OSHA investigates trench collapse after 28-year-old worker becomes 13th worker injured while working underground in 2016
Amid alarming rise in excavation-related deaths, agency calls industry to action
SEVEN HILLS, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Cleveland office has opened an investigation after learning a 28-year-old employee of W.F. Hann & Sons was injured while installing sewer lines in an 8-foot trench in Seven Hills on Nov. 19, 2016.
While working in the trench at approximately 1:30 p.m., the soil suddenly shifted, and the trench walls around him collapsed – burying him in an estimated 14,000 pounds of dirt. The force of the soil was so great that it shattered a piece of 4 x 8 inch thick strand board the company used for shoring. A co-worker dug him out of the trench quickly and saved the man’s life. The Seven Hills Fire Department responded to the 911 call and transported the employee to Metro Hospital. His condition is unknown.
This incident marks the 13th time in 2016 that a worker was injured in a trench collapse. In total, collapses have killed 23 workers since January.
In a related incident, OSHA reported that an agency inspector saw a worker in a 15-foot deep unprotected trench in Berea today and ensured he was removed from danger. The agency has opened an investigation of the man’s employer – Trax Construction Co. of Wickliffe – as a result.
“The employers of both of these men are just lucky that neither of these men were killed while working in a trench without adequate safety protections. Nationwide, trench deaths have more than doubled since 2015 – an alarming trend that must be halted,” said Howard Eberts, OSHA’s Area Director in Cleveland. “Excavating companies need to re-examine their safety procedures to ensure they are taking all available precautions – including installing trench boxes, shoring and other means to prevent unexpected shifts in the soil that can cause walls to collapse.”
OSHA has a national emphasis program on trenching and excavations. Trenching standards require protective systems on trenches deeper than 5 feet, and soil and other materials kept at least two feet from the edge of trench.
The agency last inspected Cleveland-based W.F. Hann & Sons in 1999. The company was issued three citations related to a lack of fall protection, training, and frequent inspections. Trax Construction Co. was last inspected in 2014 and was issued a citation related to lack of adequate cave-in protection.
Learn more about the OSHA inspection process here.
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Cleveland office at 216-447-4194.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
OSHA News Release:
11/21/2016
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W.F. Hann & Sons
HVAC Service, Heating Service & Air Conditioning Service in Cleveland, OH
The team from W.F. Hann & Sons provides a range of heating,
cooling, plumbing and electrical services for home and business owners
in Warrensville Heights, Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. We
strive to maintain a reputation of unmatched customer service and
quality workmanship that began in 1907. Whether you need emergency
repair, installation or annual maintenance, one call to W.F. Hann does
it all! Contact us for service on: furnaces, air conditioners, boilers,
water heaters, sump pumps, ductless HVAC systems and more!
What Sets Us Apart
- With over 100 years of service to homeowners and businesses
throughout Northeast Ohio, we offer 24-hour emergency service, warranty
service, trained and certified technicians, quality products and
unbeatable customer satisfaction.
- W.F. Hann & Sons is a fully insured, licensed contractor
registered in all the cities that we work. We adhere to all state and
local codes. All equipment is installed and started up to meet the
requirements set by each manufacturer.
- All W.F. Hann & Sons technicians are factory trained and
certified and have been NATE (North American Technician Excellence)
tested. This certification is widely accepted across HVAC industry as
the standard.
- Our technicians wear clean company uniforms and are clearly
identified with a photo ID badge. They are company employees…we know who
we are sending to your home.
- We take special care to protect your home. Anyone working in your
home will wear protective shoe covers; drop cloths are spread out in
work areas; and all debris is removed at the end of the job or work day.
- We evaluate you specific needs and customize your system to provide
the most value, comfort and efficiency. We provide a detailed proposal
with up-front and clear pricing. No surprises.
- We’ll give you a scheduled installation date and complete the job in
the allotted time frame. Our Quality Assurance Guarantee means that
every job is inspected by a senior staff member to meet our high
standards and ensure your 100% satisfaction.
Bus crash injures 10 students on snowy interstate 81 near Marathon, NY
Monday, November 21, 2016 08:36PM
MARATHON, N.Y. -- A school bus taking students from suburban Rochester on a trip to New York City has crashed and overturned along a snowy upstate highway, slightly injuring 10 students and the driver.
