2016 MIOSHA Fatality Information

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. These descriptions reflect information provided to MIOSHA at the initial report of the incident and are not the result of the official MIOSHA investigation.

When available, MIFACE Summaries of MIOSHA Inspections will be included at the end of the description.

FATALITY NUMBER	DATE	OCCUPATION	AGE	TYPE OF INJURY	DESCRIPTION	INCIDENT LOCATION (CITY)
1.	02/08/16	Laborer	45	Struck by	Two employees were struck by a semi-truck exiting a highway. They were in the process of changing signage at an exit. The 45-year-old laborer was killed and another employee was hospitalized as a result of the incident. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Cadillac
2.	02/29/16	Tree Climber	28	Fall (from elevation)	A 28-year-old tree climber was free climbing at a private residence preparing to trim trees. The tree climber was wearing a 7-year old positioning saddle. The saddle rope broke when he was 40 feet above the ground. He fell and landed on his back on a wood deck. He was given CPR at the scene, then transported to the hospital where he died later that evening. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Ann Arbor
3.	03/21/16	Owner	66	Fall (from elevation)	A 66-year-old owner was performing tree trimming for a private homeowner. He was working in a lift truck boom bucket, approximately 15 feet above the ground. He was not wearing fall protection. The bucket tipped and he fell out of the bucket. He was transported to the hospital, where he died a short time later. MIFACE Inspection Summary	St. Clair Shores
4.	03/22/16	Foreman/Operator	62	Struck by	A 62-year-old excavator operator was clearing trees and debris related to a drain/sewer project. The operator dislodged a tree, which fell onto the cab of the excavator, killing the operator. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Benton Township
5.	04/25/16	Sanitation Worker	44	Caught in or between	A 44-year-old sanitation worker was apparently cleaning a large mix tank with a long handle device when he fell into the tank. At this time, it has not been confirmed if the mix tank was running or if the tank started running after the sanitation worker fell. MIFACE Inspection Summary	East Jordan
6.	04/27/16	Truck Driver	57	Inhalation	a 57-year-old truck driver was using a garden hose to wash out the tanker trailer and was possibly overcome by fumes and fell from the catwalk of the truck. The truck had been carrying sodium sulfate waste. The truck driver was transported to the hospital where he would later succumb from his injuries the next day. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Detroit
7.	04/27/16	Laborer	58	Fall (from elevation)	A 58-year-old laborer was performing construction activities on a residential home when he fell from an extension ladder, approximately 13 feet to the ground. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Kawkawlin
8.	05/06/16	Roofer	55	Fall (from elevation)	A 55-year-old roofer was performing roofing activities when he fell approximately 45 feet from the deteriorated roof to the interior of the industrial plant. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Detroit
9.	04/23/16	Roofer / Owner	37	Fall (from elevation)	A 37-year-old roofer was performing roofing activities from the platform of a rough terrain fork truck. The rough terrain fork truck shifted and the employee fell approximately 30-feet to the ground. He died from the injuries received. (Reported to MIOSHA on May 17, 2016). MIFACE Inspection Summary	Romeo
10.	06/26/16	Machine Operator	31	Caught in or between	A 31-year-old machine operator was crushed between the molds of an injection mold machine when he went into the machine to pick up parts that had fallen from the picker conveyor. An employee, unaware that the machine operator was in the machine, closed the gate and the mold closed crushing the machine operator. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Auburn Hills
11.	07/22/16	Laborer	35	Fall (same level)	A 35-year-old laborer was performing arc welding on a private home-owner's metal dock. It appears that the laborer accidentally dropped the welding terminal lead onto his chest. EMS arrived, performed CPR, and transported him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Gibraltar
12.	07/25/16	Carpenter	58	Fall (from elevation)	A 58-year-old carpenter was bracing a parapet wall when he fell approximately 44-feet to the ground. The employee was taken to the hospital by EMS. The employee died due to injuries received. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Wixom
13.	07/25/16	Resident Delivery Person	57	Struck by	A 57-year-old Resident Delivery Person was struck by a train as he walked the pipeline right of way along or on the railroad tracks. The employee was conducting a visual inspection and working by himself. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Romulus
14.	07/26/16	Laborer	23	Inhalation	A 23-year-old laborer drowned after entering a molasses tank from which he and a coworker were pumping the contents. MIFACE Inspection Summary MIFACE Investigation Report	Saugatuck
15.	07/27/16	QC Tech	32	Caught in or between	A 32-year-old QC Tech climbed up onto a platen on a rotary machine for an unknown reason when the machine cycled and the employee's head and neck area was crushed in the machine. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Edwardsburg
16.	08/10/16	Roofer	48	Fall (from elevation)	A 48-year-old roofer was working at the edge of a roof and fell approximately 17-feet. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Holland
17.	08/16/16	Owner / Electrician	75	Fall (from elevation)	Two electricians fell from a 12-foot high ladder jack scaffold erected on top of a 10-foot welded frame scaffold. The electricians were installing a light fixture that was approximately 25 feet above the concrete slab below. The 75-year-old owner/electrician died from injuries sustained. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Watervliet
