Slip, Trips, and Falls #9
updated 05/06/2010
Worker in danger of dying after fall
by Charlotte Bonavia, di-ve news
VALLETTA, Malta (di-ve news) — 28 July 2003 – 2100CET — A 40-year-old Fgura man is in danger of dying after falling a height of three storeys while working at Old Hospital Street, Valletta, on Monday afternoon at around 1600CET. Police said that the accident occurred when the man fell off a plank while he was carrying out some works in a shaft of a block of apartments situated in the zone known as Camarata. An ambulance took the man to St Luke’s Hospital where he was certified as suffering grievous injuries and that he was in danger of dying. The duty magistrate was informed about the incident and appointed various experts to assist in the inquiry. Valletta district police are leading the investigations.
Worker Falls 20 Feet At Nelson-Atkins Museum; Officials Expect Victim To Survive
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A construction worker was injured Monday morning when he fell 20 feet into a shaft outside the Nelson-Atkins Museum, KMBC’s Brenda Washington reported. The accident occurred just after 7 a.m. on the southeast side of the museum. The worker, an employee of J.E. Dunn Construction, was hoisted out of the hole and rushed to an area hospital. Officials said he suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, Washington reported. The construction company is working on an expansion project for the museum. The injured worker’s name has not been released.
UPDATE Fatal Fall at Brandeis University Worksite Leads to $46,200 in OSHA Fines for Danvers, Mass., Contractor
METHUEN, Mass. — The death of a worker who fell two stories to his death at a Waltham, Mass., construction site could have been prevented if his employer, William A. Berry & Son, had supplied required fall protection, according to citations issued by the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). William A. Berry & Son, of Danvers, Mass., general contractor on the construction of a new dormitory at Brandeis University, faces $46,200 in fines for alleged willful and serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, following the March 2 fatality. A crew of laborers was dismantling a temporary work platform on the second floor level of an unfinished stairwell when one of them fell through the partially dismantled platform to the basement level. OSHA’s inspection found that the employer had not provided fall protection for the workers. This exposed these workers to falls of almost 26 feet from the work platform. The workers had also not been instructed to recognize and avoid such fall hazards. “Falls are the number one killer in construction, having cost the lives of more than 400 American workers in 2001,” explained Richard Fazzio, OSHA’s area director for Middlesex and Essex Counties. “This case shows in the starkest terms why fall protection is an absolute necessity when employees are working six feet or more above the next level.” Berry & Son faces a fine of $42,000 for failing to provide the fall protection, while a $4,200 fine is proposed for the lack of training. A willful violation is defined by OSHA as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations. A serious violation as one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to either elect to comply with them, to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. OSHA’s Methuen, Mass., area office conducted the inspection. Its telephone number is (617) 565-8110. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is dedicated to saving lives, preventing injuries and illnesses, and protecting America’s workers. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
Bridge construction accident injures six
The Associated Press Saturday, July 26, 2003
Crestline — Six workers were injured Thursday when a beam gave way on a bridge being constructed in southeast Kansas. The accident occurred about 4 p.m. at a construction site on Old Highway 96 between Crestline and the Missouri state line. Employees of Beachner Construction Co., St. Paul, Kan., have been working since December to replace the bridge over the Spring River. One worker was taken by helicopter with serious injuries to Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Mo. The other five were taken by ambulance to area hospitals with less serious injuries, said Cherokee County Undersheriff George Kelly. George Dockery, a engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation, said all six workers were standing on the beam, placing braces on it and preparing it for placement. One worker had just released a cable to move to another spot on the beam when the beam started to topple, throwing the workers off, Dockery said. The workers could have been more seriously injured if they had not been wearing lifelines, Dockery said. They would have fallen the 25 or 30 feet to the ground. The most seriously injured worker rode the beam all the way to the ground, suffering cuts to the head and face and leg injuries. The other workers suffered scrapes, bruises, sprains and possible broken bones, officials said. Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials probably will be called in to investigate, but it is up to the construction contractor to contact the agency, Dockery said. The highway was closed in December 2002, when construction began on the $2.6 million bridge replacement project. Dockery said the accident probably would delay completion of the new bridge, which was scheduled for November.
UPDATE Investigation continues into Henrico job-site accident
Lance Martin Herald Staff Writer
JACKSON — The Northampton County Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate a construction site accident in Henrico Monday. Three workers for the South Hill, Va.-based Howerton Construction were injured when the scaffolding they were on gave way at a job site in the Whippoorwill Hills Subdivision. Chief Detective Bill Wheeler said he will review notes taken by Deputy Fontay Macon and conduct his own investigation. Macon forwarded the investigation to the detective division. Four men were on the scaffold when it tilted, causing three of the workers to plunge to the ground. Injured were Frankie Howerton, Frank Edmonds and Brandon Jones. One worker sustained a back injury, one hurt his foot and the other sustained a wrist injury. Two of the workers were transported to Community Memorial Health Center in South Hill while another was taken to Halifax Regional Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids. Their condition reports were not available. A company representative did not immediately return phone calls this morning.
Hathaway Bridge Accident
One worker died and three others were hospitalized Wednesday morning in a construction accident on the East bound lane of the new Hathaway Bridge in Panama City Beach. The accident happened around 6:45 a.m. when a section of scaffolding collapsed and fell about 50 feet into the water. Four men went into the water with the scaffolding. One man who was fastened to the scaffolding with a safety harness, apparently was trapped under water. The rescuers were unable to reach him in time. He died at the scene. He is identified as 44-year-old Alan Stockton of Panama City Beach. Two others were rescued and taken to a local hospital for treatment. The fourth man managed to survive the fall uninjured. Another worker, who jumped in to help rescue the trapped man, was injured and he too was taken to the hospital.
Three injured in scaffolding accident
Lance Martin Herald Staff Writer
HENRICO — Three construction workers were hospitalized Monday morning when scaffolding they were working on tilted over, the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office said. A construction worker at the scene off River Road in the Whippoorwill Hills subdivision said the workers, including the job foreman, fell between 15 to 20 feet while working on a house. The worker for Howerton Construction of Gasburg, Va., offered no other details. Deputy Fontay Macon said a construction worker told him around 9:15 a.m., four men were on the scaffold when it tilted, causing three men to plunge to the ground. Injured were Frankie Howerton, Frank Edmonds and Brandon Jones. No ages or addresses were available. Macon said one worker sustained a back injury, one hurt his foot and the other sustained a wrist injury. Macon said it was not clear who sustained which injury. Two of the workers were transported to Community Memorial Health Center in South Hill, Va., while another was taken Halifax Regional Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids. Macon said it was not clear which man was transported to which hospital. Macon planned to turn the accident over to the detective division for further investigation.
UPDATE Worker dies after falling into vat of cyanide
By T.J. WILHAM thestarpress.com
MUNCIE – A Muncie man died Friday after he fell into a vat containing a cyanide solution while he was working at a near-downtown metal plating plant. Local authorities are investigating why there was no safety equipment in place that would have prevented 56-year-old Joseph Gray from falling into the 7,000-gallon vat at Mid-City Plating Co., 921 E. Charles St. Gray died at Ball Memorial Hospital not long after he tumbled headfirst into the vat about 7:30 a.m. Gray, who had worked for the company since 1999, had been perched over the vat on 3-foot-wide sheets of plywood that had been placed over a series of bars, according to Mike Terry, a Delaware County deputy coroner. Investigators said Gray was trying to place zinc balls into tubes running into the vat when he lost his grip on the plywood and fell into the 6-foot-high container, which was filled with a solution containing sodium cyanide. The chemical can cause death if it is absorbed through skin. Co-worker Ron Jennings, who had been next to Gray on the plywood, immediately pulled him out of the vat and helped him to the showers. After he was pulled out of the container, Gray was talking to his co-workers, but he lost consciousness shortly after he was taken to the emergency showers. “I didn’t realize at first how serious it was,” Jennings said hours after the accident. “It didn’t hit me until they loaded him into the ambulance.” The company dips cages into the vats to create a chrome-like finish. Investigators said workers routinely employed the technique that Gray was using to put zinc balls into the vats. The process involves building a walkway with several sheets of plywood. Workers lay down a piece of wood, move onto it, then lay down another as they make their way to the center of the vat. Meanwhile, the foamy solution is a few feet under them at a temperature of 80 degrees. “It’s like something you would see on Fear Factor,” said Muncie police Sgt. Bill Brown, who was the first officer on the scene. “You couldn’t pay me to do what these guys were doing.” Pete Rimsans, deputy director of the Indiana Department of Labor, said Friday afternoon that his agency was conducting an inspection of Mid-City. Rimsans said that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires companies that do such work to use safety belts or safety rails. “Generally we would require guardrails or something to prevent employees falling in,” Rimsans said. “There would have to be some type of safety system.” Jennings said Mid-State did have safety belts, but he and Gray were not wearing them. The long-time factory worker said he felt that the company was a safe place to work. After the accident, Jennings took the rest of the day off. He planned to return to work Monday. “Even if he had a belt on, it would not have mattered,” Jennings said. “It ain’t too bad out there. You just have to watch what you are doing.” Delaware County Emergency Management Director Bill Gosnell said Friday that he was concerned about the safety equipment at Mid-City. Gosnell said his agency, the department of labor, and representatives from Mid-City would meet Monday. “Common sense would tell you that what they were doing was a very risky thing,” Gosnell said. “This is a serious situation and someone died. If there were some procedures that should have been followed that were not followed, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. “We have to protect the workers, the community and the first responders who go into these facilities to give medical aid.” Rod Muzzarelli, Mid-City plant manager, did not return a phone message from The Star Press.
