Mobile Equipment Accidents 5

Mobile Equipment Accidents #5

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

Worker has leg crushed by steel
Jan 25, 2003, 3:15pm
A worker was flown to hospital with serious leg injuries after he was crushed under a steel coil weighing 200kgs. Wayne Miles, aged 31, was involved in the accident at Steel Processing Midland Ltd in Chasetown, Burntwood, at 12.15pm yesterday. Paramedics arrived on the Chasewater Industrial Estate and called for an air ambulance due to the severity of his injuries. Mr Miles, from Burntwood, was flown to Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital where he underwent surgery on a damaged artery in his leg. A spokesman at the firm said Mr Miles was due to undergo a further operation this morning after breaking a bone in the same leg. “He had moved the coil with a forklift, but then it fell on top of him. Another worker was by him at the time and raised the alarm,” he added. An air ambulance spokesman said: “He was conscious but was in considerable pain.” Hospital staff added Mr Miles was in a “comfortable” condition this morning. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the incident.

Equipment Traps Construction Worker, Injuries Not Yet Known
January 23, 2003
HOUSTON — Emergency crews responded to the scene of a construction accident Thursday afternoon, when a worker became trapped in a 14-foot hole that had been shored up, officials said. Authorities said that the accident happened around 3 p.m. in the 14000 block of Hillcroft near Chasewood Drive in southwest Houston. Officials said that a concrete pipe hit the 20-year-old worker, causing him to fall into the hole. He then became wedged between the pipe and concrete. It took about an hour for rescuers to free him, stabilize him and place him on a rescue basket so he could be pulled out of the trench with a crane. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital in stable condition. His exact injuries are not yet known. 

Worker pinned by trash truck 
By Norman Miller Wednesday, January 22, 2003
FRAMINGHAM — Joe Scully hasn’t had much luck as a sanitation worker in his nearly three years on the job. Two years ago, he was dragged down the street by an angry driver. And yesterday, the 31-year-old Framingham man narrowly escaped serious injury when he got crushed between the garbage truck he was on and a street sign. “I’m sore, very sore,” said Scully of Newbury Street, who has been a member of the Sanitation Department for three years. “It just happened so fast. I was on the back of the truck and the next thing you know, I was already between the truck and the pole. I’m really bruised bad.” Scully said he did not break any bones or receive internal injuries. At 11:28 a.m., police and fire personnel responded to the intersection of Heather Drive and Cherry Road for the report of a man crushed between the truck and the pole, police said. Scully was on the ground, but conscious when rescue workers arrived. Scully was taken by a medical rescue helicopter to the Boston Medical Center to be treated for possible internal injuries, police said. Scully’s brother, Matt Scully, is also a sanitation worker. He was one of the first on the scene. “My driver told me my brother was hurt, and we headed over there,” said Matt Scully. “We were the first ones there. When we got there, he was in the snow and he wasn’t moving. He was conscious, which was good. He was in a lot of pain. I didn’t want to move him, just in case.” Public Works Director Peter Sellers said he hoped that Scully could recover fully. “He’s going to have a long future ahead of him,” said Sellers. “We want the best for him.” It is unclear if the driver of the truck, Caleb Martinez, 19, of Pratt Street, Framingham, will face disciplinary action from the DPW. Police said he will not be cited. “In this case, we take an operator, because he has a federal license, in for a drug and alcohol test to make sure there’s no factor,” said Sellers. “He’ll be off (work) until such time that we determine if he is a contributing factor.” Both Scullys, as well as Sellers, said weather and traffic make being a sanitation worker a dangerous job. “Stuff like that happens,” said Matt Scully. “He’s just lucky it wasn’t a telephone pole. It’s a dangerous job out there. It seems like a lot of people don’t give us the credit for the work we do. I have had cars who follow so closely, it looks like they’re trying to get in the compactor. If some guy hits the steps, I’m going with them.” Both Joe Scully and Sellers agreed. “People don’t pay attention,” said Scully. “The streets are narrow. There’s trash around, there’s cars on the street. It’s very hard to get the job done. People do it all of the time to us. I’ve seen a lot of close calls — people hitting the side of the trucks — the steps.” Sellers said, “It is bad out there. The weather conditions and the snow banks — all of those things make it hazardous. “We have a relatively young group of drivers, but I don’t want to make a judgment on that being the cause of the accident. He (Martinez) may be an excellent driver. I don’t want him to feel any worse than he does.” The last time Scully had a serious problem was in December 2000. Then a man police said was frustrated that a trash truck was blocking his path, struck Scully with his minivan and dragged him down Wilson Street. Scully wasn’t seriously injured, and was able to free himself. The driver was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and driving to endanger. The outcome of the case could not be determined last night. Benjamin told police he waited for the trash collector to let him pass, but admitted he became “very upset” when one of the workers dropped a trash bag in front of his car, police said. Despite the problems he has had, Scully said he’ll be back to work. “I think it would have been more serious if it was a telephone pole,” said Scully. “The doctors said I’ll be out of work until Monday.” 

Employee faulted in accident: DPW worker faces drug test, disciplinary action 
By Peter Hartzel Wednesday, January 22, 2003
DEDHAM – A Department of Public Works laborer faced disciplinary action and a drug test yesterday after crashing a dump truck into the department’s cemetery division headquarters, leveling two garage doors and sending a coworker to the hospital, according to sources in town familiar with the incident. An emergency repair contractor had to be called to the scene of wreckage yesterday morning after employee John Maloney rammed a department truck into the garage, leaving a pair of white-paneled garage doors lying twisted in a heap next to the Brookdale Cemetery shed, according to the sources. After smashing into the narrow area between the two garage openings, Maloney careened into a backhoe driven by DPW employee John Dalessandro, who was sent to an unidentified hospital for treatment of a back injury, according to a witness and others with knowledge of the incident. Maloney – the son of DPW Cemetery Superintendent Roscoe Maloney – was not authorized to operate any department vehicle because his driver’s license is suspended, sources said. In accordance with a provision in municipal contracts, Maloney was required to take a drug test following the accident. The results weren’t immediately available. The truck and backhoe sustained “substantial damage,” sources said. Assistant Town Administrator Nancy Baker refused to discuss what she labeled a “personnel matter” within the Department of Public Works, except to acknowledge that “disciplinary action” was pending. The reported accident was the latest in a string of embarrassments for the department. Over the past year the department has been plagued by complaints about sexual harassment filed with the state, and the disclosure that its truck-washing operation violated state environmental laws. 

Factory operator dies in mishap
NILAI: A 45-year-old factory operator was killed in a freak accident when a forklift knocked into her, before the logs it was carrying rolled off and crushed the lower part of her body here yesterday. The victim, identified as S. Sarojini of Ladang Bukit Pelanduk, died on the way to the Seremban Hospital after she was pulled out by colleagues who had witnessed the 7am incident. Her remains were sent for a post-mortem before being claimed by family members. OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Khalid Abu Hassan said police had detained a 24-year-old Myanmar national to assist in investigations. He said the man, said to be the forklift driver, would be investigated under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing death by negligence.

Natural Gas Leak Forces Evacuation
Two Dozen Had To Leave Worksite For About An Hour
SAN ANTONIO — A natural gas leak forced the evacuation of a couple dozen people from an eastside San Antonio warehouse complex Monday morning. Fire officials say a forklift operator accidentally ran into an overhead gas heater, causing natural gas to leak out into several nearby buildings, including a church. “They had a pretty substantial gas leak, so they evacuated the building,” district fire chief Kevin Scott said. “We cut the gas off to the entire building here and opened it up to ventilate, (to) get the excess gas out of it. ” Those evacuated from the area were able to return in about an hour, after repairs were made.

UPDATE OSHA Fines Birmingham Company $84,500 Following Inspection Of Fatal Truck Accident
BIRMINGHAM , Ala. — The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today cited a Birmingham company for safety violations that contributed to a temporary worker’s fatal fall from a refuse collection truck. The agency fined Environmental Waste System, a subsidiary of Waste Away Group, Inc., $84,500 for willful and serious safety violations and failure to report a fatal accident within eight hours. The accident occurred on July 22 after an employee was picked up at a temporary agency to work as a helper on a rear loading refuse collection truck. After working for only 30 minutes collecting trash in a residential neighborhood, the employee fell backwards off the riding step, as the truck made a turn. He struck his head on the asphalt surface of the street, sustaining fatal injuries. “OSHA has issued a willful citation against this employer because of a plain indifference to OSHA standards and a clear disregard for worker safety,” said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA’s Birmingham area director. “The parent company has been cited before in other parts of the country for the same violations we found during this inspection.” OSHA fined Environmental Waste System, also known as Waste Management, $70,000 for one willful safety violation for failing to provide personal protective equipment, such as high visibility vests, to temporary employees. Without the protective gear, these employees were far more likely to be stuck by vehicular traffic or otherwise injured while placing trash in the refuse truck. Two serious safety violations for failing to train temporary employees in safe work procedures and protection from exposure to sharp objects or infectious material found in solid waste cost the company an additional $9,500. The remaining $5000 fine resulted from the company’s failure to report the accident in the prescribed time period. Waste Management has 15 working days to contest OSHA’s citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA’s area office at Vestavia Village, 2047 Canyon Rd. in Birmingham; telephone: 205-731-1534. 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.

Sanitation worker dies after being hit by an SUV 
The Courier-Journal 
A Shively sanitation worker died yesterday morning after he was struck by a sport utility vehicle at Berry Boulevard and Seventh Street Road. Mark Jones, 44, of the 2100 block of Garrs Lane, died of multiple injuries in the emergency room of University Hospital shortly before 9 a.m., said Jack Arnold, a Jefferson County deputy coroner. The driver, Aholab Mendez-Gonzales, 26, was arrested on a charge of reckless homicide at the scene, said Officer Dwight Mitchell, a Louisville Metro Police spokesman. The garbage truck had been traveling in the right lane in the 3600 block of Seventh Street Road when Mendez-Gonzales’ Jeep Cherokee hit Jones, Mitchell said. The driver apparently didn’t see the worker as he loaded trash, he said. The incident remains under investigation. It was the fourth accident involving a garbage truck since early November, when a man was killed when his minivan hit a garbage truck that was backing into Trevilian Way. Another man was killed in December when his pickup was struck by a garbage truck at Newburg Road and Trevilian Way. Earlier this month, two women were injured when the car they were in was hit by a garbage truck traveling the wrong way on a one-way street near downtown. The driver, who worked for a private company, was looking for the expressway and was unfamiliar with downtown streets, police said. 

INDOT worker killed on the job
Kris Schubach/Eyewitness News
Greenfield, Jan. 17 – Snow removal can be dangerous work, battling the elements and sometimes the traffic. But one Department of Transporation worker had just finished his shift when something went wrong. “Apparently he was cranking it full to discharge. At some point either slipped or we’re not sure, when he was found right here on the ground,” says a State Police Investigator. Forty-five-year-old David Borgmann was a softspoken guy, but he left a lasting impression on the people he worked with, like Ed Cox. “Great guy. Great work ethic, well-liked by his fellow employees.” Even those who didn’t know the man, knew his work. “Every sign along the highway in Greenfield district he either made, ordered or designed,” says Cox. Borgmann’s work late Thursday night was behind the wheel of a plow truck. He had just finished his shift around midnight, investigators say, standing on the back of his truck unloading sand. Another worker was driving a load lifter working beside him. State Police Detective Jeffrey Coffey explains, “After a second or third trip out he sees him lying on the ground and calls for medical assistance” State Police are among investigators looking into the accident to find out exactly what happened. Borgmann’s death is the fourth for INDOT in a year’s time. He leaves behind a family at home and at the 65th Street and Binford station. “He’s gonna be really missed, not only as a co-worker, employee, but as a friend.” January 25th would have been David Borgmann’s 22nd year with INDOT. Police say he did suffer some type of head injury. An autopsy will be performed to determine how he died. 

