MEC&F Expert Engineers : 09/28/18

Friday, September 28, 2018

A construction worker died after possibly being electrocuted while working on the elevator of Midtown 8 high-rise going up near Midtown Miami, Florida being developed by Atlanta-based Wood Partners and constructed by Kast Construction







Construction worker dies of possible electrocution while working on Miami high-rise


By David J. Neal
dneal@miamiherald.com


September 25, 2018

Miami, Florida


A construction worker died after possibly being electrocuted while working on the elevator of a high-rise going up near Midtown Miami, according to Miami Fire Rescue.

The man’s identity hasn’t been released yet.

Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said a call of a possible electrocution brought units to a construction site at Northeast 30th Street and First Avenue after noon. The foreman told fire-rescue workers the man was working on the interior elevator electrical system when he stopped breathing and collapsed.

Co-workers started CPR, which is what they were doing when Miami Fire Rescue arrived. He was taken to Ryder Trauma Center two miles away, and died there soon after.
Breaking News

The foreman shut down work for the day, Carroll said. The Fire Marshal, City of Miami building officials and Miami police, likely soon joined by he Occupational Safety Health Administration, are investigating.


=======================================






A construction worker at Midtown 8 in Miami died on Tuesday afternoon after he was possibly electrocuted while working on the building’s elevator system.

Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said the worker was transported from the construction site on the southeast corner of Northeast 30th Street and First Avenue to Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead. Atlanta-based Wood Partners is developing the 28-story, 387-unit tower at 2901 and 2951 Northeast First Avenue.

Kast Construction topped off the 389,700-square-foot apartment building in May. It’s being designed by Stantec.

The employee was on the 24th floor, working on the interior elevator system when he collapsed, the project’s foreman told Miami Fire Rescue. His coworkers performed CPR and brought him to the first floor to wait for paramedics, according to a release.

In a statement, Kast Construction CEO Michael Neal called the accident “an overwhelming tragedy” and said that the project team will work with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as it completes its investigation.

The worker’s identity has not yet been released.

In 2016, a construction worker was killed after falling from the 15th floor of the Alexander, a 16-story apartment building under construction in West Palm Beach. Kast Construction was the general contractor for the project, developed by Ram Realty and Kolter Group.


==========================================



Wood Partners' Stantec-Designed Midtown 8 Officially Tops Off In Midtown Miami
June 3, 2018


Wood Partners, Stantec and Kast Construction have officially celebrated the topping off of Midtown 8, their new 28-story, 389,700 SF residential development in Midtown Miami. Located on a two-acre site at 2901 and 2951 NE 1st Avenue in Midtown Miami, the mixed-use development by the Atlanta-based multifamily developer Wood Partners includes residences, retail space and parking. Residential units range from studios to three-bedroom penthouses with high ceilings.

Midtown 8 features nearly 30,000 SF of commercial space, 519-car parking garage, 27 Citi Bike spots. Amenities include co-working space, a spacious hammock garden that provides a tropical feel amidst the city, a rocking chair lounge area, yoga studio, demonstration kitchen and juice bar. The outdoor amenity spaces also features lush greenery and green walls creating an inviting and relaxing oasis for residents as well as a landscaped linear outdoor space with dog walk area and a colorful mural art wall expressive of the neighborhood.

“We’re proud to be celebrating this momentous milestone for Midtown 8, said Jennifer Llop-Noy, project manager, Stantec’s Miami office. Once completed, Midtown 8 will provide exceptional residences with sophisticated interiors and amenities for the local market in Midtown Miami, one of the most dynamic residential enclaves in the city.”

“The 28-story luxury rental tower will have 387 units and a 10-story parking structure with a rooftop amenity deck with pool, fitness center and club room to allow for beautiful views of Miami. There will be seven bridges connecting the garage to the residential tower. The team of Kast Construction, Wood Partners and Stantec Architecture look forward to delivering this project in May 2019,” said Dave DeMay, senior vice president, Kast Construction.

A U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk broke apart and crashed last year after the drone's navigation system caused it to fly at an altitude and speed it couldn't handle



  An RQ-4 Global Hawk, assigned to the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron, makes a first ever appearance during Red Flag Alaska 18-3, Aug. 16, 2018, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tristan D. Viglianco)




False Navigation Data Caused Global Hawk to Nosedive, Break Apart: Air Force


      

Military.com 27 Sep 2018 By Oriana Pawlyk

A U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk broke apart and crashed last year after the drone's navigation system caused it to fly at an altitude and speed it couldn't handle, according to a recent service investigation report.

The RQ-4, from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, was conducting a flight from Edwards Air Force Base to Beale last June when one of the unmanned aerial vehicle's Litton inertial navigators produced "erroneous data" that told it to begin "a false left wing down roll," according to an accident investigation report published Wednesday.


