Fatality Files
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.
Worker Killed After Safety Cord Becomes Entangled in Drill
A 39-year-old construction worker was killed after his fall protection cord became entangled in a large rock-drilling machine in the Aspen, CO, area.
Greg Watson of Minneapolis died at the scene. He had been part of a work crew reinforcing retaining walls at a condominium complex.
Just before the incident, Watson reportedly had been attempting to fix the horizontal rock drill, which had not been working. When he activated the drill, it caught his fall prevention cord and twisted his body around the spinning auger.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating Watson’s death.
Verizon Technician Dies After Touching High-Voltage Power Line
A 37-year-old married father of four pre-teenage daughters died after coming in contact with a 4,000-volt power line.
Verizon technician Douglas LaLima, was installing high-speed internet cables on a telephone pole from a cherry picker in Brooklyn, NY, when he was electrocuted. LaLima died at the scene.
“He was a cheerful person, a charming personality,” says a spokesperson from LaLima’s union. “He was always positive. He lit up a room.”
Two co-workers immediately lowered the stricken worker to the ground, but it was too late. He had worked for Verizon for 15 years.
Con Edison of New York electrical workers were investigating how LaLima, who was highly experienced, could have come into contact with the power line.
LaLima is said to have “lived for his family.” His wife, Vienna, 38, had been his high school sweetheart.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 63 people died in 2009 as a result of coming into contact with overhead power lines. Many of these deaths involve unintended contact of power lines with aluminum ladders, long poles or boom lifts.
Carbon Dioxide Caused Restaurant Patron’s Death
An investigation has determined that an 80-year-old Florida woman died from a lethal concentration of carbon dioxide in a McDonald’s restaurant bathroom in Pooler, GA.
Ann Reynolds Felton was one of 10 people, including three firefighters, transported to hospital after a bleed line on a carbon dioxide tank used to carbonate soft drinks became disconnected within a wall cavity. Felton died in hospital one day after she was found unconscious in the restroom.
Police Chief Mark Revenew told news media that because of the construction of the restroom there was little chance for the carbon dioxide to dissipate.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is investigating.
See a related safety talk on chemical safety on page six of this edition of Safe Supervisor.
Worker Killed by Tornado
The most powerful tornado to touch down in Ontario, Canada in 15 years took the life of a 61-year-old employee of the world’s largest rock salt mine in August, 2011.
Normand Laberge, who was operating a boom at the Sifto salt mine in Goderich, ON, was caught in an F3 tornado packing winds of 174 miles per hour (280 km/h). Laberge, who had worked at the mine for three decades, was crushed under a pile of rubble.
He had been in an elevated position when the tornado hit and had no time to get to safety.
In a condolence message, a co-worker wrote that Laberge “was a wonderful, generous man who has given and contributed far more than many even realize. His involvement and driving force to raise money for the Christmas Bureau over the many years I have worked with him has been very inspiring… A great man.”
Another co-worker called Laberge “one of the best and finest persons I have had the privilege to work with and to call a friend,” adding that he will miss Laberge’s “infectious laugh and smile.”
Laberge was the only person to die in the tornado, which ripped a terrible path of destruction through the town of 8,000 residents. Thirty-seven injuries were reported.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour is investigating the fatality.
Worker Pinned by Auger Dies
A 46-year-old construction worker died after being involved in an auger incident in Port Kent, NY.
Michael Bradley Loyer of South Burlington, VT, was using a Barbco auger while installing a large pipe, when the machine became stuck in the pipe. Loyer was ejected and became pinned under about the piece of equipment, weighing some 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms).
A backhoe was used to move the auger off the victim, who was pronounced dead in hospital a short time afterwards. Loyer, who owned Trenchless Technologies of New England, Inc. with his brother, Thomas, died from multiple blunt force injuries.
Loyer was actively involved with the Eagles Aerie 793 and loved the outdoors.
“His death is a reminder to us all of the dangers we face every day working around heavy equipment, in particular, the high-torque drilling equipment,” a colleague wrote in a condolence message. “We can never be too cautious and we should never become complacent around heavy equipment.”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and New York State Police are investigating.
9/11 Changed the World Forever
Ten years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, four coordinated attacks by the terrorist organization al-Qaeda brought much of the world to its knees and ushered in a new-normal sense of security, where no one is above suspicion.
On that surreal day, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four large passenger jets with one unimaginable purpose in mind—inflicting as much death, mayhem and fear on the American public as possible.
Two of the hijacked jets were deliberately flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and a third plane was purposely crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth jetliner presumably targeted at the Capitol Building or the White House crashed into a field near Shankesville, PA, after some of the passengers fought back against the hijackers on board and attempted to regain control of the airplane.
The attacks on the World Trade Center killed, 2,753 people, including more than 400 firefighters and police officers. The injured numbered more than 6,000. Had the burning towers collapsed sooner or perhaps fallen sideways, the carnage could have been much worse. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) estimated that 17,400 people were in the Twin Towers when the terrorists struck.
Thousands of tons of toxic dust entered the atmosphere when the towers fell and numerous deaths have since been linked to exposure to these materials.
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed by American forces in May 2011, at first denied responsibility for the attack, but in 2004 he admitted overseeing the plot.
In response to the 9/11 attacks, the George W. Bush administration swiftly announced a “war on terror” with a goal of bringing Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda to justice.
The United States and Britain began bombing Afghanistan for harboring terrorist groups, beginning Oct. 7, 2001. Other countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Denmark, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Norway and Bulgaria followed.
The Bush administration enacted the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Act created the Department of Homeland Security, whose mandates include preventing terrorism and enhancing security and securing and managing US borders.
Also created was the USA Patriot Act, which gave the US government the power to detain foreign terror suspects without charges, along with the ability to monitor terror suspects’ telephone conversations, emails and Internet use.
In an attempt to better secure commercial airplanes against high jacking, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assigned sky marshals to flights and mandated the reinforcing of airplane cockpits to prevent unauthorized access.
Also, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act transferred airport security operations away from airports and to the federal government.
The world breathed a collective sigh of relief with the news that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been shot dead by US forces in May, 2011, but it would be naïve to believe that al-Qaeda no longer poses a threat to the US and other countries which have fought against extremists since 9/11.
The threat of another attack very much remains, as does the need for people to watch for and report any behavior that seems suspicious, both at work and in their neighborhoods.
