Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons^™

Muriéndose Por Conducir - Colisiones Ocupacionales De Automotores En Kentucky, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

Para prevenir lesiones al trabajar con vehículos motorizados:

Los empleadores deben proporcionar programas de entrenamiento sobre seguridad al conducir, obligatorios y adaptados a sus empleados, que incluyan Reconocimiento de Síntomas de Distracción / Déficit de Atención del Conductor y Fatiga del Conductor.

Los empleados deben evitar distracciones y llevar siempre puesto el cinturón de seguridad.

Evite exponerse usted mismo a una situación potencialmente riesgosa. Los conductores deben siempre permanecer alerta y practicar Técnicas Defensivas de Conducción.

Dying To Drive – Occupational Motor Vehicle Collisions In Kentucky, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent motor vehicle injuries while working:

• Employers should provide mandatory comprehensive employee driver safety training programs including recognition of symptoms of driver distraction/inattention and driver fatigue.
• Employees should avoid distractions and wear seat belts at all times.
• Don’t place yourself in a potentially hazardous situation. Drivers should always stay alert and practice defensive driving techniques.

Hispanic Laborer Dies From Fall Off Roof, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On March 3, 2003, a 22-year-old Hispanic female laborer (decedent) died when she fell from a roof. She had been working on the roof with her brother, who was a sub-contractor for a local roofing company. The work crew consisted of two brothers and the decedent. Two days prior to the incident, the decedent had worked for her brother cleaning and organizing materials on the ground at another location. It was the decedent’s first day on this job site. It is unknown whether or not the decedent had worked on other roofing jobs. Her job was to organize materials and …

Bulldozer Owner/Operator Dies When Thrown Off Bulldozer Track, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On June 19, 2003, a 58-year-old bulldozer owner/operator (decedent) died when he was thrown off the track of his bulldozer. The bulldozer owner/operator and a laborer were having difficulty starting the bulldozer. Together, the two men had tried several different methods to start the bulldozer including: spraying ether into the air chamber, having the battery recharged, replacing the battery cables with new ones and tightening wires to the starter. They worked from the left side track of the bulldozer. The laborer sat towards the front of the track tightening the wires to the starter while the owner stood on the …

Bulldozer Owner/Operator Drowns While Trying To Repair A Pond, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

The Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program was notified July 31, 2003, via newspaper surveillance, of an occupational fatality involving a 55-year-old bulldozer owner/operator. On July 29, 2003, a bulldozer owner / operator drowned in the cab of his machine as he was trying to find a leak in a pond dam. The operator had been hired by a local farm owner to find and repair a leak in one of the ponds on her farm. As the operator dug a trench through the earthen dam, a section at the top collapsed sending sludge into the trench. The water/sludge …

Chinese Immigrant Restaurant Owner Electrocuted, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On August 12, 2002, at 6:40 pm, a Chinese immigrant restaurant owner (decedent) died after being electrocuted by 110 volts of electricity. The restaurant owner and his wife were refurbishing a restaurant they had recently purchased. They spent the day cleaning the kitchen area while waiting for a washing machine repairman to arrive. Earlier in the day, the decedent had removed the electric cord to a single door, glass-fronted vertical cooler on rollers. He replaced the electrical cord from the unit with an electrical cord he had fabricated himself by attaching one end of a 10 foot length of 10/2 …

While Working, Don't Take The Fall!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To prevent falls while working:

• Always use appropriate fall protection systems.
• Conduct a thorough assessment in and around the work area to identify existing and potential fall hazards.
• Both employers and subcontractors should provide comprehensive fall protection training for their employees, that is site specific.
• Place warning signs in front of work areas and around perimeters where fall hazards have been identified.
• Don’t place yourself in a potentially hazardous situation. Workers should always stay alert.

Mientras Trabaja, No Se Caiga!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

Para prevenir caídas durante en trabajo:

• Siempre use el sistema apropiado de caídas. Hacer una evaluación meticulosa dentro y alrededor del área de trabajo, para identificar los riesgos existentes y potenciales de caídas.
• Los empleadores y los subcontratistas deben proveer de un entrenamiento de protección de caídas a sus empleados, en un lugar en especifico.
• Poner señales de alerta enfrente del área de trabajo y alrededor de los perímetros donde el riesgo ha sido identificado.
• No se ubique en una situación de potencialmente riesgoso. Los trabajadores siempre necesitan estar alerta.

Drivers And Riders Need To Work Safely While In And Around Refuse Collection Vehicles, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent refuse collection injuries:

• Employers should provide comprehensive employee safety training programs including identification of hazards posed by other motor vehicles in the area, and by riding on or working near moving refuse collection vehicles.
• Employers and employees should have routine maintenance programs for refuse collection vehicles including proper condition of tires.
• Don’t place yourself in a potentially hazardous situation. Workers should always stay alert.