A Northrop Grumman contractor aircrew was operating the drone from a mission control element, dubbed MCE1, a "portable shelter equipped to support enroute aircraft mission functions," out of Palmdale, California, while airmen monitored the event at MCE2 at Beale.

Prior to the flight, the Global Hawk experienced "problems with its links to [mission control elements] one and two," as well as high temperature warnings, the report said. Both issues were resolved and cleared before flight. It had earlier undergone right-wing maintenance at Edwards.

The RQ-4's Kearfott KN-4074E navigators (KNA and KNB) were turned off after takeoff, leaving its Litton LN-100G LNA/B navigators -- the drone's only other two navigators -- to steer the flight, the report said.

The drone took off before 12:30 p.m. local time. For about the first 50 minutes of the June 21 flight, the "mishap RPA ... turned to planned waypoints uneventfully." Then, the LNA navigation gave the false left-wing roll indication.

The Global Hawk, "having failed to detect the erroneous nature of LNA's navigational data, sent control inputs to correct the false roll data. This included keeping a full throttle, even while the [mishap RPA] was in an unusual nose low attitude," the report said. Roughly 20 seconds later, "the [mishap RPA] regained roll control but airspeed continued to increase."

The UAV subsequently lost its communication links with the mission control element hubs.

Shortly after losing link, "MCE1 and MCE2 received a data packet, showing the [mishap RPA] in an unusual attitude with increasing airspeed and maxed descent rate, before losing links again," the report said.

The data showed that the roll, combined with the acceleration, put the RQ-4 into a dive and caused structural damage.

The Global Hawk broke apart during flight and crashed in an unpopulated area near Lone Pine, California.

While the LNA navigator caused the crash, Col. Jeremy Thiel, the board's investigation authority, said that disabling the KNA/B navigators also contributed to the crash.

"I also find by a preponderance of evidence that disabling the [mishap RPA]'s two Kearfott KN-4074E navigators (KNA and KNB) after takeoff substantially contributed to the mishap," he said in his opinion summary.

The destroyed aircraft cost the Air Force $79 million.

Hazmat situation after spill of 60 gallons concentrated sulfuric acid that came from a leak on a flatbed truck that was carrying an 83-gallon tank of the acid in Pocatello, Idaho





Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is used to neutralize the sulfuric acid spill. 

Pocatello cleans up massive sulfuric acid spill on multiple roads

By: Misty Inglet

September 28, 2018


POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - 


Pocatello police, the Pocatello Fire Department and several other agencies cleaned up a massive sulfuric acid spill across multiple roads.

The Pocatello Police Department said the sulfuric acid came from a leak on a flatbed truck that was carrying an 83-gallon tank of the acid. It is 98% sulfuric acid, so it is very concentrated.

There are only about 20 gallons of acid left in the tank, so around 60 gallons of it was spilled on roadways from Soda Springs to Pocatello.

Lt. Whitney with the Pocatello Police Department said the truck left Soda Springs, stopped in Lava Hot Springs at the Sinclair there for fuel, went on U.S. 30, down to Old Highway 91, through Inkom, down Portneuf Road, up Fort Hall Mine Road, to North Main Street to the Gould Street overpass, then North on McKinley to the 700 block.

According to Pocatello police, crews are dealing with spills along all those roads in Bannock County, as well as a few spills in Inkom. There was no reported spill at the gas station.

All those roads, and some nearby roads, were losed off while HAZMAT teams work to clean up the spill and neutralize the acid.

Pocatello police said they got the call just before 7 p.m. Thursday night about the spill.

Pocatello PD said there is no contamination to city drinking water and HAZMAT crews will be working likely through the night to continue to clear the acid off the roadways.

The DEQ said anyone whose cars may have been affected by this, and may have picked up acid, can wash them with soap and water. That should neutralize the acid. Avoid direct skin contact with it though, it's recommended you use a commercial car wash to clean it.

OSHA cited JBS Green Bay Inc. for machine guarding violations that led to an employee suffering serious injuries after becoming caught in an unguarded machine.






U.S. Department of Labor Cites Green Bay Meat Packer After Employee Injury


GREEN BAY, WI – 


The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited JBS Green Bay Inc. for machine guarding violations that led to an employee suffering serious injuries after becoming caught in an unguarded machine. OSHA cited the company – based in Green Bay, Wisconsin – for one willful and 10 serious violations, and faces proposed penalties of $221,726, which includes the maximum penalty for the willful violation.

OSHA’s safety investigation determined that the company failed to install adequate safety guards, and exposed workers to fall and lockout/tagout hazards. Inspectors opened a concurrent health inspection after a review of the company’s safety and health logs determined that employees had been exposed to an ammonia release. The company was cited for having an inadequate process safety management program.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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 help 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 https://www.osha.gov.






