Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Commons^™

A Metal Fabrication And Finishing Foreman Dies After 25 Foot Fall At A Commercial Building Site, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On a fall Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 pm, a 53-year-old male fabrication and finishing foreman was installing sheets of insulation prior to decking on a commercial building. The foreman was standing at the edge of the decking on roof beams, arguing with an excavation contractor about the movement of his loader to complete grading work. Witnesses say the foreman was distracted when he told the other workers to spread the “itchy” (meaning rolls of fiberglass insulation). When the foreman took a step forward as he usually did, he fell off the edge and died of head and neck injuries.

To …

Roofer Dies After Gust Of Wind Knocks Him And A Co-Worker Off Roof, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

Around 11:00 a.m. on a windy fall day, a 73-year-old roofer and a roofing coworker arrived at the commercial construction site to roof a newly constructed building. The two roofers climbed an extension ladder to access the roof to determine where they were going to place their anchors to tie off. While reviewing the backside of the commercial structure, a gust of wind around 33 m.p.h. made the two roofers lose their balance and fall from the roof. The 73-year-old roofer landed first and the second roofer landed on top of him. Both men fell 15 feet and 6 inches …

Truck Driver Dies When Tractor-Trailer Leaves The Road And Plunges Into A Creek-Bed, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the early morning hours of a fall day, exact time unknown and the length of time driving unknown, a 28-year-old male truck driver was driving north on an interstate transporting 30,000 lbs. of blue plastic injection molding pellets. The truck driver exited the highway behind a guardrail and traveled 1,320 feet, striking a wire fence and several trees before plummeting into a creek bed, shearing the cab open. At 10:27 a.m., a citizen called in to the fire department to report a mysterious blue substance observed in the creek a couple of miles down from the accident. The fire …

Arborists Die After Falling, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To Prevent Arborists Injuries:

• Never allow an aerial lift to be used as a crane or material lifting device.
• All trees and limbs should be inspected for structural weakness such as rot, before work starts.
• Arborists should wear appropriate personal protective equipment while performing tree trimming activities.

Special Factors for Aerial Lifts:

• Do not exceed the boom and basket load limits specified by the manufacturer.
• When working from an aerial lift, use a body harness that is properly attached.

Factory Laborer Dies When A Car Driven By Coworker Crashes Into Him In Parking Lot, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On a summer day, a 29-year-old male manufacturing laborer was outside under a small metal stairway in the loading dock area of the manufacturing plant during his lunch break. Another employee entered her car in the employee parking lot to leave on her lunch break. Her car unexpectedly malfunctioned when in reverse, sped backward, and crashed into the stairway under which the worker was taking a break. The collision pushed the metal stairway along the wall of the factory, crushing the worker between the building and the passenger side of the car. Emergency medical services arrived and transported the worker …

Day Care Monitor Dies After Crash Of 15-Passenger Van, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the late afternoon of a spring day, a day care van operator and a monitor loaded 16 children into a 15-passenger van. Carrying a total of 18 passengers in the 15-passenger van, the operator and the monitor proceeded to transport the children to their homes. After dropping off two children at their residences, the van was traveling 46-50 mph in the left hand lane headed east in a 35 mph zone on a non-divided four-lane state road. As the van approached a side street on the right, the right rear tire blew out and the van veered sharply to …

Truck Driver Dies When Tractor-Trailer Overturns After Leaving Road, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the early morning hours of a spring day around 5:45 a.m., a 55-year-old male truck driver was driving south on an interstate transporting sheet metal. It is unknown how long he had been driving when he exited from the highway, traveled partially up the ramp, and struck the left side guard rail. The truck left the road, traveled down an embankment and overturned onto its roof. A passing motorist called emergency medical services. The driver was extricated by mechanical means and declared dead at the scene.

