Sunday, January 25, 2004

The Weekly Toll

Woman Killed in Spraying Machine

Williamsport, MD - GST AutoLeather near Williamsport was running on a limited production schedule Thursday as Maryland Occupational Safety and Health personnel investigated the death of a woman who was killed Wednesday while operating a spraying machine at the plant.

Deanna L. Stottlemyer, 37, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Wednesday afternoon when she got caught in one of the rollers on spraying machine No. 3 at the Clear Spring Road plant, Dr. Edward Ditto III, the deputy medical examiner for Washington County, said after the accident.

GST AutoLeather has incurred 45 violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration codes, half of them serious, since 1988, a number the company said is meaningless since it has corrected each of the infractions. Huh?


Worker dies in fall through roof of job site

A 47-year-old worker died after he fell through the roof of a Salt Lake City recycling plant Friday afternoon. David Bird, of West Valley City, was one of three contractors working on top of the Weyerhaeuser Recycling building. (Scroll Down).


Man Killed in Conveyor Belt

Harnett County (NC) man died Friday after his arm got caught in a conveyor belt at a concrete plant, authorities said.

Karl William Perry, 42, of Broadway somehow became entangled in the belt at the Thomas Concrete operation near Fuquay-Varina. There were no witnesses.


Fatal industrial accidents being probed
Forklift driver, roofer killed

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and area law enforcement agencies on Friday were investigating two industrial accidents that claimed the lives of two men Wednesday in Brown County, WI.

Matthew Murphy, 22, of Seymour was putting shingles on a Wrightstown home when he apparently lost his balance and fell about 15 to 20 feet to the frozen ground, said Al Klimek, interim Brown County medical examiner.

In the second accident, Mark Kreuser, 40, of Green Bay died after being crushed while using a forklift to unload a truck at Valley Cabinet in De Pere at 8:25 a.m., Klimek said. Investigators weren’t sure how the accident happened.


Golf course worker, 61, dies in accident

A 61-year-old Upstate golf course maintenance worker, Karl Phillip Anken, died after a machine he was riding flipped on a hill and pinned him, authorities said.

Anken had been riding the sprayer near the course's 10th hole when he tried to turn on a steep hill, causing the machine to fall on top of him, maintenance worker Travis McMahan said


Two Die In Fall From Scaffolding

Walking out on a wooden plank more than 40 feet above the ground at a Hartford construction site Thursday, Luis Mendes and William Kelly put their faith in a scaffolding system being overseen by a Vernon contractor that has been cited for numerous labor violations in recent years - including two last year for erecting unsafe scaffoldings.

But the joist holding the plank in place suddenly failed about 9:30 a.m., officials said. The plank flipped up, plunging Mendes, 47, the owner of a Terryville roofing subcontractor, and Kelly, his 48-year-old employee, to the ground and their deaths.


Resident evicted from Canton YMCA kills worker, self

Canton, OH - A YMCA maintenance worker was shot and killed Thursday by a resident who was being evicted for violating shelter rules, police said.

The resident, Jeffrey Marshall, 69, shot and killed himself after shooting Charles P. Hinton Jr., of Canton, about 10:30 a.m., police said.

Worker killed when vehicle plunges into rock quarry

One worker was killed when a chunk of land plunged into a water-filled rock quarry, taking two men and their vehicles with it.

The men, whose names were not released Wednesday, were working for Finley Properties on a project to fill in the quarry, Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Capt. C.W. Mardis said.


Worker dies at RadioShack site

FORT WORTH - A construction worker died Monday afternoon when the elevated equipment he was working on at the future RadioShack headquarters tipped over, fire officials said.

The 38-year-old victim was identified as Robert Fitts of Dallas.


Worker dies in paper mill accident

MIDDLETOWN, OH -- A paper mill worker who went alone to fix a torn roll of paper was found dead underneath the machine minutes later, police said.

Kenneth Johnson Jr., 27, of nearby Carlisle, was pronounced dead shortly after the accident at 1:40 p.m. Saturday at Bay West.

Man killed by machinery at FedEx terminal

A Shaler, PA, man was killed while working the overnight shift at the FedEx Ground delivery terminal in Neville Island, apparently after a piece of his clothing got caught in a conveyor belt.

Ed Seelhorst, 37, of Fall Run Road, was found dead at 4:15 a.m. Thursday in what is believed to be the first fatal accident in the company's history.


Worker Killed After Pulled Into Machine Mixing Cement

ALABAMA -- A worker was killed in south Phoenix after he was pulled into a machine that mixes cement.

The Phoenix Fire Department said the victim was doing maintenance on the machine while it was running and became trapped in the rollers of the machine.

The accident occurred at a company called Ameron International, which makes concrete cylinders and drainage pipes.


Accident kills construction worker

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ - A worker was killed Tuesday morning when a steel beam being put into place at a home under construction here fell on him.

The worker, Jaquenane DosSanto, 27, suffered injuries to his face, neck and chest area, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to authorities, the worker was part of a team installing the 20-foot support beam in the area of the home's partially completed basement section at about 7:45 a.m. The worker reportedly was standing on a ladder below ground when the beam fell, dropping on him and causing him to tumble to the basement floor.


Lifeboat plunge kills worker

Portland, ME -- One man was killed and two co-workers were injured Tuesday when a lifeboat they were testing fell from chains attached to a giant oil rig and plunged into Portland Harbor. Andrew J. Caldwell, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene. More here.


Driver killed while unloading truck

VISTA, CA– A truck driver was killed yesterday when he was pinned under metal storage racks that he was helping unload at the future site of a distribution center for golf products, authorities said.

The driver, identified as Tex Ramey, 65, of Kingston, Tenn., died at the Sycamore Vista Business Park site at 9:41 a.m., the Medical Examiner's Office said. Ramey drove for Mercer Transportation Co., which is based in Louisville, Ky.


Carryout Worker Murdered

Two days after a North Toledo carryout worker was killed during a robbery, city officials yesterday urged small businesses to improve their security measures, with Mayor Jack Ford saying he may use loans or grants to help pay for the upgrades.

City officials called Misada Shalan's murder inside Tamara's Carryout senseless, brutal, and vicious and offered a $5,000 reward - matched by a local carryout owner - for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers.


Worker Killed After Fall Down Elevator Shaft


BALTIMORE, MD -- Baltimore fire officials say a construction worker died Tuesday morning after falling inside an elevator shaft.

Fire spokesman Kevin Cartwright said emergency crews were called to a building under construction on North Howard Street around 7 a.m.

He says the man was working on the elevator when it jolted. The man lost his balance and fell from the 10th floor to the 7th floor.