Wednesday, 6 November 2013

Confined Space Accidents and Fatalities

The majority involve work inside, on, or around confined spaces. There are some that may not actually involve confined spaces and are better characterized as machine guarding incidents. Occasionally, there are also some included simply because they were so bizarre. Trenching fatalities are not included. Accidents and fatalities involving mines, quarries, pits, and tunnels are included separately at the end of the document, as they are rarely regulated as confined spaces.



October 2013


South Africa

Confined space incident cleaning fuel tanks

One worker has died and another is listed in critical condition following a confined space accident while cleaning the inside of diesel tanks at a fuel station in Boksburg. 4th October 2013


Spain

Crush fatalities in grain silo and winery

A 60-year old farmer has died after becoming buried under grain in a silo at a co- operative farm at Ivars d'Urgell, Lleida.
At the end of last week a 43-year old worker died in a similar asphyxiation accident at
premises on Vereda de Socuellamos Street in Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, when he fell into a vat and was buried under 5 tonnes of grapes being unloaded from a lorry for pressing. 7th October 2013


Australia

Chinese seaman killed by moving gantry

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is investigating a fatal accident which occurred on the Toucan Arrow, a Chinese bulk carrier berthed in Port of Portland. It is believed that a 22-year old seaman died in a crush accident when he was struck by a moving gantry as he came down through a hatch. 9th October 2013


England

Fatal accident involving loose manhole cover

A 26-year old subcontract worker has died in the Royal London Hospital, East London, from injuries he sustained in an accident after being struck by a manhole cover at a site at Langley Green Primary School in West Sussex where Balfour Beatty is undertaking


extension work. It appeared that he was working in a manhole when a cover on chains became loose and struck him on the head and abdomen. 9th October 2013


Sweden

2  maintenance contractors drown in coal tar spillage

Two subcontractors of Infjarden Varme AB drowned in a coal tar spillage at the Svenskt Stal AB coke plant near Lulea. They were conducting maintenance on the tank when the spillage of 300m³ occurred, the tar issued into a ditch around the tank and both workers were later found drowned in the ditch. 18th October 2013


Germany

Zinc explosion during vat treatment work

Three workers were injured, 1 with serious burns to his arms, when zinc at 450°C was sprayed over them when an explosion occurred as a metal section was being dipped in a vat of zinc as a rust prevention measure at a plant in Waren, Mecklenburg- Vorpommern. 22nd October 2013


Rep Ireland

Company fined over confined space deaths

At Dundalk Circuit Court Drummonds Ltd was fined €125K plus 19,600 in costs in respect of a double fatality in a confined space accident in an elevator pit at a grain silo in August 2009. At the locus HSA investigators found oxygen levels at only 11.5%(normally 21%) and carbon dioxide levels between 20-30%(normally 0.03%). 28th October 2013


Malaysia

Worker dies in cement mixer accident in Borneo

A post mortem examination is taking place in Sarawak General Hospital following the death of a worker in a cement mixer in a factory at Jalan Demak Laut in Borneo. He was leaning into the mixer to effect a repair while the equipment was running and lost his balance, his upper body was crushed in the accident. 29th October 2013




Accidents and Fatalities Involving Mines, Quarries, Pits, and Tunnels




Germany

3  potash miners die in carbon dioxide accident

Three miners died yesterday when carbon dioxide built up following blasting operations in a potash shaft 700 metres underground at the K & S (Kali und Steinsalzproduzenten) mine in Unterbreizbach, Thuringia. 2nd October 2013


Namibia

Electrical accident at uranium mine

Three workers were injured, 2 with serious burns, in an electrical accident at the Langer Heinrich uranium mine of Paladin Energy. 4th October 2013


USA

Fatal accident at West Virginia mine

A fatal accident investigation was launched at the M'Elroy mine of CONSOL Energy in West Virginia following the death of a 62-year old maintenance worker from a head injury. 8th October 2013


Georgia

Miner killed in roof collapse

A roof collapse killed a 33-year old miner at the Mindeli coal mine of the Georgian Coal 1 company on Sunday morning at Tkibuli in the Imereti region of west-central
Georgia. 14th October 2013


Serbia

Lead miners killed in transport accident

Three miners of the Grot lead and zinc mine in south Serbia were killed in an accident in which a lorry carrying 15 miners left the road and went down an embankment near the village of Mosulj on the Kriva-Bosilegrad highway, none of the 12 survivors has life- threatening injuries.15th October 2013


Australia

HGV collision leaves worker at mine critically injured

An HGV driver was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital in critical condition with leg and pelvic injuries after being pinned in the cabin of his lorry following a transport accident at Christmas Creek mine in Pilbara. 23rd October 2013


Colombia

Miners missing and dead at Buritica gold mine

A search was ongoing over the weekend for around 15 missing workers at a gold mine in Buritica, Antioquia, following a landslide, 4 miners died and 2 survivors were taken to Hospital San Antonio in Buritica. The authorities are unsure of precisely how many miners are missing, Buritica has a population of 7,500 and features many gold mines, known locally as the "Montana de Oro." 21st October 2013


Spain

Gas leak kills 6 Leon miners

A methane gas leak at the 7th level of the Pozo Emilio de Valle coal mine in Pola de Gordon, Leon, killed 6 miners and left 5 others seriously injured on Monday. The company has indicated that the accident involved a sudden escape of gas which precluded a rapid exit or time to reach safety gear. The accident at the 694-metre deep mine of Hullera Vasco Leonesa is the worst Spanish mining accident in 18 years. 29th October 2013



No comments: