Fatality Files
Tire Company President Fined in Worker’s Death
The president of an Ontario tire company has been fined $10,000 after one of his workers was fatally crushed.
On July 8, 2011, a worker was replacing a tire on an excavator at a customer's workplace in Erin, ON. The worker used two jacks to lift t
he rear of the excavator, with at least one jack on a wooden block.
There were no other stands supporting the vehicle. While the worker was under the excavator, it tipped off the jacks,
fatally crushing the victim.
Michael Holmes, president of Holmes Tire Inc., a commercial tire supplie
r operating in Orangeville, ON, was fined $10,000, plus a $2,500 victim fine surcharge, after pleading guilty to failing as a supervisor to ensure that an excavator was securely and solidly blocked to prevent it from moving or falling on a worker.
Holmes Tire Inc. was fined $75,000, plus a 25 percent victim fine surcharge, after pleading guilty to the
same charge.
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Protestors Demand Safer Workplaces After 112 Die in Fire
Protestors in Dhaka, Bangladesh are demanding improved safety measures after at least 112 garment factory workers died and about 150 others were injured in a fire in late November 2012.
etysmart/Article.aspx?id=14699&articleId=100311″>short circuit in wiring is being eyed as a possible cause of the fire in an eight-story factory that made T-shirts and polo shirts. The building lacked fire exits and some of the victims died after jumping from the burning structure.
A fire department operations director said the death toll would have been much lower had there been even one functioning emergency exit to prevent workers from becoming trapped inside.
One worker who survived the fire with minor injuries after jumping from a second-floor window, says workers were told to go back to work after a fire alarm sounded. Another worker told reporters that fire extinguishers in the building didn’t work.
Protestors blocked a highway, smashed vehicles and threw stones at buildings.
Public Caught in Work-Related Shootout
Eight members of the public were shot during an incident of workplace violence in New York City. All were expected to survive their injuries, but the gunman is dead, along with a 41-year-old former co-worker of the shooter.
There is spe
culation that the injured bystanders were accidentally shot by police who were firing at the shooter.
The gunman, Jeffrey Johnson, who was in his mid-to-late 50s, had been laid off his job as a designer of women’s accessories about one year earlier. He fatally shot his former office manager, Steven Ercolino, at point-blank range outside Hazan Imports, before leaving the scene on foot.
A construction worker followed him and alerted two police officers standing outside the Empire State Building. Police then shot and killed Johnson, who was carrying a .45 caliber semi-automatic weapon, and police.
New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters that the shooter and the manager appear to have a history of friction, with allegations of harassment on both sides.
The two reportedly had an earlier altercation in an elevator, with Johnson telling Ercolino, “I’ll get you.”
The area around the Empire State Building was packed with pedestrians and store owners who were opening their shops at the time of the shootings.
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Demolition Job Explodes in Workers’ Face
A British demolition firm has been fined for safety failings after a worker suffered serious burns when a gas pipe ignited in his face.
The victim did not know he was cutting into a live gas line with an angle grinder.
The gas ignited, badly burning his face and forearms. Fortunately he was wearing goggles and safety gloves, or his injuries could have been far worse.
Birstall Demoltion and Plant Services Ltd. was ordered to pay the equivalent of nearly $25,000 in fines and costs for failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of its employees.
“Demolition activities need to be planned, supervised and monitored rigorously,” says Alastair Choudhury, an inspector with the Health and Safety Executive, Great Britain’s safety authority. However, Birstall Demolition and Plant Services Ltd. failed to perform the simplest of checks to protect their employee by not making sure that the pipes were safe.”
Unusual Incident Claims Worker’s Life
The construction industry experiences a large number of struck-by injuries and fatalities, but an unusual incident recently took the life of a young father of two children.
Victor “Bo” Towery, a 34-year-old heavy machine operator employed by A & A Grading and Hauling in Bessemer City, NC, died after being struck by an excavator set into motion by a large pipe that bumped one of its control levers.
Towery, of Clover, NC, was standing in front of the five-ton excavator when it moved, crushing him. He was alive
at the scene, but died later in hospital. He had worked for A & A Grading and Hauling for six years.
OSHA is investigating the fatality. It notes that struck-by incidents are a leading cause of construction industry fatalities.
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Company Fined in Fatal Paint Vapor Explosion
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a dredging company for multiple alleged serious violations after one of its workers was killed and a second worker was injured in a paint vapor explosion in July 2011.
Shawn Austin, 28, of Nashville, TN, died three days after paint vapors became ignited by a light that sparked. A second worker, Saul Hernandez, 26, suffered severe burn injuries, but survived. The victims had been painting the inside of a pontoon boat dredge when the blast occurred.
