Slips, Trips & Falls page 5

Slip, Trips, and Falls #5

updated 05/06/2010

 

Construction worker hurt in fall at casino site
From Press staff reports
ATLANTIC CITY – A construction worker fell off a ladder on a sub-roof at the Showboat Casino-Hotel Tuesday but escaped serious injury, police said. Craig Bauzenberger, 31, of Williamstown, fell about 15 feet as he was walking up the ladder carrying coffee, but suffered only a minor hand injury, according to authorities. The incident happened shortly before 10 a.m. Last week two construction workers were hurt, one seriously, after falling about 20 feet from a partially constructed structure at Tropicana Casino and Resort. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating that accident.

Asbestos worker dies in fall at Jones Hall
By S.K. BARDWELL Houston Chronicle
A construction worker died overnight when he fell 70 feet from a scaffold in the attic of Jones Hall. The accident happened around 3 a.m. Employees of Certified/LVI Environmental Services had been hired to remove asbestos in the building at 615 Louisiana work from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. because the noise of the work interferes with rehearsals and performances, said Pete Radowick, communications manager for Jones Hall. The company has been working at the building for two months, and has about four months of work remaining, Radowick said. The man who died was a licensed asbestos technician, Radowick said. His name is being withheld until authorities can notify his family of his death. The worker was on a 12-foot-wide scaffold when he apparently fell through the boards, officials said. Radowick said the man’s co-workers told others he just turned, and the man was gone. The man tumbled through the building’s travertine marble facade, which is also being renovated because it was crumbling. The worker landed atop the sidewalk scaffolding that protects pedestrians from falling material outside the building at the corner of Louisiana and Texas, Radowick said. The man’s co-workers performed CPR on him after the accident until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Radowick said inspectors from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will arrive this afternoon to investigate the accident.

Two Firefighters Hurt In Ladder Accidents 
Tuesday November 05, 2002 11:00am 
Oklahoma City (AP) – Two Oklahoma City firefighters were hurt yesterday after falling off a ladder while battling a blaze. Firefighters were on the roof of a house on Southeast 33rd when the fire inside intensified and they were ordered down. Major Steve Abbott stepped onto a ladder that hadn’t locked into place and fell eight feet to the ground. Corporal Jay Dooner later slipped from the a ladder and sprained his ankle. Crews discovered a methamphetamine lab inside the vacant house, which had no electricity or gas service. Abbott was treated and released from the hospital and Dooner wasn’t seriously hurt.

Steel worker fights for his life after accident 
04.11.2002 
A worker said to have worked tirelessly to improve conditions at Pacific Steel was yesterday fighting for his life in hospital after an industrial accident. Danny Campbell, 47, is in a critical condition in Middlemore Hospital, with head injuries, after falling six metres off a platform at the Fletcher Building-owned site in Otahuhu, Auckland. Devastated colleagues were praying for a miracle, said EPMU assistant Auckland regional secretary Gavin Bell. “They can’t believe that so soon after the last tragedies another workmate has been felled.” Mr Campbell’s accident comes within months of the deaths of two maintenance subcontractors when they were hit by a two tonne bundle of steel that fell from a crane. In 1998 two men also died in accidents at the mill and another was seriously injured. Mr Campbell is a union delegate at the smelter site and was an inspiration to fellow workers, said Mr Bell. “He is a natural leader who has worked tirelessly to improve the working conditions on the site. That he should be involved in such an accident is a tragedy. “The union was very concerned for the safety of workers at the site. Occupational Health and Safety was still investigating late yesterday but Auckland regional manager John Forrest said it appeared Mr Campbell had been removing steel rubbish. “He’s fallen off and has caused himself serious harm.” Fletcher Building’s chief executive of building products and steel group, Andrew Reding, said Mr Campbell had suffered head injuries and the melt shop where the accident happened had been shut down afterwards and then the rest of the plant closed. “He’s an experienced operator carrying out an operation he’s done many times before and in the course of that fell off a platform.” Shaken workers will be briefed about the accident tomorrow morning and a restart of the operation discussed. – NZ HERALD 

Guam Shipyard worker’s death under investigation
By Dionesis Tamondong Pacific Sunday NewsA Guam Shipyard employee died yesterday from what officials say were serious injuries he sustained while on the job. Several investigations have begun to sort out the details of the incident, said Bill Hanlon, Guam Shipyard chief operating officer. “It was an accident, and we’re not exactly sure how it happened,” Hanlon said. The accident happened about 9:15 a.m. yesterday at the Shipyard, located inside the Navy base in Piti. The man and other employees were cleaning up a steel yard, Hanlon said, “gathering extra pieces of steel and stuff and were stacking it.” The employee somehow fell onto a metal grating, Hanlon said. The man, who is from Agat and worked as a forklift operator, was taken to Naval Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Guam Police Department spokesman Officer A.J. Balajadia. “It was not reported to police until about 12 p.m.,” Balajadia said. “The details remain unclear at this point as to how the man was injured.” The police department and Navy police have begun their investigations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will begin their investigation tomorrow, Hanlon said. 

Firefighter killed in blaze
A firefighter has died while tackling a fire in a disused hosiery factory in Leicester. Bob Miller, 44, was killed as 70 firefighters dealt with the fire in the three-storey complex in the early hours of Thursday. Mr Miller was one of the first firefighters into the building and it is believed he fell. A police and fire service investigation has started into the cause of the fire and the circumstances of the death. The tragedy occurred ahead of the second day of talks aimed at averting a national firefighters’ strike. Fire Brigades Union leaders said the meeting was “constructive”, but there could still be a strike on 6 November if further pay talks break down. Mr Miller had been in the service for 25 years and leaves wife Jane and two children aged 14 and 17. He is the first firefighter to be killed in service in Leicestershire for 25 years. The last firefighter to be killed on duty in the UK was Paul Metcalfe from the Greater Manchester service in 1999. Chief fire officer David Webb, from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, told BBC News Online: “We are absolutely devastated. “It sounds a bit like a cliché, but it is like losing a family member. “These people have been friends for many, many years. “People can imagine how bad it is – from our perspective. “It is the most tragic thing that can happen in the fire service – when we lose one of our own. Thankfully it is very rare. “He was one of the first men to go into the building and it appears he had some kind of accident. At this time it is not clear why he fell and we do not know the exact cause of death.” The flag at Eastern Fire Station in Leicester, where Mr Miller was based, was at half mast on Thursday. Fire Brigade Union secretary Andy Gilchrist said Thursday’s talks between unions and employers would be overshadowed by the death. “Naturally I’m saddened by the tragic death of the firefighter in Leicester and on behalf of the executive council send our sincere condolences to the friends and the family”, he said. The last firefighter to die on active duty was Paul Metcalfe from the Greater Manchester service in 1999. Thursday’s fire, which started in the first and second floors of the building, was eventually brought under control at 0500 GMT.

UPDATE, VP, Construction Co. to Stand Trial for Worker’s Death
Reported by Cheryl Chodun 
Everyone agrees it was a tragic accident, but was it a crime? Wednesday in a highly unusual case, a judge decided a Roseville construction company and one of its executives should stand trial in the death of a worker. The prosecution says that Lanzo Construction Company recklessly disregarded the safety and well-being of its workers. The defense says the worker who died was experienced and he disregarded the safety measures he should have used. 37-year-old Angelo D’Allesandro, the vice president of Lanzo Construction Company, could go to prison for 15 years if convicted of manslaughter in connection with the death of one of his workers. Robert Whiteye died in May of 1999 when rain-soaked dirt and clay caved in while he was laying a sewer pipe in a trench along Nine Mile Road in Southfield. Robert Whiteye died in May of 1999 when dirt and clay caved in while he was in a trench. The prosecution, the State of Michigan, claims Lanzo Construction and D’Allesandro, who was overseeing the project but was reportedly not at the site when it happened, were reckless and careless and showed total disregard for worker safety. The one witness for the defense, reported to be an expert on trenches, disagrees. “Did this accident occur because Lanzo vice president reduced the size of the trench box from eight feet to four feet in width?” the attorney asked. “No.” But when all was said and done, the judge bound the corporation and D’Allesandro over for trial on the manslaughter charge, which brought great relief to Whiteye’s wife and daughter. They would not talk about the case, but would talk about their loss. “It’s been three years and we have had five new babies in the family that didn’t have a grandfather. That’s probably a big thing,” said Alicia Whiteye, Robert’s daughter. “Obviously sympathy goes out to the Whiteye family, but Mr. D’Allesandro is not the responsible party or the cause of this particular death,” said Mitchell Ribitwer, defense attorney. “He was a wonderful man, and our family has lost a lot in that alone,” Alicia said. “We will have the circuit judge review Judge Cooper’s findings and I’m sure that we’ll prevail and will be vindicated here,” Ribitwer said. The charges came from the attorney general’s office and some on the defense side suggest that when the charges came down, Jennifer Granholm was deciding to run for governor. In a statement Wednesday, Jennifer Granholm said that has absolutely nothing to do with it. She said the attorney general’s office is committed to protecting workers, and family, and safety. If this does go to trial, if D’Allesandro is convicted, he could go to prison for 15 years. If the corporation is convicted, the fine would be $7,500. 

One dead in water tower collapse 
The Associated Press 
GRANVILLE COUNTY, N.C.(AP) – A water tower under construction collapsed Wednesday, killing one person and injuring three others. The 500,000-gallon tank was under construction south of Butner. Authorities say workers were lifting a section of the bowl with a crane when it collapsed. “It appears that the internal crane collapsed. They had a couple of employees on the walkway at the time when it happened,” said Chief Danny Roberts, of the Butner Public Safety Department. One worker, 35-year-old Michael Burton of Marietta, Ohio, died when a piece of metal hit him. The three others who were injured were transported to Duke Medical Center. Investigators have not said what led to the collapse, but said the scene was considered unstable. 

5 hurt when new Scottsboro City Hall floor falls, Collapse occurs as workers are pouring concrete in structure 
10/30/02 By DAVID BREWER Times Staff Writer 
SCOTTSBORO – Five construction workers were injured this morning when the second floor in Scottsboro’s new City Hall collapsed as workers were pouring concrete for the floor. A Fire Department spokesman identified four of the workers as Tim Mayberry, 33; Vannie Malone, 58; Coley Patrick, 56; and Joe Stinnett, 56, all of Athens. The fifth worker’s name was not immediately known. The workers’ conditions were not immediately available, but authorities said they did not believe the injuries were life-threatening. Fire Chief Melton Potter was on the phone at the fire hall across the street and looking out the front window when he saw the floor collapse. ”I hollered at the guys (firefighters) and told them we needed to go over there,” he said. ”It was one of those things you see and wonder if you really saw it.” Authorities said the workers got away from the second floor as it collapsed. ”They were lucky the injuries were not more serious,” Potter said. The new City Hall building and a new Fire Station No. 1, being built by another contractor, are near the southwest corner of the Jackson County Courthouse square and across the street from the present Fire Station No. 1. Authorities said they will not know what caused the collapse until an investigation is completed. A representative of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was expected to arrive at the scene today. Baggette Construction Inc. of Decatur began work on the $1.1 million, 15,000-square-foot building in August and was scheduled to complete it about June. Mayor Ron Bailey said he does not know how long the project will be delayed. Authorities said workers had poured about eight cubic yards of cement on the second floor when it collapsed. Afterward, the south wall of the building leaned inward. The project’s architect is Mouzan and Associates of Huntsville. 

Illinois man killed when radio tower collapses 
October 30, 2002
CENTRALIA, MO.- Federal officials were investigating the death of an Illinois man who was killed when a radio transmission tower collapsed. Sean Burroughs, 29, of West Frankfort, Ill., was killed Tuesday when the 400-foot KMFC-FM tower he was repairing outside Centralia twisted and fell. Burroughs was secured to the tower with a rope _ about 120 feet in the air _ when he fell. Burroughs, who was part of a four-man crew working for the Henderson, Ky.-based Nationwide Tower Company, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three co-workers at the site were uninjured. Jerry Clair, owner of the Centralia-based Christian-format radio station, had contracted with Nationwide Tower to do maintenance work on the tower, including replacing steel cables that support the tower. Manuel Olmedo, area director of federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration, said Wednesday that he had dispatched one OSHA official to the area. “We’re looking to ascertain what the cause of the accident was and also if the employer was following safe practices,” Olmedo said. Olmedo said the investigation would likely take about three months. Officials from Nationwide Tower declined to comment. 

Scaffolding structure collapses in Liverpool
A scaffolding erected in Croxteth, Liverpool has collapsed while three men were on the 15-metre tall structure. One of the men remains in a critical condition having sustained serious head injuries, his fellow workers also sustained major injuries. A nine-year-old boy passenger in a car which was crushed by the structure was dramatically rescued by a shop assistant as the fallen members slowly compressed the car’s roof. 

Worker’s falling death to be probed 
By FROM STAFF REPORTS 
The N.C. Department of Labor announced Thursday it will investigate the death of a Henderson County factory worked who died as a result of an industrial accident. Edmund Carswell, 59, fell off a 5 foot 6 inch platform Oct. 24 while loading rolls of fabric to be used in a spreading machine at the Bon Worth factory, according to plant officials. Carswell lost his footing and landed on the left side of his body. He suffered severe brain swelling from the fall and was flown to Mission St. Joseph’s Health System, where he underwent acute care and surgery. The swelling in the brain continued and his health deteriorated until Carswell died Thursday afternoon, his son Brian Carswell said. Carswell worked at the Bon Worth plant on Thompson Road for 15 years. He had two sons and one grandchild. The state department of labor and Bon Worth officials said it was the first workplace fatality for the plant. Bon Worth Inc. had a prior workplace safety citation from OSHA in 1998 for “eye and face protection” violations and was fined $525. 

UPDATE, G.I. police release identity of man killed in fall at CNH
October 28, 2002
Juan Jimenez-Lemus, 38, of Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, has been identified as the person who died Friday night while working as a subcontracted laborer at the Case New Holland manufacturing plant in Grand Island. Jimenez-Lemus was working for One de Mexico when he fell while installing insulation at CNH, said the police in the initial report on the accident. The accident happened about 10:35 p.m. Friday. Jimenez-Lemus was working on a ceiling that was an estimated 12 feet to 14 feet from the floor. The work was related to construction of a paint system at the plant. Grand Island police Capt. Pete Kortum said Jimenez-Lemus apparently came to work in the United States about a month ago. Kortum said police do not know how long Jimenez-Lemus has lived in Grand Island or the Grand Island area. Kortum said police were unable to determine a Grand Island address for Jimenez-Lemus. 

