2017 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 Incident	Description	Incident Location (City)
1.	01/11/17	Crane Inspector	55	Fall (from elevation)	A 55-year-old crane inspector was at the facility to inspect a crane. While attempting to access the crane, the floor gave way resulting in him falling 30-50 feet to the concrete floor. EMS was called and he was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Dearborn
2.	02/01/17	Truck Driver	61	Struck by	A 61-year-old truck driver was watching two mechanics work on the inside rear tire of a truck. One mechanic left to retrieve a tool while the other mechanic was removing the air chuck. The truck driver approached the tire when the side wall of the tire exploded, releasing the compressed air and throwing the truck driver backwards where his head struck the floor. The employee died in route to the hospital. MIFACE Investigation Report	Burton
3.	03/07/17	Maintenance	58	Struck by	Employees were working on a furnace that is used to heat treat automotive parts. The employees removed the vacuum line used to purge the furnace and connected plant air at approximately 100 p.s.i. to the door to check for leaks. A section of the door broke away at the welds and struck the 58-year-old maintenance worker causing fatal injuries. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Saginaw
4.	03/23/17	Public Service Worker	47	Struck by	Road crew employees were patching holes when they were struck by another work truck on site. A 47-year-old public service worker was killed, another was hospitalized. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Taylor
5.	04/07/17	Welder	46	Struck by	A 46-year-old welder was welding on a 3,000 lb. part mounted on a fixture when the part fell onto the welder crushing him between the part and floor. It is undetermined at this time how the part came off the fixture. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Lapeer
6.	04/08/17	Laborer	54	Other	A 54-year-old laborer was removing wood siding while standing within a garage that was being demolished. When the laborer removed the last section of siding, the structure became unstable and toppled onto him. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Detroit
7.	04/11/17	Carpenter	39	Fall (from elevation)	A 39-year-old carpenter fell from the roof of a new home to a concrete surface at ground level. The carpenter later died at the local hospital. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Clinton Township
8.	05/04/17	Laborer	25	Fall (from elevation)	A 25-year-old laborer fell approximately 12 ½ feet from a 3/12 pitch commercial roof onto a concrete area below. The laborer received a severe head injury. He was hospitalized for approximately 12 days before passing away. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Kalamazoo
9.	05/22/17	Iron Worker	47	Fall (from elevation)	A 47-year-old iron worker was welding shims on a vessel and fell 25 feet striking scaffolding below lacerating their neck and chest. The iron worker was tied off with a retractable. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Ecorse
10.	05/31/17	Laborer	20	Fall (from elevation)	A 20-year-old laborer was working on a flat roof and fell through a window. He was airlifted to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Ludington
11.	06/27/17	Oven Operator	64	Struck against	A 64-year-old oven operator was moving a couple of tractor/trailers at the Shipping/Receiving dock. He unhooked one trailer from the tractor, then reconnected the tractor to a second trailer. He was in the process of pulling that tractor/trailer out from the dock. The door to the cab of the tractor was open. It appears he fell out of the cab and was run over by the same vehicle. The vehicle kept moving after it ran over him. It was found approximately 150 feet east of the scene of the accident, stopped across the road. No one witnessed the accident, but a co-worker found the oven operator on the ground after hearing the landing gear from the trailer dragging across the pavement. The vehicle was running and in gear, but the landing gear on the trailer finally stopped the tractor from going all the way across the road. EMS was called. They were unable to revive the oven operator at the scene. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Niles
12.	07/10/17	Journeyman/ Technician	45	Shock	On July 5, 2017, a 45-year-old journeyman/technician was replacing a 4800 volt transformer when he made contact with a live/energized component. He was found unresponsive by a co-worker. A defibrillator was used and CPR performed until emergency medical personnel arrived. The journeyman/ technician was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 2:30 p.m. on July 10, 2017. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Livonia
13.	07/19/17	Journeyman Lineman	44	Shock	A 44-year-old journeyman lineman was working in the air in a bucket. Two other workers on the ground heard a noise and saw the lineman down in the bucket. The lineman was lowered down by the workers on the ground, who performed bucket rescue and CPR. Emergency Services were called and the lineman was pronounced dead in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Romulus
14.	07/20/17	Environmental Chemical Application	28	Other	A crew of four were in an 18 foot boat after completion of spraying for weeds. The foreman had difficulty getting the boat to start. The cord came off of the motor and fell into the water. The foreman jumped into the water to retrieve the cord, had difficulty in the water due to drifting. The 28-year-old environmental chemical application employee jumped into the water to assist the foreman, gave the foreman a life jacket, began to have difficulty himself, submerged and was not recovered until July 21, 2017. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Carp Lake
