Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

The 24th Michigan worker death of 2015 occurred on September 17, 2015. Employers and employees are urged to use
extreme care and safety diligence in all work activities.
Summary of incident: On September 17, 2015, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a 22 year old railroad construction/laborer
and two other contract workers were replacing railroad ties and stones on a railway. At the same time that these workers
were packing the ties and stones in place on the rail bed with a tamper machine, other employees were operating a
conveyor and loading grain into a grain storage building. One wall of the grain storage building suddenly collapsed
releasing grain which engulfed/crushed the railroad construction/laborer, resulting in fatal injuries.
There were 37 MIOSHA-related deaths in 2014. 2009 saw the lowest number with 24.
If you need help or assistance in ensuring your workplace is safe, MIOSHA is here with resources to help. The
Consultation Education & Training (CET) Division provides workplace safety and health training and consultations to
employers and employees throughout Michigan free of charge. Contact CET today at 800-866-4674 or submit a request
online at www.michigan.gov/cetrca.
Every life is precious. Our mutual goal must be that every employee goes home at the end of their shift every day!
This table shares preliminary details about many of the fatalities reported to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health
Administration. These descriptions reflect information provided to MIOSHA at the initial report of the incident and are not
the result of the official MIOSHA investigation.

Fatality
Number

24.

Date

09/17/15

Occupation

Railroad
Construction/Laborer

Age Type of Injury

22 Crush

Description

Location
(City)

A 22 year old railroad construction/laborer

and two other contract workers were
replacing railroad ties and stones on a
railway. At the same time that these
workers were packing the ties and stones in
place on the rail bed with a tamper
machine, other employees were operating a
conveyor and loading grain into a grain
storage building. One wall of the grain
Webberville
storage building suddenly collapsed
releasing grain which engulfed/crushed the
railroad construction/laborer, resulting in
fatal injuries.

23.

08/28/15 Welder's Helper

30 Severe Burns

22.

08/31/15 Truck Driver

23 Crush

21.

04/04/15 Line Leader

56 Struck By

A 30 year old welder's helper was

replacing a section of a pipeline that
contained a petroleum product. When the
replacement section was being welded into
place, an explosion occurred. The welder's River Rouge
helper received severe burns over 50% of
his body. He was transported to the
hospital but died of his injuries on August
28, 2015.
A 23 year old truck driver was driving a
dump truck that was being loaded with
rocks. Another employee was operating an
excavator and loading rocks from a farm
field into the dump truck. The vehicle was
traveling uphill when it slipped out of gear.
Jonesville
It rolled backward and turned to avoid an
impact with something. Then the truck
turned completely over trapping the truck
driver in the cab of the truck under the
truck and the load of rocks. The truck
driver suffered fatal crushing injuries.
A 56 year old line leader was operating a
powered industrial truck to flip over a
fabricated metal automotive rack. While
the rack was raised the line leader backed
up, the top tray flipped open, striking the
line leader in the back. The line leader did
not seek medical attention until two days
after the incident, when he was then
admitted to the hospital. Over the course of
the next two weeks his condition
deteriorated and he died on April 4, 2015.
MIOSHA was notified on September 1,
Flint
2015.

20.

08/25/15 Grounds Person

55 Fall

19.

05/06/15 Team Leader

41 Struck By

18.

07/21/15 Farm Worker

14

17.

07/18/15 Owner

63 Crush

16.

07/14/15

Feed Operations
Manager

Caught
Between

30 Fall

A 55 year old grounds person and the crew

boss were trimming trees on a golf course
from a recent storm. The employees were
in the process of removing an 8-12 inch
diameter limb from the tree. They attached
a chain to the tree limb and to the bucket of
a front end loader. The crew boss was
operating the loader with the grounds
person standing in the bucket. The crew
boss backed up the loader and the tree
branch broke and came back towards the
grounds person in the bucket, pinning him
against the bucket. He was transported to
the hospital where he was later pronounced
dead.
A 41 year old team leader was working on
a vehicle on the assembly (moving
conveyor) line. He was struck by a vehicle
on the moving conveyor and thrown into a
large tool box where he received serious
head trauma, then fell to the floor. He died
from traumatic brain injury. This fatality
was initially reported by the company as a
heart attack but recent information
indicated it is a MIOSHA program related
fatality.
A 14 year old farm worker was loading
hay bales onto an elevator when her
clothing became entangled in the power
take-off (PTO) shaft, resulting in her fatal
injuries.
The 63 year old owner was apparently
attempting to open the motorized gate at
the shop entrance in order to leave the
facility. The control box to open the gate is
on the outside of the gate. She was on the
inside. It is speculated that she reached
around the gate through an opening to
insert the key. She was found crushed
between the gate, stationary fence, and the
disconnect box.
A 30 year old feed operations manager fell
to a lower level while in an area under
construction at the facility.