Worker dies in fall at CNH
October 27, 2002 By Sarah 
A subcontracted laborer was killed Friday night when he fell while working at the Case New Holland manufacturing plant in Grand Island. Grand Island police Capt. Dale Hilderbrand said the man’s name was not being released Saturday pending notification of his relatives. The man was working for One de Mexico and fell while installing insulation at CNH, 3445 W. Stolley Park Road, Hilderbrand said. The man was not a CNH employee, Hilderbrand said. Police do not know how far the man, fell but the ceiling he was working on is 12 to 14 feet from the floor, he said. Hilderbrand did not know if anyone witnessed the fall, which occurred around 10:35 p.m. Friday. The man was taken to St. Francis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Hilderbrand said. According to the Associated Press, the man suffered massive head trauma as a result of the fall. CNH Plant Manager Steve Lee said the work the man was doing related to the construction of a paint system. Hilderbrand did not have a date of birth for the man but said he was Hispanic. An address for One de Mexico was not available. Police officers are commonly sent on calls relating to industrial accidents that involve serious injuries, he said. 

Fumes fell man on job in Hudson
HUDSON, Mich. – A Toledo man is recovering from a head injury suffered Thursday after he apparently passed out from noxious fumes at work. Mark Pegish, 44, was listed in fair condition in Toledo Hospital yesterday. The Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office reported Mr. Pegish, an employee of Hastings HVAC Service, was working on a compressor at Rima Manufacturing Co. in this Lenawee County community. A fellow employee heard Mr. Pegish fall and found him unconscious at the bottom of a ladder. Mr. Pegish told deputies he had sprayed a chemical to loosen some screws and began to feel dizzy. He started down the ladder when he apparently passed out.

Firefighters rescue worker who fell on roof
The Gazette Friday, October 25, 2002
CEDAR RAPIDS — Firefighters on Thursday lowered an injured worker from the roof of a building where he’d fallen. The worker fell about one story from a neighboring building onto the roof of Muddy Waters bar and restaurant, 415 First St. SE, shortly after 8:15 a.m., said Fire Department spokesman Dave Koch. Firefighters put the injured man in a stretcher basket, then used their truck’s ladder boom to lower the basket to the ground, Koch said. The injured worker, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries Koch said were “not life-threatening.” 

Three Workers Fall at Tropicana
Atlantic City – October 25, 2002 — Police say three workers at a Tropicana Casino and Resort construction site fell to the ground yesterday when the structure they were standing on collapsed. The city engineer says the workers were standing on a one-story prefabricated panel of concrete at about nine o’clock in the morning when the structure gave way. Antonio Deshazo of Pleasantville suffered a head injury and Lindenwold resident Johnny J. Caldwell sustained a pelvic injury. Police would not identify the third victim, who refused treatment. The site is part of the casino’s 225 (m) million dollar expansion project on the south side of Pacific Avenue near Brighton Avenue. Police turned the investigation over to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

Workers Fall From Fort Worth Construction Site
October 24, 2002
FORT WORTH, Texas — Two construction workers have reportedly fallen from the top of the third floor of an apartment building they were working on in Fort Worth. The accident happened around 8 a.m. Thursday in the 6200 block of Shady Oaks Manor Drive in west Fort Worth. The framing crew was reportedly working on a platform about three stories high when the two men slipped and fell onto muddy ground. CareFlite took both men to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital. Both were fully conscious, police and construction workers said. The construction site is closed until the mud from recent rain showers dries up. 

OSHA fines Goodyear for safety violations
By VICTOR REKLAITIS / Register & Bee staff writer Oct 24, 2002
DANVILLE, Va. – The Virginia branch of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the Goodyear-Danville plant for a number violations with proposed fines totaling $8,275. OSHA is investigating an Aug. 21 incident in which a worker is reported to have been injured after slipping on grease and landing on beams that were lying on a work floor. The federal watchdog agency also cited Goodyear for not properly training or informing employees who were exposed to potentially hazardous materials, as well as not properly monitoring exposure to those materials. Goodyear-Danville may now request an informal conference with regional OSHA officials to discuss the citations, according to OSHA regulations. The company can contest the citations, fines and abatement periods, or correct the violation items that the agency identified and pay the proposed fines. “This is an open investigation. It would not be appropriate for us to comment,” said Heather Franks, communications manager at Goodyear-Danville. “Once the investigation has been closed, we will evaluate any citations and review our options.” The citations, which were issued on Oct. 1 and Oct. 17, were made public on Wednesday. OSHA classified several violations as “serious.” According to the agency’s guidelines, this classification means the hazards related to the violations “would probably cause death or serious physical harm.” Franks declined to say if the company has appealed the citations. Typically, a company must request an informal conference or contest citations within 15 days of when they were issued, according to OSHA guidelines. The Oct. 1 citation contained the following violations and proposed fines totaling $2,275: n a work floor was not kept properly clean, and a worker is reported to have been injured on Aug. 21 after slipping on grease and landing on beams that were lying on the floor ($1,300), n the plant did not properly inform and train employees who, while painting in a carbon black room and shed area, were exposed to potentially hazardos chemicals like enamel paint and carbon black ($975). The Oct. 17 citation listed the following violations and proposed fines totaling $6,000: n the plant did not keep surfaces as free as possible of accumulations of lead ($1,125), n the company did not properly monitor and accurately determine airborne concentrations of asbestos, a potentially hazardous material ($1,875), n employees working with thermal system insulation or surfacing material were not provided with a “negative exposure assessment” and directed to wear respirators up to OSHA standards ($1,875), n the plant did not provide a proper training program for employees likely to be exposed, in excess to OSHA’s exposure limits, to hazardous materials like asbestos ($1,125), n the company did not test if employees might be exposed to lead above an amount of 30 micrograms per one cubic meter of air, averaged over an 8-hour period, and did not inform employees of the contents of relevant appendices to OSHA regulations. This violation was classified as “other than serious” by the agency, meaning it “will not cause death or serious physical harm but is directly related to safety and health,” according to OSHA guidelines ($0). The Oct. 1 citation was issued following an OSHA inspection in response to an employee complaint. At that point, the OSHA inspector notified an asbestos and lead inspector that another inspection might be necessary, according to Nancy Jakubec, director of cooperative programs at Virginia’s branch of OSHA. The subsequent inspection led to the Oct. 17 citation. OSHA inspections can be random or in response to complaints from employees, Jakubec said. “Goodyear operates all of its facilities with the safety of its associates uppermost in our mind, and Goodyear-Danville has an outstanding safety record,” said Clint Smith, manager of communications for Goodyear’s North American tire business unit, based in Akron, Ohio. According to OSHA records, Goodyear-Danville was last cited for a serious violation in November 2000 and fined $562. In December 2001, the plant was cited for four “other than serious” violations with no fines. Prior to that, the local plant was cited on two occasions in 1995 for serious violations with $2,669.58 and $1,125 fines, as well as in 1994 for a serious violation with a $1,000 fine. A Goodyear-Danville employee was killed in February 1989 after a metal pallet fell onto his back. An employee’s finger was partially amputated as a result of an accident in November 1988. Dana Dixon, communications director for United Steelworkers Local 831, which represents Goodyear-Danville workers, declined to comment on the most recent citations.

UPDATE, OSHA will investigate man’s death
By MELISSA GRIFFY Tribune Staff Writer 
SUGARCREEK — Less than a week after the death of 31-year-old Mark Lyons, Belden Brick Co. Inc. is under investigation. Lyons, of Fresno, died Saturday of injuries he sustained Oct. 14, when he fell 35 feet through a skylight on the roof of the Belden Brick plant in Sugarcreek, where he worked. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration began the investigation earlier this week, and the Columbus-area director, Deborah Zubaty, said she thinks it could last up to three months. “We will do a thorough investigation,” Zubaty said Thursday. OSHA’s investigation will include interviews with Belden employees and management, an examination of the accident scene and a review of the company’s job safety and health policies. OSHA was notified by a Belden representative of the incident following Lyons’ death on Oct. 19. Lyons remained in serious condition in the surgical intensive care unit at Akron General Hospital until his death. According to a report from the Sugarcreek Police Department, witnesses reported Lyons was among four workers on the plant’s roof closing vents. In an earlier interview, Doug Mutschelknaus, Belden plant superintendent, said the vents are closed annually for winter. He said officials think Lyons stepped backward onto the skylight, which broke beneath him. Mutschelknaus said procedures at the plant would not change as a result of the accident. “The only thing we can do is make people more aware,” he said. “They’ve been doing this for 30 years, and this is the first accident.” Zubaty said Belden will be required to implement a change in their policy if OSHA regulations have been violated. “We want to protect workers so incidents like this do not happen again,” she said. Mutschelknaus could not be reached for comment Thursday. Lyons worked at Belden Brick for nearly four years. He was to be a father in December, when his wife, the former Carol Eickleberry, is expecting the birth of their first child. 

Painter Dies in Freak Accident in Fairfax 
Fairfax – Fairfax County police are investigating a tragic accident that happened in Fairfax this week. On Tuesday around 11:15 a.m. in the 12000 block of Grays Pointe Road a man fell 25-to-30 feet from the roof of an apartment building and died. Police have identified him as 44-year-old Ernesto Rivera of Sterling. Rivera was on the roof of the apartment painting when for unknown reasons he lost his footing and fell. Several other workers, including Rivera’s brother were working on the apartment building but did not see what caused Rivera to fall. Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also conducting an investigation. 

Worker Dies After Falling in Raleigh Silo
By Jim Hill
A Wake County man is dead after an accident at a Raleigh concrete plant. Wednesday afternoon rescue crews tried to find a worker who somehow fell into a silo. It all happened at Thomas Concrete on West Street near downtown Raleigh. Jimmy Baines appeared helpless as he prayed for a miracle. “He’s my best buddy,” Baines said. “He’s my best buddy.” “We discovered that there was an individual that was trapped in one of the silos that holds dry cement,” said Chief Tommie Styons with the Raleigh Fire Department. Emergency crews said Nathan Earl Williams got trapped inside the silo at Thomas Concrete in Raleigh at around two o’clock. “He’s the only one that can keep me going at this plant,” Baines said. “I’m waiting on his wife and daughter now.” Within minutes, Nathan’s wife rushed to the scene confused as his co-worker tried to comfort her. “The more time that passes, the more grave the circumstances might be,” Styons said earlier Wednesday. That unbearable news was hard for Cathy Williams to take as light turned to darkness. By then, more family members gathered together where Nathan had worked as a yardman for more than 21 years. The painstaking attempts to find Nathan proved extremely difficult. “The silo itself was a half inch of steel, so trying to cut a hole in something like that and make a to get the product out was certainly a cumbersome and challenging task,” Styons said. About five hours after rescue crews arrived to save Nathan, his body was finally recovered. “I can’t believe it… still I don’t have words for it,” Baines said. “He was like a brother to me when I worked here.” Ervin Pete worked called his friend a devoted worker many people will never forget. “…You know, he was a very loyal worker. I know Thomas Concrete will miss him, I will miss him, and everybody that’s worked with him will miss him. I just hate to see it happen.” 

Worker injured after slipping at construction site
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – A 44-year-old Temecula man broke his leg early Wednesday while working on a holding tank for the Cucamonga County Water District, firefighters said. Tom Cole, who works for a construction company hired by the water district, was at a construction site at 5815 Etiwanda Ave. at 8:27 a.m. when he slipped and fell two to three feet. “He was scaling one of the walls, fell backwards and broke one of his legs,’ said Rancho Cucamonga fire Capt. Steve Campbell. “It was such an odd set-up that we had to use a crane to lift him out.’ A fire rescue team used the crane to lift the man from the 18-foot-deep tank. After the 40-minute rescue, firefighters took the man to San Antonio Community Hospital for treatment. “When we lifted him out, he was in pain, but he was conscious and coherent,’ Campbell said. 

Worker hurt on UI construction site
By Kelley Casino and Tony Robinson – The Daily Iowan
The Iowa City Fire Department rescued a man working on the new UI honors building Wednesday after he accidentally fell into a 30-foot-deep elevator shaft. After a 45-minute rescue effort, firefighters lifted the worker and his rescuer to safety using a rope attached to a ladder truck. Authorities would not comment on his injuries but said he was conscious and stable. Following standard procedure, the unidentified construction worker had removed his safety harness to reposition himself while working in the shaft, said Iowa City police Officer Dave Schwindt. After removing the safety harness, he fell from scaffolding inside the hole. Battalion Fire Chief Jim Humston said the hole allowed limited access to the worker, forcing Iowa City firefighters to lower a rescuer into the shaft to secure the worker onto a stretcher. “He is awake and talking,” Schwindt said while the man was still in the shaft and the rescue was being prepared. The worker was hooked up to an IV, and had his right pants leg cut open for a possible leg injury. He was transported to the UI Hospitals and Clinics by the Johnson County Ambulance Service within one hour of the initial call. The injured man is an employee of Wisconsin-based Miron Construction Co. Inc., which was contracted by the UI to build the Blank Honor Center. Work on the $13.9 million project began in April; it is expected to be finished in September 2003. Plans call for a basement and six floors totaling 58,900 square feet. It appears the worker fell down the service elevator, which will connect the first floor service entrance with the basement. The man’s co-workers refused comment while leaving the site following the rescue. According to the company’s Web site, Miron has received seven safety performance awards and maintains the philosophy: “It is unacceptable for anyone to get hurt on a Miron project.” UI police were still investigating the incident Wednesday night. 

Worker dies in fall from roof at Taylorsville building site 
The Courier-Journal 
A Louisville man died early Tuesday after he fell off a roof at a construction site in Taylorsville. Ricky H. Raley, 46, fell about 30 feet from the roof, which was wet from a light frost and dew, about 8:15 a.m., Spencer County Coroner Dennis McClain said yesterday. Raley worked for Realty Improvement, which is building an assistedliving apartment building in Taylorsville. Raley slipped despite strips nailed to the unfinished roof to keep workers from sliding, McClain said. Raley died of closed head injuries, McClain said. 

N.C. Fair Worker Struck, Killed By Ride, Girl’s Legs Hit Man Standing On Ride Platform
October 24, 2002
RALEIGH, N.C. — A worker at the North Carolina State Fair was killed after being struck and thrown by a ride along the midway Thursday morning. Department of Agriculture spokeman Mike Blanton said the accident happened around 10:55 a.m. Blanton said the worker, a 10-year veteran of midway vendor Amusements of America, was standing on the platform of the Bonzai ride when he was struck by the legs of a teenage girl on the ride. The ride is described as a dual pendulum ride. The worker, a ride assistant, was knocked from the platform, struck by the ride and was thrown over the top of the neighboring Starship ride. The worker reportedly landed near a pizza stand. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. An Amusements of America spokeman said the worker, originally from Philadelphia, had taken a year off from his job and had returned specifically to work at the North Carolina State Fair. Blanton said the unidentified girl was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Both rides and a section of the midway, including some concession stands, remain closed pending an investigation. Blanton stressed that the accident was not due to a malfunction. Rides supplied by vendor Amusements of America were inspected by the state Department of Labor and an independent company prior to the opening of the fair last Friday. It is the company’s first year at the N.C. State Fair. A spokeman for Amusements of America said it is the first fatality of an employee in the 20 years he has been with the company. Two months ago, Re-mix, a ride from Amusements of America, broke loose in Ohio, injuring two people. That ride is not at the state fair. The state fair remains open.

Man survives 100-foot fall 
By Darla McFarland  The Examiner 
A contract worker survived a 100-foot fall from a water tower in Independence Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said. Richard Whiting, Jr., 21 of Kansas City, was conscious and alert when emergency workers arrived. He complained of upper back pain and had a contusions on his head but no apparent major injuries or paralysis, an ambulance supervisor said. Witnesses said Whiting hit a few cross-bars and a metal shelf on the way down. He landed on grass. Whiting was transported to Independence Regional Health Center. He was listed in good condition this morning. Whiting was working with a crew on a cellular phone antenna attached to the 110-foot water tower. Another worker became trapped on the tower and was rescued by fire crews. Both men were wearing safety harnesses. It was unclear if the harness failed or was improperly secured. 

Texas firm to fight fine in TV tower fatality
BY PAUL HAMMEL WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER 
A Texas company plans to contest a recommended fine of $12,000 for federal safety violations that led to a fatal accident this spring atop a 1,524-foot-tall television tower near Bassett, Neb. Monte Davis, president of ProComm Communications of Groves, Texas, said Tuesday that it was unfair to fine his firm because it had hired another company, East Mississippi Towers, to do the work. Davis added that if his company was being held responsible for any safety violations, the general contractor that hired him, Nationwide Tower, also should be fined, as well as the owner of the tower, the Nebraska Educational Television Network. “Logically, we should not be involved in this,” Davis said. A 29-year-old worker from Mississippi, Tim Culpepper, was struck and killed by falling debris April 22 when a hoisting cable, used to lift a new digital TV antenna cable in place, snapped atop the tower, 17 miles south of Bassett. Last week, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration released its preliminary report on the accident, recommending fines of $12,100 against East Mississippi Towers of Meridian, Miss., the subcontractor on the job, and $12,000 against ProComm, the company that hired them. OSHA’s report cited eight safety violations that indicated that safety precautions were ignored and equipment was misused, damaged or overloaded. 

UPDATE, Company May Be Fined After Worker’s Death; Feds Say Violations Included Inadequate Safety Barriers 
October 22, 2002 
CONCORD, N.H. — The government proposes fining a Lyme, N.H., contractor more than $17,000 for safety violations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the violations included inadequate safety barriers at a Hanover, N.H., construction site elevator shaft where a worker fell to his death in August. Randy Raynor, 33, of Windsor, Vt., was working for Estes and Gallup Builders when a safety barrier at an elevator shaft opening gave way. OSHA says the company has asked for a conference to discuss the sanctions. 

Injured roof worker reaches $6M settlement
A worker who sued after breaking several vertebrae when he fell from the roof of Rotterdam Square Mall has reached a settlement for $6 million. On March 3, 2000, 41-year-old Walter Stillman fell 20 feet through an opening that had been cut into the roof so that a heating and air-conditioning unit could be installed during the mall’s renovation, according to the law firm O’Connell and Aronowitz, which represented Stillman. Stillman, who spent 70 days in the hospital, suffered spinal cord damage in the fall and must use a walker. Stillman endures constant pain and continues to require physical therapy, according to the law firm. Despite having been named in the lawsuit, Rotterdam Square Mall will not pay money under the settlement because it didn’t supervise the work, which was being done for Littman Jewelers, according Cecilia Bennacio, the risk manager for the mall. Defendants named in the lawsuit included Storecrafters Inc., which was the general contractor, and J&B Roofing of Cohoes. The settlement hadn’t been filed with Rensselaer County as of Monday and Stillman’s lawyers were unable to say which parties would pay in the settlement and how much. Calls to the defendants’ lawyers were not returned Monday. The settlement was reached Friday after several days of trial in Supreme Court in Rensselaer County. 

UPDATE, Company fined $15,000 after worker falls to his death
Donaghys Industries Limited was sentenced to pay $15,000 in the Christchurch District Court today after an accident this year. An employee was killed when he fell from the platform area of the knitting machine he was working on. He suffered severe head injuries and died the following day in hospital. The victim, was a permanent employee with 17 years experience as a machine operator. All of the fine went to the victim’s family. “The work platform had inadequate guarding in place to prevent a person from falling when performing normal work activities,” said Margaret Radford, Service Manager of OSH Canterbury West Coast Region. “The company had health and safety systems in place but failed to identify this fall from height hazard. “The work platform was a pre-existing hazard but when the Company made changes to the platform area the hazard in fact became more hazardous with workers being provided with new work positions. “This accident highlights that hazard identification exercises are critical when changes are made to a production process. “New Zealanders being harmed and killed at work is simply unacceptable. “Everyone has the right to go to work and be safe. Companies must ensure that workplace hazards are identified and controlled correctly, and that their safety systems are constantly reviewed and updated.” Further information: Margaret Radford, Service Manager, OSH, Christchurch Tel: 03 365 2600 Mobile: 025 278 1834

2 DANGLE ABOVE B’WAY FOR 30 MINS.
By BILL HOFFMANN 
October 22, 2002 — Two construction workers plunged from a collapsing scaffold in Midtown yesterday morning – and precariously dangled upside down by safety ropes. They were finally rescued 30 minutes later, when firefighters from Ladder 4 pulled them to safety. The accident, at a building under construction at Broadway and 55th Street, occurred when a scaffold suddenly gave way under the feet of the workers. As the pair screamed for help, pedestrians stopped in their tracks to watch the tense drama. Firefighter Andrew Sheridan climbed the ladder of his firetruck and carefully grabbed the ropes of the men – one at a time – to bring them onto solid ground.

2 firefighters injured in fall through roof 
The Houston Chronicle…10/21/2002 
Two Houston firefighters were injured during an early morning blaze Sunday. Houston Fire Department spokesman Jay Evans said the two fell when the roof of a burning home at the 9000 block of Richmond at Amanda collapsed. Both firefighters suffered lower back injuries and were treated and released, he said. 

UPDATE, State fines roofing firm $10,000 in accident 
TRACY JAN 
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division has fined a Portland-based roofing contractor $10,000 for a July accident in which three workers fell 30 feet through the gym roof at David Douglas High School and suffered serious injuries. Six men from McDonald & Wetle were rolling a 560-pound rubber covering onto the slightly sloped gym roof when two rectangular roof panels collapsed, sending three of the men tumbling to the floor, according to the recently released state report on the investigation. The injured workers — Alvaro Gutierrez-Olmos, 40; Gerardo Abad, 42; and Richard Hooten, 42 — were treated at OHSU Hospital for injuries including head cuts, arm and leg fractures, and internal injuries. They were released from the hospital in July and are expected to recover fully, said Gordon Childress, senior project manager for Baugh Construction, the reroofing project’s general contractor. The state fined McDonald & Wetle $5,000 for failing to inspect the condition of the roof structure on an ongoing basis and an additional $5,000 for not determining the structural integrity and strength of the 40-year-old gym roof to support the workers and the rubber covering. McDonald & Wetle appealed the citation in September and is following an informal appeals process in which the company will meet with the state and discuss investigators’ findings. It’s not uncommon for fines to be reduced during appeals, said Kevin Weeks, an agency spokesman. Company officials declined to comment. The state’s report found that the company didn’t adequately assess the reroofing job or any precautions associated with the specific roofing material; the foreman and crew ignored indications that the roof was unstable; and too much weight was on the roof panels, causing the collapse. Accidents in which workers fall and are seriously injured during a roofing project occur about once every four years in Oregon, Weeks said. Following the accident, the company and Baugh Construction installed a platform beneath the gym roof as a safety precaution for the duration of the project. The David Douglas School District paid $450,000 for the project, said Courtney Wilton, David Douglas director of administrative services, including $38,000 in safety precautions. The reroofing and seismic upgrades of the high school gym and north wing were among many remodeling projects being paid for with a bond passed by voters in 2000. The project was completed at the end of August after a two-week delay as a result of the accident. 

Worker dies at Mtarfa 
by Charlotte Bonavia, di-ve news Monday, 21 October, 2002 
He fell off the roof of a garage following an electricity shock
Rabat, MALTA (di-ve news) — A 31-year-old Birkirkara man died after falling off a garage’s roof at Triq il-Maqdes Ruman, Mtarfa following an electricity shock while working with concrete, this evening at 1800 CET. An ambulance was called on site and took the man to St. Luke’s Hospital where he died an hour later. Duty Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima was informed about the case and appointed various experts to assist in the inquiry. Rabat District Police are investigating.

UPDATE, Fair worker recovering after fall from roller coaster
By RICHARD WALKER, T&D Staff Writer
There’s irony in his condition report and happiness that he’s alive. The amusement company employee who fell Thursday night from the superstructure of the roller coaster at the Orangeburg County Fair was listed Friday in “fair condition.” Tony O’Rourke, 38, of Queens, N.Y., was airlifted Thursday night from the fairgrounds to Palmetto Richland Memorial’s trauma unit in Columbia, where spokeswoman Monya Havekost on Friday provided the condition report. An Orangeburg Department of Public Safety report indicates that around 9:45 p.m. O’Rourke “climbed approximately 20 to 25 feet onto the ride to inspect a car, containing two fair patrons, that had been stopped to clear the track of another car.” Two Holly Hill youth inside the stopped car told police that while O’Rourke was climbing the framework, he slipped and fell backwards. A Careforce helicopter was brought in following the accident and airlifted O’Rourke to the Columbia medical facilities. Larry Carr, owner of Carr Amusement Co., said Friday the “fair family is all very concerned about” O’Rourke. “We spoke with him on the phone this morning and he said he would be released Sunday,” Carr said. “We’re very relieved, but he did suffer a fractured arm and cheekbone. He was up there inspecting a car.” Carr said all safety precautions were observed and will be at all times. DPS Investigations Capt. Mike Adams said police believe the accident to be an isolated incident and not related to any equipment failure. “There hasn’t been any indication there is a problem with the ride itself,” Adams said. “All indications are that he lost his balance and fell. It’s just a very unfortunate accident.”

UPDATE: Worker dies after four-story fall from roof
MOLINE – A construction worker is hospitalized after he fell four stories from a roof in Rock Island. The unidentified man was working on the roof of the old armory building, owned by the city, when he fell four stories onto concrete. He was taken to the trauma center at Trinity West, where he later died. We’ll have the latebreaking details as they are made available.

Seven-story fall kills worker
By Kelly Wolfe
A 23-year-old Jupiter construction worker died after falling seven stories from a Hutchinson Island condominium balcony where he had been working Thursday morning, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said. Conrado Ramirez of 130 Third St. fell from the balcony at Ocean Towers condominiums, 9400 South Ocean Drive, at about 9:20 Thursday. He was transported by helicopter to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m., deputies said. Ocean Towers is a 10-story condominium 3 miles north of the Martin County line that is undergoing remodeling and construction. Railings for the balconies were removed while repairs were being made. Sheriff Ken Mascara said the department would report the incident to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Ramirez had been working for Continental Waterproofing of Hollywood. The company has been fined more than $50,000 since February 2001 for violations such as allowing workers to work without hard hats, not properly securing workers to scaffolding with lifelines and allowing workers to work without harnesses, lifelines or railings, according to OSHA reports. Luis Santiago, a spokesman for OSHA, said these violations were found during routine inspections or inspections spurred by complaints. He said, based on these reports, there had not been a fatality at the company before.

Worker injured in four-story fall at armory 
ROCK ISLAND — A man working on top of the former National Guard Armory building next to the Casino Rock Island fell four stories to his death about 10 a.m. today. The 33-year-old man’s name was not being released to allow authorities to notify his relatives. He was declared dead at 10:20 a.m. at Trinity Medical Center West Campus. Rock Island County Coroner Sharon Anderson said the cause of death was severe head trauma, but it was unclear whether he fell onto the concrete floor or some dumpsters under a hole in the roof. Trucks parked outside the armory appeared to be owned by Oldeen Roofing of Kewanee. The city-owned building is undergoing re-roofing. Oldeen Roofing was awarded the $188,787 contract. Bob Hawkes, city public works director, said the project was a temporary re-roofing. Several years ago the roof started to leak because the wind was pulling the rubberized mat off of it. “We knew there were issues up there,” Mr. Hawes said. “Our understanding was, areas were marked off by the contractor where people shouldn’t walk.” Sgt. Vernard Gillman said police are initially deeming the fall an industrial accident. The accident is under investigation by police, the coroner’s office and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

Fair worker hurt in fall
By THOMAS BROWN, T&D Staff Writer
A midway worker at the Orangeburg County Fair was seriously injured Thursday about 10 p.m. when he fell from the structure of the roller coaster as he climbed the frame to free one of the cars. After falling approximately 30 feet, the unidentified man was airlifted to Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, said Lt. Henry Bowman of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. Orangeburg County EMS responded and treated the victim at the scene. “It is my understanding that he was going up to release one of the cars when he fell,” Bowman said. “He was seriously injured because he was taken to Richland Memorial. I don’t know the extent of his injuries.” The roller coaster is 40 feet high and is one of the biggest attractions by Carr Expositions at the 2002 fair.d dead at 9:41 p.m.

Tree-Trimmer Dies After 30-Foot Fall; Tree-Trimming Bucket Drops With Man Inside
POSTED: 11:45 a.m. CDT October 17, 2002
HORICON, Wis. — A 44-year-old man died after a tree-trimming bucket he was in fell 30 feet. Scott Weisensel, of rural Beaver Dam, was trimming a 60-foot black walnut tree in the back yard of Robert Splinter, at noon Wednesday when a mechanical malfunction caused the bucket to drop rapidly, Horicon Police Chief Douglas Glamann said Thursday. Weisensel was thrown from the bucket and later died at Beaver Dam Community Hospital, Glamann said. Weisensel’s co-worker George Rawson said the vehicle, owned by Beaver Tree Service, had been certified two weeks earlier. It was impounded by the Horicon Police Department. The accident was being investigated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

UPDATE, Injured Worker Clings To Life, Pedestrian Bridge Collapse Investigation Continues 
Edited by Dave Pieklik 
The collapse last Thursday killed one construction worker and injured eight others. The investigation into what caused the bridge to collapse is moving along. But a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, Melissa Carlson, says the probe is “going to take a while.” In Syracuse, the assistant director for OSHA, Ron Williams says the Federal investigation could take as long as six months. His investigators are at the scene checking into the equipment used to construct the pedestrian bridge and the components of the bridge itself, looking into paperwork and other documentation, and interviewing employees of Tioga Construction. No citiations have been issued yet. Witnesses say the workers were pouring concrete on the bridge last Thursday when it suddenly began to twist and collapse. Scott Couchman, 45, a construction worker from Mohawk, was killed in the collapse. Garrett Pelton remains in critical condition at Saint Elizabeth’s hospital in Utica, and Steve Gates also remains in serious condition. The conditions of the remainder are either the same or improving. Another worker, Mike Loomis, has been discharged from the hospital and is back home. 

