Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Teen summer worker dies falling nearly 100 feet from cliff in Ohio state park

June 1, Calcutta, Ohio — Authorities say an Ohio teenager fell nearly 100 feet to his death inside a state park where he was doing tree trimming work. The State Highway Patrol says 17-year-old Dustin Huffman suffered head trauma in Tuesday's fall down a cliff and was pronounced dead at the scene in Beaver Creek State Park, about 80 miles southeast of Cleveland. Troopers say Huffman apparently lost his footing while exploring in the park during a break from his summer job cutting branches away from utility lines.


WVa worker dies after being pinned by equipment

June 1, Pleasant Valley, West Virginia - A Fairmont man has died after being pinned between an aerial lift's platform and a crane. Police say 48-year-old George Green was standing on the platform as he backed the lift out of a United Rentals garage Tuesday morning. The lift backed into a crane parked behind it, pinning Green between the platform and the crane. Marion County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Chip Phillips says Green died at the scene.


1 Dies, 2 Injured After Fall From Construction Site

June 1, Dublin, Ohio —A Columbus construction worker fell to his death Wednesday at a Dublin construction site after a scaffolding collapsed, injuring two co-workers as well...The three workers fell different distances from the scaffolding: one fell to the ground, a second worker fell two stories and a third worker fell one story, according to Dublin Public Information Officer Mike Racey. Wilbert Johnson, 52, of Columbus died after he fell an unknown distance.


Electric Boat worker killed on job

June 1, North Kingston, Rhode Island - An Electric Boat worker injured on the job Wednesday morning has died from his injuries, according to a company news release. In a bulletin sent to employees, the company said the victim was a rigger at the plant. The accident happened at 7:25 a.m. at the company's Quonset manufacturing facility in North Kingstown. The 31-year-old worker was then taken to Kent Hospital in Warwick, where he was pronounced dead, the release said. Company officials said the victim worked for Electric Boat for 10 years.


Pedmont Trucker Killed In Grinding Accident

June 1, Piedmont, Alabama - log truck driver died Tuesday when he ran into the rear of a dump truck on U.S. 278 near Hokes Bluff. James Franklin Beecham, 49, was killed in the wreck but the driver of the dump truck, 38-year-old Paul Taylor Pledger, of Ball Play, was only slightly injured. The impact caused the dump truck to turn over, dumping its load of chert. The logs shifted, crunching the cab of the Beecham’s truck and pinning him inside the wreckage. It’s the third wreck in less than two years involving a large truck overturning and spilling its load.


Farmers market worker electrocuted

June 30, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Maintenance supervisor Earl W. Yerkes, 85, was killed while working on a rooftop air conditioning unit. A faithful employee who worked for the Quakertown Farmers Market for nearly 50 years died there Saturday afternoon when he was shocked by at least 450 volts of electricity, officials said. Earl W. Yerkes, 85, was pronounced dead at St. Luke's Hospital Quakertown, but indications are he might have died immediately, said Richard Woldow, owner of the farmers market on Station Avenue in Richland.


Railway worker crushed to death

June 26, Albertville, Alabama - Progress Rail’s scrap yard, on Industrial Boulevard in Albertville, was the scene of a fatal accident shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Dustin Price Moles, 33, of 1363 Lasseter Road, Southside, was fatally injured when he was crushed between a railroad tank car and a pile of scrap metal. According to the official police report, and statements by Albertville Fire Chief Robert Terrell, Moles, a conductor for Alabama & Tennessee Railroad, was standing on a small platform at the rear of the tank car at the time of the accident.


Recycling employee killed in Irwindale work accident

June 25, West Covina, California - A recycling service employee was killed Thursday when a metal cable he was replacing on a dump truck snapped and struck him in the head.
Juan Manuel Navarrete, 43, of Los Angeles was pronounced dead at the scene when officials arrived at a waste and recycling service company at 282 Live Oak Ave., said Irwindale Sgt. Gil Cuen. Police responded the scene about 6:40 p.m. Thursday after an employee of a nearby company found Navarrete lying on the ground with a laceration on his head.


Man fatally shot in head in Castro Valley hydroponics store

June 26, Castro Valley, California - The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is searching for at least two suspects after a man in a Castro Valley hydroponics business was fatally shot in the head Friday afternoon. The man was taken to Eden Medical Center in critical condition, and died there Friday evening....Miles did not identify the man — nor whether he was the business owner, an employee or a customer — pending notification of relatives. He said some witnesses had provided descriptions of possible suspects, but no description was released to the media.


2 workers killed in fatal Palm Beach County crash

June 25, Jupiter, Florida - Authorities say two road construction workers have died in accident in Palm Beach County. Police say a third worker was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries suffered in the crash early Friday morning in Jupiter. The worker's condition was not known. The workers were repaving the roads as part of an ongoing project. The names of the workers were not released. Authorities have not released any additional details of the crash.


Man dies in workplace accident in Durant

June 25, Durant, Oklahoma - An employee died today at a Durant business when he was hit by a large piece of granite. The man and a coworker at Allied Stone, 2201 W. Arkansas St., were moving slabs of granite on a forklift at 8:45 a.m. when one of the slabs split down the middle, falling on the man, Durant police Lt. Carrie Wyrick said. The man suffered a head injury and died at the scene, Wyrick said. The identity of the man has not been released. Durant police are still investigating the accident.


Houston Officer Killed

June 25, Houston, Texas - Two men are facing murder charges in connection with the death of veteran Houston police officer Henry Canales. The Harris County District Attorney has charged the suspected illegal aliens 41-year-old Andres Nava-Maldonado and 36-year-old Xiomara Mendez-Rosales with fatally shooting the undercover officer during a robbery. The shooter, 37-year-old Roberto Pedroza Carrillo was shot and killed at the scene.


I-35 construction worker killed in Austin area

June 24, Austin, Texas — The driver of a dark-colored SUV is sought after a construction worker along Interstate 35 in the Austin area was struck and killed. Police Sgt. Kenneth Conner says the accident happened before dawn Wednesday along southbound I-35. Conner says the SUV drove into the construction area, striking and killing the worker, then sped away.


Construction worker's death blamed on heat

June 25, North Little Rock, - A 44-year-old North Little Rock man has become the first person in Pulaski County to die because of the heat. Frank Goy died Wednesday afternoon at a North Little Rock hospital after becoming ill while doing construction work at a home Wednesday morning. Goy's body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory for an autopsy but Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper says the death fits the profile of being heat related.


Man Doing Yard Work Struck, Killed By Car

June 24, Allentown, Pennsylvania - One person was killed after being hit by a car in Monroe County. It happened on Route 196 in Tobyhanna in Coolbaugh Township yesterday afternoon. Police say Lisamarie Ostuni, 43, of Tobyhanna, was traveling south on Route 196 when her vehicle left the road. They say the vehicle was on the berm of the road when it struck Robert Apuzzi, who was doing yard work. Apuzzi, 49, was killed.


Man found dead after falling at Huntsman facility in Port Neches

June 24, Port Neches, Texas - A cause of death has not been determined for a man who was found dead after falling this morning at the Huntsman facility in Port Neches. Around 7:15 a.m., workers at the facility on the corner of FM 366 and Hogaboom Road found the man on the ground near a rail car, according to Brent Weaver of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Port Neches fire and EMS as well as the Sheriff's Office responded to the call.


Consol Mine Worker Crushed To Death In Pennsylvania

June 24, Steubenville, Ohio - An investigation is under way into a fatal mining accident at a Consol mine in Greene County, Pa. A 54-year-old worker was putting bolts into the roof of the mine when a rock fell, crushing him, according to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Rathbun. Rathbun said the mine will be idled while the DEP and other officials investigate the accident.


Worker in Pa. demolition fall dies of injuries

June 23, Titusville, Pennsylvania - A coroner says a New York man has died of head injuriesJ from falling from a roof he was helping demolish at a former hardware store in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Erie County Coroner says 69-year-old Millard Young, of Akron, N.Y. died Sunday at Hamot Medical Center in Erie from complications of injuries he received in the fall. Young was working for Rockford Construction Co. of Grand Rapids, Mich. when he fell while doing roof demolition work in Titusville on June 12. The building is being renovated, possibly for use as a video rental store.