Firecrew help fall worker
Jul 22, 2003, 14:49:00
Firefighters went to the aid of an injured workman at Kidderminster’s new Weavers Wharf shopping complex. The workman, who had fallen off a ladder and had a suspected broken bone in his foot, was on scaffolding 30ft up when he was hurt yesterday afternoon. Sub officer Mick Rowlands of Kidderminster fire station said a turntable ladder from Worcester was sent for, and the workman was lowered to the ground on a stretcher before being taken to hospital. Mr Rowlands said: “He was a young, fit man and was not in any distress.”
Man killed in scaffold tumble, ag worker injured in city fall
By Herald-Tribune staff
An elderly painter was killed in a worksite accident Thursday in Wabasca. Mounties said the 70-year-old-man died after falling more than 4.5 metres from a scaffolding he was using while painting the interior of Wabasca’s new swimming pool. Foul play is not suspected, and police have turned the investigation over to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety. Wabasca is about 120 kilometres northeast of Slave Lake. Occupational Health and Safety is also investigating an incident that occurred at Agricore United’s fertilizer storage and blending facility in Grande Prairie. A employee of Spray-Air Technologies, a company contracted to do some routine maintenance, fell off a fertilizer deck onto cement six to 7.5 metres (20 to 25 feet) below. The man was transported to University Hospital in Edmonton, said Linda Park, spokeswoman with Occupational Health and Safety. Agricore United general manager of operations TJ Hinton said they’ll be working with the company and occupational health and safety on the investigation.
Muncie Worker Dies After Fall
Reported by: AP
A worker at a Muncie, Indiana metal plating company was killed when he fell into a seven-thousand-gallon vat of sodium cyanide. Investigators say no safety equipment appeared to have been in place that could have prevented 56-year-old Joseph Gray from falling into the vat. The accident occurred yesterday at Mid-City Plating Company. Gray was pronounced died at a hospital shortly after he tumbled headfirst into the vat. The Muncie man had worked for Mid-City Plating since 1999. Mid-City Plating dips cages into the vats to give them a chrome-like finish. Pete Rimsans of the Indiana Department of Labor says his agency is conducting an inspection at Mid-City.
Worker Dies In Elevator Shaft; Fell to death at Stony Brook school
By Samuel Bruchey and Chao Xiong STAFF WRITERS July 17, 2003
An Oakdale man working inside a junior high school in Stony Brook died yesterday after falling down a two-story elevator shaft, Suffolk police said. Andrew Amarando, 32, and at least one co-worker were installing telephone cables inside the Robert C. Murphy Junior High School at 351 Oxhead Rd., Homicide Det. Sgt. Vincent Posillico said. At about 9 a.m., Amarando stepped through a press board covering in the attic of the two-story building and fell down the shaft, Posillico said. “It really wasn’t designed to hold much [weight],” he said. Amarando became wedged between the elevator car and the wall of the shaft, Posillico said. The elevator car had to be dismantled before Amarando’s body could be removed. It took police and Setauket firefighters four hours to extricate his body and remove it from the shaft, Posillico said. It was unclear exactly when he died. But “nobody heard him calling out from the shaft,” a police source said. Amarando was pronounced dead at the scene and taken to the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office in Hauppauge for an autopsy. Amarando’s relatives declined to comment. His employer, Cable Reddy of Selden, did not return calls for comment. Posillico said it was Amarando’s third day working at the school. There were no children in the building at the time of the accident, Three Village District Superintendent John Sonedecker said. Other contracted workers and school maintenance staff were present in the two-story red-brick building when the accident occurred, he said, adding that a custodian reported the incident.
4th Grand Strand construction worker dies since Dec.
(Myrtle Beach-AP) July 16, 2003 – A construction worker has died after falling about 40 feet from the roof of a building in Horry County. Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said 41-year-old Alfonso Morales of Loris died Tuesday afternoon. Morales is the fourth worker to die in a construction-related accident on the Grand Strand since December. Last year there were 27 construction-related deaths in South Carolina, according to the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The most common causes of construction deaths in South Carolina are falls, being struck by an object and electrocution.
Construction worker injured
7/15/2003 4:45 PM By: Capital News 9 web staff
A construction worker fell 20 feet to the ground in Warren County Tuesday. The county sheriff’s office said Ronald Bauer fell off a roof at a job site on Garnet Lake Road in Johnsburg. Authorities said when Bauer fell, he struck his head on a stone wall on the way down. The 67-year-old Johnsburg man suffered serious head injuries. Paramedics responded to the scene and Bauer was later airlifted to Albany Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
OSHA Investigating Fatal Fall from Tower
Jul 15, 2003 3:16 pm US/Eastern
Greene Twp (KDKA) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a deadly accident in Beaver County this morning in which a man fell about 450-feet to his death. According to state police, the 26-year-old man was doing routine maintenance on an antenna on a radio tower in Greene Township around 9:20am when he somehow fell. Another worker who was with the man told authorities that he thought the victim was securely fastened in a safety harness, adding that a bolt may have come loose. The victim has not been identified, but officials say he was from the Paducah, Kentucky area and worked as a subcontractor for World Tower Company. OSHA is now looking into the deadly accident.
Man falls from pickup truck, is killed on I-77
by SHAWNA MORRISON THE ROANOKE TIMES
A 28-year-old Pearisburg man was killed Wednesday afternoon when he fell out of the back of a pickup truck and was run over by the trailer it was towing, police said. Virginia State Police Trooper J.L. Mullins said the accident happened about 5:40 p.m. in the Fort Chiswell area of Interstate 77, about a mile and a half south of its intersection with Interstate 81. Charles Eugene Stowers was on his way back from North Carolina in a pickup truck with seven other men – five in the large cab and two in the bed, which was covered with a camper shell, Mullins said, when he fell out of the truck and was run over. The men worked for an independent construction company that did commercial tile work and had been working on a project for Campbell’s Soup Co., Mullins said. They had been in North Carolina for a few weeks and were on their way home. The truck was hauling a small box trailer loaded with tools, clothes and other supplies, Mullins said. The pickup truck was the only vehicle involved, Mullins said. Mullins said foul play is not suspected. “It’s really sad,” he said. “Just a tragic accident.” No charges will be placed. A law that makes it illegal to ride in the back of a truck applies only to people younger than 16.
Worker Hurt in Fall
By Tomoeh Murakami STAFF WRITER July 12, 2003
A Ronkonkoma man was in serious condition last night after falling 25 feet into a cement hole at a Melville construction site. Salvatore Valensisi, an employee of McLean Contracting of Melville, was inside a waste treatment plant he was helping to build at 171 Half Hollow Rd., the site of a 1,300-home community called Greens at Half Hollow, when he plunged into the hole, authorities said. “One of the grates [covering the hole] was removed and he fell in,” said David Kaplan, assistant chief of the Melville Fire Department. Valensisi, 55, suffered internal bleeding, a broken leg and various back, rib and abdominal injuries, authorities said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. A man identified as a representative of the employer by an OSHA investigator who was at the scene of the incident Friday declined to immediately comment. It took Melville firefighters, assisted by rescue teams from the East Farmingdale and Huntington Manor fire departments as well as Suffolk County police, 50 minutes to hoist Valensisi out of the 10-foot wide hole on a stretcher, Kaplan said. Valensisi was transported to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow. He was later taken to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, where he remained in serious condition last night, a hospital spokesman said.
Ship worker’s death fall
A 55-year-old Polish worker was killed after falling 12 metres (40ft) from a jetty at Burton upon Stather, Lincolnshire, into a moored ship below, police said.
UPDATE Worker dies in fall from HRN; Man died after falling from scaffolding on the eighth floor of Hamilton College House
By Laura Sullivan July 10, 2003
A construction worker fell to his death from scaffolding on the south side of Hamilton College House while working on renovations to the high rise building nearly two weeks ago. University officials would not release the victim’s name, but said that he was in his early twenties. “Unfortunately on June 27 at [1:40 p.m.] we had an employee… fall from the eighth floor off the scaffold,” University Director of Fire and Emergency Services Ted Bateman said, noting that the drop was approximately 85 feet. The victim was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after the accident. “The day of the unfortunate incident operations were ceased,” Bateman said. “Out of respect for the employee, his family and the other workers at the site, operations were ceased on Monday as well.” The death comes on the heels of a stabbing, which left another construction worker in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. On June 23, David Ingraham, 38, was arrested after allegedly stabbing Sam Hrynczyszn, 25. The two workers reportedly got into an argument over their work schedules and Ingraham allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Hrynczyszn three times in the stomach and upper chest. Ingraham has been charged with criminal attempt to murder, aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. Commending the officers on the scene, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush noted that “had it not been for their actions we probably would have had a 26 year old victim who would not have survived.” After the most recent accident, University officials say they are working to improve safety measures at the site. “There were a number of meetings subsequent to the accident and they included representatives from Penn Public Safety, the general contractor on site, the subcontractor and representatives from Penn Facilities and Risk Management to address… the site safety considerations,” Bateman said. Aiming “to take some remedial action before the site would be open again,” the crew has implemented several changes according to Bateman. These changes include inspections of the guard and end rails on the scaffolding mechanisms at the beginning and end of each work day. The glazers — those whose work at the site requires them to be out on the scaffolding — will also be tied in as per new safety measures. Bateman also noted that there would be “trained and qualified supervision on the site at all times and all operations — including the scaffolding operations — would be monitored throughout the day.” All personnel — including those who work on the scaffolding — will be retrained, according to Bateman. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is currently investigating the death. “Penn Public Safety and other responsible parties at Penn are in constant contact with OSHA,” Bateman said, noting that a closing meeting will be held once the investigation is complete.
