Slips, Trips, and Falls Accidents #2 This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
Accident injures man in police station construction A 30-year-old Wichita construction worker was injured at about 10:32 a.m. Monday, while working on the new Derby Police Station. Derby Police Lt. Tom Prunier reported Rufino Martinez fell while working on a scaffolding about six or seven feet from the ground. Reports indicate someone bumped into the scaffolding causing the accident. Martinez landed on the front of his face. Sedgwick County EMS transported Martinez to Wesley Medical Center where he remained a patient until Wednesday afternoon. Calls were placed to the Sedgwick County EMS Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, but no one was available to answer questions concerning the nature of Martinez 's injuries. Victoria French.
Worker hurt as scaffolding is hit By Christy Tuer A workman was taken to hospital with serious head injuries today after he fell 15ft to the pavement when a lorry struck the scaffolding he was working on in Shrewsbury town centre. The man fell from the platform outside The Hat Box at the top of Wyle Cop when the lorry collided with the scaffolding at about 8am today. Rush hour traffic came to a standstill elsewhere in the town as it was diverted around the outskirts by police. He was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital with serious head injuries but a spokesman for the Shropshire Ambulance Service said the injuries were not thought to be life threatening. Another man also fell from a lower level of the scaffolding but was not believed to need hospital treatment after sustaining leg injuries. A spokesman for Shrewsbury police said it appeared the lorry had been driving down Dogpole to Wyle Cop this morning when it collided with the scaffolding. Both men had been working on the town centre's CCTV system on the corner of the Hat Box and Bratton House. Wyle Cop, Castle Street , St Mary's Street and Dogpole were all closed to traffic going in and out of the town centre and police diversions were set up around the town. The police spokesman said Wyle Cop was likely to be closed for a considerable time until the scaffolding had been dismantled. He added that the men were not from Shropshire and had come to work on the surveillance system from Photoscan, in Sunbury, and Baxall, in Manchester . No one was available to comment from either firm today. Two fire engines and the incident commander from Shrewsbury were also called to the scene.
Death fall from scaffolding
Driver falls off roller, dies CONSTRUCTION worker Seah Quee Hoy, 52, was supposed to complete his work on a 50-m stretch of road along Jurong Port Road on Friday. But while driving a steam-roller that day, he fell off after losing control of it and died. Police said the accident happened at 9.20 pm. The steam roller swerved and mounted a kerb after Mr Seah lost control, and he was thrown off his seat and onto the pavement. The unconscious man was taken to National University Hospital, where he died shortly before 10.30 pm. The police are appealing for witnesses. Anyone with information should call them on 1800- 547-1818.
Two injured in house collapse 25.02.2002, By AMIE RICHARDSON Two men are in hospital with serious injuries after the second home in two weeks collapsed during renovation work in Auckland. Part of a villa in Leighton St, Grey Lynn, dropped from its foundations yesterday morning, sinking 2m and landing on the digger levelling the ground in front of the house. Independent contractor and digger driver Jack Haere, aged 34, had to be pulled from the debris. He was in a serious condition in Auckland Hospital last night and is understood to have a deep cut to his stomach. His co-contractor, Api Waititi, was taken to Middlemore Hospital with a broken leg. On February 14 Jon Keith Lockett, 21, died when a house being moved by his father's company, Affordable Foundations, collapsed and crushed him. The house was being shifted from the front of a Hillsborough property to the back. His co-worker Kevin Sorraghan, 41, broke an ankle. Mr Lockett's death was the fourth in the building industry this year. Yesterday in Grey Lynn, owner Vena Tallon was the only person inside the home when it fell. Mr Tallon said he hired Mr Waititi to make some alterations after putting the work out for tender. "It doesn't seem to be negligence but they have just underestimated the weight of the house and the job. "Fortunately nobody has died. With what they're doing, it is so critical to get it right. They can't miss anything out. It's deadly serious." Police said they had not discovered exactly how the accident occurred and were waiting for an assessment by Occupational Safety and Health officials. Senior Sergeant Mark Benefield said police were concerned about the accident occurring so soon after the collapse in Hillsborough. However, yesterday's incident was quite different. He said the workers were lucky to survive the accident. Mr Tallon's daughter Jeanette Tallon, 26, who has lived in the house all her life, said the work was to have provided better access for her disabled 4-year-old daughter Marieka. Her family were having breakfast in Ponsonby when the accident happened. Her cousin's partner alerted the family after seeing emergency services outside the home. Ms Tallon said she was devastated by the accident. The house had been a home for not just the seven people who lived there, but also for the rest of her extended family. Neighbour Joanne Clark, who was in her back garden, heard a loud crash and immediately called emergency services before running out to the front of the house. "I started to sweat and my heart beat faster." She said she knew the family well because her partner had lived next door for about 20 years. "They're such lovely people. That's the most heart-breaking thing." The house was insured.
UPDATE, Worker's Death at Construction Site Leads to $258,000 in OSHA Penalties for Pasadena Tank Corp. of Houston DALLAS - Failure of the Pasadena Tank Corp. to protect workers from fall hazards resulted in the death of a worker at a Houston construction site and has led the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue citations against the company, with proposed penalties totaling $258,000. OSHA cited the company, headquartered in Houston, with six alleged willful and serious safety violations. OSHA began its investigation Aug. 23, 2001 when an employee, who was repairing the rooftop of a storage tank, fell 56 feet to the ground when the rooftop collapsed. The employer knew about the unsafe working conditions, but continued to place workers at risk, said John Lawson, OSHA Houston North area director. A similar incident happened two years ago when two employees fell to their deaths from a storage tank. This company's continued failure to protect its workers from falls is simply unacceptable. The company was cited with four alleged willful violations for failing to protect workers by providing an inadequate fall protection system. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH Act and regulations. The company was also cited with two alleged serious violations for failing to train workers and protect workers from falling objects. A serious violation is one in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and that the employer knew or should have known of the hazard. Employers and employees with questions regarding safety and health standards may contact the OSHA Houston north area office at (281) 591-2438, or OSHA's toll-free hotline at 1-800-321-6742, to report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers. Pasadena Tank Corp. has 15 working days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the area director, or to contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Construction Worker Breaks Ankles In Fall; Washburn Fell 25 Feet OKLAHOMA CITY -- A construction worker broke both ankles after a gust of wind knocked him off a roof, authorities said. Greg Washburn, 26, fell 25 feet and landed on his feet on a concrete slab, Paul O'Leary, a spokesman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority, said Monday. "If he had landed on anything else it probably would have killed him," O'Leary said. Washburn, of Noble, was working about 1:30 p.m. on a building in southwest Oklahoma City when the wind hit him. He was standing near the edge and slipped, then slid off the roof. Winds were estimated at 27 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. The gust would be enough to cause a man standing on a roof to teeter and fall, the meteorologist said. Paramedics at the scene said wind was a factor, O'Leary said.
UPDATE, Va. Man Survives Peanut Pile Fall Sat Feb 16, 3:23 PM ET, By SONJA BARISIC, Associated Press Writer NORFOLK, Va. - Trapped beneath tons of unshelled peanuts in a warehouse, Floyd Goodman Jr. refused to panic. Instead, he slowed his breathing to conserve what little oxygen there was. And he prayed. "I was saying 'Lord help me. This is not the way I would like to go. Lord, I know that's not the way you want me to go,'" Goodman recalled Friday during a telephone interview from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was listed in good condition. Two days earlier, the 52-year-old, 15-year employee of Golden Peanut Co. had sunk into tons of peanuts when he stepped off a beam. "Basically, I got sucked in," Goodman said. "I knew there was nothing I could do." Goodman said he wound up in a squatting position - protected only by a pair of goggles and paper dust mask he was wearing when he fell. Pushing against the peanuts to make room for his body helped a little, he said. Still, "The peanuts mashed against my chest, my head," he said. "The peanuts were pressing on me." Firefighters and company employees worked for more than 90 minutes to free him. "Yes, I'm here!" Goodman said he yelled to help rescuers find him. "When I hollered, my breath got short, so I knew it was time to stop hollering. I had to try to think to slow my breathing down." Goodman said he feared he might be buried alive. "I knew they would find me," he said. "I was afraid they wouldn't find me in time." So, he prayed, telling God he had a sick friend and daughter who needed him, and a family that had grieved enough after his stepfather recently died. "All I could do was pray and pray and pray," he said. "Every time I moved something, it felt a little tighter. All I can say is, the Lord gave me the strength to my shoulders to try to breathe a little longer." Goodman's daughter, Natasha, said her father would remain in the hospital through the weekend for tests to determine if he had a mild heart attack during the ordeal. But Goodman discounted concern about the pain in his left arm. "If I don't feel for it, it's not there," he said of the discomfort. "I feel wonderful - I do." The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to investigate the accident.
New Zealand actor killed on set in Beijing One of New Zealand's best known actors has died from injuries sustained in a fall while on location in the Chinese capital, Beijing. China correspondent Tom O'Byrne reports Kevin Smith was considered one of the country's hottest movie star prospects. "An agent speaking on behalf of the family said Kevin Smith died of head injuries in a Beijing hospital 10 days after falling several stories from a building. The 38 year old star of stage and screen in New Zealand had been in China working on a movie following his recent success in the hit Xena-Warrior Princess. A spokesman for the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing confirmed Mr Smith's family had been with him when he died. No to other details of the accident have been released, nor has there been word of whether the Chinese authorities are investigating. Mr Smith's agent Robert Bruce says the loss of the actor is being felt across New Zealand, as the well known Mr Smith had just been picked to act alongside Hollywood star Bruce Willis in an action adventure film. Tom O'Byrne Beijing." 17/02/2002 06:37:55 | ABC Radio Australia News
Worker survives being buried in tons of peanuts A Golden Peanut Co. employee survived a fall Wednesday into tons of peanuts stored in a warehouse in Suffolk, Va. With no word from 50-year-old Floyd Goodman more than an hour after he fell off a catwalk and disappeared into the mountain of legumes, rescuers feared the worst. But eventually they made contact and dug him out from under 12 feet of peanuts, Fire Capt. James Judkins said. Goodman was taken by helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was listed in good condition. Firefighters said there have been five similar incidents in Suffolk. All ended in fatalities. Quick thinking may have prevented Goodman from becoming the sixth, Judkins said. The peanut worker was able to pull a dust mask over his face and cup his hands over it.
UPDATE, OSHA begins collapse probe By Dave Copeland, TRIBUNE-REVIEW, Thursday, February 14, 2002 Investigators said Wednesday that it could be months before they determine what caused a 165-ton truss to topple and to crush an ironworker at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center construction site. "We really don't know what the cause was," Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey said after touring the Downtown site yesterday afternoon. "We have some ideas, and we know where the failure was, but we don't know why the failure did occur." Determining what caused the accident will be the focus of the investigation being conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA guidelines require the federal agency to complete its investigation within six months. Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, who toured the site with Roddey yesterday, said there is no evidence of a design flaw with the convention center. Both men stressed that the fatal collapse Tuesday was not caused by pressure put on workers to meet deadlines. With the American flag lowered to half staff atop the partially completed building yesterday, OSHA inspectors began interviewing witnesses and inspecting the site where the collapsed truss killed Paul Corsi, 37, of Moon Township. A half-dozen Pittsburgh homicide detectives took measurements and pictures at the scene and interviewed everyone who witnessed the collapse. All of the information they collected will be turned over to the Allegheny County Coroner's and District Attorney's offices for review, said city assistant police Chief William Mullen. "We look really for any criminal aspect to all of this," Mullen said. "We're concerned with seeing if there's any gross negligence involved, and that's it." Sports & Exhibition Authority Executive Director Steve Leeper said it is too soon to determine when workers will be able to return to the job site. He said he doesn't expect any lost time to have significant impact on the remainder of the construction schedule. "Some of the workers came in today (Wednesday) and just determined it wasn't appropriate for them to continue work, and, frankly, we respect that," Leeper said. "It's very likely most of the trades will be back on site tomorrow (Thursday), but, obviously, some of the trades won't be able to start work because of the fact that the site is presently being investigated." Leeper used a news conference yesterday to squelch widespread speculation about the cause of the accident. "There could be a number of different reasons for why that steel collapsed. We're going to wait until we get all of the information before we come out with a final view on that," he said. Leeper said he expects "broad" insurance policies purchased by the authority to cover any additional costs for the $331.7 million project. He said it is too soon to determine if the fallen truss could be repaired, or if a new one would need to be fabricated. The collapse of the 13th of 15 trusses has baffled construction officials, who said each of the previous 12 trusses had been installed in the same manner without incident. Shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday, Corsi, Donald Lenigan, 41, of Mt. Washington, and Walter Pasewicz, 39, of West View, were standing on the 13th truss and attaching floor beams that would connect it to the 12th truss. The truss was anchored to the convention center's foundation caissons at 18 of 27 connection points. Workers had completed the installation of all 14 of the second-level floor beams and were installing the fifth or sixth floor beam on the third level when the accident occurred. Murphy said the trusses aren't fully secured until the cables that make up the building's signature roof are wrapped around each truss. The cables run north to south over the roof of the building in a groove on each truss to help reinforce the truss's connection to the building. Cables have been applied to the first eight trusses. "Understand, that when you're dealing with 160 tons of steel, there are inherent pressure and stresses put onto that until the whole structure is put together," Murphy said. "There was stress on certain points of this truss, and, for whatever reason, there was a failure at those pressure points - that's what we're trying to understand." Police detectives said the workers they interviewed spoke of hearing several loud pops like "shotgun blasts" before the steel structure began to fall. Police collected several broken bolts for analysis. When the truss gave way, Lenigan and Pasewicz were saved by their safety harnesses, which were connected to the 12th truss. But Corsi, whose harness was fastened to the falling truss, was thrown to the ground and crushed by the falling steel structure. The steelworkers involved in the collapse were wearing a four-point safety harness as required by OSHA, Roddey said. The harness is like putting on a jacket, said Ed Selker, assistant area director of OSHA. Straps wrap over the wearer's shoulders and under the legs attaching to a belt around the waist, while a rope attaches to the back of the harness. Both Lenigan and Pasewicz were treated at Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side. Lenigan was released Tuesday, and Pasewicz returned home yesterday. Both men declined comment yesterday. "I'm just not ready to talk about it," Lenigan said. Roddey and Murphy said it appeared as though all three men followed appropriate safety procedures. Each truss is about 100 feet long and 90 feet tall and is designed to support each of the convention center's three levels and the cable stay roof. They were fabricated by the ADF Group in Terrebonne, Quebec, and assembled on site. Murphy said investigators do not believe there was a problem with the steel used to make the trusses. ADF Group officials did not return telephone calls yesterday. Almost all of the 600 people working on the project opted to take yesterday off. Others arrived at the site in the morning to talk with grief counselors provided by Dick Corp. Five Dick Corp. workers were killed in October, when a box truck veered out of control at a work site near the Vanport Bridge on Route 60 in Beaver County. Prior to that, the company had not lost a worker on a Pennsylvania job site since May 1992, when Donald E. Whitmer, 25, fell 70 feet off a bridge that the company was repairing in Charleroi, Washington County, according to OSHA records. Dick Corp. was ordered in 1996 to pay a $400,000 settlement to Whitmer's widow and her son. "The Dick Corp. has a tremendous safety record," Roddey said, citing a recent OSHA safety award for work at PNC Bank's Firstside Operations Center, Downtown. Jillian Costic, manager of the Pittsburgh RV Show, said she expects the accident won't have an impact next Tuesday - the move-in date for her show. The Pittsburgh RV Show will christen the first phase of the convention center. The show opens to the public Feb. 23. "I'm really, really sorry about the accident, and that's what it was - an accident," Costic said. "Those guys are hard workers and dedicated and wonderful people. I feel horrible for the families." A second phase of the convention center is scheduled to open in October. The third and final phase - where the accident occurred - is expected to open in March 2003. The first event in the fully constructed convention center will be the 2003 Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show. "We are very sad that, on this building we are so excited about, we now have this tragedy to contend with," Murphy said.
Collapse kills worker By Marisol Bello, David Conti and Erik Siemers, TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, February 13, 2002 Steel construction at the city's new riverfront David L. Lawrence Convention Center has been halted temporarily as federal inspectors try to find out why a three-level steel frame collapsed Tuesday afternoon, crushing to death one worker and injuring two others. Paul Corsi, 37, of Moon Township, died in the collapse that occurred shortly before 3 p.m. as he and fellow ironworkers were fastening the beams near the 11th Street entrance at the Downtown construction site. It was the first fatality in the nearly $1 billion in high-profile construction projects in the city spawned by Plan B, which includes two new sports stadiums on the North Shore. The $331.7 million convention center is to be the final jewel in the crown. Teams of investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as the Sports & Exhibition Authority and Dick Corp., are trying to determine the cause of the collapse. Corsi was an ironworker for the Dick Corp., one of two companies in charge of erecting the steel frame of the building. He stood on truss No. 13 when the beams rippled and crumbled to the ground in an earth-shattering boom. His body was trapped under the rubble for at least three hours as rescue crews and construction workers worked to pull out his remains. Paramedics and witnesses said Corsi, who was wearing a safety harness, "rode the steel as it fell to the ground." Two other workers were taken to Allegheny General Hospital, North Side, but there were conflicting reports about how they were injured. Greg Yesko, a spokesman for the SEA, said Donald Lenigan, 41, of Mt. Washington, was working on a truss that did not fall, but his harness kept him from falling to the ground. Meanwhile, an Allegheny General spokesman identified Walter Pasewicz, 39, of Beechview, as being the other worker who was injured. The hospital said Lenigan was treated and released for a leg injury. Pasewicz was admitted to Allegheny General in fair condition for evaluation of back and other injuries. Relatives of Pasewicz and Lenigan did not want to discuss the accident last night. Witnesses, police, construction site managers and officials from the SEA said ironworkers had been installing a truss, which is made up of several pre-assembled beams. As the workers fastened it to the foundation and to a third-floor beam, the truss buckled and collapsed. Engineers can't explain what caused the truss to fail, said John Stanich, senior vice president for Dick Corp., during a news conference. "The whole section came down together," said Steve Leeper, executive director of the SEA, which owns the convention center. "It is a long section of structured steel that is a major support of the building. "They were literally, I believe, just pulling the section of the steel structure up. I don't think anyone can speculate the cause of what happened." As the metal twisted and shards crashed to the ground, the men below scattered. An aerial view of the site shows the heavy beams fell 110 feet straight down in a twisted steel wreck. The accident occurred on the easternmost edge of the almost 400,000-square foot building. It was part of the final phase of construction, just west of the Fort Wayne railroad bridge. The area under construction is to contain administrative offices and meeting rooms. Leeper was touring the completed portion of the building, set to open Feb. 23, when he heard the crash on the opposite end of the site. He was in the secondary exhibit hall when "we heard a noise that was not commonly heard on a construction site." He and other SEA officials have said there have been only a handful of minor injuries since construction began in the spring of 2000. "We've had a very good record to date on all of our projects. It's very difficult today to find out we lost someone," Leeper said. He said there would be no steel construction at the site today. At least two federal inspectors from OSHA were on the scene an hour after the incident. Agency officials will not release any information until they finish their investigation, which could take up to six months, said spokeswoman Leni Uddydack-Fortson. "OSHA will inspect every part of the site over the next 24 to 36 hours," Leeper said. Firefighters, rescue crews and Dick Corp. personnel streamed into the site as construction workers left for the day. Teams from Equitable Gas Co. took measurements along an access road and under the Fort Wayne bridge to check for any leaks. As daylight turned to dark, emergency crews set up lights in the area of the crash. At 6 p.m., crews huddled around an area surrounded by large steel girders about 30 yards from the river bank. Above them, a safety harness hung from a line connected to the steel structure of the convention center. Construction workers carrying food coolers left the site quietly, some alone, in pairs or groups of three. Several said they had been ordered by the "big guys" not to comment on what happened inside. Others said they saw the metal skeleton twist and collapse all at once. Leeper said the accident will not affect the scheduled public opening of the first part of the revamped convention center, which will host a recreational vehicle convention Feb. 23 through March 3, The trucks are expected to be moved in next Tuesday. Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show executive director John DeSantis said the accident wouldn't impact his scheduled March show either. Mayor Tom Murphy yesterday expressed his condolences to Corsi's family and the workers at the site. "In all of the construction we have had in Pittsburgh over the past few years, we have prided ourselves on our strong safety record," he said in a statement. "Today is a tragic reminder that we can never be too vigilant in our efforts to protect our workers." Roger Peters, senior vice president of the Pittsburgh-based Dick Corp., said the cause of the crash had not yet been determined, but he said, "Our sympathies go out to the victim's families and to the others who were injured. First and foremost, safety is our biggest concern at any site." Yesko said the company, one of about 50 working on the construction, had an excellent safety record, with only a handful of minor injuries, ranging from sprains to broken ankles and wrists. Officials from Iron Workers No. 3, who represent workers at the site, would not comment yesterday. Workers will be offered grief counseling when they report to work today, Dick Corp. officials said.
2 hurt when church roof frame collapses By Rudolph Bush, Tribune staff reporter, Published February 12, 2002, 5:21 PM CST Part of an unfinished addition to a West Side church collapsed on two construction workers today as they attempted to erect trusses for a new sanctuary. High wind was a contributing factor in the collapse of several large wooden beams that were to frame the roof of a new sanctuary at Kedvale New Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1305 S. Kedvale Ave., said a spokeswoman for the Chicago Building Department. Mark Moore, 34, was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital at 10:30 a.m., where he underwent X-rays for a possible broken shoulder bone, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was in good condition, but was expected to remain in the hospital overnight for observation. A second man sprained his ankle and was treated and released from St. Anthony Hospital, officials said. Inspectors from the Building Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration plan to investigate, officials said. A city inspector at the site today said at least one wall of the sanctuary would have to be rebuilt because the collapse made it unstable.
Pontotoc man dies after falling into silo; Storage bin was about two-thirds full with soybeans. By Sandi P. Beason, Daily Journal PONTOTOC - A Pontotoc man died Friday afternoon after a nearly six-hour effort to pull him from a soybean-filled silo. John Bramlett, 60, owner of Bramlett Grain and Trucking Company, was working inside a silo about two-thirds full of soybeans Friday morning when he fell. "He called us on his cell phone," said Pontotoc Police Chief Larry Poole. After getting the call, rescue workers were immediately sent to the scene. City and county rescue workers assisted, along with the Tupelo hazmat team and private citizens. "Those beans are just like quicksand," Poole said. "Every time we tried to pull him out, he went in deeper." Bramlett was pulled from the silo by Pontotoc rescue workers shortly after 3:30 p.m., and taken to Pontotoc Hospital. Rescue mission Tupelo Fire Chief Mike Burns said Friday's rescue effort was difficult because it was a confined space entry. "You've got to imagine what was happening," he said. "In the center of the silo, the beans were pulling down. You had a vortex that went down and as the sides (of the silo) came open, the beans on the side went down. It was sort of a volcano shape. "We still had mounds and mounds of beans near the center after we got the sides open and beans started pouring out." Burns said rescue workers were down inside the silo on top of the soybeans. "If we had not been suspended on ropes, a step would have been three or four feet down quick," he said. "We were suspended with ropes to the point where if anything happened, we could be pulled back out." Although backhoes and even shovels were used to remove the beans, Burns said the silo was about two-thirds full when he arrived and work was slow. As beans were removed, the dust created a potential explosion hazard, he said. "Our biggest concern was oxygen deficiency," Burns said. "We had to wear air lines." Burns said the 20 rescue workers from Tupelo arrived on the scene just after 10:34 a.m., and the victim was found just after 3 p.m. "The rescue team was back in service at 3 p.m., but some of the special operations teams guys stayed over a little longer," he said. "They had located the victim at that time."
Fatal accident A worker has died of his injuries when he fell from a vehicle he was standing on. Alexander Craig, 38, a scaffolder, is reported to have been blown off balance by strong, gusting winds in Rothesay at the weekend.
