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Trash Collector Dies After Being Caught In Compactor of Refuse Vehicle\u2013North Carolina
No full textA 47-year-old man who worked for a small refuse collection business died as a result of being caught and pinned by the compactor plate in a refuse collection truck. The victim and a coworker were riding the route together, so that the coworker might learn the route. The victim was driving the vehicle. The coworker worked the curb side of the vehicle. In order to gain additional space in the truck, the victim turned on the switch to advance the platen into the compactor body, beyond the normal automatic stroke. He then entered the hopper, apparently to remove some debris, but accidentally activated the platen return switch, causing the platen to retract suddenly, pinning him. The coworker immediately threw the shutdown switch and called for help. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene due to crushing injuries. It is recommended that employers ensure that their workers are following appropriate hazardous energy control procedures including lockout and tagout operations, that workers are familiar with all the features of the equipment they are using, that manufacturers of automatically operated equipment consider installing redundant safety features, and that all equipment be checked on delivery so that it is certain to be operating correctly
Construction Worker Electrocuted When Boom Forklift Contacted Power Lines
Full text linkDuring the fall of 2003, a 53- year-old construction worker was electrocuted at a rural road construction site. A six man crew was on site that day, preparing to install a box culvert. The victim was working with a boom forklift operator to prepare a submersible pump for removing water from the work area. They had unloaded the pump from a pickup truck and had it suspended from the forklift with an 18 ft. (5.4 m) steel cable. The victim first untangled the hydraulic lines that were wrapped around the pump during transportation. The forklift operator was talking to him through the front window of the forklift, and asked if he was clear of the electric lines, and the victim gave him the thumbs-up sign. Suddenly, while they were talking, the forks came in contact with the overhead power lines, and the victim was electrocuted. As he was standing on the ground, hanging onto the two hydraulic lines, the electric current passed through the steel cable, the pump, and the steel mesh lining of the hydraulic lines to reach the victim and the ground. The man was killed instantly, and the hydraulic lines began arcing into dry grass and started a fire. This fire spread to the forklift and a portable power unit for the pump. The forklift operator initially stayed in his machine, then jumped free from the forklift as instructed in prior training, and was uninjured. When firefighters arrived, the victim was lying on the ground in the middle of the fire with the forklift near, but not touching, the power lines. Recommendations based on our investigation are as follows: 1. Employers should comply with applicable OSHA regulations when using machines near energized power lines. 2. Contractors who will be using lifting equipment near power lines should call the local power company to request that insulators or cover-ups be placed on the lines where they will be working. 3. Site supervisors and machinery operators should consider safer alternatives and take extra precaution when working near overhead power lines.Cooperative Agreemen
Youth Restaurant Cashier Shot to Death During Attempted Robbery
Full text linkA 16-year-old female restaurant cashier (the victim) died when she was shot in the head during an armed robbery attempt. The victim was the daughter of the co-owners of the small Asian food restaurant where the incident occurred. She worked there when not attending high school, and assisted with most of the business activities including food preparation, receiving customers' food orders, and tending the cash register. At the time of the incident, she was standing behind the service counter, near the cash register. Her father was in the back of the restaurant, out of view of the customer area, and her mother was standing next to her. A man entered the restaurant, went directly to the counter, then pointed a handgun at the victim's head and demanded money. Almost immediately after the demand, the gun fired in the victim's face. She collapsed to the floor, and the assailant ran from the building. When he heard the gunfire, the victim's father pushed the button to notify the security company while the victim's mother called for emergency services. The EMS and police responded. The victim was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The FACE investigator concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, employers should : 1. Develop and implement violence prevention programs in each workplace. 2. Arrange appropriate treatment for victimized employees.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Laborer Dies From Fall Through Skylight While Shoveling Snow on Roof
