Friday, July 29, 2011

Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Worker Crushed by Luggage Machine

July 28, ALBUQUERQUE, NM - an unidentified American Airlines mechanic has died after being crushed by a piece of equipment he was working on. The mechanic was doing routine maintenance on the machine that loads luggage into the plane. The hydraulics failed and the machine dropped on top of the mechanic.


Firefighter Dies Checking for Others in Building Fire

July 28, ASHVILLE, NC - 37 year old Fire Captain Jeff Bowen has died as he checked to see if anyone was trapped by a fire in an Asheville medical building. Bowen was found after issuing a mayday call from the fifth floor of the building near Mission Hospital. He died a short time later at the hospital. It has not been determined if the fire or smoke caused his death.



Man Working on Roof Dies After Becoming Tangled in Rope

July 28, CHICAGO, IL - 50 year old Craig Olesky of Tinley Park died after getting tangled in rope while working on a roof in the Near North neighborhood Thursday afternoon. Olesky became tangled in rope being used to lower equipment, Police News Affairs Officer Darryl Baety said. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.


Contract Worker Suffers Fatal Electrocution

July 28, TEUTOPOLIS, IL - Brett J. Kemme was electrocuted while working on a home in the Green Creek area Thursday morning. He was electrocuted by a blower fan that had a ground wire come off of the blower motor. Kemme was soaked with sweat and when he grabbed the blower with both hands, was shocked by the blower motor that was already running for sometime.


Trucker Killed in Crash

July 27, ROANOKE, VA - 46 year old Vasyl Sovyak of Cary, NC was killed in a tractor trailer crash Wednesday. Authorities say it appears Sovyak failed to negotiate a curve, went off the roadway and hit a tree. He was ejected from the truck and pinned under it. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.



Worker Killed as Structure Collapses

July 27, SAN MARCOS, TX - 34 year old Margarito Guardado Risinos of El Salvador was killed and another worker injured in San Marcos when a metal building frame collapsed at a construction site. Both worked for Jetka Steel Erectors of Katy, a subcontractor for Austin-based Bailey Elliot Construction, authorities said.


Worker Suffers Fatal Injuries

July 27, JACKSONVILLE, GA - 32 year old John Thomas Orr died following an incident Wednesday morning at College of Coastal Georgia. Preliminary reports show Orr, who worked for a subcontractor, was on a ladder to turn on a piece of machinery. Someone heard a loud pop and Orr fell from the ladder, breaking several rungs. The fall may have been due to an electrical shock.


Welder Electrocuted at Coal Processing Plant

July 27, MAITLAND, WV - 40 year old Jason Stacey was fatally electrocuted Wednesday at a coal processing plant undergoing renovations. The accident occurred at the Superior Processing Plant in Maitland. The plant is undergoing renovations and was not processing coal at the time. Stacey was an employee of Marion, Il-based Mike Dover Corp., an independent contractor, but his hometown was not immediately available.


Power Plant Worker Found Dead

July 27, STORRS, CT - 64 year old Nicholas Esposito of Branford was found dead at the University of Connecticut power plant. He was found unresponsive Wednesday afternoon and emergency personnel were called to the scene where he was pronounced dead. No foul play is suspected but an autopsy will be performed to determine exact cause of death.


Plant Supervisor Dies in Early Morning Incident

July 27, MOUNT PLEASANT, TX - Jimmy Bynum, a 25 year employee for Pilgrim's Pride, died when a truck backed up, pinning him. He was a night shift supervisor at the protein conversion plant. The circumstances are not clear but Bynum was wearing the company approved bright yellow safety vest but he somehow got pinned beneath a truck's tires as it backed up. He was flown to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.


Backhoe Rollover Kills Worker

July 27, BANGOR, ME - 23 year old Danny Dodge of Jackson was killed when a backhoe toppled over into a ditch. It appears to investigators that Dodge was installing a gas line when the backhoe overturned on top of him. Dodge was apparently not the driver of the backhoe. Dodge worked for Bowdoin Excavation, contracted by Bangor Gas.


Worker Suffers Fatal Injuries Due to Fall

July 27, WEST CARROLLTON, OH - 65 year old William Sapp Jr. of Riverside died after falling 30 feet at the Montgomery County Western Regional Reclamation plant Wednesday. Sapp, working for a private contractor, was helping install a ventilation system when he lost his balance and fell. OSHA is investigating.


Medical Issue May Have Contributed to Trucker's Death

July 26, DUNDALK, MD - 51 year old Larry George Foster of Richmond, VA died as the result of a tractor trailer crash Tuesday. A possible medical issue may have caused Foster to lose control of the vehicle, crashing into a mail box and several parked cars near North Point Blvd. Foster was transported to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.


Rancher Struck and Killed by Bull

July 25, MADRES, OR - 57 year old Tom Green, a rancher and feedlot owner has died at a Bend hospital after apparently being struck by a large bull, Jefferson County sheriff's deputies said. Witnesses say he was hit from behind by the bull and suffered severe head and chest trauma. He died at a local hospital.