18.	07/26/16	Preparation Manager	52	Caught In or Between	An employee was moving pickup trucks at a dealership, which were parked in several rows end-to-end and side-by-side. After making space to access and move one of the pickups, the employee got in the pickup to be moved, backed it up, and turned and drove it forward into an open space. The employee then opened the door of the pickup that he was inside and driving, when for reasons unknown, the vehicle suddenly and rapidly backed up. The open driver's door hit the adjacent truck and swung all the way back against the front fender of the pickup, resulting in the employee falling out of the pickup truck cab and being crushed between the two pickup trucks. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Dearborn
19.	08/21/16	Lifeguard	21	Struck by	A 21-year-old lifeguard was struck by lightning. The lifeguard had observed an incoming storm and as trained, cleared all people from the beach, secured boats, and locked out buildings. For unknown reasons, she went back out and sat on a metal bench 30-50 feet from the shore. She was found unresponsive and CPR was started immediately. Emergency medical services were called and were on scene within a few minutes, taking over CPR. She was flown to a hospital where she succumbed to injures sustained on August 21, 2016. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Presque Isle
20.	08/25/16	Ironworker	50	Fall (from elevation)	A 50-year-old ironworker was moving an extension ladder when he fell approximately 22-feet. The ironworker was transported to the hospital, where he later died. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Holland
21.	08/11/16	Farmer	55	Inhalation	A 55-year-old farmer was found in a manure pit. He had entered the pit to repair a pump. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be drowning. The farmer could have been incapacitated either due to lack of oxygen or heat stress, or a combination of the two. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Millington
22.	09/06/16	Laborer	36	Other	A gutter installation service was working at a residential home to replace gutters. A 36-year-old laborer was found unresponsive inside the box truck. Preliminary reports indicate a possible electrocution. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Clinton Township
23.	09/14/16	Carpenter	56	Fall (from elevation)	Two employees fell from a wood scaffold while framing the roof of a two story home. The scaffold collapsed resulting in an approximate 20' fall. A 56-year-old carpenter died and another employee broke his hip as a result of the incident. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Berkley
24.	09/15/16	Concrete Finisher	37	Shock	A 37-year-old concrete finisher was performing concrete finishing work when the handle of the metal bull float he was using contacted an energized power line. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Caledonia
25.	09/19/16	Journeyman Tree Trimmer	46	Fall (from elevation)	A 46-year-old journeyman tree trimmer was performing line clearance in a residential subdivision when he fell approximately 35 feet. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Warren
26.	09/21/16	Tree Trimmer	75	Fall (from elevation)	A 75-year-old tree trimmer was aloft with his buck strap tied off to a branch. The branch broke resulting in a fall of approximately 20 feet causing fatal injuries. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Kalamazoo
27.	06/27/16	Roofer	57	Cardio-vascular; respiratory system failure	A 57-year-old roofer was found unconscious on the roof of an apartment building. Fire fighters lowered him to the ground and he was taken to the local hospital where he died. MIOSHA did not learn of this fatality until September 27, 2016. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Ann Arbor
28.	09/25/16	Track Clean Up Crew	49	Struck by	A 49-year-old race track employee was struck by a vehicle coming out of the second turn while on the race track during a yellow caution. He was checking for oil on the track so the race could continue. The employee had on a reflective uniform and a helmet. MIFACE Inspection Summary and Investigation Report	Ovid
29.	09/29/16	Owner	54	Struck by	A 54-year-old owner was crushed by a stack of apple boxes that he was moving with his tractor in his orchard. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Shelby
30.	10/03/16	Owner	49	Fall (from elevation)	A 49-year-old owner was approximately 55 feet up in the air attempting to trim a large oak tree from a private residence. The owner tied a rope around the limb that was approximately 6-8 inches in diameter and tied the other end to the bucket truck. While cutting the limb, the limb split and struck the bucket causing the owner to fall from the bucket to the ground. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Schoolcraft Township
31.	10/18/16	Fork Lift Operator	35	Caught in or between	A 35-year-old fork lift operator was moving a trash bin on a powered industrial truck from the loading dock to a compactor. The fork lift operator was crushed between the bin and the compactor, but was able to remove himself and was found next to the fork lift. Emergency Medical Services was called and the fork lift operator was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a day later. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Imlay City
32.	10/22/16	Fork Lift Driver	62	Fall (from elevation)	A 62-year-old fork lift driver was attempting to change a light bulb. To access the lighting fixture, a colleague grabbed an empty apple crate with a powered industrial truck and lifted the crate with the fork lift driver inside to a height of approximately 15-20 feet. While attempting to change the light bulb, the fork lift driver fell from the apple crate. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Belding
