From arc flash to roof falls, risks are ever-present for front-line maintenance technicians in institutional and commercial facilities. But the risks in facilities extend far beyond maintenance, as construction and renovation activities also present threats to workers.
For example, in January, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found LMA Services Company LLC exposed employees to struck-by and caught-between hazards as they worked near a compact track loader doing excavation work for a new building at Brockton Hospital in Massachusetts. Investigators discovered the loader's bucket was being used to load and unload crushed stone on uneven ground as an employee worked beneath. During the operation, the employee died after being struck by the loader and pinned between the ground and the bucket.
Now, a construction accident has resulted in another worker death.
A masonry worker died on Feb. 7 in an accident at a construction site at Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School in Illinois, according to Fox 32. The worker was working on a new science building when the accident occurred. His cause of death was a neck wound caused by a motorized hand saw. The Cook County Medical Examiner has identified the worker as 63-year-old Ronald Simonson. OSHA and an independent inspection company are investigating the incident.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