Workers injured in Kimmel collapse to get $12.7 million
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA – Seven workers who were injured, several of them completely disabled, in a scaffolding collapse during construction of Philadelphia’s new performing arts center will receive amounts ranging from $200,000 to $3.1 million to settle lawsuits in connection with the accident. Attorneys worked out the $12.1 million settlement in three days of negotiations before mediator Ronald Sherr. The accident occurred Feb. 10, 2000, as hundreds of tons of concrete were poured into a form built to create an underground parking garage ramp at the 435,000-square-foot Kimmel Center, which opened in December 2001. The workers standing on the form plunged nearly 40 feet into the wet concrete and broken scaffolding below The agreement calls for payments of $3.15 million to David B. Jennings III, $3 million each to Rodney Jones and Christopher Rizzo, $2 million to Michael Warnick, $1.2 million to Michael Berardi, and $200,000 each to Allen McCray and Earven E. Pettaway. Attorneys for the worker said the blame was shared by several companies involved, because designs for the concrete form had never been completed, and contractors went ahead and built it without any plans. he injured workers sued the form designer, Peri Formwork Systems Inc.; the concrete contractor, Pietrini & Sons; the general contractors, L.F. Driscoll and Artis Ore Inc.; and the Regional Performing Arts Center, the company that owns the Kimmel Center. Robert J. Mongeluzzi, one of the attorneys for workers, said the plaintiffs’ attorneys focused on proving that all the defendants shared in the liability. Peri Formwork was under contract to provide a design for the form but never did, and Pietrini built the form “without the benefit of plans,” according to a memo by the plaintiffs’ attorneys outlining their case. L.F. Driscoll had overall responsibility for safety, but the company’s safety manager at the site acknowledged in a deposition he hadn’t seen a formwork project before and wasn’t aware of relevant safety regulations, “for which the plaintiffs have paid a very heavy price,” the memo said. Joel Paul Fishbein, an attorney for L.F. Driscoll and Pietrini, said the settlement was acceptable. “This was about as reasonable a settlement as one could expect considering the liability issues, the nature of the accident and the quality of the plaintiffs’ attorneys,” Fishbein said. Information from: The Legal Intelligencer
Man dies doing what he loved: Working
By DEBORAH GATES Daily Times Staff Writer
FRUITLAND — Wallace Foxwell turned 65 and called it quits at the job he had held for more than three decades. But like other retirees wanting to stay active, he went back to work. Foxwell, the oldest employee for the City of Fruitland, died last week from an accident doing what he knew and loved — climbing a ladder. Fruitland’s code enforcement officer and housing inspector for the last seven years would have turned 79 next Thursday. “He’s been in construction work all of his life,” a tearful Wanda Foxwell, of Salisbury, said of her husband. “He loved it.” Her husband was inspecting a house under construction on Fruitland’s East Main Street when a ladder supporting him apparently slipped, she said. A construction worker discovered Foxwell on the ground beside the ladder the morning of June 30, Fruitland City Manager Rick Pollitt said Tuesday. It was unclear whether the ladder slipped or Foxwell became ill and fell, he said. “We’re speculating he might have fallen off,” Pollitt said. The injury paralyzed Foxell, and he was flown by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore from Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Wanda Foxwell said. “He could talk. We were hoping he’d get better,” she said. Foxwell died two days later and the Dorchester County native was buried Monday in Cambridge, where he worked 35 years at the Charles E. Brohawn Co. construction company, his wife said Tuesday. The couple moved to Salisbury after Foxwell’s 1986 retirement, renting a place for a while, then eventually building a new home. “He didn’t build it himself but he checked on the builders, checked what they were doing,” Wanda Foxwell said. Foxwell took a job as an inspector at George Miles and Buhr, a Salisbury architectural firm doing business with Fruitland, Pollitt said. “That’s how we got to know him,” he said. “We took him away.” At the time, Fruitland was facing a housing boom with no housing inspector, and Foxwell stepped in part-time to fill the void, Pollitt said. Soon, he doubled as the town’s code enforcement officer. “He made his own hours, usually (working) in the early morning until about noon,” Pollitt said. “We were in the process of hiring a full-time code enforcement officer and have him do building inspection. We will have to re-evaluate the whole program.”
Accident puts window washers in hospital; Flat tire on forklift hoisting platform causes 2 men to topple 28 feet
From Staff Reports The State
A window washer was in poor condition and another was fair Wednesday after the machine hoisting them at a Fort Jackson Boulevard building blew a tire and crashed to the ground. Both men, whose names were unavailable, were taken to Palmetto Health Richland. One went straight to surgery, said Columbia Police Capt. Steve Conley. The men, ages 47 and 18, fell about 28 feet, said Jim Knight, spokesman for the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. State Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are investigating what happened. The men’s employer, Innovative Building Products, of Charleston, could not be reached Wednesday. The company has not been cited for workplace violations, Knight said. The men, who were working in a basket attached to a platform, were power-washing windows about 8:30 a.m. at the building, officials said. No one connected to the investigation knew who owned the building or its use Wednesday. The forklift that held up the platform got a flat tire, Knight said, which caused the forklift to topple over. The tires were larger than those on a tractor-trailer rig. A third man, the forklift driver, was not badly hurt. He also was not identified. Knight didn’t know the extent or type of injuries to the men who had been working in the basket. Everyone involved spoke Spanish, which slowed the gathering of information, Knight said. OSHA investigators relied on a Spanish-speaking Columbia police officer to get information. It could be at least five weeks before the investigation is done, Knight said.
Man dies after fall into steaming hole
FAMILY, friends and colleagues gathered at the Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery yesterday for the funeral of Mr Said Husin Mohd, 50, who fell into a hole full of steaming water at a chemical plant on Wednesday. Mr Said, who worked for Kok Chang Scaffolding, was surveying a worksite at Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore when the accident happened. He suffered 70 per cent burns and died in the burns unit of Singapore General Hospital on Saturday. His wife, Madam Salmah Bee, 40, who had spent three days by her husband’s bed, could not make it for his burial yesterday after she fainted at the family home in Clementi West Street 2. Her two teenage daughters had to be supported by relatives at the funeral. The hole Mr Said fell into drains water out of the plant, and was uncovered. It was just wide enough for an average man to fall through. Mr Said hit his chin against the edge of the hole as he went in. Though badly scalded, he managed to crawl out of the hole by himself. After being taken to the hospital, tere was little doctors could do but cover his burns from the neck down with a transparent membrane and sedate him. The severity of the burns made any skin graft operation impossible – there simply was no skin left on him to use for grafts. Officials from Petrochemical Corp were present at the funeral yesterday but they put the lid on questions about why there was no cover over the hole. Madam Salmah had earlier said: ‘My husband had worked for 30 years without any accidents. I cannot imagine how it happened.’ Some of Mr Said’s colleagues who were at the funeral said the plant was fogged up with steam when he fell into the hole. One worker, Mr Zulkifli, said: ‘He was screaming and screaming. It was awful. He was trying to tear at his skin because it hurt so much.’ Police have classified the case as an unnatural death and are investigating.
UPDATE Firm fined 0.5m euro on death of worker
Thursday, July 03 22:31:56 (BizWorld)
A Galway firm has been hit with a half million euro fine following the death of a worker in an accident. The fine – the biggest ever under safety law – was imposed on Oran Precast Concrete, based in Oranmore, at the Circuit Court today. The case arose from the death of a 25 year old worker who fell nearly 10 metres to his death from the roof of a factory at Charlestown, Co Mayo, two years ago. The court was told that the man had not been given adequate safety training for the height at which he was working.
Worker killed, 14 others seriously injured in lift crash
JOHOR BAHRU July 1 – An Indonesian construction worker was killed and 14 of his co-workers were seriously injured when their service lift developed brake failure and crashed to the ground from the eighth floor of the 17-storey condo block under construction at Tampoi near here Tuesday. Johor Bahru Selatan OCPD, SAC II Hashim Mohamad Yusof said some of the seriously injured suffered broken limbs and were now warded at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah here. He said the person who died at the scene was identified as 40-year-old Paidi. Speaking to Bernama, he discounted sabotage as the cause of the accident which occurred at 8.15 am. He said the service lift which operated from the outside of the building could carry about 10 people at any one time. The workers aged between 20 and 40 were going up when the accident occurred. There was a sombre mood among the Indonesian workers who gathered at the scene to ponder on the fate of their colleagues. Kempas Assemblyman Osman Sapian who visited the site said the condo block as part of the Johor Education Foundation (YPJ) Holdings privatised project and was scheduled for completion next year. Two other blocks of the Amona Condominium Project had been completed and occupied and 40 units of the block now under construction had been bought by the Johor Government for state civil servants, he said. Meanwhile a spokesman for Amona Consolidated Holdings Sdn Berhad when contacted said officials of the Occupational Safety and Health Department visited the scene and gave permission for construction work to go ahead but grounded the service lift.
Construction worker tumbles to death from ninth storey
The Gazette Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Fatal fall at construction site: Second major accident in two weeks at new e-commerce project downtown. A construction worker in his 40s plunged almost 30 metres to his death Monday at the site of the Cité de la Commerce Électronique after part of a platform he was working on collapsed. The work-related death was the second major accident in two weeks at the construction site, the future home of the provincial government subsidized e-commerce complex. Urgences Santé technicians travelling south in an ambulance on Crescent St. watched the final seconds of the worker’s descent before he landed in a pile of rubble. The worker, whose name has not been made public, had ventured onto a platform on the ninth floor, where the safety jacks had apparently been removed. It took several minutes to free the man from the debris. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. The construction site is at the corner of René Lévesque Blvd. and Lucien L’Allier St. The Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, the provincial workplace health and safety board, has opened an investigation of the death. On June 10, a pedestrian suffered a broken leg when a load of steel pipes fell from a crane and rolled over him. After that accident, the board was called in to investigate and immediately found flaws in the safety process. The sidewalk between the crane and the construction site had not been closed to pedestrians and there were no clear markings to warn passers-by of the danger.