Fresno man seriously hurt at Belden Brick, Mark Lyons falls 35 feet
By MELISSA GRIFFY Tribune Staff Writer 
FRESNO — One day after Mark and Carol Lyons’ first-year wedding anniversary, the soon-to-be father was involved in an accident that’s left him battling for his life. The 31-year-old fell 35-feet through a skylight where he works at the Belden Brick plant in Sugarcreek on Monday. Tuesday, he was listed in serious condition in the surgical intensive care unit at Akron General Hospital. “I just ask for the prayers not to stop,” Carol said. “Because we’ve got to get him out of the woods.” Carol, a nurse at Coshocton Health & Rehabilitation Center, said her husband’s condition stabilized somewhat Monday evening. The doctors are watching for swelling on Mark’s brain, she said. And it seems the pressure on his brain has gone down. He also broke several bones in the fall, including his ribs and pelvis. Mark, of White Eyes Township Road 177, was transported to Akron by MedFlight. According to a report from the Sugarcreek Police Department, witnesses reported Mark was among four workers who were closing vents on the plant’s roof. Doug Mutschelknaus, plant superintendent at Belden Brick Co. Inc., said the vents are closed annually for winter. He said officials think Mark stepped backward onto the skylight, which broke beneath him. Mutschelknaus said procedures at the plant would not change as a result of the accident. “The only thing we can do is make people more aware,” he said. “They’ve been doing this for 30 years and this is the first accident.” The plant was shut down Monday following the incident, which occurred shortly after noon. Mutschelknaus and other plant employees visited Mark in the hospital Monday evening. “Many people know him on a personal level,” Mutschelknaus said. “He is very well liked.” Mark has worked at Belden Brick for nearly four years. He recently completed robotics training, and is considered a valuable part of the maintenance team according to Mutschelknaus. Carol, who was at home napping when she was phoned with the news, said she remembers hearing their dogs barking loudly. “What a way to wake up.” She said she’s remaining strong by relating to her husband, not as a wife and soon-to-be mother due in December — but by relying on her background as a nurse. “The nurse in me has kicked in,” Carol said. “I’ve left the wife in me behind. He needs someone here to tell him to keep going. And I have to be strong for him. I have to stay strong for the baby, myself and Mark. All of my thoughts and strength is going into that and being with him until he comes home.”

Scaffolding Scare
By CBS 2 News Chicago
A scaffolding scare in the Loop leaves a man dangling 21 stories in the air. The incident happened this morning atop the Maller’s Building at 67 East Madison. There were three people working on tuck pointing the building when workers say something malfunctioned as the scaffolding was being lowered down. One worker was left stranded 21 floors above the street with only safety wires keeping him from falling. Witnesses say it was a frightening situation. The fire department was able to rescue the 26-year-old man, by pulling him through a window. He was taken to the hospital with a knee injury.

Ukrainian miner dies in fall, six others still missing after blast
The Associated Press
KYIV, October 16 – A coal miner died after falling about 225 meters (750 feet) in a Ukrainian mine and six others remain missing after an explosion ripped through another mine, emergency officials said Wednesday. The miner fell to his death when working in an elevator shaft at the Dymytrova mine in the eastern region of Donetsk on Tuesday night, said Ihor Krol, spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry. Investigators are looking into the cause of the accident. Rescuers continued searching for six miners missing after a gas explosion some 860 meters (2,840 feet) underground occurred at Haevoho mine in the same region on Tuesday. Rescuers dug out the body of one of the 13 miners working and brought six men out alive on Tuesday. Ukraine’s mines are considered among the world’s most deadly. They contain high concentrations of methane gas, lack funds to modernize equipment, and safety rules are frequently disregarded. More than 200 miners have died on the job in the former Soviet republic this year, and 
some 3,700 have been killed since 1991 

UPDATE, PCS worker’s death ruled accidental
By JUSTIN LANG Lake City Reporter October 15, 2002
A PCS Phosphate employee died in September from craniocerebral injuries, according to autopsy results. The Medical Examiner’s Office in Jacksonville also ruled David Bowles’ death accidental. Bowles’ head injuries were sustained when he fell 21 feet from an elevated platform at the PCS Swift Creek Hemi Plant on Sept. 19. Bowles, 46, had been a PCS employee for 24 years and a life-long resident of the Jasper and Jennings areas. He is survived by his wife and five grown children. A witness said that Bowles ‹ a chemical operator at PCS ‹ suddenly bent forward at the waist, lost his hard hat and looked like he was trying to catch it, when he stumbled forward and went headfirst through a set of railings. During the preliminary investigation of Bowles’ death, Mike Gwynn, PCS manager of public affairs, said OSHA took measurements of the railings. He said OSHA deemed the railing dimensions correct and painted it a high-visibility yellow. Additionally, he said it was determined the lighting in the area was up to standards and the floor’s condition was proper. Gwynn said that Bowles walked on the elevated platforms daily. James Borders, OSHA area director, said its investigation into the fall continues and may be several weeks to be completed. In other PCS news, Gwynn said a $5,250 fine was paid by the company last month after an OSHA investigation found PCS to have improperly stored a liquid propane tank in May. A PCS worker was killed and another critically injured when a liquid propane tank was hit by a bulldozer, igniting the gas and causing an explosion. PCS had until Sept. 27 to contest the findings or pay the fine. Gwynn said the company paid the fine of $5,250 and changed procedures to prevent that type of accident from happening again.

UPDATE, Bridge investigation intensifies
Oct 15, 2002 By JENNIFER WARNICK, Observer-Dispatch 
DOT engineer technician Matt Miller works with a surveying crew Monday at the site of last week’s bridge collapse that killed one and injured nine. The state Department of Transportation is recruiting its experts from around the state to find out just why a pedestrian bridge collapsed Thursday in Marcy, officials said Monday. The DOT’s Accident Review Group, made up of the agency’s own personnel, will seek to determine possible causes of the accident, which killed one construction worker and injured nine others. The agency said it will also hire outside engineering experts to create a separate review, a DOT press release said. The two probes add to the number of investigations under way. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the state Labor Department’s Public Employees Safety and Health division, and state police are all reviewing what occurred shortly before 11 a.m. last Thursday as workers poured concrete onto the bridge’s steel deck. Several DOT workers continued to survey the scene Monday, even crawling on their stomachs underneath the tons of debris. Measurements of the crumpled hulk will be fed into a computerized drawing program for analysis. “We’re recording every bend, twist and kink,” said Chris Langett, a regional civil engineer with the state Department of Transportation. The survey team has already been at its task for more than three days. “It takes time,” he said. Other developments Monday: * Tioga Construction Co. of Herkimer, the project’s general contractor, will restart work on the road portion of the project today. A new pedestrian bridge will not be built, however, until federal, state and local investigations are completed months from now. Nine of the workers injured in the bridge collapse were Tioga employees, and one was a DOT inspector. * The DOT said it is currently re-evaluating the scope of the Utica/Rome Expressway project in light of the bridge collapse. No matter whether the pedestrian bridge is rebuilt or not, officials said, the goal is for the Utica-Rome Expressway to be completed and opened on schedule next fall. * A second worker involved in Thursday’s collapse was released from the hospital. Michael D. Loomis, 26, of North Pitcher was released from St. Elizabeth Medical Center after being treated for head and knee injuries. Last week, Garrett S. Fitzgerald, 46, of Utica, was released after being treated for two fractured ankles and head lacerations at the Faxton Campus of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare. It has been five days since the bridge twisted and toppled, sending the 10 workers, machinery, wet concrete and pieces of steel hurtling more than 20 feet to the ground. Investigators expect it to be many months before causes of the collapse are determined, and many days before debris can be removed. Because of the investigation, the site Monday was left as is it was Thursday. Workers’ boots, sunglasses and hard hats were still littered about. A flannel shirt, thermal shirt and T-shirt, each cut from the injured workers in the effort to save their lives, sat in the dirt. Next to them were tools of the life-saving trade — plastic gloves, rubber tubing and towels soaked with blood. Even as Langett and his co-workers worked in and around the rubble, state troopers looked on. The watch will continue round-the-clock, said State Police Capt. Roger W. Sykes, until investigators conclude whether there will be any criminal charges filed in connection with the collapse.

Worker in acid bath horror Oct 14 2002
By Staff Reporter, Birmingham Post
A man suffered horrific injuries today when he plunged into an acid bath at a Birmingham metal processing factory. The 29-year-old worker managed to drag himself out of the 6ft deep vat of sulphuric acid but had already been severely burned by the deadly chemical. He was taken to City Hospital following the accident at 5.25am at Birfield Extrusions in Austin Way, Handsworth Wood, but later transferred to the burns unit at Selly Oak. Sub fire officer John Surrof said: “He did well to get himself out of the vat considering the temperature of the acid was 70 degrees centigrade. “Someone had got his boiler suit off and put him under the works shower when we arrived but the skin was already coming off, especially from his left leg and upper torso. “He was in shock and shaking like a leaf. The police told us that although his injuries were not thought to be life threatening he might lose limbs.” The Health and Safety Executive will launch an investigation. A spokesman for the firm, part of the giant GKN Automotive engineering company, said: “Our first concern is with the employee. The company has launched an immediate inquiry.”

UPDATE, Sherwood man killed at state fairgrounds
By Warren Watkins, Editor
Jerry Tarkington, 53, of Sherwood was killed Tuesday, Oct. 8, in an accident at the state fairgrounds. David Bates, assistant area director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said a preliminary report had been called into the OSHA office. The report indicated Tarkington was in a basket which was suspended from a forklift when the accident occurred. According to the Little Rock Police Department, part of the basket broke and it rolled off the tines of the forklift, falling about 16 feet. “We have to investigate all workplace work-related fatalities,” Bates said. “There were 32 deaths investigated in the last twelve months, and 25 in the year before that. We had one last month at the Garland County fairgrounds when a worker was electrocuted while disassembling some equipment,” Bates said. Injured in the incident was Terry Gibson, 31, of North Little Rock. The two were hanging a sign from the basket. Both were employees of Volume Services America, the food vendor for the state fair.

River Valley worker listed in fair condition
From staff reports 
MARION — A worker who suffered injuries in a fall on Thursday at the work site for the new River Valley High School was awaiting surgery Friday in Columbus hospital, according to his family. Mark Goings of Caledonia fell while climbing down a ladder at the site on Ohio 98 west of Brocklesby Road. He was listed in fair condition Friday evening at Grant Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman. No further information was available from the hospital. His mother contacted The Star Friday afternoon to report her son was awaiting surgery after doctors had diagnosed his injuries as a dislocated right knee and a fracture to his left leg below the knee. “He has to have surgery because he tore everything loose in there,” said Bonita Whiteamire. Bryan Gardner, the site manager for Quandel, the company in charge of the project, said a Goings is a subcontractor for Steel Span, a Delaware company that is manufacturing the metal trusses for the school. He confirmed Goings fell 3-4 feet while climbing down a ladder about 1 p.m.

UPDATE, Bridge Collapse Investigation Update
Greg Catlin, Marcy, NY, Oct 11, 2002, 3:55pm
An investigation is underway near Utica to find out why a bridge under construction collapsed. The 170 foot pedestrian bridge in Marcy buckled as crews poured concrete Thursday morning. The collapse killed one worker and injured 9 others. 2 of them are in critical condition. Inspectors were back at the site Friday. They’re looking at plans, equipment and safety measures to come up with a cause. The State DOT says construction workers were using a finishing machine halfway across the top of the bridge, when it twisted and collapsed.

VA hospital worker falls to death from window
By Marah Block, Staff Writer October 11, 2002 
NEWINGTON — Police are investigating the death of an employee who fell from a window Wednesday afternoon at the VA Connecticut Healthcare Systems campus in Newington. VA hospital spokeswoman Pamela Redmond confirmed that a female maintenance employee fell from a window on the fifth floor of the building around noon on Wednesday. Redmond said the woman worked for the hospital for about 10 years. Redmond also confirmed that the hospital contacted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Police said the investigation of the 56-year-old woman’s death remains in the preliminary stages. Authorities do not suspect foul play. The state police Public Information office said the Major Crimes unit was called in to assist at the scene but turned the matter over to the Newington police department.

Worker falls at new hospital
October 10, 2002 By AMY LINDBLOM 
A roofer working on Sonora Community Hospital’s new Greenley Road complex was seriously injured Wednesday morning when he fell about 30 feet from a roof. Ricardo Lopez, 33, of Oakdale, was airlifted to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto with a possible broken leg, arm, ribs and a head injury. He was listed in serious condition this morning. Another roofer, Rafael Lopez, 40, no relation to Ricardo, also of Oakdale, suffered a possible broken ankle. Sonora Community Hospital today would not confirm the injuries. Both injured men were part of an eight-man crew putting a hot-tar roof on the four-story building, said Jerry Newman, project superintendent with Hospital Building and Equipment Co. of St. Louis, Mo. The roofers worked for Stout Roofing Inc. of Livermore, said Newman. Because it is an industrial accident, the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate, said Newman. Scott Lewis, a safety instructor for 46 Northern California Counties Drywall-Lathing Apprenticeship, was at the hospital going over safety systems for workers when the accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. Lewis said the two men were lowering a 200-pound oxygen tank from the roof to a lower level using an A-frame device to slow the tank’s descent. The tank, Lewis said, held oxygen used in welding and was on one end of a rope, counter-weighted by a large roll of paper. “They were not using adequate equipment when the A-frame gave way and one guy (Ricardo Lopez) was catapulted off the building,” Lewis said. “The other guy (Rafael Lopez) got pinned in the A-frame.” Lewis said he also acts as an investigator for Cal-OSHA, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Shortly after the accident, Rafael Lopez sat on a stack of lumber waiting for his friend to be brought down from the upper floors of the incomplete hospital building and for paramedics to tend to his ankle. 