Construction worker from The Colony run over, killed by truck he was repairing

June 23, Dallas, Texas - A construction worker in The Colony was killed earlier today when he was run over and dragged by a truck he was repairing. The incident happened about 9:30 a.m. at a city pump station in the 4100 block of Main Street. The construction site has been closed while the death is being investigated. It appears the victim was working on the truck when another worker, not realizing anyone was under the vehicle, got in and drove off, said Lt. Darren Brockway, of The Colony Police Department.


Ex-jockey killed in S.J. track accident

June 22, Stockton, California - A 47-year-old man died after he was hurt while working Sunday on the San Joaquin County Fair's horse-racing track, fair and law enforcement officials confirmed Monday. David Fowler-Wright, a Humboldt County resident, was a former jockey who was employed this year as a rake man, responsible for raking the track smooth of tire tracks that can frighten horses....While the gate was moving, Fowler-Wright either slipped or tried to jump off it and fell. He was run over by the gate's back tires.


Family of woman killed in lab fire raps regulators

June 22, Los Angeles, California —The family of a 23-year-old research assistant killed in a lab explosion at UCLA says the state's investigation was shoddy and the university's penalties too light. The family of Sheharbano Sangji issued the criticisms and asked for harsher penalties in documents filed with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The family's requests were denied last week because only an employer may appeal a fine.


Maryland Construction Worker Struck and Killed by Dump Truck

June 22, Maryland Police say a construction worker is dead after being hit by a dump truck. The worker was hit around 10:15 p.m. Thursday at a construction site in Capitol Heights. Police say the driver of a dump truck was backing up and did not see the worker and the worker was pronounced dead on the scene.


Groom found dead at Waupaca foundry

June 22, Grandview, Indiana — Marilyn Gentry said her only son, Frankie Jordan, finally had found the right woman in his life. "They got married on June 13 and went on their honeymoon in Gatlinburg (Tenn.)," the 75-year-old Spencer County woman said. "The 13th has always been my lucky day. I talked with him when he got back, and he was in great spirits." Jordan was about nine hours into a 12-hour shift when he was found dead early Monday morning after an accident at the ThyssenKrupp Waupaca foundry in Tell City, Ind., where he was a maintenance man. Perry County Deputy Coroner John Gebhard said Jordan was pinned between two pieces of equipment when rescue workers arrived at 3:41 a.m.


Mass. Man Dies After Being Shot At Gas Station

June 22, New Bedford, Massachusetts - A 32-year-old man shot while visiting his friend at a New Bedford gas station has died. Bristol district attorney spokesman Gregg Miliote says John Martin of New Bedford died Sunday. He was shot in the head a day earlier during an attempted robbery at the Petro Mart. Martin was visiting his friend, who is a store clerk, when another man walked into the store, showed a handgun and said he would rob the business.


Four killed in Metro Red Line collision

June 22, Gaithersburg, Maryland - At least four people were killed, including a female Metro train operator, and at least 70 people were injured Monday evening when two Red Line trains collided between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations about 5 p.m., according to Metro and Takoma Park police officials. The collision occurred when a train heading toward the Shady Grove station slammed into another train from behind during rush hour. The names of the four people killed have not been released, but one reportedly was a Metro employee. There are conflicting reports on the number and severity of the injuries. But according to Metro's Web site, some injuries were serious. Metro did not know the cause of the collision.


Foundry worker found dead

June 22, Tell City, Indiana - A Grandview man dies while working his shift at the Waupaca Foundry in Tell City. The Perry County Deputy Coroner, John Gebhard, says 42-year-old Frankie Jordan was found dead around 3:30 this morning. Gebhard says the cause of death has not been determined, but there is trauma to Jordan's chest. An autopsy will be performed, but it is not yet scheduled. A family friend tells 14 News Jordan just got married last week.


Man Killed at U-M

June 22, Ann Arbor, Michigan - Authorities say a 48-year-old worker was killed when a load of roofing materials fell from a crane and hit him at a University of Michigan hospital construction site.Gary Winisky Jr. of Garden City was struck Monday at the site of the new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. He died in the emergency room at the university's medical center. The Ann Arbor News says it's the third construction death on campus in the past 16 months.


Truck driver in fiery crash is identified

June 21, Long Beach, California - Authorities on Sunday identified a truck driver killed in a fiery crash on a freeway interchange. Stanley Jones, 51, was killed June 13 when the tanker truck he was driving plunged off the road while making the transition from the eastbound Artesia (91) Freeway to the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway, said Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Jim Blacklock. The truck spilled about 8,000 gallons of gasoline, igniting an intense blaze that melted guardrails and left only the truck's axles and small portions of the cab.

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Man killed in collapse

June 21, Opelousas, Louisiana - A New Iberia man was killed Saturday afternoon when a portion of the underground salt dome at Weeks Island collapsed. Iberia Parish Coroner Dr. James Falterman said the victim was 53-year-old Carlton Pennier. He was found dead at the scene, Falterman said. An investigation into the exact cause of death is ongoing. No one else was injured in the collapse. The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the salt mine, owned and operated by Morton Salt. The company is a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company.


Fiery Crash Kills Driver Of Tractor-Trailer

June 20, Anderson County, South Carolina - Troopers are investigating a fiery crash along Interstate 85 southbound near mile marker 11. Lance Cpl. Jeff Gaskin, with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, said a 2007 Freightliner hauling a trailer ran off the interstate just before 10 a.m. Saturday. Gaskin said the 18-wheeler struck the guardrail then continued off the roadway, striking a number of trees before bursting into flames. The driver of the tractor trailer was killed. Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said the driver was a 70-year-old man from Stone Mountain, Ga. His name is not being released at this time.


Metromover worker killed in accident on the tracks

June 21, Miami, Florida - A Metromover rolled over and killed a longtime maintenance supervisor as he inspected the tracks around midnight Saturday, according to police. The computerized vehicle, which is not driven by a conductor, was stopped but moved forward for an unknown reason, said police spokeswoman Rebeca Perez. Police found the body of Joseph Bryant of Hollywood about 100 feet from the platform at College North Station on Northeast First Avenue and Third Street. The 64-year-old was recently named Employee of the Quarter, an award given to ''stellar'' employees every three months, said Clinton Forbes, a Metromover spokesman.


Police: man falls in sludge, dies

June 20, Richmond, Virginia - Police in suburban Richmond report the death of a worker who fell into a vat of sludge. The death occurred early Saturday at a Henrico County water reclamation plant. Henrico Police Lt. D.C. Engels said the man fell into the semisolid material and had to be pulled out. The worker's identity has not been released.


Man falls into auger at work, dies

June 20, Minneapolis, Minnesota - A 49-year-old man died Saturday while working on an auger outside Lakeville. The man, whose name has not been released pending the notification of relatives, was working at Country Stone and Soil, 22447 Highview Av., south of Lakeville. Authorities say the man was feeding mulch into a hopper leading into an auger assembly at 12:11 p.m. when it became clogged. He was attempting to clear the clog when he fell into the auger and was killed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.


1 dead after gunmen open fire at NM Denny's

June 20, Albuquerque, New Mexico — Police in Albuquerque say a restaurant employee has been killed after several armed suspects attempted a takeover-style robbery at a packed Denny's Restaurant. Police spokeswoman Officer Nadine Hamby says "multiple" armed suspects rushed the northwest Albuquerque restaurant at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday. As many as 100 people were inside. A female restaurant employee was shot and killed.


Utility director dies in accidental drowning
Hadaway named Southaven department head in 2001

Chris Hadaway, Southaven's utility director, died in an accidental drowning Thursday night. He was pronounced dead at 10:03 p.m. at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto after he was rushed by ambulance from his Nesbit home, said DeSoto County Coroner Jeff Pounders. "He had been out in his pool swimming with his family and minutes later his wife came out and found him at the bottom of the pool," Pounders said. "CPR was performed and he was then taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he died." Pounders said Hadaway's death has been ruled an accidental drowning. Hadaway, 44, had worked for the city since 1987 in various jobs.


Worker killed in blast at chicken plant

June 20, Lumber Bridge, North Carolina - A ruptured ammonia line caused an explosion at a North Carolina chicken-packing plant that killed one employee Saturday, officials said. Fire Marshal Charles Britt said the Mountaire plant was evacuated about 10 a.m., WRAL-TV in Raleigh reported. A state highway near the plant in Lumber Bridge near Fayetteville was also closed for much of the day. In a preliminary finding, fire investigators blamed a broken high-pressure hose carrying ammonia for the blast. The dead man was identified as Clifton Swain of Fayetteville.


