USA Worker killed, another trapped in Maryland parking garage partial collapse A partial collapse of a 3-storey parking garage occurred yesterday at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland, killing a construction worker and leaving another trapped under the rubble between the 2nd and 3rd level floors. The garage was not open to the public at the time of the accident. 24th May 2013   USA Californian's arm trapped in conveyor at Salvation Army warehouse Surgeons were fighting to save the arm of a worker after it became trapped in a conveyor belt system at the Salvation Army warehouse on Waverley Drive, Pasadena, fire crews had to use rescue equipment to free the man prior to hospitalisation. 24th May 2013 Philippines Hot metal work explosion at asphalt plant A worker of 4B Construction Corporation has been killed and a colleague hospitalised in San Fernando following an explosion during hot metal work on a bunker tank at an asphalt plant in Apalit on Luzon Island. Both workers were using welding equipment during the installation of piping at the top of the tank when the explosion occurred.  23rd May 2013 Australia Fall accident at Victoria power station A worker was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital in Victoria yesterday after falling 2.5 metres at the Hazelwood Power Station in the Latrobe Valley. 23rd May 2013 USA Fall from height fatality at Pennsylvanian farm site A 28-year old construction worker died yesterday in an 8-metre fall from roof trusses at Seiple Farms in East Allen Township, Pennsylvania, where JDS Construction is building a new barn. 22nd May 2013 Israel 4 dead in armed incident at bank Four people were killed in a firearms incident at the Bank Itapoalim on Jabotinsky Street in Beersheba on Monday. It has been speculated that the assailant might have been a disgruntled customer bearing a financial grievance with the bank over a refused loan. 21st May 2013 USA FBI agents killed in training accident A fatal accident investigation is ongoing in Virginia after 2 FBI agents aged 40 and 41 died in a training accident off the coast of Virginia Beach. Both men were members of the agency's elite Hostage Rescue Team, part of the Critical Incident Response Group based at Quantico, which has participated in almost 1,000 hostage rescue situations since its inception 30 years ago. 21st May 2013 Australia Boy,5, injured in fall from ride at school fete A 5-year old boy was hospitalised in critical condition yesterday after falling 10 metres from a pendulum ride known as the Frisbee at Highfields school fete in Toowoomba, South Queensland. 20th May 2013 Turkey Gas explosion kills coal miner An explosion in a private coal mine in Sirnak killed a 47-year old miner, 15 others managed to escape to safety. Search and rescue teams recovered the victim's body in an 11-hour operation. 20th May 2013 Japan 6 Russian seamen killed in fire on cargo ship Six crew men have died after fire broke out on the Cambodian-flagged cargo ship Taigan in the port of Wakkanai, Hokkaido, where it had sailed from Korsakov in Russia with its cargo of crabs. The ship and its 23-man crew had berthed on Tuesday, fire crews on Hokkaido had an 11-hour task controlling the fire which claimed the lives of 6 Russians. 17th May 2013 USA Falling tree kills worker on Arizona demolition site A falling tree killed a worker yesterday during demolition work at the site of the former Days Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona. 17th May 2013 India Resident electrocuted after crane downs power line at rail site A 58-year old resident in Alandur, Chennai, has died in an electrocution accident after encountering a live power line which had allegedly been brought down when a crane struck a utility pole at a metro rail work site. 16th May 2013 Puerto Rico San Juan painter dies in 2-storey fall A 46-year old painter was killed yesterday when he lost his balance and fell from the roof of a 2-storey building in the Hato Rey area of San Juan where Bethal Painting was working at the Nemesio R Canales housing complex. 16th May 2013 Canada Fatal accident at Ontario workplace A worker was killed in an accident on Tuesday at Massilly North America on Elgin Street, Brentford, details of the accident were not immediately available. 15th May 2013 India Oxygen cylinder explosion during refilling An oxygen cylinder exploded during refilling work at Murari Gases in the Industrial Area of Kanpur yesterday, killing a 30-year old worker, 2 other workers in the vicinity were uninjured. The force of the blast blew off a section of roof and there was concern over the stability of 12 other cylinders and speculation of a safety valve fault. 14th May 2013 USA Accident at Norfolk Library site Two construction workers were injured yesterday when a steel plate for a door opening fell on them as they worked in the basement area at the refurbishment site of the Norfolk Public Library on East Plume Street, Norfolk. 14th May 2013 China 40 miners killed in 2 gas accidents Forty miners have died in separate gas incidents at 2 collieries over the weekend. Twenty eight miners died at the Taozigou mine in Luzhou, Sichuan, where it was speculated that poor ventilation and a high concentration of gas occurred during unauthorised mining, all mining in the province has been suspended pending a programme of safety audits. At the Dashan coal mine in Pingba County, Guizhou, 12 miners died and 2 were injured in a gas explosion there. 