Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

Hispanic Carpenter Dies After Falling From Homemade Platform, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

In the Spring of 2007, a 32-year-old Hispanic male carpenter (decedent) died when he fell from a homemade platform (extended approximately seven feet in the air) after it detached from a telehandler (forklift). The decedent and two other carpenters were framing a new construction, single-family residence located on a hillside which was rough and steep. The three carpenters were framing the wall at the rear corner of the house which was high because of the sloping terrain. To reach the area, the crew decided to use a homemade platform as a makeshift scaffold. A fourth worker operated a rough-terrain forklift …

Dump Truck Driver Dies After Being Entangled In Power-Take-Off Drive Shaft, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

During the fall of 2006, a 25-year-old male company dump truck driver (decedent) died when he became entangled in the drive shaft of the power-take-off pump (PTO) underneath a dump truck. He and four other dump truck drivers were waiting to have their trucks filled with asphalt when one of the other drivers (Driver 1) began having difficulty with the bed of his truck raising and lowering properly. Another driver (Driver 2) attempted to assist Driver 1 with the problem, but was unsuccessful. Driver 1 decided to inform the plant manager (Owner 1) of the situation and request assistance from …

Emergency Roadside Technician Dies When Struck By A Single-Unit Truck On An Interstate Shoulder, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the winter of 2005 a 52-year-old male emergency roadside technician (ERT), (providing traffic control support for police), died when he fell approximately 75 – 80 feet from a bridge after being struck by a single-unit truck. A policeman had responded to a call from a semi-truck driver on the interstate who had blown a tire while driving on an interstate. After the tire blew, the driver immediately pulled the semi onto the right shoulder and called police for assistance. This section of the shoulder was on a bridge on the blind side of a hill, and was too narrow …

Workers Struck By Trains While Driving, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent injuries while driving vehicles across railroad tracks:

• A hazard assessment should be performed before crossing railroad tracks.
• Safety belts should be used while driving.
• Commercial vehicles should not be stopped on railroad tracks.
• Braking mechanism checks should be performed before commercial vehicles enter roadways.
• Cell phones should not be utilized while driving.
• Employers should provide employees training on railway traffic safety.

Long Haul Trucker Dies After Striking An Embankment At The End Of An Interstate Highway Off-Ramp, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

In the fall of year 2005, at 12:40 AM, a 47-year-old male semi-truck driver began his delivery route hauling a refrigerated trailer loaded with 23,000 pounds of produce. His first delivery was approximately 265 miles away. After two hours and twenty minutes, he exited the interstate 23 miles from the start of his route. At the end of the exit ramp he attempted to turn right onto a 4-lane highway. He missed the turn and drove straight across the highway through a guardrail; the truck became airborne, and crashed into an embankment exploding into flames. An unidentified motorist driving behind …

Fatal Aerial Lift Injuries, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent injuries while working in aerial lifts:

• A “pre-job safety plan” should be developed for each job site and reviewed prior to each day on the job site.
• Mechanical checks should be performed on all equipment at each job site prior to each use.
• There should be communication between the worker in the elevated lift and ground control crew.
• Ensure that appropriate fall protection equipment is available and correctly used when working from elevations.
• Employees should work within job qualifications and job limits.

A Lifestyle-Based Weight Management Program Delivered To Employees: Examination Of Health And Economic Outcomes, M. Courtney Hughes, Teresa M. Girolami, Allen D. Cheadle, Jeffrey R. Harris, Donald L. Patrick

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Objective: To examine the health and economic outcomes associated with a comprehensive weight management program delivered to employees.

Methods: Data collected on 516 individuals participating in a lifestyle-based weight management program delivered to employees from three corporations were analyzed at baseline and intervention-end (26 or 52 weeks). One-year post-intervention data for two subgroups were examined for pharmaceutical use (n ! 61) and health outcomes (n ! 46).