Company Overview

JBS Green Bay, Inc. produces and markets beef to retailers, wholesalers, and food processors worldwide. It also markets boxed beef products. The company was formerly known as Packerland Packing Company, Inc. The company was founded in 1960 and is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It has a production facility in Plainwell, Michigan. JBS Green Bay, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of JBS Packerland Inc.
1330 Lime Kiln Road
Green Bay, WI 54311
United States
Founded in 1960


About

For more than 50 years, JBS has provided customers around the world with a wide variety of quality products at tremendous value. In 1953, José Batista Sobrinho started a small, family-owned beef company in Brazil. He had a single mission: to provide the best possible service, selection and value to our customers. Today, our mission remains unchanged.

JBS began as a family business and today our principles remain the same. We value honesty, integrity and sincerity. We are passionate about our work and we encourage our employees to take ownership of their daily tasks. We know that our customers have a choice in suppliers. That?s why we believe in working together to grow our business.



Beef Production

Located near the home of the world famous Green Bay Packers professional football team, the Green Bay beef processing facility has been a part of the local community since the early 1960s, serving domestic and global customers for more than 50 years.

Team Members: More than 1,200

Producer Partners: More than 140

Annual Livestock Payments: More than $800 million

Community Involvement

JBS Green Bay enjoys several awards for environmental stewardship activities and supports local community organizations including the United Way and the local homeless shelter.

Brands Produced Here

5 Star Beef, 5 Star Reserve Beef, Clear River Farms Beef, Four Star Beef, Showcase Premium USA Beef



OSHA cited GBW Railcar Services, LLC – a railcar repair, refurbishment, and maintenance company – for repeated and serious safety and health violations at its facility in Hockley, Texas. The company faces $265,147 in proposed penalties.


















U.S. Department of Labor Cites Railcar Maintenance Company for Repeatedly Exposing Employees to Fire and Explosion Hazards


HOCKLEY, TX – 


The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited GBW Railcar Services, LLC – a railcar repair, refurbishment, and maintenance company – for repeated and serious safety and health violations at its facility in Hockley, Texas. The company faces $265,147 in proposed penalties.

OSHA inspected the facility in response to a complaint, and cited the company for failing to protect workers from combustible dust, confined space, and respiratory hazards. Two contractors suffered fatal injuries, and another sustained serious injuries in a combustible dust explosion at this facility in 2012. The repeated violations cited in the current inspection are based on hazardous conditions identified in the 2012 investigation.

"This employer failed to monitor their facility to ensure workplace health and safety procedures were adequate and effective," said OSHA Houston Area Office Director Joann J. Figueroa. "When combustible dust is not properly controlled, the results can be devastating."

GBW Railcar Services has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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 help 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.


 

About GBW

In June 2014, The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX) and Watco Companies embarked on a 50/50 railcar repair joint venture called GBW Railcar Services, LLC (GBW). GBW now owns and operates the Greenbrier and Watco respective railcar repair, refurbishment and maintenance businesses. The new company formed by the two industry leaders will respond directly to interests expressed by the companies existing customers and marketplace. This joint venture is designed to meet the certification and maintenance requirements of the growing North American tank car fleet as well as expand railcar repair service offerings for general freight cars of nearly all types.

About Greenbrier

Greenbrier, (www.gbrx.com), headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading supplier of transportation equipment and services to the railroad industry. We build new freight rail cars in our four manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Mexico and marine barges at our U.S. manufacturing facility. Greenbrier has thousands of railcars in its lease fleet and performs management services for hundreds of thousands of railcars owned by third parties. Greenbrier also sells reconditioned wheel sets and provides wheel services at nine locations throughout the U.S. We recondition, manufacture and sell railcar parts at four U.S. sites. Greenbrier builds new railroad freight cars and refurbishes freight cars for the European and Middle Eastern markets through our operations in Poland. Greenbrier is also a partner in Greenbrier-Maxion, based in Hortolandia, Brazil, which builds new freight railcars for Brazil and other South American Markets.

About Watco

Watco Companies, LLC (watcocompanies.com), is a Pittsburg, Kansas, based transportation company providing mechanical, transportation, terminal and port services, and supply chain services for Customers throughout North America and Australia. Watco is the owner of Watco Transportation Services, LLC, one of the largest short-line railroad holding companies in the U.S. with 35 short line railroads operating on more than 4,700 miles of track, as well as 30 industrial contract switching locations. The Terminal and Port Services division currently manages 55 terminals and the Greens Port Industrial Park.
 