Construction Worker Injured In Memorial Stadium Renovation
POSTED: 8:52 a.m. CDT June 20, 2003
NORMAN, Okla. — A construction worker is in critical condition after falling 68 feet from the new second deck being built on the University of Oklahoma football stadium. Ian Cox, 19, suffered a broken back and brain swelling, officials said Thursday. Project officials said they haven’t completed an investigation into the accident, but said Cox fell about 1 p.m. Wednesday while working on handrails at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. “It was just a freak accident,” said Mark Rose, a spokesman for Advanced Masonry, a subcontractor on the project.
Two injured at American Tobacco
By: News 14 Carolina Staff
Two men working on renovations at the American Tobacco Complex are recovering from an onsite accident. The two were on scaffolding about 15 feet in the air when part of a brick wall fell and knocked them to the ground. Both were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Tree Worker Critically Injured In 50-Foot Drop; OSHA Investigates Accident
POSTED: 12:23 p.m. EDT June 19, 2003
Michigan safety officials are investigating what caused a worker to fall approximately 50 feet from a tree he was trimming. The 24-year-old Brighton man was critically injured at 8:55 a.m. Wednesday on Country Club Lane near Maple and Inkster roads, fire officials told the Oakland Press. He was working for Nelson Tree Service, and a co-worker was with him, said fire Capt. Joe Slawek. Officials aren’t sure why he fell because he was wearing the necessary equipment, including a harness, ropes and spiked boots. “We really don’t know what the cause of the accident was,” Slawek told the paper. He was reportedly taken to William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak by fire department paramedics. Updated details on his condition were not released because of federal medical privacy law, the paper reported. The Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, Bureau of Safety and Regulation, is investigating the accident.
Worker Critically Injured In 20-Foot Fall
HOUSTON — A construction worker was injured when he fell into a ditch in northeast Houston Thursday. Officials said a piece of construction equipment snapped, and a cable hit the 27-year-old man in the chest. He then fell into a 20-foot hole, according to authorities. The accident happened around noon on Dell Dale, near Wallisville. The victim, who was not identified, was transported by Lifeflight to Memorial Hermann Hospital. He is listed in critical condition. The accident is under investigation.
Man injured in fall from ladder
June 19, 2003
A Giles County man was seriously injured Thursday afternoon in a 20-foot fall from a ladder. Contractor Robbie O’Malley was working on a barn in the Blue Creek area when a gust of wind knocked another worker’s ladder into the ladder on which O’Malley was standing. The Giles County Ambulance Service met O’Malley on the way to Richland School and transported him to the school grounds where he was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. O’Malley suffered serious bruises, two broken wrists, a crushed left arm and several head injuries requiring 20 stitches. Doctors will decide this week if further treatment or surgery is required. O’Malley said he has received numerous calls from his friends and customers since the accident and is pleased that his employees are continuing to maintain his business obligations as he recuperates.
3 hurt in East High construction accident
Three construction workers were taken by ambulance to Wesley Medical Center today after some scaffolding they were working on collapsed outside East High School. Wichita Fire Department battalion Chief Mike Menges said two of the men fell 18 to 20 feet to the ground when the wooden scaffolding gave way. The third escaped a fall but ended up with his leg pinned by some concrete blocks. Rescue crews said one worker sustained minor injuries while two others had potentially serious injuries. Their names were not immediately released. School district spokeswoman Susan Arensman said the three were working on a new gymnasium when the accident occurred about 1:30 p.m. Two workers badly burned in explosion. Two construction workers suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation this afternoon when a chemical they were using to waterproof a house ignited. “It was a big boom,” said Miguel Briceno, a third construction worker who was not injured. “It threw me to the ground.” The men were using a petroleum-based material to fill a crack in the back of a home, 902 N. Lawrence Lane. The material somehow ignited, caused a flash and started a fire in the back of the home, Wichita Fire Battalion Chief Mike Menges said.
UPDATE SPA WORKER KILLED IN FALL
15:00 – 17 June 2003
An Investigation is under way into the death of a Bath building company worker from a fall at the city’s new spa development. Today police and the Health and Safety Executive were due to visit the city centre site for the first time since the incident to carry out an inspection. John Cox fell several feet while checking work on the £23m project, which is due to be opened in August. Mr Cox, who was born in Bath, was taken to the Royal United Hospital. But he died two weeks later of his head injuries after being transferred to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol. Mr Cox had worked for Mowlem, the spa project’s main contractor, for 26 years. The 54-year-old was carrying out inspection and snagging works at the site when he fell. Det Sgt Mike Porter, who is leading the police investigation, said that they were trying to establish how Mr Cox sustained his head injury. “There are no other parties involved. We are looking at this as an industrial accident. We are simply investigating the circumstances surrounding it.” An i nquest is likely to be held later this year. A spokeswoman for the HSE, the Government body responsible for workplace safety, said it was in the early stages of its investigation. “All we know at this stage is that he fell from a height of several metres and sustained serious head injuries. “There were no witnesses to the incident.” Mr Cox lived for most of his life in Bath before moving to Kingswood, Bristol. He was educated at the former Westhill School, now known as Culverhay, and later worked as a carpenter. He was a member of the Exiles (Bath) Cricket Club from the age of 15. A statement from Mowlem, whose Bath-based Ernest Ireland arm is carrying out the spa work, said: “We can confirm that Arthur John Cox (known as John) has died as a result of a serious head injury suffered in an accident at our Bath spa project. “We extend our deepest sympathies to John’s family and friends, particularly his wife, son and daughter.” A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset Council’s spa project team said staff wanted to express their sympathy to Mr Cox’s family. Mr Cox, who fell last month and died earlier this month, had been transferred from the RUH to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
Louisiana man’s fatal 1,200-foot fall investigated
The Associated Press 6/17/03 1:57 PM
GOEHNER, Neb. (AP) — A faulty piece of safety equipment may have led to the death of a worker who fell 1,200 feet from a television transmission tower, the Seward County sheriff said. Carlos J. Munoz, 22, of West Monroe, La., was attached to the tower through a harness system moments before he fell, Sheriff Joe Yocum said. A piece of the harness system apparently hooked to the tower was found bent “at a disturbing angle,” Yocum said Tuesday. “That definitely jumps off the page at me,” he said. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration was called in to help with the investigation. Yocum said the federal investigators will be asked to help inspect and analyze the safety equipment, including the bent piece. Munoz was one of the five employees of SpectraSite Broadcast Group of Irving, Texas, who had been working on the 1,500-foot tower 30 miles west of Lincoln for the last two weeks, Yocum said. The crew had been working to reinforce the KOLN/KGIN transmission tower after a high-definition television antenna was added to it last fall, Yocum said. “We’re working together with OSHA and local authorities to investigate the incident fully. We have no further comment at this time,” said Noreen Allen, a spokeswoman for SpectraSite’s corporate headquarters in Cary, N.C. It was the state’s fourth death involving a tower accident in the last 14 months. All involved workers who were performing tasks associated with upgrading towers for high-definition television transmissions. In September, two men were killed when a 1,965-foot television tower collapsed near Hemingford as they worked reinforce it. Another man was killed in April 2002 by falling debris from a 1,524-foot tower near Bassett. In the latest accident, the victim was one of three workers who were on the tower, and two others were on the ground when the accident happened about 4:40 p.m. CDT Monday, Yocum said. “The others say the victim was attached to the tower moments before he fell,” Yocum said. “We are going to focus our investigation on the harness system and safety equipment in place at the time.”
Fall injures worker
A worker was flown to a Baltimore trauma hospital Saturday after falling more than 15 feet off a building under construction in Parole, county police said. Nicholas Ritzer, 28, of Damascus, was taken to the Shock-Trauma Center at University Hospital, where he was in serious condition this morning, a hospital spokesman said. Mr. Ritzer and another man were putting up roofing trusses on the building at 2623 Riva Road about 11 a.m. when one broke and hit them, causing Mr. Ritzer to fall, police said. He suffered a large cut to his head, back pain and told paramedics he had diffculty feeling his lower extremities, police said. The other worker, William Manges, 30, of Emmittsburg, did not fall and declined medical treatment at the scene, police said.
Tuas shipyard employee falls to death
A WORKER plummeted to his death while inspecting a ship being repaired at Singapore Technologies Marine’s Tuas Shipyard on Sunday morning. Mr Sambandam Kamaraj, an Indian national, fell 16m from a raised platform and landed in an empty tank, used to hold chemicals. The ship, which has been berthed at the shipyard since the end of last month, was getting an anti-rust treatment at the time. The 31-year-old was a quality-control inspector and was doing his rounds when he fell. An ST Marine spokesman said it could not reveal how he fell because investigations were still being carried out. Mr Kamaraj was pronounced dead on the spot by paramedics. No other workers were hurt, said the spokesman. The Manpower Ministry is looking into what happened. This is the second accident reported at the Tuas shipyard this year. In March, a 33-year-old Indian national, Mr Veerasinnan Peryp Samimuthu, was crushed to death by a forklift.
UPDATE Ford fined over worker’s death in paint vat
Ford, the car manufacturer, has been fined £300,000 for safety failings that led to a man drowning in a vat of paint. Technical adviser Christopher Shute, 30, was trying to stop the 30-yard-long paint collector overflowing when he fell in at the Ford Transit van factory in Southampton. Mr Shute’s family called on the Government to bring in a new offence of corporate killing after the sentencing at Winchester Crown Court. Two contracted managers, Peter Preston, 51, and Paul McKenzie, 55, were also fined £5,000 each for failing to ensure the safety of staff. Mr Justice Stuart McKinnon said: “This was obviously an entirely unnecessary accident and death and one which was waiting to happen.” Ford and the managers admitted at an earlier hearing that they failed to provide a safe system of work under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Preston and McKenzie further admitted that Mr Shute’s death in the tank was attributable to their neglect. Ford was fined £50,000 for failing to ensure the safety of its own workers and £250,000 for failing to ensure the safety of others. The company was also ordered to pay £46,688 costs.
