Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace

Our hearts are with the family and friends who have endured the loss of a loved one due to a workplace incident.  Please feel free to contact us if we can be of help or if you have any comments.

JUNE 2012

June 1 - Birmingham, AL - 51 year old Thomas Williams was killed on the job when a bundle of cross ties fell from a forklift, striking him.  He was employed by Beasley Timber Co, Inc.

June 1 - Olmsted, IL - 54 year old Robert "Bob" Billingsley of Vienna was killed on the job when he fell in between a sand barge and towboat as the barge was being pushed into place. He was working Olmsted Locks and Dams for URS Washington Division.


June 1 - Burlington, CO - Kenneth Neve was killed on the job when a tire and wheel he was working on exploded sending it into the roof and striking Neve in the head. He was working for Eastern Colorado Tire & Auto, LLC.

June 2 - Houston, TX - 48 year old Javier Delgado was killed on the job while working for L-Con, Inc.  He was welding when crude oil remnants ignited and a plumber's plug blew out of the end of the pipe, striking Delgado. 


June 4 - Worthington, WV - 31 year old Jason Scot Wiles of Terra Alta died on the job when he was struck by a falling tree branch from a felled tree.  He was working for Backwoods Logging, LLC.

June 4 - Blossburg, PA - 26 year old Dustin Dobson of Mansfield, was killed on the job when he was crushed between a fixed post and a piece of machinery.  He was employed by Ward Manufacturing, LLC.  



June 4 - San Antonio, TX - 36 year old Victor Trevino died while working for Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. He was working on a bridge frame when he fell through a hole, approximately 50 feet, in the highway deck.


June 4 - Houma, LA - 52 year old Timothy James Morvant was killed on the job when a metal plate collapsed onto him when an attachment clip gave way.  He was working for Oil States Skagit Smatco, LLC.  





June 4 - Houston, TX - Manuel Antonio Funez was killed at work when he was struck by pipes that were being loaded onto his truck via a forklift. He was employed by Richway Transportation Services, Inc.


June 5 - Caputa, SD - 68 year old Robert Gilland of Rapid City was killed on the job when a paving roller machine he was operating rolled over, crushing him.  He was working for Simon Contractors.





June 5 - Ligonier, PA - 53 year old Cian Yates of Conemaugh Township, died on the job when he slid off the roof of a building. He was working on a wet metal roof, unhooked his rope grab to climb down but instead slid off the roof. 

June 6 - Mobile, AL - 46 year old Kenneth Lundy was killed on the job when he was crushed under falling pile driving equipment.  He was working for Jordan Pile Driving, Inc.

June 6 - Fort Leonard Wood, MO - 45 year old Louis C. Stallings of Atoka, OK, died on the job when he was struck by a rolling rail car while inside a track mounted vehicle.  He was employed by McAlester Army Ammunition Plant performing maintenance.

June 6 - Salem, OH - 72 year old Frank Cisneros of Rootstown, died on the job after being injured June 4th when he fell from an unsecured extension ladder that was falling. He was employed by Tele-Solutions, Inc. at Boc Water Hydraulics, Inc.

June 10 - Neenah, WI - 58 year old Paul J. Merkley died at work as the result of a mechanical failure during maintenance. He was struck in the head by a hydraulic check-valve part that exploded.  He was employed by Neenah Foundry dba Neenah Enterprises, Inc.



June 11 - Cameron, LA - 25 year old Pablo Trejo of Dallas, TX, was killed on the job when he was struck in the head by a suspended load when a forklift carriage tilted, striking him.  

June 12 - Tampa, FL - 54 year old Joseph Wilson died while working when he fell approximately 60 feet through an unsecured roof opening. He was working at and for Dynamic Concrete Solutions, LLC / Miller Bros. Construction, Inc.

June 12 - New Carlisle, OH - 68 year old John Gearhardt of Covington, died on the job when he was pinned by forklift forks when a cotter pin failed, causing it to collapse on him.  He and a crew were working on a pipe project for Covington Plumbing, Inc.

June 12 - Chicago, IL - 50 year old Andrew Felske was killed on the job while working for Central Steel & Wire Company. He was walking backward, directing a load, when he tripped over materials and fell onto the concrete floor.