To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have been made: …

Workers Killed Due To Driver Distraction, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To Prevent Driver Distraction,

Employers should:

• Provide training on the importance of being attentive and not engaging in distracting tasks or behaviors while driving
• Develop policies that minimize or eliminate the use of in-vehicle devices while driving

Employees should:

• Not use dispatching devices while driving
• Not text or manually dial a cell phone while driving
• Refrain from activities such as reading, writing or map reading while driving

Motor Vehicle Injuries Among Semi Truck Drivers And Sleeper Berth Passengers, Terry L. Bunn, Svetla Slavova, Medearis Robertson

Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center Faculty Publications

Introduction: Injuries and fatalities due to large truck and other vehicle crashes have decreased over the last decade, but motor vehicle injuries remain a leading cause of death for both the working and general populations. The present study was undertaken to determine semi truck driver and sleeper berth passenger injury risk in a moving semi truck collision using a matched-pair cohort study.

Method: Study data were obtained from the Kentucky Collision Report Analysis for Safer Highways (CRASH) electronic files for 2000 - 2010. A matched-pair cohort study was used to compare the odds of injury of both drivers …

Drivers Killed Due To Tire Failures, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To Prevent Tire Failures,

Employers should:

• Ensure that routine maintenance is performed on work vehicles
• Implement and enforce an employer seat belt safety program

Employees should:

• Be properly trained in safe work vehicle operation
• Perform routine pre-trip and post-trip inspections, including inspection of the tires
• Ensure that tires do not run below 80% of the recommended pressure

Two Semis Collide - Fire Ensues; Both Drivers Perish, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

One summer’s night, a 49 year-old semi-truck driver (D1), pulling a flatbed loaded with salvage cars for recycling traveled north on a three-lane state highway. D1 topped a hill, drove through a right curve when the unit rolled onto the driver’s side, slide across the center line and entered a straight stretch approximately half way to the bottom of a hill. As D1’s unit was sliding down the hill in the south bound lanes, a 52 year-old semi-truck driver (D2) hauling bottled beverages was traveling south in the straight stretch up the hill. As D1 slide down the hill, D2 …

Semi-Truck Driver Dies After Being Struck By Flatbed Driver In Crossover Collision, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the winter of 2011, a 46-year-old semi-truck driver (D1) hauling a flatbed trailer was traveling north in the right lane on a four lane interstate. Several minutes ahead of the semi was a pickup truck hauling an extension ladder that fell out onto the northbound travel lanes. A car behind the pickup swerved to avoid the falling ladder. Other cars swerved to avoid the ladder. The semi came upon the ladder and swerving cars. To avoid striking the cars and ladder, the semi driver swerved to the right, over-corrected to the left, drove across the northbound lanes, over a …

Owner Of Towing Company Dies When Struck By Box Truck, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the early morning hours of a summer day, a 49-year-old male owner-operator of a towing company died when he was struck by a driver operating a box truck. The towing company had been called to retrieve a sport utility vehicle (SUV) that had broken down in another state and was returning the vehicle to its owner in Kentucky. It was approximately 4:00 a.m. when the towing company owner and his two sons were on an interstate returning with the SUV, when the operator thought the load felt strange. He parked his tow truck on the right hand shoulder and …

Owner/Operator Hauling Asphalt Flux Dies After Driving Into A Ravine And Striking Trees, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the early morning of a late summer’s day, a 50 year old semi-truck driver was transporting a load of asphalt flux. He had been driving for approximately five hours and was getting ready to exit the interstate when for an unknown reason, the unit left the interstate, sideswiped a SUV parked on the shoulder, drove through a guardrail then proceeded into a ravine. A passing motorist called emergency services, who upon their arrival contacted the local coroner. The driver had been ejected from the cab and was pronounced dead at the scene.

To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, …

Roadside Responder Is Struck By A Box Truck And Dies, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On a winter day, a 53-year-old retired fire chief was working for an environmental company to clean up a tractor trailer crash along an interstate. A semi tractor-trailer driver had fallen asleep and crashed. The environmental company had been deployed to assist in the cleanup and facilitate a lane closure. The cleanup was almost complete and there were five workers left at the incident site. They were working in the right lane loading a tag-along trailer with items from the crash when a box truck crashed into the work zone, striking the worker, and killing him.