TDOT workers injured by Alagasco truck
By Stephanie Taylor January 18, 2003
TUSCALOOSA | Three city workers who were injured in a vehicle collision Thursday while working on the Hugh Thomas Bridge have been released from the hospital. Malcolm Storey, Billy Powell and Jamaal McCollins were cleaning inlets on the downtown bridge in preparation for possible severe weather and icy conditions Thursday night. Inlets are the openings for water drainage on the sides of a bridge. The Tuscaloosa Department of Transportation workers had blocked traffic in the right northbound lane while they cleaned the roadway. The Alagasco driver said he didn’t realize the TDOT truck had stopped. He said he couldn’t tell whether it was stalled or just moving slowly. He tried to get in the left lane, and when he saw that he couldn’t, it was too late to stop,” said Beverly Stone, an Alagasco spokeswoman. When the driver hit the brakes, she said, the Alagasco truck slid on the wet road and collided with the TDOT vehicle. The three city workers were treated for minor injuries at DCH Regional Medical Center. TDOT director Joe Robinson said the men/ssuffered no visible injuries but were experiencing back, leg and neck pain. Tuscaloosa Police Department Capt. Mitt Tubbs said that the chance of being injured in an accident is greater if both vehicles are moving at very different speeds. If a vehicle traveling 45 miles per hour struck a vehicle traveling 20 miles per hour, the impact would be less than if one of the vehicles were not moving. “The impact is greater if the vehicle is stopped,” he said. Tubbs said that, according to the accident report that was made available on Friday, the Alagasco driver rounded a curve on the bridge and saw the yellow strobe lights the TDOT workers had set up in the roadway but wasn’t able to stop in time. Stone said that Alagasco employees attend monthly safety classes, which include an annual defensive driving course. “We regret that [the wreck] happened. We’re really glad that everyone’s fine and that there were no serious injuries,” she said. “We take this kind of thing very seriously because we have such a strong safety program.” Robinson said that this is the first time workers have been injured while working on one of the city’s bridges. “We’ve been very fortunate that we’re able to attract the attention of drivers almost all the time, to let them know we’re working,” he said. 

UPDATE, Federal Investigation Complete…
WTAP News Denise Alex
A federal investigation into last October’s death of two painting contractors at a Pleasants County power plant has ended with no violations being found. Fifty-five-year-old Fred Burkle and 26-year-old Joe Spiker were killed on October Fourth when the lift they were working on tipped over. The two Vienna men were painting a conveyor belt at Allegheny Energy’s Pleasants Power Station when the accident occurred. As they tried to move the mechanical lift around a slope, it tipped over and they fell 45 feet. The two were subcontractors to a New Martinsville company. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration investigated the accident and determined that no violations of agency standards occurred at the time. Agency spokeswoman Kate Dugan says the agency’s investigation is complete.

Gold miners to be arraigned in accidental death of worker
Miller The Union Staff John Dickey
Two embattled Sierra County gold miners will face involuntary manslaughter charges Thursday in connection with a fatal mine accident. Michael M. Miller and Jonathan T. Farrell are set to have an arraignment Thursday in Sierra County Superior Court. The court will also hear a motion to set aside the charges. Miller, 60, is the owner and president of the Original Sixteen to One gold mine in Alleghany. Farrell, 32, is the mine’s manager. In October, a grand jury charged both men with involuntary manslaughter and willful violation of an occupational safety or health standard, causing death. The charges are in connection with the accidental death of miner Mark Raymond Fussell in 2000. ussell died when his head was wedged between the battery of the mine locomotive he was driving and a protruding ore chute in a newly reopened section of the mine. ederal investigators say the accident was caused by failure of the mine operator to properly mark the chute with warning devices. hey also said the locomotive had a defective speed mechanism, which contributed to the accident. California District Attorneys Association attorneys approached Sierra County’s prosecutor with information that indicated there could be a case in connection with Fussell’s death. Miller and Farrell are being prosecuted by a deputy district attorney from the California District Attorneys Association, which oversees the Worker Safety Project, a state-funded program that provides rural areas with attorneys versed in employee safety matters. The fact the case is being tried by the state prosecutors has caused some controversy in Sierra County. The case has a gag order issued at the prosecutors’ request.

Snowplow Driver Dies on the Job
A state snowplow truck driver died overnight on the job. He was at a salt barn on the city’s northeast side when he fell off his truck. Investigators still don’t know exactly what happened, but they say 45-year-old Dave Borgman was emptying his truck at the end of his shift when he fell off the back of the vehicle. Witnesses say one moment they saw Borgman on the back of the truck, and the next moment he was on the ground. Investigators say Borgman could have slipped, he could have been struck by a piece of equipment or he could have had a heart attack or other medical problem. Borgman’s colleagues are remembering him today as an enthusiastic worker. He was with the department for 22 years, and leaves behind a wife and children. INDOT is conducting its own investigation.

UPDATE OSHA Slaps Trash Collector With Penalty In Worker’s Death
Company Has 15 Days To Contest Citations
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A Birmingham trucking company has been fined $84,500 for safety violations that contributed to a worker’s fatal fall from a garbage truck in July of last year. The U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Environmental Waste System for not reporting the incident within an eight-hour period. OSHA inspectors said the firm did not provide a temporary employee with the necessary safety equipment and training before he fell off the truck, sustaining fatal head injuries on July 22, 2002. Roberto Sanchez, area director of the agency’s Birmingham office said the company’s parent firm, Waste Away Group, Inc., has been cited for similar violations in the past. “OSHA has issued a willful citation against this employer because of a plain indifference to OSHA standards and a clear disregard for worker safety,” said Sanchez. “The parent company has been cited before in other parts of the country for the same violations we found during this inspection.” OSHA levied the fines Wednesday. The company has 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties.

Garbage Collector Struck And Killed
By Eric Flack
(LOUISVILLE, January 17th, 2003, 12:30 p.m.) — A Shively garbage collector was killed Friday in what police are calling a “freak accident.” The man was doing his job on Seventh Street when he was struck and killed by a car just after 8 a.m. Eric Flack has the details. Traffic in both the northbound and southbound lanes of Seventh Street was blocked as police investigators interviewed witnesses. Shively police and firefighters say the victim’s death will hit them all hard because Mark Jones died on the job. It was a bizarre accident, that will result in charges of reckless homicide for the illegal alien who hit Jones. Investigators say the driver of the car who hit Jones was on his way to work at a fast food restaurant and wasn’t paying attention when he slammed his SUV into the back of garbage truck, pinning Jones against it. Louisville Metro Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell says Jones was picking up trash when “another vehicle traveling south on Seventh Street struck the sanitation worker.” Jones was taken to the hospital where he later died. The driver of the SUV moved to the area two years ago, but he is not a U.S. citizen. Some states, including Kentucky, allow non-citizens to get a driver’s license. The investigation is continuing. We’ll have more tonight on WAVE 3 News.

UPDATE, Clinton police say truck alarm not sounding when worker died
Associated Press
CLINTON, S.C. – A Clinton police report says a garage truck alarm that was supposed to sound when the vehicle backed up was not functioning the day a Laurens city worker was run over and killed. The report said officers checked the alarm twice after a Laurens city garbage truck backed over Hugh Edward Leake, 47, at a waste disposal company in Clinton on Dec. 23. the truck was then taken to a garage, where workers said a wire leading to the alarm had been pulled loose, police said. The report also cites problems with the vehicle’s steering system and ball and socket joints, according to investigators. Laurens Administrator Gene Madden said the driver of the truck checked the alarm that morning and it was working. “I’m no mechanic, so I couldn’t say how the wires may have come loose,” Madden said. “All 12 or 13 of the checks were done that morning.” The state Occupational Health and Safety Review Board is investigating the incident and should issue a report soon, spokesman Jim Knight said.

Teenager run over by a forklift
Worksafe is investigating an accident at a business in Rochester where a 14-year-old boy was run over by a forklift. The boy is in the Echuca Hospital with a broken leg. Worksafe spokesman Michael Birt says a state wide campaign will be launched shortly highlighting safety practices for operators and pedestrians. “People should never be riding on the sides of forklifts. Forklifts have one seat and that’s where the driver should be,” he said. “Anyone else who has something to do with a forklift, whether adjusting loads or removing loads or putting them on, they should be kept well apart until the load is set down on the ground and everyone’s clear and safe.”

Work lift collapses Downtown, 2 injured
By Terry Horne
Two stagehands were injured this morning when a scissors lift collapsed as they were hanging banners at the Indiana Convention Center. Barney Levengood, executive director of the center and the RCA Dome, identified the stagehands as Floyd Paulsen, a fulltime employee of the convention center, and Herman Teepe, a part-time worker. Both were taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital. Levengood said he did not know the extent of their injuries. Wishard spokesman Don Payton said both men were in fair condition. Levengood said the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Division was investigating why the lift collapsed. The employees were hanging banners on the outside of the center along Maryland Street when the accident occurred about 8:30 a.m.

Worker crushed by forklift
A WORKER was crushed to death when a forklift tipped over at a Melbourne railyard. Police said the man, aged in his 40s, was driving the forklift carrying machinery when it toppled over at the railyard on Dynon Road, West Melbourne, about 1.45pm (AEDT). “The driver appears to have tried to jump from the forklift but has been squashed by the roll bar as it came down,” a police spokesman said. Another man who tried to stop the forklift from tipping over was taken to hospital with minor leg injuries. The forklift driver was dead when paramedics arrived. WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the incident.

Trucker killed at New London Pier
(New London-AP) — A trucker from Shelton, Washington, died Monday when he was pinned against his truck by a load of plywood that slid off a forklift at a New London Pier. The Day of New London reports that Michael Ryckman was struck as he was standing with his back to a forklift as it removed plywood from the trailer of his truck at the state pier. Police say he was found lying face up, with no major external injuries. He died at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London. A hospital spokesman says the 54-year-old Ryckman died of multiple trauma. He was an employee of Nor West Express Incorporated in Tacoma, Washington. An autopsy is planned by the state medical examiner. It was the second fatality at State Pier in less than a week. A 43-year-old pilot boat crewman died Wednesday after falling into the Thames River.

Construction accident kills Henderson man
By Gleaner staff
A 46-year-old Henderson resident died Thursday afternoon in a construction accident on Janalee Drive. According to the Henderson County Coroner’s Office, Randall S. Kitchens died from blunt force trauma when the industrial forklift he was operating overturned on him. Henderson Police Department reports said that Kitchens — who owned Randall Kitchens Construction — was running the forklift and doing masonry work about 1:15 p.m. at a house located at 101 Janalee Drive. The forklift was on a steep slope and when Kitchens raised the boom the machine tipped over on him, authorities said. Kitchens was married and had three children. He was a hunter and spent a lot of time coaching girls softball and baseball.

Forklift Accident Injures Two Workers in Knoxville
By JENNIFER CARMACK
KNOXVILLE (WATE) — Two construction workers are in a Knoxville hospital Thursday after a forklift fell 45 feet and trapped them. The incident happened on Weisgarber Road at the Bush Brothers construction site. Just before 11:30 Thursday morning, the Knoxville Fire Department got a call that a construction worker was trapped underneath a forklift at the Bush Brothers site. But they found something different. “We discovered that it had not fallen on top of a person, rather two people had been in a bucket on top of the forklift and it had fallen over with them in it,” spokesman Charlie Barker says. The two workers, Steven Ball and Pedro Libardo, fell and were partially pinned underneath the bucket. “The temperature had heated up some and on a construction site, you can get a little loose dirt,” Barker explains. “So there may have been some cushioning there. But that’s an awful long fall.” As the men were rushed to the UT Medical Center with severe injuries. Then safety inspectors arrived on scene, trying
to piece together what happened. Lockwood Greene, the construction firm in charge of the site, says the men were installing window frames when it tipped over. TOSHA has launched a full investigation into the accident. Both workers are recovering.

Construction accident kills N.J. man, 59
By RYAN CORMIER
A construction worker died Tuesday after he was caught between a building and a piece of construction equipment in Bridgeville. The victim, a 59-year-old man from Bridgeton, N.J., was taken to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, said Tedd Winneberger, Sussex paramedic spokesman. The man was working at the site of the new Woodbridge Middle School on Church Street about 3 p.m., Winneberger said. The worker was on a scissor lift on the roof when the lift suddenly moved, Bridgeville police Sgt. Chuck Manuszak said. “Somehow he hit the lever and got pinned,” Manuszak said. The man suffered severe head trauma, Winneberger said. The victim’s name was not released Tuesday because his family had not been contacted, police said. The man’s body was turned over to the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, police said. Kevin Carson, superintendent of the Woodbridge School District, said he did not know which company the man worked for. Members of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will arrive today to investigate. The police investigation is continuing but no foul play is suspected, authorities said.

Garbage Truck Kills Sanitation Worker
By Samuel Bruchey STAFF WRITER
A 20-year-old sanitation worker was run over by a garbage truck in Farmingville yesterday morning and crushed to death, Suffolk police said. About 10 a.m., Peter Christ of Bay Shore was standing on a metal platform on the passenger side of the truck as another worker backed the vehicle down Lidge Drive, a dead-end road off Dogwood Avenue, said Sixth Squad Det. Sgt. Charles Christ, who is not related to the victim. “Apparently, they back down to the dead end, then, as they pull forward, pick up the garbage,” Det. Sgt. Christ said. When the truck was about 400 feet from Dogwood Avenue, its driver, Christopher Safronsey, 27, of Ronkonkoma, looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Christ was no longer there. “He stopped the truck, got out, and observed him in front of the truck lying down,” Det. Sgt. Christ said. Christ, who was run over by the front wheel of the truck, suffered “massive internal injuries,” police said. Det. Sgt. Christ said Safronsey hollered out to a resident to call 911. Christ was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital but was pronounced dead at 10:27 a.m. Police spoke to Safronsey after the accident and said they do not suspect any criminality on his part, although police issued 11 summonses for violations on the condition of the truck to its owner, National Waste Services of Bay Shore. It was unclear if Christ stepped off the truck and slipped on the pavement or fell from the ledge, which may have been slick with snow, police said. It was also unclear how fast the truck was traveling in reverse at the time of the accident. Neither Christ’s relatives nor anyone at National Waste Services could be reached yesterday for comment. A woman who answered the phone at Safronsey’s house would not comment.

