health and food

FACEValue: Pipefitter killed by pressurized PVC pipe

A 49-year-old subcontracting pipefitter was hit in the chest and knocked backward by a pressurized 12-inch diameter vertical section of a polyvinyl chloride pipe during a hydrostatic pressure test of a fire suppression system.




health and food

FACEValue: Worker dies after falling through skylight

A 20-year-old plasterer or drywall installer died after falling through a 24-by-48-inch plastic bubble-covered skylight.




health and food

FACE Report: Worker electrocuted while replacing light fixture

A 28-year-old lighting technician, employed three weeks with a staffing agency and with no electrical trade experience, was electrocuted while working on an energized lighting fixture.




health and food

FACE Report: Truck driver fatally struck during flatbed trailer unloading

A 53-year-old truck driver was struck and killed when fence pipes fell from a flatbed trailer during unloading at a fence sales company.




health and food

FACE Report: Forklift operator crushed between overhead guard and mast

A 61-year-old longshore worker operating a forklift died after he was crushed between a forklift’s mast and the overhead guard of the operator’s cab. 




health and food

FACE Report: Truck driver killed after vehicle rollaway

A 52-year-old commercial truck driver was killed after being struck by the tractor-trailer he had been driving.




health and food

FACE Report: Worker compressed between compact excavator and steel beam

A 27-year-old laborer was killed while using a compact excavator to excavate an existing crawl space underneath a house.




health and food

FACE Report: Worker falls from boom lift during tree trimming

A 55-year-old boom lift operator died after he fell from the basket of an elevated lift.




health and food

FACE Report: Machinist dies after being pulled into manual lathe

A 52-year-old machinist at a manufacturing company was preparing to spot drill the center of a 103-inch piece of round steel in a manual lathe.




health and food

FACE Report: Truck driver crushed by cardboard bale

A 47-year-old truck driver died after delivering 1,500-pound bales of recycled cardboard to a paper production mill.




health and food

FACE Report: Delivery driver dies when forklift overturns

A delivery driver died when the truck-mounted forklift he was operating overturned on a city street.




health and food

FACE Report: Field technician electrocuted after contacting downed power line

A 31-year-old field technician was part of a two-person engineering crew tasked with surveying power lines in a residential area with homes located on each side of a two-lane highway.




health and food

FACE Report: Hay press operator struck by machine’s guillotine blade

A 39-year-old hay press operator died when he was struck by the machine’s steel guillotine blade.




health and food

FACE Report: Forklift operator crushed by loaded pallet

On Feb. 28, 2020, a forklift operator died after being crushed by a loaded pallet of soft drink cans.




health and food

FACE Report: Heavy equipment operator struck and killed when excavator bucket detaches

A 21-year-old heavy equipment operator died after being struck by an excavation bucket that became detached from the quick coupling device attached to the end of a boom.




health and food

FACE Report: Land clearing and forest product company owner overcome by carbon monoxide

The 54-year-old owner of a land clearing and forest product company was overcome by carbon monoxide as he was checking on a wood chip-powered boiler system.




health and food

FACE Report: Truck driver/equipment operator crushed while loading backhoe onto trailer

A 64-year-old truck driver and equipment operator working for a gravel-hauling and equipment-moving company drove his employer’s truck with an attached flatbed trailer to a jobsite.




health and food

FACE Report: Worker electrocuted while installing lines for security cameras

A 48-year-old city electric maintenance worker was electrocuted while installing lines for security cameras in a residential area.




health and food

FACE Report: Communication tower worker falls 260 feet

A 24-year-old tower climber died after falling from a communication tower under construction. The climber was part of a three-person crew. He was a certified instructor and the designated safety person and fall protection trainer for the company.




health and food

FACE Report: Operator crushed between forklift and storage rack

A 54-year-old forklift operator and his co-worker were installing large metal storage racks in a warehouse.




health and food

FACE Report: Mechanic using welder fatally burned when washer fluid drum explodes

A 64-year-old automotive mechanic was working to remove the fuel pump from a car at his employer’s service garage.




health and food

FACE Report: Delivery driver crushed by granite slab

A 57-year-old delivery driver was killed after being struck by a slab of granite in the parking lot of a countertop wholesaler. The wholesaler secured granite slabs for transport on a flatbed trailer using a metal A-frame rack that held multiple slabs in a near-vertical orientation.




health and food

FACE Report: Siding installer falls 23 feet from pump jack scaffold

A 38-year-old siding installer who owned his own construction company was working for a subcontractor at a new construction apartment complex.




health and food

FACE Report: Site superintendent run over by backing dump truck

A 60-year-old site superintendent working for a housing construction contractor was in charge of directing subcontractors and scheduling dump trucks to haul away debris.




health and food

FACE Report: Machine operator fatally struck by safety block ejected from mechanical power press

A worker at a manufacturing facility was fatally injured while operating a 200-ton mechanical press.




health and food

FACE Report: Tree trimmer dies when tree removal rigging fails

A 28-year-old tree trimmer was part of a four-person crew removing a 127-foot fir tree from a residential property.




health and food

FACE Report: Mechanic service technician fatally struck by order picker carriage

A 58-year-old mechanic service technician for an equipment service and sales company was servicing an order picker with a co-worker. The picker’s carriage, which weighs nearly 1,200 pounds, consists of an operator platform, a control console and lift forks.