13th May 2013 USA Minnesota farmer killed in tractor rollover A 70-year old Minnesota agricultural worker died in a tractor rollover accident on Saturday when his vehicle overturned and pinned him in a ditch 5 miles west of Mapleton. 13th May 2013 USA Contract surveyor dies in fall through skylight at Michigan foundry A 43-year old surveyor has died in a 10-metre fall through a fragile roof light surface at the Rothbury Steel foundry in Rothbury, Michigan, after apparently slipping and falling backwards while taking measurements on the roof. 10th May 2013 Canada Nova Scotian worker killed in 4-storey  fall from roof A fatal accident investigation was launched yesterday afternoon in the Clayton Park area of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where a 48-year worker in a crew on the roof of premises on Lacewood Drive died in a fall from the 4-storey building. 10th May 2013 Norway People trapped in crushed car as bridge collapses during concrete pour A structural collapse occurred during a concrete pour yesterday at the site of a bridge spanning a highway in the Leangen area of Trondheim, 2 people were trapped and feared dead in a car which was passing under the bridge at the time of the collapse and several injured construction workers were taken to the city's St Olav's Hospital. 9th May 2013 Italy Seven workers dead after ship hits control tower in Genoa port Seven people died when the 240-metre long ship, the Jolly Nero, struck a 50-metre control tower in the port of Genoa, some of the victims were in a lift during a shift change. The ship was being moved out by 2 tugs and had a port pilot on board, there have been allegations of engine failure causing control of the ship to be lost. 9th May 2013 Mexico Tanker crash prompts NOM load debate The crash of a Termogas tanker in Ecatepec on the Mexico City - Pachuca motorway has killed at least 20 people and left dozens more injured. The Kenworth 2012 vehicle was compliant with the necessary transport certification as was the driver, the holder of an E type licence authorising the driving of dangerous goods, his licence having been renewed last year. The accident has re-opened the debate over maximum loads on highways, the Norma Oficial Mexicana(NOM) was recently modified to reduce maximum loads from 80 to 75 tonnes in weight. 8th May 2013 Australia Hydraulic lift rescue of plasterer with wricked back Fire crews in Canberra had to deploy a Skylift hydraulic platform to rescue a worker of Complete Fixset Plastering who wricked his back during a bending and lifting movement yesterday on a housing development on the city's Wallangara Street and could not be rescued from scaffolding at 2nd floor level. 8th May 2013 Saudi Arabia Refinery maintenance  worker dies in gas accident A maintenance worker died following a gas leak on Monday at the refinery of Saudi Aramco in Jeddah which closed in mid-April for a programme of planned maintenance until 20th May. 7th May 2013 USA Falling cover injures Washington grain company worker A worker was hospitalised with a possible broken back and arm in an accident on Monday at the Columbia Grain Company in the Port of Wilma, Washington, where a storage container cover fell 6 metres. 7th May 2013 Serbia Rail collision in Belgrade tunnel Two trains collided on Thursday in the Tosin Bunar tunnel, Belgrade, injuring 22 passengers, a 5-year old boy sustained serious head injuries. It is believed that a Belgrade-Sid train had broken down in the tunnel and a following Belgrade-Novi Sad train ran into the back of the stationary train. 3rd May 2013 Afghanistan Croatian female soldier has surgery for hand injury A female member of the 21st Croatian contingent of ISAF( International Security Assistance Force) has undergone surgery following an accident in which her hand was injured in the gear wheel of a Hummer vehicle at the Marmal camp in Mazar-i-Sharif. 3rd May 2013 Japan Bullfighter gored to death in training accident A Kagoshima bullfighter has died after being gored in the abdomen by a 1-tonne bull during a training exercise in a ring on Tokunoshima island, one of the Amami islands with a tradition of bullfighting. 2nd May 2013 Canada Worker buried under extracted earth at gold mine The Ministry of Labour in Ontario is investigating a crush fatality at the Eagle River gold mine of Wesdome in the Thunder Bay area where a worker was buried under a pile of earth from a mining extraction. 2nd May 2013 USA Cleaner died in fall into meat blender A 41-year old contractor was killed in a fall into a meat blender while cleaning equipment at Interstate Meat Distributors in Clackamas, Oregon. He apparently fell in while it was activated but could not be saved despite the prompt action of a colleague in pressing the emergency stop button. 1st May 2013 Canada Fatal accident at Quebec aluminium smelter Anode production was suspended at the Rio Tinto Alcan aluminium smelter in Saguenay-lac-Saint-Jean, 300 miles northeast of Montreal, following the death of a female worker in an accident during the night shift early on Tuesday morning. 1st May 2013