University Electrician Dies on Job

July 26, MADISON, WI - 40 year old Brad R. Krause of Sun Prairie died Tuesday while working in the attic space of above Mills Concert Hall at the Humanities Building. He was an electrician for the University of Wisconson-Madison. It is unclear exactly what happened but preliminary autopsy results were consistent with a death due to electrocution.


Man Fatally Injured in Shooting

July 25, NORTHRIDGE, CA - 55 year old Cristian Manzur of North Hills was working at the CarpetLand store in Northridge when he was shot July 22. He remained on life support until he died Monday. Police are calling Manzur's death a homicide.


Worker Dies After Fall Through Ceiling Opening

July 26, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC - 60 year old Juan Arriaga of Savannah, GA died when he fell about 12 feet through an opening in a ceiling. He was working on the heating and air conditioning system at a weight loss clinic on Hilton Head Island when he tripped and fell through a hole. He was transported to a local hospital where he died.


Plumber Electrocuted Working Under House

July 26, ALBANY, GA - 17 year old Benjamin Graham died after being electrocuted while working under a home on a water pipe. The circumstances are not clear but the tenant of the home said about noon Graham's partner ran into the house looking for the electrical box and shut the power off. Graham was transported to a hospital. Graham was working for his family's Sizemore Plumbing and Heating business.


Security Guard Shot Dead Trying to Shield Co-Worker

July 26, JACKSON, MS - 54 year old James McKinney was shot to death in an attempted robbery of a Shell gas station Tuesday morning. McKinney, a security guard, was trying to shield a co-worker clerk of the station, who suffered a single gunshot wound. McKinney suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.


Worker Killed in Drilling Incident

July 25, YOAKUM, TX - 28 year old Jeremy Rameriz of Odessa, a derrick hand for Basic Energy Services, was killed Monday in an industrial accident of some kind, although it was unclear Tuesday afternoon exactly what happened. A Basic Energy spokesman said Ramirez was working on a well-servicing rig, but would not speak beyond that due to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigating the incident.


Tractor Trailer Driver Dies in Crash

July 25, LETCHER, KY - 46 year old Chester Smith of London died Monday after wrecking a tractor-trailer loaded with landfill garbage in Knott County. The truck, owned by Watco LLC of Somerset, hit a guardrail and overturned. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.


Two Teens Electrocuted Working on Farm

July 25, TAMPICO, IL - Jade Garza and Hannah Kendall, both 14 years old and both from Sterling, were electrocuted while working to remove tassels on corn after coming into contact with a field irrigator near the village of Tampico. The field Garza and Kendall were working in was filled with water. Eight other young workers were injured. They were working for St. Louis-based Monsanto Corp.


Contractor Worker Dies at Water Treatment Plant

July 25, VALPARAISO, IN - 38 year old Donald Nowell died after falling ill at the City of Valparaiso's water treatment facility on Monday. Nowell, an employee for Bowen Engineering Corp., died of lung failure according to the coroner. Coroner Harris said it is unclear right now whether chemicals which the man was using while working in a tank at the plant were the cause of that failure or an underlying lung disease. Nowell had been applying “an adhesive compound” to a water tank when he complained of being “dizzy and nauseous.” Co-workers helped him and then called 911.


Farmer Run Over and Killed by Tractor

July 25, PIEDMONT, SD - 78 year old Donley "Jack" Wilson was killed after being run over by a tractor pulling a baler. He went to the field early in the morning to bale hay alone. When his family could not contact him, they later found him in the field.


Man Found Crushed Between Rail Cars

July 25, CHICAGO, IL - 34 year old Andres Tapia was found dead this morning in a southwest suburban rail yard, crushed between two freight cars, officials said. A spokesperson for the coroner's office said Tapia was an employee of the Belt Railway Co. rail yard. Tapia was discovered crushed between two freight cars, the spokeswoman said, though it wasn't immediately clear how that happened.


Ranch Worker Pinned Between Equipment

July 25, TURLOCK, CA - 44 year old Juan Pineda died Monday while working at a ranch on August Avenue. He was trying to free a piece of farm equipment that had become bogged down in the soft dirt. A sheriff spokesman said Pineda had chained the stuck equipment to his truck in an effort to pull it free. As he was adjusting the tow line one of the vehicles slid backward and pinned him between the two vehicles.


Wildland Firefighter Found Dead

July 24, WHITERIVER, AZ - 43 year old Deon "Dino" Classay was found dead while while working on a lightning-caused fire near Whiteriver last weekend. He failed to return to an established camp on the evening on July 23, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Other search agencies were called in and his body was found Sunday. It is unclear at this time to his cause of death.


