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Chemical Reaction Was Unexpected

Some workplace fire hazards are obvious. You toss a match into a pile of dry sawdust, and you get a fire. Other hazards are harder to recognize. Consider the chemical reactions which can result in

Chemical Reaction Was UnexpectedVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Employee Dies During Unauthorized Entry
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Employee Dies During Unauthorized Entry

English, Fatality Reports, General Industry, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Type

Employee Dies During Unauthorized Entry

An employee who was hired as a sweeper and handyman was discovered sitting in a deposit of blue sludge, on the bottom of a deep steel vat. The man had, in the past, cleaned tanks

Employee Dies During Unauthorized EntryVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Ladder Touches High Tension Wire

A ladder touching a high tension wire - this scenario has caused countless fatalities in all kinds of industries and workplaces and homes. An employee of an aluminum siding company was electrocuted when the ladder

Ladder Touches High Tension WireVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Brakeless Loader Rolls Into Ash Pit
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Brakeless Loader Rolls Into Ash Pit

English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Transportation, Type

Brakeless Loader Rolls Into Ash Pit

A front-end loader was working on a dirt road beside a fly ash pit. The loader went off the road into the pit, turned over and pinned the driver under water, where he drowned. The

Brakeless Loader Rolls Into Ash PitVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Veteran Lumberman Takes Fatal Shortcut
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Veteran Lumberman Takes Fatal Shortcut

English, Fatality Reports, Forestry, General Safety, Industry, Language, Lockout/Tagout, Topic, Type

Veteran Lumberman Takes Fatal Shortcut

A worker filling a lumber order was fatally crushed when a beam fell on him, causing multiple traumatic injuries to his abdomen and pelvis.

Veteran Lumberman Takes Fatal ShortcutVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Teen Worker Caught in Machine

A teenage worker died when his head became caught in the pasta-making machine he was operating. His job was to put the ingredients into the machine.

Teen Worker Caught in MachineVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Forklift Flips and Crushes Driver
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Forklift Flips and Crushes Driver

Driver Safety, English, Fatality Reports, Industry, Language, Manufacturing, Maritime, Topic, Transportation, Type, Wholesale & Retail Distribution

Forklift Flips and Crushes Driver

A forklift was travelling empty with its forks elevated ? creating a high center of gravity. When it went around a corner too fast, the forklift tipped. The driver was thrown out and crushed to

Forklift Flips and Crushes DriverVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Large Steel Plate Drops on Signaler
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Large Steel Plate Drops on Signaler

English, Fatality Reports, Industry, Language, Maritime, Materials Handling and Storage, Topic, Type

Large Steel Plate Drops on Signaler

A supervisor at a ship repair dry-dock was crushed to death by a large plate of steel as it was being lowered.

Large Steel Plate Drops on SignalerVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Prospecting Helper Dies in Wilderness
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Prospecting Helper Dies in Wilderness

English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Health and Safety Management, Industry, Injury/Illness, Language, Mining, Topic, Type

Prospecting Helper Dies in Wilderness

A new worker on a mining prospecting job became separated from his companions in the wilderness and died of exposure to the cold.

Prospecting Helper Dies in WildernessVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Tire Assembly Explodes and Kills Worker
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Tire Assembly Explodes and Kills Worker

Driver Safety, English, Fatality Reports, General Industry, Industry, Language, Topic, Type

Tire Assembly Explodes and Kills Worker

An inexperienced truck maintenance man was killed instantly when a split-rim wheel assembly exploded with great force. He had apparently mismatched the lock ring on the multi-piece tire.

Tire Assembly Explodes and Kills WorkerVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Airplane Propeller Claims Life
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Airplane Propeller Claims Life

English, Fatality Reports, General Industry, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Type

Airplane Propeller Claims Life

A worker in the air transport industry was riding as a passenger in a ground service vehicle. The driver parked the vehicle parallel to a stationary twin-engine airplane which still had both engines running. The

Airplane Propeller Claims LifeVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Tow Truck Driver Hit by Passing Car
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Tow Truck Driver Hit by Passing Car

Driver Safety, English, Fatality Reports, Industry, Language, Topic, Transportation, Type

Tow Truck Driver Hit by Passing Car

A tow truck driver helping a stranded motorist on a busy freeway was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. The driver had stopped to help a woman whose car had a flat tire. He

Tow Truck Driver Hit by Passing CarVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Stairways Can Lead to Tragedy
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Stairways Can Lead to Tragedy

English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Oil and Gas, Topic, Type

Stairways Can Lead to Tragedy

Slips, trips and falls rank only behind motor vehicles as the leading cause of industrial deaths in North America. Many of these fatalities involve stairways. Here's an example from the oil and gas industry.

