Workplace Injuries

• Highway Construction Injury Leaves One Dead

  Mark McLean | July 12, 2007 6:06 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A construction worker was killed in an accident on Highway 20 in LaConner yesterday.The worker was killed in a construction zone near Milepost 53 near LaConner at about 8:15 a.m.Transportation Department spokesman Dustin Terpening said the worker was hit by a street sweeper that was backing up. Washington law provides for worker's compensation, a fault-free system of recovery for people injured...

• Worker Dies After Being Crushed by Lift

  Mark McLean | June 25, 2007 9:20 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A worker died after being crushed by a hydraulic lift in a Georgetown neighborhood recycling plant last week. Longtime SeaDruNar employee John Colombini, 46, died from head injuries he suffered when a hydraulic lift collapsed on his head, a spokesman for the King County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday.Colombini was repairing a lift attached to a truck cab used to haul waste containers...

• Worker Killed When Trench Collapses

  Michael Myers | March 10, 2007 10:07 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Seattle firefighters worked for over two hours before they were able to extract the construction worker. Unfortunately, the worker did not survive his injuries. The construction acccident happened in White Center. Construction accidents are unfortunately common. Construction workers have rights under RCW Title 51 (the workers compensation law). But they also have rights under personal...

• Rules for Cranes Come Under Review

  Michael Myers | December 17, 2006 12:01 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A series of crane accidents in the Seattle area has highlighted the national decision to review the rules for crane erection and operation. Crane accidents have killed an injured construction workers and bystanders around the nation in recent months. These accidents have lead to safety reviews. The reviews have resulted in fines and illustrated the safety risks posed by cranes that do not...

• Crane Safety Is Major Construction Site Issue in 2006

  Michael Myers | December 13, 2006 6:38 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Recent inspections have disclosed cracks, loose welds and sheared bolts in cranes at construction sites in Bellevue and Redmond. Experts say needed maintenance and inspections have been neglected. Specifically, contractors aren't having their cranes inspected while they are on the ground in pieces. That may be due to a shortage of cranes, crane operators and crane erectors caused by a...

• Construction Worker Dies at Spokane Wastewater Treatment Plant

  Michael Myers | December 13, 2006 6:06 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A large beam struck and killed a 26-year-old construction worker Tuesday at Spokane's wastewater treatment plant. The victim, Tizoc Gayton, lived in Post Falls, Idaho and worked for Garco Construction Inc.Mr. Gayton was removing shoring when a horizontal beam that was being removed fell on him.Constructions has been stopped while the accident is investigated by the state Department of Labor &...

• Fall At Rig Injurs Worker

  Michael Myers | August 15, 2006 9:23 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Chase Anderson was working about 20 feet above the sub floor on the EnCana drilling rig when he fell about 11 p.m. Friday night. He was transported to Kadlec, and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He suffered four, six inch gashes down to the skull. After testing, it was found he had abdominal bleeding and a fracture C-5 vertebrate. He also broke the tips off C-6 and C-7....

• Six Pipeline Workers Nearly Electrocuted

  Michael Myers | August 07, 2006 7:52 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Six pipeline workers were nearly electrocuted Thursday when their construction equipment either touched or got too close to high-voltage power lines.The accident happened east of Arlington underneath the Bonneville Power Administration's 230,000-volt Snohomish-to-Murray line.Arlington Fire Department Chief Jim Renkin said the workers were unloading sections of gas pipeline when the accident...

• Abuses Reported at Alan Ritchey Plant

  Michael Myers | June 05, 2006 5:18 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The Seattle PI ran an interesting story about the Alan Ritchey plant in Auburn, Washington. The story appears at the following link: Playing By The Rules Brings Trouble. Alan Ritchey is a fascinating company. In addition to running an MTESC center in Auburn, it engages in a number of other businesses. More about the MTESC center can be found at the following link: ARI MTESC. Alan Ritchey...

• Construction Site Accidents Governed by Detailed Safety Rules

  Michael Myers | June 03, 2006 9:10 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Traffic accidents are governed by a detailed set of rules (the "Rules of the Road") contained in the Revised Code of Washington. Slip and fall accidents are usually governed by common sense and what an ordinary person would consider "reasonable". Construction site accidents are governed by a very detailed and comprehensive set of rules in the Washington Administrative Code (the "WAC"). The...