Highway Worker Run Down by Drunken Driver

July 24, RIVERSIDE, CA - 51 year old Barry Steele of Beaumont died after being hit by a drunk driver July 20 while working on an freeway overpass. The drunk, 21 year old driver, entered a closed freeway ramp - cordoned off with signs and barriers but accessible as workers brought equipment in and out. Workers in trucks tried to alert her, but she kept going down the ramp, hitting a loader, a concrete barrier and eventually Steele, a worker with Skanska U.S.A. Civil.


Worker Dies in Industrial Incident

July 24, CALHOUN, GA - 40 year old Shin Gyun Kim of Rossville was killed in an industrial incident at LG Hausys plant Sunday. A maintenance worker, Kim was replacing a hydraulic cylinder when a heavy machine swung around and struck him in the head, Deputy Coroner Nicholson said.


Gas Tanker Crash and Explosion Kills Driver

July 23, SAUGUS, MA - 59 year old Neal Michaud of Manchester, NH died as the result of the fiery crash and explosion of a gas tanker loaded with 11,000 gallons of gas. Michaud, a driver for PJ Murphy Transportation of Methune, was trapped inside the cab. Traveling on Route 1, Michaud lost control of the truck, which crashed and rolled across the guardrail and into the southbound lane of the divided highway, said David Procopio, a State Police spokesman.



Truck Driver Dies in Fiery Crash

July 22, WATERLOO, NY - 59 year old Timothy Hume of Dryden, MI died when his Matrix Expedited Service's truck, hauling 14,000 pounds of ball bearings, slammed into the back of a tour bus that had just pulled back on the roadway. Authorities are looking into when the bus pulled back onto the road after a mechanical issue, and how fast the semi was going when the crash occurred.


Possible Electrocution Cause of Death at Drilling Site

July 22, WAYNESBURG, PA - 20 year old Kerry Edward Duncan of Amma, WV died on a well drilling site near Waynesburg Friday. A Greene County Coroner Duncan was possibly electrocuted by a fuel pump at the site. Duncan was working at a well site that had been drilled by Target Drilling of Smithton.


Worker Dies of Heart Attack

July 22, MT. VERNON, IL - 50 year old James Harrah of Opdyke died while working Friday. Harrah, a Kmart employee, was helping unload a semi at the dock at the rear of the store, said Jefferson County Coroner Eddie Joe Marks, when he suffered a heart attack and later died at a local hospital.


Worker Dies After Stopping Runaway Truck

July 21, KANSAS CITY, MO - 27 year old Fredrick D. Simmons died of injuries he received while trying to stop his runaway truck. The Professional Moving and Storage truck was parked outside an apartment complex when the brakes failed. Simmons ran to stop the truck and was able to get inside and stop it from hitting a major hotel or going through an intersection. However, when the truck hit the curb Simmons was thrown from the truck which then ran over him. Officials call the man a hero and said his attempt saved what could have been an even worse situation.



Worker Collapses and Dies of Hyperthermia

July 21, COLUMBUS, IN - 50 year old Charlie Hulse of North Vernon died Thursday of heat-related complications. Hulse collapsed while working at CE Systems, an iron casting foundry in Columbus and later died at Columbus Regional Hospital. Co-workers say that Hulse voiced his concerns about the heat, but kept working.


Heat Stress is Cause of Teen's Death

July 21, LOUISVILLE, KY - 18 year old Cody Johns of Sellersburg, IN died Thursday evening at a Louisville hospital after becoming overheated. Johns was working for a landscaping business when he fell ill. His temperature reached 110 degrees in the emergency room. The coroner determined that Johns died of hyperthermia.


Plumber Electrocuted Working Under House

July 19, WALLOON LAKE, MI - 60 year old Andrew Ray Hoffman was electrocuted on Tuesday in the crawl space of a residence in Walloon Lake. Hoffman used a reciprocating saw to cut out the old plumbing when his left shoulder contacted some exposed electrical wiring. That caused a large electrical shock that traveled through his body, authorities said. Hoffman worked for W.W. Fairbairn and Sons Inc., of Alanson.


Man Dies Sixteen Days Shy of Two Year Anniversary of Being Injured

July 16, HENDERSON, KY - 24 year old Darrell Wayne "Bubba" Todd III was injured in a fall from a water tower in Hawthorne, FL - on August 1, 2009. He lost his fight for life July 16, 2011. Todd was helping dismantle a water tower and reportedly was about 100 feet above ground when the tether he was using became entangled with a piece of the tower. When the piece of tower fell, so did Todd. He was badly burned by the torch he had been using, and was also cut by the tower’s metal piece. He was a welder for River Metals at the time of the incident.


Worker Dies in Fall

July 15, MOMENCE, IL - 44 year old Antonio Guerra died of injuries he suffered in a fall. Guerra, a laborer for Silva International Inc., died of multiple injuries due to a fall from a roof.






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1 comment:

Employment Law Experts said...

A lot of people risk their lives in line with their duties and this made the importance of good employment a lot more vital.

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