health and food

FACE Report: Operator crushed between backhoe boom and stabilizer

A 54-year-old worker died when the raised boom of a backhoe loader swung and crushed him against one of the machine’s retracted stabilizers.




health and food

FACE Report: Freight clerk crushed by trailer at store loading dock

On the day of the incident, a semitruck with a trailer backed up to a supermarket chain’s loading dock. A freight clerk opened the back of the trailer, checked the freight and determined that the truck was at the wrong dock.




health and food

FACE Report: Roofer falls while constructing leading edge of metal roof

A 35-year-old roofer was part of a nine-member crew constructing the leading edge of a metal roof on a warehouse. The roofer was walking toward his lifeline and about 8 feet away from it when he fell from the unprotected edge.




health and food

FACE Report: Two workers killed in boom lift rollover

The workers were moving the lift perpendicular to the hill slope with the boom arm extended when it tipped over in the downhill direction, catapulting the basket to the ground.




health and food

FACE Report: Demolition laborer dies in fall through skylight

A 44-year-old demolition worker was removing roofing components from a former auto dealership. He had worked for his employer for five days. The worker was on the building’s roof when he stepped backward and onto a skylight, which broke under his weight.




health and food

FACE Report: Construction worker struck by rollaway dump truck

A 45-year-old construction worker employed by a custom homebuilder arrived at a site to finish punch list items for a new home. The worker was pressure-washing the home’s driveway when a worker from a landscaping business arrived and parked a medium-duty dump truck at the top of the driveway.




health and food

FACE Report: Day laborer dies in a collapsed trench being dug to repair a sewer line

The process of digging the trench, which was not shored, exposed a 3-inch water line that was about 3 feet below grade and ran the length of the trench. No attempt was made to shut off the water line before work began or after it was uncovered.




health and food

FACE Report: Truck driver crushed by freight pushed off flatbed trailer

A semitruck driver arrived at a construction site to deliver roofing materials on a flatbed trailer. Because the load left no room for the driver to bring a forklift, he asked workers at the site to use their company’s telehandler forklift to unload the trailer.




health and food

FACE Report: Trimmer struck by limb from storm-damaged tree

A 51-year-old tree trimmer and certified arborist was part of a three-person crew sent to cut down a storm-damaged maple in the backyard of a private residence. The trimmer oversaw the crew and jobsite.




health and food

FACE Report: Steelworker crushed while operating extendable boom forklift

A 29-year-old steelworker was using a telehandler to move and stage insulated metal panels at a municipal garage building site. He had received training on the equipment and had an operator’s permit.




health and food

FACE Report: Construction laborer dies after fall

A 49-year-old construction laborer was working as an independent contractor for a residential remodeling company.




health and food

FACE Report: Sawmill loader operator crushed performing maintenance on front-end loader

A 61-year-old loader operator was killed while attempting to repair a hydraulic line on a front-end loader used to move logs. The company had a written lockout/tagout program, but the program did not contain specific procedures for the front-end loader maintenance.




health and food

FACE Report: Trucker poisoned by carbon monoxide in cab

A 61-year-old truck driver who worked for a general freight carrier parked his truck at his employer’s terminal yard and slept overnight in the truck’s sleeper berth.




health and food

FACE Report: Manufacturing laborer falls from elevated pallet

A 62-year-old man was employed by a company that specializes in the manufacture of additives to enhance the performance and durability of concrete. On the day of the incident, the laborer was tasked with the production of a viscosity modifier additive.




health and food

EPA to propose ban on methylene chloride

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency wants to ban most industrial and commercial uses of methylene chloride.




health and food

EPA proposes revisions to chemical review process

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to “improve the efficiency” of its chemical review process.




health and food

Ahead of GHS meeting, OSHA asks for input

Washington — OSHA has scheduled a public meeting in advance of the 44th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.




health and food

EPA to propose partial ban on perchloroethylene

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency wants to ban most commercial use – and all consumer use – of the chemical substance perchloroethylene.




health and food

CSB video on refinery explosion highlights hazards of transient operations

Washington — Chemical facility operators and workers should pay particular attention to hazards during startup, shutdown, standby and other transient operations in facilities covered under OSHA’s Process Safety Management standard.




health and food

Investigation of chemical release leads to recommendations on written procedures

Washington — Facilities that produce or handle hazardous chemicals should prepare written procedures and establish policies for evaluating simultaneous operations to ensure “robust safe work practices,” the Chemical Safety Board says.




health and food

Safety board investigation of 2020 explosion yields three lessons

Washington — Facilities that handle flammable gases and other hazardous materials should ensure their workers and supervisors undergo process safety management and emergency response training, the Chemical Safety Board says.




health and food

EPA extends comment period on proposed revisions to chemical review process

Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency has extended until Aug. 8 the comment period for a proposed rule intended to “improve the efficiency” of the agency’s chemical review process.




health and food

EPA to chemical facilities: Get ready for hurricane season

Dallas — Chemical facility operators along the Gulf Coast should take steps to actively prevent releases during hurricanes or other hazardous weather events, the Environmental Protection Agency says.