injuries on the job for the last 11 years, Fryer said. An investigator from the district attorney's office is also involved in the investigation, said Tom Simpson, supervising investigator for the district attorney's environmental crimes unit. Located in an industrial area at 18600 Oxnard St., the plant is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency because it generates small quantities of hazardous waste, said Wendy Chavez, spokeswoman for the Pacific Southwest region of the EPA. That agency's records show no violations by the plant in the last 20 years. On Thursday afternoon, about 20 workers in faded navy uniforms sat outside Bodycote's brick building. "They were good guys," said one man, who declined to give his name. "They thought about everyone. We're a tight group. . . . I'm going to miss them."

 

Burbank men die after gas accident

One man dies a hero's death as he unsuccessfully tries to save his friend's life.

By LOLITA HARPER

TARZANA -- The Burbank men who died after being exposed to what is believed to be argon gas would have had no indication that a virtual death trap loomed at the bottom of a 9-foot-deep furnace, authorities said. Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, died Thursday at a plant in Tarzana after one man was overcome by deadly gas fumes and his co-worker died trying to save him, authorities said. Neither man was wearing a protective breathing mask. Both men worked at Bodycode Hinderliter, a plant that treats aircraft parts with argon gas, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Argon displaces oxygenated air and creates an atmosphere impossible to breathe in, Humphrey said. The gas is deceptive because it looks like air, but it actually has pushed all the oxygen out of a confined area. Cal/OSHA is investigating the incident thoroughly to confirm that the gas was, in fact, argon and to identify ways to prevent a tragedy like this in the future, Humphrey said. Preliminary indications show Pesicka, who reportedly worked as a maintenance worker, asphyxiated while cleaning the furnace, and Horan, his supervisor, suffered pulmonary arrest trying to rescue him, officials said. A third man saw both men collapse and called 911, Humphrey said. "We certainly commend the second man who went in to help his friend," Humphrey said. "His efforts were heartfelt, and it is sad that he, too, died." One man was declared dead at Tarzana Regional Medical Center and the other at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. The men were taken to separate hospitals -- both equidistant from the plant -- to ensure quality care for each and not overload one emergency room, Humphrey said.

 

Industrial Accident Kills 2

Fatalities: One man is overcome by deadly gas at Tarzana plant. His best friend dies trying to save him.

By KRISTINA SAUERWEIN CAITLIN LIU, DAVID PIERSON, Times Staff Writers

A man was asphyxiated Thursday while cleaning a furnace at a metallurgical plant in Tarzana and his best friend also died trying to rescue him, authorities said. Neither man wore a mask that might have protected him from deadly argon gas used in the plant to treat aircraft parts, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said. Authorities identified the men as Steven Horan, 36, and Dwayne Pesicka, 43, both of Burbank. Horan died of pulmonary arrest suffered as he tried to rescue Pesicka, who was asphyxiated, according to the hospitals where they died shortly afterward. "It was a heroic act," Capt. Rick Godinez, a Fire Department spokesman, said of Horan. "It's unfortunate they both died." Firefighters hauled the two men out with ropes and administered CPR. "He knew what was going on when he went into the pit," said Horan's brother-in-law, Rick Frushey, 38, of Burbank. "He gave his life for a friend. Without a doubt, I'm proud. We're going to miss him forever." Bodycote Hinderliter operates the plant, which specializes in heat treatment for airplane parts and other metals. Officials from the company's headquarters in Dallas sent representatives to the scene Thursday but declined comment. Government investigators also declined to discuss the accident. State and county officials are investigating the deaths at Bodycote, which has had a clean record with the state for the last 11 years, according to Cal/OSHA, the agency that investigates workplace injuries and deaths. Pesicka, a maintenance worker, was overcome by the gas shortly after 9 a.m. as he replaced a valve in the 9-foot-deep furnace. Horan, a plant engineer who supervised Pesicka and was described by co-workers as his best friend, went in after him, but also fell victim to the fumes. A third man called 911. Pesicka's wife, who declined to give her name, was standing outside the couple's Burbank apartment in tears Thursday and could only muster a few words. "I don't have anything to say except I want my husband back," she said. Pointing to the couple's 4-year-old daughter, she added, "What am I supposed to do with my kids?" The couple also have a 7-year-old son, said Paige Heaphy, Pesicka's neighbor. “He was a very loving father, and would do anything for anyone," Heaphy said. "That's why we were such close neighbors." Horan, who had worked for Bodycote since 1992, lived for his wife, two sons and daughter, ages 14, 11 and 10, Frushey said. He took his children camping, loved riding motorcycles and kept close ties with his extended family, which includes two sisters. "Family came first," Frushey said. "He always saw the good in everyone and everything. He loved life." Fire Capt. Bruce Frashure said Horan and Pesicka showed no sign of life when firefighters pulled them out. "For whatever reason, the ventilation just was not there," said Frashure, who required treatment for dizziness at the scene. The cylindrical vacuum furnace in which the argon was used is about 6 feet in diameter and can reach up to 2,000 degrees; the high temperatures oxidize metal. Because the furnace sits 6 feet underground and workers can only enter and leave through a single opening at the top, the furnace is considered a "confined space," which makes it subject to stringent state safety and health regulations, said Dean Fryer, spokesman for Cal/OSHA. State law requires that an air sample be taken immediately before a worker enters a confined space to ensure there is sufficient ventilation and no contamination, Fryer said. There are supposed to be at least two people working together, one inside and another outside watching in case of an emergency. The law also requires a device such as a body harness that would allow the person inside to be quickly pulled out, or a respirator with a face mask that would allow a rescuer to enter safely, Fryer said. The investigation has not yet determined what safety measures had been taken, he said. Investigators will interview the plant's management and employees, inspect the premises and determine whether workers are properly trained in safety procedures, Fryer said. By law, the agency must complete its investigation within six months. Bodycote's record suggests its employees in California have not suffered any serious injuries on the job for the last 11 years, Fryer said. An investigator from the district attorney's office is also involved in the inquiry, said Tom Simpson, supervising investigator for the D.A.'s Environmental Crimes unit. Located in an industrial area at 18600 Oxnard St., the plant is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency because it generates small quantities of hazardous waste, said Wendy Chavez, spokeswoman for the Pacific Southwest region of the EPA. That agency's records show no violations by the plant in the last 20 years. On Thursday afternoon, about 20 workers in faded navy uniforms sat outside Bodycote's brick building. "They were good guys," said one man, who declined to give his name. "They thought about everyone. We're a tight group. . . . I'm going to miss them." I remember saying: 'No way. You're kidding.' You couldn't smell anything.'' Moments later, they saw fire engines. We grabbed our tools and ran,'' Webb said.