State police say the crash happened Monday morning when the driver swerved to avoid two other vehicles that veered out of control in front of him on southbound Interstate 81 in the Cortland County town of Marathon, 40 miles south of Syracuse.
A statement posted on the Pittsford Central School District's website says several buses with students on board were heading to the city as part of a business course.
District officials say the buses were carrying students from Pittsford Mendon and Pittsford Sutherland high schools.
Driver arrested; 6 students killed in Tennessee school bus crash
Multiple deaths were reported in an elementary school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016.
Updated 2 hrs 26 mins ago
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged following a school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that killed at least six children.
Johnthony Walker was arrested and charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and reckless driving, according to Chattanooga police Chief Fred Fletcher.
Fletcher said the crash was "every public safety professional's worst nightmare."
The bus was carrying 35 children from Woodmore Elementary, students in kindergarten through fifth grade, when it crashed about 3:30 p.m., turned on its side and wrapped around a tree.
Fletcher said police interviewed the bus driver to determine what happened and told reporters later that investigators were looking at speed "very, very strongly" as a factor. The bus was the only vehicle involved but the crash scene covers a significant area, he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that a team would be heading to Chattanooga on Tuesday morning to investigate.
Twenty-three students were taken to hospitals, Fletcher said, but he did not have information about the extent of their injuries. Media reported it took about two hours to get the last children off the bus.
Television stations reported that people lined up to donate blood and some donors were asked to make appointments for Tuesday.
Kirk Kelly, interim superintendent for Hamilton County schools, said classes would be held on Tuesday, with counselors available for students and staff.
Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston told media outlets that five people died at the scene and one died at the hospital. Melydia Clewell, the district attorney's spokeswoman, confirmed the number.
Chattanooga police Assistant Chief Tracy Arnold said officials would not identify the students who died, or their ages, until parents were notified.
"Our hearts go out, as well as the hearts of all these people behind me, to the families, the neighborhood, the school, for all the people involved in this, we assure you we are doing everything we can," Fletcher said.
At the state Capitol in Nashville, Gov. Bill Haslam called the crash "a tragic event" and offered assistance.
"We're going to do everything we can to assist in any way," Haslam said. "It's a sad situation anytime there's a school bus with children involved, which there is in this case."
Worker, 21, dies after fall in Pequannock after improper use of the forklift
Michael Izzo , @MIzzoDR 2:39 p.m. EST November 21, 2016
A worker was fatally injured last week following a fall from a forklift at a Pequannock construction site, police said.
At about 1:27 p.m. Friday, officers responded Route 23 South at the site of the under-construction Castle banquet hall for a report of an injured worker, Capt. Christopher DePuyt said.
While officers were responding, dispatch was advised that medical assistance was not needed as coworkers were taking the injured man to Chilton Medical Center, DePuyt said.
The man, 21, from Belleville, was pronounced dead in the Chilton Emergency Room at 1:46 p.m., DePuyt said.
Back at The Castle, officers secured the accident site and contacted the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration, DePuyt said. The investigation was then turned over to OSHA.
A preliminary investigation indicated the 21-year-old victim was being lowered to the ground by a forklift at the time of the accident when the machine suffered a mechanical failure, causing the forklift attachment to detach from the rest of the unit, DePuyt said.
The 21-year-old – who was standing on a wooden pallet on the end of the forklift at the time – then fell 40 feet to the ground, suffering fatal injuries, DePuyt said.
The workers on site were transporting a ladder off the structure to the ground at the time of the accident and OSHA said that was not a proper use of the forklift.The worker was not identified by name Monday and OSHA’s investigation is ongoing.
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By Justin Zaremba | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author
on November 21, 2016 at 10:23 AM, updated November 21, 2016 at 3:45 PM
PEQUANNOCK — A 21-year-old Belleville man died Friday after he fell from the end of a forklift at the construction site for The Castle banquet hall on Route 23, police said.
The worker was standing on a wooden pallet on the fork end of the forklift when an apparent mechanical failure occurred and the fork end detached, causing the man to plummet about 40 feet, Pequannock Capt. Christopher DePuyt said.