Stairways Can Lead to TragedyVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

‘Copter Horseplay Claims Two Victims
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‘Copter Horseplay Claims Two Victims

English, Fatality Reports, Horseplay, Industry, Language, Office Safety, Topic, Transportation, Type

‘Copter Horseplay Claims Two Victims

A helicopter pilot and passenger were killed in a crash attributed to horseplay. Witnesses reported seeing two helicopters engaged in what appeared to be games or stunts in the air, dodging and weaving within a

‘Copter Horseplay Claims Two VictimsVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Tobacco Worker Dies After Tractor Overturns
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Tobacco Worker Dies After Tractor Overturns

Agriculture, Driver Safety, English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Machinery/Equipment, Topic, Transportation, Type

Tobacco Worker Dies After Tractor Overturns

A migrant farm worker died after the tractor he was driving overturned on a country road. The victim, who had no experience driving on public roads, was pulling a load of tobacco when the wagon jack-knifed and broke loose from the tractor.

Tobacco Worker Dies After Tractor OverturnsVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Laborer Drowns in Flooded Pipeline
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Laborer Drowns in Flooded Pipeline

Confined Spaces, English, Fatality Reports, General Industry, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Type

Laborer Drowns in Flooded Pipeline

On average, 5,000 to 6,000 workers are killed each year. Learn from the following reports of real workplace fatalities to avoid a similar fate.

Laborer Drowns in Flooded PipelineVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Dream Buried Under Ton of Wet Dirt
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Dream Buried Under Ton of Wet Dirt

Construction, English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Type

Dream Buried Under Ton of Wet Dirt

Jose Vega, a 36-year-old construction worker, had a dream of one day reuniting with his little girl, a year after escaping Cuba in a boat.

Dream Buried Under Ton of Wet DirtVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Supervisor’s Arms Caught Between Rollers
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Supervisor’s Arms Caught Between Rollers

English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Lockout/Tagout, Manufacturing, Topic, Type

Supervisor’s Arms Caught Between Rollers

A shift supervisor died after both arms were caught and partially amputated between two paper machine rollers.

Supervisor’s Arms Caught Between RollersVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Laborer Falls Through Inadequate Guardrail
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Laborer Falls Through Inadequate Guardrail

English, Fall Protection, Fatality Reports, Forestry, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Type

Laborer Falls Through Inadequate Guardrail

Two construction companies have been hit with big fines for the death of a laborer who fell through an inadequate guardrail in 2003.

Laborer Falls Through Inadequate GuardrailVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

No Lockout Brings Death, Big Fine
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No Lockout Brings Death, Big Fine

English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Lockout/Tagout, Manufacturing, Topic, Type

No Lockout Brings Death, Big Fine

A nightshift worker died because a giant mixer was not locked out. The needless fatality brought a $265,000 fine against the company.

No Lockout Brings Death, Big FineVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Passenger Crushed by Falling Slabs
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Passenger Crushed by Falling Slabs

Construction, English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Type

Passenger Crushed by Falling Slabs

It was late at night and traffic was light, but unfortunately not light enough. A car traveling through the Big Dig Tunnel in Boston was in the wrong place at the wrong time when four concrete slabs weighing several tons fell from the ceiling, killing a woman.

Passenger Crushed by Falling SlabsVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Company Fined $350,000 For Fatality
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Company Fined $350,000 For Fatality

English, Fall Protection, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Mining, Topic, Type

Company Fined $350,000 For Fatality

An Ontario mine is paying the price for failing to develop standard safe procedures for workers performing checks to determine the presence of gases following rock blasts.

Company Fined $350,000 For FatalityVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Tree Trimmer Suffocates In Foliage
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Tree Trimmer Suffocates In Foliage

Agriculture, English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Seasonal, Topic, Type

Tree Trimmer Suffocates In Foliage

A 44-year-old experienced tree trimmer died recently after apparently suffocating in the foliage of a palm tree in San Diego, CA.

Tree Trimmer Suffocates In FoliageVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Leaky Methane Seal and Torch Didn’t Mix
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Leaky Methane Seal and Torch Didn’t Mix

Chemical Safety, English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Mining, Topic, Type

Leaky Methane Seal and Torch Didn’t Mix

A leaking methane seal and an open flame were key factors in a Kentucky mine explosion that claimed five lives in May 2006.

Leaky Methane Seal and Torch Didn’t MixVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Utility Worker Electrocuted During Excavation Near Home
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Utility Worker Electrocuted During Excavation Near Home

Construction, Electrical, English, Fatality Reports, General Safety, Industry, Language, Topic, Type, Utilities

Utility Worker Electrocuted During Excavation Near Home

If only Tim had realized he was seconds away from death while watching his co-worker excavate a trench with a backhoe; he would have run away as far as possible.

Utility Worker Electrocuted During Excavation Near HomeVicky Pickford2018-01-17T00:00:00+00:00