June 13 - Newbury, NH - Brian Knox died of electrocution when the chipper of a crane outrigger touched an overhead power line.  His hands were on the controls of the chipper.  He was employed by Guillemette Tree Service. 

June 14 - DeLand, FL - 56 year old Pedro "Pete" Ayala, Jr. was killed on the job when he fell approximately 32 feet through a roof skylight to the floor.  He was working for Ball Fabrics, Inc. 






June 14 - Ridgewood, NJ - 71 year old Carl Taylor of Sussex, was injured June 14th and died on June 23rd, when he was struck in the head by flying wood debris during home deconstruction. He was working for Joy Construction.


June 14 - Fort Worth, TX - 47 year old Billy Rockmore died of heart attack while working at Fort Worth Country Day School, Inc.  He was found unconscious by others on a golf cart.





June 14 - Hays, KS - 27 year old Jeremy Johnson was working under a farm truck, fully loaded with grain, when the jacks failed and the truck crushed him.  He was employed with Kansas Land Tire Co, Inc. in Hays.

June 14 - Houston, TX - Ciro Lagunas died of unknown injuries while working for Advanced Drilling Systems. 

June 14 - South Bay, FL - 39 year old Juan M. Ruiz of Belle Glade, died after his tractor rolled into a canal as he was spraying weeds. He was employed by Sugar Farms Co-Op.  

June 14 - Yorktown, TX - 42 year old Francisco Martinez was killed on the job when he was struck by a pipeline pressure manifold object.  He was working for Camino Agave, Inc. 



June 15 - Katy, TX - Jenry Sorto was killed while working when he fell from a boom truck's bucket due to mechanical failure of the turntable. He was employed with The Davey Tree Surgery Company. 




June 15 - Cumming, GA - 39 year old Jose Rodriguez-Duarte was killed on the job when he was crushed under a 2,640 pound "pill press" machine that fell onto him. It is unclear how it fell. He was an employee for Lakewood 400 Antiques Market, LLC.  

June 15 - Austin, TX - 58 year old Jose Barahona died while on the job possibly due to heat stress. He was employed by Webber, LLC.

June 15 - Stuart, FL - 38 year old Jonathan Sheaffer of Coconut Creek, was crushed to death when a hydraulic jack being used under a mobile home failed and fell on him.  Two others were injured.  He was working for Sheaffer Services, Inc. dba Sheaffer Mobile Home Installation.  

June 16 - Staten Island, NY - 64 year old Ken Danziger of Archville, Scarborough, was killed while working when he fell from the top of a moving elevator car.  He fell between the shaft wall and moving car.  He was the owner of The Elevator Man, Inc.

June 18 - Norman, OK - 24 year old Colby Shaw of Oklahoma City, died on the job when he slid from the roof of a building, approximately 48 feet.  His lanyard was not attached to an anchor. He was employed with Universal Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc.





June 18 - Faith, SD - 58 year old Steven Bootz of Lemmon, was killed while working when a packer machine he was operating became unstable on an incline, rolling over and pinned him. He was employed by Zandstra Construction out of Rapid City. 




June 18 - Vienna, GA - Roy Harris was killed on the job when a combustible liquid caught fire while he was working on an engine. He was employed by Vienna Cotton Co., Inc. 

June 19 - Adel, GA - 26 year old Juventino Mejia Cinto was killed on the job when he was run over by a bus used to transport workers to a farm field. He had fallen asleep on break under the bus.  He was employed by Mario Munquia dba Munguia Harvesting. 

June 20 - Saint Louis, MO - Arthur E. Koch III died on the job when he fell from a ladder while climbing it with a laptop in one hand. He was employed by Kaiser Electric, Inc.


June 20 - Malakoff, TX - 32 year old Felipe Wilbanks of Log Cabin died while working when he was crushed by a felled tree.  He was employed by Long Cove Development, Inc. 




June 21 - Staten Island, NY - Salvador Rodriguez died on the job when he struck his head on blacktop when a trench he was working in collapsed against his body. He was employed by Reliable Septic Systems dba Reliable Enterprises, Inc. 