Township police were notified of the incident at about 1:27 p.m. and were told medical assistance wasn't needed because the worker was transported by co-workers to Chilton Medical Center, DePuyt said.
The man was pronounced dead at the hospital's emergency department at 1:46 p.m.
Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, according to OSHA.
Workers were in the process of removing a ladder off of the structure to the ground when the mechanical failure occurred, DePuyt said.
DePuyt said the investigation has been turned over to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA investigators, he said, indicated the way in which the forklift was used during this incident was improper.
The Castle is an 85,000-square-foot banquet hall currently under construction by Badanco Holding Company. Messages placed to Badanco Holding Company on Monday morning haven't yet been returned.
Massachusetts construction worker killed after saw hits him in throat
Published November 21, 2016
Associated Press
Authorities have identified a construction worker who was killed in Massachusetts when a power saw he was using kicked back and hit him in the throat.
The Plymouth County District Attorney's Office says 28-year-old Jason Sanderson, of Carver, and another worker had been excavating an underground water line in a trench when the incident happened Saturday afternoon in Duxbury.
Investigators say they believe the chop saw he was using "became bound" and jolted back at him, making contact with his neck.
Sanderson was pronounced dead at a hospital. Authorities say foul play is not suspected.
The name of the company Sanderson was working for hasn't been released. The incident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Kickback happens when the wood hits the back of the blade or the wood binds. Common causes of kickback are:
- the kerf closes behind the cut pinching the blade
- a board is warped, cupped, twisted, etc and binds against the blade
- the side of the wood against the table saw fence isn't straight
- the blade isn't parallel to the fence
- a cross cut is made without properly supporting the board and it twists into the blade
- a cut-off gets trapped between blade and fence.
In
each case, the velocity of the spinning blade can lift the board and
send it flying. A piece of wood can fly so hard that can kill a worker, as it happened in this case.
Kickback
is over before you are even aware it happened, so don't think you can
react in time to pull your hand out of the way. You can't.
Here are some tips to prevent getting injured by saw kickback on a table saw:
- The
best way of preventing kickback is to use a riving knife or splitter
and an anti-kickback device on your table saw. The riving knife and
splitter will hold the kerf open behind the blade so the wood can't
close on the cut.
- Don't pull the workpiece from the back side
of the table saw, a kickback can yank your hand right into the
blade. People do serious injury to their hands when the blade grabs the
board pulling it and their hand into the blade.
- Don't use the
fence when cross cutting narrow stock. There isn't enough wood against
the fence to control the cut. Instead use the miter gauge to push the
wood and leave your table saw fence to the side.
- Kickback often
occurs when you're cutting large sheets of material. If you let the
sheet sag down, the kerf can close and pinch the blade as you near the
end of the cut.
- Keep your hands and body to one side of the line of cut.
- When
using portable saws always maintain a firm grip on the saw and don't
stretch so far over the workpiece that you're left in an awkward,
unbalanced position.
- Make sure your wood is flat and the side against the fence is straight.
- Keep your blade parallel to the fence.
- Never try to free hand a cut.
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DUXBURY – A 28-year-old construction worker from Carver died Saturday after a power saw kicked back, hitting him in the throat.
The Plymouth County district attorney’s office on Sunday identified the worker as Jason Sanderson.
The fire department received a report at about 2:15 p.m. of a construction worker suffering from serious injuries at 907 Tremont St. The residential construction site where two homes are being built is about a mile from Duxbury Fire Headquarters.
When first responder arrived they found Sanderson suffering from a severe neck wound.
“Investigators believe that Sanderson and another worker were down in a hole cutting a water pipe when the circular chop saw that Sanderson was using became bound and kicked back, striking him in the neck,” according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.
A medical helicopter was requested but was not available. Lifesaving efforts were attempted at the scene before Sanderson was rush by ambulance to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, where he died.
Duxbury Police notified The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and state troopers assigned to the Plymouth County district attorney’s. Foul play is not suspected.
Duxbury police on Sunday deferred to the federal agency and Duxbury Fire Department. A captain with the fire department directed inquires to the department’s public information officer, who could not be reached Sunday.