Dump Truck Kills Seat Pleasant Construction Worker

June 19, Arlington, Virginia - Authorities in Prince George's County today identified the worker killed last night at a construction site in the Seat Pleasant area as a 59-year-old Landover resident. Walter E. Izzard of the 3500 block of Hubbard Road was crushed when a dump truck loaded with asphalt backed over him in the 6300 block of Central Avenue, police said. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Prince George's Hospital Center.


Fiancee mourns barge worker killed on lake

June 20, Mooresville, North Carolina - Jose Figueroa and Annette Burgess met at a soccer match in Huntersville 15 years ago. On July 25, they were finally set to get married at Shady Grove Baptist Church in Mount Ulla. Now Burgess is mourning her fiance's death. Figueroa died on Lake Norman in Iredell County on Tuesday when a 11/2-ton pole struck him on a barge he was working on for a dredging company, according to a preliminary report of the incident received by the N.C. Department of Labor in Raleigh. Employers must notify the department within eight hours of a worker's death.


Ark. police officer killed 2 weeks from retirement

June 19, Plumerville, Arkansas — A rural Arkansas assistant police chief only two weeks from retirement was shot dead Friday during a traffic stop, authorities said. The officer, Joey Cannon, 49, pulled over a pickup truck just after 6 a.m., with about 40 minutes left in an otherwise routine nightshift, Plumerville Chief Bill Hartman said. He had information the truck was stolen and had a sheriff's deputy to back him up as he approached the driver's side of the truck, said Sheriff Mike Smith. A single shot fired by the truck's driver struck Cannon in the chest. Hartman said he didn't know whether the 27-year law enforcement veteran had a bulletproof vest on or if the deputy returned fire.


On-the-job accident fatality identified

June 19, San Antonio, Texas - Authorities have identified a 41-year-old man who was killed Wednesday when a front-end loader ran over him at a Northeast Side business. Stevan Vargas of Pleasanton was in front of the machine at Cribley Enterprises, in the 12000 block of Nacogdoches Road, when he asked a co-worker to drive the loader forward. Authorities said he was accidentally run over just before 4 p.m. and was killed immediately.


Worker Dies After Exposure to "Toxic Gas" at Grain Elevator

June 19, Sioux City, Iowa - A Norfolk, NE man is dead, and toxic fumes at a grain elevator may be to blame. Officers responded to the Stanton Coop around 9:30 Friday morning. That's where they found an employee, 67 year-old Donald Stodola, dead inside an enclosed pit. A second employee, 58 year-old Gary Carson, was found nearly unconscious. It's believed both men were overcome by invisible toxic gases that had built up inside the pit.


Worker at Soap Opera Laundry in Cleveland shot dead by robber

June 19, Cleveland, Ohio - A 38-year-old woman was robbed and killed early Thursday in the 24-hour coin laundry she managed on West 25th Street in Cleveland. Tracy Pickryl died about 4:30 a.m. from a gunshot wound to the head. She worked the overnight shift at the Soap Opera Laundry. A gunman walked into the business about 4:30 a.m. and confronted Pickryl. He took her necklace and tried to grab her bracelet. She jerked back and he shot her in the head, police Lt. Bob Romoga said.


JSO: Wendy's Employee Kills Co-Worker

June 18, Jacksonville, Florida - A Wendy's employee was killed Thursday afternoon after being shot by a co-worker, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Gunshots were fired at about 2:30 p.m. inside the Wendy's in the 3000 block of St. Johns Bluff Road on the Southside. Police said they are searching for Thomas Theo Brown, whom they've identified as a suspect in the fatal shooting....Police said Brown returned to work with a gun and shot and killed fellow employee 22-year-old Juanese Miller.


Volunteer firefighter dies after helping to fight fire

June 18, Alton, Kansas — Lyle Lewis is remembered as a "happy guy," a hard worker and a generous man, said his pastor, Homer Smuck. Friends, the town of Alton and two families — the Lewis family and the firefighters of Osborne County Rural Fire District No. 3 — are mourning Lewis' death Tuesday night after fighting a house fire near Alton. "You didn't hardly ever see him down about anything," said Rev. Smuck, of the Mt. Ayr Friends Church in rural Alton. "It's such a shock. He was young," Smuck said. A husband, father of five, and a grandfather, Lewis, 50, also "loved being a firefighter," Smuck said. “He was a volunteer firefighter wherever he lived.”


Construction Worker Struck, Killed By Dump Truck

June 19, Capital Heights, Maryland - Prince George's County police say a construction worker is dead after being hit by a dump truck. The worker was hit around 10:15 p.m. Thursday at a construction site in the 6300 block of Central Avenue in Capitol Heights. Police say the driver of a dump truck was backing up and did not see the worker and the worker was pronounced dead on the scene.


Ohio man killed in drilling accident near Meadville

June 19, Meadville, Pennsylvania - An Ohio man was killed Thursday when he was hit by drilling equipment while working in a field in Cussewago Township, Crawford County. Kenneth E. Geog II, 37, of Brinkhaven, Ohio, was working with a crew drilling exploratory holes for gas and oil wells when his head became caught between a control box and the drilling rig, Crawford County Coroner Patrick McHenry said. Geog's skull was crushed and his neck was fractured in the accident, said McHenry, who pronounced Geog dead at the scene at 9:50 a.m. Thursday.


Man dies after crane accident

Lighthouse Point, Florida - A Broward County construction worker has died from the injuries he suffered when a crane collapsed. Police say 43-year-old Albert Phillips was helping shore up a seawall in Lighthouse Point on Tuesday when a crane fell and pinned his legs. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that evening. Kyle Martinez, a foreman with Ray Qualmann Marine, said the Pompano Beach-based company canceled work at the accident site Wednesday, out of respect for Phillips, who was hired in 2007.


Man killed in work-related accident

June 17, Chicago, Illinois - A man working at a Southwest Side business was killed Tuesday after being run over by a heavy-duty machine. Luis Sanchez was working at 3200 S. Kedzie Ave. when he was killed in the incident, the Cook County medical examiner's office said. The spokesman said Sanchez was working at a scrap metal business when he was run over by a Bobcat, which can be used as a forklift, loader or excavator.


Man killed in work-related accident

June 17, San Antonio, Texas - A 42-year-old Pleasanton man was killed Wednesday afternoon after a front-end loader ran over him at a Northeast Side business, authorities said. The man, who was not identified, had asked a co-worker to move the loader forward, when the accident occurred shortly before 4 p.m., authorities said. The accident happened at Cribley Enterprises in the 12000 block of Nacogdoches Road. Company officials declined to comment on the accident.


Huntersville man killed on construction site

June 17, Mooresville, North Carolina - A Huntersville man was killed when he was hit in the head with a metal pole while working at a construction site on Lake Norman late Tuesday afternoon. Guadalupe Figuerora, 45, died at the scene off Culpeze Road, which is located off Blume Road off Brawley School Road. The Iredell County Sheriff's Office investigated the death and said it appears to be accidental. Lt. Todd Carver said Figuerora was working on a barge building a sea wall at a residence on Culpeze Road Tuesday afternoon.


Worker killed in downtown construction accident

June 18, Indianapolis, Indiana - A worker was killed in a construction accident at the site of the new convention center Wednesday afternoon. Video from Chopper 13 showed a bucket ladder at the site buckled sideways next to a structure under construction. Stanley Roberts, a 55-year-old worker for Harmon Steel of Indianapolis, died from a fall of about 50 feet. "It appears to be one of two things. Either the device was in transit at the time of the accident and toppled, or it may have been stationary and toppled," said IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson.


Worker dies in manhole accident

June 16, Chicago, Illinois - A Chicago park district worker died after falling
into a sewer on the southeast side. William Daniels, 59, was doing maintenance work in Mann Park when the accident happened. It has been a rainy season. Chicago park district workers told ABC7 on Tuesday they have a great deal of repairs and work that needs to be done. One of their own was out on Tuesday morning cleaning a manhole when he fell in and died. William Daniels the third was known by his friends as gene. He worked for the Chicago park district.