Tanto Conductores Como Recolectores Necesitan Trabajar Con Seguridad Al Situarse Cerca O Dentro De Vehículos De Recolección De Basura, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

Para prevenir lesiones en la labor de recolección de residuos:

Los empleadores deberán proporcionar programas de entrenamiento de seguridad adaptados a la labor de sus empleados que incluyan la identificación de los riesgos que suponen otros automotores movilizándose en el área, así como el desplazamiento sobre o cerca de vehículos de recolección de residuos en movimiento.

Tanto empleadores como empleados deben asistir a programas de recolección de residuos, con cursos que incluyan el mantenimiento apropiado de las llantas.

Evite exponerse usted mismo a situaciones potencialmente riesgosas. Los trabajadores siempre deben estar atentos.

41 Year-Old Male Dies After Being Struck In The Head With An Auger, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On October 23, 2002, a 41 year-old male (decedent) died after he was hit in the head with the handle of an auger. He was part of a four-member work crew tying water lines of private residences into a municipal water line. He was injured while backing the auger out of the hole and the handle became tangled with the rotating auger bit which caused the handle to flip up and strike him in the head, twice. After being struck, with co-workers following him trying to convince him to sit down, he walked away from the site until emergency rescue …

21 Year-Old Male Dies When Struck In The Head With A Track Hoe Bucket, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On November 22, 2002, a 21-year-old male laborer died after being hit in the head with the bucket of a track hoe. He was wearing a safety helmet at the time of the incident. There were six to seven workers at the job site when the incident occurred. The work crew was pouring the footing for a retaining wall as part of a bridge for a private runway being built. The concrete form collapsed, trapping one worker and almost trapping two others. The decedent had left to retrieve a shovel to help free the trapped co-worker. As he retrieved the …

Hispanic Worker Dies In Tractor Rollover, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

On May 31, 2002, a 25 year-old Hispanic worker (decedent) died when the gasoline-powered tractor he was operating overturned. The incident occurred when the decedent mowed a steep embankment along a rural roadside which caused the tractor to flip over a 3-strand, barbed wire fence, pinning the operator under the seat and tire. A passing motorist noticed the overturned tractor and notified 911, emergency services. Local police and fire departments arrived at the scene, as did a local ambulance. The coroner arrived and declared the tractor operator dead due to asphyxiation and crushing injuries to the chest.

• Tractors should be …

Two Laborers Die From A Scaffolding Fall Inside A Water Tank, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

Two 20 year-old laborers died after falling approximately 25 feet from suspension scaffolding while preparing the inside of a municipal water tank for painting. Neither laborer was wearing fall personal protection equipment at the time of the fatal incident. The laborers were preparing the inside of a 200,000-gallon water tank for painting when one end of the scaffolding dropped after a support cable slipped. The job foreman arrived at the job site and entered the tank to check on the laborers. He found both laborers on the tank floor. Laborer 1 had respiratory vital signs but Laborer 2 did not. …

Hispanic Worker Dies Due To Trench Cave-In, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On December 3, 2002, a 30-year old Hispanic laborer died when an unsupported 8-foot wall of a trench collapsed on him. Three laborers were working in an unsupported trench when one side caved in, burying one laborer (decedent) and partially burying another Hispanic worker. The third laborer managed to escape the trench unharmed. Two of the laborers were Hispanic, the third was a brother to the owner of the company digging the trench. The coroner pronounced the 30-year old laborer dead at the scene due to asphyxiation.

To prevent similar incidents from occurring, Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation personnel …

Migrant Worker Dies In Tractor Rollover, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

On September 13, 2002, a 26 year-old male Hispanic migrant worker (decedent) died when the tractor he was driving on a country roadway overturned. The decedent had experience driving the tractor in a field, but did not have experience driving it on a public roadway. On the afternoon of the incident, the decedent drove the tractor, pulling a wagonload of tobacco, from the farm where it had been harvested to the tobacco barn one mile away. The road was hilly and had a sharp curve to the right at the bottom of the hill. As the decedent drove the tractor …

Asphalt Compactor Operator Dies When Machine Slides And Falls 17 Feet, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

A 32-year-old woman (the decedent) was killed when the asphalt compactor she was operating slid over an embankment and dropped 17 feet to a roadway below. At the time she was pressing an asphalt joint joining a roadway and a shoulder/emergency lane. She was two miles behind the asphalt truck and 1000 feet in front of a flat bed truck. The location of the incident had been identified as a possible hazardous location and her supervisors had instructed her to use extra caution in that area. The decedent was trained and had several years of experience operating an asphalt compactor. …

Avoiding West Nile Virus While Working, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

No abstract provided.