Man Dies After Falling Five Stories Saturday February 02 06:12 PM EST A 24-year-old construction worker from Langley Park is dead after falling five stories from a commercial building. DC fire spokesman Alan Etter says the man was part of a crew doing some renovations at 575 Seventh Street, Northwest. Paramedics on the scene say the man was badly hurt but conscious when they found him. He went into cardiac arrest when he was placed into the ambulance. Etter says the unidentified man was pronounced dead at Howard University Hospital. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
Seven die as 120mph winds batter Britain Frank Urquhart SEVEN people were killed and Scotland's transport system was thrown into chaos yesterday as hurricane-force winds reaching 120mph battered the UK. The winds left a trail of devastation in their wake from the Borders to the Northern Isles, leaving thousands of electricity consumers without power. Tens of thousands of commuters were also affected as all train services were cancelled at one point. Edinburgh to Glasgow, and Glasgow to Aberdeen services resumed at 5:30pm but were cancelled at about 7pm due to a dangerous tree in the Bishopton area. It was not known when they would resume. The deaths included a man who was killed when a tree fell on a car in the grounds of a hotel in Dunkeld, Perthshire. A woman in the car was also seriously injured. A lorry driver died when his truck overturned on the A77 at Monkton, in Strathclyde, and another trucker died in Glencoe when his vehicle was blown off the road and hit a bridge near the White Corries ski centre. In England, a man was killed when his articulated lorry toppled on the A1 near Catterick, North Yorkshire. A woman passenger was also killed when a lorry was blown down an embankment on the A1(M) in County Durham. In North Tyneside, the driver of a HGV was killed when it rolled down an embankment between Seaton Burn and Gosforth Park. A woman, believed to be in her 40s, died after she was hit by a piece of stone gargoyle that fell from a church while she was walking through the High Ousegate area of York. But it was Scotland which bore the brunt of the storms. As the conditions worsened, with fallen trees and other debris affecting every rail line in the country, Railtrack, in consultation with the main train operators, suspended all services for a time. A spokeswoman for Railtrack said: "It is the first time in living memory that this has happened but the decision was taken on the grounds of safety." On the Tay Bridge, a wind speed of 110mph was recorded at one point during the day, with gusts reaching more than 120mph in parts of the Highlands - including the summit of Ben Nevis. At one stage yesterday, almost 100,000 people in Scotland were left without electricity - 50,000 in the Scottish Power area and 38,000 Scottish and Southern Energy consumers - after overhead cables were brought down or badly damaged in the storms. Power companies had to wait until the storms abated before repair crews could work in safety. Ferry services to Ireland and the islands were also badly disrupted and flights from a number of Scottish airports were delayed or cancelled because of the exceptionally strong winds. Buildings in Aberdeen, Dundee and Stirling suffered structural damage, and a pupil at Culter Primary, in Aberdeen, had a lucky escape when he sustained only minor injuries after being hit by the covering of a water tank, blown off the school roof. A train driver also escaped with minor injuries when a tree struck a GNER train at the Stanley junction between Pitlochry and Perth. The storms and heavy rain also brought fears of flooding to parts of Scotland. Last night, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued flood warnings for rivers in Perthshire, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire. The agency also warned of higher than usual tide levels in coastal areas around the country.
LAW & DISORDER: Construction worker dies in scaffold fall By Dana Treen and Dan Scanlan , Times-Union staff writers A 45-year-old construction worker died yesterday at the Shands Jacksonville hospital after he fell from a scaffold at the YMCA in Mandarin Thursday and landed on a steel rod sticking out of the ground. Eldon White of the 4000 block of Moncrief Road was walking on top of a scaffold at the Williams Family Branch YMCA about 4:15 p.m. when he fell about 8 feet, hitting his head, Sgt. Rick Parker said. The construction crew is adding a new lobby to the 10415 San Jose Blvd. YMCA.
Investigation under way after accident Saturday, January 26, 2002, 1:24 AM, By Robert Baun Federal officials launched an investigation Friday into the cause of a construction accident near Fort Collins that left six people injured, including four workers. The accident occurred Thursday afternoon at 4709 E. County Road 40, where DMD Construction was raising a post frame building for a riding arena. The structure collapsed at 3:32 p.m., and four workers fell 30 feet from the roof. Two workers were treated for minor injuries, while two other workers remained hospitalized on Friday evening. One of the hospitalized workers is scheduled for surgery today, said Dennis Swenson, a co-owner of Fort Collins-based DMD. "The other one should be up and walking by Sunday or so," Swenson said. The worker scheduled for surgery is Bret Phillips, 31, a family member confirmed on Friday. Dionne Phillips said her brother broke his pelvis, his left wrist and shattered his left elbow. Names of the other injured workers were not disclosed. An investigator for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, inspected the accident site on Friday. "We checked all our bracing - it was in accordance with the way we do things," Swenson said. "I can't put a finger on what it was that happened." Details of the investigation will remain confidential until the agency issues a final report, said Jackie Annis, acting area director at OSHA's Denver office. Swenson called the collapse "a freak thing. Like I told OSHA, we've built 1,300 buildings over the past nine years and never had something like this happen. It's just a mystery." Wind is a possible culprit. "One guy said a little gust of wind came up," Swenson said. "In the stage of framing we were at, it can affect things." The building was about halfway through construction, he said. DMD plans to return to work Monday on the building.
Employer blamed for worker's fall from ladder A CONSTRUCTION worker from China fell 2 m when the ladder he was on slipped on the newly cemented floor at an MRT worksite because its legs did not have rubber caps that would have prevented it from doing so. Mr Wang Jian Zhong, 35, then a plasterer, fractured his right wrist when the fall happened at the site of the People's Park MRT station on Nov 21, 2000. Because of the accident, he still suffers severe pain in his wrist, which is permanently stiff. Yesterday, after a hearing on who was liable for what happened, Judicial Commissioner Lee Seiu Kin said that Mr Wang's employer, sub-contractor Fu Xing Lai Engineering & Construction, was the only one responsible. How much the company will have to pay Mr Wang will be assessed later by the Assistant Registrar. The unemployed father of one is asking for more than $250,000. He said in his affidavit that he arrived here in January 2000 and started working for the company on Feb 12 that year. About nine months later, on Nov 21, he and a colleague went to the store to get ladders and found just two there. Neither had rubber caps on their legs. When he told foreman Na Li Jiu about the danger of using the defective ladders, he was told to proceed with the job. But 10 minutes after starting work, the base of the ladder slid backwards and he fell, landing on his right hand. He was warded for two weeks and given medical leave until October last year. The subcontractor, which denied liability, claimed the accident was due solely to Mr Wang's negligence, saying the man had obtained a ladder without first checking to see if it was in good condition. Mr Wang's lawyers were Mr N. Srinivasan and Ms G. Prasanna Devi, while Mr Pascal Netto acted for the subcontractor.
Judith Gap man dies in accident on Rocky Boy Tim Eberly Jan 24 - A Judith Gap man died Tuesday afternoon during a logging accident on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. Steve Thomas Butorovich, 27, fell while transferring logs at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday onto a transport truck, said Rocky Boy police investigator Stan Gardipee. The accident occurred on Sandy Creek Road, one mile east of the western border of the reservation. Butorovich likely died instantly when he landed on a steel platform connected to his truck, Gardipee said. The impact crushed his spinal cord and forced it into his brain, the investigator said. Butorovich, a trucker and loading operator for Judith Gap-based Miller Trucking Inc., was on a one-day assignment to transport logs from Rocky Boy to Townsend. Butorovich and Marshall Aamold, his co-worker, had been working for about an hour before the accident. I didn't see the accident, said the 46-year-old Aamold, who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Butorovich for 15 to 20 minutes before tracking down several local men to call authorities. I just saw that he wasn't on his truck anymore. He'd fallen off the seat of the loader. Aamold discovered Butorovich's body sprawled across the platform. Butorovich fell to 8 to 10 feet from a seat elevated above the truck to coordinate the collection of logs. Gardipee said Butorovich's seat was broken, but the mechanic from Miller Trucking, John Hershberger, disputes that. The seat is not broken; it's bent, Hershberger said today. I looked at the seat this morning and the seat was in good condition. Nobody knows exactly what happened. Butorovich, who was single, weighed 460 pounds and was nicknamed Tiny. He had a lot of weight behind him when he fell, Gardipee said. Hershberger said he may have stood up to observe the logs, and when he sat down against the back of the seat, it may have bent underneath him. A couple weeks ago, a bolt loosened from a hinge on the seat, so there was an ongoing deal to make sure it was working, Aamold said. Hershberger said it had been repaired and was in perfect condition. We're dealing with it from the safety aspect, Hershberger said. It's my driver that lost his life. I do the service on all the trucks, so it's been hard. We're kind of walking around in a daze. Doctors in Missoula performed an autopsy on Wednesday, and found alcohol was not a factor in his death, Gardipee said. Butorovich and Aamold had been working together for a year and a half. He was a fun man to be around, Aamold said. He just enjoyed life. He was just that kind of guy. After Aamold's CPR on Butorovich proved unsuccessful, Aamold drove five miles and asked some men, who were cutting firewood, to call 911. He could not get service from his cell phone. I wish that things were different, Aamold said. I just wish I could have done more for him. Butorovich had two sisters, and one of them, Susan Miller, is married to the owner of Miller Trucking, Tony Miller. He could not be reached for comment. Miller Trucking is a log-hauling company with eight trucks and seven employees. Butorovich had been employed there for about five years. He loved what he did, Hershberger said. He was where he wanted to be. Judith Gap is 131 miles south of Havre, on the northern edge of Wheatland County.
Suspended Workers Rescued From Building Wednesday January 23 08:22 PM EST What started out as a building-condition survey Wednesday at City Center Square ended up as a rescue of three stranded workers and an Occupational Safety and Health Administration Investigation, KMBC 9 News' Peggy Breit reported. Three people were on a swing stage 25 floors up were making their way down the exterior when something went wrong. "One of the motors wouldn't stop, and the other motor couldn't quite keep up with it, so they tried to hit the emergency," rescued worker Flora Calabrese said. "That didn't stop it. We unplugged the power in the middle. That didn't stop it. We were starting to get (really) out of tilt. Finally, the safety brake kicked in, and it stopped us." The swing stage stopped, but the three workers didn't have a way to get down. Firefighters arrived and went up to the 24th floor of the Cooling and Herbers law firm. "(I) followed them, and they went right into my office and there (are) three people right outside my window all waiting to be rescued," building tenant Jim Cooling said. After first considering pulling the three up to the roof on ropes, they decided to call a glass company in to remove a pane and pull the workers through, Breit reported. "(I) stepped over and got a lot of hands helping (me) up and through there," Calabrese said. Calabrese thought for a while that her safety harness might get in the way. "I thought I was going to get caught up on the rope and kind of be hanging from that rope, but I didn't think I was going to fall to the ground or anything like that," Calabrese said. Cables, ropes and harnesses are all required for jobs such as the one Calabrese has to ensure workers' safety, Breit reported. OSHA is among the many groups investigating what happened. The faulty motor had been checked and OK'd for use prior to the accident, Breit reported. Two men with Calabrese were running the swing stage, she said. Calabrese said she has been doing this kind of work for 10 years, and she said it is the first time anything like this has ever happened to her. The incident lasted less than 30 minutes, Breit reported.
HOME SAFETY Ridgeland man dies in fall from tree Published Mon, Jan 21, 2002 RIDGELAND -- A man died Saturday morning after he fell from a tree, said Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls. Dan Maney, 57, of Carters Mill Road was trimming a pecan tree in his yard with a chain saw, Sauls said. Maney was cutting a limb when it hit him in the head, causing him to fall out of the tree and land on his head, Sauls said. Sauls said he fractured his skull and was killed on impact.
UPDATE, Bay Bridge safety plan reviewed Outcome to determine if three contracting firms can continue their work By Guy Ashley, Published Tuesday, January 22, 2002, CONTRA COSTA TIMES SAN FRANCISCO -- State transportation officials huddled Monday to review a proposed safety plan that will determine if three contracting firms will be allowed to continue their work on a $170 million Bay Bridge seismic retrofit project. Caltrans announced last week it had ordered the project's contractor, a joint venture of California Engineering Contractors and Modern Continental Construction Co., to submit a plan showing how it will increase worker safety on the project after a Jan. 4 accident in which a painter was killed. A key part of the order requires the companies to show that the painting subcontractor, Robison-Prezioso, is qualified to use mobile work platforms of the type involved in the accident that killed 33-year-old Darryl Clemons of Oakland. The companies collaborated on a safety plan submitted to Caltrans late last week, leading to a series of meetings that began during the weekend and continued Monday, said Jeff Weiss, a Caltrans spokesman. Clemons was among several employees moving a platform when the 18,000-pound structure buckled in the center, pinning him between its outer edge and the underside of the bridge's upper deck. The death was the latest in a series of accidents connected with the 3-year-old project to retrofit the bridge's western span. Clemons' father, also a painter on the project, was badly injured in February when he fell more than 80 feet onto the platform below the bridge roadway. State investigators later cited Robison-Prezioso after determining 57-year-old James Clemons was not wearing a safety harness when the accident occurred. In September, a 3-ton panel used by the painting company accidentally fell onto the bridge roadway, killing a passing motorist. Weiss said it is unclear when engineers for Caltrans will decide whether the safety plan is adequate. If Caltrans finds it inadequate, the agency has warned it will terminate its contracts with the companies and turn over control of the project to a bonding company. Officials for the contracting firms could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
S.A. Zoo Employee Injured Monday January 21 02:56 PM EST An employee at the San Antonio Zoo was injured Monday after he fell off a six-foot wall. Zoo officials said a horticulturalist was working on a wallaby exhibit, which was empty at the time, when he tripped and fell off a six-foot wall, zoo officials said. The man fell on his back and was transported to Metropolitan Methodist Hospital where he was being treated for minor injuries.
Earthquake in Turkey Kills One Monday January 21 8:11 PM ET ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - A construction worker was killed Monday when an earthquake tossed him off a scaffolding in the western city of Izmir. The 4.7-magnitude quake sent people running into the streets in panic. It struck at 4:36 p.m. and was centered in the town of Manisa, about 30 miles north of Izmir, seismologists at Istanbul's Kandilli Observatory said. There were no reports of injuries or damage besides the single fatality. Private NTV television said terrified people gathered in Izmir's square when the quake shook buildings. The temblor was felt in the cities of Aydin and Denizli, further south. Most of Turkey lies on the active North Anatolian fault. Ruptures in the fault caused two massive quakes in 1999 that killed 18,000 people and devastated large parts of northwestern Turkey.
Man falls to his death at Carroll's By:Mark S. Price, The Sampson Independent (01/12/2002) WARSAW - An accident at a plant near Warsaw claimed the life of an employee when he was tragically killed after falling from a grain elevator early Friday morning. WARSAW - An accident at a plant near Warsaw claimed the life of an employee when he was tragically killed after falling from a grain elevator early Friday morning. Mark O. Bradley, 44, of 190 Thomas Luke Road, Jacksonville, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics after responding to the 7:19 a.m. call of an accident at a feed mill owned and operated by Murphy-Brown, LLC. A spokesman from Emergency Services in Duplin County said, "When the call came in there were unconfirmed reports that a man fell between 25 to 30 feet from a grain elevator to his death." The plant's public information officer said, "Murphy-Brown and its employees are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Mark's family and friends." He also said, "A grief counselor is being provided by the company to assist its employees in dealing with this loss." The company's safety department is working diligently with OSHA and the Duplin County Sheriff's Department to thoroughly investigate the accident. Further details of the accident investigation will be made available by the Duplin County Sheriff's Department at the conclusion of the investigation. Mark S. Price can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 17 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Window-Washing Deaths Tied To Same Company Monday January 14 11:57 PM EST A man who was washing windows on top of a building fell four stories to his death Monday, KMBC 9 News' Emily Aylward reported. It was windy when Michael Beck, 34, was working in the Pine Ridge business park off Interstate 35 in Lenexa. While strapping cables to wash windows, he fell. Many people saw the accident, and others said they did everything they could to help. Vikki Streeter said she saw Beck set up, and well before lunch, she was convinced that something went wrong. "I was on the other side of the office, and I heard a loud thump hit the window," Streeter said. Police said the window washer somehow slipped. People in nearby buildings saw Beck laying down cables to repel down the windows, then witnesses said he mis-stepped at the edge of the roof. "He did not look good. You could tell that his injuries were very serious," Streeter said. Winds were recorded up to 30 mph Monday, Aylward reported. "It's traumatic for witnesses and the victims to see anything of that magnitude happen," Streeter said. The company the man worked for, Quality Window Cleaners, has seen plenty of it recently. In July 2000, the company had three men fall six stories at Research Medical Center. Two were badly injured, and one man died. Quality Window Cleaners, which is based in Holden, Mo., did not return KMBC's phone calls. Beck apparently worked for the company for several years.
Worker injured in fall; Contractor drops 40 feet after his harness snaps By Victoria Cherrie, JOURNAL REPORTER A contractor was in satisfactory condition at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center after falling 40 feet from a water-storage tank yesterday, officials said. Andrew Kalos, 30, landed on his feet and was able to walk away from the site. The accident occurred about 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Shattalon Drive and Bethabara Road. Kalos, who works for Brickwood Contractors in Manassas, Va., was strapped near the top of the tank when his harness snapped and he fell, witnesses said. "I turned to say something to him and he did a Road Runner on me," said Bill Pybus, an engineer from AEC Engineering. He and Kalos had been checking the paint on the tank and were on their way down when Kalos fell, Pybus said. Both men had gear for rappelling and safety, he said. Kalos fell about 40 feet. He hit the side of the tank and landed on his feet about a foot from a thick concrete slab and a metal pipe that extends from the tank's interior, Pybus said. "He's very lucky," he said. Kalos complained of severe leg pain but declined to be taken by ambulance to the hospital, said Sgt. Brian Blakley of the Winston-Salem Police Department. A co-worker took Kalos, the site foreman, to the hospital, Pybus said. The men have been working on the water-storage tank since July when the city-county utility department hired Brickwood to paint and repair it, said Ron Hargrove, a utilities-plant engineer for the department. The $243,000 project, which is near completion, will also bring the tank into compliance with new codes, he said. Hargrove said he was not aware of any other problems on the site or with the contracting company. The company is not required to report the accident. Only fatal accidents or accidents involving three or more people who are injured and hospitalized must be reported to the N.C. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Division, said Greg Cook, a division spokesman.
Officer hurt in fall from window By MICHAEL ELIASOHN / H-P Staff Writer NILES -- A city police officer helping evacuate people from a fire at a three-level city apartment building was injured when he fell from the top floor. Another officer taking part in the evacuation also was injured. A few hours later, Niles Township firefighters were extinguishing a fire in an apartment building under construction in that municipality. The city fire, reported at 2:15 a.m., was at North Niles Villa, 1819 N. Fifth St. The township fire, reported at 5:25 a.m., was at Berrien Woods Apartments, 1900 E. Main St. The injured police officers were Chad Mitchell and William Emral, both of whom were treated at Lakeland Hospital, Niles, and released. Police Chief Richard Huff said Mitchell was in a hallway and to escape the fire, ran to the open air stairwell and tried to swing over the edge of a balcony. His hands slipped and he fell to the ground below. Half of the first level of the building is below ground so the building height equals that of a two and a half story structure. Emral suffered smoke inhalation while on the second floor. Fire department Lt. Donald Wise said the fire started in a first floor apartment near the door, then went out into the hallway. He said the male occupant, name unavailable, and a neighbor unsuccessfully tried to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher before calling the fire department. "That's why it's so important to call us first," he said. Wise said investigators from the fire and police departments were unable to find an exact cause, only that it is "not suspicious." Kathy Rapach, regional manager for the owner of North Niles Village, said nine apartments in the 16-unit building were occupied and there are eight buildings in the complex. "We are trying to place the residents (in other apartments)," she said. "I think we can take care of them and we're thankful they are all OK." Wise said damage to the building, which appears repairable, was estimated at $100,000 to the structure and $50,000 to contents. In addition to smoke and fire damage, he said there was water damage on the first and second floor -- the latter from an occupant leaving a faucet on, causing water to come through the ceiling -- and some third floor damage from having to cut holes in the ceiling to make sure the fire hadn't spread into the attic. Berrien Woods Apartments manager Theresa Gipson said the building that burned was one of nine under construction at the complex. Nine other buildings are occupied. She said the building exterior was complete and workmen were ready to start installing drywall on the inside. The building would have been done in about two months.
2 workers hurt when roof collapses Published January 10, 2002 EVANSTON -- Two construction workers were slightly injured Wednesday afternoon when the roof collapsed on an Evanston home that was being renovated. One of the workers jumped from the second story as the roof fell at about 2:30 p.m. Another worker suffered a broken leg from the falling debris, said Evanston Fire Department Cmdr. Ken Dohm. The workers were in fair condition in St. Francis Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. The workers were part of a construction crew that was putting an addition on an 85-year-old house in the 1600 block of Greenleaf Street, authorities said. The roof collapsed when its weight shifted and knocked out the supports that were holding it up, Dohm said. "It was like an explosion," said Alvetta Pertiller, who owns a small store next to the collapsed house. "When I went outside to look, I couldn't believe it."
Construction worker in critical condition after fall from roof at I-69 welcome center By Nikki Sattler-The Reporter BRANCH COUNTY -- A 21-year-old construction worker was in was in critical condition Tuesday evening after suffering head and other injuries in a work-related accident. Greg Homan of Vicksburg, who is employed by Kalamazoo's Frederick Construction Company was working on the roof of the Michigan Welcome Center on northbound I-69 Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The worker fell from the roof, a fall of about 12 feet, and sustained substantial head injuries. LifeCare Ambulance was at the scene, assisted by the Branch County Sheriff's Department. Due to the worker's head injuries, as well as other injuries sustained in the fall, he was airlifted by Air Care to Kalamazoo's Bronson Hospital, where he remained Tuesday. Frederick Construction Company is contracted to work on part of the Welcome Center construction project. The Welcome Center is managed by the Travel Michigan Bureau, which manages all Michigan Welcome Centers and is in charge of contracting companies for such projects. Officials at Frederick Construction Company were unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Worker falls to death down lift shaft A construction worker has died of injuries sustained when he fell down a lift shaft on an Edinburgh construction site. The man, named as Gary Auld, 45, fell through 15 metres on the site where flats are under construction at Queens Quay in Leith. He died at the scene. Mr Auld was sub-contracted to the principal contractor, Morrison Construction, for whom a spokeswoman confirmed the details of the accident. She said: "As a company which gives highest priority to safety, we are of course carrying out a thorough investigation into what has occurred and are working closely with the police and HSE to establish the precise circumstances surrounding this tragic accident."
UPDATE, Cal OSHA Investigation Fatal Bridge Accident 1/08/02 A spokeswoman for the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration said today it would take about six months to determine what caused a fatal accident on the Bay Bridge on Friday. Susan Gard, spokeswoman for the state agency that investigates work-related accidents, said today that CalOSHA has hired a Hayward metallurgical laboratory to determine what caused an 18,000-pound traveling painting platform on the lower deck of the bridge to buckle, killing 33-year-old Darryl Clemons of Oakland and injuring three other workers. "Hopefully we'll determine what caused the failure on the structure, and determine a way to prevent future failures,'' Gard said. Once a determination has been made, Gard added, CalOSHA will examine what -- if any -- penalty should be levied against Robinson-Prezioso, the subcontractor that employed the painters. Gard said that in the course of the two-year-old Bay Bridge retrofit project, Robison-Prezioso has been cited for not adhering to laws that require employees to wear proper respiratory equipment and lead exposure. Robison-Prezioso was fined $26,100 in July for failing to ensure that employees were adequately tied off, Gard said. Coincidentally, that fine came when Darryl Clemons' father, James Clemons, who was also a painter, fell from a platform and was critically injured, Gard said. The California Department of Transportation has halted all retrofit work on the Bay Bridge indefinitely and CalOSHA has issued an order barring Robison-Prezioso from operating the three remaining platforms until the investigation is complete. Gard said that although the investigation of the accident will focus primarily on the collapsed scaffolding, CalOSHA could also extend its investigations if it finds problems with any of Robison-Prezioso's operating procedures. Tops Supermarket Collapses, Injuring Workers NewsNet5, Wednesday January 09 01:42 PM EST Part of a Tops Supermarket being built in North Olmsted collapsed Wednesday morning. Police said that a scaffolding collapsed at the construction site on the Brookpark Road extension. A handful of workers sustained minor injuries. The Tops market was formerly Ames in North Olmsted.
UPDATE, Company under scrutiny that employed worker killed when Bay Bridge scaffold collapse By Paul Glader, ASSOCIATED PRESS, January 4, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO - The company employing a worker crushed to death Friday on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has been fined $194,335 in the past year for earlier accidents and violations on the earthquake-retrofit project, including a serious injury suffered by the dead man's father. "Even though each one of these accidents is separate in nature, there is an overall safety issue in this project that needs to be addressed," said California Division of Occupational Safety and Health spokesman Dean Fryer. "That is of great concern to us." Night and day, nearly 200 workers are suspended 300 feet above San Francisco Bay on the double-decker bridge. They replace rivets and sandblast paint on the western span as more than 270,000 vehicles a day zoom past between Oakland and San Francisco. "We know this kind of work is dangerous, but we just can't accept this loss of life," said Jeff Weiss, spokesman for the state transportation department, which hired Robison-Prezioso Inc. to paint the bridge as part of a $170 million, five-year seismic retrofit. Darryl Clemons, 33, of Oakland died when an 18,000-pound aluminum work platform, known as a "traveler," buckled in the middle as it was being moved and he was pinned against the bottom of the upper deck by one of the edges. Three other workers suffered minor injuries. The four men and James Clemons, the dead man's father, all were employed by Robison-Prezioso. James Clemons, also of Oakland, was seriously injured Feb. 28 when he fell 90 feet from scaffolding while working with a painting crew. Fryer said he had not been wearing his harness, and the company was fined $26,100 for not training workers in proper safety measures. "I didn't want him to go back on the job after his father got hurt," Vida Clemons, Darryl Clemon's wife, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "But he said he needed to work to survive, for his family." The Santa Fe Springs-based company paid another $168,235 in fines last May when safety inspectors found bridge workers had high levels of lead in their blood and the company failed to provide respirators for workers sandblasting old paint from the span. On Sept. 26, a 5,400-pound piece of equipment fell and crushed a pickup truck, killing motorist Anthony Menolascino, 47, of San Jose. The investigation Friday's accident could take as long as six months. "We want to look at maintenance logs, training logs and take a closer look at the scaffolding," Fryer said. Few companies do industrial painting and sandblasting, according to Caltrans spokesman Jeff Weiss, and Robison-Prezioso may be the most inexpensive. "This is a very challenging project," said N. Randy Gordon, project manager for Robison-Prezioso. "The allegations Cal-OSHA has thrown out in the past are just that - allegations." Gordon said the scaffolding was made specifically for the bridge project and was inspected daily. He said Darryl Clemons, a painter like his father, had worked for the company for about a year. He described him as a "good hard worker, one of our better guys." The accident happened on the lower, eastbound section of the span about 12:45 a.m. The crumpled platform was removed from the bridge and the span was reopened to traffic around 7:20 a.m.
Millworker, 32, loses left leg in wake of accident By Lisa Curdy - Daily World writer 1) Cergene Clark, 32, of Elma, was in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle today after his left leg was amputated just below the hip. The Mary's River Lumber Co. worker was hit by a forklift Wednesday. It was a tragic day at the mill. 2) Later in the day, benchman Carl Butterfield was killed when he fell 12 feet while changing a saw blade. An autopsy determined he died from a severed back due to a blunt impact to the torso, Coroner Ed Fleming said today. "Shell" Clark, who had worked at the mill since 1997, was struck by the forklift while walking along a road inside the mill compound. Millworkers have speculated that the forklift driver at first didn't even realize he had hit Clark. "A forklift is a very big and heavy machine," said Brad Kirkbride, the mill's chief operations officer. "It's very possible he may not have even known the forklift hit him." The manager declined to name the forklift driver, and said he hadn't talked to him personally. The mill uses forklifts to transport lumber around the yard, Kirkbride said. State Labor & Industries investigators were at the mill Wednesday and Thursday. "We have opened an inspection with Mary's River," L&I spokesman Bill Ripple said Thursday. "We're required to investigate all occupational fatalities. "We'll basically find out if the employer is doing what's required under the law." A longtime friend of Clark's, David Davis of Elma, said today he was at the hospital with him all day Wednesday. "I'm going up again in a few minutes. He's still in real bad shape." "Big" is how Davis described Clark. "He's 6 - 3, 375 pounds," Davis said. "He's very funny, very kind and very big hearted. He'd do anything for anybody." Clark and Davis both volunteer for the Twin Towers Search & Rescue unit, based out of Elma. The Search & Rescue unit was named before Sept. 11, and didn't help in New York, Davis explained. Clark's wife, Terri, has been devastated by her husband's accident, Davis said. An account for Clark's medical expenses has been set up at Simpson Credit Union in Elma and McCleary under the account name of Cergene Clark, Davis said.
Man building his own home is buried when garage collapses Friday January 04 07:04 AM EST, by LINDA MAN - The Kansas City Star Firefighters used chain saws and power saws to extricate a man from a collapsed garage when the walls and ceiling trusses fell on him Thursday. Another construction worker also was injured. A witness said the owner of Mid America Custom Design Inc. was on top of the uncompleted garage, building his own home, when the trusses gave way from under him. Officials said the collapse occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at 1106 S. Outer Belt Road, on the west side of Route H, between Levasy and Oak Grove.
Scaffold Collapse Kills Calif. Man By WILLIAM SCHIFFMANN, Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - One worker was killed and two others injured Friday when an 18,000-pound section of scaffolding collapsed on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The three men were working to strengthen the span in the event of an earthquake, according to California Department of Transportation spokesman Colin Jones. The accident happened on the lower, eastbound section of the span at about 12:45 a.m. The names of the victims were not released. The man who died was crushed by a movable platform attached to the bottom of the upper deck, said Jeff Weiss, another Caltrans spokesman. The platform is 30 feet wide - it spans three lanes of traffic - and 60 feet long, he said. The two injured workers were taken to hospitals, but were not seriously hurt, officials said. The bridge, which connects San Francisco and Oakland and carries several hundred thousand motorists a day, reopened around 7:20 a.m. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In September, a 5,400-pound piece of equipment also involved in the earthquake retrofit project fell from the side of the bridge and crushed the cab of a pickup truck, killing the driver. In February, a worker was badly injured after falling 90 feet from scaffolding secured to a bridge support tower.
3 Die in 100-Foot Fall in Arkansas FORREST CITY, Ark. (AP) - Three men replacing guy wires on a cellular telephone tower plunged 100 feet to their deaths after a rope used to hoist them to the top of the structure broke. The men, part of a four-person crew, were killed Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff's investigator Glenn Ramsey said. The crew worked for Allstate Construction Co. of Wagoner, Okla., and was replacing the guy wires on a 250-foot tower owned by Alltel Corp. The dead were identified as Brian Barnes, 23, and John Seabolt, 26, both of Muskogee, Okla.; and Jamie Anders, 27, of Hattiesburg, Miss. Ramsey said he was told the rope hoisting the men up the tower was tied to the front of a pickup truck driven by the crew's foreman, who backed up, lifting the men into the air. The foreman, identified as Barnes' uncle, Forest Barnes, 50, of Muskogee, was not injured. David Bates, assistant area director with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Little Rock, said safety investigators traveled to the site Thursday morning. He said OSHA has regulations on how to hoist workers but he wasn't sure which rules would have applied.
Roof crew members injured in collapse The brothers and their nephews were helping build a clinic when one truss broke and the whole structure fell. By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer, St. Petersburg Times, published December 27, 2001 SPRING HILL -- It was supposed to be a quick job for some extra cash over the holidays. But the first day of work proved treacherous Wednesday for a construction crew from Brooksville -- all relatives -- when roofing materials they were installing on a planned pain management clinic on Mariner Boulevard collapsed, sending two brothers and their three nephews to the hospital. "One of the trusses broke and it all collapsed," said Benigno Rojero. "I was up there too, but I jumped." Rojero said his brothers Antonio and Gerardo, 34 and 42, were airlifted to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, along with his nephews, Jose Martinez, 20, and Rafael Rojero, 28. Another nephew, Manuel Rojero, 28, suffered a hand injury and was taken to Oak Hill Hospital, he said. Rescue workers said the men suffered multiple broken bones and teeth, while one of Manuel Rojero's fingers was severed in the accident at the corner of Mariner and Bali Lane. Bayfront officials said the men taken there were still being evaluated late Wednesday, but their condition was listed as "non-life-threatening." Oak Hill officials declined to release Manuel Rojero's condition. According to Benigno Rojero, the men were helping frame the concrete-block building's roof, installing wooden trusses with the help of a crane. All five were standing among the trusses, securing them, when one broke, toppling the others. John Carter of Brooksville was also working at the site Wednesday afternoon. He heard the noise, then looked up. "I saw it snapping at the bottom," he said. Rojero said he and his family had a week off from their regular jobs at Brooksville-based Nichols Masonry Inc., so they decided to help with the roofing project as a way to make some extra money. Representatives of Tampa-based Precise Construction, the firm putting up the building, did not return a call for comment Wednesday.
Handyman critically injured in roof collapse CAPE COD TIMES OSTERVILLE - A handyman was critically injured yesterday morning when a porch roof collapsed on him.The accident occurred at 8 East Main Road, at the intersection of Main Street across from Armstrong-Kelley Park, shortly after 10 a.m. The injured man was identified as Ken Nielson, 53, of Needham, according to the Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills Fire District. Nielson suffered "multiple trauma," according to a firefighter, when the roof over a first-floor deck collapsed. Nielson was taken by ambulance to a parking lot at Dowses Beach, where a MedFlight helicopter flew him to Brigham & Women's Hospital. He was listed in critical condition last night. Barnstable police and building commissioner Peter DiMatteo are investigating, along with firefighters. Nielson was alone when the collapse occurred. Three tree workers across the street heard the crash and rushed to help Nielson from the wreckage. Lucas Hanson, 19, of Sandwich, Langston Knipler, 25, of Sagamore, and Brady Yacek, 23, of Marstons Mills ran across the street and lifted the roof off Nielson. The house was owned by the Williams family until earlier this year, when it was sold to Jonithan Sloan of Weston.
Elevator-shaft accident fatal By MARSHALL WHITE A 47-year-old elevator repairman was killed in an accident at Artesian Ice Co. on Monday. Thomas D. Frazer of Overland Park, Kan., was pronounced dead at Heartland Regional Medical Center, said Cmdr. Jim Connors with the St. Joseph Police Department. Mr. Frazer, an employee of Dynatron Elevator Repair of Kansas City, was working on an elevator at Artesian Ice's facility at 2700 S. Missouri Highway 759, Mr. Connors said. It was a tragic accident and investigators are trying to find out what happened, said Dick DeShon, president of Artesian Ice. Mr. DeShon has been with Artesian Ice since 1957. He said the company has had only a few work-related injuries and this is the first fatality at the site. Another Dynatron employee said Mr. Frazer was working on the second floor of the cold-storage portion of the facility. According to a police report, he opened the door to the elevator shaft about 11 a.m. and stepped into the shaft. Mr. Frazer fell one floor, and his leg was impaled on scaffolding installed in the elevator shaft, Mr. Connors said. His leg was bleeding profusely, and he asked the other employee to go for help, Mr. Connors said. Paramedics responding to the scene found that Mr. Frazer had stopped breathing, Mr. Connors said. Police do not suspect foul play in the incident, but police and the medical examiner investigate all unattended deaths. The case also will be investigated by the federal Occupational, Safety and Health Administration. The body was released by the medical examiner about 12:45 p.m., after the family was notified, Mr. Connors said.
OSHA levies fines in death of worker From staff reports, Lake City Reporter, December 1, 2001 Lake City paving company Anderson Columbia is facing a $77,000 penalty from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the Aug. 7 death of an employee in which the company is accused of failing to provide protection from fall hazards. The company was cited for one alleged willful violation with a $70,000 proposed penalty for failing to provide an adequate seat and seat belt for an employee working in the back of a truck. The additional $7,000 penalty would be for an alleged serious violation for failing to properly secure materials being transported in the same compartment as employees. Anderson Columbia officials did not return repeated phone calls Friday afternoon about the penalty. According to OSHA, the accident occurred when the employee was placing traffic warning signs along U.S. 41 near White Springs, where the company was installing pipelines. The employee reportedly would sit next to remaining signs in the bed of the truck as the driver slowly drove to the next location to place a sign. As the driver approached the final location, he looked in his rear-view mirror and saw his co-worker laying in the road. An OSHA investigation determined that the employee fell from the truck bed as he tried to reach for a sign that was caught by a gust of wind. He died from massive head injuries four days later. "To prevent this type of needless tragedy, OSHA standards require employers to provide employees with adequate seats and seat belts when they are transported in, or work from, vehicles," said James Borders, Jacksonville area director for OSHA. Borders said Anderson Columbia's written policy requires employees to ride on the seats provided and use seat belts, but company officials did not enforce the rules. A willful violation is defined as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of OSHA and regulations. A serious violation is defined as one where there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard. Anderson Columbia has 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Board.
Man in stable condition after falling from ladder CITIZEN STAFF REPORT The condition of a Key West man who fell 15 feet from a stepladder Tuesday was upgraded, although he is still being closely watched. Julius "Skip" Everett, 44, was trying to get through a hatch to the roof of the Mel Fisher Museum, 200 Greene St., to change a flag when he fell. "He is in neuro-surgery ICU, but his condition is stable," said a spokesperson at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Everett had been in extremely critical condition when he was flown to the Ryder Trauma Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital after he apparently fell on his head after removing a plywood hurricane shutter. Two workers in the room said they saw him at the top of the 15-foot ladder with one foot braced on a beam and one foot on the ladder. Neither of the workers actually saw Everett fall, police said. One worker administered cardio-pulmonary resuscitation while the other called 911. Everett initially had no pulse. Key West Police Officer Jeff Williamson took over the CPR until paramedics arrived. Everett may have suffered a broken neck.
Suit filed in MWA worker's death By Christopher Schwarzen, Telegraph Staff Writer Nearly one year after the death of a Macon Water Authority employee, his family filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court for unspecified damages. Vanessa Jones, 48, and her children - Channing, Erin and Danielle - are seeking damages against the Macon Water Authority for violating Walter Frank Jones' civil rights. Jones, 56, died Jan. 19 after falling 55 feet down a pit at the Town Creek Reservoir water treatment plant. Specifically named in the suit as defendants are each authority board member, former executive director Gene Holcomb and several supervisors, including Chester Stewart, who worked with the crews at Town Creek that week. Not included is the authority's Safety Coordinator Bob Meloche. Jones, through her attorneys Greg Dobson of Macon and Thomas Moore of Birmingham, Ala., contends the authority knowingly violated her husband's civil rights by not training him properly to remove sand from interceptor pits at the plant and knowingly allowing him to work with faulty equipment and under hazardous conditions. Moore says evidence suggests the boom truck, which lowered a bucket to be filled with sand up and down in the pit, had the wrong cable attached to it, and that it wasn't being used properly by crew members. Authority supervisors and crew members, including Jones, were riding the bucket up and down in the pit instead of using a safety ladder and harness system. A Macon Telegraph investigation after the accident indicated the men were not trained to use the safety equipment and that often safety equipment was not provided while the work in the interceptor pits was completed. Crew members also said work conditions were harsh, including limited lighting and work breaks. Lifting heavy sand into buckets for hours caused fatigue, and that is why they rode the bucket instead of climbing the ladder 60 feet. Three other investigations subsequently initiated by the water authority confirmed there had been inadequate safety training and improper usage of equipment at the work site. The Jones family is receiving workers' compensation benefits following Jones' death. Those payments will stop once a total of $125,000 is received. But the family says that's not enough to cover the mental and economic losses incurred by Jones' death. State law prohibits suits against employers in such accidents, requiring all settlements to be under the workers' compensation laws, but Moore said he thinks federal law allows a civil rights claim. He said other such cases have been successful, but gave no examples Monday. Water Authority attorney Warren Plowden said he received the suit and was turning it over to the authority's insurer. He said another attorney will probably be hired, but his office also will be involved. "I don't think they have a case in federal court," he said. "We'll see." Holcomb, who said he had not seen the suit yet, wouldn't comment, other than to say: "I'm not surprised." Frank Amerson, board chairman and acting director, couldn't be reached by telephone for comment. Holcomb came under fire from the board following the accident for lax training procedures. An e-mail from Meloche to Holcomb warned of several safety violations that Meloche has witnessed, urging Holcomb to make changes before someone died. The violations Meloche witnessed were not at the site of Jones' death. The e-mail, obtained by The Telegraph, was dated just days before Jones' accident. Holcomb eventually took full responsibility for the accident and was suspended without pay for three days. Other staff members also were suspended without pay. Since the accident, the authority has revamped its training procedures and programs. A federal judge had not been assigned to the case Monday, but could be as early as today. Moore said he expects the case to come to trial within a year. The attorneys for Vanessa Jones have requested a jury trial. Jones says it will be difficult to walk into a courtroom and see the authority members there, but she plans to be strong. "Nothing can replace the love I've lost," she said of her husband, to whom she was married 23 years. Economically, her husband's lost income has hurt the family also, she said. Even though she works, it has been difficult to make the house and utility payments. She receives $187.50 a week in workers' compensation benefits. Her youngest daughter also receives a similar check.
UPDATE, FATAL ACCIDENT AT MT. PLEASANT, S.C., MARINE TERMINAL LEADS TO PROPOSED PENALTIES TOTALING $62,500 Mt. Pleasant, S.C. -- Using a faulty scaffolding design and failing to protect workers from fall hazards which contributed to the death of an employee at a Mt. Pleasant marine terminal have resulted in 12 serious citations with proposed penalties totaling $62,500 for two contractors, the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced today. The fatality occurred at the Wando-Welch Terminal on the morning of May 30 at a jobsite supervised by Konecranes America, Inc. Five employees of a sub-contractor, Palmetto Industrial Construction, Inc., were preparing to refurbish a crane owned by the South Carolina State Ports Authority at the time of the accident. The workers were on a crane, 125 feet above the wharf, building a scaffolding platform that would be used during refitting of rail lines that ran along the length of the crane boom. Two workers, who were wearing safety harnesses but were not tied off, had just finished stowing a metal scaffold plank onto the existing scaffold platform. "While stepping onto a smaller scaffold, one of the workers fell into the Wando River and drowned," said Atha. "Several factors contributed to this tragic accident, but clearly, if this worker had been properly tied off, he would not have fallen." OSHA issued eight serious citations against Palmetto Industrial Construction, Inc., with proposed penalties totaling $34,650 for alleged violations which include failing to: construct a scaffold that could support four times the estimated load weight; use scaffold-grade planking; provide safe access to the scaffolding, and establish and maintain an effective fall protection program. Konecranes America, Inc., received four serious citations with proposed penalties totaling $28,000 for similar alleged scaffolding violations. The two companies have 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The accident investigation was conducted by the federal OSHA office located at 1835 Assembly St., Room 1468, Columbia, S.C.; phone: (803) 765-5904
Sheraton fall still under scrutiny The case raises key safety issues for the construction industry. By Melanie Payne -- Bee Staff Writer, Published 5:50 a.m. PST Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001 Shirley Bohannon booked a room last Tuesday on the 21st floor of the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento. She didn't stay there, she just wanted it to be empty. "No one belongs in that room that day because they have no idea what was taken from me there that day. I couldn't think of someone in there," she said, as her voice cracked. A year ago her husband Phillip and his co-worker Renato Alcala fell from that room to their deaths. Bohannon, co-workers say, fell as he reached to save Alcala. It wasn't a hotel room then. It was the 21st floor of a hotel construction site where Bohannon, 33, and Alcala, 21, were working. At about 3:20 p.m. Oct. 30, Alcala called for the elevator to pick up the work crew heading home for the day. Less than two minutes later Bohannon was dead, his body on J Street. Alcala was lying on construction hoist bracing several floors below. Three days later, he too, was dead. Those are the facts everyone agrees on. The men fell. How and why is not as clear. Cal-OSHA says the access door for the elevator was faulty. Others say the men were horsing around and crashed into the door with such force they ripped off the hinges. One worker later changed his story. Others believe the issue of horseplay is moot, that the door should have withstood it. It's a nuance that could mean a great deal of money when trying to establish legal blame for the deaths. But there are broader issues raised by construction experts who say that understanding what went wrong -- and correcting it -- will save lives. They raise the issue about whether Cal-OSHA, the state's occupational safety agency, should be changing its role from finding fault and levying fines to seeking changes in procedures and equipment. "These doors are used in construction sites all over the western United States and they should be fortified," says Robert Buccola, the attorney pressing a lawsuit for Bohannon's widow and two children. Buccola denies there was horseplay and lays the blame squarely on the door. He said the metal plate that stopped the door from opening either wasn't in the right position or wasn't the right size. The door was worn, old and flexible, he said. The hinges weren't tight. There were gaps where the door didn't line up. Attorneys for the defendants -- Sheedy Drayage Co., who erected the elevator, and Hensel Phelps Construction Company, the primary contractor, wouldn't comment on the case, citing the ongoing litigation. An issue of safety The Bohannon lawsuit claims that the doors on each of the landings "appeared to be safe and sturdy" but they weren't. As a result, when Alcala leaned against the door on the 21st floor, it buckled, popped open and sent the two men to their deaths, Buccola said. California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health couldn't substantiate the horseplay allegation. According to the Cal-OSHA report, there was one reason the men died: The elevator door failed. The elevator ran outside the building and was put up at the construction site as a temporary structure to move workers up and down. When the lift was at the doorway, a lever inside the carrier was released, allowing the door to swing open into the building and the workers to walk into the carrier. According to the OSHA report, pressure from Alcala leaning on the door popped it open and out -- in the opposite direction it usually swung -- and into thin air. The doors were not supposed to give more than one inch when pressure was applied to them. But when OSHA tested the same make and model door, it gave just over an inch and failed the inspection, the OSHA report said. That wouldn't have been enough for the men to fall out, but a heavy sustained pressure made the door move significantly more, OSHA inspectors found. "It shouldn't matter from a safety point of view if you fall against it because you slipped or you fall because someone shoved you. It should stop you regardless," said James Platner, the associate director of the Center to Protect Workers' Rights, a health and safety research group affiliated with the building and construction trades department of the AFL-CIO. "If it's not able to stop you, then it's a problem. Because certainly people assume it will stop them from going over the edge and it's fair to assume that," Platner said. Debating OSHA's role It's unfortunate, Platner said, that it takes a fatality to find out the doors failed. But that's how dangerous situations get changed, he said. The OSHA fines won't do it, Platner said, because the fines aren't high enough. The "fear of getting sued" is an "incentive" to make the job safer, but not OSHA fines, Platner said. In this case Sheedy Drayage, Hensel Phelps and Decorator's Inc., the company that Bohannon and Alcala worked for, were each fined $36,000 in April, Cal-OSHA records show. All three companies are appealing the fines. That's one criticism of OSHA investigations, says Platner. Their investigations "focus on compliance. Was there a rule broken that caused this?" They fix blame and punish with a fine. A better tack, Platner says, is to call for OSHA to investigate fatalities the way the National Transportation Safety Board investigates plane crashes: not looking to ascribe blame but seeking a root cause of an accident and determining what can be done to make sure it won't happen again. Cal-OSHA's Len Welsh, the special counsel for regulatory development, disagrees. He said that the agency does have a preventive role, but that it is obligated by law to investigate safety complaints and accidents, uncover violations and fine the companies that have them. Cal-OSHA has targeted industries with high injury rates, like agriculture and construction, for special emphasis, Welsh said. "We have a lot of mandates," he said. "We have limited resources and we have to prioritize them." If OSHA finds a hazard, they suggest a rule to cover it. That proposal is opened for public comment. The Cal-OSHA staff then summarizes the comment and proposes a standard to a seven-member governor-appointed board, which votes whether to make it a rule. It's a lengthy process. If there were an imminent danger, Cal-OSHA could institute an emergency rule, but there's no indication that there's a pattern of door failures or that people are in imminent danger of falling through them, Welsh said. A dangerous job Falls are the most common way a construction worker dies on the job. While overall deaths on-the-job are declining, deaths from falls are on the rise. Last year, 734 people died from falling on the job, up from 721 the year before, and the highest annual total ever recorded by the Department of Labor. Also in 2000, the construction industry had 1,182 deaths, the highest total of any industry group. Seven percent of the nation's workers are in construction, but they account for 20 percent of those killed on the job. Some of that has to do with the nature of the work, says Greg Zigulis, associate director of the Construction Industry Research and Policy Center at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Construction sites and their work force are temporary. People working on the first floor one day can be on the 21st floor the next. It's difficult for supervisors to observe every worker at every stage of the job. It's difficult to set up standardized safety programs. Zigulis and his colleagues, William Schriver and Tom Cressler, reviewed every fatal construction worker accident in the country that OSHA investigated from 1991 to 1999. Although they agreed that falls were the major cause of the deaths, they couldn't recall that any of the deaths were caused by falls because the elevator doors failed. That's not to say that the door Alcala and Bohannon fell through wasn't defective, however. People are used to looking at accidents as one thing causing an event, Zigulis said. It's like dominoes falling; one starts it and they all go down. "The more current way to model the process is to think of a parallel set of dominoes where a number of things can trigger them falling and that ultimately leads to an incident. It's hard to say something is 100 percent an employee's fault or 100 percent management's fault." For that reason the conflicting stories coming out of this investigation aren't unusual. Donald Schroeder, Sacramento's assistant fire chief, was almost immediately on the scene where Bohannon and Alcala fell. He'd been around the corner when the accident happened. He told Cal-OSHA that he was there in about 20 seconds. Schroeder, according to a statement he gave Cal-OSHA, was near four or five construction workers, about 30 feet from Bohannon's body, when he asked the group, "What happened?" One person said "they were just goofing around, like horseplay." Schroeder turned to another worker and asked, "Was it horseplay?" and he "nodded in agreement," the statement said. An investigation by Angeline Deuel, a Sacramento deputy coroner, provided more detail. She wrote in the case summary that Bohannon and Alcala were "indulging in horseplay by pushing and shoving each other." Bohannon "apparently grabbed Alcala in a bear hug and the two men hit hard against the secured elevator hoist door." The door "buckled with the pressure causing the three heavy hinges to pull loose in a zipper like effect and the door to swing outward." Deuel said that she got her information from the fire department and Cal-OSHA but didn't interview any of the witnesses. Cal-OSHA's investigators interviewed Bohannon and Alcala's co-workers over the days and weeks following the accident. To a person, they were adamant: There was no horseplay. One of the workers who told Schroeder and the police about horseplay, according to Cal-OSHA investigators "changed his story." As the Cal-OSHA investigator wrote: "...the witness said the word horseplay was improperly used by him. It was pointed out to him that he further reinforced horseplay as rough housing, grab-assing and goofing around. This witness only now would allow that the term horsing around applied only at the gang box for the tool storage in another room farther back and away from the elevator door. He stated now that he was 'mad' at the loss of his best friend and in shock and had misused the word horseplay." Placing blame J. Clark Kelso, a professor at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, says the ambiguities of this case make it ripe for settlement. When "both sides have some uncertainty" they are even more motivated to settle, Kelso said. The plaintiffs' uncertainty is with the issue of horseplay and the doctrine of comparative fault, Kelso said. If someone is acting unreasonably, he might be considered partially negligent and that could reduce an award. But, Kelso said, "you actually have to be acting unreasonably. And I have some doubts that horsing around is unreasonable." And even if the jury does believe that Bohannon and Alcala were partially at fault, there's still the issue of the door failing OSHA standards, Kelso said. For Shirley Bohannon however, there is no ambiguity, no comparative fault, no partial negligence. Her husband died a hero, trying to save his friend. "I found it typical that he was the only one that grabbed out for him (Alcala). It was just Phil. He would have done it for any one of them. And he would have done it over again," she said. "He always put other people before himself."