Worker dies in fall
By Michelle Muellenberg / News Staff Writer Tuesday, June 10, 2003
HUDSON — A Plymouth construction worker died yesterday morning after suffering head injuries from a 23-foot fall at a Central Street work site. Scott Callender, 37, of 104 Brook Road, Plymouth, was taken by helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center University Campus in Worcester, where he was pronounced dead, according to Police Chief Richard Braga. Callender worked for Barnes Building and Management Group of South Weymouth. The company declined to comment. Callender and other employees were working on the construction of a metal-framed building at 282 Central St., Braga said. Police received a call about 7 a.m. that a man had fallen. When officers arrived they found Callender lying on the ground with people trying to assist him. “He was not conscious,” Braga said. Callender was working on a metal structure used in roof framing, he said. “Both my department and OSHA are investigating this matter,” Braga said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance officer was on hand yesterday morning, said Richard Fazzio, OSHA’s area director in Methuen. “It is an ongoing inspection,” he said. Fazzio did not know when the investigation would be complete and said the time varies by case. According to OSHA’s Web site, Barnes Building and Management Group has not been the subject of previous accident or health investigations.
Worker grievously injured but not critical after fall
written by MM News – 10 Jun, 2003
A 55-year-old man suffered grave injuries but is not in danger of dying after he fell from a height of one storey in a construction site at Qormi on Tuesday morning. The police report the man, from Naxxar, was taken to hospital by ambulance and given treatment for his grave but not critical injuries. Duty Magistrate Myiam Hayman is conducting an inquiry, while the Qormi District Police are investigating.
Worker Killed By Four-Story Fall
June 10, 2003, 11:07 PM EDT
A 22-year-old concrete worker fell four stories to his death through an elevator shaft Tuesday at the site of a new courthouse in the Bronx, officials said. The man, whom officials did not identify, was pouring concrete on the seventh floor of the Criminal Court site when he backed toward the shaft. He fell to the third floor, said Mary Costello, spokeswoman for Bovis Lend Lease, the site’s main contractor. Ilyse Fink, a Buildings Department spokeswoman, said the shaft had the necessary safeguards. She said the worker’s death was “a very, very tragic accident.” No action would be taken against the contractor or site, Fink said. Antonio Martins, a project manager at J & A Concrete, which was working on the project, said the man worked there for about two months. Martins added that the man was single but a “family man.” He would not elaborate. “It’s a tragic accident,” Martins said. “It’s a little rough right now.”
Monday’s Fatal Mining Accident is Kentucky’s Fourth
A Monday morning mining accident in eastern Kentucky leaves one man dead. 49-year-old Randall Osborne of Essie, was checking an electrical sub station from a boom truck when he fell 25-feet. He was rushed to Mary Breckenridge Hospital in Leslie County where he later died. The accident occurred about 8:30am Monday morning, no other miners were injured. Pastor Chad Hensley recently grew close to mine foreman Randall Osbourne just two years ago. Osbourne was baptized and Hensley says that is giving him hope in this time of tragedy. Workers at Calvary Coal say Osbourne was in a bucket when something fell from another site and into his bucket the end result knocked him out of the bucket. As the investigation into the accident continues, the news is spreading through Osbourne’s small community, as people remember him as someone that everyone loved. The Department for Mine Safety and Health Administration says its investigation into the accident is ongoing, but it is too early to know how long the investigation might last. This is Kentucky’s fourth mining fatality this year.
Sugar shed worker falls 30m to his death
By MALCOLM WEATHERUP 05jun03
SENIOR Walter Constructions Group executives have flown to Townsville to join investigations into a construction worker’s death plunge at the city’s new sugar shed. Troy Leonard Body, 27, of Cranbrook, fell 30m from the roof of the Townsville Port Authority structure on to a concrete floor just after 11.30am yesterday. Police spokesman Dave Finlay said it was believed he died instantly. Sergeant Finlay said Body was employed by subcontractor Lollo Constructions as a roofer/plumber. “No one saw the actual moment that caused him to fall but there is nothing suspicious about the circumstances,” Sgt Finlay said. “He was wearing a safety harness but a co-worker had seen him walking in the roof area just before the fall, so we’re assuming he was unhooked.” A horrified co-worker who saw the impact was one of several to have counselling after the tragedy. Workplace Health and Safety officers started their mandatory inquiry yesterday afternoon. Australian Workers Union spokesman Rod Stockham, in Brisbane on business yesterday, said he was “shocked and saddened” by the incident. “The AWU has no safety issues regarding the sugar shed site but naturally I’ll be seeking further information about the matter,” Mr Stockham said. David Meek, the Queensland construction manager for the project contractors, said the company’s staff and site workers were shocked and stunned by the death. “Some of the man’s colleagues, first on the scene, tried to give him CPR but it was no good,” Mr Meek said. “Many people are getting counselling. It’s such a tragic thing.” He said the company would be contacting the man’s family at the appropriate time. Workers walked off the site after the accident and a meeting early this morning will vote whether to resume work today.
Qormi builder in danger of dying after falling four storeys
by Charlot Zahra, di-ve news
Another worker escapes life-threatening injuries after falling off a school roof in Birkirkara. COSPICUA, Malta (di-ve news) — 03 June 2003 0945 CET — A 42-year-old Qormi builder was still fighting for his life on Tuesday morning after falling four storeys while doing demolition works on a building at Mariano Gerada Street in Cospicua on Monday at around 1300 CET. Initial police investigations showed that the man, Joseph Debono, was pushing a stone down when he suddenly lost his balance and fell down. Civil Protection Department officials extracted the worker from the building. He was taken in an ambulance to St Luke’s Hospital, where he was certified with grievous injures and in danger of dying. Duty Magistrate Miriam Hayman was informed about the case and appointed various experts to assist her in the inquiry. The Cospicua district police are conducting the investigations on this fall. Meanwhile, a 54-year-old Balzan worker was also injured on Monday afternoon after falling three storeys while doing maintenance works on the roof of the V. Borg Brared Secondary School at Ta’ Paris, Birkirkara. He is not in danger of dying. The Birkirkara district police are conducting the investigations on this case.
Worker hurt in fall from ladder; He was helping refurbish a store at the North Hanover Mall
By JOSEPH DEINLEIN For Dispatch/Sunday News
Tuesday, June 03, 2003 – A medical helicopter flew a man to York Hospital yesterday after he fell 12 feet from a ladder while refurbishing a store at the North Hanover Mall. A crew foreman said Irv Smolko, 50, fell in the former Fashion Bug store about 1:10 p.m. Smolko was listed in stable condition this morning at York Hospital, said a nursing supervisor. He suffered back and facial injuries, said Hanover Fire Commissioner James Roth. Smolko was one of three people in the store, which is being converted to two smaller shops, said foreman Larry Levadnuk. The other two workers were in another area of the store and didn’t see the fall, he said. Reports conflict on exactly what Smolko was doing. Levadnuk said Smolko was installing a water line and was atop a ladder. But mall manager Dirk Brown said Smolko was putting up a wall for Crown American Realty Trust, which owns the North Hanover Mall. “The rest of the accident is under investigation,” Brown said. Hanover Ambulance Captain Bruce Yealy said Smolko fell through a ceiling in the store. He wasn’t sure what the circumstances were. Because of the distance Smolko fell, paramedics called for a helicopter to transport him to York Hospital’s trauma unit, Yealy said. Hanover Police Department and Medic 46 also were dispatched.
Town Hall fire escape proves safety hazard
By Susan Nolan
EXETER – A construction worker who fell through a Town Hall fire escape last week was uninjured, said town administrator George Olson. “He was holding on to the rail,” said Olson. “My understanding is that he held on and that there was no injury involved,” said Olson. The fire escape was roped-off immediately after the accident and was later condemned by the fire department. The construction worker was an employee of Target New England, a Wolfeboro company hired to install an elevator in the Town Hall. Olson said an engineer will assess the fire escape next week to decide whether it can be repaired, or whether it needs to be completely replaced, said Olson. In the meantime, the number of visitors to the top two floors of the Town Hall will be limited to 50 at a time, he said, because of fire-safety codes. Town officials roped-off the fire escape shortly after the worker fell through the structure on Thursday, May 22, Assistant Fire Chief Kenneth Berkenbush said Wednesday. Berkenbush said he walked by the Town Hall shortly after the incident and noticed the area in question. He said he evaluated the fire escape and found it to be unsafe. “It had already been roped-off by, I believe, (town maintenance supervisor) Kevin Smart,” said Berkenbush. “The rest of the stairs looked as if they may be in need of repair,” he said. Since it did not meet the life-safety codes, he had no choice but to condemn it, said Berkenbush, who is the town’s fire prevention officer. Funds for the elevator installation – $40,000 – were approved by voters at Town Meeting in 2002. The remainder of the $100,000 cost was raised by the Exeter Arts Committee through private donations and grants. The arts committee uses the second floor of the Town Hall for art exhibitions. Olson said the Exeter Art Association puts on “a variety of shows throughout the year” and that limited access to the art room in the Town Hall will interfere with that activity. “That is going to be a problem,” said Olson. Olson said a rumor that the worker was advised not to file a worker’s compensation form was untrue, as far as he knew. Voters this year approved funding to replace Town Hall furnaces, windows, gutters and downspouts, said Olson.