USA Ohio surveyor dies in fall through storm damaged roof A man has died after falling 8 metres through the roof of a building in Lancaster, Ohio, during storm damage survey assessment work. 24th May 2013 Canada Heavy plate crushes Ontario crane operator A 38-year old worker operating a crane at High Strength Plates and Profiles Inc in Liveley, Ontario, was killed in a crush accident yesterday when a 3-tonne metal plate being carried by the crane became insecure and fell. 23rd May 2013 Canada Electrocution during electrical work in Halifax The Ministry of Labour in Nova Scotia is investigating a fatal accident which occurred on Tuesday at premises on the Bayers Lake Industrial Estate in Halifax where a 39-year old electrician was electrocuted while working on a panel in an electrical chamber at the location on Chain Lake Drive. 22nd May 2013 Turkey Tourists killed in Cappadocia balloon accident Two Brazilian tourists died and 24 others were injured when a hot air balloon in which they were travelling came down near Ortahisar during a sightseeing flight on Monday morning from Goreme over the cliffs of Cappadocia. It is believed that 2 balloons collided and the one at lower altitude became unstable and fell from a height of 300 metres. 21st May 2013 China Shandong workers killed in blast at explosives workshop At least 12 workers died and more are missing and feared dead following a blast on Monday at an explosives workshop of a factory owned by the Poly Explosives(Jinan) Company in Caofan, Shandong. 21st May 2013 Russia Prisoners tunnel out of high security jail Four prisoners working in the joinery shop escaped from a high security prison in Markovo, Irkustsk, through a 20-metre tunnel under the prison's main fence. A major Volcano-5 security operation involving 3K police was set up in the Ust-Kutsky area, 3 of the escapees were serving life sentences for murder. The prison chief has been suspended over allegations of professional negligence. 20th May 2013 France Worker dies from injuries in crane collapse A 23-year old worker died yesterday from injuries sustained in the partial collapse of a crane undergoing maintenance at a site in Roybon in the Rhone-Alpes region. 20th May 2013 Cambodia 2 dead in shoe factory ceiling collapse Two workers died and 7 were injured yesterday when a ceiling collapsed at a shoe factory south of Phnom Penh. The factory was opened a year ago and the area of the collapse was used mainly as a storage warehouse with only a small production area with a couple of dozen workers. It was speculated that heavy metal gear stored on the floor above may have caused the ceiling collapse. 17th May 2013 South Africa Gold mine fatality A miner was killed in a rail accident at level 113 on Thursday at the Kusasalethu mine of Harmony Gold in Carletonville. 17th May 2013 Germany Worker killed in fall through farm asbestos-cement roof A 50-year old worker died in a 10-metre fall through the roof of a silo after moving on to a weak asbestos-cement sheet section on the roof during refurbishment work on a farm in Untermedlingen, Bavaria. 16th May 2013 Japan Girl seriously injured by falling goal frame A 7-year old schoolgirl has a fractured skull and was still unconscious yesterday following an accident in which a 160-Kg handball goal frame fell in the grounds of Ushigome Daini Junior High School in Shinjuku where she was a spectator at a sports match. Investigation has yet to establish the cause of the accident but it is believed that she was not participating in the match and may have been playing on the goal frame or in the goal area when it fell. 15th May 2013 Slovenia Missing rafting tourist's body found Nova Gorica police announced yesterday that the body of an Israeli tourist missing in a rafting accident has been found. Four tourists, believed to be on a work-sponsored trip, and a local guide had their raft overturn as it struck a submerged object less than 200 metres into their trip down the Soca river. It is believed that the missing man had been helping the others to safety when he was swept way in the fast-flowing current near Bovec, close to the confluence of the Soca and Koritnica rivers. 14th May 2013 Rwanda Furnace explosion at steel recyclers A furnace explosion at SteelRwa Industry in Rwamagana has left 10 workers injured, 4 of them caught in the issue of molten metal were badly injured. The plant recycles scrap metal to produce steel sections. 14th May 2013 UAE Roof collapses during concrete pour at mosque site A ceiling collapsed during a concrete pour on the roof at a mosque under construction in Madinat Zayed on Saturday, a construction worker died and 17 others were injured. 13th May 2013 England Builder fined over trench collapse at Kent school BBS Construction was fined £8K plus £10,536 in costs over an accident at Benenden girls' school in Kent where a worker sustained a hip injury after becoming trapped to the waist in an excavation collapse. The excavation was at the site of a new science block and to rectify an overpour of concrete a hydraulic breaker was being used to chip away excess concrete when the collapse occurred. An excavator driver reacted quickly to position his bucket to stem the earth ingress. HSE investigation found that the risk assessment for breaking the excess concrete manually was inadequate and there was concern that the proximity of a 2-metre deep waste water drain may have weakened the earth. The company admitted a breach of the Construction (Design & Management) Regs 2007. 