SMUD Worker Killed In Fall From Power Pole A Sacramento Municipal Utility District employee was killed Tuesday night when he fell from a power pole in Wilton. The worker was one of several in the area trying to restore power to the few hundred remaining SMUD customers in Sacramento County still without power. SMUD officials, who did not identify the worker, said he died at about 9 p.m. The man was working on a pole on Hobday Road in Wilton, a rural town in the southeast area of the county, SMUD officials said. The cause of the fall was not immediately known. SMUD officials said about 260 customers were still without power, but that crews were ordered to stop working following the accident until Wednesday morning. SMUD crews have been working around the clock since Saturday's storm knocked out power to 51,000 customers.
Worker fell from ladder into razor wire By BRIAN DENEAL HARRISBURG - An Illinois Youth Center worker was injured at the corrections complex shortly after 2 p.m. Monday when he fell from a ladder into razor wire. Joe Jackson, the center's chief engineer, was working near the roof of one of the buildings. "He was on a ladder and fell down and hit the razor wire," Illinois Department of Corrections Chief Communicator Sergio Molina said. "He was treated there at the facility until the ambulance was called to take him to the local hospital." Jackson was taken by ambulance to Harrisburg Medical Center and was later transferred to St. Mary's Medical Center in Evansville. He remained there in serious condition Tuesday morning, according to a hospital spokesman Molina said he had just received word of the incident Monday afternoon and did not know the details of Jackson's injuries.
Kansas representative injured in fall SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Kansas state Rep. Gene O'Brien remained hospitalized Tuesday in serious condition after falling at a concrete company in southwest Missouri. O'Brien, D-Parsons, was injured Sunday when he fell about 12 feet from scaffolding and landed on a concrete floor at Psi Ready Mix in Branson, said Trevor Hale, spokesman for Taney County Ambulance District. It was not immediately clear how the accident happened. Psi did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press Tuesday. O'Brien was in the neuro-trauma intensive care unit at St. John's Regional Health Center in Springfield, a hospital spokeswoman said. No other details were released. O'Brien is in his second term. He owns O'Brien Ready Mix, which has Kansas offices in Parsons, St. Paul and Oswego. Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Garner, D-Coffeyville, said he knew nothing of the accident, but said he was concerned for his fellow lawmaker.
Bridge Inspector Dead In Charlestown Accident A construction accident in Charlestown early Thursday morning resulted in the death of one worker and injuries to another when a 25,000 pound truck with a platform tipped over on its side. Both men were standing on a platform connected to a large truck, which was parked on Cambridge Street underneath Interstate 93. They were inspecting a bridge when the truck tipped over, send the men hurtling 80 feet to the ground. NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that the accident occured just outside Sullivan Square about 12:30 a.m. The street was closed for five hours while crews worked to rescue the accident victims and clear the scene. The truck was parked on Cambridge Street, which is elevated, so instead of falling 50 feet to the street, the men fell an additional 30 feet to the ground below the elevated roadway. One witness said it appeared that the truck's stabilizers, which maintain its balance when the platform is extended, were not properly deployed on both sides, which may have caused the entire vehicle to tip over. The vehicle was rented from Colvin Equipment Rental Co. on Prospect Street in Waltham, Mass. The worker who died at the scene has not been identified. The second was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Both were contracted by the Massachusetts Highway Department of inspect the bridges on the elevated expressway. Boston and State police investigators are looking into the accident.
UPDATE, Engineers In Bridge Accident Face Charges One Worker Drowned In Detroit River Posted: 10:49 a.m. EST November 9, 2001 WINDSOR, Ontario-- Two Canadian engineers who designed the scaffolding that collapsed on the Ambassador Bridge face negligence charges. Domenic Cugliari and George Snowden are accused of being negligent in the design of the scaffold. They were charged Thursday under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. They are scheduled to appear in court Dec. 14. Three workers fell from the bridge into the Detroit River when the scaffolding collapsed last November. Jamie Barker, 28, drowned in the river. The two other workers were pulled to safety. Four other workers were left dangling from their harnesses for several hours after the collapse. Ontario Ministry of Labour spokeswoman Moira McIntyre said that the charges are the first to be brought under a 1990 amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which refers specifically to engineers or architects. The charges each carry a maximum fine of $25,000 and one year in jail. Cugliari and Snowden work for Construction Control Inc., a consulting company based in Woodbridge, Ontario. According to the company's Web site, Construction Control was founded in 1972 and has worked on more than 20,000 construction projects.
Oil mill worker pulled from pile of cotton seed By: Jeff Piselli, News Editor, November 08, 2001 A Helena, Ark., man buried chest deep in cotton seed was saved during a dramatic rescue Wednesday at Delta Oil Mill in Jonestown John Hanley, 56, was listed in serious condition this morning at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. Hanley, who works in one of the mill's 22,000-ton-capacity seed houses, was discovered missing by a coworker at about 3 p.m., according to Plant Manager Scott Middleton. "We have two guys working at all times up there, and they holler back and forth to each other to make sure everything is all right," Middleton said. "When John didn't respond, his partner reacted perfectly and started looking for him. After about 10 minutes, when he couldn't find him, he ran to the end of the building and called for help on the radio." A rescue team from the oil mill discovered Hanley unconscious and buried up to his chest in cotton seed. He had fallen more than 20 feet from a catwalk that spans the top of the building. Mill employees dug Hanley out of the cotton seed and waited for paramedics to arrive. The Coahoma County Volunteer Fire Department was also called to assist in what would prove to be a challenging rescue. When Bobo firefighter Jerry Mills arrived, "the Emergystat (ambulance service) crew were working on him and had already started an I.V.," he said. "We had to dig the seed out from underneath the victim and strap him to a backboard before we could lift him out." Mill employees cut away part of the steel catwalk so the makeshift stretcher holding the still-unconscious Hanley could be lifted by rope to the catwalk in the first phase of the extrication. Meanwhile, other firefighters marked a nearby landing zone for the Hospital Wing rescue helicopter that would carry Hanley to Memphis. As law enforcement, fire, medical and emergency management personnel poured onto the scene, it became obvious that a lot of manpower would be required to get Hanley down the narrow walkway from the top of the seed house to the ground. Fifteen rescuers helped bring Hanley down the steep incline in the county's rescue stretcher. "We tied ropes to the stretcher and hauled him out," Mills said. "We worked to the end of the seed house with two firefighters behind and three in front. That way, if somebody fell, there would be somebody to catch him and we wouldn't drop the patient." Transferring the basket stretcher from a 10-foot-tall roof at the bottom of the stairs to the ground presented another problem. It was solved when Sheriff Andrew Thompson came up with the idea of using a nearby forklift to lower the stretcher to the ground. Emergystat paramedics and flight nurses from the Hospital Wing worked on Hanley for about 20 minutes, stabilizing him prior to moving him to the helicopter. Placing a breathing tube down his throat proved difficult because Hanley was beginning to regain some consciousness and was fighting the effort. "John, how many fingers am I holding up?"asked one flight nurse. "If you can tell me how many fingers I'm holding up, we won't have to put in this tube." A cheer went up from nearby rescuers when Hanley indicated he saw two fingers. Less than two hours after the initial call for help was made, Hanley was flying toward The Med. Exhausted paramedics and firefighters sat on the ground. "I'm just waiting for some feeling to return to my legs," said Paramedic Angie Parker. The rescue capped "by far the worst day I've had since I've been in this business," Middleton said. Another oil mill employee, Frank Wilson, 55, also of Helena, had severely injured his hand in a piece of machinery earlier in the day. While complimenting everyone involved in Hanley's rescue, Middleton said safety issues would be revisited. "Any time something like this happens, we sit down and reassess our procedures. If there are any changes we can make to make things safer, we certainly will," he said.
Worker hurt when roof trusses fall Wednesday, October 31, 2001, By Bryn Mickle, JOURNAL STAFF WRITER Burton - A construction worker was seriously injured Tuesday when a row of 40 roof trusses collapsed at a church fellowship hall. The man, 23, was tying a roof truss about 4 p.m. when the truss he was standing on failed, plunging him under a rain of falling 40-by-80-foot wooden trusses behind Bethel Assembly of God church, 6029 Lapeer Road. "It acted like a domino. They all went down," Burton Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Johnson said. The man fell next to a 3-foot-high pile of plywood sheets, which Johnson said absorbed the impact of the falling beams and saved the man from further injury or even death. "If he had landed 3 feet in any other direction, he would have been crushed or impaled," Johnson said. The man was taken to Hurley Medical Center in Flint with suspected internal injuries and injuries to his skull, chin, torso, hip and legs. The victim was one of five construction workers with a St. Charles contracting firm building a brick fellowship hall and multipurpose room behind the church. The other workers were outside the building when the trusses fell. Work on the $250,000 addition began in July, and the roof was expected to be shingled this weekend, said Ronald Sarbo, senior pastor. Sarbo said people at the church joined hands and asked for protection Tuesday morning before the day's construction began. "From tragedy comes triumph," Sarbo said. "It could have been very severe. It could have been his life." Sarbo said he was unsure what caused the trusses to fall, but said there were sheets of plywood piled on top of the trusses. The collapse did not affect the church building, and services will not be interrupted, Sarbo said. The Genesee County urban search and rescue team was called, but Burton firefighters already had used its own equipment to reach the man and stabilize him when the team arrived.
Worker hurt in fall from scaffolding in state Senate The Associated Press A worker was injured Wednesday when he fell about 20 feet from scaffolding used for renovations to the state Senate chamber. The accident occurred about 8:20 a.m. The employee of United Anco of St. Louis was taken to a Jefferson City hospital, said Randy Allen, director of design and construction in the state Office of Administration. "It's still under investigation," said Mike Clifford, an Anco official based in Indiana. "We have a management team on the way from St. Louis. There were no broken bones." Clifford declined to release the name of the worker. The scaffolding was being dismantled after workers had completed remodeling the ceiling of the Senate chamber, which has been undergoing renovations for several months.
OSHA investigating worker's fall at church RIVERTON - Federal authorities are investigating a construction accident at a local church that left a contractor's employee injured Monday, police said. Patrolman Bryan Norcross said officers were called to the Central Baptist Church in the 300 block of Main Street at 9:49 a.m. and found that construction worker Michael Cardoza, 27, of Camden had fallen about 10 feet from a scaffolding. He was apparently working on brickwork on the church's facade when he fell, Norcross said. Cardoza was complaining of back pain and was transported to Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center in Camden. He was treated and later released, a hospital spokeswoman said. Norcross said Cardoza may have lost his balance when he stepped on boards stacked on the scaffold. He identified the man's employer as Gallo Inc. of Cherry Hill. Officials at the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Evesham confirmed yesterday that they are investigating. Wednesday, October 31, 2001
UPDATE, Investigation begins as collapse death toll rises to six By Eddie Luk THE Buildings Department has begun an investigation into whether the contractor demolishing the Yau Tong industrial building that collapsed killing six workers violated work procedures. The probe was announced yesterday as searchers found the body of the last of the four men trapped in the debris. Rescuers believe it could take up to two days to recover their bodies. The dead also included a man who was pulled from the rubble shortly after Monday's collapse, and a critically injured 45-year-old worker who lost his fight for life last night. Director of Buildings Leung Chin-man said his department would investigate seven possible factors in the collapse of the Asia Trade Centre at 19 Sze Shan Street, which also injured nine people. The probe, to last three to four weeks, would try to find out whether: The structure was unsafe before demolition; Structures had been added before demolition; Overweight machines were on the building's platforms;Concrete parts supporting the structure had been removed during demolition;The contractor and workers followed the demolition plans approved by the Buildings Department;There was insufficient supervision and Piles were removed or disturbed before demolition.``We are determined to prosecute if the investigation reveals that any parties did not follow demolition procedures approved by the department,'' Mr Leung said. Recommendations would also be made on ways to prevent future collapses. Two industrial buildings next to the demolition site remained cordoned off yesterday, for fear that the remains of the Asia Trade Centre could collapse further. Bulldozers and rock-crushers were working to clear debris. Meanwhile, the Buildings Department inspected 48 other demolition sites to check for hazards. The Asia Trade Centre, which formerly housed dyeing and electronics factories, collapsed inwards at about 11.12am on Monday. Three of the injured have been discharged from United Christian Hospital. Four others, aged 35 to 73, were in a stable condition last night.
SDA contractor seriously injured by collapse of lamp post By Jamari Mohtar A contractor for the Singapore Democratic Alliance was seriously injured when a lamp post collapsed while he was putting up an election poster. This happened in front of Block 282 Tampines Street 22 while the SDA candidates were having their walkabout there. Forty-year-old Yip Kum Hong sustained broken neck and leg injuries. "He was using a ladder to lean against the lamp post. So he just climbed up to tie the notice and then the whole lamp post collapsed together with the worker," said Johnny Tan, a witness. SDA candidates who were campaigning in the area rushed to help with one of them accompanying Mr Yip in the ambulance. The others continued their walkabout to the nearby Tampines Mart.
Collapse kills three, two missing By Eddie Luk, 30 October 2001 / 02:27 AM The ruins of the six-storey Hoi Pan Industrial Building at Yau Tong that collapsed as it was being demolished. RESCUERS were searching desperately early today for two men missing in the ruins of a building that collapsed, killing three workers and injuring nine people - two of them critically. Passing pedestrians fled the shower of rubble and scaffolding as the six-storey industrial building, under demolition in Yau Tong, collapsed inwards at about 11.12am, blanketing the surrounding area in a cloud of thick dust. Some of the 13 workers in the building were hurled from the fifth and sixth floors. A 43-year-old construction worker, surnamed Siu, was pulled out by firefighters from the debris within minutes of the collapse. But he was certified dead on arrival at United Christian Hospital from head injuries. Two othrs, unidentified early today, were found dead late last night. A 45-year-old worker, surnamed Yuen, and a 35-year-old, surnamed Nguyen, were in a critical condition. Two others - one of whom needed brain surgery - were in a serious condition and two were in a stable condition. Three people with minor injuries, including a passer-by whose toes were struck by falling rubble, were treated and discharged. The wreckage of the Hoi Pan Industrial Building at 19 Sze Shan Street remained unstable last night, raising fears for the safety of rescue workers who toiled under floodlights with life detectors in the hunt for the missing workers. Demolition of the 30-year-old structure, which formerly housed dyeing and electronics factories, began on Saturday. Director of Buildings Leung Chin-man said it had complied with all requirements, and all precautionary measures had been taken. He said such a collapse, coming just two days after the start of demolition, was rare. A bulldozer working on one of the upper floors plunged to the ground amid piles of broken concrete as the structure disintegrated. A worker at a nearby building, giving his name only as Mr Chan, said he suddenly heard a loud bang, then saw the structure collapse. Li Tam-kwai, a security guard at another building, said he saw several workers on the sixth floor plummet to the ground. ``A big cloud of dust surrounded the area,'' Mr Li said. ``Some of the debris was thrown far from the building.'' Demolition contractor Chong Tai could not be reached for comment on the collapse or compensation for victims' families. Fire Service Kowloon East Senior Divisional Officer Lee Tin-ping said officers were worried about the safety of rescue workers. ``There are difficulties in searching for the remaining victims as other parts of the building may collapse at any time,'' he said. ``We have to ensure that the rescue operation is conducted safely.'' Firefighters used two trucks with ladder platforms to pluck injured victims from the ruins. They paused during the rescue work in the afternoon to study copies of the demolition plan in an effort to ensure firefighters' safety and help pinpoint those missing. A spokeswoman for the Labour Department said a joint investigation into the tragedy would be set up with Buildings Department.
UPDATE, Firm Fired After Scaffold Collapse By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writers NEW YORK -- The company that constructed the 14-story scaffold that collapsed at a Manhattan office building, killing five construction workers, was fired after officials learned of the firm's troubled past. Ten other workers, a pregnant bystander and 15 firefighters and police officers also suffered injuries after the scaffold collapsed. City officials said Thursday the scaffolding was constructed without a required permit. Police said a heavy concrete load placed on the structure may have caused part of the scaffold to sway and buckle, eventually leading to the collapse. Authorities responding to the accident had to call in rescue teams from the World Trade Center, two miles away. Buildings Department spokeswoman Ilyse Fink said the department has yet to find a cause and is still investigating the collapse. She said Nesa Roofing and Restoration, which hired Tri-State Scaffolding and Roofing to construct the scaffold, hadn't obtained the required permit. The leasing agent for the office building, Stephen Green, fired Nesa on Thursday after reporters called asking about the firm's troubled history, said Gerald McKelvey, a spokesman for Green. Constantine Stamoulis, one of Nesa's owners, was arrested in May for allegedly hiring someone to impersonate him at a city examination required to obtain a Special Riggers license. The license allows the holder to hoist or lower up to 1,200 pounds of material by rigging set up on a building's exterior. Stamoulis pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in June and paid a $250 fine and served 10 days of community service, said Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney's office. None of the owners of the company, including Stamoulis, returned telephone calls for comment. A message left at Tri-State's office in Deer Park, N.Y., also was not returned.
Five killed in New York scaffolding collapse October 25, 2001 Posted: 5:27 AM EDT (0927 GMT) NEW YORK (CNN) -- A scaffolding structure at least 12 stories high collapsed in a courtyard behind a Park Avenue office building Wednesday, killing five workers and injuring at least 11 others. "This is a very serious collapse," said New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who arrived on the scene -- about 1 1/2 miles northeast of the wreckage-strewn site of the World Trade Center twin towers collapse that resulted from September 11 terrorist attacks -- about two hours after the accident. Witnesses said the scaffolding was supporting workers who were repairing brick inside an exposed airshaft, or vestibule area, in back of the building and several stories up. The scaffolding started to shake at one point, and workers began jumping to get out of the way as it collapsed into a pile. Just after 4 p.m., police responded and were informed by the construction crew that 18 workers were in the rear of the location when a brick facade gave way, causing the scaffolding to collapse. Several men who escaped with scratches and bruises said others were beneath lower planks of the scaffolding when it collapsed and did not appear to have escaped. Two men were brought out on stretchers, and an active rescue operation stretched out for six blocks as police and firefighters brought in heavy equipment. Some rescue workers were diverted from the World Trade Center site to assist. One rescuer has been injured seriously and a firefighter on site has injured his hand.
Worker impaled on shovel From AAP, 17oct01 A MELBOURNE workman has had emergency surgery after falling from a ladder and being impaled on a shovel. Ambulance service spokesman Paul Holman said the worker, aged in his early 50s, slipped from a ladder and fell onto a shovel, which impaled his groin and pierced his abdomen. The accident, which Mr Holman described as "freak event", happened at a house in Balwyn North in Melbourne's east about 8.30am (AEST). Mr Holman said the man was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with about 30cm of the shovel handle still protruding from his body. "He has just undergone emergency surgery and it (the shovel) appears to have missed all major organs, so he is extremely lucky," he said. "It's just an amazing escape, because it was certainly a freak event." Mr Holman said the man was climbing a ladder in a trench when he slipped and fell back into the trench and onto the shovel. Comment is being sought from the hospital.
Man killed, 1 injured in scaffold collapse Published October 18, 2001 CHICAGO -- One man was killed and another injured Wednesday in the second fatal scaffolding accident in two days in the city. Gezim Luli was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital at 11:52 a.m., according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office. A 30-year-old man was in critical condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital, a nursing supervisor said. The three men were doing rehabilitation work on a West Side building in the 0-100 block of North Pine Avenue when the scaffolding gave way at around 11 a.m., police said. On Tuesday, an employee of a glass company was killed and three other workers were injured after they fell two stories from a scaffold at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, police said. The men in Tuesday's accident worked for Service Glass Co., which had been hired to repair a broken window at the Baumgarten Pavilion on the hospital campus, a hospital spokeswoman said. The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration sent investigators to both scenes, officials said.
Welder dies in fall Posted: 8:50 PM (Manila Time) | October 16, 2001, By Philip C. Tubeza, Inquirer News Service A WELDER on Wednesday fell to his death from the 20th floor of a building under construction in Manila. Paulino Lorenzana, 34, a Fuji Reynolds welder and a resident of Upper Bicutan, Taguig, fell while he was on his way to lunch, said investigator SPO4 Rodolfo Rival Jr. of the Western Police District-homicide section. Lorenzana suffered a head injury and a dislocated leg after losing his balance and falling from the 20th story of the unfinished Moldez Tower on Padre Faura corner L. Guerrero Street in Ermita, Rival said. Lorenzana did not fall all the way down to the ground floor but landed on the 12th floor, Rival said. Lorenzana died while undergoing surgery at the Philippine General Hospital. His body was transferred to the Tres Amigos Funeral Parlor for autopsy.
UPDATE, OSHA looks into death of worker on bridge By Jennifer Acosta, Staff Writer, October 12, 2001 Officials from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration are investigating the death of a man at a Holt construction site Wednesday. OSHA spokeswoman Ramona Morris said inspectors are looking into the death of 44-year-old Bobby L. Wade Sr. of Moundville, who fell from a bridge while he was working on a portion of the Tuscaloosa County Eastern Bypass project, which will link McFarland Boulevard in Northport with Interstate 20/59. “We sent someone out today, and basically, it's under investigation,” Morris said. “We're just waiting to get preliminary findings. … We just do an investigation of the facts and make a determination on whether citations are appropriate.” Mark Hearing of the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit said there is no suspicion of foul play in Wade's death. “Nothing in our initial investigation indicates anything other than accidental,” Hearing said. Engineers with the Alabama Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the construction of the Eastern Bypass, said few details about the incident were available Thursday. “I understand he was tying some reinforced steel off when it happened,” said David Kemp, a construction engineer. Representatives from R.R. Dawson Bridge Co., the main contractor on the project, could not be reached for comment Thursday. If OSHA finds the bypass construction site unsafe, R.R. Dawson and the state could face penalties. “It can be anywhere from $5,000 to $70,000, depending on the conditions at the site and the circumstances surrounding the event,” Morris said.
