The Hawaii State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) announced they have experienced a surge in work-related accidents in May. They reported four fatalities and seven serious injuries during a twenty-day period this month. The Hawaii Occupational Safety & Health Division (HIOSH) is investigating each incident.
“This surge in serious industrial accidents is a harsh reminder for employers and workers to think about safety when taking any work actions,” said DLIR Director Leonard Hoshijo. “HIOSH provides consultation services that help employers identify hazards and improve safety and health programs. While there’s no apparent connection between the accidents, all employers should examine conditions at their workplaces, safety policies, training and monitoring. Workers need to think safety, and avoid taking unsafe shortcuts to get a job done.”
A worker was killed when a heavy equipment boom holding a utility pole collapsed, the pole struck and killed a worker on the ground. Another worker was killed after falling out of a forklift that had tipped over. Two workers suffered second and third degree burns from an electrical arc flash while testing electrical activities. A worker suffered brain injuries and internal bleeding after being shocked and falling off scaffold. Another worker was killed when a cart he was in lurched into a wall. Two workers sustained injuries falling off a platform being raised by a forklift. A fourth worker was killed operating a riding mower that slid down a slope and over a retaining wall. Another worker was shocked while welding a pipe and suffered serious burns. A worker lost his leg when he was struck and run over by a track type excavator. These incidents took place between May 2nd and May 21st mainly in Oahu.
HOISH offers employers hazard identification and help with occupational safety and health programs, participation in which could also qualify employers for a one-year exemption from routine inspections.
Read the press release from The Department of Labor & Industrial Relations.
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