Longshoreman Basim Gilliard, of Pennsauken, 26, was killed during cargo operations after two steel planks dropped from a forklift and struck him while the bulk carrier vessel Virtuous Striker was in Paulsboro, New Jersey

By Amanda Hoover

ahoover@njadvancemedia.com

NJ Advance Media For NJ.com

A 26-year-old New Jersey man working aboard a ship docked in the Delaware River was killed Sunday when two steel planks fell on him, police said.

Basim Gilliard, of Pennsauken, was unloading cargo from the ship's hold at the Port of Paulsboro when the planks dropped from a forklift and struck him around 9:15 a.m., according to New Jersey State Police Trooper Alejandro Goez.

His death has been ruled accidental, and is not considered suspicious, he said.

A Facebook page for the Pennsauken High School football team mourned his loss.

"Our sincerest prayers and condolences go out to the family of 2010 graduate Basim Gilliard who tragically died from a work related accident today. Bassim brought energy and love to our program like none other," the post said. "He will be missed. RIP."  

The vessel, named Virtuous Striker, belongs to a Greece-based company called Enterprises Shipping & Trading S.A.  It is 600 feet long, and was built in 2010, according to the company's site.

The company said in a statement to NJ Advance Media it "regret[s] to confirm a longshoreman was killed in an accident Sunday during cargo operations while the vessel was in Paulsboro, New Jersey."

"Upon learning of the accident, the crew immediately made all appropriate emergency notifications," the statement said. "The Company deeply regrets the death of a valued dock worker.

The company said it is working with local authorities as investigation into the death continues.

As of Thursday morning, the ship remained in the Delaware River near Paulsboro, according to vesselfinder.com, which tracks the locations of ships.

The Port of Paulsboro opened for business in 2017, after the area sat vacant for years. It welcomed its first shipment of steel from Russia in March of that year, which officials greeted as a the start of an economic boost in Paulsboro.

The South Jersey Port Corporation could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Goez said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident. The agency did not immediately respond to requests for more information. 

Construction worker San Juan Landaverde-Olvera, 59, died Tuesday after a pile of plywood fell on top of him while working at a six-home development managed by Fair Drive Partners LLC

A worker at a San Rafael construction site died Tuesday after a pile of plywood fell on top of him, police said.

San Juan Landaverde-Olvera, a 59-year-old man from San Rafael, was killed in an incident that happened shortly before 9 a.m. on Fair Drive, which is in the hills above the Lincoln Avenue exit from Highway 101. The job site is a six-home development with residences in various stages of construction.

Landaverde-Olvera was sitting on a pile of lumber that was leaning against plywood, said San Rafael police Sgt. Lisa Holton. The plywood tipped and fell on the man.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. At least one of Landaverde-Olvera’s relatives was also working at the job site.

“I’m very upset. I’m very sad,” said Lucrecia Salahuddin, who lives on Fair Drive. “I would walk my dog and see those people all the time.”

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the Marin County coroner’s bureau are investigating the death.

The lots are being developed by Fair Drive Partners LLC, which is based in Concord. Jared West, the project manager, declined to comment Tuesday afternoon.

Caltrans Highway Maintenance Leadworker William D. Casdorph, 57, died after falling 50-feet from the state Route 163 overpass in Kearny Mesa. He fell over the center divide wall and down the embankment,

 He was with his landscaping crew on southbound SR-163 center median near Interstate 805 transition ramp when he fell

William Casdorph, dead after fall




SAN DIEGO, CA – 

A Caltrans worker died Wednesday after falling 50-feet from the state Route 163 overpass in Kearny Mesa.



Gov. Jerry Brown issued a statement Wednesday afternoon announcing the death:

"Anne and I mourn the loss of Caltrans Highway Maintenance Leadworker William D. Casdorph, a dedicated public servant who worked to make our roads safer for nearly two decades," the governor wrote.



Casdorph, 57, was a resident of Chula Vista, according to the governor. He was with his landscaping crew on southbound SR-163 center median near Interstate 805 transition ramp when he fell, according to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Brent Lowry.

“We don’t know exactly how or why he fell yet, but he fell over the center divide wall and down the embankment,” Lowry said.

Casdorph was taken to a hospital and was in critical condition. Doctors were unable to save him.

Casdorph was based at the Kearny Mesa maintenance facility and was a 19-year veteran of Caltrans. In 2016, Casdorph and two other Caltrans workers rescued a blind, deaf and feeble Jack Russell terrier named Heidi from a ditch near Interstate 8.

“They heard some whining," owner Mike Davidson told FOX 5. "She never whines. They found her right in the area they were digging."

Casdorph leaves behind a wife, Maria, and daughters Pricilla, Wendy and Ana.

Brown ordered flags at the Capitol in Sacrament flown at half-staff in Casdorph's honor. He is the 189th Caltrans employee to lose his life on the job.