Beach worker dies after fall at naval shipyard PORTSMOUTH -- A 35-year-old civilian under contract to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard died Saturday at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital from injuries he suffered on Friday after falling from scaffolding adjacent to the amphibious assault ship Saipan. Andrew Bacs Jr., 35, of Virginia Beach, died of head injuries after falling from an undisclosed distance about 10:30 a.m. Friday, according to Steve Milner, a spokesman for the shipyard. The accident was confirmed by Milner on Wednesday. Bacs was employed by Sunbelt Rentals, a subcontractor to United Coatings Corp. of Portsmouth, which was under contract by Earl Industries Inc. of Norfolk, Milner said. An investigation is being conducted by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration. No cause of the accident was given.
Fall on boat fatal to Portageville man 10/12/01
Second man falls at construction site By CASEY MOORE, October 10, 2001 Another man fell Monday at the VanLandingham Lumber Co. warehouse construction site where another construction worker died last month. Construction worker Otis McGee, 46, of Third Avenue in Columbus was working on the roof of the new lumber warehouse on South Jackson Street. McGee is employed by J & L Metal Roofing. McGee's co-workers heard a sound, then turned to find him missing, according to the Starkville Police Department reports. There were no witnesses to the 12:59 p.m. accident, police reports state. McGee was treated by paramedics and transported to Oktibbeha County Hospital. He was later transported to the Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus, where he is expected to recover, police officials said. This was the second incident involving a worker falling at the new lumber warehouse. On Sept. 20, Jorge Melo, another construction worker, fell from a steel beam while reaching for some bolts. Melo later died at Oktibbeha County Hospital from injuries suffered in the fall.
Worker Killed When Telephone Pole Falls Freak Accident Kills Roseville Telephone Employee SACRAMENTO -- A Roseville Telephone employee was killed Wednesday when the pole he was climbing snapped at the base and fell into Greenback Lane. The worker was climbing the pole near Fair Oaks Boulevard shortly before 11 a.m., witnesses reported, when it began to tip. The pole then broke and fell into traffic. The man, whose identity was not immediately known, was killed in the fall, said Capt. Pat Ellis of the Sacramento Metro Fire Department. Ellis said it appeared the base of the pole was rotted out, but that the exact cause would not be known until officials from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and Roseville Telephone completed an investigation. Roseville Telephone investigators on the scene declined immediate comment.
Worker killed at casino job site THE ASSOCIATED PRESS UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- A construction worker at the Mohegan Sun casino fell 17 stories to his death on Monday, state police said. The man was part of a crew working on the new $1.1 billion Sunburst project, a casino, hotel, entertainment, retail and restaurant complex, scheduled to have a grand opening this morning. His name was not released.
Waynesburg man dies after falling 55 feet Publication Date: 9/23/01 LEXINGTON -- A Waynesburg man died Friday morning after a 55-foot fall from the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center. Daniel Louis Adams, 62, died from blunt force trauma as a result of the fall from the Center for the Aging, according to the office of the Lexington-Fayette County Coroner. He was working for Huskisson Masonry at the center when he stepped out of a window onto some scaffolding just after 8 a.m. A board broke, causing the fall. He was pronounced dead by the UK emergency room medical staff. An autopsy was performed Friday in Frankfort. University of Kentucky police and OSHA are investigating.
Area farmer dies in fall by John Ph. Graf A rural Galesville man fell to his death Monday morning. Eugene A. Frederick, 47, was apparently trying to open the top of a mineral tank on his farm on Oak Ridge Drive, when the rope holding the ladder he was on broke. According to a Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department news release, Frederick and the ladder fell backwards off the tank and onto the cement about 17 feet below. Frederick died the result of head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by coroner Bonnie Kindschy.
Worker in fair condition after fall Friday, September 14, 2001, By Will Kangas, Staff Writer A 43-year-old Lansing man lost his balance and fell from the roof of three-and-a-half story Muffitt Hall on Thursday morning on the campus of Spring Arbor University. Bob Strunk remains in fair condition Friday morning after he was brought by ambulance to Foote Hospital and then flown to University of Michigan Hospital by helicopter around 11:30 a.m.The rescue flight had a slight delay in getting clearance to fly because of strict Federal Aviation Administration clearance requirements after Tuesday's acts of terrorism. The helicopter met Strunk at Foote instead of flying to campus, said Chief Dick Greenslade of the Spring Arbor Fire Department.Strunk had been talking to a co-worker on the ground and lost his footing when he turned to go back to work, said Spring Arbor Police Chief Russell Ratkiewicz.After weeks of work for Theusch Contracting of Lansing, Strunk was on his last day of roofing Muffitt Hall, co-worker Art Theusch said. The hall is primarily a female dormitory. Theusch was working on the same building when he heard Strunk fall. "As he was falling, he grabbed and was hanging on the edge," Theusch said. "But he couldn't get back up." Ratkiewicz said the Spring Arbor Police Department investigated the accident and will notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which may conduct its own investigation. Tim Theusch, owner of Theusch Contracting, could not be reached.
Retiree dies in fall while helping to fix up church Friday, September 14, 2001, By Lisa Medendorp, CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER Always eager to aid his church, Robert Smith Sr. was up on scaffolding Tuesday, helping his pastor put bricks on the side of the fellowship hall, when both men suddenly tumbled to the ground. "The board just kind of twisted on us and we fell," said The Rev. Richard Wadsworth, pastor of Ravenna Free Methodist Church. The minister was bruised, but Smith lost his life. The 71-year-old retired mechanical technician was taken to Mercy General Health Partners Sherman Campus where a hospital official said he died Wednesday. A death certificate indicated he died from injuries suffered in the fall. "I really don't know how it happened," Wadsworth said of the accident. "He must have taken a blow to the head." They fell approximately 12 to 15 feet, he said. "Bob was a solid, Christian man and he's in peace in Heaven right now. We know that," Wadsworth said. "He's going to be greatly missed." Wadsworth said his congregation is in "total shock." About 65 people regularly attend Sunday services at the church on South Ravenna Road. "Bob was here every Wednesday and Sunday night," Wadsworth said. The pastor said Smith, who had experience as a bricklayer, was working with Wadsworth and two other people when the accident occurred about 10 a.m. Much of the work at the church is done by volunteers who are age 50 and over, he said. "He was in good health. He'd work sometimes all morning and come back in the afternoon and work," the pastor said. "He was loved by everyone. He had a good sense of humor and always had a joke to tell." Smith, of Ravenna, is survived by his wife, Maxine, and his mother, Frances Smith of Traverse City. His first wife, Joyce, preceded him in death. His sons are Jerry and Donald Smith of Traverse City; Robert and Kenneth Smith of Muskegon; John Smith of Ravenna; and Randy Smith of Newaygo. His daughters are Marlene Alexander of Tennessee and Barbara Jean Smith of Muskegon. He is also survived by his stepson, Paul Deno, of Maryland and two stepdaughters, Mary MacLaren of Holland and Janet Wilson of Muskegon. He was grandfather to 32 children. Smith had retired from Gardner-Denver in Grand Haven. Visitation at Throop Funeral Home in Ravenna is set for 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. today. The funeral service will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Ravenna Free Methodist Church.
UPDATE, Second worker dies from injuries CULVER - The investigation into safety procedures at the Culver-Union Township Library construction site will likely intensify now that a second worker has died from injuries he sustained at the site. A spokesperson at Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne confirmed Luiz Garza, 25, of Plymouth died Saturday morning from massive head injuries he sustained after falling into an elevator shaft Wednesday. W.A. Sheets and Sons of Fort Wayne began working on the project earlier this year to expand the Culver-Union Township Library, located on the 100 block of North Main Street. An employee at the site told the Pilot News Garza worked for one of the sub-contractors at the site. Details of the accident are sketchy. Garza was reportedly working with a large drill on Wednesday when it jammed or came to a sudden stop, and knocked Garza off balance. He fell about 16 feet into the elevator shaft, according to Plymouth paramedic/Marshall County Coroner John Grolich, who has been investigating the work site along with the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Plymouth EMS received a call to assist Culver EMS just after 6 a.m. When rescue units arrived on the scene, Garza was at the bottom of the elevator shaft, unconscious and bleeding from the head. Garza was transported to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Inc.-Plymouth Campus, where at one point, he regained consciousness, according to paramedics. While en route to the hospital, the Culver ambulance broke down. Garza was moved to the Plymouth ambulance and taken to the hospital. Later that morning Garza was airlifted to Parkview Memorial Hospital where he died four days later. The accident marks the second tragedy to strike at the work site during the past six weeks. In August, Clarence Strawderman, 45, of Walkerton, was electrocuted in what co-workers described as an a bizarre accident. A Culver resident managed to capture the accident that killed Strawderman on video tape. A tort notice has been filed in connection to Strawderman's death by Merrillville attorney Mark Psinos, who said he will name every agency that allegedly played a role in Strawderman's death in the tort. Culver Clerk-Treasurer Chandra Mevis said she has turned over a copy of the tort to the town's insurance agency. Government entities have 90 days to respond to a tort notice. At that time the attorney filing the tort can pursue legal action. There have been no orders by IOSHA to stop work at the construction site. Work was halted for one day in August to allow employees at the site to attend Strawderman's funeral.
Slips, Trips, and Falls Accidents #1 This page was last updated on 05/06/2010
FIREMAN HURT IN TRAINING FALL By PHILIP MESSING September 2, 2001 -- A firefighter suffered a broken arm yesterday when he fell from a ladder during training in Brooklyn. The Ladder Company 111 firefighter, whose name was not released, plunged 15 feet from a bucket atop a tower ladder during a drill at Stuyvesant and Lexington avenues.
Fall, shock killed man, autopsy says A Ridgeway man who fell some 65 feet from a cherry picker in Buena Vista while working on football field lights died of "electrocution and blunt force injuries," an autopsy has concluded. Dr. Gregory P. Wanger of the state medical examiner's office said Tuesday he believes John A. Bradshaw, 42, still was alive when he fell from the work basket over the Parry McCluer High School football field. Wanger said he could not say whether Bradshaw was coherent after coming in contact with a live electric line before the fall Friday night. Bradshaw was pronounced dead early Saturday morning at Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington, Phil Ragland, a Buena Vista Police Department investigator, said Tuesday. Bradshaw had been hoisted up to the lights "when he reached for a safety cable to connect his safety belt," recounted Bradshaw's brother, Charles Bradshaw, on Saturday morning. "There was not supposed to be power on it," Charles Bradshaw, said, but the line "was energized." John Bradshaw was co-owner of Triangle Electric Corp. Charles Bradshaw is the firm's treasurer. Ragland said Bradshaw appeared to be unconscious when he fell. When Ragland got the emergency call, he said, he was told that a man was hung up in a cherry picker. Arriving at the scene, Ragland found Bradshaw slumped in the work basket with one leg in and the other out of the basket, he said. One of Bradshaw's two co-workers, who were standing on the ground, summoned police, Ragland said. Before electrical power to the light pole was cut, a member of the emergency medical crew was shocked when he came in contact with the pole, said Ragland. The medical worker, who was not seriously injured, was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital. In the meantime, the fire department had extended a truck ladder with rescue personnel toward Bradshaw, said Ragland. Ragland said he had ordered a backup fire truck with a longer ladder because it appeared the ladder of the truck on hand was not long enough to reach Bradshaw. Bradshaw had begun to regain consciousness and make disoriented movements to right himself, said Ragland, as rescue workers atop a ladder on the first truck cautioned him not to move. Either ignoring them or unaware of their pleas, Ragland said, Bradshaw fell 60-65 feet to the ground. Though Ragland said he was not certain whether the ladder on the second truck would have been long enough to reach Bradshaw, he said the rescue workers on the first truck would have been able to secure him until a longer ladder arrived. A graveside funeral for Bradshaw will begin at 11 this morning at Horsepasture Christian Church Cemetery.
Man dies after building site accident A 27-year-old County Galway man has died in hospital following a building site accident. He was working on a building at Charlestown, Co Mayo, yesterday when he fell 40ft. His name has not yet been released. Gardai and the Health and Safety Authority are carrying out separate investigations.
Worker Falls From Scaffolding On Freeway Cause Of Accident Under Investigation Posted: 10:46 a.m. EDT September 5, 2001 MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich.-- A construction worker is recovering after falling from scaffolding on a local freeway. Madison Heights police say that the worker fell from the scaffolding on the Interstate 75 overpass onto 12 Mile Road. The man was listed in fair condition at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital. The cause of the accident is under investigation. No other information was available.
Worker crushed to death at site By Courtney Lingle, Special to The Denver Post Wednesday, September 05, 2001 - A construction worker died Tuesday morning in Adams County when a 20,000-ton steel form used to make concrete beams crushed him. Salvistio Fontez-Salazar, 40, of Brighton, leaves behind a wife and five children. He was assembling the forms just before 8 a.m. at the CSR Hydro Conduit construction site at 8600 Welby Road when he was crushed between two of the massive forms, said Sgt. Michael McIntosh of the Adams County Sheriff's Department. Fontez-Salazar died at the scene from chest injuries. Ed Anderson, regional manager of CSR Hydro Conduit, said Fontez-Salazar had worked for the company for five years, and called him a very popular employee and an "excellent worker." "The entire company is grieving for him and his family," Anderson said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun an investigation, but would not release any findings until the probe is complete. Investigators will interview workers and company officials and look closely at everything that took place on the job site at the time of the accident, said Rich Kulczewski, regional public affairs director for the U.S. Department of Labor. Anderson said the company has a strict safety policy already in place, and has won awards for safety. This was the 10th fatal construction accident during the past year in Colorado. On July 31, Miguel Cervantes-Munguia, 37, died from internal injuries sustained when he fell 40 feet from a cement mixer at a construction site in Aurora. The dust collector on the machine collapsed, causing Cervantes-Munguia and his brother Julio Cervantes to fall to the ground. Cervantes suffered minor injuries. Both men were working for Castle Rock Construction.
Two killed in fall at Trinidad's Atlantic LNG work site PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Two men working on the expansion of the Atlantic liquefied natural gas plant in Trinidad fell 80 feet (24 metres) to their deaths from a scaffolding platform, the company said Friday. Work at the construction site, where 2,500 people are employed, has been temporarily halted to allow an investigation of the accident, which occurred Thursday night, Atlantic LNG officials said. The two Trinidadians were working on a 160,000 cubic metre tank and employed by a subcontractor building the tank. Atlantic LNG is owned by a consortium of companies including BP Amoco Plc, the British Gas unit of BG Group Repsol , Cabot and the National Gas company of Trinidad and Tobago. The expansion project will increase the plant's LNG output from the current 3 million tonnes per year to 9 million tonnes per year.
Man dies after fall at elevator Sept. 6, 2001, By PHYLLIS J. ZORN, Hays Daily News ELLIS - An employee of the Golden Belt Cooperative grain elevator died this morning after falling into a grain pit. Few details concerning the accident were immediately available after emergency personnel were called to a report that someone had fallen into a grain pit at the farm co-op. The employee, identified only as an employee of the elevator and believed to be in his 50s, was pulled from the pit at about noon. He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical technicians. Officials notified the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and were awaiting arrival of the district coroner before leaving the scene. Ellis Police Chief Leonard DeBolt said the man apparently fell into the pit at about 11 a.m. Other employees of the elevator apparently were near the pit, but it was uncertain how he fell. _It was an unfortunate tragedy,_ DeBolt said of the accident. _You just can4t work fast enough to get someone out of a situation like that. We had two grain pumps going, and you just can4t work fast enough._ The pumps were called to the scene in an attempt to remove the grain from the pit. Rescuers worked feverishly late this morning to remove grain from the main dump pit at the elevator where the worker apparently had fallen. The dump pit is the primary location used by farmers when they unload grain during harvest. Grain goes into the pit and is then moved by a conveyor belt to buckets for eventual distribution to the different bins at an elevator. The pit is located just east of where the elevator4s main office building is located. A small army of emergency personnel employees were on the scene, with representatives from Ellis and Ellis County fire departments, Ellis and Hays police departments, the Ellis County sheriff4s office and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Man injured in fall at construction site CULVER - A construction worker sustained serious head injuries at the Culver-Union Township site Wednesday when he fell into an elevator shaft. Luiz Garza was transported by ambulance to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Inc.-Plymouth Campus and was later airlifted to Parkview Memorial Hospital. His condition was unknown at press time. Co-workers at the construction site believe Garza is about 25 years old. Garza's address was unknown at press time. A 911 call was made from the construction site about 6:15 a.m. The caller stated Garza was working near the elevator shaft when he slipped and fell about 16 feet. He was unconscious and bleeding from the head, but paramedics from Culver and Plymouth said Garza regained consciousness when they arrived. Rescue workers removed Garza from the shaft and into the ambulance. While en route to the hospital the Culver Community Ambulance broke down on Ind. 17. Fortunately the Plymouth ambulance was following the Culver unit to the hospital. Garza was moved to the Plymouth ambulance and taken to the emergency room. The Culver-Union Township Library is being expanded from 4,500 square feet to more than 19,000 square feet in order to meet the needs of the library for the next 20-30 years. Since work began there has been two serious accidents at the site, one of which resulted in a fatality. It is the same site where a construction worker was electrocuted earlier this year. Clarance Strawderman, 45, of Walkerton, was electrocuted during what co-workers called a freak accident in July. That accident remains under investigation. Witnesses claims Strawderman was standing in wet cement at the top of a wall. He was using a hose with a metal nozzle to wet down more concrete as it was being poured into the wall. A boom truck allegedly came around and hit three power lines. Witnesses at the scene said the wires were not wrapped. The truck hit the wires causing a power surge. A line of electricity arced about seven feet, hitting Strawderman, who was then knocked backwards into the nearby scaffolding. Strawderman was declared dead at the scene by Marshall County Coroner John Grolich. Strawderman was employed by W.A. Sheets and Sons of Fort Wayne. Garza was employed by one of the subcontractors on the project.
Roofer dies after falling from top of Edison Tech By Breea Willingham, Democrat and Chronicle (Saturday, September 8, 2001) -- A 36-year-old man died yesterday after falling three stories from the roof of Edison Technical and Occupational Educational Center -- the school he graduated from in 1983. Michael Smalls had a broken leg and complained of back pain after falling at about 10:40 a.m., said his father, Ervin Smalls. Smalls said he talked to his son in the emergency room at Rochester General Hospital. "I said, 'You got a headache?' and he said, 'No, I don't have a headache, but my back hurts.' I asked him what happened and he said, 'I don't know. I just fell.' "A few seconds later he went into shock, and 10 minutes later they (doctors) asked if I wanted them to get a priest," his father said. Michael Smalls worked for LTS Construction & Roofing, a Rochester business owned by his brother and managed by his father. Smalls said he asked his son to go to Edison, on Colfax Street, to measure the roof. The younger man was atop the gym, at the southeast corner of the building, when he fell. A police officer who was in the area saw the fall and called for an ambulance. The incident is being ruled as an accidental death, said Rochester police Sgt. Carlos Garcia. The City School District, Police Department and federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration are investigating. No students or school staff members were involved. But counselors will be available if students need to talk about the accident, said a letter sent home with Edison students yesterday. Roofing was Michael Smalls' life, his father said. "He was a roofer from the heart. It's what he did from Day One," Smalls said. "He was so safe. He taught safety classes for me. I still can't see what happened."
Worker dies in accident at grain silo An investigation is under way after a man was killed and another seriously injured in an accident at a grain plant. It is believed the two men, who were carrying out maintenance work, fell 40 feet on to a concrete floor from a silo at Coastal Grains, Belford, Northumberland. The man who survived with serious injuries, was taken by air ambulance to Wansbeck General Hospital for treatment, following the incident at 1530 BST on 8 September. He was later transferred to Newcastle General Hospital, where his condition was described as critical. The Health and Safety Executive is carrying out an investigation. Chairman of Coastal Grains, Sandy Mole, said: "Everyone here at the plant is in a state of shock. "We have suspended intakes and Health and Safety will be preparing an initial report into what happened." A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: "We were informed about the incident by the police. "An inspector attended and we are investigating."
Worker killed in 40-foot fall By John Ingold, Denver Post Staff Writer
OSHA looking into death of roofer 08/01/01, Mentor A man working on a roof at a wastewater treatment plant was killed Monday when he fell 26 feet onto a concrete floor. Timothy N. Bowling, 26, of Lafayette Rd., Lodi, died of severe head and brain injuries, according to Lake County Coroner Salvatore Rizzo. Mentor police Lt. John Jaros said Bowling was working for Commercial Siding Maintenance Co. Inc. in Painesville, replacing the sheet metal on the roof of the Greater Mentor Wastewater Treatment Plant at 8471 Lake Shore Blvd. at 1 p.m. when he fell. Co-workers said Bowling stepped on a piece of loose siding that gave way and he fell onto the large plant's cement floor, Jaros said. Tom Pontuti, assistant area director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Cleveland office, said the office was notified yesterday morning and sent investigators to the plant, which is owned by Lake County. "Roofers are supposed to use some sort of protection," Pontuti said. "That could include a number of options from a harness to either a safety belt or a safety line. It appears that he did not have any protection. But as to what caused the fall, we are still investigating the accident." Pontuti said Commercial Roofing had been cited in the past for safety violations. According to OSHA records, Commercial Siding was fined $840 in December for serious safety violations at a work site in Chester Township. The company was cited for failing to have fall protection devices and fall protection training. A spokeswoman at Commercial Siding who would not give her name said company officials were saddened by the death. She said the fall was a "tragic accident" and that the company was cooperating with OSHA investigators.
UPDATE, OSHA probes worker's death The agency will try to find if safety rules were broken on the International Plaza job site. By LINDA GIBSON, St. Petersburg Times, published August 3, 2001 TAMPA -- The federal agency in charge of worker safety is investigating the death of a 27-year-old laborer who fell off scaffolding at the International Plaza construction site. Christopher Gene Price of Treasure Island died July 29 at St. Joseph's Hospital after five days in a coma, said his mother, Patricia Lee Downs. He was working alone on a 12-foot scaffold that morning, his mother said. Two co-workers found him lying unconscious on the concrete foundation about 11:20 a.m. Doctors told Downs that Price had broken bones in his face and head. He died of a heart attack without regaining consciousness, she said. Price had worked for two years for Merit Electric Co. of Largo. The company specializes in retail construction. Other local projects included the Brandon TownCenter and the Citrus Park Town Center, said Merit vice president Bud Wooten. It has about 30 employees at the International Plaza site. Price was the first Merit employee to die on the job since the company was founded 50 years ago, Wooten said Thursday. Records of the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration, which is investigating the death, show that Merit was most recently fined for violations in 1998. One involved a housekeeping violation, failing to keep walkways clear of construction debris. The other was for a stairway that was not equipped with a railing. Les Grove, acting area administrator for OSHA in Tampa, said he could not comment on an active investigation. But in general, the agency will try to determine whether Merit failed to comply with safety regulations. The 1.3-million-square-foot mall on Westshore Boulevard is scheduled to open next month.