Heli-logging worker found dead
Vancouver Sun October 10, 2002
A 45-year-old Squamish man is believed to have fallen over a cliff to his death Wednesday while working at a remote heli-logging site in the Elaho Valley. The employee of Interfor Heli-Logging was surveying the location of a new logging road when the accident happened about 9:20 a.m., said Squamish RCMP Constable Patricia Lussier. The man was last seen standing near a cliff adjacent to Jarvis Creek, waiting to receive equipment from a helicopter long line. His co-workers called police when they could not find him. Search and rescue volunteers located his body at 2:15 p.m. on the shore of the creek at the bottom of the cliff where he was last seen. 

UPDATE, Manslaughter Charges Brought In Scaffolding Collapse
By Patricia Hurtado, STAFF WRITER, October 10, 2002
A Commack contractor was indicted on manslaughter charges Thursday after prosecutors charged that he improperly designed and then overloaded a scaffold on a Park Avenue building last year that resulted in the deaths of five workers, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Thursday. Phillip Minucci, 42, of Kevin Road, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before Acting State Supreme Court Justice Arlene Goldberg who set bail at $150,000. Morgenthau, at a news conference with Manhattan U.S. Attorney James Comey, said Minucci, who erected the scaffolding as a subcontractor, and his firm, Tri State Scaffolding & Equipment Supplies, were charged with five counts of second-degree manslaughter in the Oct. 24, 2001 collapse. Both were also charged with four counts of second-degree assault for the four laborers who were seriously injured in the collapse. Morgenthau said Minucci improperly installed the 13-story scaffolding on the 20-story office building, which was having its façade masonry renovated. He said the scaffolding was not strong enough to support itself. The contract between the general contractor and Minucci’s firm required a review of the scaffolding by a licensed architect or engineer. No such review was made, Morgenthau said. Minucci then added planking at each level so that more workers could have access to work areas and to eliminate having to moved planking as the job progressed. Although Tri State was not the lowest bidder for the job, Morgenthau said the firm was selected specifically because Minucci promised to do the job faster with planking at all levels. The decision, he said, meant the scaffold was carrying about 90,000 pounds when it collapsed. Morgenthau said the trouble at the building was also created when Tri State erected the faulty 130-foot- high scaffold on top of four steel I-beams that supported the building’s four industrialized air conditioning units in a courtyard. “The investigation determined that the dunnage beams buckled laterally under the weight of the scaffold,” Morgenthau said. “Once the dunnage beams twisted in this manner, the entire scaffold fell into the courtyard.” Comey said that while his office investigated the collapse, he deferred to state prosecutors because charges brought by him would be for misdemeanors punishable by six months in jail. Building’s Commissioner Patricia Lancaster said the case highlighted the need for the City Council to enact some kind of laws to regulate contractors and scaffolding regulations. She said those who install and maintain scaffolding are not licensed by her department. Each count of manslaughter carries up to 15 years in prison while assault up to 6 years in prison. Minucci is the second individual charged criminally after a work site accident. Shunkun Michael Tam, owner of the Tamco Corp., and his foreman were charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of a worker killed when a wall at an East 61st Street townhouse collapsed. 

Man dies after fall from unopened freeway
By MELISSA PINION-WHITT, STAFF WRITER
UP LAND — Doug Wingfield thought his friend Jeffrey Truman was joking around. Wingfield was walking with him on opposite sides of the unopened Foothill Freeway late Wednesday when Truman began to cross over to Wingfield’s side. Suddenly, Wingfield said he saw Truman duck down, like he was trying to hide. “Then I heard a loud boom and I was like, ‘What the heck was that?” Wingfield said. “I walked over to the center divider and noticed there was a gap between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Apparently Jeff didn’t notice there was no ground.’ Truman, 27, of Upland, had fallen about 30 feet from the freeway overpass onto Campus Street below. After being rushed to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and undergoing surgery, Truman was pronounced dead at 3:53 a.m. “He had so many friends and everyone is just devastated by this accident,’ said Wingfield, a 26-year-old Upland man who was Truman’s life-long friend. Truman, a 1994 Covina High School graduate who was a pole vaulting enthusiast, moved to Upland over the summer and worked for a track and field equipment distribution company in Burbank, Wingfield said. He broke his high school’s record in pole vaulting and also participated in the sport while attending Mt. San Antonio College and Long Beach State University. He graduated from Long Beach State with a degree in psychology, Wingfield said. Truman and Wingfield, who had been living together, drove to 19th Street and Campus Avenue around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Truman parked his car and the pair began walking east on the extension of the 210, which is still under construction. They split up and continued walking east, but on opposite sides of the freeway. Wingfield said Truman was walking in the westbound lanes where it was completely dark. In the dim lighting on the eastbound lanes, Wingfield looked down and noticed they were on an overpass. “Apparently Jeff didn’t notice there was a gap and basically stepped over the center divider to be on the same side of the freeway as me and didn’t notice there was no ground,’ he said. He looked down and saw Truman on the ground below the overpass, still thinking that Truman actually ran down to the road below. “It didn’t occur to me he had fallen. He’s always so playful and joking, so I figured he was joking,’ Wingfield said. “I called his name and he didn’t respond and that’s when I realized he had fallen.’ After Wingfield ran to call 911, police and paramedics responded to the scene. A police officer who tried to climb down the freeway to help Truman broke her ankle when she slipped. The officer was taken to San Antonio Community Hospital where she was treated and released, police said. Police said the freeway is off-limits to people other than construction workers. “Obviously, it’s not safe at night,’ said Upland police Sgt. Jeff Mendenhall. “There’s no lights and there are hazards out there with the construction equipment.’ Police contacted the San Bernardino Associated Governments and Caltrans early Thursday to inform them about the accident. Because the freeway is on such a wide open stretch, there’s nothing officials can do to keep people out except to inform them it is dangerous and it could result in a trespassing citation, said Cheryl Donahue, spokeswoman for SANBAG. “We have tried to convey to people that this isn’t a safe environment,’ Donahue said. “We definitely don’t want something like this to happen again and we just want to get the message out to people to please stay off the freeway.’ The freeway is expected to be open to motorists in November, Donahue said. A memorial service for Truman will be 5 p.m. Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College recital hall, 1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut. 

UPDATE, Bridge in last stage of construction when it collapsed, killing one man, injuring nine 
Workers were in the last stages of building a pedestrian bridge when it suddenly collapsed, killing one man and injuring at least nine others, one critically. The span fell about 20 feet shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday. Construction workers were using a finishing machine halfway across the top of the bridge, when it twisted and collapsed, said Paul Obernesser, regional construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation. They were pouring concrete for the last time of the season, said Frank Gerace, Region 2 director. One of the injured was a state employee. The others worked for Tioga Construction, the contractor doing the work. Scott Couchman, 46, of Mohawk, a master mechanic for the company, was pronounced dead at the scene from massive blunt force trauma. “Normally a deck pour is stressful in certain respects, but not from the standpoint of a bridge suddenly collapsing,” said Charles Sirowatka, a project engineer for Tioga in Herkimer. He and Obernesser both said it was too soon to tell why it fell. “This is what we do. We’re basically bridge contractors and do related work,” said Sirowatka. In business since 1984, the company has never had a similar incident, he said. About 20 workers were on the job. “Clearly they are very fortunate to be alive,” state police Maj. Thomas Kelly said. It took dozens of emergency workers about 45 minutes to free all the workers from the debris of the fallen bridge, which was to be completed within the next month. Lant Wagner, assistant chief of the Maynard Fire Department, one of the first responders, said emergency workers freed the workers using their hands and hydraulic equipment. Most workers appeared to have cuts and broken bones. It took rescue workers about two hours to dislodge Couchman’s body from the debris. “It was God’s will,” said the victim’s wife, Debbie Couchman. Her husband had worked for Tioga for 15 years. DOT planned to collapse the 170-foot-long bridge to stabilize it, Obernesser said. The steel skeleton of the bridge that was placed earlier this summer had passed safety inspections, he said. The Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration sent inspectors to the site. Oneida County District Attorney Michael Arcuri also was at the scene. Ronald Williams, assistant area director for OSHA, could not comment on the investigation, but said two OSHA inspectors will look at plans, equipment, and safety measures. If OSHA finds any violations, it has six months to issue fines for the contractor. The victims suffered mostly broken bones, cuts and bruises. Garrett Pelton, 41, of New Hartford remained in critical condition Friday at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Utica after suffering severe head trauma. Michael Bradford, 41, of Massena, had been in critical condition but was upgraded to stable, said a spokeswoman for Faxton Hospital in Utica. Steven Gates, 29, of West Winfield, was in serious condition at St. Elizabeth’s while Michael Loomis, 26, of North Pitcher, was in fair condition at the same hospital. Frederick McNeil, 48, of Poland, was in stable condition at St. Luke’s. Peter Clapp, 39, of Ava, was transferred to University Hospital in Syracuse, where he was in fair condition. Theodore Fox, 50, of Blossvale and Wrae Ann Baker, 38, of Amsterdam, were transferred to Albany Medical Center, where both were in fair condition. Garrett Fitzgerald, 46, of Utica, was treated for two fractured ankles and released. The 12-foot-wide pedestrian bridge was being built over a new section of the Utica-Rome Expressway, a project that started in the late 1970s to link the two cities with a four-lane highway. The $165 million project is expected to be completed in 2004. The pedestrian bridge was supposed to be finished this month. Marcy is 44 miles east of Syracuse. 

Worker Dies In Fairgrounds Fall 
Story by News 4 Arkansas Posted 10/9/02 8:59:40 AM 
A Sherwood man died Tuesday while working to get the State Fair ready for you and thousands of other visitors. 53-year-old Jerry Tarkington and 31-year-old Terry Gibson got in a cage and were lifted 16 feet above ground to hang a sign. Police say the two walked to one side of the cage and part of the cage gave in, killing Tarkington and sending Gibson to the hospital, where doctors list him in stable condition. Despite this accident, fairground employees say people should not be worried about safety at the Fair, which starts Friday. “All the rides will be inspected by the Arkansas Department of Labor and the ride inspectors. We’ve got a safety team coming in tomorrow”, explains Jim Pledger, of the Arkansas State Fair. The two men worked for a national food concessions company, but both live in Pulaski county and were stationed at the fairgrounds year round.

Tree worker remains critical after fall 
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
A 32-year-old Malden man remained in critical condition Tuesday after plunging nearly 30 feet to the ground while pruning a tree on Bainbridge Street, according to a spokesperson at Massachusetts General Hospital. Michael Keefe was rushed to MGH on Oct. 2 after suffering serious injuries when the bucket on the cherry picker truck he was standing in apparently gave way or collapsed, said Malden Police Lt. Tom Swanson. Malden police, fire and EMTs responded to the accident at 231 Bainbridge St. shortly before 12:30 p.m. According to a Malden Fire Department spokesman, Keefe suffered at least a broken leg and severe facial trauma. However, the spokesperson at MGH would not release details of the injuries. Keefe was working for Malden-based Expert Tree Cutting at the time of the accident. The incident is being investigated, as is standard in such an event, by Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators, said Richard Fazzio, area director of OSHA. Expert Tree Cutting does not appear to have any prior OSHA citations, according to a review of online OSHA records. An employee at Expert declined to comment on the incident.

UPDATE, Not in a life jacket when he drowned 
NY Waterway says worker hadn’t put it on 
Wednesday, October 09, 2002 By Martin Espinoza, Journal staff writer 
WEEHAWKEN – Officials say the exact scenario of his drowning is still unclear, but one thing is certain: Husam Awadallah, a welder for NY Waterway, was not wearing his life jacket when he fell into the Hudson River early Sunday morning. “I can’t comment on the scenario,” said NY Waterway spokesman Pat Smith. “I can tell you that his life jacket was not with him. It was left there next to his lunch box.” Awadallah, 50, a resident of Hudson Avenue in West New York, fell into the water at Port Imperial Ferry Terminal while trying to step from one barge to the next shortly after 6 a.m., according to Weehawken Deputy Police Chief Robert DelPriore. DelPriore said yesterday the incident had been ruled an accident. DelPriore said police interviewed two witnesses who said they saw Awadallah fall into the water and not resurface. New York City Police Department Harbor Patrol divers later found his body beneath one of the barges. DelPriore said yesterday that it was possible that once Awadallah was in the water, he could have ingested a significant amount of water, causing him to lose consciousness. However, police are still unsure exactly what happened after he fell in. Officials with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are currently investigating the tragedy. Mike Glowatz, assistant director of OSHA’s Parsippany-area office, said yesterday that under OSHA regulations, NY Waterway is required to provide a life jacket to all employees. Only boat captains and deck hands are required to know how to swim, he said. Smith said NY Waterway is also continuing its investigation. Friends of the family suggested earlier this week that Awadallah may not have known how to swim. But yesterday, 22-year-old Linda Taweel, one of Awadallah’s daughters, said that her father actually did know how to swim. Awadallah was born in Jordan. He leaves his wife, Samira, and his children, Shereen, 15; Yousef, 17; Linda, 22; Lana, 20; Bellal, 19; Faten, 25; and Rema, 27.

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

Worker drowns at Port Imperial; WNY man slips between barges into Hudson 
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
By Michaelangelo Conte, Journal staff writer 
WEEHAWKEN – A West New York man lost his life in a freak accident at the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal, where he worked, when he tried to step from one barge to the next and slipped, falling into the water between them, officials said. Fellow workers said he did not call out and did not struggle to swim, and was not seen again until New York City Police Department Harbor Patrol divers found his body beneath one of the barges. The accident occurred Sunday shortly after 6 a.m., officials said. Husam Awadallah, 50, of Hudson Avenue near 62nd Street, was a father of seven and worked as a welder for NY Waterway. He leaves his wife, Samira, and his children, Shereen, 15; Yousef, 17; Lana, 18; Bella, 19; Linda, 20; Fathen, 25; and Rema, 27. Last night, Awadallah family members gathered in shock and grief following a burial service. His wife and children were too distraught to talk about Awadallah, who was described as the “pillar” of the family. Awadallah did not know how to swim, family members said. Pat Smith, a spokesman for NY Waterway, said Awadallah was getting ready to take a boat to Downtown Manhattan to do work on a dock when he fell into the water. “This is the first serious accident involving NY Waterway in 16 years of operation, and it is still one tragedy too many,” Smith said yesterday. “He has seven children and three still live at home.” Smith also said Awadallah’s two brothers also work for (Arthur) Imperatore family companies. When Weehawken police officers and Imperatore representatives took the bad news to the Awadallah family, Husam Awadallah’s brother and father, as well as Samira, became so distressed that they could not breathe. The father was treated with oxygen at the apartment and Samira and his brother, Hasam, were both rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where they were treated and released. The response to the report of a man overboard was enormous, officials said. Rushing to the scene was a NYPD Harbor Patrol boat, helicopter and scuba team, a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey helicopter and a U.S. Coast Guard boat, according to Weehawken Deputy Police Chief Robert DelPriore. North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue also sent its fire boat and fire trucks to the scene. Two and a half hours after he went into the water, Awadallah was found under one of the barges and the cause of death was determined to be drowning, said DelPriore. Upon returning from Husam Awadallah’s Paterson burial last night, family members filled the small Hudson Avenue apartment and spilled out onto the sidewalk. “We still have not been able to absorb this, his mother and wife are still in shock,” said Khalid Bahhur, Awadallah’s nephew. “The saying, he would give you the shirt off his back, was about him. We have lost our family’s peacemaker, the pillar of our family.” Husam Awadallah was born in Palestine, but was living in Jordan when he moved to the United States and settled in West New York. For more than 20 years, he worked at the Wonder Bread Factory in New Brunswick, until its closing in 1995. Awadallah then went to work for Arcorp Trucking, which also owns the marina, and six months ago, switched to NY Waterway. The two companies are owned by the Imperatore family. Both his brothers, Hasam and Gassien, and his parents live in the same three-story apartment building on Hudson where Awadallah lived with his wife and family. Dionis Burgos, a neighbor of the Awadallahs for 25 years, stopped on her way home last night to offer her condolences to family members outside the building. “He would always say ‘Hi,’ and he was a very nice man with a beautiful family,” she said. “I am in shock, my hands are cold,” Burgos said, clasping her hands. According to Pat Smith, NY Waterway president Arthur Imperatore Jr. visited the family personally. “The company extends its deepest sympathies to the family on its loss and regrets this tragic accident,” Imperatore said yesterday.