Amish Worker Killed
(Smicksburg-AP) June 3, 2003 — Officials say a 22-year-old Amish man working on a house demolition project was killed when a window he was trying to remove broke loose. The Indiana County Deputy Coroner says the man fell about 16 feet to the ground and the window crashed on top of him. The man died Saturday. Deputy coroner Michael Baker won’t release the man’s name because his family raised religious objections. But Baker says he was from the Smicksburg area, where many Amish families live.
Construction worker dies after fall
June 3, 2003
A 60-year-old construction worker died Monday afternoon after falling two stories from a ledge at a construction site on Hungerford Drive in Rockville, county and city officials said. The man, Jose Francisco Reyes of Langley Park, would have turned 61 Saturday. He was installing a safety rail when he lost his footing and fell onto a concrete floor below, Rockville Police Chief Terrance N. Treschuk said. Work was temporarily halted at the site of Archstone at Rockville Town Center, a 221-unit rental complex just south of the new Giant grocery store and Rockville City Centre shopping plaza. Reyes was declared dead at the scene after suffering massive head trauma, county police spokesman Officer Derek Baliles said. Officials with the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health division are investigating the incident, Baliles said, but county homicide detectives have determined “there does not appear to be anything suspicious.” Bethesda-based Clark Construction is the general contractor for the project, said Jim Wasilak, chief of long-range planning for the City of Rockville. A spokeswoman for Clarke Construction did not return a call Tuesday.
UPDATE High Court compensation award for roof fall victim
Peter Bieliauskas, 51, has been awarded more than £1,000,000 at the High Court in compensation for his loss resulting from injuries sustained in a roof fall during August 2000 at his Midlands employer’s boat building premises in Stoke Prior. His brain injury has placed severe limitations on his life. Mr Bieliauskas had been inspecting the roof when he fell through a skylight. Previously, employers J L Pinder and Sons were prosecuted for breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company operated without employers’ liability insurance and ultimately its landlord’s insurance company met the settlement without liability being admitted.
Ulsterman dies in New York accident
A Co Down man has died after a fall in Brooklyn, New York. Lee Keenan, 27, who hailed from Mayobridge, died after falling six stories from a scaffolding at a residential building in Brooklyn on Saturday May 17, New York police said. “Mr Keenan appeared to have slipped,” said Detective Mike Wokowski, at the 83rd precinct in Brooklyn. “Mr Keenan fell six stories from a scaffolding on Central Avenue and Noll street in Brooklyn at 8:15am. The medical examiner pronounced him dead on arrival at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. Mr Keenan, who was a construction worker for Hickey Construction, lived in the Irish neighbourhood of Maspeth in Queens. His funeral took place in Queens on Monday and the body arrived in Ireland on Tuesday. Relatives had flown to New York to claim the body. The family will be making arrangements to have him buried closer to home. Mr Keenan was well known in the Irish community, said John Guiney a local footballer. New York police have concluded the incident was an accident but an investigation into the safety on the site is continuing. The Department of Buildings Inspectors has visited the site. Hickey Construction was unavailable for comment.
Fall from roof kills worker
By Deuce Niven Correspondent
TABOR CITY – A man working on the roof of the former Planter’s Tobacco Warehouse died of injuries suffered when he fell through a skylight Tuesday morning. The worker, who was from Mexico, had not been identified as of late Tuesday, police Chief Roy Norris said. “This looks to be an accident, nothing criminal,” Norris said. Rodriguez was taken to Loris Community Hospital, where he died. Columbus County Coroner Lynwood Cartrette said he would not investigate the death. A group of investors – Kyle Cox, Trent Burroughs, and lawyer Dennis Worley – recently purchased the warehouse and is renovating it, Burroughs said last week.
Roofer hurt in fall
BY LUISA YANEZ
A roofer was seriously injured Tuesday when he fell four stories from the top of a building at Florida International University’s south campus. The unidentified worker is an employee of a Broward County company contracted to fix the roof of a campus building that houses classrooms and offices, according to a university spokeswoman. Classes were in session at the time of the 2 p.m. accident at the DM building at the corner of Southwest Eighth Street and 112th Avenue. Miami-Dade fire rescue transported the worker to an area hospital. His condition is unknown.
Man injured in fall
by di-ve news
MOSTA, Malta (di-ve news) — 20 May 2003 – 1005CET –A 44-year-old man suffered leg fractures after he fell a height of one storey while conducting maintenance works in Mosta, the police said. The accident happened after the man from Valletta, slipped from a ladder. The victim was rushed to St Luke’s Hospital. Further investigations to establish the cause of the accident are being conducted by the district police.
UPDATE California Adventure worker dies
The Orange County Register
A California Adventure stage technician who fell while testing the special effects for the show “Aladdin” died Sunday, the Orange County Coroner’s Office reported. Christopher Bowman, 36, of Temple City fell on April 22, suffering severe head injuries. He had been unconscious at UCI Medical Center ever since, said Supervising Deputy Joseph Luckey at the coroner’s office. The coroner is scheduled to perform an autopsy today, Luckey said. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health began an investigation immediately after the accident and is expected to release its findings soon. “Disney’s Aladdin, A Musical Spectacular” has played to mostly packed audiences since opening Jan. 16. The accident happened at the Hyperion Theater in California Adventure. Bowman was in a safety harness at about 6 a.m., testing special effects for the magic carpet portion of the show.
Construction Worker Dies After Falling From Scaffolding
(New York-AP, May 17, 2003) — A 27-year-old construction worker died Saturday when he fell six stories off scaffolding at a residential building in Brooklyn, police said. Lee Keenan of Maspeth, Queens, appeared to have slipped, said Carmen Melendez, a police department spokeswoman. Keenan was pronounced dead on arrival at Woodhull Hospital at 9:10 a.m., less than an hour after the fall. The incident occurred in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. No other injuries were reported, Melendez said. UPDATE Crane-hire company fined for worklace death that was ‘wholly avoidable’
Robert Grant, an employee of Rumney Crane and Engineering Ltd, Rumney, S.Wales, lost his life in what a Welsh judge described as a “wholly avoidable accident” in March last year. Mr Grant died from injuries he sustained in a 10-metre fall from a crane at his employer’s premises as he undertook electrical work. The company admitted breaching S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in the circumstances of Mr Grant’s death and was fined £15,000 with £1,266 costs at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court. Steve Scott, HSE Principal Inspector commented: “Wearing a suitable safety harness would undoubtedly have saved Mr Grant’s life. Firms whose employees work at height should operate the ‘two-metre rule’. In essence, workers should not work within 2 metres of an open edge from which they might fall more than 2 metres unless appropriate precautions have been taken.”
Man survives 30-foot fall
Friday, May 16, 2003 By Zeb Carabello
GILROY – An Eagle Ridge construction worker suffered minor internal head injuries Thursday afternoon when a bridge structure he was working on collapsed, sending the man on a 30 foot free fall into a trickling creek. The worker was Francisco Torres, 44, according to Torres’ work partner, who declined to give his name. Rescue crews arrived on the scene around 3:30 p.m. at the south end of Eagle Ridge Court near Bullybunion Drive where Torres fell, eventually pulling him out of the creek and transporting him a quarter mile up the road by ambulance where he was met with a helicopter ambulance that transported him to a Santa Clara Valley hospital. Rescue workers on the scene said Torres was lucky to have full body motion and did not appear to suffer paralysis, and Torres was released from the hospital this morning. “I was on one side of the bridge and Francisco was on the other when it just collapsed,” said Torres’ co-worker. “I saw him and all the materials fall and he was just laying there not saying anything. When I got down there blood was coming out his ears.” Shapell Industries is the developer of the Eagle Ridge area, although several separate construction contractors are believed to be building within the division. When contacted this morning a Shapell official said she was not aware of the accident or which construction company employed Torres.
Worker slips, falls, is killed by truck
By SUZANNAH GONZALES, Times Staff Writer
HERNANDO – A worker for FDS Disposal Inc. was killed Thursday afternoon when he jumped off a garbage truck, slipped and fell to the ground and then was run over by the truck, authorities said. The accident happened in the Hernando City Heights neighborhood east of U.S. 41 between Inverness and Hernando. The Florida Highway Patrol, which is handling the investigation, did not release the names or ages of the victim or others involved. The man’s next of kin had not yet been notified, an FHP trooper said Thursday afternoon. While one man drove the truck, two others – including the victim – rode on the back, FHP trooper Jamie Mulverhill said. The man jumped off when the truck was near Hawaii Lane and Arkansas Terrace. Dispatchers received the call at 2:17 p.m., according to Citrus County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Gail Tierney. The first deputy arrived seven minutes later. Following the accident, sheriff’s officials cordoned off about half a block of Arkansas while the white garbage truck remained parked on Hawaii. A covered body and a red cap lay on the ground in front of it. It was “a total accident,” said a tearful FDS Disposal Inc. owner, Ina Ray, who was at the scene. “Just a total, stupid accident.”
Window Washers Die After Fall; Rope System Gives Way As Men Start Work
May 15, 2003 Story by Boston Channel
BOSTON — Two window washers died Thursday after falling from a building in Boston’s Government Center. NewsCenter 5’s Kelley Tuthill reported that the workers fell from the roof of 2 Center Plaza at about 9:30 a.m. just as they were about to begin work. Both men, who work for UNICCO, were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The cleaning company they worked for identified the victims as a 20-year-old from El Salvador and a 47-year-old, whose address is unknown. The workers were on the roof, seven stories high, when something went wrong. “All of a sudden I just heard this crash. I looked up and saw a man lying there with something on top of him. I know that something awful had happened,” dental assistant Kim Nichols said. Dr. Ronit Smolyar rushed out of her office. “All the co-workers were hovering over them and trying to help. They were pretty badly injured. One of them was not breathing and he had no pulse,” Somlyar. Smolyar said that the other man was able to talk after she performed CPR on him. “I said, ‘Are you OK?’ He said, ‘I am OK,'” The men were about to start cleaning the windows, using a roping system to lower themselves down the side of the building. “I believe that they were just starting. OSHA is here and they are going to investigate,” Boston Fire Department District Chief Edward Lorenz said. “We offer our deepest concern and sympathy for the two workers and their familes. We are working hard to find out what happened today,” a UNICCO spokesperson said in a statement.