Results: Average body weight decreased 5.4% (P " 0.001) and average waist circumference decreased 7.2% (P " 0.001). Average blood pressure, Beck Depression Inventory scores, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale scores improved (P " …

Victims Struck Out By Logging, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Tractors/Logging

To prevent injuries while felling trees:

• Loggers should attend the Kentucky Master Logger program for training and education regarding Occupational Safety and Health Administration logging standards and safety procedures.
• A “pre-job safety plan” should be developed for each job site and the plan should be reviewed prior to each day on the site.
• Proper notching and directional felling techniques should be utilized when felling trees.
• Develop a felling plan for each tree prior to felling that includes escape route, dead or hanging branches, vines, and nearby trees.

Amputation Injuries Due To Forklifts, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Other

To prevent injuries from forklifts while working:

• Before you operate a forklift, make sure that you are trained and certified.
• Remember if you are on a sit-down type forklift, and it starts to over-turn, lean in the opposite direction, stay with the forklift; don’t jump.
• When operating a forklift on site, slow the truck and sound the horn at cross aisles, exits, and other employee traverse points.
• Before dismounting, set the parking brake, lower the forks or lifting carriage, and neutralize controls.

An Experimental Study Of The Effectiveness Of Three Safety Training Delivery Methods And The Knowledge Gained During A Workplace Violence Safety Program, Shoji Nakayama

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the numerous advantages of electronic media, many companies have begun to incorporate online courses as a means of delivering corporate training, including corporate safety training. Consequently, researchers are beginning to investigate the effectiveness of online training over traditional face-to-face training methods. Many studies have indicated that results of training programs conducted over the Internet are equivalent to those results obtained from traditional face-to-face training. At the same time, other literature indicates that face-to-face training is better than Internet training due to the level of interaction between students and instructor. Some investigations on this subject have been conducted within …

Workers Killed In Falls From Ladders, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To prevent falls from ladders while working:

• Make sure that an extension or straight ladder are erected according to the “4 to 1” rule of thumb.
• Safe work practices should be established by the employer for ascending and descending extension or straight ladders with materials and/ or equipment.
• All non-self-supporting ladders should be secured at the top and stabilized at the bottom.
• While working from ladders, workers should wear appropriate footwear.

Passenger Dies When Semi-Truck Trailer Hits Cow In Roadway, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On November 8, 2005, a 26-year-old male laborer who was a passenger in a semi-truck died when the driver swerved to avoid hitting a cow that was standing in the parkway lane. The two employees had been traveling westbound for approximately one hour when the driver noticed a cow in his lane. He swerved to avoid hitting the cow but hit it anyway. The tractor and two trailers jack-knifed, traveled through the median with the cab and trailers flipped onto their right sides, slid across the eastbound lanes, then the cab slammed through the guardrail. The cab came to rest …

Perceived Smoking Environment And Smoking Initiation Among Multi-Ethnic Urban Girls, Tracy R. Nichols, Amanda Birnbaum, Sara Birnel, Gilbert J. Botvin

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

To examine associations between the perceived smoking environment and smoking initiation among urban multi-ethnic adolescent girls in New York City.

Methods

Self-report surveys completed in grades 7, 8, and 9 assessed girls’ (n = 858) smoking initiation, and perceived smoking environment (family smoking, friends’ smoking, smoking norms, and cigarette availability). Carbon monoxide breath samples were collected from girls using a variation of the bogus pipeline procedure.

Results

Differences were found in smoking prevalence with white girls reporting the highest prevalence of smoking at baseline and the greatest increase in smoking prevalence from seventh to eighth grade. Black girls reported …

Worker Crushed To Death By Falling Steel Coil, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On April 13, 2005, a 40-year-old male laborer was moving a 5-feet by 9-inch coil of slitted steel, weighing 6600 pounds, when it fell on him. The laborer was in the process of wrapping a chain through the middle of the coil and through a homemade device on the forks of a forklift when the coil tipped over. As the laborer tried to move away from the falling coil, it landed on his left side, breaking his left leg and causing internal injuries. Other workers in the area did not see, but heard the commotion of the falling coil. The …

Working Drivers Killed In Motor Vehicle Collisions Were Not Wearing Safety Belts, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent motor vehicle injuries while working:

• Employers should implement a comprehensive employee driver safety training program.
• Employees should wear seat belts at all times.
• Employees should be aware of distractions and pay attention at all times.