UPDATE, OSHA investigating accident that killed two at local plant 
By ROGER ADKINS 
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is continuing an investigation into an industrial accident that killed two Vienna men last week in Pleasants County. Fred Burkle, 55, and Joe Spiker, 26, died when a manlift they were operating toppled Friday, causing them to fall 45 feet to the ground at the Allegheny Energy Supply Pleasants Power Station. Stanley Elliott, area director of OSHA in Charleston, said Monday officials are attempting to determine why the lift fell. “There’s only so many reasons a piece of equipment tips over,” Elliott said. “It was either overloaded, there was a strong wind or they were on an improper incline.” State police officials said the lift tipped over because it was on an embankment. Elliott said no one witnessed the accident and it will be difficult to determine exactly what happened. The two men were pronounced dead at the scene by Harvey Hatfield, Pleasants County medical examiner, said Janice Lantz, manager of communications at AEP’s administrative offices in Monroeville, Pa. The accident occurred about noon as the men were in the bucket of a Genie Manlift and were painting near a line transfer station at the plant along West Virginia 2 at Willow Island, Lantz said. Trooper T.D. Nichols of the state police said the two men had just finished painting and were moving to another location. They were moving the machinery with the boom extended 45 feet in the air, he said. They approached an embankment, but the machine was unable to handle the grade, Nichols said. It became top-heavy and toppled to the ground with both men inside the bucket. Elliott said there were no witnesses to confirm the machinery was moving when it tipped. The machine is operated by controls in the bucket, Lantz said. It is mobile even when the boom is extended. The machine was fairly new, she said. Nichols said the accident did not appear to have been caused by an equipment flaw. The two men worked for Universal Painters Inc. of New Martinsville and had been subcontracted by Almega Co. of Pittsburgh for work at the plant, Nichols said. Lantz said AEP contracted Almega Co. for painting and general maintenance. The company had been doing work at the plant for a couple of months. The accident is under investigation by officials from the WVSP, OSHA and AEP. Trooper M.H. Bauso is investigating the incident.

UPDATE, Attached arrest equipment would have saved window cleaner’s life
For whatever reason, window cleaner Nigel Anthony Etchells, 21, did not apparently attach his safety harness to an anchorage point on the day he died in a fall through 15 metres from a third-floor Bradford window ledge, a decision or an oversight which cost him his life an inquest heard. Mr Etchells was fatally injured in the fall from Pennine House, Bradford, in May this year. Bradford Coroner’s Court listened to the opinion of HSE’s investigating inspector that: “Had the full arrest equipment been used correctly, then I believe the individual’s fall would have been arrested by the equipment.” Mr Etchells, who was sub-contracted for the work, was observed moving along the window ledge shortly before his unwitnessed fall, something that would not have been possible had the harness been attached. The inquest jury returned a verdict of misadventure.

UPDATE, Friend of worker killed at ALCOA gives his account of deadly fall
by Jennifer Hodson, of The Daily Times Staff
Rodney Martin, the worker killed in an accident at ALCOA Inc.’s North Plant Recycling Center Wednesday, was loved and will be missed, his co-worker Danny Boone said. Boone was working with Martin the night of the accident. “Rod and I were real good friends,” he said. “He was a such a good guy and a good worker.” Boone contacted The Daily Times Friday to tell his side of the story and to say there were perhaps some misunderstandings recorded in the police report. On the night of the accident, he and Martin were about to unload an old vending machine into a scrap metal bin when he received a page, Boone said. His uncle is in the hospital, and he thought the page might be related to his uncle’s health, Boone said. He said he then stepped away for a few minutes to return the call. The page actually had come from ALCOA’s North Ingot Department. “I hollered at Rod and said, `Give me just a minute,”’ Boone said. At this point, Martin apparently went ahead and backed up the truck carrying the vending machine and put the Tommy Lift into position, then waited for Boone to return, Boone said. Less than five minutes later, Boone was back at the site, he said. The truck door was open, the engine was running and Martin’s favorite type of music, gospel, was playing on the radio, Boone said. “He always listened to gospel music,” he said. Boone did not see Martin around anywhere. His first guess was that Martin had walked over to a restroom area, so he went there and called out to him. When he got no answer, he continued looking for Martin for about 15 minutes, he said. When he still had not found his friend and co-worker, Boone drove his truck near the scrap bin area and shined his headlights at the bin. He said he saw “a glimpse” of Martin in the 18 to 20 inch opening between the Dumpster and retaining wall. “I could barely see him,” he said. “There’s no lighting in that area. No lighting at all.” ALCOA Inc. spokesperson Mike Infante said the area is illuminated with 1000-watt, high-pressure sodium lamps. “This level of illumination falls within acceptable industry standards,” Infante said. The North Plant Recycling Center is a permanent outdoor recycling facility composed of a truck dock and segregated Dumpsters for collection of metal, wood and rubbish. The Dumpsters are positioned within the center’s concrete foundation walls, which are designed to house such Dumpsters, Infante said. After Boone spotted Martin, he called 911 then returned to the site with other workers who were carrying flashlights. Boone said his theory is that Martin got everything into position to unload the vending machine, opened the truck door and, while waiting on Boone to return, walked around to the back of the truck. “I think he tripped on something,” Boone said. “I really honestly do. It’s just a freak accident.” Martin apparently had fallen 8 to 12 feet head-first between the bin and concrete wall. Infante said investigations into the fatal accident are continuing. On Thursday, site visits were conducted by an ALCOA Inc. corporate health and safety professional, as well as a compliance officer from Tennessee’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Findings from these investigations are not yet available, Infante said. “I’m dealing with it the best I can,” Boone said of the loss of his friend. “It’s difficult but we’ll get through.” Martin attended New Hope Baptist Church in Maryville and was an avid golfer. Immediate survivors include his wife, Donna, and grown children Brad, Tina and Travis. Martin’s family will receive friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Trinity Chapel, Smith Mortuary, Maryville. The family asks that donations be made to Gideon’s Bible Fund in lieu of flowers.

Man dies from Sara Lee fall 
From staff reports, The Paris News
A worker at the Sara Lee bakery on Loop 286 died from injuries suffered in a fall Friday. Steve Bryant, 39, was reportedly standing on scaffolding and painting a storage bin when he fell an estimated 20 to 25 feet late in the afternoon, officials said. He was an employee of Irving-based Tank Maintenance, Paris Police Department spokesman Todd Varner said. Bryant’s drivers license listed a Mesquite address. He was taken to Christus St. Joseph’s Hospital South. Bryant died at about 6:45 p.m., apparently from head injuries, Precinct 5, Place 2 Justice of the Peace Larry Moree said. He ordered an autopsy. “In a situation like that, I normaly order one to determine what actually happened,” Moree said.

Fall from elevator shaft injures worker at PAC
APPLETON — A 23-year-old man suffered a leg injury after he fell into an elevator shaft at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The man, who was working for a subcontractor on the project, apparently fell into the shaft and slid down several feet before striking a cart, said Dan Jahr, a battalion chief with the Appleton Fire Department. The man suffered an apparent broken leg and was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital.

Worker killed in 2nd accident at High Point construction site; Man fell through an opening in metal roof, hit concrete floor 
By Paul Garber
HIGH POINT For the second time in less than a month, a construction worker has been killed at a construction site where a warehouse is being built in northern High Point. Charles Edward Weiss, 55, of Randleman, who was working on a sheet-metal roof, apparently lost his footing and fell to his death yesterday at the site on Pegg Road, authorities said. On Sept. 16, Jose Mayo Uyoa, 30, of Randleman was killed when a crane carrying more than 4 tons of metal construction materials buckled and fell on top of him. Lt. Jim Tate of the High Point Police Department said that Weiss worked for W-3 Decking, a subcontractor for Contract Erectors. Contract Erectors is a subcontractor for Samet Corp. of High Point, which is building the warehouse for Deep River West Co. Uyoa worked for Contract Erectors. Tate said that yesterday’s accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. Weiss was walking along the edge of the sheet-metal roof, carrying a water-cooler, when he apparently lost his footing and fell through a 3-foot gap in  the sheet metal, landing on a concrete floor. About 10 other workers were in the building at the time, Tate said. The N.C. Department of Labor is still investigating Uyoa’s death, and investigators were on their way to the construction site to begin their investigation of yesterday’s accident, Tate said. Yesterday’s accident was the third fatal construction-site accident in the Triad in the past two months. Three people were killed in Greensboro at the site of a future Home Depot when an unstable L-shaped wall collapsed on them as they ate lunch.

Worker critical after fall
FLEMING ISLAND — A construction worker is in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville hospital after falling from scaffolding at an Eagle Harbor home construction site this morning. The man, identified by authorities as 44-year-old Jerry Griffin of Middleburg, was transported to Shands by helicopter at about 9:30 a.m. Griffin was working on the frame for a new home when he fell from a platform about 6 feet off the ground, authorities said.

Man hurt in fall from ladder
CYNTHIA M. ELLIS, The Telegraph October 04, 2002 
ALTON — A 44-year-old Alton man suffered chest and head injuries in a fall from a ladder Thursday. Gary Cox was working on the porch stoop of a friend’s house in the 600 block of Trube Street when he fell 8 feet to the ground shortly before 3 p.m., said Assistant Chief Gary Claxton of the Alton Fire Department. Elliot Fletcher, the owner of the house, said Cox had been doing repairs around the property where Fletcher’s 87-year old mother lives. Fletcher said he was not at the house at the time Cox fell from the ladder and was not sure exactly what happened. “He is a really great guy,” Fletcher said. Claxton said Cox fell backward from the ladder where he climbed up to work on the stoop and that the hammer Cox was holding landed on top of him. “He crawled to the basement and was sitting in a chair when we got there,” Claxton said. Claxton said the Fire Department was dispatched at 2:59 p.m., and rescue workers placed Cox on a Kendrick Extrication Device, or “K.E.D.” board, as it is commonly known. The board is a moldable device that paramedics use to immobilize victims with serious injuries at the scene. Cox was taken by Alton Memorial Ambulance to Saint Anthony’s Health Center, then airlifted by ARCH Air Medical Service to St. Louis University Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said Cox was in stable condition Thursday evening in the emergency room. Claxton said Cox had a 2-inch cut on his head and suffered injuries to the ribs.

UPDATE, Safety inspector looking into South Hills scaffolding accident 
Brian Bowling Daily Mail staff 
A federal safety inspector is investigating the Bedford Road scaffolding accident that injured five roofers Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the condition of three of the injured workers has improved over the weekend. Jerry Good, response team leader in the Charleston office of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said this morning that his office was starting to investigate the accident. On Saturday, the five roofers were working on a new home in the South Hills subdivision when the scaffolding collapsed about 3:30 p.m. At least some of the workers fell 30 to 40 feet during the collapse, according to the Metro 911 log. The Charleston Fire Department didn’t have any report on the accident this morning and the names of the workers weren’t available. Jimmy Young Builders is building the South Hills home. Jimmy Young said Blake Roofing of South Charleston was doing the roofing. “I didn’t know they were out there working Saturday,” he said. Young and his wife dropped by the job site  Saturday evening so he could show her the progress they were making on the house. When he arrived after 5 p.m., however, he was surprised to find workers’ trucks parked around the site. Even more surprising, considering the presence of the trucks, was the fact that no one was around. Finally, a neighbor told him about the accident. “I still don’t even know what happened myself,” Young said. Young said he’s used Blake Roofing for years and, as far as he knows, the company’s never had an accident. The workers were taken to Charleston Area Medical Center where four were admitted and one was treated and released, spokesman Andy Wessels said. There was no answer at the phone number for Blake Roofing, which is also the listing for Michael Blake. Wessels said that a Mike Blake is one of the workers in the hospital, but Blake was not taking media calls today. The hospital has upgraded Blake and another worker from fair to satisfactory condition, which is effectively the last step before a patient is released.  The two other workers are still in the intensive care unit but one has been upgraded from critical to serious condition while the other remains in critical condition.

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

Workers injured at house site
Five people with serious injuries were taken to the hospital Saturday after they fell from scaffolding while they were working on a new house in South Hills. Capt. John Wilcox of the Charleston Fire Department said the department received a call at about 3:37 p.m. explaining the situation on Bedford Road. Wilcox said the house is three stories tall, and on a hillside. “There were serious injuries. Head injuries, broken limbs, broken backs. Nobody was walking around,” Wilcox said. He said they had an extensive scaffolding system erected while they roofed the house. As one man went up on the scaffolding, it “kicked out,” he said. The identities of the workers were unavailable Saturday evening.

WORKER FIGHTS FOR LIFE AFTER ROOF FALLS IN 
A foreman is fighting for his life after a roof collapsed on him at the old Meco Mining headquarters. He was airlifted to hospital with head injuries after the roof fell in at the disused factory in Northway Lane, Tewkesbury at 3.15pm yesterday. He is being treated in a trauma unit at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham. Two police officers helped carry him to the air ambulance. Health and Safety Executive officer Steve Richardson issued a verbal prohibition order stopping work on the site and sent the other seven workers home. He said that he is now considering issuing a written prohibition notice, which means work must stop until the HSE decides that the site is safe again. He has also launched an investigation into the collapse. Mr Richardson said: “It’s unclear exactly what happened and I will question those who were on the site. “It’s impossible to say how long the investigation will go on for but everything will be fully examined.” A County Air Ambulance spokesman said: “The injuries are serious,  which is why the patient is being treated in a trauma centre but, at the moment, they don’t seem to be life threatening.” The factory is being demolished to make way for 110 new homes. A hospital spokesman said the man, who has not been named is “critical but stable”.