To prevent future occurrences …

Semi Tractor-Trailer Driver Dies In Median Crossover Crash; 10 Others Die, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

At approximately 5:00 AM on a spring morning, a 45 year-old male semi-tractor trailer driver headed south on an interstate highway with a back-haul of brake drums. He crossed a 60’ grass depressed median, drove over a cable barrier, was struck by a northbound 15-passenger van with 12 occupants, hit a cut rock wall and caught fire. The semi truck driver and 10 occupants within the van died.

To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have been made:

Recommendation No. 1: Commercial vehicle carriers should establish and implement an appropriate comprehensive safety and driver training program that …

Steel Worker Falls From Highway Bridge And Dies, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On a fall day in 2010, a 49 year-old steel worker fell from a highway bridge he was working from and died. The steel worker was in the process of leveling jacks for concrete forms. He had donned a fall protection harness with an attached lanyard then stepped outside the lifeline onto a 10”x2” wooden board to verify the jacks were level. As the steel worker stepped over the lifeline, he did not attach the lanyard and fell approximately 28 feet onto the railroad tracks below. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died in surgery approximately two …

Workers Die From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning,employers should:

• Train supervisors and employees to recognize symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning
• Provide first aid training, including what to do if exposed to carbon monoxide
• Review carbon monoxide prevention tips with their employees

Employees should:

• Report unusual behavior
• Know how to treat co-workers for carbon monoxide poisoning
• Carry a carbon monoxide detector to mobile sites Recognize signs of carbon monoxide poisoning

An Analysis Of Laboratory Inspections At The University Of Kentucky, Rachel Eldridge

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Recent news stories about laboratory accidents in which students were severely injured and killed have brought much-needed attention to lab safety. Creating a positive safety climate on college and university campuses is very important in reducing accidents. At the University of Kentucky, all laboratories are inspected once every year, and the results are recorded in a lab inspection database. These data include the department, building, lab classification, type of violation, room number, and the name of the PI (Principal Investigator). I want to analyze inspections to find out whether department and the lab classification are significant in looking at violations. …

Two Tree Trimmers Die When Struck By Errant Semi Tractor-Trailer, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

One spring morning in 2010, three male tree trimmers set up a work site in a highway intersection at the base of a mountain. As one tree trimmer removed equipment from the truck, two other tree trimmers, 21- and 32-years old, posted signage in the intersection. The two tree trimmers were located on the shoulder of the highway. A semi tractor-trailer was driving down the mountain toward the intersection, when its brakes failed. To avoid hitting vehicles in front of the semi, the driver steered to the left, crossed the intersection, striking both tree trimmers with the semi tractor-trailer. Both …

Workers Die From Heat Stroke, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent heatstroke, employers should:

• Train supervisors and employees to recognize symptoms of heat stroke
• Give frequent breaks and provide drinking water
• Adjust work hours to accommodate work conditions such as high heat index and/or high humidity
• Monitor workers who are at risk of heat stroke

Employees should:

• Report unusual behavior
• Know how to treat co-workers for heat stroke
• Monitor your physical condition and that of your coworkers

Workers Killed After Being Electrocuted, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent electrocutions, employers should:

• Provide non-conductive ladders
• Conduct a jobsite survey to identify potential hazards
• Provide electricity awareness training
• Provide onsite automated external defibrillators (AEDs)

• Use non-conductive ladders
• De-energize lines before beginning work
• Make sure all equipment is properly grounded
• Know how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs)

Workers Killed During Tree Trimming/Removal, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent tree trimming and removal fatalities, workers should:

• Perform a hazard assessment of the work area before starting work
• Appropriate personal equipment should be worn at all times while trimming or removing trees
• Determine the tree’s felling direction. Address forward lean, back lean, and/or side lean issues
• All trees and limbs should be inspected for structural weakness before work commences
• Have an escape route planned

Semi Truck Driver Falls Asleep While Driving, Crashes And Dies, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

A 56 year-old male long-haul semi-truck driver fell asleep while driving. It was approximately 4:15 AM and the driver was hauling a load of canned tomatoes. He was approximately 225 miles away from his destination driving in the right hand lane, on a four lane interstate traveling south, when he fell asleep. Upon falling asleep, the unit travelled to the right, across the rumble strip and the emergency lane, behind a guardrail, down an embankment and crashed into a grove of trees. A man driving a car behind the semi truck saw dust rise from the crash, stopped, called emergency …

Engineered Nanomaterials: Exposures, Hazards, And Risk Prevention, Robert A. Yokel, Robert C. Macphail

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nanotechnology presents the possibility of revolutionizing many aspects of our lives. People in many settings (academic, small and large industrial, and the general public in industrialized nations) are either developing or using engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) or ENM-containing products. However, our understanding of the occupational, health and safety aspects of ENMs is still in its formative stage. A survey of the literature indicates the available information is incomplete, many of the early findings have not been independently verified, and some may have been over-interpreted. This review describes ENMs briefly, their application, the ENM workforce, the major routes of human exposure, some …

Semi Drivers Killed After Vehicle Rollovers, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent semi truck rollovers, employers should:

• Implement and enforce a seat belt safety program
• Establish and strengthen a company policy to reduce fatigue on the job

Employees should:

• Always wear a seat belt while in the vehicle
• Use correct lights during a fog
• Use proper precautions to reduce sloshing
• Reduce inadequate evasive actions

Land Surveyor Struck And Killed By Passenger Vehicle, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

One late fall day in 2009, at approximately 3:30 PM, two land surveyors had completed surveying tasks for the day and were walking north, on opposites sides of a two-lane rural state highway. They were returning surveying equipment to the company truck. Surveyor 1, company owner, was walking with traffic on the east side of the road, in the grass, a few feet to the right of the pavement. Surveyor 2 was walking on the edge of the pavement on the west side of the road. Both men were on the road on the blind side of a hill and …

Municipal Solid Waste Collector Dies After Falling From Solid Waste Vehicle Hopper Area, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On a spring day in 2010, a 41 year-old male, solid waste collector, was riding in the hopper area of a solid waste truck when he fell out and struck his head on the pavement. He was riding in the hopper area because the step he usually rode, located at the rear driver side, was broken. Another worker rode the rear step on the passenger side of the vehicle, and a third worker, the driver, drove. After approaching a stop, the driver looked into the rearview mirror and saw the decedent on the pavement. The driver stopped the truck, and …

Service Technician Working Alone Dies After Being Assaulted, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

One late fall evening in 2009, a 53 year-old male technician was working alone at a repair shop. At approximately 9:45 PM, the technician returned to the shop with his dinner from a nearby fast-food establishment. He spread his dinner on the work bench and began eating when apparently he was attacked from behind. His attacker used a knife and cut the technician’s carotid artery and jugular vein on the left side of his neck. The attacker fled, and the technician used a cell phone to call 911, emergency medical services (EMS). When EMS arrived, they found the technician dead …

Foreign-Born Semi Driver Dies After Driving Over Embankment, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

One summer morning in 2009, at approximately 11:30 AM, a 41 year-old male, long-haul, semi tractor-trailer driver drove off an interstate highway, over a guardrail, and continued into a wooded ravine. His trailer was empty and he was travelling to pick up a load of retail goods. The trailer disengaged from the tractor, the fuel tanks ruptured, the tractor overturned and caught fire. As the tractor overturned, the driver was ejected. A passing motorist called emergency medical (EMS) services; EMS arrived and found the driver dead at the scene.

To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have …