Construction worker dies from accident
By: News 14 Carolina
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating a fatal construction accident that occurred Monday at 5th and Pine Streets in Charlotte. The victim, Javier Donjuan, was elevated in the bucket of a back hoe, trying to attach something outside a window when the bucket tipped pinning him to the side of the building. Donjuan was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

UPDATE, Employees mourn loss of co-worker, Cause of accident still undetermined
Post staff report
A Highland Heights man killed Friday while unloading a bulldozer in Cincinnati was, according to his boss at Art’s Rental Equipment in Newport, the most well-liked employee in the company. Nicholas J. Groeschen, 37, was killed when the bulldozer he was unloading fell off his flatbed tractor-trailer outside Noramco Transportation Corp. in Riverside about noon. Cincinnati police and federal labor investigators are trying to determine how the accident occurred. Groeschen’s boss at Art’s Rental Equipment in Newport said he and the company’s 125 employees are devastated by his death. Art’s Rental Equipment President Ken Arlinghaus said Groeschen had worked there for 19 years and had become one of the best and most-liked employees. “He has been with us so long and has so much experience,” said Arlinghaus. “He had a lot of knowledge of the equipment, and he was good at explaining to the customer how to operate it. — But most of all everybody liked him and everybody knew Nick. Even our competition have been calling about him.” Arlinghuas said Groeschen was a truck driver for the company, which had never experienced a serious accident or death in 35 years in business. Arlinghaus said it appears Groeschen was unloading the bulldozer on an unpaved, slightly inclined parking lot which might have caused the equipment to slip off the flatbed. He said employees have already started a memorial at work filled with pictures and other reminders of Groeschen.

Fire Dept. responds to gas leak 
PORTSMOUTH – A gas leak Saturday afternoon caused the evacuation of customers and employees from several stores at the South Gate Plaza on Route 1. The Portsmouth Fire Department responded to a report of the smell of natural gas around 3 p.m. Capt. Steve Griswold said it appeared a snowplow accidentally struck and broke a pressure regulator on a pipe behind the shopping plaza, causing some gas to be released. The stores, including Shaw’s Supermarket and the Far East Superbuffet, were evacuated for 10 to 15 minutes, and Northern Utilities was called to repair the damaged line, Griswold said. The storm was blamed for several minor car accidents throughout the Seacoast yesterday. None were reported to involve serious injuries. Maine State Police reported the speed limit on the Maine Turnpike was reduced to 45 mph for most of the day. Karen Ellis, of Exeter Hospital, said it was a pretty quiet day in the hospital’s emergency room. Ellis said several patients were treated and released for minor injuries from slips and falls, but nothing was out of the norm for a typical snowy day. In Portsmouth, an unidentified man was treated at Portsmouth Regional Hospital for a serious hand injury late Saturday morning. No further information was available. Public Service of New Hampshire and Central Maine power reported no power outages Saturday as a result of the storm.

Carbon monoxide sickens workers 
Nicole Chavez – Reporter January 03rd, 2003 
A carbon monoxide leak in Yakima sent seven workers to the hospital Friday. During the year-end fruit inventory count at C.M. Holtzinger, several workers had difficulty breathing. Firefighters later found carbon monoxide was at an unsafe level and evacuated the building. Mark Holzinger is the company’s owner. He believes the CO leak was caused by emissions from the engine of a forklift. “If a forklift gets out of adjustment, it doesn’t burn the fuel efficiently and can cause a problem, and evidently, that’s what happened today,” Holzinger said. Seven people were taken to the hospital for treatment. All are expected to quickly recover. This was the first gas leak in the company’s history. 

Worker Accidentally Killed While Making Delivery 
Reported by: 9News Web produced by: Liz Foreman 1/3/03 2:11:17 PM 
A worker was killed Friday in a freak accident at a scrap metal company in Sedamsville. An unidentified man was loading a bulldozer onto a flatbed truck at Cohen Scrap Metal, at 3291 South Side Avenue, when the bulldozer slipped on some ice, flipped over and trapped his head between the two vehicles. The man was instantly decapitated. His body was discovered by a Cohen employee. Police said the man was not wearing a safety harness at the time of the accident. Apparently, he had delivered the bulldozer to the wrong location so no one at the company was expecting him.

Update to story above, Bulldozer death is mystifying; victim an experienced operator 
By Susan Vela The Cincinnati Enquirer
He was known for his thorough knowledge of heavy equipment, which is why Nicholas J. Groeschen’s former employees are wondering whether his death Friday was some horrible fluke. They were left reeling when they learned that Mr. Groeschen, better known as “Nick,” died when the bulldozer he was delivering at Noramco Transportation in Riverside slipped off its tractor-trailer and crushed him. Mr. Groeschen, 37, of Highland Heights, had worked at Art’s Rental Equipment Co. of Newport for 18 years and was well-respected for his experience. “He was the best guy we had,” company president Ken Arlinghaus said. Cincinnati police, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating Mr. Groeschen’s death. Mr. Arlinghaus thinks that, for some inexplicable reason, Mr. Groeschen ignored some basic precautions. Noramco has a dirt lot, and Mr. Groeschen parked the semi on a slight incline, which is frowned upon. He also wasn’t wearing the bulldozer’s seat belt. Mr. Arlinghaus thinks the incline caused the bulldozer to slip on a patch of ice and fall off the semi. Mr. Groeschen apparently jumped, but “he didn’t jump far enough, and (the bulldozer) fell on top of him,” Mr. Arlinghaus said. “We’re all in shock because he did enjoy his job so much,” said Terri Groeschen, Mr. Groeschen’s sister-in-law. Survivors are his mother, Dorothy Groeschen; brother, Tom Groeschen of Camp Springs, Ky.; sister-in-law Terri Groeschen of Camp Springs; two nephews; and several aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Burial will follow at St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials can be made in the form of Masses or in donations to the Adopt-A-Student Program at St. Joseph Grade School, 4011 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076. 

Ex-London Mills man dies in mine accident 
LONDON MILLS – A former London Mills man was killed Thursday in a coal mining accident after being struck by a piece of mining equipment, according to a West Virginia newspaper. The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington reported Saturday that Daniel Gray, 48, died after being struck by a drag line after returning to his job site after hours. The West Virginia State Medical Examiner’s office is investigating Gray’s death. The Herald-Dispatch said Gray left after completing his shift at the Catenary Coal Co.’s Samples Mine Thursday but returned to the mine for an unknown reason and was killed by the equipment. Workers discovered his body about 3 a.m. the next morning, the newspaper reported. 

Worker Rescued at Pentagon After Accident With Cart 
Sunday, December 29, 2002
Arlington County firefighters plucked an unidentified construction worker from the roof of the Pentagon after a minor accident yesterday afternoon, officials said. A worker with the Pentagon renovation project was driving a motorized cart on a ramp about 12:15 p.m. when the vehicle struck something and catapulted the man about 10 feet onto the roof, Battalion Chief Benjamin Barksdale said. The worker blacked out, and co-workers dialed 911. When firefighters arrived minutes later, the worker had regained consciousness, Barksdale said. The man suffered minor head injuries. Firefighters reached the roof using a ladder truck and construction lift and lowered the man to the ground in a basket stretcher. He was taken to George Washington University Hospital, Barksdale said. The worker was between rings C and D and corridors 3 and 4 near the Pentagon’s South Parking Lot when the accident occurred. 

Gladwin man killed in dumpster accident
Gladwin County Record 
A Gladwin man was killed last Wednesday when he was pinned under a trash dumpster. Dale Roger Ballard, 50, an employee of Republic Waste Services of Northern Michigan, had just dropped off an empty dumpster and was attempting to lift a full dumpster onto his truck with a Hydraulic Cable. The dumpster slid off his truck and Ballard became pinned under the dumpster. The accident occurred at approximately 4 p.m. Dec. 18 at Crane Resistoflex on Wilder Road in Bay City. Employees and medical personnel attempted to revive Ballard and started CPR, but their efforts were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at Bay Regional Medical Center. Republic Waste Services declined to comment.

Garbage truck runs over Laurens city worker
Associated Press
CLINTON, S.C. – A Laurens city employee has been killed after another worker backed over him with a garbage truck. Hugh Edward Leake, 47, was killed Monday as he and two other workers prepared to dump garbage at the Container Company of the Carolinas in Clinton, Police Chief Carroll Barker said. Witnesses told police Leake was standing behind the truck as one of the employees backed up. The worker told officers he never saw Leake. Barker said police continue to investigate the incident, but he thinks the death was accidental. Firefighters worked for more than two hours to get Leake’s body out from under the truck. The truck’s alarm that sounds when it backs up was functioning, Laurens City Administrator Gene Madden said. Leake had worked for the city since April 2000, Madden said. “They called him ‘Spanky,'” Laurens Mayor Jim Goss said. “He was always on the job and I understand he missed very little, if any, days. This was a very unfortunate accident.”

Construction worker crushed by forklift at WalMart construction site in Montgomery
By: Erika E. Durhan, Courier staff December 25, 2002 
A construction worker was transported via LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston Tuesday morning after being crushed by a forklift while at work on a local construction site. It was the second serious construction accident in Montgomery County within a week. t about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday emergency workers responded to a call from the Wal-Mart store under construction at Texas 105 and Walden Road. According to Mark Schwind of the Conroe Police Department, the unidentified man was crushed between a forklift and the ceiling of the building, causing him severe chest injuries. Apparently he was on the forklift while it was moving and it kept moving toward the ceiling,” Schwind said. Brian Hurst, of the Montgomery Fire Department, said he did not know how severe the injuries were except that they “were enough to warrant LifeFlight.” uperintendents at the construction site failed to comment about the details of the incident or the man’s identity. ther agencies involved also would not release the man’s name. uesday morning’s incident is the second severe work related injury to occur in the county within the last week. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is currently investigating the death of a man who fell Friday through the roof of a medical facility under construction at 1501 the Riverpointe Drive.

UPDATE, Worker crushed to death by load
A FORKLIFT truck operator misjudged the load he was carrying before it fell on him and crushed him to death, an inquest has heard. Andrew Chillingworth, 41, from Riverside Mill in Godmanchester, was working at Jewsons building materials suppliers in Huntingdon when the accident happened on September 24 this year. He was lifting crates of plasterboard and got off the vehicle to get at some boards underneath them when the load toppled over causing him massive head injuries. He was taken to Hinchingbrooke Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A jury passed a verdict of accidental death at the inquest in Shire Hall, Cambridge and noted that he had miscalculated the weight of the load. He was attempting to lift one-and-a-half crates at once rather than the usual single crate. He had received full training in safety procedures and forklift truck operating and no blame has been placed on his employers. Terry Humes, another employee at the firm, told the hearing: “Andrew had loaded the forklift up and I saw that it had fallen on him, the whole lot came on top of him. “There was no indication it was going to go, it just happened in a split second.” Yard foreman Jason Smith said: “It would have been part of Andrew’s duty to load his own lorry and make deliveries from the yard. “I was working when Terry came shouting to give him a hand because Andrew had had an accident. “When I saw what had happened I took a step back and I freaked. Each of those packs of plasterboards is about 1.7 tonnes.” 