Worker badly injured in fall
Conal Mullen
The Edmonton Journal 
A man was taken to hospital in serious condition Wednesday evening after he fell at a construction site on the city’s south side. The incident happened at a construction site near 119B Street and 12th Avenue, said Chris Chodan, public affairs officer for Alberta Human Resources and Employment. He said the victim was unconscious and had serious injuries when he was taken to hospital. Chodan said the man worked for New Era Framing. Police and investigators from Alberta Human Resources and Employment were investigating the accident. Scrapyard boss fined after worker injured SCRAPYARD owner John Holland has been ordered to pay more than £5,000 after an explosion on his premises nearly killed one of his workers. Magistrates in Chippenham were told on Monday that David King, who had worked for Holland for 12 years, suffered a broken left leg and serious injuries to his right leg and kneecap in the blast. The accident happened in February at Holland Handling, at Braydon, near Malmesbury. Richard Stead,  defending, said Holland, who admitted a charge of exposing his employees to the risk of injury, was deeply remorseful. “Great sorrow is felt by Mr Holland for the injuries caused to David King,” said Mr Stead. “He (Mr King) has been an employee for 12 years and part of the family within the business. Mr Holland hopes that he will be returning to work at the business.” The accident happened at the recycling and skip hire plant, when Mr King was cutting open an empty drum using an oxyacetylene torch. The gases from the torch and the empty drum reacted and caused an explosion that shattered Mr King’s leg. At the time of the accident he was taken to Swindon’s Princess Margaret Hospital and police told him he was lucky to escape with his life. Mr Stead said that if Mr King had taken the plug out of the drum to release the gases, the accident would not have occurred. “Mr King had done the procedure many times before but this time there was a more pressing matter as there was a hydraulic leak on an implement and Mr King wanted to cut the drum in half to collect the leaking oil,” he said. But health and safety officer Frederick Tucker, prosecuting, said there were no written instructions in the company’s manual and therefore it was responsible. “The company failed to have a risk assessment or method statement in their safety manual on how to operate the drums,” said Mr Tucker. But he accepted that Holland had been very co-operative with the health and safety investigations and the company had no health and safety breaches in its 20-year history. Mr Stead said that the company’s safety procedures had been run by Holland’s brother Pete, who died in November 2000 from a rare bone marrow cancer. The safety manual had not been updated since his death. Magistrates said they recognised that Holland had taken steps since the accident to remedy the situation. “We have taken into account the circumstances of the events and that Mr Holland has shown co-operation with the health and safety executive,” said magistrates  chairman Mike Sutton. Holland was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,338. 

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

Worker falls, then dies in SJ winery vat 
By ZEKE MINAYA, BEE STAFF WRITER 
ESCALON — A 19-year-old Lathrop man died Wednesday morning after falling into a concrete fermentation tank at an Escalon winery, officials said. Jose Padilla had been employed at the Canandaigua Wine Co. for three weeks as a temporary worker, company spokeswoman Lisa Farrell said. “We’re highly saddened by what happened,” she said from the company’s headquarters in upstate New York. She did not release any details of the accident, which is under investigation by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Farrell stressed that even though Padilla had not worked there long, he had been trained. “He was properly trained. We train all our employees,” she said. Farrell said the winery is cooperating with the Cal-OSHA investigation. “We are looking into this accident, trying to determine what his assignment was and why he was on top of that vat,” Cal-OSHA spokesman Dean Fryer said. The accident occurred at 8:15 a.m., he said. Padilla was standing on a grating over the 29,000-gallon tank when the grating gave way and he fell, Fryer said. Medical rescuers transported Padilla to a Stanislaus County hospital, where he died, San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Nelida Stone said. In July 2000, a worker at the Bear Creek Winery south of Lodi was found dead in a 20,000 gallon vat of red wine.

UPDATE, ROOFER DIED AFTER FALLING 30FT THROUGH SKYLIGHT 
Health and safety officials are to consider a criminal prosecution after an experienced Cleethorpes roofer fell 30ft through a roof panel to his death on a factory floor. Alan Gordon (45), of Thrunscoe Road, Cleethorpes, had been asked to check rain leaks on an asbestos roof at Coincheck Electronics Ltd, in Beverley. Workers at the factory, which makes bingo machines, furniture and shop display units, told an inquest how they reacted in horror as they heard a roof crack. They turned to see Mr Gordon falling through the air. He hit his head on a wooden pallet before hitting the floor receiving multiple cuts, bruises and fractures including extensive head injuries. Internal bleeding left him unconscious but still able to breath. Production workers crowded around as an ambulance was called and he was put in the recovery position. His friend, roofing labourer Thomas Ireland, rushed to his side. Mr Ireland told an inquest at Hull Coroners’ Court, Mr Gordon was up on the roof with him and had warned him not to step on to the sheets. He said: “I just heard an almighty crash behind me. I turned around to where a translucent skylight was and saw him falling through it. He was two metres away. I ran on the roof hoping he that he was hanging on or maybe he had hit a roof beam. “When I looked he was on the floor.” Production manager Dean Coleman said: “I heard the crash just in front of me. I looked up to see this guy dropping through the roof and hitting the floor. I got a first aider and someone to ring for the ambulance. Mr Gordon, who married his wife Donna in 1980, was an experienced roofer who had worked at the factory many times over seven years for a firm based in Brough, near Hull. The inquest jury heard Coincheck had a 50-page health and safety manual and would induct subcontractors on safety procedures when they were appointed. Rob Bowell, an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, told the inquest that corrosion and brittle sheet roofing cost more than a dozen lives each year. He said there were thousands of similar sheet roofs in this country. He said they were gradually being replaced, but there are still many to be done. He said: “There have been a whole catalogue of events where these roofs of asbestos sheeting panels have simply shattered into a million pieces. They literally shatter to the touch after a few years.” He confirmed the HSE had made an investigation and were still considering whether or not there were grounds for a prosecution to take place. Kenneth Peace, the chief executive of Coincheck Ltd, told the inquest his firm had sub-contracted out the regular repairs on the roof which was part sheeting and part metal. He said each firm and employee was taken through the health and safety manual relevant to their areas of work on the first occasion. He said the firm Mr Gordon worked for had been known to them for several years. He said: “We had no problems with the company at all. On the contrary they were very professional.” Mr Gordon’s wife, Donna, rushed to his side after the accident when he was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary suffering massive head injuries on August 30 last year. He was put on a ventilator but did not regain consciousness. A neuro-surgeon informed the family of his severe head injures and said there was nothing that could be done. Mr Gordon’s ventilator was turned off on August 31 – the day after the accident. Mrs Gordon told the inquest in a written statement her husband had been a roofer since they were married 20 years ago. She said he was happy and contented and never had any falls at work before. She said she had last seen him at 10pm the night before and had missed him going to work the following morning. Coroner Geoffrey Saul returned a verdict of accidental death. 

UPDATE, Witness said PCS worker ‘lurched forward’ before fall: Employee was trying to catch his hard hat
By JUSTIN LANG
Lake City Reporter
There was at least one witness to a fall at PCS Phosphate that killed an employee last week, said Mike Gwynn, manager of public affairs. David Bowles, 46, died Friday, after sustaining injuries in a 21-foot fall from an elevated platform at PCS’ Swift Creek Hemi plant Thursday. One witness to the incident was a chief operator, who was a supervisor during that shift, a PCS official who wished to remain anonymous. He also said the witness was walking beside Bowles at the time of the fall. The PCS official described the elevated walkways as wide concrete floors, completely surrounded by railings, of which there is a top and middle. He said the witness said Bowles made a noise and then lurched forward and as a result, his hard hat fell off. The witness said it looked like he was attempting to catch the hard hat. During the forward motion, the witness said Bowles went forward about 11 feet before going head first in between the top and middle railing, the official said. Bowles lived between Jasper and Jennings and was a native of the area. He started work at the Swift Creek Hemi plant in 1979, starting with PCS in 1978. He is survived by his wife Charlene and five grown children, ranging in ages from 18 to 27. Bowles was a chemical operator at PCS, a job which Gwynn said entails checking gauges and making necessary adjustments to keep everything within parameters. He said Bowles’ job would require work on several floors. He would do things like, “go down and start a pump and take samples, depending on duties for the night.” “That’s part of the job, it wasn’t like he was out there haphazardly,” Gwynn said. “He’d been on that platform many times.” Gwynn said that OSHA was at PCS on Tuesday to investigate, which included taking measurements and talking to witnesses. A PCS official said OSHA measured the railings and verified they are the correct dimensions, are painted a high-visibility yellow, lighting is up to standards and the floor is in good condition. He says that plant workers go through safety training ‹ in compliance with OSHA ‹ once a year and have work safety meetings once a month. PCS workers also have to wear safety shoes, which two pairs are provided by the company every year. The official said there are different types of safety shoes for the workers to choose from, but all have “aggressive” treads. He says that Bowles was working a 12-hour shift, which started at 6 p.m. and ended at 6 a.m. He also said there were about four people, including Bowles, working in the area of the fall last week. The witness stayed with Bowles ‹ who was not conscious ‹ after the fall until an ambulance and emergency workers could arrive, the official said. He said Bowles never regained consciousness. “These are unusual circumstances,” the PCS official said. “There’s nothing documented to even resemble this at all.” Autopsy results and a full investigation into the death are pending. “It’s going to be an involved investigation,” Gwynn said.

CRANE CALLED IN FOR INJURED MAN 
A crane was used to lift an injured crewman off a cargo boat moored at Teignmouth docks. The man fell about three metres off a ladder on to the steel hold of the German registered Viper last evening. Coastguards and paramedics were called to the scene, and found the casualty was conscious but suffering head and facial injuries and broken bones. John Hook, head of Teignmouth auxiliary coastguards, said that in a joint operation with the ambulance crew, they eased the man on to their cliff rescue stretcher. Teignmouth Quay Company then called in one of their crane operators to lift the stretcher from the hold on to the quayside. The crewman was taken to Torbay Hospital by ambulance, and his injuries are not thought to be life threatening. “It was an unusual operation for us, but we worked closely with the paramedics and it went very smoothly,” Mr Hook added.

Worker hurt in Marysville 
By John DeWeese, Herald Writer 
MARYSVILLE — A lift overturned Wednesday afternoon during restoration work on the Marysville water tower, seriously injuring one worker as the basket he was in plummeted 30 feet to the ground. The worker, a 47-year-old Oregon man, was listed in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with head and other injuries, a nursing supervisor said. He was in intensive care Wednesday night. The tower, the tallest structure in downtown Marysville, is undergoing a $180,000 renovation. Witnesses said the lift was extended about 30 to 40 feet on the north side of the tower when it collapsed. The lift snapped two main power lines along Sixth Avenue and crashed down on a Ford Ranger truck. Power was cut to buildings in Comeford Park and nearby businesses and homes. The owner of the truck, Ernie Perrault of Marysville, said he was discussing a real estate deal at the John L. Scott Realty Building across the street when the accident occurred. He described hearing electric wires popping and a crunching of metal as the lift’s basket smashed into his truck. “At first I didn’t think anyone was in the basket,” Perrault said. A work team from Snohomish County PUD took two hours to restore power. Marysville spokesman Doug Buell said the mayor decided to close the park overnight and post city employees to keep the site clear. Police also closed Sixth Street between State Avenue and Delta Avenue. Investigators are not sure what caused the collapse, but the lift’s tire broke through a section of the sidewalk. Once the lift is removed, crews will assess if any water or sewer mains were damaged, Buell said. The lift operator worked for United Steel Erector, a Bellingham-based company subcontracting for Long Painting Co. City engineer Rob Nelson said the tower’s restoration began three weeks ago and had been running smoothly. A state inspector made a preliminary investigation, Buell said, but it was too early to determine the cause of the accident. “It’s hard to say at this point. There are a lot of parties involved,” Buell said. Ron Larson, who works for Ready Trucking in Redmond, said he delivered the 125-foot Genie S-125 lift to the Marysville site. The lift has a computer system that controls the basket’s movements and prevents operator error. In his opinion, it would be very unlikely that the lift could tip over unless it was placed on unstable ground. When the water tower was built in 1921, it was the primary source of water for the community. The tower has been unused for 26 years, but local historic societies donated most of the money to have it restored as a landmark, said Marysville chief administration officer Mary Swenson. Construction will continue as soon as a crane removes the fallen lift, Swenson added.

Painter on GWB breaks leg in tumble from platform
A George Washington Bridge painter fell about 8 feet from one platform to another Tuesday, breaking his leg. Port Authority police spent more than an hour trying to rescue Antonio Araujo, 32, of the Bronx, who was blasting old paint from the north tower on the New Jersey side when he fell at 9:40 a.m., said Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman. His co-workers got him off the tower, moving him to the scaffolding below the lower level of the bridge, about 180 feet above the river, police said. One officer climbed onto the scaffolding to render first aid while waiting for Port Authority’s Emergency Services Unit to respond from Jersey City. The officers secured him to a first-aid board and lowered him in a rescue basket to a construction elevator in the tower. Araujo was taken by ambulance at 11:20 a.m. to Hackensack University Medical Center. He suffered a compound fracture of the leg, Coleman said.

Man Dies In Springdale Power Plant Fall
A worker died Tuesday at the Allegheny Energy plant in Springdale, WTAE’s Paul Van Osdol reported. The man was working near the top of a 400-foot stack when he fell inside and landed on a platform, Van Osdol reported. The incident happened around 1:30 p.m., and the worker’s body had not been recovered as of 6 p.m. The worker, Ronald Bush, 46, of Grayson, Ky., is an employee of Hamon Custodis, Inc., in Somerville, N.J., a company that designs, constructs and maintains reinforced concrete or steel chimneys. In November, a carpenter died in a fall of almost 300 feet at the plant, which is next to an old coal-fired plant that has been closed for about 20 years.