Builders to walk off over death By MARK PHILLIPS, industrial reporter, 03aug01 ALL commercial construction in Victoria will stop today as 55,000 building workers walk off the job following a workplace death yesterday. The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union has called a statewide stoppage after a 45-year-old man was killed on a site at Derrimut yesterday morning. The man, from Yarragon, died after he fell about 10 metres onto a concrete floor, when the scissor lift on which he was standing toppled over at 9.25am. WorkCover is investigating the death. WorkCover spokeswoman Jasmine Sussex said the man had been installing foam panels at a refrigerated store in Swann Drive, Derrimut. He was employed by Precedent Contractors, a sub-contractor at the site. The only witness was a forklift driver who was too distressed to speak. It is the fourth death in the construction industry this year and the third workplace death in Victoria this week. CFMEU state secretary Martin Kingham said about 55,000 building workers would stop work today as a sign of respect for their dead colleague. They would not return to work on Monday until a safety inspection had been completed at each construction site. The spate of deaths comes as the State Government prepares to introduce an offence of industrial manslaughter at the next session of Parliament. A delegation from Trades Hall met Attorney-General Rob Hulls yesterday to urge the Government not to back down over the planned legislation. Mr Kingham said this week's deaths showed the need for continued vigilance to force employers to focus on safety. He said it was expected that the state Opposition would attempt to block the legislation. "But privately a huge number of employers will acknowledge that, in extreme cases, a more effective deterrent is needed," he said. The CFMEU has called for the Cole Royal Commission into the building industry to also investigate its "appalling" safety record. "The fact remains that we're (the union) accused by the Federal Government of abusing our industrial powers over safety matters, but if we don't, we know lots more people would die," Mr Kingham said.
5 Fall, 2 hurt in collapse at hotel construction site Witnesses say beam gave way as new floor was being poured By MICHELLE CROUCH Two workers were injured Saturday after part of an uptown hotel construction site collapsed, plunging them 50 feet down in a sea of wet concrete and construction debris. Their injuries were not life threatening, fire officials said. The accident occurred just after 10 a.m. at Stonewall and College streets across from the Convention Center, where the hotel is just starting to show its skeleton. The 700-room Westin is due to open in late 2002. Workers said they were pouring concrete when a beam beneath them gave way. "I heard a big noise like a tree breaking, and I started running," said Zenon Hernandez, 25, who works for Signature Concrete. "When I turned back, I saw that people had fallen to the ground." A total of five workers fell in the accident, officials said. Two were taken to a nearby hospital. Their names were not released. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the cause of the accident, said Charlotte Fire Department spokesman Rob Brisley. It was unclear when they would have a report. The project was behind schedule because a large quantity of granite in the ground hindered construction for weeks, project director Rulf Stute told The Observer last month. To make up for lost time, crews were working extra: 10 hours a day, six days a week. Saturday, officials from builder J.A. Jones said the rush played no role in the accident. "We worked extra hours, but we didn't take any shortcuts," said Jim Watson, corporate safety director for J.A. Jones. "This was a structural failure." J.A. Jones spokesman Steve Luquire initially said crews would be back at the site "at 6 a.m. sharp Monday morning." Later, he altered his statement, saying the company would wait for a report from a structural engineer to make sure the site was safe. About 80 workers from three subcontractors - American Pan and Engineering, Signature Concrete and National Erectors - were on the site Saturday. Emergency officials called to the scene initially thought as many as 10 people were trapped or hurt, Brisley said. But co-workers were able to rescue most of them. "We were very lucky," he said. Once complete, the hotel will be the city's largest. It will include a stop for the Charlotte trolley, a parking garage with 1,650 spaces and 1,245 square feet of retail space. The city's tourism officials, who have often bemoaned the lack of uptown hotel rooms, are looking forward to its completion. The city contributed $16million toward the $144million cost of the project.
Sandwich resident injured falling from scaffold CAPE COD TIMES SANDWICH - A 40-year-old Forestdale man was airlifted to a Boston hospital after falling 25 feet from a scaffolding Friday afternoon. Thomas Greene was working at a home on Fairfield Drive when he fell. Sandwich rescue responded and immediately called for a helicopter. Greene was flown from Sandwich Hollows golf course to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was treated and released.
UPDATE, Name Released in Industrial Accident By AP Staff Police on Friday released the identity of a metal manufacturing employee who died when he fell into a vat of caustic chemicals. John M. Knight, 49, tumbled into an elevated tank full of 180-degree degreaser on Thursday while he worked at PCC Structurals, a subsidiary of the Portland-based Precision Castparts Corp. Knight's co-workers pulled him out, but paramedics were unable to revive him. The state Occupational Safety and Health Division is investigating the accident to determine if the company violated the Oregon Safe Employment Act, said Steve Corson, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Business and Consumer Affairs, which oversees OHSA. "The bottom line is, we want to know specifically what went on and why it happened," he said. Precision Castparts is cooperating with the investigation, said Dwight Weber, a company spokesman. Knight, who lived in Sandy with his wife and four children, had worked for PCC Structurals for six months.
Window washer dies after fall Tuesday, August 07, 2001 A window washer died yesterday when he fell about 40 feet from a window at South Vo Tech High School. Paul Snow, 54, of Braddock, was taken to Mercy Hospital, after sustaining head injuries, two broken legs, a fractured pelvis and other broken bones. He died at about 3:45 p.m. Snow was working on a third-floor window that faces an air shaft in the middle of the school, located on Carson Street on the South Side. The accident happened around 11:45 a.m. No one saw Snow fall. Co-workers said he was probably sitting on the window ledge, with his legs inside the building and his back to the air shaft. He was not harnessed, a co-worker said, because the windows on that floor are customarily cleaned from the inside and there is nothing on the outside on which to attach a harness. The third floor windows pivot in the middle. Co-workers speculated that the window swung out and knocked Snow over. Snow landed on his side on a metal grate at the basement level. Snow had washed windows at the school many times, workers said, and had been in the business for at least 20 years.
Man hurt in fall through roof at Atlantic States 08/07/01, By PETER HALL, The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG - A construction worker was seriously injured Monday morning when he fell through the roof of a building at the Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co. foundry on Sitgreaves Street. Nebil Maazoun, 37, of Wood Street in Bethlehem suffered head, neck, back and leg injuries when he fell between 20 and 25 feet to a concrete floor at about 8:30 a.m., Phillipsburg police said. He was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township where he was listed in critical condition. Maazoun is an employee of Challenge Construction Inc. of Upper Milford Township and was working on the roof of a building. Challenge Construction officials would not comment on the incident. The foundry was shut down for routine maintenance on Monday, an Atlantic States manager said. The foundry is Phillipsburg's oldest industry and employs about 300 people. In the last two years the plant has been the site of two fatal accidents and a spate of less serious incidents. Alfred E. Coxe, 47, of North Whitehall Township, a millwright and foreman at the foundry, died March 24, 2000, after he was struck on the leg and then run over by a forklift. An electrician, Sonnie J. Peacock, 54, of Harmony Township, died in January 1999 as he repaired a conveyor motor on an elevated platform at the foundry. In December 2000, a fire tore through a paint shop at the plant when a welder's torch ignited paint residue on the floor. No one was injured in the fire.
Construction worker impaled on steel pole after slip from roof By JANET LETHGO, Staff Writer FRANKLIN — A construction worker fell from the roof of a Cool Springs restaurant yesterday in a bizarre accident and was impaled on a steel pole. He died later at Williamson Medical Center. ''We have lots of construction accidents, but this one is different,'' said Williamson County Medical Center spokeswoman Laura Bustetter. Those at the job site at CoolSprings Galleria gathered in groups as emergency medical technicians worked frantically on Jeffrey Feltz to administer CPR and stop the man's bleeding. Vanderbilt University Medical Center's LifeFlight helicopter was called after the 10 a.m. accident but canceled its trip, fueling speculation that the worker might not survive. Bustetter said he was in surgery until about 4 p.m.. Feltz died about 7:30 p.m. Feltz, from Georgia, was on his second day of work at Carrabba's Italian Grill when he apparently slipped from the roof. Feltz was impaled on a thin pole about 12 feet below the roof. The pole, about 5 feet long, was one of two marking dimensions for a stacked stone wall near the front door. Feltz quickly lost consciousness. His co-workers stood silently by while EMTs gave chest compressions. Members of the Franklin Fire Department shielded the scene with a blanket, while a fire truck blocked the view from hundreds of cars that were in the area. The restaurant, off Cool Springs Boulevard south of the mall, is set to open next month. Restaurant executive Bob Frey, who opened Brentwood's Outback Steakhouse eight years ago, said the Carrabba's project had been trouble-free until yesterday. ''This has been such a pleasant positive experience. All of the workers have been happy and proud of the way the restaurant is coming,'' Frey said. Feltz was atop Carrabba's unusual roof, a steel reinforced, poured concrete planter designed to carry more than 300,000 pounds. It holds more than 500 trees and plants, including magnolia trees. The injured worker was at the front of the restaurant and may have slipped on some aluminum material at the lip of the roof. Construction workers had just been at a work safety meeting dealing with issues like security harnesses. After the accident, most returned to work.
Atlantic utility worker falls 10 feet while in manhole August 9, 2001 - 12:23 AM, By PAT ARNEY, Staff Writer
Lucky escape for workers Trapped man rescued, rest had minor injuries Cal Millar and Alison Taylor, STAFF REPORTERS All things considered, it was a lucky day for construction worker Reuben Ponte and his co-workers. Ponte, 20, was trapped for four hours in the midday sun yesterday after a large scaffolding collapsed like giant matchsticks at a road construction site in Etobicoke. Snapped pieces of reinforced metal and huge wooden beams enveloped the construction worker when the makeshift floor gave way around 10 a.m. ``I had just finished putting down a piece of burlap,'' Ponte said. ``I had my back turned (to the site) and the whole thing just came crashing down. Ponte fell backward, doing several somersaults, finally landing on his back in a pile of hot, wet concrete, about seven metres into the debris. A fellow worker, Anthony Fasullo, rushed in to help Ponte. Using water and intravenous packs, Fasullo helped Ponte wash the corrosive concrete off his skin. ``I wasn't really scared, but it didn't really sink in. I was just amazed we were alive,'' Ponte said last night in his North Hamilton living room. Later, specially trained firefighters David Dunt and Matt Drenters rappelled about 20 metres from an aerial platform and pulled them both to safety. ``We were surrounded by sinking cement,'' said Dunt. ``If you'd step in it you'd sink down to your ankles at least and deeper . . . . The structure was very insecure. At any point you're working with the knowledge that something could collapse on you.'' At the time of the accident, there were 10 workers on the scaffolding at the site on the southbound ramp from Highway 427 to Brown's Line. The other workers were not trapped and had minor injuries, officials said. ``If somebody was underneath that structure when it came down it would have been a very serious injury,'' said Lloyd Ferguson, general manager of the Dufferin Construction Company, which is responsible for the $30 million project, together with the Ministry of Transportation. About 525 tonnes of concrete had been poured into the structure, according to Ferguson. One of the major concerns throughout the rescue was the overpowering heat. Fasullo used a blanket to shade Ponte from the sun and rescue workers were able to get water to both. Despite the heat, rescue crews were not taking any chances by rushing things. ``This was a very unstable structure,'' said Alan Craig, acting general manager of Toronto's Ambulance. ``Once it had given way we couldn't take any chances of climbing around on it for fear the whole thing would let go and all of a sudden we'd take a safe situation and turn it into a fatality.'' Ponte was lifted out by 2 p.m. and rushed to hospital with leg and back injuries. He was discharged by evening. Ferguson was unwilling to speculate about the cause of the accident but he was very pleased that none of the workers was severely hurt. The provincial labour ministry is investigating.
Construction worker in critical care
UPDATE, Missing safety device may be cause of construction accident ELNORA — A missing safety bar may have contributed to a serious accident at the North Daviess Elementary School building site. While School Superintendent Wayne Pearl was not at the site at the time of the Wednesday accident he said Thursday it is his understanding that a safety bar across one end of the scaffolding was not in place when Jonathon Hamm fell 12 to 13 feet to the concrete floor in a classroom under construction. David Statler, field services representative with The Odle McGuire & Shook Corp., architects on the project, said Thursday no one really knows what happened. “As I understand it, he was working alone,” Statler said. “The foreman went to get material and came back and found him. He may have been alone for less than 10 minutes. There were no witnesses to the incident.” Hamm, an employee of Danco Construction, a metal, stud and drywall subcontractor to general contractor Krempp Construction, Jasper, was taken to Daviess Community Hospital by Southwest Medical Services following the 10 a.m. accident and then airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis by Air Evac Lifeteam. He suffered a skull fracture and three fractured vertebra, according to Pearl. He is a patient in the neuro critical care unit at the Indianapolis hospital. Pearl said the general contractor carries liability insurance on the work site, not the school system.
Worker hurt at Utilities' substation worksite A man working at the site of a new Hutchinson Utilities substation was injured Monday when he fell into a basement located under a concrete equipment pad. According to Hutchinson Fire Chief Brad Emans, the Hutchinson Ambulance and Hutchinson Fire Department was called to the scene, which is about five miles south of Hutchinson on County Road 25, at 11:03 a.m. The injured worker, identified as David Tifft, a mechanic in the power supply division, apparently fell through an opening in the concrete pad and landed in about 10 inches of water. He was conscious, but complained of back pain and numbness in his left arm, according to Emans. The victim was lifted out of the eight- to 10-foot deep basement with the help of a crane on the construction site and was airlifted to a Twin Cities hospital. No further information on his condition was available as this edition of the Leader went to the press. A transformer, a key component of the project, was delivered to the substation site last week.
OSHA Fines Lansdale Sports Store Over Worker Death (08/15/01) by KYW's Michelle Pollino The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued four citations to a Montgomery County sporting goods store following the death of a store employee. OSHA has cited The Sports Authority in Lansdale and fined the retailer more than $25,000. Police say 18-year-old Raymond Campion Jr. died February 18th after he fell backward onto his head while reaching for an 87-pound weight bench on a top shelf. Tom Doherty is a response team leader with OSHA: "There are four citiations. One was for not having proper guarding on the floor, the other was for not having personal protective equipment. The next one was, the operator of the forklift was not properly trained." The final citation concerned leaving an industrial truck unattended. Frank Bubb, an attorney for The Sports Authority in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, says the company will appeal OSHA's findings. He says Campion's death was the first in the company's history.
Construction worker killed in Gardnerville accident Associated Press, Thursday August 30th, 2001 GARDNERVILLE (AP) — A 39-year-old construction worker was killed Wednesday when he apparently fell from a crane in an accident at a new housing division in southwest Carson Valley. Raymond Eric Bauer, who recently moved to Nevada from southern California, was working in an aerial bucket on a crane when the machine tipped over, Douglas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lance Modispacher said Tuesday. Bauer fell or jumped, struck his head and died, Modispacher said. The apparent cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, he said. The accident occurred just before 10 a.m. at a housing subdivision called the Job’s Peak Ranch in an area off Foothill Road in Gardnerville. Bauer was employed by M.C. Neuffer Co. of Reno. He had no permanent address in Nevada. An autopsy was planned and the accident remained under investigation. Modispacher said it was not clear whether the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration would join the probe.
Men escape serious injury in fall Two roofers escaped serious injury when scaffolding collapsed Monday at a New Philadelphia residence, and they plummeted 18 to 20 feet to the ground. Robert Rollins, 31, of Uhrichsville was treated in Akron General Hospital for possible pelvic, wrist and back injuries. He was flown to Akron by Med-Flight helicopter from the New Philadelphia Airport. His partner, John Villwock, 47, also of Uhrichsville, was treated in Union Hospital at Dover for a possible wrist injury. The accident occurred in the back yard of a two-story residence in the 400 block of Fair Ave. NE at about 3:10 p.m. Mike Pearch, a New Philadelphia firefighter/paramedic, said the two were on the roof placing shingles when the scaffolding buckled, causing them to fall. Rollins first hit the ground on his feet and then fell backward. Villwock landed partially on top of Rollins, according to Jim Sholtz, a New Philadelphia firefighter/paramedic.
2 construction workers hurt in fall as building collapses By Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star Two construction workers on the Far-Eastside fell about 30 feet Friday when a giant piece of steel fell from the arm of a construction crane, sending about half of the skeletal structure of a warehouse tumbling. "The piece fell off the crane and hit the building," said Kim Schakel, who was sitting in a car across the street when the building collapsed about 11:30 a.m. "The whole building fell like dominoes."
Worker survives fall in industrial accident A worker survived a three-storey fall on Friday after he lost his balance and fell at a work site in Woodlands. Police said several workers were removing the scaffolding at Block 303, Woodlands Street 31 when the accident happened. According to workers, the injured man, a Singaporean in his thirties, lost his balance and fell as he was loosening his safety harness. He suffered head injuries as he hit the roof on the second floor before landing on the ground. The man was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition. Jurong Police Division is investigating the incident and those with information can call 261-0000.
Man rescued from compactor Jeffrey MacDaniels of Rome became trapped in machine while attempting to repair it. A Rome man escaped serious injury Thursday evening after his arms became trapped in a trash compactor at a Rite Aid distribution center in the city. Jeffrey S. MacDaniels' upper body kept him from being pulled into the compactor after he fell onto a conveyor belt and his hands and arms became ensnared in the machinery, according to an Oneida County Sheriff's Department news release. MacDaniels, 23, a maintenance man at the center, was trying to fix a problem with the compactor when the accident happened around 7:50 p.m. Undersheriff Peter Paravati said MacDaniels climbed a ladder above the machine to listen for a strange noise. He left the machine running so he could hear the problem. MacDaniels was standing on the ladder, which was on the compacting machine. He was trying to maneuver a bar on the machine when his right hand became stuck in the machine, the release stated. His other hand also became stuck between the compactor's large rollers and a conveyor belt. Co-workers stopped the machine and rescued MacDaniels. An ambulance then took him to Rome City Hospital. Hospital officials said he was treated and released. Paravati said MacDaniels' employers told deputies they would notify the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration about the accident.
Blaze near airport injures firefighters; Attempted truck repairs set off Thermo King fire A large industrial fire broke out Sunday afternoon, rocking the facility with explosions and sending several firefighters to the hospital. The plumes of smoke from the fire at Thermo King of Indiana Inc. were visible for miles. The fire broke out at about 2 p.m. at the 7924 Burch Park Drive business, near Evansville Regional Airport. Thermo King is in the business of heating and cooling systems for trucks and other transportation equipment. The fire started during a mechanic’s attempted repair to a trailer’s refrigeration unit. Mark Reinicke, the mechanic, was treated and released from a local hospital, said McCutchanville Fire Department Assistant Chief Randy Gentry. The five injured firefighters were treated and released. Two were from McCutchanville, one from Scott and two from Knight. The most serious injury, said Gentry, was a McCutchanville firefighter who broke his arm when he fell about 7 feet from the top of a ladder truck. The fire was caused, Gentry said, by heat transfer from the mechanic’s cutting torch to the trailer’s load of shampoo. The tractor-trailer, owned by Dick Simon Trucking Inc. of Mobile, Ala., was brought in by Dudley Campbell and his wife, Connie. “I called ahead and the guy opened up for us,” Connie Campbell said Sunday. “We unhooked the tractor and parked in front of the trailer. I went to sleep. “Next thing I knew, Dudley was yelling, ‘Get up!’ I asked, ‘What’s going on?’ and he said, ‘It’s on fire.’” While she slept, Dudley Campbell said a mechanic he knew only as Mark began working on the trailer’s condenser, which had a leak. “He was welding,” said Dudley Campbell. “Then I heard him yell. He tried to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. “Then he opened the door to get to the fire inside the trailer. When he opened the door, the fire came toward the air. It set the building on fire.” Keith and Debbie Kinney saw the smoke from U. S. 41 and headed over to help. “We were afraid to get too close,” said Keith Kinney. “Things were exploding in the trailer. “The tractor was around back, getting ready to ram the gate so he could get out. I got the keys from the worker and let him out.” Debbie Kinney assisted the mechanic. “He had a pretty bad cut on his finger,” she said. “Mostly he was shaken up.” Don Moffett, chief of the McCutchanville Fire Department and incident commander, beat his trucks to the scene. “I was first on scene,” he said. “The fire was at the rear and around the trailer. By the time the trucks got here, fire was showing above all four overhead doors. “We went with an external attack, using several large-bore hoses. After the explosion, we got everybody back and set up master streams. We call that surround and drown.” There were several explosions, Moffett said, the largest of which was probably caused by a propane tank. The lower half of a propane tank was lying on the ground a few feet in front of the building, and bits of debris were scattered on the lawn of the business across the road. Moffett said the building was badly damaged, especially the north end, which housed four maintenance bays. “We put a tremendous amount of water on the fire,” he said. “We had two ladder trucks and three engines pumping water.” Moffett ordered firefighters out of the building at one point, when a brick wall, which was weakened by fire, water and explosions, began to bow. Firefighters from McCutchanville, Paradise, Scott, Knight and German township fire departments turned out to fight the fire, Moffett said, and the Ohio Township Fire Department from Warrick County provided manpower. “Those firefighters did great,” said Dudley Campbell. Debbie Kinney agreed. “These people are all volunteers,” she said. “It’s just amazing to see them turn out and give their all like this.” The Campbells were scheduled to deliver their cargo to Bristol-Myers Squibb this morning. “Now, we’ll be here until I get all the paperwork wrapped up,” said Dudley Campbell. “Then, I’ll call Mobile, get another load, and get back on the road.”
Local carnival worker dies from fall (Published Monday, July 02, 2001 11:48:52 AM CDT) Gazette Staff A Janesville man injured while working on a carnival ride June 24 has died. Walter T. Canterbury, 27, of 1208 Beloit Ave., died Saturday at University Hospital in Madison, according to the Dane County coroner's office. Canterbury had been in critical condition at the hospital after he fell from a carnival ride he was working on in Bert Deans Park in the village of Dane in Dane County. The cause of death was listed as anoxic brain injury due to a fall. Canterbury was working for Colonel's Rides of Janesville, which was supplying carnival rides at a firefighters' festival. An aunt said a memorial service was tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Canterbury's grandfather's grave in Edgerton, but that information could not be confirmed.
Railroad worker loses leg after accident; 32-year-old Pekin man was trying to apply hand brake to free-rolling car July 2, 2001, By SARAH OKESON of the Journal Star PEKIN - A Pekin man who had been working at a local railroad for only three days lost his left leg Sunday after a railroad car ran over him. Steven Peak, 32, 1918 Saint Clair Drive, whose leg was amputated above the knee, was listed in critical condition at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Doctors did not try to reattach his leg. Officials said Peak was being trained as a switchman at Peoria & Pekin Union Railroad Co. and was trying to set a hand brake to stop the car, a routine task that railroad employees do every day. "No telling how many times a day they do that," said John Freedman, the general manager of the railroad. "Why he fell off the rail car I have no idea. If someone has proper footing and a secure handhold it shouldn't happen." Peak was injured about 9:30 a.m. at the tracks near Front and Fayette streets, police said. He was taken to Pekin Hospital and then transferred to St. Francis. Freedman said railway workers were switching railroad cars and let one car roll free to a designated track where Peak was supposed to apply a hand brake to stop it. He was standing on the car about five feet above the ground when he fell. Freedman said there are no indications that drugs or alcohol were involved. The Federal Railroad Administration is investigating the accident. The Peoria & Pekin Railroad Co. was established about 1880 and has about 100 employees. It serves the industries in Peoria, East Peoria, Creve Coeur and Pekin. The accident Sunday was the second serious railroad accident in Pekin in less than seven months. On Dec. 16, 11-year-old Michael Buley and his 7-year-old brother, Christopher, had been playing on a train when Michael decided to jump off. Somehow, his glove got caught and he hit a snowbank, forcing him under the train. The wheels sliced off his legs near his groin.
O'Hare worker killed in runway fall By Joseph Sjostrom, Tribune staff reporter; July 6, 2001 An air cargo company worker fell to his death late Thursday from the cargo door of an airplane parked at O'Hare International Airport, according to police. Syed Hussain, 38, of the 100 block of East Belden Avenue in suburban Elmhurst, was stepping out of a Federal Express cargo jet just as a wheeled staircase was being moved away from the aircraft, said Thomas Donegan, a Chicago police spokesman. Hussain missed the staircase and fell about 20 feet to the pavement below, Donagan said. Hussain was taken to Lutheran General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 11 p.m., Donegan said.
Truck backs over worker, police say By River parishes bureau THIBODAUX — A garbage truck crewman was killed Friday morning when the truck backed over him, police Detective Mark Dennis said. Jonnathan E. Jones, 24, of Houma fell from the Solid Waste Disposal Inc. truck as it was backing up shortly before 7 a.m. on Gen. Nicholls Street in Thibodaux, Dennis said. The driver of the truck, unaware Jones had fallen, continued backing up and rolled over him. Jones, who had been employed by the disposal company for a month and a half, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lafourche Parish Corner’s Office. The driver, whose name was not made public, has worked in the disposal industry for about five years, Dennis said.