15.	07/29/17	Grain Elevator Worker	56	Inhalation	A 56-year-old grain elevator worker went into an area of the elevator to clean out some grain dust. The job normally takes 1-2 hours. The grain elevator closed at noon. One employee realized he had not seen the victim leave. That employee searched for the victim and found him in the area where he had been cleaning. The employee could only see the victims legs hanging down. That employee immediately contacted 911. The county sheriff's department and EMS responded. The victim was deceased at that time from an apparent engulfment/asphyxiation. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Caledonia
16.	07/28/17	Roofer	66	Fall (from elevation)	A 66-year-old roofer was engaged in roof installation and fell from an unguarded roof approximately 25' to the ground below. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Plymouth
17.	08/01/17	Laborer	45	Struck by	A 45-year-old laborer was using ether to get a tire on a front-end loader, off of the metal retaining rim. The tire exploded off the rim. The metal retaining rim also blew off and struck the laborer in the neck, resulting in severe trauma to his neck. EMS was called immediately. EMS declared him deceased at the scene. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Kalamazoo
18.	08/01/17	Laborer	38	Fall (from elevation)	Two employees were on the second level of a facility demolishing a section of a floor when it collapsed. The employees fell approximately 15 feet to the next level, resulting in the fatality of a 38-year-old laborer. The second employee was injured and transported to the local hospital. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Holland
19.	08/05/17	Farm Hand	19	Shock	A 19-year-old farm hand was 20 foot on top of a grain bin attempting to knock grain down from the sides of the bin by using a long metal pole. The farm hand made contact with electrical lines that ran along the road next to the bin electrocuting him. MIOSHA received notice of the incident on August 9, 2017. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Clare
20.	07/26/17	Sole Proprietor/ Roofer	56	Fall (from elevation)	A 56-year-old sole proprietor/roofer, who had hired an employee to help with a construction project, fell off of a roof. The hired employee then agreed to give the sole proprietor a ride home from the site. The sole proprietor and employee stopped at a store when the sole proprietor fell and struck his head in the parking lot. The employee took the sole proprietor to the hospital where he later died. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Fenton
21.	09/22/17	Equipment Operator	38	Struck by	While loading a semi-trailer using a large T shape piece of steel (called the “packer”), a 38-year-old equipment operator who was assisting in the placement of the cardboard inside the semi-trailer rode on the “packer” down from the trailer. Approximately three feet from the ground, the “packer” shifted in the grapple causing the equipment operator to fall. The “packer” shifted again and dislodged from the grapple. The "packer" landed in an unstable position and rolled over onto the equipment operator. The equipment operator was removed from under the steel “packer” and was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Flint
22.	10/08/17	Pipefitter	35	Other	On September 15th, a 35-year-old pipefitter was burnt while purging a gas line for an air handling unit. His body was burned in the incident and he was taken to a local hospital. He passed away from his injuries on October 8th. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Pontiac
23.	10/13/17	Superintendent	43	Fall (from elevation)	A 43-year-old superintendent accessed a lift to transport materials to the roof; transitioning from the lift to the roof, the superintendent slipped, falling 11 feet. He passed away from his injuries on October 13th. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Goodrich
24.	10/23/17	Tow Truck Driver	60	Caught in or between	A 60-year-old tow truck driver was in the process of attaching a wrecker hook to the underside front end of a disabled bus for towing. The front end of the vehicle was raised and solely supported by blocks positioned under the axle at both wheels. The tow truck driver was partially under the front of the bus connecting it to the wrecker when the bus fell on top of him. He died shortly after arrival at the hospital. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Mount Morris
25.	10/09/17	Laborer	30	Caught in or between	A 30-year-old laborer was doing sewer repair work in an excavation approximately 70 feet long when the excavation caved in. One employee was hospitalized, and the laborer died on site. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Wyoming
26.	11/17/17	Owner	52	Fall (from elevation)	A 52-year-old owner was in the process of trimming tree branches while in a vehicle-mounted elevating work platform. During the process, the branch which was cut, made contact with the arm of the bucket which caused a recoil of approximately 10 feet before propelling the owner out of the bucket. He died shortly after arrival to the hospital. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Detroit
27.	11/21/17	Laborer	33	Cardio-vascular; respiratory system failure	While attempting to complete a water main tie-in, water rapidly filled the excavation trapping the 33-year-old laborer under water. The laborer was retrieved from the water and was taken to the hospital and later passed away. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Burton