West Branch

Detroit

Vermontville

Commerce
Township

Vicksburg

15.

07/13/15 Laborer

14.

07/08/15

13.

Journeyman
07/07/15 Maintenance
Technician

57 Crush

12.

06/27/15 Laborer

30 Fall

11.

06/16/15 Electrician Foreman

40 Electrocution

10.

05/29/15 Production Associate

53 Crush

9.

05/28/15 Laborer

50 Crush

8.

05/11/15 Carpenter Foreman

38 Crush

7.

05/05/15

Maintenance
Technician

Energy Center
Operator

40 Crush

53 Fall

53 Crush

A 40 year old laborer was working in an

excavation installing a drainage system for
a parking lot. While a tractor operator was
emptying a load of material into the
excavation, the tractor fell in, landing on
the laborer, fatally injuring him.
A 53 year old maintenance technician fell
approximately 20-feet from a platform to
the ground below.
A 57 year old journeyman maintenance
technician entered a robotic weld cell. The
robot arm activated pinning/crushing the
employee's head between a hitch plate and
a metal fixture.
A 30 year old laborer was power washing a
silo from a boom lift raised approximately
60 feet in the air when it contacted
overhead power lines. The laborer made it
from the basket of the lift onto the roof of
the silo where he fell to the ground below.
A 40 year old electrician foreman was
preparing to wire a fire pump to the
electrical supply when the employee
received an electrical shock.
A 53 year old production associate was
allegedly crushed by the operation of a
CNC machine.
An approximately 90,000 pound concrete
I-Beam that had been sitting on dunnage,
tipped over and fell on a 50 year old
laborer, crushing him.
A 38 year old carpenter foreman was
removing supports in the basement of the
structure when the first floor above
collapsed and crushed him.
A 53 year old energy center operator was
cleaning sludge from the filter press
machine when the press cycled, crushing
the employee between plates in the filter
press.

Saginaw

Grand Rapids

Ionia

Lowell

Holland

Owosso

Saginaw

Ypsilanti

Detroit

Part Time Truck

Driver

6.

05/01/15

5.

04/24/15 Painter

28 Fall

4.

04/18/15 Shipping Coordinator

41 Struck By

3.

04/15/15 Laborer

49 Struck By

2.

03/20/15

Crane Operator
Trainee

48 Crush

61 Struck By

A 48 year old part time truck driver and

another employee were working on a truck
to free a stuck wheel brake when the truck Houghton
rolled, crushing the part time truck driver
and injuring the other employee.
A 28 year old painter was painting a
guardrail on the third story of a house and
climbed over the guardrail to paint. While
Ann Arbor
holding onto a baluster and painting with
the other hand, the guardrail gave way. The
employee fell thirty feet to the ground.
A 41 year old shipping coordinator was
directing trucks into the loading bay where
trucks drive into and out of to be loaded
with steel. After directing one truck into
Ecorse
the bay to be loaded, the employee was
waving another up into position when the
truck that just entered backed up striking
the employee and crushing her.
A 49 year old laborer was aloft in the base
of a tree trunk where the two sections meet
up (tree crotch) removing a trunk
Oakland
section. The trunk section kicked back
Township
after being cut, striking the employee
resulting in fatal injuries.
A 61 year old was fatally injured after
being struck in the head by a 9,400 pound
bundle of steel round stock he was moving
with an overhead crane.

Warren

1.

01/15/15 Sheet Metal Worker

A 37 year old sheet metal worker was in

the process of torch cutting and welding
when it is believed he had ignited the
flame-retardant insulation between the
hopper and building structure. The fire
traveled up the 65-foot tall structure
trapping the sheet metal worker inside the
hopper. Fire-Fighters were able to
Severe Smoke
extricate him, but he had sustained burns to
Inhalation &
Farmington
37
his head and severe burns to his hand and
3rd Degree
Hills
wrist in addition to smoke inhalation. The
Burns
sheet metal worker, one other employee,
four sub-contractor employees, and two
fire-fighters were transported to area
hospitals. All but the sheet metal worker
and one other employee were observed and
released. The sheet metal worker
succumbed to his injuries as a result of the
fire on January 15, 2015.

Use the information in this table to build hazard awareness and prevent risk for similar occurrences in your
workplace. This table shares preliminary details about many of the fatalities reported to the Michigan Occupational
Safety and Health Administration.

"Work Safe... Be Safe!"