Austin was married with three children.
Dredge & Marine Co. of Millersville, TN, was issued $46,600 in proposed penalties for serious violations alleging inadequate exhaust ventilation, failure to use explosion-proof lighting, using an extension cord that lacked a ground prong, exposing employees to explosion and fire hazards from a non-explosion proof fan with nonferrous blades and failure to ensure paint buckets, spray guns and cell phones were properly stored to prevent sparking.
Other alleged violations include failure to permit the bonding of spray guns and metallic parts, failure to provide fall protection to employees working from the barge deck, failure to test the oxygen content of a confined space, not training workers to perform duties safely in a confined space, not providing a qualified shipyard rescue team, failure to stop work to verify the confined space was safe for entry after spray painting and failure to continuously monitor the enclose space to ensure the atmosphere was safe.
Worker Dies from Burn Injuries
A 49-year-old employee at a plastics plant in Kentucky died 10 days after he was injured in a fire.
Mark Stone was one of four workers injured in what has been referred to as a polymer flash at Polymer Partners LLC in Louisville. He suffered burns to more than 90 percent of his body. He was surrounded by his wife, Pam, their 19-year-old son, Jordan, and other family members when he died.
A chair at the church where Stone taught Sunday school was covered with several items, including a tiny guitar and an angel, in the hope that he would survive his injuries and return. A family member described him as being a funny and lovable person who made others feel important.
Kentucky labor officials had previously fined Polymer Partners nearly $27,000 for safety violations which included hazardous concentrations of explosive dust.
Wal-Mart Charged in Worker’s Electrocution
A Wal-Mart store in Grand Falls, NB, and one of its supervisors have been charged after a 17-year-old worker died in hospital from an electric shock he received while using an electric floor buffer on a wet floor.
The victim, Patrick Desjardins, who was in his final year of high school, loved life, his family, friends and the outdoors, according to his obituary.
Charges issued by WorkSafe New Brunswick against Wal- Mart are as follows:
Failure to ensure the health and safety of workers by allowing the use of an inappropriate floor polisher and a faulty extension cord in the garage area.
Failure to ensure that employees complied with specific requirements when using a tool.
Failure to ensure that the garage was inspected by the employer at least once a month to identify any risks to employees’ health and safety.
Failure to ensure that the floor polisher was inspected before use and repaired or replaced if necessary and was maintained in proper working condition.
Failure to ensure that employees were instructed to use the floor polisher only for the specific purpose for which it was designed.
Failure to ensure that an electric power-operated tool (a floor polisher) is tested for the effectiveness of the double insulation or bonding to ground before each use by a continuity tester or ground fault circuit interrupter.
Failure to ensure that electrical equipment is suitable for its use and that it is maintained and modified in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications—specifically by permitting the use of a faulty extension cord.
In addition, Wal-Mart supervisor Denis Morin has been charged with allowing the use of an inappropriate floor polisher and a faulty extension cord and failure to acquaint the worker with any hazards in connection with the use of a tool or machine. The maximum fine on each count is $250,000.
Worker Dies After Using Lawnmower for Warmth
A 21-year-old worker died from carbon monoxide poisoning after starting a lawn mower in the back of a truck for warmth.
Jorge Perez and his younger cousin were cold after spending several hours doing landscape work outside a church in the Bronx, NY. The two workers were found unresponsive when the truck reached Queens, NY. The lawnmower was still running in the confined space.
Perez was pronounced dead in hospital, while his cousin was admitted in critical condition. Perez had moved to New York from Guatemala about three years ago.
Running a fuel-powered heater, generator or other equipment indoors can quickly lead to a fatal buildup of carbon monoxide gas. Workers need to be told that this practice can easily kill.
Info to go: Read more about carbon monoxide poisoning by clicking on the Info to Go safety links here.
Crane Operator Slips on Icy Embankment and Dies
A 65-year-old crane operator died in Colorado as the result of a 14-foot (4.26 meter) fall after slipping on a snow-covered embankment.
The operator was attempting to assist co-workers in cleanup operations. When he walked onto an embankment, he lost his footing.
There were no guardrails or protective barriers to catch him and he landed on his back on a large rock at the base of the embankment. He was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Colorado Department of Health recommended that employers:
- Provide PPE for workers exposed to fall hazards
- Develop, implement and enforce a comprehensive written safety program.
- Provide walkways with standard guardrails when employees are required to cross over excavations. In this instance, workers routinely used the earth embankment as an egress route to a box culvert under construction.