Workman killed in railyard accident; Officials say Willowbrook father of 4 was crushed when overloaded machine fell on him

By RYAN LILLIS, MICHAEL WAGNER and REGINALD PATRICK STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE 
A construction worker was killed yesterday when the machine he was operating in a railyard next to the St. George Ferry Terminal tipped over under an excessive load and crushed him, officials said. Mensur Capa, 41, of Willowbrook, was lifting a large red container at 10:56 a.m. when the material-hoisting machine toppled to its left. He apparently tried to jump out of the machine’s cabin but was struck in the back by its massive arm, Fire Department officials said. Capa was pinned underneath, his legs, arms and back badly injured. He was pronounced dead at the scene, fire officials said. Within a few hours, the city Department of Buildings issued an “unsafe construction practices” violation to Capa’s employer, M. Ferrante Construction Co., a Sunnyside-based subcontractor working on a new control center for the Staten Island Railway, said Ilyse Fink, a Buildings spokeswoman. The company was cited because the machine Capa was using was overloaded, Ms. Fink said. It is unclear if Capa was licensed to operate the machine, but Ms. Fink said a permit is not necessary for a material-hoisting machine, also known as a “fixed boom rough terrain telehandler.” Railway service was shut down between the St. George and Clifton stations for about 20 minutes, but ferry service was not affected. M. Ferrante Construction is a masonry firm hired by Grand and Halmer, New York City Transit’s general contractor, on the project. Michael Ferrante, the company’s president, did not return several phone calls seeking comment. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is investigating, as well as transit authorities, who called the incident a “freak accident.” “This was a tragic loss,” said Transit spokesman Paul Fleuranges. “He was out there doing hard work for us. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.” FAMILY MAN Railway sources said the ground at the St. George station is sandy and unstable, possibly contributing to the machine’s toppling. Called a “Pettibone” in construction circles — referring to its manufacturer — the lift is known as a particularly dangerous piece of equipment. Sources said it should have been supported by stabilizer legs. The project is part of a $100 million signal upgrade on the 14-mile Railway. The building was being converted from a substation, which at one time supplied power to the rail line, to a train dispatch and control center. Capa leaves behind his wife, two teen-age sons and a son and daughter who are 3-year-old fraternal twins. “He was a hard worker,” said Kreshnik Capa, Mensur Capa’s 16-year-old son. “He was determined. He had ambition.” Kreshnik said his father was of Albanian ancestry but was born in the town of Diber in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. Capa immigrated to United States 18 years ago in search of better opportunities. He lived in Brooklyn for three years before he and his family moved to Staten Island. Kreshnik said his father spent most of his time working and had little time for hobbies, although he was a friendly man who “liked to tell jokes” and “always tried to help somebody out.” Capa worshipped at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in Tompkinsville. Dozens of Capa’s friends and relatives gathered at his Uxbridge Street home last night to console each other over his sudden death. GUIDELINES FOLLOWED? For months, Railway workers have questioned whether safety guidelines are being followed by the numerous contractors working on the line. Equipment has been left near live tracks, sources said, and flagmen are rarely used at construction sites. Instead, orange construction fences — which are sometimes supported with metal rods instead of the wooden posts required on an electrified property — surround the sites. This summer, a contractor blew a Grasmere track switch, shutting down service for about an hour just before the afternoon rush. “That place is run by those contractors,” said one Railway source. “Safety? Forget about safety.” Construction workers have also been spotted walking across tracks in front of an oncoming train “just to get a cup of coffee,” the source said. Capa’s co-workers said he had been working at the site a little less than two years and went by the nicknames “Suri” and “Skip.” Under steely gray skies, more than a dozen construction workers milled around the scene as emergency workers labored feverishly to extricate Capa’s body. Many of the workers wore blank, stunned expressions. The Fire Department’s Ladder Co. 78/Engine Co. 155 from New Brighton was the first on the scene, followed closely by Rescue Co. 5 and the Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit. Firefighters “cribbed” the unstable lifting machine into place, making sure it wouldn’t move, and slowly lifted the apparatus, using powerful airbags. When the beam that had struck him was four inches off the muddy ground, Capa’s body was pulled out. Paramedics covered the body with a white sheet and placed it on a stretcher. The scene went almost silent. “I’m absolutely in shock, yes,” said one worker, rubbing his eyes. “I really can’t take this. Suddenly, life for this man’s family has changed forever, just like that. He was gone in a second.” “This is a terrible thing,” a construction worker said. “This could have happened to any one of us. Construction work is a very dangerous business. You never know if you’ll be going home at night.” 

NZL Group ltd fined $17,500 for man’s death
NZL Group Ltd was fined $17,500 in Tauranga District Court yesterday after a stevedore was killed earlier this year at the Port of Tauranga. Maurice Jones, 58, from Te Puke, died instantly on March 9 when he was run over by a 50 tonne forklift carrying a 6m container at the port’s Sulphur Pt facility. “This was a horrific accident which has greatly affected fellow workers and the family of the victim,” Occupational Safety and Health service manager Faye Frelan said. She said the forklift driver was unable to see the victim in front of him because of the container being carried. “The company had health and safety systems in place but failed to identify the practice of driving a forklift where the load obscured the view forwards as a hazard,” Ms Frelan said

Construction student injured
LIMA, Ohio – An Apollo Career Center student hurt Wednesday in an accident at a construction site was in fair condition last night in St. Rita’s Medical Center. Jarrod Hyde, 18, was hurt when the bucket of a backhoe operated by his instructor, Philip Odenweller, swung around and struck him on the shoulder. Mr. Odenweller said the student was in his blind spot. Mr. Hyde was part of a construction trades class from the vocational school that was working in the Country Aire subdivision in American Township. The school is investigating the incident.

Bulldozer rolls over and kills construction worker in Weston
Associated Press
WESTON, Fla. – A 60-year-old construction worker was killed in this Fort Lauderdale suburb Thursday when the bulldozer he was driving rolled over on him. Hollis Jones, of Davie, was driving the bulldozer during construction of homes at the Swan Lakes Estates project when he lost control of the vehicle and it rolled into a lake, said Todd LeDuc, a Broward County Fire Rescue assistant chief. He was trapped under about 40 feet of water and died. A fellow construction worker tried to free him but wasn’t able to. Police removed his body later Thursday. Workers planned to removed the bulldozer from the lake on Friday. Jones worked for Ryan Construction Company.

Men are killed in accidents at workplaces
Two outdoor workers from Shropshire and Mid Wales have been killed in separate accidents in their workplaces. Gareth Roberts, 32, died in a farm accident near Llangollen. He was found under a Bobcat mini-digger at Gyfelia Farm at Rhewl. Emergency services responded to a 999 call but Mr Roberts, a well-known local mechanic, was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.40pm on Tuesday. And in south Shropshire, a 56-year-old man, who has not yet been named, was killed as he felled trees in the grounds of an historic house at Tenbury Wells just after 11am yesterday. The sub-contractor, who is believed to have lived nearby, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at Burford House and Garden Centre in Tenbury Wells. Farmer Hywel Lloyd said Mr Roberts had been working on the mini-digger while other staff were at a senior citizens’ Christmas party at a nearby community centre. He added: “Gareth was a very hard-working lad, a good mechanic who was very dedicated.” Mr Roberts, from Llangollen, had recently married his wife, Nia. He was a former pupil at Dinas Bran School and has a twin brother and a sister. South Shropshire Sergeant Tony Mantle, of Ludlow Police, said the man killed at Tenbury Wells was 56. Police were not yet releasing his name as they were still contacting relatives. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating both deaths.

Man dies in mill accident
M. Partington-Richer Lakeside Leader
At least one New Brunswick family’s Christmas will be a somber one this year after a 43-year-old logging truck driver from that province was killed as he unloaded his load at a Mitsue Industrial Park mill just east of Slave Lake. RCMP in this town say Allain Joseph Audit died as a result of massive injuries he sustained about 5:45 a.m. Thursday when he was run over by a trailer in the Vanderwell Contractors yard. Cpl. Don Ray says Audit was removing the chains from his load of logs when he was run over by the trailer of an empty logging truck that was leaving the scene. At the time he was hauling logs for Zell Oilfield Services, contractors at the mill. A release from the RCMP says the investigation is on goin. But it added that on Friday police weren’t contemplating any charges. Occupational Health and Safety was also called in as part of the investigation following the fatal accident, Ray added. That report is not expected for several weeks.

Kaiser plant worker burned
HEATH — A Kaiser Aluminum employee was burned while refueling a forklift Tuesday night and was taken to Licking Memorial Hospital. Robert Faught, 51, of Newark, suffered burns to his hands, arms, face and head when propane fuel ignited at about 11:25 p.m. Tuesday, Heath Fire Department Capt. Terry Hughes said. Faught was treated and released from the hospital, according to a Licking Memorial Hospital spokeswoman. The fire caused some damage to the company’s propane fueling station, as well as the forklift. The Hebron Fire Department transported Hughes to the hospital, and the Newark Fire Department responded with an engine. 

Canadian man killed at IMC
By Dawn Bowen
CARLSBAD – A Canadian man was reportedly crushed to death Monday at IMC Potash. eddy County Sheriff Kent Waller said the man’s name is being withheld pending notification of family members. IMC Human Resources Manager Cindy Mudge declined to release the man’s age or place of residence, saying she preferred to wait until his family has been notified. Waller said preliminary findings by sheriff’s investigator Jim Estrada indicate the injuries were the result of an accident. He said the man, an independent truck driver for a Canada-based company, had delivered equipment – including large rolls of conveyor belts weighing about 1.5 tons – to the plant Monday morning, just before the accident. The man was standing beside a flatbed trailer as a forklift unloaded one of the belt rolls from the opposite side of the trailer, Waller said. He said one of the belt rolls fell off the trailer, striking the man. Severe internal injuries and trauma to the man’s lower extremities were reported as the cause of death. The body was sent to Albuquerque for an autopsy at the request of the state medical examiner. In a press release issued Monday afternoon, Waller said deputies were dispatched to the main plant at 9:27 a.m. when a call came in asking emergency workers to intercept the IMC ambulance on its way to Carlsbad with the victim. Deputy Kelly Calicoat met the ambulance on the Hobbs highway near mile marker 46 and proceeded to the emergency room at Carlsbad Medical Center, where the victim was pronounced dead at 9:38 a.m., the release states.

Paver kills man
By SCOTT PESZNECKER
For the second time in a week, a foothills resident has died after being crushed by a paver while working on a driveway. Daniel Marion Stahn, 57, died Friday afternoon en route to San Joaquin General Hospital after he was run over by a paving machine at 451 Pennsylvania Gulch Road in Murphys. The accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. According to a Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department report and witnesses, Stahn was alone on the machine as it went down a steep grade. He was unable to stop the paver and was suddenly “catapulted” over the front, the report said. Stahn, of Douglas Flat, owned the paving equipment and was working with a crew of about four people to pave a driveway at the address. After he was thrown over the front, a nearby coworker was able to stop the paver with Stahn underneath it, saving him from the asphalt mixers toward the rear of the machine. Stahn was pinned under the machine for nearly an hour. After an unsuccessful attempt to inflate airbags under the paver to free him, emergency workers pulled him out when a tow truck lifted the machine. Friend and coworker Tom Vannucci said Stahn was still alive when the machine was lifted, mainly because it had been stopped before the back end reached him. Witnesses said Stahn was awake and talking, conscious as he was loaded into an ambulance. “He’s a tough bird. He’s about as tough as they come,” Vannucci said after Stahn had been taken from the scene. “When we got there, a worker was laying on his tummy and talking to him under the paver,” Murphys Fire Protection District Chief Phil Phillips said Friday afternoon. “When they brought him out from under, they moved him so quickly to put him on the backboard and get him out of there — I don’t know if he said anything to the ambulance paramedics or not.” He was rushed to a field at the Bret Harte Center, then flown by helicopter to San Joaquin General Hospital, but did not make it. “It was a bad situation,” Phillips said. “You run into those occasionally, but fortunately not too often.”

Farm accident claims man’s life
FAIRBURY – A farm accident Monday afternoon claimed the life of a 73-year-old Jefferson County man. George E. Wurm of rural Fairbury was on a tractor clearing brush from a ditch on County Road 718, five miles north and three-fourths of a mile east of Fairbury, when the tractor rolled and pinned him underneath. Jefferson County and Fairbury rescue units and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded and pronounced Wurm dead at the scene. The tractor did not have a cab or roll-over protection.

Former boxer dies of injuries from farming accident
Star-Bulletin staff
John Yoshikawa, a Nanakuli pig farmer and part-owner of a food recycling company, died Nov. 29 in Queen’s Medical Center from head injuries sustained in an apparent accident at his business, his sister said. Yoshikawa, 39, was also state Golden Gloves boxing champion in 1984, said Elisa Repolio. While boxing, Yoshikawa worked at a feed store and then went on to start his own feed store business, Repolio said. He started raising pigs and helped start Eco-Feed Inc., a company that recycles commercial food waste from hotels and restaurants and turns it into pig food. “He was just really good friends with everyone and all the farmers,” Repolio said. “He used to write to newspapers about how Hawaii residents should buy local produce and support the farmers,” she said. Workers found Yoshikawa unconscious on Nov. 24. Repolio said it appears a bin fell from a forklift and hit his head. He never regained consciousness. Repolio said her brother loved holidays and would cook turkeys or a pig in an imu every Thanksgiving and give the food away to friends and relatives. Services are scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at St. Jude Catholic Church in Makakilo. Friends may call after 6 p.m. Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Mililani Memorial Park. In addition to Repolio, Yoshikawa is survived by wife Gina; sons John P., Damon and Cyrus Yoshikawa, and Alvin Collelo; daughters Angelina Yoshikawa and Shanalle Collelo; parents Clarence and Elizabeth; and brothers Matthew and Patrick.