Full text linkA 43-year-old male laborer (the victim) at a coatings manufacturing company died after falling through a skylight to a concrete floor 14 feet below. The victim and a co-worker had volunteered to clear snow from the roof of the company building late on a January afternoon, after their regular work day was finished. A flat roof over the first story portion of the company was covered with drifted snow, which varied in depth from several inches to over 3 feet in places. The victim was using large steps to walk through the snow to the south side of the roof, where the snow was deepest. It completely covered the tops of skylights in this area. He apparently failed to see the unguarded, three-foot square skylight and stepped onto it while walking. The plastic bubble of the skylight broke, and the victim fell to the concrete floor. His co-worker had been walking toward the north side of the roof, and turned to look when he heard a noise from the victim's direction. Seeing the broken skylight, the co-worker yelled for help. Workers on the main floor were already assisting the victim, where he had fallen, and called emergency services. EMS responders were on the scene within minutes, and a physician pronounced the victim dead at the scene. To prevent future fatalities of this type, the FACE investigator recommends employers should: 1. Guard skylight openings. 2. Lock all doors that provide access to unguarded rooftops. 3. Provide training in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions to workers who are assigned tasks outside their normal duties.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Welder was electrocuted while attempting to connect two power cords
Full text linkA 38 year old male welder was electrocuted while in the process of connecting two power cords (440 volts). The victim was working over his shift and was connecting an extension cord into the plug on a roller metal bending machine when he received an electrical shock which knocked him unconscious to the floor. The victim was standing on a dry surface. Both female and male plugs which the victim was attempting to couple were defective. The energized extension cord used was not normally coupled with this machine. The housing for the plugs was metal. One of the defective plugs had been reported by a another worker 1-2 hours before the incident. Company representatives indicated that the foreman had not been notified of the defective equipment. The report of the defect came in at the change of shifts. Despite emergency care and transport by the EMT's to an area hospital the worker was pronounced dead within an hour of the incident. The Wisconsin FACE investigator concluded that, in order to prevent similar occurrences, the following issues should be addressed: 1. Conduct a jobsite survey to identify potential hazards before beginning any job. Remove from service defective equipment. Lock and tag out equipment according to OSHA lockout and tagout requirements. 2. Train workers to recognize safety hazards in their workplace that pertain to their job assignments. In this instance, electrical hazard recognition.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Youth Dies in Tractor Rollover Attempting to Pull Trailer Out of Mud
Full text linkOn April 21, 2003, a 15 year-old youth died when he was pinned under the tractor he was driving. The deceased had driven the tractor into the field located behind and next to the back yard of his family home to retrieve a trailer to haul wood. The trailer became stuck in the mud. The victim connected a log chain to the trailer and tried to pull it out of the mud with the Ford tractor, Model 8 N. This model has widely-spaced front wheels. Figure 1 shows the tractor after it overturned backwards. Figure 2 shows the front of the tractor facing the trailer. The victim's friend was driving past the property on the road and saw the tires of the tractor in the air. The friend turned around on the road and drove into the yard. He went to the house to see if his friend (the victim) was there, but no one answered as he called for him. He then ran out to the tractor in the field and found the victim pinned underneath the tractor. He drove to a neighbor's home to get someone to call for help. He drove back to the victim's home. In the meantime, the victim's sister who had heard the friend's truck but was unable to answer the door at the time, went out and saw the tractor upside down. She ran over and saw the victim under the tractor. She ran back into the house and called emergency medical services (EMS). Within fourteen minutes the emergency medical personnel had arrived from a nearby town and had removed the victim from under the tractor. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The NIOSH FACE investigator concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, farmers and employers should: 1. Provide tractors equipped with rollover protective structures (ROPS) and seat belts. 2. Ensure that youth are trained in and are aware of the potential hazards associated with operating farm machinery through a formal tractor safety-training program intended for youth. 3. Ensure that the tractor is equipped with an appropriate hitch before using it to pull equipment. 4. Ensure that youth are informed that they should seek help whenever situations occur for which they lack experience or skill. 5. Know and comply with Federal and State child labor laws that are related to employment of youth in an agricultural setting.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Deck Engineer on Barge Dies When Struck by Crane Counterweight in Washington State
Full text linkIn June of 2010, a 26-year-old female deck engineer died when she was struck by the counterweight of a barge mounted crane/derrick. The deck engineer (victim) and a crane operator, both employees of a marine construction company, were working from a crane/derrick barge in support of a crew working at a job site on a project to replace pilings underneath a pier. The project involved having divers in the water and workers in small boats taking out the old pilings and replacing them with new ones. The crane operator on the crane/derrick barge would operate the crane to lift waste pilings from the water and place them on an adjacent barge and lift new pilings and other supplies to workers in the water. The victim was an apprentice heavy duty repair mechanic and an inexperienced deck engineer who had worked in the company shop for the past 10 months; this was her third day on the job as a deck engineer. She was welding repairs to a guard railing on the