28.	09/30/17	Driver	63	Struck by	On September 29th, a driving team of a residential rear load trash truck were collecting refuse in a condominium complex. The 63-year-old driver was emptying the left side toter using controls on the driver side of the trash truck. A vehicle behind the trash truck crossed a double yellow line to pass the truck and struck the driver, pinning him between the vehicle and the rear wheel of the trash truck. The vehicle backed up and the driver fell to the ground. EMS responded and transported the driver to the hospital. The driver suffered fractures to both legs, and underwent surgery later in the evening. The driver survived surgery, but due to complications passed away the next morning. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Detroit
29.	11/21/17	Roofer	25	Fall (from elevation)	On September 15th, a 25-year-old roofer was installing roofing materials on a steep pitched residential roof and fell approximately 15 feet to the lower level. The roofer was not wearing fall protection. The roofer later succumbed to his injuries on November 21, 2017. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Ludington
30.	10/21/17	Farmer	69	Caught in or between	A 69-year-old farmer was putting cherry shakers/harvesters in a pole barn. While placing the third harvester in the barn, he was pinned between the harvester and wall of the building. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Dowagiac
31.	11/29/17	Farm Labor/Picker	59	Caught in or between	A 59-year-old farm laborer was working alone chopping the remaining corn stubble in a field with a brush hog which is powered through power takeoffs from a farm tractor. He was off the tractor and reached across one of the three power takeoffs used on the brush hog when his clothing became entangled. Other employees found him later that evening. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Watervliet
32.	11/05/17	Roofer	51	Fall (from elevation)	On October 28th, a 51-year-old roofer was engaged in roofing work on a dormer when he fell from the steep pitched roof with an eave height of 12 feet. He passed away eight days later due to the injuries he received. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Scio Township
33.	06/08/17	Farm Hand	80	Caught in or between	On June 8th, an 80-year-old farm hand was on a tractor operating a brush hog to cut around a field. There was a fallen tree in the field, and the victim attempted to push the tree out of the way with the tractor when the tree rolled and a branch landed on the victim, pinning him to the tractor seat. MIOSHA was notified of this fatality on December 18, 2017. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Battle Creek
34.	08/05/17	Farm Hand	45	Other	On August 5th, a 45-year-old farm hand was driving a tractor pulling a trailer loaded with boxes and ladders to meet two other employees. The two employees waited about 15 minutes and then went looking for the third employee. One employee saw the tractor in the tall grass with the trailer still on the road and attempted to move the tractor back onto the road. The rear tire lifted and that is when the body of the victim was discovered. EMS arrived and he was pronounced dead at the accident site. MIOSHA was notified of this fatality on December 18, 2017. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Hartford
35.	12/20/17	Part time maintenance worker	75	Fall (from elevation)	A 75-year-old part time maintenance worker apparently fell to the floor after attempting to change a light bulb. He was taken to the hospital where he later passed away due to the injuries he received from the fall. MIFACE Inspection Summary	New Holland
36.	12/26/17	Co-owner	55	Fall (from elevation)	A 55-year-old co-owner went out to trim trees alone on the golf course at approximately 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. He was using a ladder to access limbs that he was cutting off a tree. It appears that one of the limbs that he cut off, hit either the ladder or the co-owner and he fell off the ladder to the ground. Around 6:00 p.m., the co-owner was found lying on the ground unresponsive. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Three Rivers
37.	12/24/17	Bus Attendant	70	Fall (same level)	On December 15th, a 70-year-old bus attendant was walking on the sidewalk in front of the student loading zone when he slipped on the concrete, fell, and fractured his right hip. He was taken to the hospital and passed away on December 24th due to the injuries he sustained from the fall. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Milford
38.	12/30/17	Coil Handler	56	Struck by	On December 22nd, a 56-year-old coil handler was separating two coils of steel while the steel was standing up and when the banding was cut, one of the coils fell onto the coil handler's legs. The coil handler passed away after having surgery on his legs on December 30th. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Holland
39.	08/19/17	Mechanic	72	Fall (from elevation)	employee fatality was originally reported by company management on August 21, 2017, as a non-work related fatality that was likely the result of an injury due to a fall caused by a stroke or other health-related problem. Management stated that there were no witnesses who saw the incident happen. Additional information was recently provided to MIOSHA indicating that the death might be work-related. A death certificate was requested from the county. The death certificate stated that the employee died from complications of subdural hemorrhage from an unwitnessed, suspected fall while at work. MIFACE Inspection Summary	Brighton

There were 43 MIOSHA-related deaths in 2016. 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 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!

Popular on michigan.gov

How Do I...

2017 MIOSHA Fatality Information

Fatality Number

Date

Occupation

Age

Type of Incident

Description

Incident Location (City)