33.	10/26/16	Pipefitter Foreman	38	Caught in or between	A 38-year-old pipefitter foreman was backing a 45-foot boom-lift through a bay door. He struck his back on a welded angle iron that was protruding and was pinned against it, crushing his chest. He was transported to the hospital and died on October 26, 2016. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Dearborn
34 and 35.	10/28/16	Owner and General Labor	38 20	Other	Two employees were conducting lake maintenance and removing buoys from the lake for the season. While working from a 2006 aluminum 10-foot tracker boat, the boat began to take on water and sink. The employees in the boat called three other colleagues working in the area and advised them the boat was sinking. The two employees in the boat were in the water by the time their coworkers arrived on scene. Two of the three employees entered the water from shore in a rescue attempt. The two employees swimming from shore submerged below the surface of the water prior to reaching the employees in the boat. One of the employees in the capsized boat managed to swim to shore on his own, while the other employee in the boat was rescued by a resident of the subdivision that had driven his boat to the scene to provide rescue. After an underwater search by members of the local county dive team, the employees were located in approximately 10 feet of water. The employees were submerged for approximately 60 minutes. Resuscitation efforts were started on the employees and they were transported to the hospital where they were pronounced deceased upon arrival. None of the employees involved in the incident used or had access to personal flotation devices. MIFACE Inspection Summary	South Lyon
36.	11/01/16	Owner / Operator	55	Caught in or between	A 55-year-old owner/operator was on a mobile crane taking a gravel shaker off a lowboy trailer. As he moved the gravel shaker, the crane tipped over causing the mobile crane cap to strike another lowboy trailer, crushing the cab and the owner/operator. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Holland
37.	11/09/16	Painter	26	Caught in or between	Two employees were working inside of the bowl of a water tower. The scaffolding collapsed and the employees fell 30-40 feet. One employee remains hospitalized. The 26-year-old painter passed away on November 9, 2016. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Pontiac
38.	11/10/16	Tree Trimmer	40	Fall (from elevation)	A 40-year-old tree trimmer was performing tree trimming at a private residence. There were no witnesses, but it appears that he fell approximately 40 feet to the ground. He was declared deceased at the scene. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Bloomfield Hills
39.	10/27/16	General Labor	34	Fall (same level)	A 34-year-old general labor employee was walking around a corner when he slipped and fell, injuring his ankle. On October 24, he saw an orthopedic doctor who put him into a foot brace and scheduled an MRI for October 29. However, on October 27, the employer was informed the employee had passed away. The autopsy determined the employee passed away as a result of complications from the ankle injury. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Buchanan
40.	11/30/16	Maintenance Tech	65	Fall (from elevation)	A 65-year-old maintenance tech was in an articulating boom lift approximately 20 feet in the air, welding a gusset support on the south rail of a pick and place conveyor line. Unable to reach the opposite side on the support, he climbed out of the lift bucket and stood on some steel tubing that ran through the ceiling. After completing the weld, witnesses saw him falling onto a hood and the floor below. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Belding
41.	08/31/16	Carpenter	26	Fall (from elevation)	A 26-year-old carpenter was engaged in residential carpentry installing a roof truss, when he fell approximately 22 feet to the basement level. The carpenter was transported to the hospital where he passed away on 08/31/16. The employer-employee relationship was determined on 12/21/16.	West Bloomfield
42.	08/16/16	Owner/Roofer	39	Fall (from elevation)	A 39-year-old owner/roofer and another employee were working on a residential garage. The owner/roofer fell off the roof to the concrete below, approximately 10-12 feet. He died due to the injuries received. MIOSHA was notified on 11/17/16. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Ann Arbor
43	10/28/16	Farm Hand	70	Fall (from elevation)	A 70-year-old farm hand was aloft in a man basket raised by a fork lift to replace a screen on a barn vent. The basket was not secured to the fork lift. The basket and the farm hand fell approximately 20 feet onto concrete. He sustained numerous fractures and internal injuries. He was improving and transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. According to the Medical Examiner’s Postmortem report, on October 28, 2016, he succumbed to complications of multiple injures due to a fall from height. MIOSHA became aware of this incident through a routine review of Workers Compensation data. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Battle Creek

There were 29 MIOSHA-related deaths in 2015. 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 and 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.

Every life is precious. Our mutual goal must be that every employee goes home at the end of every shift unharmed.

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2016 MIOSHA Fatality Information

FATALITY NUMBER

DATE

OCCUPATION

AGE

TYPE OF INJURY

DESCRIPTION

INCIDENT LOCATION (CITY)