Lake Michigan Dockworker killed when struck by forklift
PORTAGE, Ind.- A veteran dockworker of Indiana’s International Port/Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan was killed when the driver of a loaded forklift ran into him. Ira Hayes Sr., 69, of Gary was going into a warehouse about 4 p.m. Thursday for a load of steel coil when he was struck and killed. “It was no one’s fault. It is a danger of the job,” said Andrew Joseph, a business agent for International Longshoreman’s Association 1969 and president of the ILA Local 2038. “Neither one saw each other.” The forklift driver who struck Hayes did not know the accident occurred until he finished his delivery, left the ship, and came to see why others were gathered on the roadway, Joseph said. The Portage Police Department said a 28-year-old Westville resident was operating the forklift. The ILA supplies longshoremen to load and unload ships for about five businesses. Hayes was working for Federal Marine Terminal unloading the ship.

Lights out at cereal factory after accident
PRODUCTION was halted in part of a Kelloggs factory after a forklift truck knocked a light fitting into machinery being used to make Rice Krispies. A forklift truck operator smashed a plastic light cover in the factory at Trafford Park on Saturday. It fell into rice being made into Rice Krispies and Ricicles. The food production was halted and most of the plastic has been now recovered. None of the products affected has left the factory and supplies have not been interrupted, said a spokesman. “At no time has there been a risk to the consumer. “That part of the factory was shut down immediately and the food that was half way through manufacture will be held until an investigation has been completed,” he added’

Overhead wires electrocute worker
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A man laying sewer pipe in a new home development was electrocuted when a backhoe, operated by his father, hit a powerline overhead, the Yakima County sheriff’s office said. William Anderson, 26, was pronounced dead Monday at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. Chuck Anderson, 63, the owner of Central Concrete and Utilities, was operating the backhoe while his son stabilized a section of pipe that was tethered by cable to the backhoe bucket, the sheriff’s office said. The boom on the backhoe hit a powerline above it and the electrical current was transmitted to the younger Anderson. The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating.

Man dies in Chino forklift accident
CHINO — A 49-year-old Montclair resident died Friday morning when the forklift he was operating toppled over and fell on him, said coroner’s and police officials. Felix Luis Garzon Zambrano was operating the forklift at fertilizer manufacturer Hyponex in the 15900 block of El Prado Road in Chino when the accident occurred, said Randy Emon, supervising deputy coroner for San Bernardino County. While driving the forklift, Zambrano had the arms of the forklift were raised to the upper level, said Chino Police Sgt. John Vega. According to witnesses, the forklift began to fall over and Zambrano jumped off, Vega said. Witnesses said it fell onto Zambrano and he died nearly instantly, Vega said. Zambrano was pronounced dead at the scene, coroner’s officials said. The Chino Police Department is investigating the accident. Cal-OSHA is expected to investigate the accident, as well.

Man Killed in Grisly Grinder Accident 
A supervisor at a mushroom compost facility died after he was scooped up by a front-end loader and dropped into a compost grinding machine, police said. Workers at Ontelaunee Mushroom Farms Inc. discovered the remains of Richard D. Kielbasa, 51, at about 10 a.m. Thursday inside the 25-foot-tall grinder, a machine with rotating blades that refines compost, Muhlenberg Police Sgt. Erik P. Grunzig said. A co-worker saw Kielbasa collecting a sample of compost at around 8 a.m. in a bunker that holds 40-foot-tall rows of the mushroom-growing material, Grunzig said. Some time between then and 9:30 a.m., when he was discovered missing, another front-end loader must have picked up Kielbasa along with a pile of compost, officials said. “Nobody saw what happened,” Grunzig said. The Berks County coroner’s office and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating. Kielbasa, who worked at the plant for 24 years and had a doctorate in entomology from Penn State University, served as the assistant general manager and quality-control supervisor, said general manager Albert Gaspari. The plant is owned by Muhlenberg-based Giorgio Foods Inc. and processes about 4,000 tons of compost per week, Gaspari said. 

Fires and spill injures three
By PETER SMITH, CALGARY SUN
One man was badly burned in a flash fire in the yard of a southwest home while another was drenched in toxic chemicals in the southeast yesterday. Both victims, together with a man suffering smoke inhalation from an apartment fire, were recovering last night in city hospitals. Firefighters and paramedics were called to 139 Evergreen Heights S.W. at 2:30 p.m. after neighbours saw smoke pouring from the rear of a home. “I saw smoke pouring out of the yard next door and called 911,” said neighbour Katija Lindgren. Paramedics found a badly burned 47-year-old workman, while firefighters quickly extinguished a fire which blackened a rear deck and garden furniture. ADHESIVE IGNITED The workman was using a flammable adhesive to glue an exterior-decking material to the deck, and the adhesive was placed too close to a heater, said Fire Capt. John Conley. In the flash fire, the worker was splashed with blazing adhesive, and was taken to the Foothills burn unit by paramedics. “He received second degree burns to his face and chest in addition to third degree burns to both of his hands,” said Mike Plato of Emergency Medical Services. An hour earlier, firefighters and paramedics were called to 6040 46 St. S.E. where a man operating a forklift truck had a drum of xylene burst on him. “A drum containing xylene spilled its contents, drenching the man in chemicals,” said Plato. “He was quick to undress and shower but became short of breath by the time paramedics arrived.” Paramedics took the 26-year-old victim to the Peter Lougheed Centre in serious but stable condition with respiratory distress and shortness of breath. Firefighters discovered the forklift had punctured the drum, spilling 210 litres of xylene — which is a flammable and toxic chemical used in lacquers and rubber cements — said Conley.

Backhoe driver injured after underground tank caves in
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
BELLEVUE — A 44-year-old backhoe driver suffered multiple broken ribs yesterday morning when the roof of an unmarked storm-water holding tank collapsed in the back yard of a north Bellevue residence. Workers operating the backhoe did not know they were on top of the tank, a concrete structure about 40 by 50 feet and about 20 feet deep. There was no water in the tank. Police spokesman Tory Mangione said the driver, a Redmond resident, escaped further injury because he was thrown away from the backhoe as it dropped into the tank. He was lying on his side but conscious when rescuers arrived and was taken to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, where he was listed in stable condition. The home is in the Cherry Crest neighborhood just south of Bridle Trails State Park.

Forklift operator killed in industrial accident
By MIKE D’AMOUR, CALGARY SUN
A Calgary man died yesterday after being crushed by a forklift. The 35-year-old man was operating the machine at Select Energy Systems, 4215 54 Ave. S.E., when it apparently flipped on its side. The worker was trapped between the ground and the roll cage on the forklift, suffering head and chest injuries. Co-workers called 911, then used a second forklift to free the unconscious man. “In a crisis like that it was good, quick thinking,” said Calgary EMS spokesman Mike Plato. Paramedics were quickly on scene and two of them immediately went to work on the victim, whose name has not been released. “The paramedics did everything and anything that was reasonable and justifiable to save the patient,” Plato said. Despite their efforts, the man’s injuries proved to be too severe and he died at the scene. Select Energy Systems officials declined to be interviewed yesterday. The incident is not a police matter and officers from Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety department have taken over the investigation. “We have two officers at the business now,” said OHS spokesman Chris Chodan. “They will be looking at the physical evidence and getting statements from witnesses.” Investigators said it’s too early to say exactly what happened to the worker. “It could be several things … we just don’t know at this stage,” Chodan said.

Carroll County – TDOT conducts investigation of accident that injured worker
By CHUCK ROSS
A Tennessee Department of Transportation employee was in critical condition Monday after being injured in a construction accident early Friday afternoon in McKenzie. A TDOT crew was using a track hoe, a large bulldozer version of a backhoe, to repair a drainage area, when Denese Guillory, age unknown, was critically injured. Winston Gaffron, regional director for TDOT, said the equipment operator was moving his track hoe to another position on the site and accidentally injured Guillory. She was a member of the work crew who was authorized to be at the location, he said. Gaffron said the track hoe ran over one of Guillory’s legs, crushing it and resulting in partial amputation of the limb. Guillory was taken to Methodist Healthcare Ð McKenzie Hospital for treatment. She was later airlifted to The Regional Medical Center in Memphis. Guillory remains in critical condition as of late Monday afternoon, said Jacqueline Collins, guest services department employee at The Med. Family members could not be reached for comment. Gaffron, who supervises all TDOT activities in West Tennessee, said working on crews such as the one on which Guillory was injured is very dangerous. “This just shows how hazardous it is to work around heavy equipment. It is an inherent part of the job,” Gaffron said. “Regrettably, an employee was severely injured.” Gaffron said TDOT is conducting a thorough investigation of the accident, but no information is yet available. He did say this appears to be a terrible accident, and no action is expected against the operator of the equipment.

Man injured in forklift accident
A 39-year-old man was in critical condition last night at The Queen’s Medical Center after being injured in a forklift accident yesterday at a piggery in Nanakuli. Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said the man was using a forklift to unload bins filled with 200 to 300 pounds of slop at a piggery near Pa’akea and Hakimo roads. He somehow fell from the lift and was lying on the ground between the slop bin and the pigpen shortly before 1:30 p.m., when firefighters were called to the scene. The man had head injuries, Tejada said. Emergency Medical Services workers took him to Wai’anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. He was later flown by military helicopter to Queen’s.

Forklift accident kills store worker
The Gazette Sunday, November 24, 2002
A 34-year-old employee of a construction-supply store in Épiphanie was killed yesterday morning when he was caught between his forklift and the truck he was loading. The accident occurred at the Centre de Renovation Gervais on Payette St. in the town, about 30 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Taken to a hospital, the man was dead on arrival. His name was not made public. The provincial workplace health and safety board is investigating.

UPDATE, Family of man who died in rail-yard wreck sues
By Crystal Harden, Post staff reporter
The family of a CSX railroad worker who died last week in an accident at the Queensgate rail yards in Cincinnati has filed a lawsuit charging the company with negligence. The family is seeking to have a jury award damages in the death of Gary D. Oak. The suit does ask for a specific amount of money, leaving that determination to the jury. The 51-year-old Carrollton man died Nov. 15 when a train hit the truck he was driving. Initial reports indicated Oak, a 29-year employee, was hit after he had backed his truck onto a crossing as a locomotive was moving 69 cars to another part of the yards. The truck was crushed under the last rail car, caught fire and was pushed down the track. Phil Taliaferro, an attorney who filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Covington, said he did so to preserve evidence in the case. “At this point we do not know all of the details,” Taliaferro said. “But we do know that Gary “Chuckie” Oak, a lead carman, was in a CSX vehicle, and a hump engine pushed his vehicle with him in it three football fields, approximately 900 or more feet. It is then inconceivable that a train could go down a track for almost 900 feet and not know it was pushing a vehicle.” Taliaferro is trying to determine whether the train was automated. The use of automation was introduced about three months ago at the rail yard, Taliaferro said. “The CSX employees vehemently object to it on safety grounds,” he said. Dan Murphy, a spokesman for CSX, said Friday the train had a crew and wasn’t powered by remote control. He couldn’t comment on the lawsuit, but said the death “was a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers and best wishes go out to the family.” Taliaferro said CSX Senior Claim Agent Rick Shippley assured him that the event recorder, which registers the speed, transmission, braking and other information about a train, would be preserved. Taliaferro also wants whatever communications might have been recorded between the train and Oak. Taliaferro contends CSX was negligent in work, safety and radio practices and equipment, resulting in Oak’s death. Taliaferro said the Federal Railroad Administration also is investigating the death, but the family was concerned that process would take too long. “The family wants answers now,” he said. “This has been devastating to them.” 