Worker killed in fall down elevator shaft Saturday, July 7, 2001, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF A construction worker died yesterday after falling down an elevator shaft. The accident happened about 2 p.m. at a construction site at 2801 Western Ave., near Clay Street, the Seattle Fire Department reported. Spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said the woman, who fell about 40 feet, was taken to Harborview Medical Center but did not survive her injuries. The accident will be investigated by the state Department of Labor and Industries. It was the third recent construction fatality in the area. On Thursday, a 52-year-old man was killed at a development in Auburn when he lost control of the asphalt roller he was driving. He was thrown from the piece of heavy equipment, which then ran over him. On June 27, a construction worker was killed when an 80-foot elm tree he was transplanting at Children's Hospital fell and crushed the cab of his crane.
Worker hurt after passenger gangway at international airport collapses sun-sentinel.com, Posted July 10 2001, 10:47 AM EDT FORT LAUDERDALE -- A worker received minor injuries Tuesday morning after a passenger gangway collapsed at Gate S-9 at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Broward Fire Rescue said. The workman, who was not immediately identified, was taken to Broward General Medical Center complaining of neck and back pains shortly after the 8:58 a.m. accident. Broward Fire Rescue spokesman Todd LeDuc said the jet bridge, or gangway, that collapsed connects the terminal to arriving and departing airplanes and allows passengers to board or disembark. The gangway was not in use by an airline, LeDuc said, but was being worked on by a contractor's crew. It was not immediately known what caused the gangway to shift, but LeDuc said, the bridge gave way and tilted to the ground, twisting as it fell on its side. When the collapse was complete the gangway was “nose down on the plane side and precariously attached on the terminal side,” Le Duc said. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was called in to investigate the collapse.
Man falls to death from water tower FAYETTEVILLE -- A construction worker who was working inside a water storage tower in Fayette County died Monday after slipping and falling 120 feet. The man, whose name was not immediately released, apparently fell while working on scaffolding, said Capt. Pete Nelms, a spokesman for the Fayette County Fire and Emergency Medical Service. Nelms said an emergency medical crew answered the 911 call around 10:40 a.m. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, he said. Authorities are trying to determine what caused the man to fall. Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration also are looking into the accident. Associated Press This article published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday, July 10, 2001.
CSEA: Rules violated in worker's death Tuesday, July 10, 2001, By Chris Iven The State University College at Oswego could have prevented the accidental death of one of its janitors in May, according to the union that represents some of the college's workers. A state investigation, however, found no violations of workplace rules in the death of Daniel Haskins, 62, fatally injured at a metal disposal pit at the city of Oswego transfer station May 21. Haskins and another employee were trying to unload a half-ton printing press owned by the school. Haskins was in the bed of the truck when he slipped fell more than 10 feet into the pit, according to police. The printing press then fell on top of him, crushing his upper body. He died three days later. Since his death, Haskins' union, the Civil Service Employees Association, has been investigating the accident. John Bieger, an occupational safety and health specialist for CSEA, issued his report Monday. According to Bieger, the college violated state and federal workplace rules by not protecting Haskins from a fall hazard of greater than 4 feet. An arm of the state Labor Department's Public Employees Safety and Health also investigated the accident. The agency, which enforces the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's standards for public employees, found no violations. "There is no OSHA standard for the particular task they were doing," said Betsy McCormack, speaking for the department. The 4-foot standard, she said, does not apply.
St. Peter Roofer Killed In Fall Worker, 21, Was Working On City's New Community Center ST. PETER, Minn., 3:05 p.m. CDT July 11, 2001 -- A roofer is dead after falling from the new St. Peter Community Center. Simon Lee Audette, 21, of St. Peter fell an estimated 18 to 20 feet from one portion of the building's roof to another. Police were called to the worksite around 8 a.m. Tuesday and administered first aid. Audette was pronounced dead at a Mankato hospital. He was employed by Kato Roofing. The accident was reported to OSHA. The new community center is a replacement for a building destroyed in the 1998 tornado that hit St. Peter.
Lake Butler Hospital reattaches nearly amputated fingers An Orange Park man was transferred to Lake Butler Hospital/Hand Surgery Center (LBH/HSC) to undergo emergency surgery to reattach two fingers nearly amputated while doing yard work on Sunday, June 24. Richard Perlberg, 41, tripped and fell while trimming hedges at his home, severely lacerating the third and fourth fingers of his left hand. "My fingers were hanging by the skin," Perlberg said. The Orange Park Fire/Rescue transported Perlberg to a Jacksonville hospital were amputation was recommended. Perlberg and his wife did not want the finger amputated; they wanted an attempt to be made to reattach them. "No way," said Tammy Perlberg, Perlberg's wife. "My father amputated two digits with a lawnmower, they were placed on ice and reimplanted. If it could be done for him, it could be done for my husband." Perlberg was transferred to LBH/HSC by ground ambulance after being referred to the Union County facility by the physician staff in Jacksonville. Upon arrival Dr. Owen Osborne, hand and plastic surgeon at LBH/HSC, evaluated the fingers to determine the severity of the injury. Skin and tendons held the fingers on, and the joint of the third finger was completely cut through, according to Dr. Osborne. Perlberg was immediately taken to the operating room were he underwent a nine-hour surgery, in which Dr. Osborne repaired lacerated nerves, blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and bones. The injury occurred in an area of the fingers sometimes known as "no man's land" due to the difficulties with post-surgical scarring resulting in stiffness. Perlberg remained a patient in the hospital for three days following surgery to receive antibiotics and post operative care. "The staff made be feel totally welcome," said Perlberg. "Everyone was very friendly and obviously really cared about me." Perlberg makes follow up visits with Dr. Osborne at his office in Lake Butler. In one to two weeks he will begin intensive therapy that will continue for up to three months. The therapy is structured to overcome stiffness and help in regaining the functioning of the fingers. "It will be several months before we know the full outcome of the surgery, but at this time I am very please with Richard's progress," Dr. Osborne said.
UPDATE, Marshall Company fined in worker's death Associated Press MARSHALL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has cited KHC Construction Inc. for two violations and penalized the company $25,000 in the death of a worker at the MERIT Training Center site. David Fuchs, 33, of Fulda, fell about 45 feet and died April 17 while working on a tower for the MERIT Training Center in Marshall's Industrial Park. The department's Occupational Safety and Health Division alleges Fuchs was not protected from falling by either a personal fall system that met legal requirements or a guard rail system along all open sides and ends of platforms. The citation notice said a guard rail system or personal fall arrest system would have prevented Fuchs from hitting the ground. The division also alleged that Fuchs was not trained by a qualified person to recognize hazards associated with working from scaffolds and scaffold fall protection requirements. Division spokesman James Honerman said KHC Construction received a citation notice of the violations July 9.
Stairs face probe after deadly fall from plane By Ted Gregory, Tribune staff reporter, July 14, 2001 Less than a week after a Federal Express employee was killed falling from the bay door of a company plane unloading at O'Hare International Airport, safety officials have inspected portable staircases at the air freight company's Memphis hub. Officials from the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration, acting on a complaint filed with the federal OSHA, inspected the staircases late Wednesday and early Thursday, Tennessee OSHA officials confirmed. The inspections occurred six days after the death of Syed Hussain, 38, a materials handler from Elmhurst. Hussain, a four-year employee recently recognized by the company for outstanding work, was stepping out of a plane about 10 p.m. July 5 as a co-worker was towing away the stairs, Chicago police said. Hussain fell 25 feet and was pronounced dead about an hour later at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. FedEx spokeswoman Sandra Munoz said the company is investigating the incident. Since Hussain's death, "we've reinforced with all employees the importance of adhering to our company's polices and procedures" in using the stairs, Munoz said. Tennessee OSHA spokeswoman Nikki Horner said the results of its inspection are expected in "three to five weeks." Tennessee is one of 21 states with responsibility for the OSHA safety program, although it is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. "Right now, our investigation is still ongoing until we have a complete report," Horner said. The inspectors responded to a complaint filed by the FedEx Pilots Association in May. Horner said the inspections at the Memphis hub were delayed by discussions between the Tennessee OSHA and the pilots about whether the inspections should be conducted, and how and when they should be done. The association contends that the staircases for years have been prone to freezing in cold weather and shifting to unsafe positions during loading and unloading. The federal OSHA made a similar inspection of portable stairs at the FedEx facility in Philadelphia this spring. "The list of injuries is pretty long and it's been an ongoing complaint for as far back as you can find guys in the company," said association spokesman Kevin Scheiterlein. He added that pilots and other employees have suffered knee problems, back problems, ankle problems and wrenched elbows because the portable devices can leave an unsafe gap between the bottom of the door and the top step. Munoz said "all previous complaints brought to FedEx's attention have been addressed."
Worker hurt in fall at Westminster-Canterbury The Virginian-Pilot, July 14, 2001 VIRGINIA BEACH -- A construction worker was in a hospital Friday evening after falling 50 feet while working on a new wing of the Westminster-Canterbury retirement community. Yolanda Davis, 41, of Hampton was walking Friday morning on scaffolding on the seventh floor when planks broke, said Ed Brazle, Emergency Medical Services spokesman. Davis fell to the second floor on a pile of bricks and wood. She was found conscious and alert at the expansion project, located at 3100 Shore Drive. She was taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, where she was in serious condition, hospital spokeswoman Tina Fries said. Davis was working for a masonry contractor, Brazle said.
Worker remains critical after five story fall By Kevin Krause, Staff Writer, Posted July 14 2001 Boca Raton - A 22-year-old construction worker remained in critical condition Friday, a day after falling five stories down a hotel elevator shaft he was working on, police said. Miguel Sánchez, a Mexican native living in West Palm Beach, was working on the elevator shaft on the sixth floor of the Boca Raton Resort & Club, 493 E. Camino Real, at the time of the accident, reports show. A co-worker told police he heard a noise about 4:18 p.m., and Sánchez suddenly was gone. "He advised me that he knew at that moment the male fell down the shaft area," an officer wrote in his report. Sánchez failed to tie off his safety harness while he was working, the police report said. The construction foreman said he put a platform on the sixth floor but that he told Sánchez not to use it because it needed to be supported for safety, the report said. The foreman told police the platform shouldn't have fallen unless the victim stepped on it. Police found the platform at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Sánchez had a broken leg and was unconscious. He was flown to Delray Medical Center on Thursday, and his condition had not improved as of Friday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Fall proves fatal for water tower cleaner By Jessie Halladay, Daily Press, Published: Friday, July 13, 2001 SMITHFIELD - A 45-year-old man died Thursday after he fell more than 40 feet while cleaning the inside of the Smithfield water tower on South Church Street. The victim, whose name was not released, and several other workers were inside the huge water tank standing on a platform at the base of the bowl when the 2:10 p.m. accident happened. The man fell into the tower's hollow stem and plunged about halfway down before landing on another platform. Rescue squad workers and firefighters from Smithfield and Carrollton rigged up a pulley system. It took about 30 minutes to lower the man the remaining 50 feet to the ground in a rescue basket. He was taken by Nightingale helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he died. The tower is just behind the Isle of Wight Rescue station. One of the man's co-workers ran over to get help after the fall. The victim was part of a contracted crew from Utility Service Co. in Madison, N.C. The company has a three-year contract with Smithfield to take care of the maintenance on all the town's water towers. The work was part of routine cleaning and maintenance, said Bill Hopkins, Smithfield's planning, zoning and development director.
Construction worker treated for injury after fall
Worker killed in fall from hall roof David Damron, Sentinel Staff Writer, Posted July 21, 2001 A construction worker fell 60 feet to his death Friday when his safety equipment failed to break his fall from the roof of the Orange County Convention Center expansion. At about 10:30 a.m. Scott Clontz, 36, was working on the 972,000-square-foot exhibit hall roof for the $748 million expansion, officials said. The Ocala man was wearing a harness connected to a cable, held up by a crane-like arm. The harness and cable are designed to protect workers who fall, an Orange County sheriff's official said. "But something caused the cable device to snap," sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said. "It's just a really sad deal." Clontz fell to the ground and stopped breathing. He was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m. Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials were called in to investigate the incident. An official in OSHA's Tampa office said he didn't expect to have any findings from the investigation for at least a few weeks. Clontz worked for Hunt Clark Joint Ventures, Solomons said. The convention expansion is the largest public project in Central Florida's history. No other fatal injuries have occurred on the job site, said Joe Boyd, the center's spokesman. It's set to open in May 2003.
Penske crewman listed in fair condition By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive, July 23, 2001, 1:33 PM EDT (1733 GMT) CONCORD, N.H. - Derek White, 38, a general mechanic for Penske Racing's No. 12 Mobil 1 Ford driven by Jeremy Mayfield was listed in fair condition Monday afternoon as he recuperated in Concord Hospital. White, of Richfield, N.C., was injured Sunday evening at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon following the NASCAR Winston Cup New England 300 after he fell from the team transporter's lift gate while helping to load the race car. A team release Monday afternoon said White had suffered injuries including a “fractured left scapula, fractured left clavicle, fractured rib, skull fracture and sub-arachnoid hemorrhage.” At 7:25 p.m. ET Sunday NASCAR spokesperson Danielle Humphrey said White had been admitted to Concord Hospital and that he was “awake and alert, speaking and moving his toes.” Humphrey also announced he suffered a two-and-a-half-inch cut above his left ear. On Sunday, Jasper Motorsports crew chief Ryan Pemberton sprinted about 150 yards to the infield care center to summon an ambulance after the accident, which occurred just after 5:30 p.m. After being brought by ambulance to the infield care center White was airlifted by helicopter to Concord Hospital, about a 15-mile drive from the track. White, who has worked for the team since December 2000, apparently fell from about eight feet above the pavement while about half a dozen crewmen helped load Mayfield's car that finished 39th in the race. The 12 team's truck driver, Rodney Pickler, said he did not know how White fell, but that the gate was fully raised to load the car.
Construction worker killed KEITH PHUCAS, Times Herald Staff TREDYFFRIN -- A laborer was killed Monday morning in a Route 202 work zone after a truck backed over him. According to a report from township police, shortly before 11 a.m., R. "Bobby" Boyle of the 1900 block of East Clarence Street, Philadelphia, was crushed under the wheels of a truck that he was directing through a partitioned section of the work area at Routes 202 and 252. "He was at the rear directing (the truck), and he slipped and fell under the wheels of a cement truck," said Administrative Sgt. Joseph Carbo. Carbo said the victim was standing in a narrow gauntlet bordered by waist-high walls inside the work area as the truck was backing up. Boyle worked for Glasgow Construction Co. The company is working under a contract with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to make major improvements on 202 between Old Eagle School Road and North Valley Road. At the site of the accident, Glasgow is widening the highway's northbound lanes as part of the $250 million highway project. The federal office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident along with police and PennDOT. Carbo said OSHA was notified about an hour after the accident and a representative was on-site Monday. "We are extremely saddened by this tragic accident," said Gene Blaum, PennDOT's spokesman. "The project has had an exemplary safety record."
Worker killed after falling between 2 boats in harbor Monday, July 30, 2001 JERSEY CITY -- A barge worker was killed Sunday after he fell between two boats in New York Harbor and was crushed, authorities said. Walter Romanoski, 45, of Northport, N.Y., was taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where he died of his injuries about 5 p.m., a hospital spokesman said. Jersey City police Sgt. Edgar Martinez said the accident occurred when the barge Romanoski was working on unexpectedly shifted. Romanoski fell between the barge and a tugboat named Barker Boys, owned by Barker Aggregates of Queens. The barges were moored at the Clairemont Terminal, between Liberty Island and the Bayonne docks. Brewer said two boats from the Coast Guard station at Staten Island responded to the call. The Coast Guard was investigating.
Worker missing after falling from crane MOUNT PLEASANT (AP) - Authorities planned to continue to search the waters of the Wando River for a subcontractor who fell from a crane at the Wando Port Terminal here. Juan Sanchez, 28, of Moncks Corner, fell from a boom into the river Wednesday. Crews dropped a line from the crane arm to determine where he landed. Tides and currents complicated the search, and as the day wore on, divers, helicopters and rescue boats widened the search area. A spokesman for the State Ports Authority says power to other cranes and equipment was shut down in order to prevent it from interfering with sonar being used in the search. The search was suspended about 5 p.m. and was expected to resume early Thursday. Sanchez worked for Palmetto Industrial Services, a subcontractor for Konecranes, a Finland-based crane company, Ports Authority spokesman Byron Miller said. The authority recently hired Konecranes to replace rails on the cranes' arms. Crane operators sit in small cabins that move along these rails as they pick up and lower containers from ships. Sanchez reportedly was wearing a harness when he fell. The accident is under investigation.
Two hurt when scaffolding collapses WOOD RIVER -- Two men were injured while repairing a towboat engine Thursday morning at the Mike's Marine Service dock on the Amoco Cutoff, just off Illinois Route 3. Capt. Steve Alexander of the Wood River Fire Department said the victims, Kenneth Kissel of St. Louis and Russell Watson of Cottage Hills, were above the engine on some scaffolding when part of it apparently slipped or failed. "They fell about 12 to 15 feet into the engine hold," Alexander said. "One guy landed on the other guy. Both of them were ambulatory when we got there. One guy was still in the pit, but he had moved from where he had originally fallen. The other guy was on the main deck." Alexander said firefighters rescued the man in the engine hold, then took the men off the boat and across the tow using backboards and a Stokes basket to keep them stable. Both men were taken to Saint Anthony's Health Center by Alton Memorial Ambulance. "The injuries didn't appear to be serious, but they complained of back and neck pain," Alexander said. The call came in at 10:24 a.m., just two minutes after another call was received from nearby Envirotech Park, where workers putting in a sewer line had accidentally cut into a natural gas line. Firefighters said no one was injured, but some people working at the business park were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Wood River Fire Chief Guy Williams said the accident at Mike's was the fourth emergency call to the riverfront that the fire department has had in the past month.
UPDATE, Worker's body found in river Friday, June 1, 2001 After a two-day search involving more than 30 divers, rescue workers found the body of a Moncks Corner contractor who fell off a State Ports Authority crane Wednesday. Divers found the body of Juan Sanchez, 28, Thursday afternoon in the Wando River below the crane from which he fell. Witnesses said Sanchez stepped onto a temporary platform on the crane's arm to do some welding when the platform gave way. He fell about 130 feet into the river. An autopsy will be done today, said Susan Chewning, Charleston County coroner. Sanchez was employed by Palmetto Industrial Construction Co. The SPA set up a fund for his wife and children. Donations can be made at any First Federal branch or sent to First Federal in care of Jeannie Sanchez, P.O. Box 118068, Charleston, S.C. 29423.
Garbage collector dies in accident The 24-year-old city worker slips off a truck and is dragged for several yards. By Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH - A 24-year-old city garbage collector was killed Tuesday morning when he slipped off a garbage truck and was dragged under the tires for several yards, police said. Kristopher Ridge of Fort Worth was pronounced dead at the scene. Ridge and another man were collecting garbage in the Rolling Hills neighborhood when the accident occurred about 7:20 a.m. near of Sarah Jane Lane and Ray Alvin Drive. Lt. David Burgess said Ridge was jumping through an opening in the truck's side where trash is placed when he slipped and fell under the moving truck, becoming trapped by the truck's rear wheels. The truck driver, unaware of what happened, continued north in the 4800 block of Ray Alvin Drive about 20 yards before a resident who saw the accident flagged him down, Burgess said. Firefighters used inflatable bags to lift the truck and free Ridge's body. Pat Svacina, a city spokesman, said Ridge had worked with the city about 18 months. Svacina said he was not aware of reports that Ridge had jumped through the opening in the truck before the accident, but he said that the area is not designed to be used as a passageway. The truck was taken out of service after the accident, and another crew continued pickup in the area, Svacina said. Ridge was part of the city's solid waste division, which collects garbage in about 20 percent of the city. A private firm, Waste Management, is contracted by the city to collect the other 80 percent.
Worker in fall identified By STEVE LIEBERMAN AND BLAIR CRADDOCK, THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: June 06, 2001) The 38-year-old construction worker who fell to his death from a roof was identified yesterday as David Fuentes, who was working to raise enough money to take his wife and 2-year-old son back home to El Salvador. Fuentes fell about 14 feet through a skylight, which was covered with a sheet of vinyl, while rebuilding the flat roof and installing 12 new skylights with another worker Monday at a house on River Road in Grand View. South Nyack-Grand View police ruled Fuentes' death accidental, but the incident is still being investigated by the U.S. Office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Tarrytown. Fuentes worked for Lance Petrik, who was injured with two of his workers in December 1999 when a 8,000-pound construction machine toppled over along a steep incline behind two River Road houses. One of the workers recovered from head injuries but eventually was deported by the federal government. Petrik, a licensed general contractor in Rockland since October 1999, did not return a telephone call seeking comment about Monday's fall. Because Fuentes died on a construction site, OSHA must investigate the circumstances surrounding his fall and the overall working conditions, said Diana Cortez, an OSHA supervisor in Tarrytown. OSHA inspectors plan to interview Petrik, who was not at the site, and other employees of his company, Cortez said. She said there are no OSHA records showing the agency ever reviewed an accident involving Petrik's company. Fuentes came to Rockland six or seven years ago, working first in landscaping before Petrik hired him to do construction work about a year ago, his wife, Natalia, said yesterday at the couple's apartment on Elysian Avenue in South Nyack. He was being paid $10 a hour, she said in Spanish. Fuentes came to work in the United States to help support his mother, sister and sister's son in El Salvador, Natalia Fuentes said. She said she met her husband in El Salvador, but they did not become a couple until after she came to Rockland to work about three years ago. Natalia Fuentes said her husband had hoped to move back home to El Salvador, with her and their two-year-old son, in a few more years. Sigfredo Mejia, Natalia's brother-in-law, said Fuentes had dreamed of returning to El Salvador and to farm life. He grew up on a farm. "He wanted to go back and have his house there with his wife and his child," Mejia said. "Here, one works hard, and there's not much opportunity for enjoyment. The idea is to build a house and improve one's life a little there. He wanted to buy a cow. "One proposes, and God disposes," Mejia said. Fuentes and his family attended St. John's Church on River Road in Piermont. The Catholic church's congregation is both English- and Spanish-speaking. He and his wife had their son baptized at the church. "They come to our church, they would come from Nyack on the bus, and many times I would drive them home," Sister Cecilia La Pietra said. "They were at Mass on Sunday, so that was the last time I saw him. They're a very beautiful family. ... He was so sweet with his little boy. He was so happy when that little boy was going to be born, just thrilled." The church is hoping to raise the more than $2,000 needed to ship Fuentes' body back to El Salvador, where he was born in Santa Ana. "It's a lot of money to do that," La Pietra said. "We're trying to help the family out with this." There will be a wake at the church from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, followed by a Mass at 8 p.m. Hannemann Funeral Home in Nyack is handling the arrangements. Those interested in making contributions may call the church at 359-0078. Checks may be made out to St. John's Outreach Ministry. Mejia, who also worked for Petrik, said he was told by other workers that Fuentes stepped onto the covered-up skylight, thinking it was solid underneath. South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Alan Colsey said Fuentes and another Petrik employee were replacing the 11th of 12 skylights when Fuentes fell. Colsey said a vinyl curtain covered the hole. "Whether or not he thought that secure or whether he unintentionally stepped through it or just lost his footing, we don't know," Colsey said. "Everything at this point appears to indicate a tragic accident." Detective Robert Van Cura of the South Nyack-Grand View police said Petrik, like other contractors and landscapers across the county, tends to hire Central Americans. "A lot of the guys he hires tend to continue working for him on a regular basis," Van Cura said. "It seems bad luck is following him." Fuentes was remembered as a hard-working, friendly man. "He was a good guy," said Francois Boutin, the Fuentes' landlord. "Everybody around here knows him. He used to do yardwork for people, too. He was a happy guy, who liked to play and kid with people."
Man dies after 20-foot fall from roof By Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat The owner of a Midway roofing company fell to his death Thursday morning while working on a roof north of Havana. William Gavin Johnson Jr., 52, and some employees were working on the roof of a Coastal Lumber Co. building on U.S. 27 when the accident occurred, said Maj. Ed Spooner of the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office. "He stepped back on a skylight and fell through the roof 20 to 25 feet to a concrete floor," Spooner said. Johnson sustained head and internal injuries and was taken by helicopter to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he later died, Spooner said. Johnson fell into a puddle of wood preservative that contained a minute amount of arsenic, and after the accident he was placed into an enclosed medical bag as a precaution, Spooner said. Exposure to arsenic can be poisonous. The morgue at TMH, where the body was held, was closed temporarily for decontamination, according to Steve Marks, division chief for the Tallahassee Fire Department. A decontamination station was set up in a hospital parking lot for hospital and emergency workers who had had contact with the body, Marks said. Spooner said neither the accident nor the wood preservative posed an environmental threat to the public. Officials from Coastal could not be reached for comment.