Worker Falls At Soldier Field; Suffers Head Injury After Landing On Head
May 14, 2003
CHICAGO — A construction worker was hospitalized Wednesday night after falling 8 feet while working on the renovations to Soldier Field. The accident happened just before 11 a.m. The worker suffered lacerations to the head after falling on his head. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where a representative said he was in stable condition Wednesday night.
OSHA proposes $49,300 fine for Panhandle bridge worker’s death
The Associated Press 5/14/03 3:30 PM
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — Federal officials have proposed that two construction companies be fined $49,300 for alleged safety violations found after a bridge worker fell 90 feet to his death. Richard Martin James, 33, of Fountain, hit part of the bridge on the way down before falling into St. Andrew Bay on Dec. 14. The eight-lane bridge on U.S. 98 is expected to be completed later this year. It will replace an existing four-lane bridge connecting Panama City and Panama City Beach. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is seeking fines of $29,000 against Granite Construction Co. of Watsonville, Calif., and $20,300 against Granite-Rizzani de Echer, a joint venture between Granite and an Italian company. OSHA investigators found two violations contributed to the death: failure to properly secure ladders and lack of proper equipment to prevent falls such as safety harnesses or guard rails, said James Borders, the agency’s Jacksonville area director. Borders said six other violations unrelated to the death were discovered including the lack of a facility where workers could wash corrosive materials from their eyes, tripping hazards and exposed steel rods that could impale a falling worker. All of been corrected, Borders said. The companies have 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed fines before an independent review commission. Granite spokesman Michael Lawson said his company, the senior partner in the joint venture, will decide how to respond after meeting with Borders some time before the deadline.
Worker killed after falling inside water tower
(Willard, Ohio-AP, May 14, 2003, 7:30 a.m.) A Michigan man who was inspecting and repairing a water tower in Ohio fell to his death inside the empty tank. Willard fire Chief Richard Myers says Ken Benson fell from an opening into the tank and was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday. Benson worked for a company based in Lake Odessa. His hometown wasn’t available. Myers says it took rescue teams two-and-a-half hours to recover the body. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death. Willard is about 60 miles southwest of Cleveland.
Man injured in fall at mine
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GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) – A man was slightly injured after falling about 7 feet from a shovel at the North Antelope-Rochelle coal mine. The accident Friday morning was the second this month involving a P&H Minepro employee in Campbell County. On May 1, Richard Koch, 53, was burned when a cutting torch ignited a patch of grease at Belle Ayr mine. The identity of the man injured Friday was not released. He was taken to Campbell County Memorial Hospital with shoulder pain, according to officials with Peabody Energy, operator of the mine south of Wright. P&H Minepro is a contractor at the mine. A P&H Minepro official could not be reached for comment.
Freight Worker Falls Off Ship, Drowns; Man Fell Into San Diego Bay
May 12, 2003
SAN DIEGO — A worker fell off a cargo ship moored at a Barrio Logan wharf and drowned Monday, authorities said. Fredrick Bolo, 33, plunged into San Diego Bay at the 10th Avenue Terminal waterfront shortly before noon, a dispatcher said. A harbor police crew in a speedboat pulled the victim out of the water and took him to a nearby dock, where medics tried to revive him. Bolo had been working on the Cyprus-based ship for a month.
Worker hospitalized after fall from Davenport construction site
UPDATED: 5/13/03 1:59 PM
DAVENPORT – A worker is hospitalized after he fell from the roof of the Super Wal-Mart under construction in Davenport. Jose Martinez, 26, was working at the site of the new store in the 3100 block of West Kimberly Road. He apparently was lifting some building materials and stepped onto an unsupported area of the roof. Martinez fell 22 feet onto concrete. He was taken to Genesis East, and later flown to University Hospitals in Iowa City. There is no word on his condition at last report.
Worker seriously injured
Staff Reporter
A worker was seriously injured yesterday after he fell off a wooden plank two-and-a-half storeys up, police said yesterday. The 34-year-old Syrian worker, from St Paul’s Bay, who was carrying out plastering and painting work in an office in Zachary Street, fell into an internal yard. The accident, which took place at around 3pm, happened after the plank became dislodged, police said. Valletta police are investigating.
Construction Worker Loses Leg
May 9, 2003
Memphis, TN – A construction worker is hospitalized this afternoon after falling 75 feet and losing a leg in the process. The accident happened near Chelsea and Well Station roads in northeast Memphis. The construction worker is identified as 48-year old Galdino Santiana. He is recovering at the Med. Santiana worked for White Contracting. He was a part of a work crew putting a tunnel under a railroad track on Wells Station. The owner of the company says he severed the part of his left leg near his ankle. The worker was flown to the med in critical condition along with his amputated leg. Doctors are working to see if it can be reattached.
UPDATE OSHA cites firm for alleged safety violations
By Christine Gillette
NEW CASTLE – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will fine a Portsmouth contractor $57,100 in connection with a worker’s four-story fall at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel. Courtcon Inc., of Portsmouth – an affiliate of Ocean Properties, the company that owns the Wentworth – is being cited by OSHA for what the agency called “alleged willful, repeat and serious violations” of safety laws. The citation for a willful workplace hazard, carrying a proposed fine of $49,000, is for circumstances surrounding the January fall of a Courtcon worker that resulted in serious injuries. The worker fell 40 to 50 feet and required hospitalization, said David May, OSHA’s New Hampshire area director. The accident occurred when Courtcon was using a forklift to raise a pallet of material to a wall opening for transfer into the building, according to OSHA. An employee removing material from the pallet fell when that material shifted unexpectedly. The citation was issued, May said, because the worker should have been ted or secured against a potentially fatal fall. “When you’re working close to an edge or open wall or floor, you either need something like a guard in front of you. Probably the best thing they could have done was use a safety harness,” May said. “They didn’t have or were not using that equipment for the operation.” The citation is classed as willful, defined by OSHA as “one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations.” While neither OSHA nor Ocean Properties officials would detail the extent of the injuries suffered, the worker has not returned to work since the accident and is undergoing physical rehabilitation, Richard Ade, Ocean Properties chief financial officer, said Thursday. “He’s presently in therapy. Our benefits person spoke to his sister just this past Monday and he seemed to be doing well,” Ade said. “It was an unfortunate accident. We’ve done what we can think to assist him and the timing for OSHA is just coincidence, I guess.” The historic hotel is scheduled to reopen on May 15. In addition to the citation issued in connection to the fall, OSHA is proposing additional fines for other violations, $5,100 for an exposed electrical panel and fall hazards associated with misuse of stepladders and failure to train employees in their safe use, and $3,000 for an alleged repeat violation for improper storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders. Courtcon was cited in August 2002 for what OSHA called a “substantially similar hazard” at the same site. Courtcon has 15 days to appeal the proposed fines or request an informal conference with OSHA to discuss the penalties. Ade said no decision has been made yet on whether the company will appeal. “I just got copies of (the citations) today,” he said. “We haven’t yet had a chance to review them. After we have some time to review them, we’ll decide which way we’ll respond.” Courtcon is a safe company to work for, Ade said. “We make every effort to have a safe work environment, to abide by OSHA rules. Construction sites at some times have some risks and we try to mitigate them the best we can.”
£75,000 fine for Imperial Museum worker death firm
Following the death of a worker in 1998 from scaffolding erected around the Imperial War Museum in London, the steel erection company responsible has been fined £75,000, it has been announced. One of UK’s largest steel erection companies, William Hare Limited of Bury, Lancashire, was fined yesterday after Norwich-based scaffolder Brian Knights fell to his death in April five years ago. Knights and another man, Richard Bartram who escaped serious injury, had been standing on a wooden staging board resting on two horizontal steel beams, 13 metres above the ground. They were retrieving a ladder that gave access to the top of a column of scaffolding where steel channels had been bolted into position a few days earlier. The board became unbalanced and tipped both men off. William Hare pleaded guilty to breaching section 21 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which states that, ‘It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of al his employees.’ Inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that the scaffolding had not been constructed well enough to cover the erection of steel channels. This had led to the firm bodging together a makeshift system: ‘This dreadful accident has highlighted the need for the most detailed planning and preparation for all high-risk activities such as steel erection. This accident could have been avoided if the company had specified a safe system of work undertaken with suitable supervision,’ he said. The prosecution is a positive action for the HSE which is currently the target of a National Audit Office investigation into whether the safety body is using public money wisely in combating deaths in the construction industry. In 2001-02, 79 workers were killed in the construction industry, the highest contribution of any sector out of the total 249 worker deaths the UK. A further 4,700 construction workers suffered serious injuries, and many more suffered and died from long-term health effects such as musculoskeletal disorders: ‘Our examination will focus on whether the Health and Safety Executive has effective strategies in place to secure improvements in the health and safety record of the construction industry and what effect the strategies are having,’ say the NAO.