 

Explosion, blaze injures 1 at Indspec

05/09/01 - PETROLIA — A small explosion and fire Tuesday at the Indspec Chemical Corp. plant in Petrolia sent one man to the hospital with burns, but it caused minimal damage to the plant. Al Randall, Indspec plant manager, said an outside contracted-worker was using a portable propane tank to cure the lining of a holding vessel in the plant when the hose on the tank ruptured causing a small explosion and fire at 12:39 p.m. The worker suffered second degree burns on his hands as he closed the valve on the tank. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. Randall would not release the name of the contractor hired for the work or the name of the injured worker. Minimal damage was caused by the explosion and fire, which was put out in a matter of minutes, causing no real disruption to plant operations, Randall said. Petrolia Volunteer Fire Department and the Crompton, formerly Witco, fire department helped to put out the fire with Indspec’s in-house department. Indspec manufactures a chemical called resorcinol, which is used in the manufacture of tires and plastics. Randall said there were no environmental releases of the chemical during the incident.

 

Six burned in battery explosion on central Alberta industrial site

Canadian Press

BLACKFALDS, Alta. (CP) - Six workers were burned, at least two seriously, after an explosion Wednesday at an oil and gas battery site in a remote area of central Alberta. The explosion happened about 11 a.m. while a tank at the site was being serviced, said Cpl. Terry Best of the Red Deer RCMP rural detachment.  "There were a group of employees inspecting a tank of some sort," Best said. "There was an electrical short from an extension cord they were using for the trouble light and the electrical short caused an explosion inside the tank.  "I believe it was from inside the tank and the employees were blown away from the site of the explosion." The battery, owned by NAL Resources of Calgary, is located about 10 kilometres east of Blackfalds. Such batteries clean and treat oil or gas before it is put into a pipeline. Elaine McFadden, spokeswoman for the David Thompson Regional Health Authority, said all six of the injured were men. The two most seriously hurt were taken to hospitals in Calgary and Edmonton.  Jeff McIntosh, a photographer for The Canadian Press, saw one worker being brought into Calgary's Foothills Hospital. "His shoulder and face was really burned and charred," McIntosh said. "It was melted into his flesh. I don't think he was conscious. He was swollen and his face and chest were reddened. He had an oxygen mask on his face. They took him from the helipad and wheeled him directly into the hospital." The man, whose name has not been released, was in serious condition in the hospital's burn unit. The man taken to University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton has been identified as Ron Callan, 37. He was in good condition, said a hospital spokeswoman. Two other workers were in stable condition at Lacombe Hospital, and the other two were in stable condition in the emergency room at Red Deer Regional Hospital. Jonathan Lexier of NAL Resources said the battery had been shut down during the maintenance, so no fumes or leaks got into the environment. "The facility was shut down for scheduled maintenance at the time. It was not processing hydrocarbons. It was immediately secured. At no time were nearby residents or the general public in danger," he said in an interview from Calgary. He said nearest residents were more than half a kilometre away. "Work on the site won't continue until safety inspectors complete their investigation," Lexier added. Investigators from Alberta Human Resources and Employment as well as the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board were at the site to determine what happened. Blackfalds is about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton.

 

Two Workers Asphyxiate Aboard Shipboard Tank

April 2, 2001
Two men who were checking tanks aboard a gravel-transport ship at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd's shipyard in Kobe asphyxiated from lack of oxygen. One of the dead was a Mitsubishi employee, and the other was a contractor. Mitsubishi Heavy has taught its workers to look at the oxygen density in the tanks before entering as the oxygen supply could become thin due to rust on iron inside, the police said. At the entrance of the tank in question, there was a notice written in chalk saying "oxygen not yet checked."

 

Explosion kills man inside truck's tank

By S.K. BARDWELL, Houston Chronicle

One man is dead inside the tank of a truck he was repairing when it exploded about 8:30 a.m. today in northeast Houston, officials said.  The man was working inside the tank on the back of a truck at Global Intermodal Systems in the 11700 block of Wallisville when the explosion occurred, said Houston Fire Department Chief Jack Williams.  The man's body remains inside the tank, which Williams said was used to haul liquid fuel. Williams said no one else was injured in the blast, which remains under investigation.

Details

Parent Category: Incident Alert Archives

Category: Confined Space Accidents

Published: 17 August 2010

Confined Space Entry Accidents

WORKER DEATHS IN CONFINED SPACES - A Summary of NIOSH Surveillance and Investigative Findings; January, 1994 (over 100 CSE Accidents from NIOSH) OSHA's Confined Space Accident Investigation Summaries (476 Incident Summaries) Confined Space Accidents #1 Confined Space Accidents #2 Confined Space Accidents #3 Confined Space Accidents #4 Confined Space Accidents #5 (most recent accidents)