20-Year-Old Worker

June 16, Mesa, Arizona - A 20-year-old man is dead after a tragic accident at a construction site. Mauricio Ganadara was working with his father when he was electrocuted. Ganadara's father was at the controls of a crane, which touched an overhead power line. Electricity surged down into the truck -- where Ganadara was leaning up against it. Mesa firefighters hosed down the construction truck after a lethal jolt from a power line killed Ganadara.


Miami-Dade Metrorail security guard shot to death

June 17, Miami, Florida - For much of his life, security guard Chevor Wint had trained for that one moment. The one where he'd stop the bad guys, save a life, keep chaos in order. But it came to a violent end Sunday night, when two young men surprised the 60-year-old Wint as he patrolled the garage at Metrorail's Earlington Heights station, according to police. Miami-Dade detectives believe the two men, both in their early 20s, fled the garage after shooting Wint several times at about 10:10 p.m.


Miami Police Officer Dies in Turnpike Crash

June 16, Miami, Florida - A Miami-Dade police officer has died after a horrific car crash early this morning on the Turnpike. The officer, 23-year-old Giovanni Gonzalez, was struck on the southbound side of the road just after 4 a.m. Several officers responded to the scene, finding the Gonzalez's patrol car severely damaged on the driver's side. Firefighters attempted to save the officer, cutting him from the twisted wreckage of his squad car, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.


Kent Officer Dies Dealing With Road Crash

June 15, Front Royal, Virginia - A police officer has died following an incident on the A249 at the junction with the A2 near Sittingbourne shortly after 8am on Sunday 14 June. PC Philip Pratt, aged 26, was injured by a vehicle as he attempted to introduce diversions at the scene of an earlier accident. He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being flown to The Royal London hospital in Whitechapel by air ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short while later.


Yosemite worker killed

June 15, Modesto, California - Yosemite National Park officials said a worker who had been reported missing Sunday was found dead Monday afternoon. Rangers found Christopher Hale, 23, of Gainesville, Fla., at 1 p.m. He apparently fell from a cliff face above Mirror Lake in eastern Yosemite Valley, authorities said. Hale was an employee of concessionaire DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite Inc. He was training in Yosemite Valley and was slated to work at White Wolf.


School Worker Killed After Woman Runs Stop Sign

June 16, Ruffin, North Carolina - A woman is in critical condition after running a stop sign and hitting another car, killing the driver. The North Carolina Highway Patrol says the wreck happened at the intersection of Oregon Hill Road and Guerrant Springs Road in Ruffin around 8:15 am Tuesday morning. Investigators determined 34-year-old Evie Holt ran a stop sign and hit a county school maintenance truck. The truck rolled into a ditch and ejected the driver, 41-year-old Timothy Wilson. Wilson died from his injuries. He was not wearing his seatbelt, according to the patrolman.


Sacramento pest worker killed when concrete porch collapses on him

June 15, Sacramento, California — Sacramento fire officials say a pest control worker has died after a concrete porch collapsed on him. Fire Department Capt. Jim Doucette says the man was under a house in the Curtis Park neighborhood Monday afternoon when a 1,000-pound concrete slab crushed him. He says firefighters arrived within one minute of receiving the call but could not extract the worker from under the 6-foot by 6-foot slab until nearly 30 minutes later. Officials have not released the victim's name.


Arenac County farm worker killed when tractor rolls into ditch

June 15, Sterling, Michigan - A Monday afternoon tractor crash killed an elderly farm worker in Arenac County. About 3 p.m., someone reported a John Deere had tipped over in a ditch along Bishop near Bourgeous in Clayton Township, reports indicated. Authorities have not named the man who was pinned under the tractor when emergency responders arrived. An autopsy was to take place to pinpoint the cause of the man's death but authorities said there was no water in the ditch.


Tarpon Springs man dies in crane accident

June 15, Tampa, Florida - Pinellas County authorities have identified the man who died Monday in a Palm Harbor marina accident. Authorities said the victim is Ivan Hubbert, 71, of 56 Drury Lane, Tarpon Springs. Hubbert was killed at about 5:30 p.m. when the crane he was operating fell over on its side as he was working at the Home Port Marina, 135 Orange St. Hubbert was thrown from the crane to the pavement. Responding paramedics said he suffered severe head trauma.


80-year old Orange County farmer dies in tractor accident

June 16, Goshen, New York — An 80-year-old farmer died on Sunday a few hours after a tractor ran over him while he was working on his black dirt farm on Madura Lane in Goshen. Around 12:15 p.m. Daniel Madura Sr. was attempting to jump-start his tractor when it bolted forward into gear. Madura was run over by the back wheels and sustained serious internal injuries, Sgt. Allen Faust of the Goshen police department said. He was taken by ambulance to the Arden Hill campus of Orange Regional Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 4:09 p.m., Faust said.


2 men, including driver, killed at Va. bus station

June 16, Woodbridge, Virginia — A bus driver and another man were shot and killed Monday in the employee lot of a northern Virginia bus station about a mile from a busy shopping mall. Police launched an extensive manhunt and searched by helicopter for the shooter, who escaped on foot and may be armed. A handgun was found near the shooting scene, as was a bullet-ridden sport utility vehicle. The shootings occurred shortly before 11 a.m. at the employee lot of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission bus terminal in Woodbridge, about a mile from the Potomac Mills shopping center.


Workers discover employee dead inside mechanic shop

June 15, Lufkin, Texas - Lufkin Police are investigating the death of man found Monday morning inside the mechanic's shop where he worked. The man, found inside Gene's Front End Repair Service on Ford Chapel Road in Lufkin, was identified by fellow employee Brad Mitchell. The Lufkin Daily News is withholding the man's name until police finish notifying relatives of his death.

A Look Inside the Workers' Compensation System

Is the Workers’ Compensation system really there to protect us if we are injured on the job? On this Workers’ Comp Matters program, host Attorney Alan S. Pierce welcomes Dr. Patrice Woeppel to take an inside look at the ins and outs of the workers' compensation system and discuss her new book, Depraved Indifference: the Workers' Compensation System.

Page URL MP3 Link

The Faces Campaign 2009

Faces Campaign (workplace fatalities) How many words does it take to peer into the eyes of tragedy or feel the heartache and pain that is set in motion after our loved one was lost.The Faces Campaign is intended to give workplace fatalities a face, gain awareness and educate workers, employees, organizations and our government. Won't you please join us in our ongoing effort to insist that each life lost is accounted for by adding the face of a loved one you have lost to an on the job tragedy. BEACAUSE TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE for more information on the faces campaign please visit http://usmwf.org/ Or email your questions concerns & submissions to the following email addresses Tammy@usmwf.org Mvivenzi@usmwf.org

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Student dies in tractor accident

June 14, Opelika, Alabama - A 23-year-old Moore’s Mill Golf Course employee died Sunday evening from injuries he sustained after the tractor he was driving tipped over, according to the Lee County Coroner’s office. Lee County Deputy Coroner Charlotte Patterson said Trenton McLeod, an Auburn University student from Prattville, was driving a tractor on the course at about 7 a.m. Sunday when he hit an embankment, causing the tractor to tip over and pin McLeod under the blower attached to the back of the tractor.


ConAgra Worker Laid To Rest

June 14, Raleigh, North Carolina - Family of Rachel Mae Poston Pulley walked out of the Springfield Baptist Church on Sunday holding each other, still too distraught to talk about her death. Pulley and two other workers died after an explosion at the ConAgra Plant in Garner on Tuesday, due to what federal investigators said was a natural gas leak.....Pulley died just four days before her 68th birthday, and is survived by six daughters and one son.


2 workers die in fall from bridge

June 12, New Orleans, Louisiana - Jefferson Parish officials say men fell to their deaths off the Huey P. Long Bridge on the Westbank Friday night. "First responders arrived at the accident site, 3225 River Road in Bridge City and located the bodies of two Hispanic males. They were both pronounced dead on the scene," Col. John Fortunato said in a news release....Fortunato says both victims were Hispanic men. "One is a 33 year old from Kenner LA and the other is a 26 year old from Austin TX."


Man Dies in Workplace Crane Accident

June 12, Tampa, Florida - I was sorry to read about another workplace death involving a crane accident last week. According to the report, a worker fell over ninety feet to his death from a crane up in Gary. A coroner says a Valparaiso man fell 90 feet from an overhead crane and died at U.S. Steel’s Gary Works. The Lake County coroner’s office says 54-year-old Alexander Santoyo was pronounced dead of massive blunt force trauma about 4:30 p.m. Saturday.