Dump Truck Driver Dies After Unintentional Release Of Asphalt, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On June 6, 2005 a 55-year-old male dump truck driver (Driver 1) died when he was buried waist deep in 400-degree Fahrenheit asphalt. Driver 1 stopped along the highway to help another dump truck driver (Driver 2), (both were independent truck drivers), who had experienced brake problems. As the two men were examining the pneumatic brake system at the rear of the disabled dump truck, the tailgate opened unexpectedly, spilling hot asphalt onto the decedent who was under the rear of the truck.

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

Recommendation No. 1: Tailgate chains should always …

Dump Truck Driver Crushed Between Trackhoe And Dump Truck, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On November 11, 2004, a 33-year-old male dump truck driver died when he was crushed between the driver’s side of the dump truck and the swinging counter-weight of an excavator (trackhoe). His dump truck became stuck in mud after the trackhoe loaded dirt into it so he walked to the on-site office and informed the owner. The owner located a bulldozer on site and drove it to the dump truck while the driver retrieved a chain from his personal pickup truck. The owner raised the blade so the driver could attach the chain to it. Raising the blade of the …

Cleaner Falls 35 Feet To His Death Through Temporary Roof Opening, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Falls

On February 23, 2004, a 50-year-old male cleaner died when he fell approximately 35 feet through a temporary roof opening and was impaled on a piece of equipment on the factory floor. He had been cleaning an exhaust fan on a factory roof with a pressure washer. He and two coworkers had removed the fan from its casing creating a temporary roof opening and set the fan beside the roof opening for cleaning. Facing the fan with his back to the opening, the cleaner apparently stepped backwards and fell through the opening. He fell onto a 1200-ton die-casting machine on …

Horse Farm Owner Dies When Pinned Under Golf Cart, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On January 31, 2004, a 45-year old female horse farm owner (decedent) died when she was pinned under a golf cart. The woman had driven a gas-powered golf cart from her house on the farm to the horse barn to muck stalls and put horses in the barn. After driving the golf cart into the barn, the farm owner placed two square bales of hay on the golf cart; one on the back and one on the passenger side of the front seat. Leaving the ignition key of the golf cart in the “on” position, she left the golf cart …

Traffic Technician Dies From Fall While Changing Traffic Signal Bulb, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Motor Vehicle

On Monday, March 31, 2003, a 39-year-old male (decedent) highway traffic technician, working alone, received fatal head injuries after falling out of the bucket of an aerial boom truck. Injuries sustained in the fall resulted in his death four days later. He was changing a burned-out green traffic bulb in a traffic signal suspended over 2 lanes of traffic. As he worked from the aerial lift suspended over traffic to change the burned out bulb, a cargo truck drove underneath the bucket, striking it, and causing the decedent to fall to the asphalt below. As the worker fell approximately 10 …

Landscaping Laborer Dies When Struck By Bouncing Log, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Tractors/Logging

On March 5, 2004, a 57-year-old male laborer died when a 19 inch wide x 31 inch long log rolled down a mountain hitting him in his head and chest. The laborer had been employed for three days by a landscaping company contracted to clear the tree canopy over a gas line right-of-way. At approximately 2:20 pm, the company owner and five laborers were felling trees and bucking downed trees with chain saws and pole saws to remove the trees and limbs hanging over and growing in the gas line right-of-way. Two of the laborers were working topside at the …

Equine Farm Manager Dies From Accidental Overdose Of Xylazine, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On October 6, 2003, a 49-year-old male equine farm manager accidentally died after injecting himself with an unknown quantity of Sedazine (xylazine), a sedative commonly used to sedate horses. After visiting a barn’s storage area at approximately 8:45 am, the farm manager went to his house located on the farm and apparently tried to ease his pain by injecting himself with xylazine. At approximately 9:45 am, a female co-worker saw the farm manager’s dog running unrestrained outside and went to the farm manager’s house to return the dog. Upon entering the house, she found the farm manager lying face down …

Kentucky Residential Roofing Falls, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

To prevent falls while working on roofs:

• Always use appropriate guardrail, scaffold, or fall protection systems.
• Both employers and subcontractors should provide comprehensive site-specific fall protection training for their employees.
• Conduct a thorough assessment in and around the work area to identify existing and potential fall hazards prior to the start of work.