Workmates rescue stricken steelworker
09 May 2003 By BERNIE NAPP
A steelworker suffering convulsions high up scaffolding in Wellington was saved by workmates and elite rescue crews. “He tripped on a piece of scaffolding tubing. He reached out to break his fall, grabbed at the rails of the protective barrier, missed that – he struck the side of his head or neck on the bottom rail,” Sergeant Andrzej Kowalczyk, of Wellington, said yesterday. The man had a seizure and started writhing toward the edge of the Victoria University construction site platform. Two Atco Steel co-workers then held him down to stop him falling several metres on to Kelburn Pde, Mr Kowalczyk said. Police interviewed two people who saw the accident at 8.50am at the Easterfield Building where a new entrance is being built. Occupational Safety and Health will investigate. Wellington Free Ambulance Rescue Squad members and Fire Service officers fastened the man into a fibreglass stretcher and lowered it on secured ropes to a waiting ambulance for transport to Wellington Hospital. Rescue Squad leader Wayne Gray said rope techniques were used in only a few emergency operations in Wellington each year. “We told him to keep his hands together on the way down so he wouldn’t snag on anything. He was conscious enough to know what he was doing.” The managing director of university contractor McKee Fehl, Maurice Clark, said the man, a sub-contracted rigger from Atco Steel, had been working on a a canopy for the new entrance. The man had fainted, rather than tripped, Mr Clark had been told. Seizures in such events were not unusual. The patient was expected to be discharged from hospital. Victoria University public affairs director Jude Urlich said the new entrance was part of a $14 million campus upgrade.
Two workers hurt in A.C. scaffold collapse
By BRIDGET MURPHY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7257, E-Mail
ATLANTIC CITY – Two construction workers were injured Wednesday when a scaffold collapsed beneath them as they were repairing brick work on a South Pennsylvania Avenue office building. Authorities said one man suffered a compound leg fracture and the other may have broken both his ankles. The incident happened just before 3:30 p.m. at 26 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Construction worker Phil Crites said his two colleagues were on ladders atop the scaffold and fell about 25 to 30 feet to the ground as he watched in horror. “We were just about to pack up,” said Crites, 20, of Ocean City, who has a phobia about working on ladders. “That’s why they left me on the ground. They know I hate ladders. Now they know why.” Firefighters and medics responded to the scene, giving the victims oxygen while securing them to backboards and stretchers. Both victims were conscious. A bloody white sock, a baseball cap and two work boots lay among the broken pieces of red scaffold authorities secured behind police tape while waiting for investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, who probe construction accidents, to arrive at the scene. Crites identified one of the victims as his cousin, 39-year-old Jim Waterman, of Somers Point, who owns the company, Waterman Plastering, that was doing the brick-repair job. The other victim, who also appeared to be in his late 30s, he knew only as “Danny.” Authorities couldn’t immediately provide the victims’ names or ages. Acting Fire Battalion Chief Bob Palamaro said it appeared as though the accident was caused by the force of the ladders pushing against the building while they were on top of the scaffold, but that further investigation is necessary. The three-story brick office building houses several businesses, including an accounting firm, law offices and the Civil Rights Division of the state Department of Law and Public Safety. It was unclear Wednesday who had contracted for the construction work.
Worker may have incurred spinal injury
Aworker who was installing Sheetrock in a new housing development in Salinas fell Wednesday and may have suffered a spinal injury. The 22-year-old was contracted to work on the Creekbridge development near the Twin Creek Golf Course off Constitution Boulevard. He apparently lost his balance and fell backward on to a pile of Sheetrock, said Salinas firefighter paramedic Paul Fenwick. The man, whose name and employer were not released, told paramedics he could not feel anything below his diaphragm. A helicopter was called to rush the man to Valley Medical Center in Santa Clara, Fenwick said.
Worker dies in fall
By MAZEN MAHDI MANAMA
A Bangladeshi worker was killed when he fell from the second storey of a building under construction in Juffair yesterday. Joynal Miah Abdul Kadir, 26, fell at about 9.15am and was taken by his co-workers to Salmaniya Medical Complex, where he died at about 10am. Friends said Mr Kadir was unmarried and had worked in Bahrain for over a year. Labour and Social Affairs Ministry safety inspectors later visited the site. Bangladeshi Embassy officials are reportedly co-ordinating with the employer and the ministry to send the body home.
Workers hurt in 2 accidents; Falls leave 1 man in critical condition
Brent Whiting The Arizona Republic May. 6, 2003 12:00 AM
Four Valley workers were injured Monday in unrelated accidents about 90 minutes apart in Peoria and Anthem. One was rescued by firefighters after a 25-foot fall from scaffolding at a job site in north Peoria. Tino Patterson, 40, suffered head injuries after plunging to the bottom of a hillside concrete reservoir. He was flown to a Phoenix hospital, where he later was reported in critical condition in the intensive care unit. In Anthem, two workers fell 20 feet when roof trusses gave way about 8 a.m. at an Ace Hardware store under construction. A third worker on the ground was injured when he was struck by one of the falling trusses, officials said. The male workers, whose names were not released, were taken to Phoenix hospitals with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, said Dave Nielsen, a captain for the Daisy Mountain Fire District. One of the workers broke both of his feet when he landed on the ground, said Bob Rohn, regional vice president for RAS Builders Inc., a Phoenix firm that is the general contractor for the Ace Hardware project. The three injured workers are employed by BPR & Sons, a subcontractor, he said. Officials at the Phoenix firm could not be reached. Darin Perkins, director of the state Occupational Safety and Health Division, said BPR received safety citations last year for failure to build a guardrail on scaffolding and failure to instruct employees. The citations resulted in two $1,875 fines. An investigation has been launched into both accidents, Perkins said. It may take at least two months to complete the probes, he said. Both mishaps underscored the danger of falls, the second leading cause of industrial deaths in Arizona. OSHA investigated 94 workplace deaths in Arizona in the two-year period ending Dec. 31. Falls accounted for nine deaths. Thirty-two died from being crushed or struck by an object, the leading cause. The others died from electrocution and other causes. In north Peoria, Patterson, the fall victim, was breathing on his own when firefighters got to him, said Tom Pendley, a Peoria fire captain. “He was moving and awake, but he wasn’t talking to us,” Pendley said. “That’s typical in a head-injury situation.” Firefighters used ropes, a basket and a construction crane to raise Patterson to the top of the reservoir, then into a waiting rescue helicopter. The industrial accident took place at a reservoir near 91st Avenue and Jomax Road that will serve WestWing Mountain, a master-planned community. Archon Inc., a Gilbert firm, is the general contractor for the project. Patterson was identified as a worker for a Gilbert subcontractor, Waco Scaffolding & Equipment. Jeff Dangel, a Waco branch manager, declined comment on the mishap, but added, “We’re just praying that all goes well for Tino and that he has a speedy recovery.” Perkins of OSHA said Waco was last investigated in July 2001 but had no citations.
Worker Hospitalized After Falling From Roof
A construction worker was injured Monday morning when he fell from the roof of Rice Creek Elementary School at 4751 Hard Scrabble Road, said George Rice, spokesman for Richland County Emergency Services. The worker, whose identity wasn’t immediately known, was taken to Palmetto Health Richland where he was listed Monday in good condition, Rice said. Details about the accident at the Richland 2 school were unavailable Monday.
Workers Hurt in Scaffolding Collapse
May 6, 2003 12:19 pm US/Eastern
Moon Twp (KDKA) A construction accident in Moon Township this morning has sent three workers to the hospital. The men were injured when the scaffolding they were working on at the Forest Glenn Apartments — near Moon Township High School collapsed shortly before noon. Two of the workers have been flown to an area hospital. The third was taken by ambulance to another hospital. Officials have not commented on their identities or the extent of their injuries.
Welder Killed In Fall at Plant
A welder fell 89 feet to his death Monday night while working at a Florida Power Corp. plant, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. Jerry Alan Giddens, 49, of Dover, died before he could be taken to a hospital, sheriff’s spokeswoman Donna Wood said. The incident occurred near a shift change about 6:20 p.m. at the plant on County Road 555. Giddens was welding at a boiler and fell from a catwalk, Wood said. One person saw Giddens fall. Officials were investigating the fall as an accident, Wood said. There are two power plants, Hines Energy Block I and II, on the 8,200 acre-site south of Bartow. Wood said Giddens worked for Gemma Power Systems, a contractor for the plant.
Man Dies In Elevator Fall
By Jeremy Olshan April 30, 2003, 10:43 PM EDT
A maintenance worker in a Brooklyn apartment building was killed in an elevator accident just days after he warned it would take a tragedy to prompt the owner to fix chronic problems with the elevators, neighbors and officials said Wednesday. The circumstances surrounding the death of Juan Febus, 59, of South Ozone Park, remained murky Wednesday. He got on the elevator on the 14th floor about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday and it apparently plunged down the shaft, decapitating him, officials said. City officials said the building at 216 Rockaway Ave. in East New York had a history of complaints about its four elevators, but they could offer few details. Building residents said they were lucky when two of the four were working on the same day. “We are still investigating it,” said Ilyse Fink, a spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings. “There are outstanding penalties of $10,000 assessed against the building because of problems with elevators.” It was unclear Wednesday who owned the apartment house, according to the bldings department, and a search of land records by Newsday was inconclusive. Febus had been the building’s maintenance man for 23 years and was well-liked by the tenants. “We’ve been complaining about this for 20 years,” said Josephine Jackson, a longtime tenant. “On Saturday Febus said to me it would take a tragedy before anything would be done about this. “Unfortunately, he was right,” Jackson said. Febus’ son, Camilo Febus, said he was “going to see to it that this does not happen to anyone else.” “First, we are going to take my father to Puerto Rico [for burial]. Then we will pursue legal action,” said Camilo Febus, who worked in the building with his father for 14 years before leaving to become a ballroom dance instructor. Most tenants said they had already been doing their best to avoid using the elevators. As the elevators descend they slow and occasionally stop between floors. Several tenants said they have been stuck in the elevators, and now always make sure to bring their cell phones. “I live on the 15th floor, but I always go straight for the stairs,” said Cassandra Russell. “Now it isn’t even a question.” In the basement, at the doorway to the elevator shaft, tenants placed two candles and a Puerto Rican flag in memory of Febus Wednesday.