Incidents

Proper covers, guardrails and signage must be utilized on and near floor hole hazards, including skylights. Lessons like this shouldn't come only after a deadly fall incident.

Scissor lifts can be a very safe way to reach great heights, but when operators aren't trained, they are complacent or careless, or they are not following safe operating procedures, things can go very wrong and become very deadly for the scissor lift operator or even those in the proximity.

This tragic caught-in incident demonstrates that when lockout/tagout procedures are not followed, the results can be deadly. Safety meetings do save lives.

This contractor had a safety program but had not implemented the program or provided employees with safety training. The foreman held weekly toolbox talks with the crew which included trench safety, but new employees had not yet participated in any of these talks. Here's what went wrong.

Two workers were injured when they were pinned in a 4-foot-deep trench by a backhoe at a construction site. Why is heavy equipment safety not just the responsibility of the operator?

Having a spotter stand at the top of the excavation to "watch the dirt" is not adequate cave-in protection, as this tragic incident proved. Safety training should be adequate enough so all workers understand they should never enter an unprotected trench for their own safety.

Wood chippers are dangerous machines, but this tragic death didn't happen the way you think it did. Lessons Learned reminder to always inspect heavy equipment prior to use.

When do you need additional fall protection when working on man lifts? Seems like they should be safe enough already. Learn more about man lift fall protection from this tragic incident.

Caught-in hazards don't just exist where a line worker might get their glove caught in a gear or where crews on jobsites need to remember to stay out of the way of the swing areas of excavators or cranes.

Keeping up with forklift training can be a burden, and when you need someone to jump in the driver's seat now for a short run across the jobsite, what can it really hurt? Aren't all forklifts basically the same?

It shouldn't take a fatality for employers to review and update their safety procedures. In addition to ensuring a written safety program is in place, and implemented, and proper safety and fall protection procedures are followed on every job, there should be regular safety meetings held.

When workers are assigned to tasks in the vicinity of moving vehicles, large trucks and heavy equipment on jobsites, the employer should require pre-work safety meetings for all employees on site, including the drivers and the crew.

The one thing you've heard all your lives is the one thing that could have possibly prevented this unnecessary fatality. Read more about this fatal accident that could have had a different ending.

Crushed-against is a caught-in hazard that all team members need to be aware of because if you aren't trained on the specific type of lift you are using, things can take a deadly turn fast. Read more about this tragic incident.

The weekly safety meeting is a great time to remind heavy equipment operators to inspect their equipment daily and to test their back-up alarms regularly to ensure they are working properly. It shouldn't take a fatal accident like this one to get the team to take safety seriously.

"I think about it a million times. How could I have prevented it? How could we have done something different? Don't say, I've been doing this for 20 years, that won't happen to me, because it's not true. He was the greatest roofer I knew, and look what happened."

A cubic yard of soil weighs nearly the same amount as a mid-size automobile (more than 2,500 pounds), producing a crushing injury to anyone caught in the wall collapse. This tragic incident highlights the risks of not providing adequate cave-in protection.

Assumptions are made when it's a really large vehicle...won't everyone get out of the way?! A loud, dusty environment has the potential to become a bad day ...before you even know what happened. Learn more about the lessons learned from this tragic incident.

Think you'll land on your feet if you stumble off a ladder? Think the worst that can happen from an 8-foot fall is a twisted ankle? Think again. This is the scene of a fatality.

Unsafe acts on the job can lead to workplace incidents resulting in injuries, illnesses, or fatalities. Time is critical when reporting an injury, here's why.

What are the most vital first aid procedures for the skilled trades industry? Learn more about the first aid basics that are a good foundation for your workforce.

Boom lifts are very helpful when you need to access heights without the expense of a crane or don't want the headache of the setup required with scaffolding, but tip over hazards are a real concern.

This traumatic incident resulted in a crushed-by death that absolutely should have never happened. Safety training, safety meetings, and safety procedures do save lives.