2 hurt in construction accidents By Kristen M. Schmidt, Daily Times Staff Writer OCEAN CITY - For the second time in two months, a construction worker doing renovations of City Hall was injured while working on an exterior wall. Paul Abbott, 48, of Ocean Pines, suffered head and leg injuries when loose bricks fell on him, according to resort police. Abbott was removing an electrical panel from the wall when the accident happened at about 10 a.m. He was taken by state police helicopter to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, then transferred to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. In early May, a construction worker was injured when he fell from a temporary wall at City Hall, now undergoing a roughly $2.5 million renovation. The man also was taken by helicopter to PRMC but did not have life-threatening injuries. Town officials said the 84-year-old building needs repairs to the roof, floor and heating system. The accidents were just two of several that have occurred on the Lower Shore this spring - including one Friday in Ocean Pines where a man was run over by a construction vehicle. Keith Purnell, age unknown, was working on the driveway of a new home on Edgewood Drive when a co-worker accidentally backed over him with a Bobcat, according to Ocean Pines police. Purnell, who was conscious and talking to emergency workers while being treated at the scene, was flown to PRMC. On May 12, a man laying pipe at a water treatment facility at Tyson Foods' Berlin plant was trapped for nine hours in a trench, which was covered with a 46-ton excavator. Also in May, a construction worker at the Dogtel Hotel in West Ocean City was killed when a load of steel fencing shifted and pinned him in a truck.
Construction worker rescued after fall at Lauderdale high-rise A construction worker slipped and fell from sixth-floor scaffolding at a Stiles Co. construction site on the 400 block of East Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale Monday afternoon. The workman fell only 6 feet but was trapped by construction debris. Fire Rescue had to use the construction crane to lift the fallen worker out of the debris and lower him to the ground. The worker, who was not immediately identified, was taken to Broward General Medical Center and was reported in good condition later in the day.
Welder hurt in 45-foot fall at downtown project site By Melody McDonald, Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH - A 35-year-old welder was seriously injured Tuesday afternoon when he fell face first about 45 feet from the framework at the Fort Worth Convention Center construction site, officials said. The man, whose name was not released, was working at the site in the 1300 block of Houston Street when he stepped on unstable framework and fell, Fort Worth firefighter Steven Walker said. "It gave and the whole thing just came down," Walker said. When emergency workers arrived just after 2 p.m., the man was responsive and talking, Walker said. He appeared to have several broken bones and had numerous bruises on his back and chest, but his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Walker said. "It was a miracle," Walker said. "That is the only way to put it - a miracle." The man was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital. Staff members would not release information about his condition Tuesday night. Kirk Slaughter, public events director for the city of Fort Worth, said he was told about the accident late Tuesday afternoon but had no details. He referred questions to Ralph Cook of Dallas-based Austin Commercial, program manager for the project. Cook said he expected inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to be at the site today. He said the welder's fall was the only accident "of any significance" on the project. Staff writer Ginger Richardson contributed to this report. Melody McDonald, (817) 390-7386
Worker recovering from rebar accident By Sarah Huntley, News Staff Writer A 26-year-old construction worker skewered in the head by a 4-foot steel bar remained shook up but was upgraded to fair condition this morning after nearly four hours of grueling surgery. As Duane Reynolds continued to recover at the Medical Center of Aurora, the doctors who treated the Canon City man marveled over his survival and the apparent lack of more devastating trauma. "He is exceedingly lucky," said James Denton, the hospital's medical director of trauma services. "Obviously, his fall caused enough force to force this thing through the bones of his skull. It didn't penetrate his brain, and that could easily have happened." Reynolds was rushed to the Aurora hospital at about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday after he fell 12 feet from a ladder while working on the roof of a new warehouse at 350 Norfolk St. A steel rod, or rebar, that was reinforcing a chunk of concrete pierced his right eye and exited his left cheekbone, just below his ear. Aurora firefighters freed Reynolds from the rod with a hacksaw, but the patient, who was conscious throughout the half-hour extrication, still had a 2-foot section through his head when he arrived at the emergency room. A team of surgeons removed the rod, sliding it back through Reynold's eye, during his operation. Shortly before noon, doctors removed a patch covering Reynolds' eye and discovered more good news. "His eye was saved and so was his eyesight. He is able to see," said hospital spokeswoman Beverly Husted-Petry. Earlier in the day, Denton and his colleagues praised emergency workers for their quick and skilled response. "They really handled this expeditiously," trauma surgeon Bill Pfeifer said. "Everything seemed to work exactly as it is supposed to." But Lt. Rory Chetelat, Aurora fire spokesman, said the rescuers were simply doing their job. "This kind of event, while it was a bit dramatic, is what we train for," said Lt. Rory Chetelat, spokesman for the Aurora Fire Department. "Basically, our biggest concern (in these cases) is not making the situation any worse." Reynolds himself also made a difference, his doctors said. "This was obviously a very traumatic experience, and for him to maintain his composure while all this is going on around him and be cooperative with his care is not only admirable, but unusual," Denton said. Officials with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration were continuing to investigate the incident Thursday. "At this point, we are still under the belief that he was working on a ladder and that the ladder somehow fell over," said Ray Nellor, of OSHA's Englewood office. Nellor was planning to meet with Reynolds' employer, Williams and Williams Construction of Pueblo, and co-workers to determine whether the ladder was properly secured. He said he knew of no previous citations at that job site or others staffed by the Pueblo company. The construction accident was the second serious one in as many days. On Tuesday, Antonio Lopez was injured when a brick and concrete wall collapsed on him during demolition work at the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. The 24-year-old remained in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center. Reynolds' doctors said they are surprised there are not more accidents, given the level of construction in the area. Nonetheless, they urged workers to use caution. "Be careful," Pfeifer said. " Just very simply, be careful. This is a very dangerous job." Gas leak sends 30 workers to hospitals Thirty workers had to be taken to area hospitals Thursday morning after a cylinder carrying chlorine gas began leaking at a Medley warehouse. Roman Bas of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue explained what happened. “There was a one-ton cylinder of chlorine gas. Basically, a plug popped out while it was in transport causing a leak. We immediately responded with our hazardous materials crew, as well as other Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Units. We had about 15 units here on the scene. We had approximately 30 individuals that we had to transport to local area hospitals. The scene is under control at this time and the cylinder as we understand … has been plugged,” he said. None of the injuries are believed to be serious, and most people will likely be released later Thursday, with some staying overnight at the hospital. Traffic in parts of Medley was a mess Thursday morning, as at least one street was shutdown. “We are still in the process of a cleanup and in this particular area, there are going to be several streets which are going to be closed, in particular 93rd Street.
Power pole falls, injuring 3 Tuesday, June 19, 2001, By Steve Gunn, CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER Three men working for Consumers Energy, including a Grand Haven man, were injured Monday when a pole they were working on in Holton Township fell to the ground. All three men were transported to area hospitals, according to a Muskegon County Sheriff's Department report. One man remained hospitalized, and none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. The accident occurred around 2 p.m. Monday when the men were building a power line on property along the 3300 block of Dagen Road near Sweeter Road. At least one of the men was apparently on the pole when it fell, but it was not known this morning whether the other two were on the pole or the ground. One of the men injured in the accident was Doug Pellegrom, 35, of 13486 Greenbriar in Grand Haven. He was apparently on the pole when the mishap occurred and fell about 35 feet, according to a spokesman for Hackley Hospital. He was treated and released for minor injuries. Also transported to Hackley Hospital was Conrado Ortiz, 52, of Albion, who was listed in stable condition this morning after being shocked by electricity. A third victim, Eugene Alfaro, 41, of Holland, was treated and released from Mercy Hospital with minor injuries. The nature of his injuries, or what caused them, was not known this morning. Tim Pietryga, a spokesman for Consumers Energy, said the utility would not release information about the victims or what might have caused the pole to fall. It was unclear this morning whether the workers were employees of Consumers or contractors.
UPDATE, Impaled worker leaves hospital AURORA- The construction worker hurt when a steel bar impaled his skull was released Tuesday from the Medical Center of Aurora, hospital officials said. Duane Reynolds, 26, of Canon City was injured one week ago when he fell 12 feet off a ladder. The steel rod entered his right eye socket and came out his left cheek just below his ear. Reynolds underwent four hours of surgery. Doctors saved his sight.
3 hurt in scaffolding fall at a Cambridge work site By Jennifer Medina, Globe Correspondent, 6/21/2001 CAMBRIDGE - Three construction workers were hurt yesterday, one of them seriously, when they fell from third-floor scaffolding on a parking garage near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, officials said. Also yesterday, next door to the parking garage site, a construction worker suffered a fractured shoulder when a steel beam struck him as it was being lifted with a crane, according to Cambridge fire officials. The workers on the scaffolding fell 40 feet, and cinderblocks they had been laying on the exterior of a six-story building then toppled onto them, said a deputy chief for the Cambridge Fire Department, Michael Morrissey. The workers, whose names were not released, were taken at 11 a.m. to Massachusetts General Hospital, Morrissey said. The workers may have piled too much onto the scaffold, said a construction worker on the job. ''It looks like they just overloaded it,'' said the worker, who did not wish to be identified. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials are investigating whether the proper amount of weight was placed on the scaffolding, said an OSHA spokesman, John Chavez. The parking garage is one of five buildings in a $750-million construction project near Landsdowne and Pacific streets. Forrest City, a Cleveland-based developer, is leasing 27 acres from MIT to build biotechnology research facilities and a 175-unit housing complex, said company spokesman Jay Kiely. The men were working for the Milton-based D.J. Construction Co., but Julian Crane & Equipment Co. in Watertown owns the scaffolding. Neither company would comment or say who built the scaffolding. D.J. Construction was cited 10 times for safety violations from 1986 to 1994, according to OSHA records. Twelve violations were for scaffolding problems, according to the records. The main contractor on the project, William A. Berry & Son in Danvers, said in a statement yesterday: ''Clearly our main priority is the safety and concern of our employees.'' In 1999, there were four fatal falls from scaffolding in Massachusetts, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This story ran on page B3 of the Boston Globe on 6/21/2001.
UPDATE, Tuesday fall victim still in hospital VIRGINIA GRANTIER, Bismarck Tribune A 66-year-old man who fell off a scaffolding Tuesday evening was still in the hospital Thursday in serious condition at St. Alexius Medical Center's intensive care unit. The man was working with his son on scaffolding in the 1700 block of Highway 83 when he fell, according to a Burleigh County sheriff's report. No other details about the incident were available.
Construction worker dies after head injury Monday, June 25, 2001 A 22-year-old construction worker who fell 20 feet from scaffolding at the Great Southern Shopping Center on Friday morning has died. Raul Morales Diaz, whose address was unavailable yesterday, was working at a construction site at a vacant storefront when he fell on his head. He was taken to Grant Medical Center, where he died shortly before midnight Saturday, a nursing supervisor said.
Two Toronto companies fined for health and safety violations TORONTO, June 26 /CNW/ - Excell Employment Tempro Inc., a Toronto employment agency, was fined $50,000, and Olympic Coaters Inc., a Toronto industrial plating company, which used Excell's services, was fined $60,000 on June 22, 2001 for one violation each of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that resulted in serious chemical burns to a worker. On Feb. 12, 2000, a worker was in the process of taking a bag of nickel anodes (nickel pieces) from another worker to add to the centre of a plating tank when he fell off a wooden board into a hot chemical solution in the tank below. The wooden board had been placed over the solution to enable access to parts of the tank where the nickel pieces were being placed. The worker fell into the chemical solution. He suffered third degree burns. The accident occurred at Olympic Coaters Inc.'s plant on Humberline Drive in Toronto. The worker had been sent by Excell Employment Tempro Inc. to work at Olympic Coaters. Excell Employment Tempro Inc. pleaded guilty to failing, as an employer, to provide information, instruction and supervision to the worker regarding the dangers in the use of and precautions to be followed while using chemicals that the worker would be exposed to when working at the workplace where he was placed at, contrary to Section 25(2)(a) of the act. Olympic Coaters Inc. pleaded guilty to failing, as an employer, to take every reasonable precaution for the protection of a worker by ensuring that the worker was protected from falling into a plating tank and by providing him with a safe work surface from which to add nickel to the plating tank, contrary to Section 25(2)(h) of the act. The fines were imposed by Justice of the Peace Suzanne Haddad of the Ontario Court of Justice at Old City Hall in Toronto.
Local carnival worker 'critical' after fall (Published Tuesday, June 26, 2001 11:36:47 AM CDT), Gazette Staff A carnival worker from Janesville remained critical condition today at University Hospital in Madison after he fell from a ride he was disassembling in the village of Dane on Sunday. Walter Canterbury, 27, was seriously injured when he fell about 15 feet from a chair plane ride. He was taking down rides in Bert Deans Park after the firemen's picnic. Canterbury works for Colonel's Rides in Janesville. The company has no address or phone number in the Janesville area and could not be reached for comment. Canterbury's number and address also are not listed. Canterbury hit several parts of the ride and sustained head and neck injuries.
Worker killed in fall At approximately 8:30 a.m. Monday, a contract worker at the Cintas Uniform Corp. in East Huntingdon Township lost his life. Francis Wayne Savoie, 54, of Opelousas, La., was working on scaffolding in the rear of the Cintas building when he fell rearward, approximately 13 feet to the ground, according to state police at Greensburg. Savoie struck his head on the asphalt parking lot and died as a result of his injuries. Investigations into the incident are under way by the U.S. Occupation Safety and Health Administration. Savoie was among three men working on the scaffold at the rear of the building when he fell. They were not Cintas employees, but outside contractors hired to install tanks at the facility, which is located in the Westmoreland Technology Park. Trooper Tom Spallone, spokesman for Greensburg state police, said that Savoie walked off the scaffold shortly before the accident. Acting coroner Skip Rusiewicz said Savoie died of head injuries. He was pronounced dead at 9:15 a.m., meaning his death was instantaneous upon impact. It was reported Savoie may have lost his balance just before falling.
MIRACLE WORKER IS OK AFTER BRIDGE FALL By ZACH HABERMAN and MARIA MALAVE May 8, 2001 -- A worker lost his footing and fell off the Williamsburg Bridge yesterday, plunging 150 feet into the East River - but miraculously didn't even break a bone. Officials marveled that father of three Dennis Blinn, 37, survived the plunge. "He was not breathing at all when they got to him," said Fire Department spokesman Jerard Allas of Blinn, who was listed in stable condition. "By the time they got to Bellevue [Hospital], this guy, who was not breathing and fell 150 feet, was verbally active, telling our guys that he was cold," he said. "At a height like that, water has the consistency of cement. He's a lucky man. He should have played the Lotto today." Blinn's pregnant wife, Lisa, said he's in "a lot of pain" but knows just how lucky he is. "He tells me that his family flashed before him as he was coming down. I'm very grateful there was a guardian angel looking out for him," she said. Blinn's brother-in-law, Bob Judge, briefly spoke to him at the hospital. "He told me that it seemed like it took forever before he hit the water," Judge said. "He feels he's a very lucky man to be alive." Lady Luck was at Blinn's side when he went into the water not far from a docked barge. The people on board scooped him up. Cops in a passing squad car hailed an Emergency Medical Service ambulance. Medics went onto the barge to treat Blinn, who was then in respiratory arrest. They quickly revived him and took him to the hospital. Blinn, who was working for a contractor, Regional Scaffolding, had been helping repair the roadway.
Worker injured in 30 foot fall at new Central School By Al Turco STONEHAM, MA - Patrick Riggs, 44, of Athol is in serious condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston today after falling 30 feet from a construction scaffolding inside the new Central School gym on Monday afternoon. Riggs works for R and G Ironworks of Athol as a welder. He was working with a crew constructing the interior of the new Central School gym on Central Street when he fell. According to Stoneham Police at the scene, Riggs' safety harness was not attached to the static safety line. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident. According to Stoneham Firefighters, blood was coming out of Riggs' ears, but he was conscious. Captain Douglas Griffin said that Riggs' right arm got caught in the scaffolding on his way down, severely injuring the hand and arm. Riggs also injured his head and legs. Stoneham Fire called Boston Med Flight. Action Ambulance transported Riggs around the school to the upper Pomeworth baseball field. The helicopter landed on the ballfield and rushed Riggs to Beth Israel. The hospital would only describe his condition as “serious.”
Construction Worker Falls 30 Feet in SF San Francisco police say a construction worker fell 30 feet while working at 3000 Third St. today. The worker fell from the third to the second story of the building at about 11 a.m. An ambulance was called to the site, but details about the worker's condition were not immediately available. Dateline: Mon May 14 11:48:44 PDT 2001
OSHA investigates fatal fall The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a steelworker at a Reston construction site. Fairfax County police said Julio Orellano-Garcia, 26, of 6089 Argyle Drive in Culmore, was laying metal flooring on the sixth floor of a building under construction at 1910 Oracle Way shortly after noon Saturday when he fell through a hole that he was pulling the last piece of metal flooring over. Orellano-Garcia fell three stories was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. STAFF REPORT
Cable worker dead after fall from bucket truck
Worker hurt after fall at Briley Parkway site A construction worker fell onto Interstate 24 from a gap in an unfinished Briley Parkway overpass yesterday afternoon. He remains in critical, but stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said spokeswoman Jessica Pasley. Three co-workers also fell at the same time, but their falls were broken by a bluff about 10 feet below the overpass and were believed to be only mildly injured, said Officer J.W. Allen. The names of the construction workers were unavailable yesterday evening. A black construction hat and gloves and blood spatters 50 feet below the unfinished portion of Briley Parkway were the only signs of the 1 p.m. accident. The construction worker fell onto the interstate's shoulder, and traffic was not affected by the accident.
Worker killed in accident at Premium Standard Farms MILAN, Mo. (AP) -- A sanitation worker died early Friday when he fell into a piece of heavy equipment at a Premium Standard Farms hog processing plant. A spokesman for Premium Standard said the death of Jose A. Hernandez was especially mystifying because safety equipment appeared to be in place. Hernandez, 58, of Milan, was rinsing a trim blender -- which uses paddles to mix lean meat and fat for sausage -- when the accident happened around 2:15 a.m., spokesman Charlie Arnot said. No one saw Hernandez fall in, Arnot said, but co-workers heard Hernandez's cries for help and shut down the blender. Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene. The blender is cleaned with detergent and rinsed out every night, Arnot said. Power to the machine is shut down while a worker inside cleans it with detergent, and then the machine is powered back up during the rinsing process. Grates over the blender's hopper are supposed to keep anyone from falling in. But Arnot said, "When he was discovered there, all of the safety grates were in place." The plant remained closed Friday, but Arnot said it was expected to reopen on Saturday.
FATAL ACCIDENT SPARKS INQUIRY By Staff report OSWEGO - A fatal accident at the Oswego County Transfer Station Monday has prompted an investigation by the Civil Service Employee's Association, union reps said Thursday. Daniel A. Haskins, 62, of 5350 state Route 104 East, Oswego, died Thursday morning from injuries he sustained after falling approximately 15 feet into the metal pit at the transfer station and being trapped by a machine that fell on top of him. Shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, Haskins - who was a maintenance worker at SUNY Oswego for nearly 20 years - and a fellow employee were trying to off-load a one-color printing press from the back of a truck when Haskins fell into the pit, according to reports. The machine reportedly fell on top of him. Emergency response personnel worked for approximately 15 to 20 minutes to free Haskins from the machine after the accident. He was transported by ambulance to Oswego Hospital in full cardiac arrest and was later airlifted to University Hospital. Oswego police said Haskins died Thursday morning at 5:20 a.m. Through interviews with those on the scene, the incident appears accidental. The Onondaga County Medical Examiner's office is expected to conduct an autopsy to pinpoint the cause of death. Jim Moore, the CSEA Central Region president, said the union is investigating the incident to ensure that all proper safety precautions were being followed then the accident took place. "We are deeply saddened over this tragic incident and we're going to conduct a full investigation into Mr. Haskins' death to make sure that this type of thing never happens again," Moore said. "On behalf of all his union brothers and sisters, our hearts go out to Daniel's family and friends." The state Department of Labor's Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH) division has been notified of the incident and the internal union investigation - which will be conducted by a CSEA occupational safety and health specialist - is expected to begin next week. Haskins was well-known on campus, according to a memorandum posted at SUNY Oswego. "He was a helper on the delivery truck, which got him all over campus in recent years, and he was very personable," said Steve Ives, head custodian. "He did anything that he was asked to do." The college's commencement was always an important occasion for Haskins. "He was instrumental in graduation setup," said Zona Pospesel, custodial supervisor. "He was always right there to give a hand." The 140th commencement May 12 held special significance, both because it was to be his last - he was planning to retire in September - and because his daughter, Tracy Rombough, was graduating. "He stood at the bottom of the ramp and met her with a bouquet of flowers," Ives said. Haskins was active in the community. He had been a member of the Volney Volunteer Fire Department. Pospesel said he took time to talk with the children in the day care center in Swetman Hall and with the elderly at St. Luke's, where his wife works, and helped set up for programs at the Christian School, which one of his children attends. Danny was just an overall good Samaritan with a strong Catholic faith," she said. He had served with the U.S. Army in Germany and later with the Army Reserves company in Oswego, from which he retired. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts No. 2320 and No. 5885. Before he joined the campus staff, he worked as a machine operator at Columbia Mills in Minetto for 12 years, among other jobs. Haskins is survived by his wife of 21 years - the former Carol Slight- six children, his mother, a sister, a brother and 15 grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Tuesday. (For a complete obituary, see Page 5A.) The college is issuing a statement to all faculty and staff on campus today to notify them of Haskins' death. A collection is also being taken on campus for his family. An employee at the college since 1981, Haskins was reportedly planning to retire in September.
Carnival worker falls off ride, dies LEBANON - A 20-year-old man died yesterday after he fell 30 feet off the carnival ride he was repairing. The man, whose name was not released by police yesterday, was doing work on a ride called ''Alakazam.'' He was working at the Cumberland Valley Shows, a carnival at the outlet mall in Lebanon, said Sgt. Mike VanHook of the Lebanon Police Department. The man was not wearing safety equipment and was pronounced dead of head injuries at a local hospital. The carnival is run by Floyd & Baxter Amusement Company, a national traveling carnival company based in Lebanon. - Emily Heffter
Construction workers fall Three men working at a new home fell and were hurt Thursday around 3 p.m. on Jefferson Street near Rocky Branch Elementary School. Two of the construction workers refused medical treatment. A third was briefly knocked unconscious and was taken by ambulance to River Falls Area Hospital, according to River Falls patrol officer Charles Golden. The three workers fell about 12 feet from the edge of a roof when scaffolding gave way. The single-story new house is one of several being built by Cudd Brothers Construction on the street just off Bartosh Lane. Police are now investigating the incident.
Workers Fall Off Construction Site, One Worker Flown To Hospital CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich., 2:34 p.m. EDT May 31, 2001-- Two construction workers were injured Thursday afternoon after a fall at a work site in Canton, according to police. The accident occurred at a new high school, being built on Joy Road between Beck and Canton Center roads. One worker was flown to a hospital, the other was transported by an EMS vehicle.
Man stable after accident at IP mill From staff reports The Natchez Democrat Published Saturday, April 28, 2001 12:26 AM CDT An employee at International Paper's Natchez mill received injuries to his back and head after falling off a catwalk Thursday evening. Edward "Skeeter" Wilson, of Natchez, was transported to Jackson and was listed in stable condition in the SICU at University Medical Center. International Paper did not report the accident to the Adams County Sheriff's Department and could not be reached for comment Friday. "It concerns us that we weren't notified," said Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell. Ferrell said it is customary for all industrial accidents to be reported but he figured it was just an oversight probably related to the emergency of the situation. Often in these cases, industries tend to call law enforcement several days after the accident to investigate the site, he said. Since the accident was not reported, Ferrell could not speak specifically about the details but he said he did not believe the fall was anything but an accident. Commander Stan Owens, with the Natchez Fire Department, said firefighters were on standby at about 8 p.m. Thursday as Wilson was transported by helicopter to Jackson.
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