DPS officer killed in small plane crash

June 12, Tuscon, Arizona - An officer with the Arizona Department of Public Safety has died in a small aircraft in Nebraska. Officer Allen Peterson, 51, was piloting the aircraft near Ogallala, Nebraska on Thursday when it went down. The cause of the crash is under investigation. In a statement released to the media, Lt. Daniel Lugo, Commander of the DPS Highway Patrol Bureau District Eight said, "Officer Allen Peterson served the department and the citizen's of Arizona with dignity and honor. His friends and co-workers know Allen as a mild-mannered individual always employing a gentle touch to every situation. Allen will be remembered by all of his peers as a selfless hero with a passion for flying and helping others. He will be missed but not forgotten."


Identities of construction workers killed in collapse released

June 12, Austin, Texas - The identities of three construction workers killed in that scaffold collapse in West Campus were released Friday.Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, 30, and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez, 28, were both from Honduras. Raudel Ramirez Camacho, 27, was from Mexico. The men fell when a scaffold gave way outside the 21 Rio building's 11th floor Wednesday afternoon. A fourth man jumped from the scaffold as it started to fall. He suffered only minor injuries.


Metro PCS employee shot in robbery

June 12, Fairfield, California - There were two shootings that happened late Thursday afternoon. Fairfield Police shot a man they thought was a suspect in a fatal armed robbery and now they're questioning if these two incidents are connected. The first incident occurred at 5:15 p.m. with a robbery and shooting at a Metro PCS store in Suisun City. It ended with a shooting near the Travis Air Force Base. A 20-year-old clerk at the cell phone store died in a robbery. He was a father, husband, and son just trying to do his job when someone decided to rob the store he worked at.


Man dead at crash scene was GAPS driver

June 12, Albany, Oregon - A Greater Albany Public Schools employee was killed Thursday afternoon when the passenger van he was driving crashed along Interstate 5 north of Albany. James Paul Marlowe Jr., 61, of Albany was working at the time, transporting a student home from a special program in the Salem-Keizer school district. The student, Levi Brown, 17, of Albany was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. She had non-life threatening injuries, according to the Oregon State Police.


Highway worker killed on the job to be honored by fellow crew

June 12, Madison, Wisconsin - Dane County highway crews will be paying their respects Friday afternoon for a co-worker killed on the job a week ago. The workers will wear their high-visibility safety vests to the visitation for James Porter, 61, who was killed June 4 while doing maintenance work with a highway crew on U.S. 151 in Sun Prairie. Visitation for Porter is at the Gunderson East funeral home, 5203 Monona Drive, from 4-7 p.m. Friday.


Construction worker, driver killed in suspected DUI

June 12, Arnoldo Placencia was planning to celebrate his eldest daughter's 23rd birthday Thursday and to walk her down the wedding aisle in September. He and his wife, Alicia, talked about taking a big vacation for their 25th wedding anniversary in November. But the father of five will never mark those family milestones. Placencia, 49, was working in a construction zone in the Arden Arcade area of Sacramento County just after 1 a.m. Thursday when a driver struck and killed him, according to California Highway Patrol officials.


Charlotte truck driver dies in accident

June 12, Mooresville, Virginia - A Charlotte man died Thursday afternoon when the tractor-trailer he was driving collided with the rear of a second big rig in the lane to the eastbound weigh station on Interstate 40 west of Statesville.Harold Maurice Bennett, 49, was killed instantly in the crash, which happened around 1:30 p.m., authorities said. Trooper Bobby Lineberger of the N.C. Highway Patrol's Motor Carrier Division said Bennett was driving a truck for Food Lion, which is based in Salisbury. Bennett pulled his truck into the lane to go into the weigh station but couldn't slow down before striking the rear of a flat-bed truck driven by Eddie Wray of Bedford, Ind.


Moreno Valley High School employee collapses, dies

June 11, Riverside, California - A longtime Moreno Valley High School staff member died Thursday afternoon after collapsing at the school hours before graduation. A teacher's aide was walking to her car when she collapsed in the parking lot of the high school on Cottonwood Avenue, according to a Moreno Valley police report. The woman suffered from a massive heart attack, Moreno Valley Unified Superintendent Rowena Lagrosa said. Police nor school officials released her identity.


Man dies in Tulsa industrial accident

June 12, Tulsa, Oklahoma - A man died in a Friday morning Tulsa industrial accident after being pinned under a piece of equipment. EMSA spokeswoman Tina Wells said medics responded at about 8:30 a.m. to Superior Linen Service, Inc. at Fifth Street and Rockford Avenue, where firefighters were trying to free the man. The victim, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.


Boat captain killed off coast of Plymouth

June 11, Boston, Massachusetts - The captain of a fishing trawler was killed today when a line holding the net being towed behind the boat snapped and struck him in the head off the Plymouth coast, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. The 40-foot boat out of Plymouth was 10 miles out when the first mate, and the only other person on board, radioed a distress call about 3 p.m., Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer James Rhodes said. “The deck hand said on the radio, that one of the cables broke and hit the captain in the head,” said Ethan Maass, who operates Sea Tow in Marshfield, and also responded to the scene.


3 workers killed in scaffold collapse

June 11, Austin, Texas - Work is suspended on a condominium in Texas pending completion of an investigation into a scaffold accident that killed three men, the developer said Thursday. The developer, Gary Perkins, told the Austin American-Statesman the deaths were being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Austin police. The 21-story condominium tower, known from its location at 21st and Rio streets in Austin as 21 Rio, is near the University of Texas campus.


Worker pulled from collapsed trench in Spring Township dies

June 11, Reading, Pennsylvania - The Berks County Coroner's office has confirmed that the man involved in a construction accident in Spring Township this morning has died. Fidel Arana, 42, of Reading was pronounced dead at 10:27 a.m. at Reading Hospital, according to Gretchen M. Weyandt, deputy coroner. An autopsy will be perfomed early this evening. The accident, in which a ditch caved in on Arana, burying him up to his chin, happened at 9:40 a.m. in the Rosemont development off State Hill Road, just north of Van Reed Road.


Sacramento construction worker fatally struck

June 11, Sacramento, California — A 49-year-old construction worker was killed Thursday when a woman driving a Pontiac apparently sped through a work zone, striking him then smashing into a parked truck and trailer, authorities said. The driver, identified as Nancy Richards of Sacramento, also died in the crash. Authorities said her body smelled of alcohol, but investigators were awaiting the results of toxicology tests before they could determine if alcohol was a factor.


1 dies in propane explosion at Minn. farm supplier

June 11, Waconia, Minnesota — One young man is dead and another injured after a propane tank exploded at a farm supply company in Minnesota. The victim was an employee of Waconia Farm Supply. His name has not been released, but friends tell the Star Tribune he was a high school senior. Carver County Sheriff's Lt. Dave Williams says the tank exploded around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Authorities are investigating. The injured person has wounds that are not life-threatening.


Young Duplin Co. man shot and killed at work

June 10, Duplin County, North Carolina - A 20-year-old was shot and killed while working at a Pizza Hut restaurant in Wallace Tuesday night. Police say the restaurant was closed when a man walked up and fired 6 rounds through the front window. Authorities are waiting for autopsy results, but say 20-year-old Antonio Fenner was apparently hit twice, once in the back and once in the head. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.


2 dead, 1 hurt when scaffold collapses in Texas

June 10, Austin, Texas - Two construction workers are dead and one is injured critically after scaffolding collapsed in Austin, the Associated Press reports. A fourth worker suffered minor injuries. The men were working on a condominium complex near the University of Texas when the scaffolding gave way about 2:30 p.m. CT, Battalion Chief Harry Evans told the Austin American-Statesman. Two men in their 20s fell 11 and 13 stories to their deaths. Another landed on a parking garage a few stories down and is listed in critical condition. The fourth was treated at a hospital.


Group home worker was killed to conceal $160 theft, police say
Two Rochester teens living in Lockport facility caught and charged with murder

June 10, Buffalo, New York - A 24-year-old female worker at a group home for troubled youths in Lockport was beaten to death after her killers put a blanket over her head while she was playing cards with other residents in the home Monday night, Lockport police said Tuesday. The police identified the victim as Renee C. Greco, 24, of Parkside Avenue, Buffalo. Police said they believe a cover up of a recent theft sparked the killing.