barge's upper deck when the crane operator rotated the crane to make a pick of pilings from the water. The crane's counterweight struck her in the head and neck, pinning her against the railing. A bystander on the pier alerted company employees that she was hurt. An employee went to check on the victim and found her unresponsive. Another employee called emergency medical services (EMS). As an employee was applying an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the victim, EMS personnel arrived and began CPR. She was then removed from the barge and taken to a hospital where she was declared dead. RECOMMENDATIONS: To prevent similar occurrences in the future, the Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) investigation team recommends that employers who use cranes should follow these guidelines: 1. Ensure that the area within the swing radius of the rotating superstructure of a crane is barricaded so as to prevent workers from entering and being struck. 2. Ensure that a method of communication is established and that communication is maintained between the crane operator and other workers and that the crane and its superstructure do not move until the-all clear-signal is given. 3. Lock out/tag out the crane when workers need to perform work that will expose them to the hazard of being struck by the crane or its load. 4. Train employees performing work in a crane's vicinity or in support of the crane operator to recognize and avoid the hazard of being struck by the rotating crane superstructure and its counterweight. 5. Hold a daily pre-work safety meeting to break down each task and identify the potential hazards so that the site supervisor, crane operator, and work crew are all aware of the hazards and safe working practices when performing their tasks. 6. Consider having an experienced employee work alongside a new or inexperienced employee so as to provide on the job training on how to work safely in a potentially hazardous environment. 7. Consider installing electronic proximity sensing devices to warn the crane operator of workers on foot in the vicinity.Cooperative Agreemen
Semi-Truck Owner-Operator Crushed by 7.6 Ton Steel Coil While Securing Load to Flatbed Trailer
Full text linkOn Monday, October 26, 2015, a 46-year-old truck driver (the victim) and a bridge crane operator were loading three 7.6 ton steel coils onto a flatbed semi-trailer, using a bridge crane. The truck driver was standing on the bed of the trailer and both he and the bridge crane operator had their backs turned to the bridge crane, while the crane operator actuated the crane's controls. The crane's sling became entangled in the eye of a steel coil, causing it to become unstable and topple over onto the truck driver. The truck driver was pinned to the bed of the trailer beneath the steel coil and died at the scene. Recommendations for prevention: 1. Steel coils and other cargo that could tip over should be properly secured to the trailerbed prior to detachment from bridge cranes. 2. Workers should maintain visual contact with the cargo and crane at all times during crane operation.3. Written policies for loading and unloading should include that personnel be restricted from the loading zone during mechanized loading and unloading activities. 4. After placing and securing the steel coil in the intended location, authorized loading zone personnel should ensure that slings and other attachments are free of the coil's eye before actuating the crane away from the coil.Cooperative Agreemen
Hispanic Arborist\u2019s Helper Struck and Killed by A Falling Tree
No full textOn June 13, 2003, a 39-year-old Hispanic male arborist's helper was killed when he was struck by a tree that was being cut down. The incident occurred at a private residence as a tree-trimming crew was finishing the removal of 12 trees from the front yard. The owner of the company had placed the bucket of a front-end loader against the tree to help direct its fall. He then made the cuts near the bottom of the tree trunk. The tree fell approximately 90 degrees left of where he had planned, towards the helper who was standing near the front of the home to load debris into a woodchipper. The owner shouted a warning to the workers, but the victim apparently did not hear it due to the noise from the chipper. The top of the tree struck him on the head as it fell to the ground. NJ FACE investigators recommend following these safety guidelines to prevent similar incidents: 1. Employees should use proper tree removal and communication methods as outlined in the ANSI Standard Z133.1-2000. 2. All employers and employees involved in tree work should receive training in arborist methods and equipment use. 3. Employers should conduct a job hazard analysis of all work activities with the participation of the workers.Cooperative Agreemen
Laborer Dies After Falling Down Stairs at a Plastic Bag Manufacturing Plant
Full text linkOn April 14, 1999, a 59-year-old laborer at a factory that manufactured plastic bags was fatally injured after falling down a flight of industrial stairs. The incident occurred after the victim had ascended the stairs to adjust a machine on the third level. He did not complete the adjustment and apparently fell as he was descending to the ground level of the plant. There were no witnesses to the fall. The victim was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs with severe head injuries. He was transported to the local hospital where he died of his injuries two days later. It was noted that the victim was a newly diagnosed diabetic and that his medical condition may have contributed to the incident. NJDHSS investigators concluded that, to prevent similar incidents in the future, these safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Employers should provide and maintain stairs with non-slip surfaces.Cooperative Agreemen