A mechanic was killed while repairing a large excavator by himself because his employer didn’t have a lone work policy, according to state investigators. The 36-year-old mechanic was found dead from asphyxiation, having been trapped in a head down position for hours during his attempt to install a swing drive into the excavator while he […]
A Florida rental crane service provider was cited by federal OSHA after the electrocution of an uncertified 34-year-old equipment operator whose crane contacted two 13,200-volt power lines. In August 2023, the operator was sent to work alone at a residential construction site to lift and place metal frame roof trusses. After he positioned the crane […]
An employer’s failure to use job hazard analyses (JHAs) and coordinate safety programs on a multi-employer worksite led to the death of a worker who was struck by a light tower’s ballast weight. The worker, a rigging crew leader, was helping to position the stage light tower when the tower’s ballast weight tipped off of […]
OSHA cited a Tennessee-based contractor following the heat illness-related death of a 33-year-old construction worker at an Alabama worksite. The worker, a concrete finisher, collapsed “after showing clear signs of heat illness,” according to OSHA. Inspectors found that the contractor could have prevented the fatal incident by following established safety practices to prevent heat illnesses. […]
A worker was killed in an 8-foot-deep trench when a water line broke and filled the trench with water and dirt, which turned into a thick mud. The worker, an untrained day laborer, became submerged under the mud and couldn’t be rescued by his co-workers. Investigators with the California State Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation […]
The 39-year-old co-owner of a construction company was killed when a work truck backed over him, despite the fact he was wearing a high-visibility vest at the time. Investigators found that the driver’s view from the truck was restricted due to a rack and fuel transfer hose reel on its flatbed deck. The truck also […]
A 59-year-old construction foreman suffered a fatal fall from the leading edge of a roof deck despite wearing fall PPE. Investigators found that his employer failed to train him on how to use the equipment. Washington State Fatality Assessment & Control Evaluation (FACE) program investigators determined that the foreman used a fall-arrest system that was […]
Failure to properly train employees and the use of older mobile equipment that lacks up-to-date safety features can be a lethal combination. Employees using heavy equipment need to be thoroughly trained to operate these vehicles safely. This is especially critical when heavy equipment of an older design is in use because these vehicles could have […]
A construction company owner and foreman were convicted of homicide and other charges in relation to a fatal wall collapse at a New York City worksite. Jiaxi “Jimmy” Liu, owner of WSC Group Inc., and Wilson Garcia Jr., a foreman for the company, were both convicted at trial for the death of Luis Almonte Sanchez, […]