Caidas Desde Techos Residenciales En Kentucky, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Falls

Para prevenir caídas mientras trabaja sobre techos:

• Siempre use sistema con baranda de protección, instale un andamio, y haga uso de un sistema contra caídas apropiado.
• Tanto empleadores como subcontratistas deberán proporcionar a sus empleados entrenamiento específico y completo sobre protección contra caídas acorde con el sito de trabajo.
• Conduzca una valoración cuidadosa dentro y alrededor del área de trabajo para identificar cualquier riesgo potencial de caída, antes de iniciar las labores.

Metal Fabrication Shop Owner Dies When Crushed By Falling Steel Plate, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On December 15, 2003, a metal fabrication shop owner died when a 4,000 pound steel base plate fell on him. While inside the shop building, the work crew of least three men, including the owner, fabricated a 10’x 20’ steel base plate to be used at a water treatment plant. The base plate was to house or serve as a bas anchor a large water pump. After welding connectors and channel iron beams to one side of the plate, the crew pushed the plate through a bay door with a forktruck to an outside area in back of the shop. …

38 Year-Old Construction Laborer Dies When Trench Walls Collapse, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On November 3, 2003, a 38-year-old male construction laborer died when the unprotected 8-foot high walls of the trench he was working in collapsed. The decedent was working for a subcontractor who was contracted by a construction company to remove old gas, storm and sanitary sewer lines and install similar new lines. The old abandoned 6-inch diameter gas line was a high pressure, 300 – 320 psi gas line in 10-inch steel casing and was 600 feet long. There were five employees at the job site employed by the subcontractor; a foreman who was a certified competent person, a lab …

Laborer Dies When Caught In Arms Of A Skidsteer Loader, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On September 19, 2003, a 23-year-old male laborer (decedent) died when he became caught in the activated arms of a skidsteer loader. A work crew consisting of a contractor and 3 laborers had spent the day installing fence on a dairy farm. Earlier in the day, the contractor had borrowed a skidsteer from the farm owner. The work crew used the skidsteer to set fence posts in the ground. At the end of the work day (approximately 4:00 PM), the contractor instructed the decedent to return the skidsteer to the barn area. From the work site, the decedent drove the …

Licensed Electrician Dies When Electrocuted By 480volts, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Fatality Case Reports--Other

On July 4, 2003, a 36-year-old male lead electrician died after being electrocuted with 480 volts of electricity. A crew of five licensed electricians were working at an automotive supply manufacturing facility running wires to connect service for two air conditioning units (3-phase; 480 volts; 30 amp and 35 amp) and service for a lighting panel (3-phase; 277/480 volts and 200 amps). The manufacturing facility had been shut down for the holiday, and besides a facilities office worker in the facilities main office, the five men were the only workers at the site and had complete control of the facility …

Ua61/6 Newsletter Issue 4, Wku Institute For Rural Health Development & Research

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the Institute for Rural Health Development & Research. This issue contains:

• Simpson, Staci. Letter from the Director
• Institute for Rural Health Development & Research Impact Statement
• Mobile Health Unit Conference Attended
• WKU Mobile Health & Wellness Unit
• Kentucky State Fair Project
• Health House of Horrors
• Wilson, Richard. Faculty Presents at American Public Health Association Conference
• New Interdisciplinary Program: WellWorks
• Health Fair Event for Migrant Workers Held
• Local Interventions to Encourage the Enhancement of the Health of the Rural Elderly
• Jones, Susan. Predicting the Use of Personal Respiratory Protection Among Workers in Swine Confinement Buildings
• The …

Workers Crushed By Vehicles, Kentucky Injury Prevention And Research Center

Kentucky Haz Alerts--Motor Vehicle

To prevent motor vehicle repair injuries:

• Ensure that vehicles are positively restrained from moving with chocks.
• Do not place jack stands under potential moving vehicle parts.
• The space under a jack-suspended vehicle should not be entered unless suitable vehicle support stands are utilized.