Third Body Found in Slim Jim Plant Explosion Rubble

June 10, Garner, North Carolina — A dazed Harold Harris looked up and saw the roof of the Slim Jim snack factory falling down. The doorway was buried in debris. People were crying and screaming. The 40-year-old managed to crawl out of the building after it was rocked by an explosion, but not everyone could: Search teams would pull the bodies of three of his coworkers from the unstable wreckage on Wednesday..... Authorities identified the dead as Barbara McLean Spears, 43, of Dunn; Rachel Mae Poston Pulley, 67, and Lewis Junior Watson, 33, both of Clayton. Authorities said two of them were found near each other while a third was several hundred feet away.


Michigan farmer killed in tractor accident

June 9, Butman Township, Michigan- A farmer has been killed in a tractor accident in Gladwin County. Sheriff's Detective Sgt. J. Cuddie said in a statement Tuesday that 52-year-old Diane Strobel was fatally crushed on her farm in Butman Township. It's about 50 miles north-northwest of Saginaw. The Saginaw News reports Stanley Strobel called 911 after discovering his wife trapped under the tractor Thursday.


Chinese Food Driver Shot During Delivery

June 9, Greensboro, North Carolina -- A restaurant worker was shot while delivering food to an apartment on Luray Drive in Greensboro. Police say the victim, 26-year-old Jason Wagstaff, was shot during an attempted robbery Tuesday afternoon. He is an employee at Great Wall Restaurant. Wagstaff was able to drive away from the scene and was then transported from a location nearby. He is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.


Rio Grande Man Killed in Lawn Mower Accident

June 9, Swainton, New Jersey - A Rio Grande resident, identified as Arthur "Art" Shivers, 72, was killed on Tuesday, June 9 when the lawn mower he was riding on flipped over pinning him underneath at the Sand Barrens Golf Club on Route 9, around 7 a.m. According to police, Shivers was an employee of Sand Barrens. Shivers was riding a mower, specialized for cutting the tee boxes. While mowing a tee box, Shivers had come to close to the one end, and had tipped over into the sand trap. The mower had fallen on top of. Shivers and was found by an employee minutes later. The employee attempted to push the mower off of Shivers but could not.


TDOT Worker Killed In Jackson County

June 9, Jackson County, Tennesee - A TDOT worker was killed after being hit by a car on the side of a highway. Susan McKee, 41, was working as a flagger for crews doing guard rail-replacement Monday afternoon on Highway 56 in Jackson County. Investigators said 86-year-old William Lawson slowed down but didn't stop and hit McKee. McKee died at the scene.


Lawn Care Worker Killed By Lightning

June 9, Miami, Florida - A lawn care worker was killed by a bolt of lightning Monday afternoon while he was working in Coral Springs. Witnesses told CBS4 that Pompano Beach resident Dessalines Oleus, 53, was using a weed whacker in front of a condo complex on the 7800 block of NW 40th Street around 2 p.m. when he was struck. Shanyda Romero said she was inside her home with her kids when her apartment lit up with red and blue light. When she walked outside she saw Oleus lying on the ground. She tried to help him but she said it was too late.


Truck driver killed in crash on turnpike near Swanton

June 9, Swanton, Ohio — A Wisconsin tractor-trailer driver was pronounced dead after his rig crashed and burned on the Ohio Turnpike near Swanton and the toll road was closed for hours. Andrew C. Dietzen, 60, of Appleton, Wis., was driving east with a load of bottled margarita mix, when the semi went off the right side of the road at about 7:38 p.m., according to the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Swanton post. The truck hit the guardrail and then the bridge abutment and turned onto its right side where it burst into flames, the patrol said. Mr. Dietzen was pronounced dead at the scene by Fulton County Coroner Harry Murtiff.


Milwaukee man dies in tannery accident

June 8, Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Milwaukee police say a 42-year-old man who had worked at a leather tanning facility for about three weeks was killed when his harness was caught on a rotating drum. Detective Brian Hardrath says Billie J. Bell Jr. of Milwaukee was working between two large rotating drums that apply chemicals to animal hides at D.R. Diedrich and Co. when his harness snagged and pulled him underneath and then thrown over the drum. Bell suffered traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.


Worker Killed In Accident At NV Mine

June 8, Reno, Nevada - Newmont Mining Corp. says a veteran employee was killed in an accident at a northern Nevada gold mine. The company says 57-year-old Steve Halverson of Spring Creek died Saturday when a flatbed pickup truck backed over him at the North Lantern Pit in Eureka County, about 25 miles northwest of Carlin. Halverson was pronounced dead at the scene. Newmont's Nevada operation's executive Tom Kerr says Halverson was a drill operator and had worked for the Denver-based mining company for 22 years.

Jordan Barab's Replacement

Committee Announces Hires of Worker Safety Expert, Education Policy Staff

Richard Miller joins the committee as a senior labor policy advisor specializing in worker safety and health issues. He replaces Jordan Barab, who left the committee to serve as acting assistant secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Miller previously served as an investigator on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee and as professional staff on its Energy & Air Quality Subcommittee. He has also worked as senior policy analyst at the Government Accountability Project and as a policy analyst for the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers Union. Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Industrial Policy and Labor Economics.

Listen to the experts; those who deal with the system everyday.

I was so excited to see so many in the field take an issue into their hands with such passion. 47 signed on and I am sure more would have liked to see changes made but were still fearful of their jobs.

I have ignored many of Schwarzenegger antics because to be honest I don't feel he is is smart enough to do the job and someone is more than likely guiding him in in the directions he takes.

Before anyone blows me any stuff that's not so say I feel I could do better; I know my limitations and wouldn't want his job.

We as a family group have seen Schwarzenegger run and hide during Workers Memorial Day so he didn't have to speak to families so it is no surprise that he has severely undermined Cal/OSHA’s functioning.

So I guess the answer to some in Cal/OSHA is to harass those who have taken it upon themselves to make a difference and I hope this administration takes this serious enough to look into this.

If you live in the area please take a moment to call in support of the 47 who put their jobs on the line to bring yours home at night.


TEXT OF LETTER:

June 13, 2009

Candice Traeger, Chairwoman, Management member
Robert Pacheco, Public member
Art Carter, Labor Member
Occupational Safety & Health Appeals Board
2520 Venture Oaks Way, Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95833

Dear Members of the Board,

We write as 47 individuals who work as field inspectors, seniors and district managers who interact frequently with the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board to strongly protest Board policies and practices that have significantly undermined our ability to do our job of protecting the lives, health and safety of California’s workers.

Over the last four years – and these policies continue to this very day – the Board has deliberately over-booked hearing days so that a single judge in the same location and the same time has as many as three or four hearings scheduled. The Board has continued to refuse to even indicate which case will be heard first. The Board has continued to hold hearings at distant locations where worker witnesses have great difficulty in appearing. The Board has continued to deny, or simply ignore, legitimate requests for continuances.

In June 2009, there are 32 days (at six locations) with three or more cases scheduled for the same judge, same location, same time. There are 14 days with four cases scheduled and one day with five cases scheduled (Oakland, June 17th).

How can we, who handle the majority of appeals for the Division, prepare exhibits, witnesses and arguments for three separate cases all scheduled for the same time? How can we convince worker witnesses to travel long distances, and then to come back after they have been sent home because their case wasn’t heard?

The simple answer is that we can’t.

That’s why there have been hundreds more “settlements” over the last four years, many with drastic reductions of final penalties. These policies are in addition to the recent practice of the Board to dismiss cases, even those with serious injuries, on minor technicalities; and to unilaterally “interpret” legislation and ignore court rulings, so as to restrict the Division’s ability to enforce the law.

The net effect of the Board’s policies has been to sabotage the Division’s ability to defend citations and penalties on appeal. Cal/OSHA’s deterrent effect has been significantly undermined as employers learn they can “game the system” when the Division is coerced into settlements, often with penalties that are pennies on the dollar.

The people who pay the cost for these policies are California workers whose employers look at Cal/OSHA as an agency that is forced to fight with one hand tied behind its back.

