Workplace Injuries

• Crane accident kills operator

  Barry Doyle | January 09, 2007 6:00 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  An Iowa crane operator was recently killed in an accident on a construction site. At the time of the accident, he was operating a crane which moving a large aggregate hopper. The crane tipped over and pinned him in between the cab of the crane and an electrical transformer.An OSHA investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident. Construction safety standards require that...

• Trench collapse in Louisiana

  Barry Doyle | May 15, 2007 8:30 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Two workers were lucky to survive when the trench that they were working in collapsed. The trench was being dug near a highway and did not have a proper retaining wall. Authorities believe that vibrations from the nearby highway triggered the collapse.One of the workers suffered a fractured ankle while trying to escape the trench.Working in an excavation is one of the most hazardous duties in...

• Truck hits flagger

  Barry Doyle | April 06, 2007 8:45 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  In Florida, a traffic flagger is recovering after he was hit by a truck while working on a road construction project. The truck driver failed to keep clear of the flagger. He hit the flagger with his outside mirror and then drove over the top of his foot.The flagger suffered a mangled foot as a result of being run over.Obviously every driver needs to be careful of workers in construction zones...

• Fatal bridge construction accident

  Barry Doyle | March 29, 2007 7:38 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  One bridge worker was killed and another injured when the crewboat they were in was struck by a barge being pushed by a tugboat. Authortities were investigating whether the tug boat lights were operating properly.The worker who was killed suffered massive abdominal, chest, and head injuries. The injured worker suffered internal injuries and weas hospitalized.Because this accident occurred on...

• Wisconsin man killed in fall at construction site

  Barry Doyle | March 16, 2007 8:00 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Wisconsin man was killed at a construction site when he fell through an open floor hole at a building that was under construction. The height of the fall was three stories. OSHA investigated the accident and fined the company for nuerous safety violations.As a result of the fall, the man suffered fatal head injuries.OSHA regulations require that when there is a floor opening, it is either...

• Worker killed in trench collapse

  Barry Doyle | February 27, 2007 12:30 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  Missouri man was killed when a 12-foot deep trench he was working in as part of a sewer project collapsed, burying him in earth past his legs. OSHA is investigating the accident.Once the victim is buried past his legs, the chances of death increase greatly because the pressure from the earth puts pressure on the diaphragm, resulting in suffocation.The article that was the basis of this story...

• Peoria man killed by backhoe

  Barry Doyle | February 02, 2007 7:30 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Peoria area man was killed recently while digging a trench to uncover a water line. The operator of the back hoe was getting out of the machine when his clothing snagged the controls, causing the bucket to swing out of control. The backhoe struck the laborer, causing fatal injuries.This unfortunate accident places the spotlight on the equipment used on job sites. One of the factors that...

• Man suffocated in trench collapse

  Barry Doyle | January 23, 2007 7:30 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Tazewell County man died in a recent trench collapse accident. He was helping a neighbor dig an eight-foot deep trench in his backyard for a septic system at the time of accident.The local coroner determined that the cause of the man's death was asphyxiation brought on by the pressure of the earth from the cave-in.One of the less easily recognized dangers of a trench collapse is suffocation. ...

• Worker killed by backhoe

  Barry Doyle | April 18, 2007 7:31 AM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  A Florida worker died when he was struck by a backhoe and knocked into a trench.He suffered head injuries which proved fatal.The equipment on construction sites must be safe for not only the operator but those who can be expected to be working nearby.For moving equipment such as backhoes, this may include equipping the backhoe with a beeping alarm to alert those nearby when the backhoe is in...

• Worker injured by falling materials

  Barry Doyle | April 15, 2007 6:24 PM | 0 CommentsCook County, IL

  At a Florida construction site, a worker was injured when boards fell from a roof truss. The workers were building a warehouse at the time of the accident.After a 200-foot fall, the boards hit a worker on ground level. He suffered head and spine injuries.This accident involves issues of coordination of the work. When work is going on overhead, the areas beneath must be cleared of workers in...