Electrical Contractor in High Court Today 
East Cape News (Grahamstown) 
By Cecile Greyling, Grahamstown 
The case of an electrical contractor who has been found to be in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act will be heard in the Grahamstown high court today. This follows the death of Jeremy Buwa in May 1999, when he fell to his death from a 3 metre high scaffolding while he was erecting temporary lights in a lecture room at Rhodes University. Labour inspector Thobile Lamati of the Department of Labour found that the contractor, Electro Network, was in contravention of the Act. According to his report Buwa cast an electric conductor over a rafter when the scaffolding platform on which he was standing moved causing him to lose his balance. He fell on his head on the concrete floor. It was established from evidence gathered that: * the use of incomplete scaffolding was one of the causes of the accident; * the scaffolding planks were not firmly secured to prevent displacement; * as the deseased was working in an elevated position and because the scaffolding was not complete, he should have been provided with safety equipment such as a harness or belt; and * in as much as it was the deceased responsibility to see to it that the environment he was to work in was safe, it was also the duty of the supervisor to ensure that all precautionary measures were taken. Lamati’s report was sent to the Director of Prosecution in the Eastern Cape who decided to institute prosecution. The provincial executive manager of the department of labour, Lindile Nxaqw, has sent out a strong warning yesterday that the department will not hesitate to bring employers who acted in contravention of the Act to book.

UPDATE, Injured workers still in a state of shock 
Dubai, A Staff Reporter 
Workers who evaded death on Sunday when the roof of a DEWA project building collapsed, lined the pavement in front of Rashid Hospital yesterday, waiting to visit their injured colleagues. “There were about 20 workers on the roof when it collapsed. I was on the ground passing material to them on a pulley when I heard the screams,” said Ranjeet, one of the lucky ones to escape. “I think the construction material stacked on the roof may have been responsible for the structure’s collapse. My first instinct was to run, and I didn’t wait to see what was happening.” Co-workers of those injured in the accident still seemed confused and under shock. With concern on their faces they were found sitting yesterday on pavements near the Rashid Hospital waiting for the visiting hours of the hospital to begin at 4pm. They still seemed unable to comprehend how something terrible like this could take place on a normal day. Hoping that the injured would be compensated, many expressed relief when they found an executive of the construction company visiting the injured. Raju, another worker, said: “I cannot think of anything but why the accident happened. I am just thanking God that although I was there, I chanced to walk to the other side of the accident site. I didn’t know how to react. This is first time in my life that I saw something like this happen near me.” Another worker, who asked not to be named, said that Rashid Hospital is letting in two workers at a time to visit the injured. “We were here yesterday but were not allowed to go in. So we turned up in groups today so that we would provide some moral support to those injured,” he said. Some of the workers, who are from the same hometown as those injured, are also contemplating conveying the bad news to their family members, but have been unable to gather up the courage. Hari remarked: “I tried to muster up courage to break the news to family members of my co-workers who are also from the same hometown in Andhra Pradesh (south India). I just hope my colleagues get back to their feet as soon as possible. “It is a good sign that our companies are not neglecting us and people are visiting those workers who were injured. The police and other officers have been really courteous to us.”

UPDATE, Roof collapse death toll rises to nine 
Dubai, Sunita Menon 
One worker who was not accounted for when the roof of the Dewa project building collapsed on Sunday, was dug up from under the debris yesterday by a rescue team. The man, identified as Kulwant Singh, an Indian, was reportedly dead when he was pulled out. “He could not have survived under all that construction material,” said one rescue team member. The death toll from the accident has risen to nine with Singh’s death. Lieutenant Colonel Jamal Al Marri, Head of the Bur Dubai Police Station, said a high-level committee has been set up to investigate the accident and find out why the roof of the structure collapsed. The accident occurred on Sunday morning at Dewa’s second phase of “K” Station. The rescue units had suspended operations overnight when there was no hope that the man could be alive. They resumed the search operation early this morning. “There was some confusion in the morning as one of the companies claimed there were two workers missing. They later found out that one of the workers was not on duty when the building collapsed,” said the source. The body of the worker was found late in the afternoon, minutes before the sandstorm hit Dubai. “We were planning to give up the search for the day because of the oncoming storm, when we found the body,” added the source. All the nine dead and 17 injured in Sunday’s accident are Indians, according to diplomatic sources. An estimated 150 Indian construction workers were at the site when the accident happened. The consulate of India officials are currently trying to get the home addresses of those who died. Speaking to Gulf News I.P. Mohanan, consul labour and head of chancery, said that most of the workers were masons and foremen. There was one Nepali worker also, he said. “We are trying get their addresses in India so as to inform their families.” An extensive investigation is underway to look into the cause of the accident at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) project construction site. The accident happened when one of the steel roofs of a structure under construction caved-in. The injured are undergoing treatment at Rashid Hospital in Dubai. The consul labour said he could not visit the site of the accident on Sunday but visited it yesterday with the help of the police. “I spoke to a few workers and have met them in the hospital. We will provide all the necessary help.” Asked whether the consulate will look into the speedy repatriation of the bodies, Mohanan said: “The bodies will be sent back by the individual construction companies, but they would have to approach the consulate to carry out certain paperwork. He pointed out that it could take some time to get the bodies repatriated, as a case has to be filed and the permission of the prosecution has to be taken. The bodies of the other eight workers have been identified as Lekhraj, Shiv Bhagwan, Harshai, Sadula Samuel, P, Laximaiya, Sujeet Singh, Shankar and R.K. Verma. According to sources, the main contracting company is Enel Power which sub-contracted the work to Belhasa Constructions. Other construction companies involved in the project are Dodsal, Bellai, C.K.K and Blue Diamond constructions. The source said that 12 workers from Dodsal were injured and that four were later discharged from hospital.

Power plant roof collapses in UAE
In the United Arab Emirates at least 4 people were killed and 19 injured on Sunday when the roof of a power plant which is still under construction caved in. The state-owned news agency WAM quoted police as saying seven people were killed adding that six people were missing. Authorities at the plant in Jebel Ari, on the outskirts of the Emirate barred reporters from the compound and from the Dubai hospital where workers were being treated.

UPDATE, Construction worker’s death ruled homicide 
By Patrick O’Shea, Times Staff 08/25/2002 
PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht on Friday changed the ruling in the death of a Moon Township ironworker from accidental to homicide and recommended that a major Pittsburgh construction company face criminal charges. Wecht recommended that District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. charge Dick Corp. with involuntary homicide after reviewing four days of coroner’s inquest testimony into the death of Paul Corsi, 38, on Feb. 13 when a truss he was working on at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center collapsed. During testimony given June 5, 6, 25 and July 22, experts theorized that the collapse could be traced to improper use of bolts on the beam. Although Wecht said he could not find any individuals who met the legal requirement of negligence in the death, he said Corsi’s employer was reckless. He said Dick Corp. managers failed to institute even a rudimentary safety inspection program and never appropriately instructed ironworkers on use of materials. It’s unusual for a company to be charged with homicide, but Wecht said there is precedent in a 1980 Pennsylvania Superior Court case in which a school bus company was held criminally liable for homicide by vehicle when one of its buses hit and killed a 6-year-old girl. Zappala issued a statement saying his office will conduct a detailed review of the evidence offered by Wecht before deciding on whether to proceed with charges. Denny Watts, president and chief executive officer of Dick Corp., said in a written statement that he disagreed with Wecht’s determination, and he urged Zappala to examine all facts before making his decision. “We stand behind our record as a company that puts safety first,” Watts said. “Dick Corp.’s intent at all times is to protect workers, whenever possible, from the potential hazards of construction work.” Watts expressed sympathy for Corsi’s family and ironworkers Donald Lenigan and Walter Pesewicz Jr., who were injured in the collapse. He said the company has cooperated fully with authorities. Last month, the federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration fined Dick Corp. and Canada-based steel manufacturer Au Dragon Forge International $19,000 each for serious violations in the incident.

Teenager working on Kidman film impaled on spike 
A teenager working on Nicole Kidman’s new film has been impaled by a metal spike after falling from a height of two metres. Paul Cojocaru was cleaning a tent on the set when he fell, according to Romanian daily Evenimentul Zilei. Cold Mountain is currently being filmed in Romania. The 17-year-old was taken to Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest, where surgeons operated to remove the spike. He is said to be out of danger but will be in hospital for a long time. An investigation is now being made into the how the accident occurred. This is the second serious incident to have occurred during the filming of Cold Mountain, which also stars Jude Law, Renee Zellwegger and Donald Sutherland. Three weeks ago a young boy trying to get a place as an extra in the film was crushed by a crowd of people, suffering multiple fractures to the head and shoulder. 

Maintenance worker plummets to death
AUSTIN L. MILLER, Staff writer
OCALA — A maintenance worker servicing a 1,200-foot tall radio tower slid 400 feet to his death shortly after noon on Wednesday, Sheriff’s Office officials said. Workers told Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lenny Uptagraft that Ohio resident Roy Edward Brown, 43, was in a safety harness attached to a guidewire about 400 feet above the ground. He was working on a section of a radio tower owned by WOGK-FM, K-Country, at 3600 N.E. County Road 326, when the workers noticed Brown free-falling on a pulley down the guidewire, which was attached to the ground at a 45-degree angle. “As he was traveling down the guidewire, he tried to use his hands and feet to slow his momentum,” Uptagraft said. Uptagraft said Brown crashed into a guidewire extension and then to the ground. He died at the scene. Brown was a maintenance worker for Midwest Communications Towers, an Ohio company that maintains such towers. Marion County sheriff’s detectives and officials from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the cause of the accident. Uptagraft did not know how long Brown was employed at the company. Midwest officials and members of Brown’s family on the scene did not want to comment. “The person worked for an independent contractor; the situation is under investigation,” said Jim Robertson, WOGK’s general manager, declining to comment further on the incident. Robertson said the tower was built several years ago.

UPDATE, OSHA Fines Georgia Contractors Nearly $61,000 Following Fatal Accident At Florida Worksite
GULF BREEZE, Fla. — Failing to protect workers from impalement hazards at a Gulf Breeze, Fla., drug store construction site may cost two Georgia contractors a total of $60,900, according to citations issued by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration yesterday. The agency began an inspection following an April 20 accident that killed a 32-year-old laborer who fell from a scaffold onto a protruding reinforcing steel bar, known as a rebar. The worker was employed by Canton, Ga.-based Chadwick T. Wallace, Inc., a subcontractor at the site where Cannon/Estapa General Contractors, Inc., also headquartered in Canton, was the general contractor. “Cannon/Estapa failed to take appropriate action even after sub-contractors on the job informed the general contractor that the protruding rebar needed to be covered,” said James Borders, OSHA’s Jacksonville area director. “Employers must take immediate action once they are aware of serious safety hazards that can cause injury or death.” The general contractor was cited for a willful violation for not guarding the protruding rebar and a serious violation for poor housekeeping. Proposed penalties for the alleged violations total $50,050. OSHA issued three serious citations against Chadwick T. Wallace for not guarding the rebar to eliminate impalement hazards, not providing safe access to scaffolds, and poor housekeeping. The sub-contractor was fined $10,850 for the alleged violations. According to OSHA, neither employer had a safety and health program in place. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH Act and regulations. A serious violation is one where there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and that the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. Each company has 15 working days to contest the OSHA citations and proposed penalties before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Inspection of the work site was conducted by OSHA’s Jacksonville area office located at 1851 Executive Center Dr., Suite 227; telephone: (904) 232 2895.

Man in lift shaft fall rescued Aug 21 2002
Emergency crews were called to Stratford to rescue a man who had fallen down a lift shaft. Fire crews were called to a construction site on Alcester Road shortly after midday yesterday. Paramedics were already at the scene and the 29-year-old man was airlifted to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch. An ambulance service spokesman said he was suffering neck and back pain but had been fully conscious throughout his rescue. A Warwickshire fire and rescue spokesman said the lift shaft, at the site of the new school, was less than 6ft below ground level. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating. The injured man, who is from Derbyshire, was detained in hospital overnight.

UPDATE, Construction worker’s identity confirmed
A construction worker who died from a fall Monday has been officially identified as 45-year-old Robert Lenart. Lenart fell from the second story of a condominium complex under construction in Punta Gorda Isles. He had tossed a bag of nails to another worker when he lost his footing and landed on a concrete structure built to support an air-conditioning unit, a representative for Charlotte County Fire & EMS said. Lenart was a certified carpenter and roofer for Contract Construction Inc. of Port Charlotte. He was hired by the company July 29, an employee said. “It’s a horrible thing,” said Peter Taylor, owner of Taylor Contractors of Florida Inc., the firm that subcontracted the job to Contract Construction. “Nothing like this has happened before. The worst injury I ever had on a job was a broken leg.” The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, an OSHA spokesperson in Tampa said. Lenart, whose last known address was on Yacht Club Boulevard in Punta Gorda, lived with his mother, Mary Jane Ackerman, for a while after coming to the area about a year and a half ago, according to one of his mother’s co-workers, Joanne Dillon. Ackerman is administrative assistant to Charlotte County Commissioner Tom D’Aprile. Lenart had four children who lived outside the state, Dillon said. He also had four brothers, three of whom live locally. 

Tower fall leaves county man critical
By BETH SMITH, Gleaner staff
A water tower on Ridgewood Road in Spottsville was the scene of a rescue operation Monday after a Henderson County man fell about 30 feet inside the tower’s central column. Robert Mabe, 19, was Lifeflighted to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Evansville, where he was listed in critical condition Monday night. The incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m. while Mabe and three others were doing some sand blasting and maintenance work inside the 100-foot tower, according to Rick Dizinno with Pittsburg Tank and Tower. Mabe was in the central column, also known as the riser, when he fell. A riser is “a means of access to the tank,” Dizinno said. Mabe was working for a subcontractor — James Darche — who was hired by Pittsburg Tank and Tower, a Henderson-based company. Details about what caused the fall are still sketchy. But Larry Koerber with Henderson Emergency Management said the indications are that Mabe was told to evacuate the tower because of the approaching storm. He was coming down the ladder inside the riser when he fell, Koerber said. Tim Mahone, director of the Henderson Ambulance Service, said Mabe fell feet first and his legs and rearend “caught the impact.” Emergency personnel stayed in contact with Mabe throughout the two-hour rescue operation, Mahone said. “He was conscious but in a lot of pain,” Mahone said. “His legs were curled up under him.” Spottsville Volunteer Fire Chief Steve Gilmore said that during the rescue, Mabe would answer general questions for emergency personnel. Gilmore said they just wanted to “keep him talking.” Rescue workers were able to bring Mabe out through the riser’s access door, Mahone said. Koerber said ropes were put around Mabe and emergency personnel hoisted him up past the access door in order to get him out feet first. This was the quickest way to get him out, Gilmore said. The other two options included pulling him back up the riser and out through the top of the tower or to cut into the riser, Gilmore said. Mahone commended the teamwork that enabled a smooth rescue operation. “Without everyone’s help we wouldn’t have been able to get him out,” he said. Gilmore echoed Mahone’s statement. “It takes a whole team for something like this.” The Henderson City County Rescue Squad, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Reed Volunteer Fire Department, the Henderson Fire Department’s High-Angle Rescue Team and the Henderson’s Emergency Management Agency also assisted at the scene.