OSHA Reports Seven Worker Deaths in Wisconsin in First Five Months of 2019

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds employers and employees to use extreme care and safety diligence in all work activities. In the first five months of 2019, five worker deaths have been reported to OSHA in Wisconsin, including two fatalities in construction.

The information below shares preliminary details about the most recent occupational fatalities reported to OSHA. The description reflects information provided to OSHA at the initial report of the incident and is not the result of the official OSHA investigation.

Preliminary Summary of Incident One (Appleton): On Jan. 11, a 31-year-old employee sustained fatal injuries while preparing a boom truck for towing. The employee was struck by a vehicle that was traveling at highway speeds. Weather conditions were clear and the road surface was dry. Reference NIOSH Hazard Review Work-Related Roadway Crashes at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2003-119/pdfs/2003-119.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2003119

Preliminary Summary of Incident Two (Milwaukee): On Jan. 25, an employee was killed by blunt force trauma. The employee was hit and kicked multiple times by an assailant while next to her vehicle in a parking garage. Reference OSHA’s publication 3148 Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3148.pdf Or the OSHA Workplace violence webpage:https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/workplaceviolence/index.html

Preliminary Summary of Incident Three (Appleton Area Office): On Jan. 29, an employee sustained fatal injuries due to being pulled into a conveyor system at a saw mill. At the time of the incident, the employee was shoveling bark out from under the conveyor system and clothing became caught on a pulley and subsequently pulled the employee into the conveyor. Reference OSHA’s publication 3170 Safeguarding Equipment:https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3170.pdf

Preliminary Summary of Incident Four (Milwaukee Area Office): On March 4, an employee was killed when the skid steer he was operating during demolition activities fell over seven stories to the ground below. Reference OSHA’s Demolition web page for safety and health related information regarding demolition operations: https://www.osha.gov/doc/topics/demolition/index.html

Preliminary Summary of Incident Six (Madison Area Office): On March 18, an employee was struck and killed by a backing quad axle dump truck. Motor Vehicle Safety web page for safety and health related information regarding workplace vehicle safety operations:https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/motorvehiclesafety/index.html. Also https://www.osha.gov/doc/topics/backover/index.html

Preliminary Summary of Incident Five (Appleton Area Office): On March 31, an employee sustained fatal injuries after being struck by a cow in a milking parlor. Reference the National AG Safety database on Animal Handling: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/emergency_response/tools/how-to/htdocs/images/appendix_3_7a_animal_handling_safety.pdf

Preliminary Summary of Incident Seven (Madison Area Office): On April 17, an employee sustained fatal injuries after falling from the fourth floor of an apartment building under construction. The employee was from a temporary staffing agency performing general site cleanup at the time of the incident. Reference OSHA’s webpage on Fall protection in construction: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/ or https://www.ehstoday.com/fall-protection/working-heights-why-risks-occupational-accidents-still-fall-deaf-ears and also OSHA’s webpage on Temporary Workers at: https://www.osha.gov/temp_workers/index.html

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