June 21 - Blythville, AR - 57 year old Tommy Westmorlan collapsed and died while working for Rosiek Construction Co., Inc.  Exact cause of death unknown. 

June 24 - Bennet, NE - 47 year old Vincenta Contreas was killed on the job while working for T.H. Construction Company. He was using a pipe wrench attempting to remove an end cap, when stored up energy caused the wrench to spin striking Contreas in the head.

June 24 - Abbeville, LA - Roderick Fitzgerald was killed when he was struck by a Marine Portable Tank (MPT) at Grand Isle Shipyard, Inc. that was being moved with a forklift. He was employed by Trussco, Inc.  Parent company Omni Energy Services.

June 24 - Austin, TX - 41 year old Dominic Lozano died on the job while working for Samsung Austin Semiconductor, LLC.  He was found laying on a stairway landing by co-workers. Cause of death is not clear.




June 25 - Factoryville, PA - 26 year old Lucas "Luke" Mitchell of Hop Bottom was killed on the job when a drum he was using a cutting torch on exploded.  Flammable vapors (methanol) caused the drum to explode. He was employed by Clark's Garage. 





June 25 - Bayfield, CO - 42 year old Randy Mathews of Mancos was killed on the job when a "pig launcher" from a pump truck ruptured, striking Mathews first before flying approximately 900 feet away. He was employed by Elkhorn Construction Inc. at BP’s Piñon Compression Station.

June 26 - Brookhaven, MS - 32 year old Joseph Woodward Jr. of Edwards was killed on the job when he was struck by a motorist in a highway work zone. He was employed by Lane Line, LLC.

June 26 - Benton, FL - 39 year old Larry Smithhart of West Melbourne, and 41 year old Teresa de Jesus Camargo Perez were killed in a boat collision between 2 BRP boats while on a demonstration run. Smithhart was employed with BRP US, Inc. and Camargo was employed with Jason Inc, dba Milsco de Mexico, A Unit, Jason Inc.

June 27 - Fairfield, OH - Fred Cook died while working for Hav-Tech, Inc. when he fell from a ladder. He may have suffered a heart attack which caused his fall.

June 27 - Englewood, FL - 62 year old Allan Roberts was killed on the job when the compactor he was operating went into a ditch, pinning him. He was employed by Florida Natives Nursery, Inc.

June 27 - Gooding, ID - 43 year old Higinio Ledesma was killed on the job when he was crushed between a loaded semi trailer and front end wheel loader with bucket removed. He was employed by Edward Rosa dba R&R Holsteins. 

June 27 - Dawson, TX - Robert Lehew died of natural causes while working for Ballard Tree Service, Inc.

June 28 - West Mifflin, PA - 52 year old John Hazel, Jr. of Finleyville died at work of asphyxiation due to neck compression when he was pinned between an aerial lift and the ceiling.  He was employed by R&B Mechanical, Inc. performing maintenance at GE Energy plant.

June 28 - Conroe, TX - 56 year old Louie Ruiz of Porter, was killed while working for Big 4 Erectors when the operator's cab of a crane toppled over, crushing him inside. 





June 28 - Arboles, CO - 44 year old Adleberto Pena died of fall injuries when, while working on top of a mast, lost his balance and fell to the ground. He was employed with Key Energy Services, LLC.

June 29 - Solomon, KS - 42 year old Vincente Castaneda was killed on the job when he was crushed under a 9,000 pound electrical transformer tipped onto him. He was employed with Solomon Corp.

June 30 - Plains, GA - 31 year old John O. "Jay" Williams Jr., was killed when he stepped on and fell through a fiberglass skylight panel.  He was employed at his family business, Williams Warehouse, Inc.

June 30 - Houston, TX - 33 year old John-Henry Janse Van Rensburg of Angleton died when he was struck by lightening while working for North Houston Pole Line.





















1 comment:

Ruth said...

The list will keep filing on and on, as I see it, the prescribed safety measures are not enough to somehow limit fatalities in working place. Construction work is one of the deadliest jobs in almost all state of the US. What is worse, many construction workers are still living behind the poverty line. The compensation is not fair enough considering that construction workers risks their lives every day on the job.

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