We find it troubling that the Board has not processed the years-long backlog of petitions for reconsideration over which the Board has sole authority and responsibility. This again undermines worker protections in California as employers are not legally required to abate these citations which remain “under appeal” for years and years.

The voices of Cal/OSHA’s front-line employees have not been heard on these issues until now because many of us feared reprisals by the Board in the handling of our individual appeals cases, or the handling of cases from the offices where we work. The deck is already so stacked against the Division that any more obstacles from the Board would be too much. But the various hearings held this spring, and the fact that the Board finally has all three members, have given us hope that the Board’s unfair policies and practices can now be challenged.

As you must know, those of us representing the Division at appeal hearings are frequently “out-gunned” by the employers’ corporate attorneys who have more resources, personnel and time – even before we have been tripled-booked with hearings, often in places where worker witnesses find it difficult to appear. The current case load and over-booking mean that DOSH attorneys are saddled with an impossible task of preparing multiple major cases for the same day or on sequential days.

We know that not all citations are “open and shut” cases and we believe everyone, including employers, should have the right to a speedy appeal and an impartial review of the facts. All we want is a level playing field.

We ask you to cease and desist with the Board’s unfair policies and practices against Division personnel, and restore the balance to the appeals process so that employers and the Division are treated fairly and equally. California’s workers have a right to, and deserve, a workplace health and safety agency that can do its job.

Sincerely,

Patrick Bell, Senior Safety Engineer, Research & Standards Unit, Oakland
Eric Berg, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Process Safety Management/North
Jeffrey Berliner, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, San Diego District Office
Bill Biretta, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Fremont District Office
Maureen Braun, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, High Hazard Unit/North
Garrett Brown, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Mario Chacon, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Foster City District Office
Fernando CostaMartins, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Sabino DeGuzman, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Kathleen Derham, District Manager, EEEC Unit/South
Mike Doering, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Process Safety Management/SouthSusan Eckhardt, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Fremont District Office
Abgail Fabricante, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Michael Frye, District Manager, Foster City District Office
Wing Sang Fung, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Cora Gherga, District Manager, San Francisco District Office
Nick Gleiter, District Manager, Oakland District Office
Deborah Gold, Senior Safety Engineer, Research & Standards Unit, Oakland
Chris Grossgart, Attorney, DOSH Legal Unit, Oakland
Jan Hami, District Manager, EEEC Unit/North
Mark Harrington, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Santa Rosa District Office
Mike Horowitz, Senior Safety Engineer, Research & Standards Unit, Oakland
Jeff Ferrell, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Asbestos Unit, Sacramento
Thomas Johnston, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Process Safety Mgmt/North
Shohreh Kheradpir, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, High Hazard Unit/North
Eleanor Kilner, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Fremont District Office
Barbara Kim, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Foster City District Office
Keith Koterbay, District Manager, High Hazard Unit/North
Mariano Kramer, Senior Safety Engineer, Research & Standards Unit, Santa Ana
Michael Loupe, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, San Diego District Office
Army Lum, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, San Francisco District Office
Scott McAllister, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Region I, Santa Rosa
Vajie Motiafard, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, San Francisco District Office
Darcy Murphine, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, San Diego District Office
Gene Murphy, Senior Safety Engineer, High Hazard Unit/North
Sylvia Murray, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Bob Nakamura, Senior Safety Engineer, Research & Standards Unit, Oakland
Doug Neville, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, High Hazard Unit/North
Jack Oudiz, Senior Safety Engineer, Professional Development & Training, Sacramento
Carol Parisek, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Santa Rosa District Office
Peter Riley, District Manager, Process Safety Management/South
Dawn Schaniel, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Fremont District Office
Geraldine Tolentino, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Clyde Trombettas, District Manager, Process Safety Management/North
Chris Wing, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Oakland District Office
Doug Woods, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Santa Rosa District Office
Michael Zimmerman, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, San Diego District Office
(Positions listed for identification only)

Another Family Fighting for Justice and Reform

Every family or friend who contacts me has a gut wrenching account and it is always a reminder of why I started doing what I do. We often find families who are not willing to just lay down and accept the injustice involved in the process. Sheri's family and friends have put together an amazing memorial and appeal located here.

Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji, 23 was bright and beautiful. Sheri made friends wherever she went and was respected by many. Sheri had been on working at UCLA just 3 months but it was a dream job, she loved the idea of working the university.

Only three months into her job in the lab, Sheri was extracting t-butyl lithium into a syringe and when when the syringe broke and a of flash fire engulfed her sweeter. sheri spent 18 days in a burn unit with third-degree burns over 43% of her body. I don't really know the details however I have been there and know how excruciating it can be to have to see your loved one in this condition. Such a beautiful young women and a loss to many.

"It was totally preventable," said Neal Langerman, a San Diego consultant "Poor training, poor technique, lack of supervision and improper method. This was just not the right way to transfer these things," Langerman said. "She died, didn't she? It speaks for itself."


Her father, Shaukat Sangji "They say time will heal, but I know for sure nothing can heal this," he said. "This has completely destroyed our lives forever."

CalOSHA issued UCLA's violations totaling $31875.00 for Having no records of Health and safety training for occupational exposure to hazards chemicals in laboratories, failing to provide an injury and illness program, occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratory, failing to provide protective equipment.

Shari's family and friends are devastated but the are determined to find answers and keep this from happening to another worker and family.

1. You can follow them on Facebook and
2. Sign this petition to support a comprehensive investigation:
3. Write/Call Your Senators: As citizens and taxpayers you can request a comprehensive investigation. They have done all the work with sample letter so take a few moments. We all have been there and needed the help so return the favor, please.

We will also be writing to the CSB to encurrage them to start investigating these type of things so look for it.

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Gilster-Mary Lee employee dies in fall

June 5, Steeleville, Illinois - Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials and Gilster-Mary Lee officers are investigating the death of Gilster-Mary Lee employee Jim Braun, 69, of Chester who fell a single story in a Gilster-Mary Lee food manufacturing plant on Tuesday and died Thursday in St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. “We don’t know the results of his cause of death,” said Gilster-Mary Lee vice-president Tom Welge. An autopsy has been ordered, Welge said.


DuPage County murder: Trucking company employee shot co-worker because he 'went over his head,' prosecutors say

June 5, Chicago, Illinois - The murder of an Indiana man in the offices of a trucking company near Burr Ridge this year happened "because the defendant, the victim's boss, was stressed out at work and was angry because the victim went over his head," prosecutors said Thursday.Jason Dragos, 38, of Highland, Ind., was found in a closet on Feb. 9, in the offices of Saia Inc., in the 15 W 400 block of Frontage Road, with a fatal gunshot wound in the back of the head. His immediate boss, John Gilbert, 45, of the 4400 block of North Parkside Avenue, Chicago, has been charged with murder.


Construction worker dies in fall at Fort Dix

Fort Dix, New Jersey - A construction worker was killed yesterday after falling off a ladder at the military base, authorities said. Kevin Megill, 53, suffered severe head trauma when he lost his balance and fell off a ladder while working on a solar panel installation project yesterday afternoon. He was employed by J.A. Wig Construction and Electric LLC of New Egypt.


Road Worker Killed By Car In Construction Zone

June 5, Fayetteville, Arkansas - A Washington County road department employee was killed Friday when he was struck by a car while directing traffic in a construction zone on East Black Oak Road in southern Washington County. Hancil Hartbarger, 60, was directing traffic when he was hit and killed by a car driven by Rusty Warford, 51. Warford and witnesses at the scene told officials that sun glare was a possible factor in the accident. Neighbor Leslee Shadrick said this is a common problem on Black Oak Road, among other things. "We've had several people wreck in the yard just coming around these curves too fast", Shadrick said.


UPDATE: County highway worker killed in crash on Hwy 151 near Sun Prairie

June 4, Dane County, Wisconsin - Dane County officials have identified the victim of the fatal crash in the Town of Burke Thursday afternoon as 61-year-old James Porter of Monona. He was working on Highway 151 just south of Sun Prairie this afternoon when he was hit by a pick up truck. It happened between the Reiner road and Main streets exits. Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney tells 27 news that the driver of a silver pick up truck heading north on highway 151 hit a Dane County Highway vehicle then ricocheted and ran into the concrete divider.