Pilot Reagan Whitlow, 45, a retired Lt. Colonel In Air Force, died after he crashed and burned his experimental 1997 Van's RV-4 plane owned/operated by Herc Drivers LLC in Magness Township east of Dogwood Airport (73AR) located in Cabot, Arkansas

 The plane that crashed and burned, killing Pilot Reagan Whitlow, 45, a retired  Lt. Colonel In Air Force

Pilot Reagan Whitlow, 45, a retired  Lt. Colonel In Air Force, died in the crash





Update: Pilot Killed In Plane Crash Was Retired Lt. Colonel In Air Force
It happened on Hickory Hills Drive Off Highway 5 


By: Re'Chelle Turner


September 26, 2018

LONOKE COUNTY, Ark.-


A man is dead after a plane he was flying crashed in Lonoke County.
It happened on Hickory Hills Drive off Highway 5. After the plane crashed, the Ward Fire Department put out the flames.

The Sheriff's office confirmed the pilot, 45 year-old Reagan Whitlow was a retired Lt. Colonel from the Air Force.

Authorities said Whitlow was flying the single engine plane out of Sherwood. It caught fire and landed in a back-yard near a pond. The Ward Fire Department responded and put of the flames.

The Lonoke County Sheriff's Office said it's always tough when someone loses a life.

"It's horrible. You know it's hard on the family but it's also hard on the first responders we come out and we see these things and we all have family and friends and it's hard. It's hard," Cpt. David Bufford said.

The FAA and deputies will remain on scene. On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board will take over the investigation and work to determine exactly how the plane crashed.



==================================


1 dead after plane crash in Lonoke Co. backyard


by Katie Clement

Wednesday, September 26th 2018



The Lonoke County Sheriff's Office said the crash occurred in someone's backyard on Hickory Hill Road Road.

LONOKE COUNTY (KATV) — 


Authorities confirm one person is dead after a private single-engine plane crash in Lonoke County.

45-year-old Reagan Whitlow, the pilot, died as a result of the crash.

The Lonoke County Sheriff's Office said the crash occurred in someone's backyard on Hickory Hills Drive.

According to Sheriff Staley, the plane was on fire after the crash.

Authorities say Whitlow lived in the neighborhood where he crashed.



====================================


One dead after private plane crash in Austin
According to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, a civilian plane landed in a resident's backyard during an emergency landing. Currently, the plan is on fire with one person inside.


Author: THV11 Digital
Updated: 7:09 PM CDT September 26, 2018

UPDATE - The Lonoke County Sheriff's Office confirms one fatality and that the pilot was the only person on-board. No other injuries have been reported. The plane was a single engine private plane.

The victim has been identified as 45-year-old Reagan Whitlow, who lived across the street from the crash.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was a single-engine, amateur-built Rans RV-4.

LONOKE COUNTY, Ark. (KTHV) - 


Capt. David Bufford with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office has confirmed a crash involving a small plane on Hickory Hill Road in Austin.

According to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, a civilian plane landed in a resident's backyard during an emergency landing. Currently, the plane is on fire with one person inside.

Emergency crews are responding.

This story will be updated.



======================================



Narrative:
The aircraft, an experimental McMains built RV-4, impacted open turf terrain in Magness Township east of Dogwood Airport (73AR) located in Cabot, Arkansas. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the sole pilot onboard received fatal injuries.

Sources:
https://katv.com/news/local/authorities-investigate-plane-crash-in-lonoke-co-backyard
https://www.fox16.com/news/state-news/deadly-plane-crash-in-lonoke-county-multiple-agencies-investigating/1477564837
https://www.asias.faa.gov/apex/f?p=100:95:::NO::P95_EVENT_LCL_DATE,P95_LOC_CITY_NAME,P95_REGIST_NBR:26-SEP-18,AUSTIN,N534MM
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=534MM%20
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/462791
Date: 26-SEP-2018
Time: 14:40
Type:
Van's RV-4
Owner/operator: Herc Drivers LLC
Registration: N534MM
C/n / msn: MM3756
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: E of Dogwood Airport (73AR), AR - United States of America
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport:

Destination airport:






======================================
 

 Alex Darby, Herc Drivers LLC
 The plane that crashed and burned, killing Pilot Reagan Whitlow, 45, a retired  Lt. Colonel In Air Force
 Patrick Steppe, Herc Drivers LLC
Corporation Name HERC DRIVERS LLC
Fictitious Names

Filing # 811049937
Filing Type Limited Liability Company
Filed under Act Domestic LLC; 1003 of 1993
Status Good Standing
Principal Address

Reg. Agent ALEX DARBY
Agent Address 251 LAKE VALLEY DR

MAUMELLE, AR 72113
Date Filed 03/17/2014
Officers THOMAS L PARKER JR, Incorporator/Organizer
ALEX DARBY , Incorporator/Organizer
PATRICK STEPPE , Incorporator/Organizer