Governor Brown Issues Statement on Death of Caltrans Worker

SACRAMENTO, CA –

Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued the following statement regarding the death of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Highway Maintenance Leadworker William D. Casdorph:

“Anne and I mourn the loss of Caltrans Highway Maintenance Leadworker William D. Casdorph, a dedicated public servant who worked to make our roads safer for nearly two decades. On behalf of all Californians, we extend our deep condolences to his family, friends and the Caltrans community as they struggle to cope with this sudden loss.”

Casdorph, 57, of Chula Vista, died today after being injured at a job site along State Route 163 in San Diego.

Casdorph served as a Caltrans employee for nearly two decades. He is survived by his wife, Maria, and three adult daughters, Priscilla, Wendy and Ana.

Casdorph is the 189th Caltrans employee to lose his life on the job.

In honor of Casdorph, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.

NEGLIGENT EMPLOYER: Cal/OSHA has issued citations to GreenWaste Recovery Inc. after a waste collection worker was fatally run over by his own truck in San Jose

News Release No.: 2018-77                                             Date: September 20, 2018

Cal/OSHA Issues Citations for Fatal Waste Collection Truck Accident

Fremont—Cal/OSHA has issued citations to GreenWaste Recovery Inc. after a waste collection worker was fatally run over by his own truck in San Jose. An investigation found that the employer failed to ensure the truck’s safety restraint was in working order and did not ensure it was being used by workers driving from the right-hand side of the truck.  

On March 2, a GreenWaste Recovery worker was driving a waste collection truck to gather recyclables in San Jose. The worker was making a turn while operating the truck from the right-hand side when he fell out and was run over. Cal/OSHA’s inspection determined that the waste collection truck had a safety chain for the truck cab opening that could not be used because a part was missing.

“Collection vehicles with the option to operate the truck from the right-hand side must be equipped with an occupant restraint system such as a door, locking or latching bar, safety chain or strap,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum. “To prevent serious and fatal injuries, employers must maintain occupant restraints in working order and ensure the restraints are used by workers.”

Cal/OSHA issued two general and two serious accident-related citations totaling $46,270 in proposed penalties to GreenWaste Recovery. The serious accident-related citations were issued for the employer’s failure to ensure that occupant restraints were being used by workers driving from the right-hand side of the truck and failure to identify and evaluate the unsafe work practice of workers not using occupant restraints. In addition, the employer received two general citations for not maintaining vehicle safety equipment.

Cal/OSHA conducted inspections of GreenWaste Recovery involving three separate worker injuries in 2016 and 2017. Over the last three years, Cal/OSHA has opened at least 186 inspections with solid waste collection and material recovery employers. Those inspections include a fatal incident last year in La Jolla when a waste collection worker was crushed by his unsecured truck that rolled forward and pinned him against a wall.

A citation is classified as serious when there is a realistic possibility that death or serious harm could result from the actual hazard created by the violation. Citations are classified as accident-related when the injury, illness or fatality is caused by the violation.

Cal/OSHA offers a guide to developing an Injury and Illness Prevention Program and model programs for employers in both high hazard and non-high hazard industries. Cal/OSHA’s Consultation Services Branch provides free and voluntary assistance to employers to improve their safety and health programs. Employers should call (800) 963-9424 for assistance from Cal/OSHA Consultation Services.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, is the division within the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) that helps protect California’s workers from health and safety hazards on the job in almost every workplace.

Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact DIR’s Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734). Complaints can also be filed confidentially with Cal/OSHA district offices. 

Members of the press may contact Peter Melton or Frank Polizzi at (510) 286-1161, and are encouraged to subscribe to get email alerts on DIR’s press releases or other departmental updates.

Seaman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak, 21, was killed after being struck by a plane propeller aboard the USS George H.W. Bush after securing the plane to the ship’s flight deck

Joseph Min Naglak of New Jersey joined the Navy last year and served aboard the USS George H. W. Bush. He died Monday on the flight deck. Thank you for your service, Airman Apprentice Naglak.  AND WATCH YOUR HEAD IN THE OTHER LIFE

• ABH at U.S. Navy
• Studied Homeland Security/Counterterrorism at Monmouth University
• Went to West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
• Engaged to Niki Weber
• Joined May 2009

Seaman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak, 21, was killed after being struck by a plane propeller aboard the USS George H.W. Bush on Monday, Sept. 18, 2018.



September 19, 2018

WASHINGTON, DC — 

A sailor killed aboard the USS George H.W. Bush was struck by an aircraft’s turning propeller after securing the plane to the ship’s flight deck, a Navy spokesman said Tuesday.

Seaman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak was struck by the propeller of an E-2C Hawkeye on Monday during flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier, which was off the East Coast of the United States, said Navy Cmdr. Dave Hecht, a spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic. Naglak was the only sailor injured in the incident, which remains under investigation, Hecht said.

Naglak, 21, was an aviation boatswain’s mate from West Windsor, New Jersey. He had served aboard the Bush since August 2017, four months after he enlisted in the service, according to the Navy.