Man Shot Dead At Auto Body Shop

June 3, Indianapolis, Indiana - A 23 year old Indianapolis man was shot to death Wednesday afternoon at Roman's Auto Body Shop at 965 North Sherman Drive. A witness told police that a black male in his late teens or early 20's walked into the garage area of the body shop and fired several shots at Jordan Matthews, striking him multiple times. Matthews was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect drove away.


New Bedford man dies after industrial accident

June 4, Fall River, Massachusetts – A 20-year-old New Bedford man has died from injuries he sustained when a container fell on him at a Fall River food plant. Justin Cordeiro, an employee at Blount Fine Foods’ production facility on Currant Road, was struck on the head by a container full of clams and ice Wednesday at about 7:30 a.m., according to Fall River police. Another employee who was operating a forklift had removed the top two containers from a stack and was backing out, when the top container fell and hit Cordeiro, police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Mauretti said.


After Conducting Fire Suppression Duties at a Structure Fire, Captain Collapses in Incident Scene Rehabilitation – Kansas

On August 13, Kansas - a 44-year-old Captain reported for duty at 0700 hours. At 1819 hours his crew was dispatched to a multiunit apartment fire. At this time the air temperature was 97 degrees Fahrenheit (ºF) with a relative humidity (RH) of 35%. Initial size-up reported heavy smoke from the two-story wood frame apartment building...... The death certificate and autopsy listed "Coronary Atherosclerosis" as the immediate cause of death and high heat conditions as a contributory cause. NIOSH investigators concluded that engaging in firefighting activities on a hot day probably triggered a heart attack and the Captain’s subsequent sudden cardiac death.


Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Live Fire Training

On June 6, Columbia, South Carolina - a 50-year-old male volunteer fire fighter (FF) taught a morning class that consisted of fire suppression topics and personal protective equipment use at the fire training center of a local community college.... The training ended at approximately 1530 hours. Shortly after refilling the engine’s water tank, the FF collapsed. Despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and advanced life support delivered on scene, in the ambulance, and in the hospital’s emergency department, the FF died.


CCU plans to pay fine after worker's death

June 3, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - Coastal Carolina University officials say they plan to pay a state labor fine and have implemented corrective measures to address safety violations that resulted in the March death of an employee who was cutting trees on campus. CCU will accept the citations and pay a $1,950 fine filed against the school by the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation in connection with the March 26 death of 53-year-old Ricky Roloff, who died after a tree fell on him, according to university officials.


5 killed when van with aid workers crashes in S. Arizona

June 3, Tucson, Arizona - The Arizona Department of Public Safety says five people are dead and several others were airlifted to hospitals after a van carrying international visitors crashed about 50 miles east of Tucson. The large van was traveling westbound when it lost control and rolled over the left side guardrail and down the raised median onto the left eastbound lane of Interstate 10. A state highway patrol spokesman said there were 17 people in the van. Twelve were flown by helicopter to local trauma centers.


Police: Two people shot, killed at Houston gas station

June 3, Houston, Texas – The shooting deaths of two men at a convenience store has devastated what is widely known as a close-knit community in Southeast Houston. Houston police detectives said the owner of the store in the 3700 block of Harrisburg Boulevard, and a clerk, were the likely victims. Throughout the day, relatives, friends and long-time customers gathered around yellow crime scene tape and remembered the man they knew as “Mike”.


Worker killed in North Royalton plant accident

June 3, Independence, Ohio - A 38-year-old worker at the Kurtz Bros. Compost Facility in North Royalton was killed Monday in an industrial accident. According to North Royalton Fire Lt. Robert Chegan, the department received a call at 7:42 a.m. Monday from someone at the facility, located at 10789 Royalton Road. The victim, who was pinned between heavy machinery, suffered abdominal and chest trauma, Chegan said. The department transported the victim to the city's York Road baseball complex. A Life Flight helicopter then took him to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.


Centreville officer shot and killed

June 2, Centreville, Illinois - A veteran police officer has been shot and killed early today outside the Ernest Smith Senior Apartments in Centreville. The officer is identified as Lt. Gregory Jonas, 58. He had been with the Centreville force for nearly 15 years and was an officer in Alorton before that.Police say he was on-duty at about 2:30 a.m. today when someone fatally shot him at the complex in the 4700 block of Tudor Avenue.


Guard killed in robbery at Lakewood Wal-Mart

June 2, Lakewood, Washington — A single bullet killed an armored-car guard and wounded a bystander during a robbery this afternoon at a Wal-Mart store in this south Tacoma suburb, authorities said. Police were looking for two men thought to be in their 20s who grabbed a money bag from the guard and drove off after the shooting at about 1:30 p.m. Killed was Kurt Husted, 39, a 16-year veteran of Houston-based Loomis armored cars, company spokesman Pat Flaherty said.


Bartender killed in St. Louis robbery

June 2, St. Louis, Missouri — A bartender at a popular downtown St. Louis tavern was fatally shot during a robbery. Meanwhile, police were trying to determine whether another man shot to death a short time later was one of the suspected robbers. The robbery happened about 11:45 p.m. yesterday at Maggie O’Brien’s. Police said a male employee in his early 30s was shot. He died a few hours later at a hospital.


West Palm Beach man identified as worker killed in fall from PBIA tower

June 1, Palm Beach, Florida - Authorities have identified a man who was killed Friday when he fell from a tower at Palm Beach International Airport as Ismael Octtaviani-Mercado, 59, of West Palm Beach. Our partners at the Palm Beach Post report: The Federal Aviation Administration employee fell about 11 a.m. Friday from the tower's third level and was dead at the scene, Palm Beach County Sheriff's spokeswoman Teri Barbera said this afternoon. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death, a spokesman said from Atlanta.


Chicago cop killed: Police officer clung to life for 14 hours after shooting

June 2, Chicago, Illinois - Police work wasn't just a job for Officer Alejandro "Alex" Valadez. It was a family calling. Valadez was one of three siblings to join the Chicago Police Department, and in just three short years, he had established himself as a go-to police officer in the tough Englewood District, unafraid of challenging assignments or long hours. But early Monday, Valadez, 27, was fatally shot, the first Chicago police officer killed in 2009 in the line of duty. Police sources said detectives were questioning at least one suspect Monday evening, but no charges had been filed. Supt. Jody Weis said there was progress in the case but declined to be more specific.


Chicago police officer dies after South Side shooting

June 1, Chicago, Illinois - A Chicago police officer who was shot while answering a call early Monday morning has died, department officials said. Supt. Jody Weis made the announcement this afternoon, soon after police officers who had gathered at the 27-year-old’s bedside spilled out of Stroger Hospital, many of them crying and embracing each other.....Weis identified the officer as Alejandro Valadez, a three-year officer assigned to the tactical unit in the Englewood District, one of the toughest in the city.


Grain elevator worker dies after burial in bin

June 1, Haswell, Colorado - A 17-year-old worker at a Kiowa County grain elevator was killed Friday after being buried alive in a grain bin. According to a police report released Sunday, Cody Clayton Rigsby of Wiley was buried under several feet of grain inside a bin at the Tempel Grain elevator in Haswell, 20 miles west of Eads. Chris Sorensen, director of Kiowa County Division of Emergency Management, said Sunday that foul play is not suspected.


Man dies after accident at NY garbage hauler

June 1, Chenango Bridge, New York - Authorities are investigating an industrial accident that claimed the life of a 35-year-old employee of an upstate New York garbage hauling business. State police say Shawn Brown of Chenango died on Saturday after being injured while working on a recycling truck at Bert Adams Disposal in Chenango Bridge, just north of Binghamton. Troopers say the truck bed released and pinned him against the vehicle's frame. He was found by a co-worker who called 911.

Updates

More Good Works from the Public Welfare Foundation

The Public Welfare Foundation has granted the Brave New Foundation funds to help produce an education and awareness video in support of the Protecting America’s Worker’s Act.
You will also find that we have been featured on the Public Welfare Foundations Annual Report along with Oak Hill Youth Facility. We have also learned that the National Council for Occupational Safety & Health (National COSH) and WorkSafe have also received Grants from the PWF.

We have also recently added a model letter in support of the PAWA for the families. We encourage you to send these out to your reps and if you need help as always contact someone at USMWF if you need help.

I also have included a cleaned up version of H.R.2067 Protecting America's Workers Act so it is a little easier for you all to read.