Evitando La Infección Del Nilo Occidental, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

No abstract provided.

Preventing Worker Electrocutions, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

No abstract provided.

15-Year-Old Dies In Utility Golf Cart Overturn, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

A fifteen-year-old golf course worker (the victim) was killed when the utility golf cart he was operating overturned. The victim was employed by the golf club adjacent to which he and his family resided and had driven the utility golf cart to his home located at the top of a hill to change clothes. Before leaving work for his residence, he contacted a friend who then came to his house on a regular course golf cart (not a utility cart). After the victim changed clothes, he and his friend left the victim’s home. Then on their respective carts, traveled downhill …

Brick Mason Dies From Fall Through Scaffolding, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

A 62 year-old male brick mason (victim) died after he fell approximately 55 feet through masonry scaffolding. He worked for a masonry subcontracting company contracted to do the masonry work on a new building. The victim was performing ongoing work laying brick at the construction site. At approximately 7:15 AM the victim entered the building he was bricking and ascended to the 4th floor where he reached his workstation. He stepped out of an opening from the building onto the scaffolding outside. As he did so, he stepped over two mason boards (20 inches combined width), which were closest to …

Construction Worker Dies After Being Struck By A Falling Excavator Bucket, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

A 44-year-old construction worker (victim) was killed when a 36-inch-wide bucket weighing more than 1000 pounds, detached from its quick release coupler and fell from an excavator, landing on him as he was working in a trench. The victim and another worker had been in the trench preparing it for a pre-formed concrete manhole that they were about to install. Their supervisor (the excavator operator) sat and waited in the excavator, with the engine running, and the bucket raised a few feet above ground level so that it would be out of the way. The second man in the trench …

Youth Riding As Passenger On Tractor Killed By Overturn, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 16-year-old female was killed after the tractor on which she was riding as a passenger overturned. She was a high school student; farmed on evenings and weekends. The tractor was driven by a 20-year-old friend while baling hay on a farm at dusk. The driver and the victim had been baling hay all day, and both were experienced farmers. The victim was seated on the fender to the left of the driver. The tractor was a 1969 tricycle-tired John Deere, which was well maintained but was not equipped with a Roll Over Protective Structure (ROPS) or a seatbelt. The …

Keeping Your Cool When Feeling Hot Around The Collar!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

No abstract provided.

Manténgase Fresco Cuando Tenga Calor!, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

No abstract provided.

Fatal Injuries Due To Logs Rolling Off Trucks At Sawmills, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Tractors/Logging

Logging is one of the most hazardous occupations in the nation as well as Kentucky. During 1994-1998, 45 fatalities in Kentucky were related to logging. Of those deaths, 7 were due to logs rolling off trucks at sawmills. The workers were all males and aged 31-64 years. Their experience varied from less than 1 year to more than 25 years. Below are brief case reports of three fatal events, followed by recommendations for prevention of similar events.

Knotted Log Rolls Off Truck And Kills Logger At Sawmill, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

A 42-year-old logger (the victim) was killed when he was struck by a log rolling off a loaded truck at a sawmill. At about 6:10 a.m., the victim and the truck driver arrived at the sawmill with a load of logs on the 20-foot flatbed truck. The stack of logs was rounded above the height of the 53-inch standards and secured by only one chain on the middle of the load. When they arrived, the victim got out of the truck and assisted the driver in backing the vehicle into place for unloading. The victim was in view of the …

Log Rolls Off Truck At Sawmill Killing Employee, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

In December 1998, a 31-year-old male (the victim) sawmill employee was killed when struck by a log that rolled off the top of the truck. He was preparing the truck to be unloaded when the log rolled off. While most of the logs received by the sawmill were delivered by independent loggers, the company did own one boom truck that their employees used to pick up timber. This was the truck the victim was driving the day of the incident. At the time of the incident, he was working alone.

When the victim returned to the sawmill, the logs were …

Lumber Company Employee Falls 48" From Storage Rack To His Death, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

In October 1998, a 58-year-old male truck driver/yard worker died of traumatic head injuries when he fell 48" from a storage rack. The employee had climbed onto the storage rack to retrieve 3/4" round molding, 8 feet in length for a customer to load into his truck. The employee placed his feet on pine boards that were being stored on the middle row and was trying to retrieve molding being stored above (approximately 9 feet off the floor). After he cut the bundle string to release the individual molding pieces, he began to pull the pieces out which were being …