UPDATE, A frustrating recovery
By DEBORAH M. MARKO Staff Writer
WOODSTOWN — Four weeks have passed since a rusted steel I-beam pinned construction worker Jim Collins inside his excavator at a Main Road/Chestnut Avenue work site. While Collins doesn’t recall much about the freak accident that nearly cost him five fingers, he’ll never forget the yellow-jacketed firefighters who scrambled to his aid. The weeks have sped by in a swirl of surgeries, rehabilitation and doctor consultations since a makeshift platoon of 60 rescuers pried Collins free from the cab. The active 27-year-old isn’t taking convalescence well. His mindset vacillates between thankfulness at retaining his hand to frustration at not being able to use it fully. “I’m pretty bull-headed,” he said, grinning when his girlfriend, Caryl Doble, doesn’t disagree. “I want to regain full use of it.” At his Woodstown home, Collins showed off his medical miracle — pieced together with surgical pins, stitches and scar tissue. “I can’t feel my fingers,” he said, gently tapping the fingertips extending beyond a Velcro cat. Collins can move his index finger and thumb despite frayed nerves and severed tendons, but he can’t force them into a pinch. Each day, Collins chalks up another achievement, like wrestling a sock onto his foot. A lefty, Collins now writes using his right hand, estimating his penmanship could pass for a fourth-grader’s. He hasn’t mastered the dual controls of his PlayStation 2, but he’s great on the television remote control. “It’s a guy thing,” Doble jokes. Collins puts up a brave front despite his physical wounds. He also carries emotional scars that make it difficult to sleep. He doesn’t see the accident in his dreams — he hears it. “I’m know I’m lucky,” Collins said. “But I would have rather won the lottery.” Collins tried to reach his cell phone when he realized he was trapped — but couldn’t. There was nothing to do but wave and yell to the steady stream of rush hour traffic on Main Road, including a school bus full of youngsters “They hollered and waved back,” he said. But one woman noticed Collins’ distress. “She made a U-turn and pulled in,” Collins said, also remembering an off-duty police officer who called 911. The female Samaritan asked what Collins needed and ran across the street to get him a drink. Rescuers who hooked Collins up to a morphine drip promptly confiscated the bottled water, anticipating pending surgery. Collins didn’t realize his dire straits until a rescue front-end loader arrived with a police escort. “I thought, ‘This isn’t good,'” he said. Collins wanted someone to call his girlfriend. He thought she might suspect he was AWOL with the guys. He wanted her to know he had a very good reason for being late. Doble wouldn’t learn his fate until Collins was on a helicopter headed to Cooper Hospital University Medical Center in Camden. She raced there, but Collins was in surgery when she arrived. Though doctors warned her Collins could lose his hand, the prognosis brightened after four-surgeries. The Samaritan visited the hospital to check his condition, but Collins said he was too medicated to thank her and hopes she gets the message. Now it’s up to Doble to keep track of Collins’ appointments. Appointment cards cram his wallet like a set of medical trading cards. “I don’t know what I would do without her,” he said. He may never have to know. The couple had been planning a quiet holiday wedding. In fact, Doble was looking at wedding bands the day before the accident. A ring isn’t going to fit on Collins’ finger at the moment, so they’re going to wait. “I’m just glad he’s alive,” Doble said. Collins teases his commitment is just as strong. He jokes that his near-severed fingers were a romantic gesture, in the same vein as the artist who gave his ear for love. “She didn’t like my Van Gogh,” said Collins with a shrug.

A Jobsite Accident Killed a Nicholasville Man
Jamie Vaughan 36 On Your Side Nov 22, 2002
One man is dead after a construction accident involving three workers. It all unfolded Friday afternoon at the R-J Corman Airfield off U-S 27 near Jessamine Station Road. Jessamine County Detective John Bourne told me that three men were building a retaining wall when it collapsed on them. Two men got loose but during the attempt to save the third worker… one of the rescuers was struck in the head by a loader bucket. The 21-year-old man was pronounced dead at 5-30 this evening at U-K Medical Center. The third trapped worker was eventually saved. Detective Bourne would not release the name of the man who died in the accident pending notification of relatives. He was an employee of R-J Corman Railroad Construction.

Truck driver dies in construction accident 
EAST GLACIER PARK — A truck driver working on the Blackfeet Community Water Project in East Glacier Park was killed in a construction accident Monday. The accident happened around noon as a forklift operator was unloading 1,700-pound pipes from the truck, Glacier County Sheriff Gary Racine said. As Daniel Schimke, 53, of Hamilton, walked around the opposite side of the vehicle, a number of pipes slid off. He was crushed by roughly 7,000 pounds of material and pronounced dead at the scene. 

LaRue man, 47, dies after fall at plant
GHENT, Ky. — A LaRue County maintenance worker was fatally injured yesterday after he fell 30 feet from a lift at a steel company in Northern Kentucky. Charles Hinton, 47, fell from a manlift while working outside Gallatin Steel Co.’s melt shop department. Hinton, of Hodgenville, had been a maintenance worker for eight years at the plant in Ghent, according to a statement from the company. Hinton was taken by helicopter to University of Cincinnati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3 p.m., hospital spokeswoman Pat Samson said. Samson said Hinton suffered massive head injuries. The company was investigating.

UPDATE, Channelview fire under investigation
By: Danielle Lynch-Masterson November 20, 2002
A forklift ignited Sunday morning catching a storage unit on fire near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Bayou Drive. Although there were no injuries, the cause of the blaze is still under investigation by the Harris County Emergency Services Department and the Fire Marshal. According to Sheldon Fire Chief, Sidney Webb, at approximately 11:40 a.m., the forklift ignited. “It radiated heat onto the storage unit, causing it to ignite as well,” he said. The first unit to respond was the Highlands Volunteer Fire Department, Engine 17 at 11:45 a.m. Fire Departments from Channelview, Highlands, Sheldon, Baytown, Crosby and Jacinto City responded with the South Lake Houston EMS service assisting. The Channelview fire department was unavailable for comment at press time.

Accident claims life of former police officer
By Tim Mangan and Charity Cline
A retired Kannapolis police officer died Wednesday as a result of injuries sustained earlier that morning in a heavy-equipment accident at a residence off Rogers Lake Road. Police say Joseph Alexander Ballard, 47, of 2740 Lamplighter Drive, Kannapolis, was operating a Caterpillar 953 bulldozer that got mired in soft ground. To try to alleviate the problem, police said a second piece of heavy equipment was brought in by Ballard’s co-worker. During the maneuvering and positioning of the second vehicle, Ballard became pinned between the two machines. “The front-end loader got him in the abdominal area,” said Doug Bickerstaff, chief of the Cabarrus Rescue Squad. “… He was alive when we arrived, but he suffered pretty severe injuries.” The accident occurred at 10:40 a.m. Bickerstaff said Ballard was at the residence helping a friend build what appeared to be some type of work shed behind the main house. Ballard was the only one injured in the incident, Bickerstaff said. He was transported by ambulance to NorthEast Medical Center, where Kannapolis officials said he died a short time later. Aside from the Cabarrus Rescue Squad, responders included Cabarrus County EMS, Kannapolis Fire Department and the Kannapolis Police Department. The police department is investigating the incident. “Our hearts go out to Joe’s family,” Kannapolis Police Chief Paul Brown said. “This tragic accident is a poignant reminder that life is a gift, not a promise.” Ballard worked as a city police officer for 16 years before retiring in April 2000. During his career, he worked in the department’s traffic and patrol divisions. Beginning in February 1995, he was the crime scene investigator for the criminal investigation division. He held an Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate from the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, having completed more than 2,100 hours of professional training. Ballard, who was a member of Kimball Memorial Lutheran Church, is survived by his wife, Robin, and two sons. Funeral arrangements are pending. “Joe had an engaging personality and a great sense of humor,” Brown said. “He was kind-hearted and always ready to lend a helping hand. It was our privilege to have known him as a friend and fellow officer. He will truly be missed.”

Darke man dies in farm accident, Trapped inside tractor submerged in manure pit 
By Derek Ali 
VERSAILLES, Darke County | A man apparently drowned Monday when his tractor slid into a manure lagoon at a dairy farm, the Darke County sheriff’s office said. Scott A. Winner, 36, of 12620 Willowdell Road, Versailles, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Deputies, Osgood Fire and Rescue, and Fort Loramie Rescue units were called to the farm at 14171 Willowdell Road in northern Darke County about 10:10 a.m. on a report of a person trapped in a tractor. “It is believed that the victim was repositioning the tractor and aerator equipment when the tractor and aerator accidently slid into the lagoon” according to the sheriff’s office. Relatives and farm workers tried to rescue Winner before emergency workers arrived, but they could not get him out because of the force applied to the outside of the tractor cab by the liquid, according to the sheriff’s office. The tractor sank until only the roof of the cab was visible, deputies said. Deputies said fire and rescue personnel were able to remove Winner from the tractor 29 minutes after their arrival on the scene. Steve Foster, an agricultural extension agent with the Ohio State University Extension office in Darke County, said Winner owned and operated a family dairy farm with his brothers. “I think it’s designed for 600 head of dairy cattle. I’m not sure how many they’re milking,” Foster said. 

UPDATE, San Mateo County contractor sentenced in worker’s death
The Associated Press
REDWOOD CITY– A San Mateo County contractor has been sentenced to a year in jail in the death of an employee in a forklift accident. Frank Conway pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Nicholas Viles, 21. He also was ordered to pay 75-hundred dollars to the victim’s family and pay a five thousand dollar fine. Prosecutors say Conway needed help moving a metal-bending machine called a “brake.” He rented a truck and a forklift and hired Viles to help him. Conway drove the truck and told Viles to follow him on city streets in the forklift. Viles was legally disabled, did not have a driver license and was not certified to operate the forklift. It tipped over on a hill in Pacifica and Viles was crushed. (San Francisco Chronicle)

UPDATE, Unique surgery puts man back on his feet
By Mark-Alexander Pieper Pacific Daily News
All Tom Greene remembers is excruciating pain. He doesn’t remember how he was knocked to the ground or what people around him said. All he knows is that it really hurt when a 4,000-pound forklift rolled over his right foot in July. “I was on duty and it backed right over the center of the foot. It was pain like I couldn’t describe, just white flashes,” said the 61-year-old Machanao resident. On that most memorable July day, the forklift fractured his ankle, shattered five bones and pushed the tips of his metatarsal bones through the skin on the bottom of his foot. The amazing thing is that Greene, with the help of a brace and a crutch, is walking and back at work again. His recovery is thanks to a medical procedure described by the doctor who performed it as the first of its kind on Guam. “By far this was the worst case that I’ve seen and the most complicated surgery I’ve had to do,” said Dr. Noel Silan of the Guam Foot Clinic. “When I saw him in the ER, I looked at that foot and said ‘Whoa — I’m not going to wait.’ So I performed the first surgery then and there.” Silan said it took three procedures totaling a little more than seven hours to piece Greene’s foot back together. Silan inserted several plates and screws and performed two bone grafts to hold Greene’s foot together. First, Silan scooped bone from Greene’s heel and grafted it to the injured area at the front of Greene’s foot, so there was less of a chance of Greene’s body rejecting the transplanted bone. Then, he grafted synthetic bone — flown here from California — to Greene’s heel to replace the bone used earlier. The surgeries would have cost Greene somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 were it not for his workman’s compensation coverage, Silan said. Neither Greene nor Silan would reveal the circumstances surrounding the accident because litigation is pending. Greene said after the July 25 incident, he had to wait about 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive and another 10 minutes before he was given painkillers in the emergency room. “When I got to the ER, my first thought was whether or not I’m going to lose the foot and fortunately the doctor was very honest, he was straight up, he told me it was the worst he’d seen but he’d do the best he can,” Greene said. After the first surgery, which did not include the bone grafts, Greene said he noticed some discoloration on his foot. “A lot of times when you do surgery sometimes you have unforeseen complications and he had one. He ended up getting a (post-operative) infection,” Silan said. Greene was under the knife again three days later to have the plates and screws removed from his foot, and was then scheduled for another surgery in four weeks. It’s at that point Silan had to take some time to decide what he would have to do to make Greene able to walk again. As most surgeons do when evaluating a complicated case, Silan sought the input of some of his peers to see if they had any ideas about the next step. Many on island had such differing opinions that he decided to contact fellow podiatrists in the States. “Finally, I called two of my colleagues in California and they both gave me differing opinions on how to do it, but they both basically said to go do the surgery,” he said. “I can guarantee you 100 percent that if I didn’t do the surgery I did, this guy would not have been able to walk for the rest of his life.” Greene endured five weeks of extensive rehabilitation, during which he had to use a device called a bone stimulator that sent electromagnetic shocks through his foot to stimulate healing, and he worked for hours on his range of motion. After that, he was able to walk again with the aid of a crutch. Greene is now back at work and, after a special orthopedic walking brace arrives on island, he will be able to stand on his own two feet. “It was a traumatic experience. The boredom was almost as bad as the pain because you can’t do anything — you can’t work, you’ve got to keep your foot above your heart at all times,” Greene said. “There’s a lot of things you take for granted with an injury like that — showering, putting your pants on — my wife had to do everything. I was offered to go to Hawaii to have the surgery done but I declined because right from the beginning I knew I had the right guy, and now I can walk again. 

UPDATE, OSHA looking into Carver Boat death
By Andy Nelesen
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Wednesday’s death of a 41-year-old Carver Boat Corp. employee. Investigators will look into the death of Randall Pedersen of Cecil, who was crushed between two boats at the company’s shipyard. Pedersen, an employee of Carver for eight years, worked in the company’s testing facility and on quality control, according to Larry Volz, Carver’s executive vice president. Melvin Lischefski, OSHA’s area director, based in Appleton, said investigators would examine how the boats collided and whether any OSHA regulations or safety rules were violated. Pulaski Police Chief Randall Dunford said the initial investigation found “no great negligence.” “As far as what happened out there, it appears to be an industrial accident,” Dunford said. Dunford said the 46-foot, 40,000-pound vessel continued to shift even after the tractor moving it had stopped. The vessel was on casters and crushed Pedersen against another boat already parked. Efforts to reach Pedersen’s family were unsuccessful Thursday. The last major incident at Carver Boat Corp.’s Markham Drive facility was in May 1997, when an explosion rocked one of the company’s eight production lines. Employee Jim Buck was severely burned in the explosion, but survived. Officials believe flammable carpet adhesive caught fire and sparked the explosion. Damages were estimated at $800,000. That incident resulted in an OSHA inquest, two safety citations and a $1,300 penalty. The infraction included one serious violation for hazardous electrical conditions and another citation for improper wiring methods. The penalty was later reduced to $700. The average violation penalty out of the Appleton OSHA office is $800, Lischefski said. Carver was inspected once after the 1997 explosion, an examination based on the company’s high injury/illness rates, Lischefski said. A company’s injury/illness rate is calculated as the number of lost work days because of illness or injury or days on restricted activity per 100 employees. While he would not reveal Carver’s injury/illness rate, citing confidentiality requirements, Lischefski said companies are targeted after their injury/illness rate exceeds 14. The national average is 3. However, the national average injury/illness rate for boat building and repair facilities has ranged from 19 to 27 since 1995, according to OSHA statistics. Thus, many boat builders would fall into the targeted group. The OSHA database indicates that the 1999 inspection generated 11 violations, seven considered serious. Penalties amounted to $16,850 at first, but were later reduced to $7,025. Lischefski said penalties are often reduced — as much as 60 percent — for smaller companies. Larger companies pay in full, he said. Violations in the 1999 inspection included air-contamination issues; problems with lock-out/tag-out procedures, which prevent workers from turning on machines while others perform maintenance or adjustments; and problems around woodworking machines. Volz said the company has focused a lot of attention on safety in recent years, but also pointed out that manufacturing can be a hazardous business. “Our safety record is very good considering the type of processes we use and the products we use to manufacture our product,” Volz said. “There are a lot of irregular parts and angles and edges, and our employees find themselves in spaces with those hazards in the construction process.” Volz said Carver has made strides at identifying dangers and improving safety in recent years. “This is an area we have focused on,” he said. “We are very proud of our safety record.”

Withee Area Man Killed in Farm Mishap
Wisconsin Ag Connection Editors – 11/15/2002
Clark County authorities are investigating the death of a town of Longwood farmer who was killed this week while stacking hay. According to sheriff officials, 30-year-old Brent Hubbard died when a large bale rolled off of a tractor lift and fell on top of him. The accident happened on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities said Hubbard died a short time after the accident.

Man crushed in death in farm accident
BY JULIETTE MAXAM
A MAN has been crushed to death between a forklift truck and a lorry in a horrific accident at an East Anglian farm. The 48-year-old man, who worked for Anglia Grain Services was delivering grain to Mulley’s Farm in Little Bromley, Essex, when the accident happened at 12.40pm yesterday . A spokesperson from the Health and Safety Executive said: “He became trapped between a forklift truck and a seed cleaning and dressing vehicle, which was a medium-sized lorry, and instantly died at the scene. “The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the accident and an inspector has been on site”. Farmer Mary Cooper, of Mulley’s Farm, said: “It was a terribly, terribly tragic accident. We are all very upset and very sad for his family and everybody concerned.” She added: “I didn’t know him personally. He just came round delivering grain with two colleagues.” No-one from Anglia Grain Services, which is based in Nayland, wanted to comment. Officers from Stanway Road policing unit were sent to the farm as they deal with industrial accidents. A spokesman from the unit said last night that the next of kin were still being informed of the tragedy. Police will assist the HSE with the investigation. Ken Hatch of Little Bromley Parish Council said he was shocked to hear about the tragedy. Mr Hatch lives just 200 yards away from the farm in Bentley Road. He said: “This is very sad news and everyone in the village will be shocked to think something like this has happened.” The dead man is not being named at this stage.

CITY GARBAGE TRUCK CRUSHES MAN’S LEGS
By: KENNETH DEAN, Staff Writer November 12, 2002 
Doctors at East Texas Medical Center worked for hours to save the life of a 46-year-old man who was crushed by a city garbage truck while on the job. Officials at ETMC told the Tyler Morning Telegraph the man was still in surgery and in serious condition late Tuesday night. Dan Brotton, director of the Tyler solid waste department, said Lorenza Lockhart was crushed when he slipped and fell under the truck’s tires Tuesday afternoon during the accident in the 1600 block of Warwick Drive. “We are still investigating the incident, but it appears Lorenza and another employee were spotting for the driver so he could back up and make a turn down this alley. He (Lockhart) tried to jump on the back as the truck was still rolling backwards and fell and the truck crushed his legs. The truck had to roll forward to get off of him. That is about all we know at this time,” he said. Lockhart’s co-workers on the truck stood by looking at the scene as each was taken aside and questioned by authorities and city officials. Mary Edwards, city of Tyler communication coordinator, said Lockhart had worked for the city as an employee of Manpower, a temporary agency, and she did not know if the man had family in Tyler. Ms. Edwards said the Solid Waste Department had 15 minor injuries in 2001 and only six in 2000. Those injuries were minor muscle strains and eye injuries from debris. “They really stress safety over at the waste department. They have a safety meeting every Wednesday morning. This is just an unfortunate accident and I’m sure his fellow co-workers will rally around him,” she said. Michelle Cassel, Stewart Blood Center public relations and marketing coordinator, said even before Lockhart’s accident the blood supply was critically short in all blood types. The Tuesday accident was eerily reminiscent of the accident Guadalupe Garcia suffered at Tyler Pipe two weeks ago. “We are short on blood. As soon as Mr. Garcia was out of the headlines, people stopped giving blood. We again need the help of citizens and not only during these emergencies but every day,” Ms. Cassel said. She said the center needs a minimum of 200 units of blood product on the shelves daily. “Problem is most people don’t think of blood shortage as a problem until it affects them personally,” she said. Tyler police public information Officer Chris Moore said the incident appeared accidental. 

UPDATE, Republic man killed in job accident
Robert Chew, 44, died after being hit by a loader at Babcock Disposal, police say. 
By Susan Atteberry Smith News-Leader
A 44-year-old Republic man was killed Monday morning when he walked into the path of a front-end loader at a Springfield waste disposal transfer station. An employee of Babcock Disposal, Robert Chew Jr. was hit by a front-end loader as it backed into the barn at American Disposal, 2115 W. Bennett St., only moments after the loader’s driver saw Chew direct a truck into a bay, then walk away, the Springfield Police Department said. Chew died instantly from blunt-force trauma to the head and chest, said David Brown, investigator for the Greene County Medical Examiner’s office. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will also investigate the accident, Brown said. Because of the Veterans Day holiday, inspectors at OSHA’s regional office in Kansas City could not be reached for comment. Those who knew Chew remembered him as a hard-working man with a deep love for his family, friends and life. “There’s no man that loved his family like he loved us,” said Teresa Chew, his wife of 20 years. After the accident, Babcock co-worker Sam Davis wondered whether a disconnected backup alarm on the loader that hit Chew may have been a factor in the accident. The alarm had been disconnected since the machine’s transmission was fixed several weeks ago, he said. Doug Babcock, co-owner of the Kansas City-based company, wouldn’t comment about the backup alarm, saying he was upset about the accident. “My concerns right now are with the family,” he said. Randy Jensen, general manager of American Disposal in Springfield, also said he would not comment about the accident out of respect for Chew’s family. Chew came to the Springfield area earlier this year from Cuba, Mo., with his wife and three children so he could work as a stone mason. “He had a personality out of this world,” Teresa Chew said. “He loved life, he liked to laugh, and when he liked you, he liked you completely — there were no ifs, ands or buts about it — but if he didn’t, he had no qualms letting you know.” The stonemason work proved too strenuous for Chew, who had struggled with health problems, so he took the job at Babcock. Davis, 23, became quick friends with Chew, even though he had worked with Chew only since June. “He’s a good family man, a hard worker,” said Davis, who had dinner with Chew’s family several times. “I thought he was genuinely a real nice fellow, a good guy.” Though she grieved the loss of the love of her life, she was thankful for the days of laughter and joy they had shared together — especially since he had been battling heart problems for a decade. “We were very blessed to have the extra time with him,” she said. 

Worker Killed at Trash Transfer Site
A contract employee working at a Springfield refuse transfer station was killed early Monday morning, after being run-over by a front loader. Springfield police say the job accident happened 2100 block of West Bennett shortly before 7:00 a.m. Robert Chew, 44, of Cuba, Missouri was killed in the mishap. Police say Chew was an employee of Babcock Disposal, a subcontract company for BFI Industries. Police reports say Chew was working on the floor of the transfer station, looking for hazardous materials from loads of trash brought to the site. Witnesses told police Chew was struck when he walked into the path of the loader as it backed up. 

OSHA probes worker’s death at south Alabama worksite
(Bay Minette-AP) November 7 – A worker died Tuesday night when he was pinned beneath equipment used to move concrete utility poles. Baldwin County Coroner Huey Mack Senior identified the employee as 29-year-old Randolph Norman McCall of White House Fork. Mack said the accident occurred around 7 p.m. at Newmark Industries in Bay Minette. Authorities said McCall was towing a pole when a 4,000 counterweight on the rear of the vehicle flipped over and trapped him. The sheriff’s department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. OSHA is charged with investigating industrial accidents when a person is killed. Company officials were unavailable for comment. 

Gas leak behind Russell school forces evacuation
By Hugo Jimenez
Students and staff at Thomas Russell Middle School were evacuated Tuesday when a gas main ruptured near Milpitas Unified School Districts central kitchen and maintenance, operations and transportation center behind the school. The school was evacuated at approximately 2:20 p.m., 40 minutes before the end of the school day. According to Karl Black, the districts assistant superintendent of operations, the school was evacuated because it was determined the gas would not be shut off before classes ended. Black said students were allowed to either walk home or telephone their parents from nearby Marshall Pomeroy Elementary School. Milpitas Fire Chief Bill Weisgerber said two alarms were called, but no one was injured. Residents on Curtner Drive were also evacuated. Besides fire crews, Milpitas police were at the scene preventing anyone from entering Russell and redirecting traffic from the area. Pacific Gas & Electric crews were working at the scene trying to bring the leak under control by clamping down the gas pipe. Weisgerber said the leak was crimped at 3:25 p.m. Although Weisgerber does not know how much gas was released, he said the 4-inch pipe leaked for 70 minutes. Black said the rupture occurred when a school district employee backed up against the gas main with a forklift. 

Man dies in forklift accident
November 02, 2002 
CHINO — A 49-year-old Montclair resident died Friday morning when the forklift he was driving toppled on him, said coroner’s and police officials. Felix Luis Garzon Zambrano was operating the forklift at fertilizer manufacturer Hyponex in the 15900 block of El Prado Road in Chino when the accident occurred, said Randy Emon, supervising deputy coroner for San Bernardino County. While driving the forklift, Zambrano had the arms of the forklift raised to the upper level, said Chino Police Sgt. John Vega. According to witnesses, the forklift began to fall over and Zambrano jumped off, Vega said. Witnesses said it fell onto Zambrano and he died nearly instantly, Vega said. Zambrano was pronounced dead at the scene, coroner’s officials said. The Chino Police Department is investigating the accident. Cal-OSHA is also expected to investigate. Joe Florkowski 

Worker impaled on rod, Man’s co-workers sawed through bar before rescuers arrived
By Amy Yarbrough STAFF WRITER
BELMONT — A heavy-equipment operator was severely injured Wednesday after his tractor rolled over, impaling him on a 4-foot metal rod. Nedward James Patchett, 28, of El Granada was trying to maneuver the Bobcat on a hillside construction site at 2933 Alhambra Drive, when the accident occurred. Patchett landed on a half-inch diameter bar sticking up from the foundation of a house workers were building on the site, and was lanced through his stomach, police officials said. Patchett’s fellow construction workers freed their trapped colleague by using a hacksaw to cut through the bar. They had already removed him from the cab of the tractor by the time emergency crews arrived. Firefighters, police and paramedics responding to the 3:05 p.m. call found Patchett conscious, next to the tractor with 21/2 feet of the rod sticking from his body, said South County Fire Chief Herb Jewell. Ten South County Fire Authority and Woodside Fire Protection District firefighters and firefighter/paramedics from four fire units responded to the call. The rod was secured so it wouldn’t cause more damage to his body. Patchett was carried down the hillside to an ambulance, Jewell said. Although Belmont police had been working to establish a helicopter landing zone at nearby Cipriani Elementary School, there were no helicopters available. Patchett was transported to Stanford Medical Center by ambulance, where he underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition Wednesday night, according to hospital spokeswoman M.A. Malone. While such injuries are unusual, paramedics receive training in how to deal with impaled patients, Jewell said. 

Welder critically injured in tractor accident
By SHEILA RIESER Advocate Reporter 
ETNA TOWNSHIP — A 48-year-old welder was critically injured Thursday when a 1950s-era tractor he was using to tow a forklift out of gravel overturned, pinning him underneath. James Ramsey of Zanesville suffered multiple head and chest injuries and was transported via emergency helicopter to Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, where he was listed in critical condition today. Surgery might be scheduled for a possible ruptured spleen and a pierced lung, co-workers said. A co-worker in his 20s, whose name was not immediately available, is being credited with rescuing Ramsey. The co-worker immediately got a small backhoe and used it to lift the tractor a few inches, pulled the injured man out and then went to get help, Humphries said. Since August, Ramsey has built metal fences as a subcontractor for The Fence Factory Inc. in Etna Township, according to Rick Humphries, who owns the business in western Licking County. Ramsey was using a forklift to move materials into a new building at the Etna site when the forklift got stuck in some newly poured gravel on a service road, Humphries said. Ramsey apparently tried to tow the forklift out of the gravel with a cable attached to an old 50-horsepower tractor normally used to mow the lawn at the business, Humphries said. The tractor flipped over during the operation. When medics from the West Licking Joint Fire District arrived, Ramsey was breathing on his own, but was not responsive to questions, Capt. Harold Williams said. 

UPDATE, ACCIDENT LED TO WELDER’S FATAL INJURY 
01 November 2002 By Sara Howlett
A MINOR accident resulted in a fatal injury for a welder when a fork lift truck ran over his foot at his Horam workplace, an inquest heard. Kevin Turner, 43, died from a rare condition which caused his blood to clot and block vital glands in his body after his left foot was crushed by the vehicle at Newton Frost and Fencing. Coroner Alan Craze, heard how Mr Turner left the vehicle in gear with the hand brake on and tried to use it to jump start a lorry in the courtyard of the Marle Green business. When he applied the throttle to the fork lift truck to speed up the charge to the battery the heavy machinery lurched backwards and landed on his foot. He was taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital for x-rays which found he had severe bruising but no broken bones, and he took a week off work to recover. In a written statement, Mr Turner’s father, Eric, said his son was hardly ever ill. He added: “Kevin came back from work at about 6.30pm on April 4. He came hobbling in the door and said he had just been to the hospital after his foot was run over by a fork lift. But he was his normal self for the rest of the week. “On the day he died, a week after the accident, we went up to take him a cup of tea and he said he did not feel too right.” Mr Turner said when his son came downstairs he complained he felt terrible and became breathless, and in a short while was unconscious. Despite efforts from his family to resuscitate him, he died at his Hailsham home before paramedics could reach him. Pathologist Dr Jane Mercer, of Eastbourne District General Hospital, said blood clots had blocked Mr Turner’s adrenal glands and prevented hormones, which are vital for stabilising blood flow pressure, from entering his system. She said the condition was extremely unusual and normally only associated with the illnesses meningitis or septicemia. The pathologist added: “But I can conclude that it was down to the injury that Mr Turner died.” The incident was reported to the Health and Safety executive. It found the accident was due to Mr Turner’s personal error. Mr Craze said: “Clearly without the injury the death would not have usually occurred.” The jury at Eastbourne Magistrates Court returned a verdict of accidental death. 

Man seriously hurt in construction accident 
From staff 
Police are investigating an accident at a Jacksonville construction site yesterday that left an 18-year-old man in serious condition. Authorities received a call about 4:30 p.m. that an accident had occurred at the Toyota processing facility being built in the 9900 block of Pritchard Road. Because Wendell Holmes had life-threatening injuries, detectives from the homicide unit were called to the scene. Homicide Sgt. Shannon Douberly said Holmes works for a contractor that was installing fences at the site. He said Holmes was riding on the back of a flatbed trailer when he fell off the truck as it was backing up. Douberly said the truck then rolled over Holmes. Holmes was taken to Shands Jacksonville where he was initially listed in critical condition. His status was upgraded last night to serious. 

Worker injured by fallen machine
Quick-thinking coworkers keep the man’s head above water and get the backhoe loader off him. 
By RICHARD DANIELSON, Times Staff Writer St. Petersburg Times
PALM HARBOR — A construction worker was seriously injured late Tuesday morning when a backhoe loader slipped down an embankment on top of him, but he was pulled from under the machine by quick-thinking coworkers. The worker, whose name was not available, was a 22- or 23-year-old man from Lakeland, authorities said. He was part of a construction crew that was shoring up a drainage ditch behind the Crossroads Chapel near Tampa Road and Alt. U.S. 19 N, when the backhoe loader lost its footing at the edge of the ditch and slid down the bank, said Palm Harbor firefighter/paramedic Kevin Ratzmann. The worker was standing in the bottom of the ditch, which was about 8 to 10 feet deep but held only a few feet of water. “It happened too quick,” foreman James Walton said. “It just backed off the hill and it got him.” Walton said the man ended up under the rear wheels of the 7-ton backhoe loader. Walton jumped from the seat of the machine and held the man’s head above water until two coworkers came over to take his place. Then he used the backhoe’s hydraulic stabilizers to lift the machine off the worker. By the time Palm Harbor Fire Rescue paramedics arrived, colleagues had taken the man out of the ditch and put him on a wooden platform. Equipment operator Fred Allen said the man’s left leg was obviously broken, but otherwise he was awake and talking. He was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg with what authorities said were nonlife-threatening injuries. Palm Harbor rescue officials said getting the backhoe’s weight off the worker was a good thing. “By putting the outriggers out to lift the machinery off of him . . . he was on the right track,” firefighter/paramedic Doug Zimmerman said.

Man crushed to death between two buses
October 30 2002 By Lee Rondganger
Employees of the Durban Transport Department watched in horror on Tuesday as a 28-year-old man was crushed between two municipal buses. Wiseman Mchunu, who worked for Impressive Cleaners, and was contracted to wash buses at the department, was preparing to wash a municipal bus when a second bus rammed into him. Mchunu, who was directing a bus, was crushed to death after the driver of another bus allegedly failed to stop. He was pinned between the two buses for several minutes before emergency personnel from the Afrox medical service and the Durban Metro Fire Department arrived. Mchunu died at the scene. The driver of the bus that hit Mchunu was attended to by paramedics and taken to hospital where he was treated for shock. Eyewitnesses said as Mchunu was directing a bus into the cleaning depot another bus sped towards him, crushing him against the bus he was about to wash. “The driver of the bus hooted several times before hitting him,” said a Durban Transport worker, who did not want to be named. Police have opened a culpable homicide docket. Brett Coetzee, of Impressive Cleaners, refused to comment on the incident and referred all questions about it to Durban Transport. eThekwini municipal manager Dr Mike Suttcliffe said the municipality will work with the police to investigate the incident. “We will have a health and safety consultant who will be undertaking an independent investigation into the matter and I am hoping to get a report within the next few days. “I would also like to send my condolences to the family of the man,” he said. 

UPDATE, Max fines in death of worker
By MELISSA RIDGEN, CALGARY SUN
A Medicine Hat construction company was hit with a $150,000 fine yesterday in connection with the death of one of its employees — the maximum fine allowable for a first offence under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. But the family of Christopher Koch, who was 21 when he died Oct. 14, 2000, said the fine isn’t enough. The young Medicine Hat worker died when he was run over by a paver on Hwy. 549 near Millarville, 45 km southwest of Calgary. His family was in Medicine Hat court yesterday where South Rock Ltd. pleaded guilty to one charge under the Act and received the highest fine possible. Ten other charges were dropped. “It doesn’t seem like much value was placed on our son’s life,” said Christopher’s mother, Sheila Koch. “As far as I’m concerned, if a company is deemed at fault in an employee’s death Worker’s Compensation should step aside and say ‘You’re on your own — we’re not protecting you.’ “We want regulations changed.” The family wants higher fines for companies found at-fault in workplace fatalities. “The only place you can hurt these companies is their bottom line,” the still-grieving mother said. “This is an example of the cost resulting from an unsafe worksite,” said Alberta Human Resources and Employment Minister Clint Dunford. 

Worker killed on city project
He was pinned against a forklift by an 8 1/2-ton generator at the site of a water-treatment plant expansion.
By Ralph Montaño — Bee Staff Writer October 29, 2002
A construction worker was killed Monday morning when he was pinned against a forklift by an 8 1/2-ton generator at a city water-treatment plant expansion project, officials said. The victim, an employee of Kiewit Pacific Co., was identified Monday afternoon as Donald Harrop, 51, of Circle City, Ariz. Authorities said Harrop was guiding the forklift being used to place the 17,000-pound diesel generator on the back of a flatbed trailer when the accident occurred about 8 a.m. at E.A. Fairbairn Treatment Plant on the California State University, Sacramento, campus. The incident is being investigated by Sacramento police and the state Division of Occupation Safety and Health. “We will remain at the site looking at the procedures being used, as well as whether or not the employees were trained in the procedures and if they were being followed,” said Cal-OSHA spokeswoman Susan Gard. Kiewit Pacific Co. of Concord is a branch of Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc. construction company. A company spokesman declined to comment about the accident and referred inquiries to the city of Sacramento. Rita Pasillas, a spokeswoman with the city’s department of water utilities, said the construction was part of a $10 million expansion of the city’s water system. The facility where the death occurred draws water from the American River and sends it to a water treatment plant where it is converted into drinking water, Pasillas said. The city has a similar plant on the Sacramento River, and together the two plants produce 75 percent of Sacramento’s drinking water. The rest comes from groundwater. In June 2001, the city began expansion of the intake facility on the American River that would increase the amount of water handled daily from 60 million gallons to 120 million. The project’s completion is scheduled for December, Pasillas said. About 50 construction workers are at the site every day, officials estimated. Monday’s accident occurred not in the intake facility itself, but in a nearby dirt lot. Cal-OSHA’s Gard said a cable harness attached under the arms of the forklift was being used to lift the generator, which measured 6 feet by 10 feet by 6 feet. “The forklift was having trouble lifting the load high enough to get on the truck,” Gard said. Harrop, a spotter for the forklift driver, was moving between the vehicle and the generator when the harness slipped down the raised arms of the forklift. Police said a corner of the generator swung toward the forklift, pinning Harrop’s torso against the left front tire of the forklift. According to records with the U.S. Department of Labor, Kiewit Pacific Co., has been the subject of 79 Cal-OSHA investigations since 1990, and 33 have resulted in citations being issued. Gard said the only previous problem reported at the Sacramento site was a complaint filed in July that there were not enough bathrooms. 

Worker suffers head injuries in forklift fall at Denair firm 
By PATRICK GIBLIN BEE STAFF WRITER 
DENAIR — A plaster company worker suffered severe head injuries Friday afternoon in a fall off a forklift in an alley off Main Street, authorities said. A helicopter ambulance landed in a church parking lot four blocks away and took Bill Samuels, 33, to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. He was listed in critical condition Friday evening. The accident was reported just before 2 p.m. at McClure Plastering. Gary Womack, another employee, said he found Samuels on the ground near the forklift, unconscious. No one saw the accident. Samuels had been in the process of dumping plaster and other debris into a Dumpster. First he used the forklift to hoist two 55-gallon drums that held the debris, and then he apparently climbed atop the forklift to finish the job. He came to prior to going to the hospital, and told emergency crews that he had fallen.

Cook County highway worker dies in accident
NEWS TRIBUNE
A Cook County Highway Department worker is dead following a bulldozer accident Thursday morning. The man was thrown from the CAT-D5H Dozer about 10:15 a.m. on a work site along the Caribou Trail, or County Road 4, in Lutsen, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Department. The bulldozer then struck him. He died at the scene. Authorities were trying to notify the man’s family Thursday, so his identity was not released. The cause of the accident is under investigation. 

Workers escape after forklift hits building – Firefighters combat electrocution threat, save car rental staff 
2002-10-25 Journal Staff
KIRKLAND — A forklift smashed into a support column at a Hertz Rental warehouse here Thursday morning, but firefighters safely evacuated workers minutes before part of the roof collapsed. The collision broke a post that supported a roof beam, which in turn severed electrical wires and a sprinkler system pipe, said Battalion Chief Mike Haschak, who was among those responding to the 9:35 a.m. alarm. When he arrived at the warehouse at 11801 N.E. 116th St., Haschak said, electricity was arcing at the ceiling and a several-thousand-gallon lake was forming in the warehouse. “We were concerned about the electrocution hazard,” as well as the chance of collapse, Haschak said. Fire officials evacuated five people from the most affected area, and four others from another part of the building, and had all utilities shut off. Ten minutes after the building was evacuated, 20 minutes after firefighters arrived, firefighters heard a roar and a 4,000-square-foot section of the roof collapsed, said Robin Paster, public information officer for the Kirkland Fire Department. Kirkland building inspectors have red-tagged the building. It will remain closed until repairs are made and a structural engineer has determined it safe, Haschak said.