10th May 2013 USA Contract welder's torch ignites oil tank at Utah facility A 28-year old employee of Boren Construction was killed when a 400-barrel oil storage tank exploded during hot metal work at the Newfield Exploration Company at Myton, 100 miles east of Salt Lake City, a Newfield employee was also injured in the accident, the cause of which is speculated as sparks from a welding torch. 9th May 2013 Canada BC site worker killed under falling retaining wall A retaining wall fell and killed a construction worker at a newbuild house site on Langara Avenue in Point Grey, Vancouver. 9th May 2013 Malta Searchers find 2 missing tourists off Gozo A sea search off Gozo for 5 missing French tourists recovered the bodies of 2 women yesterday, both were wearing life jackets and have yet to be formally identified. A ship from the US 6th fleet and the Italian coastguard joined an extensive search for the 5 tourists who had sailed on the Spanish yacht El Pirato and had subsequently taken to a small boat to go ashore for the evening near Dwejra. The captain of El Pirato raised the alarm when they failed to return, sea conditions were rough at the time. 8th May 2013 Italy Finger may be amputated after press accident A worker at the Bening Tuling aluminium products work in Vinovo, Turin, caught a finger in a press yesterday, medics were later striving to save the finger from amputation. 8th May 2013 Russia Falling sound equipment kills man on Moscow site A 25-year old worker died when sound equipment fell on him during the erection of a platform on Monday for an anti-government public demonstration in Bolotnaya Square, Moscow. 7th May 2013 Japan Novice archer injures passer-by A passer-by was struck by a wayward arrow as he walked past an archery practice area at Potirou no Mori farm in Edosaki Agricultural Park, Ibaraki. He was treated in hospital but the injury was not believed to have been serious. It was reported that novice archers were being trained at the time when the arrow flew over the fence. 7th May 2013 France Compressed air explosion inflicts fatal injury to Picardy worker A 46-year old worker has died from blunt force trauma injuries to his head and thorax following an accident at pipeline welders Serimax on Rue de Marchois in Villers-Cotterets. Machinery measuring 5 metres in length by 1 metre diameter and running on compressed air was undergoing maintenance when an explosion occurred, the victim was 1 of 5 workers in the area and was struck by a flying metal segment weighing 20Kg. 3rd May 2013 Austria Child,3, has finger severed in workshop milling machine Attempts were being made last night in Innsbruck to surgically re-attach the finger of a 3-year old boy whose middle finger was severed when he put his hand into a milling machine earlier in the day in his father's cabinet manufacturing workshop in St Jakob in Defreggen.  2nd May 2013 Peru Balloonist's body recovered from ocean The body of the pilot of the hot air balloon which crashed into the sea at the weekend was recovered from the Pacific Ocean yesterday at Cerro Azul, the body of another man is still missing. Five women passengers were rescued after clinging to the wreckage for several hours, they have spoken of the balloon losing gas and altitude and coming down twice to the water as it flew along the coast. Life jackets were either not available or not being worn and the balloon had no GSP tracking system. 1st May 2013

China HGV driver crushed between lorry door and wall An HGV driver has died in a crush accident after becoming wedged between the door of his vehicle and a wall in Tsing Yi, Hong Kong. He had started the engine but had not fully entered the cab as the 14-tonne vehicle moved forward, it has been speculated that the previous driver had parked the lorry in 2nd gear to prevent it moving forward. 24th May 2013 Germany Bin man killed in fall from wagon A 59-year old refuse collector was killed when he fell from the rear running board of a reversing bin wagon in Rottweil, Baden-Wurttemburg, and was run over by the vehicle. The accident occurred in Konrad Mager Street close to the refuse depot. 23rd May 2013 Austria Rubble misses chute and hits worker A 19-year old apprentice electrician sustained a serious head injury when a barrow load of rubble hit him at the site of a new hotel in Au in Bregenzerwald, Vorarlberg. The accident occurred at the site entrance where a waste chute is positioned to collect material from work at height. 23rd May 2013 France Removal men injured in lift fall A lift fell from 2nd floor level to the basement at a building on the main street in Cluses, Haute-Savoie, on Tuesday, during the clearing of an apartment of a recently deceased resident. Two removal men were admitted to hospital in Sallenches with injuries which included a severe hand injury affecting 3 fingers, a broken thigh and back injuries. 22nd May 2013 Cambodia Workers' rest room collapses at textile factory A concrete and metal structure where workers take meal breaks at the Top World textile factory in Phnom Penh collapsed on Monday, leaving a couple of dozen workers injured. 21st May 2013 Austria Female diver in bends accident A 40-year old female diver was listed in life-threatening condition in a decompression chamber in Traunstein, Germany, after getting into difficulties in a dive and ascending rapidly from a depth of 30 metres. When she reached the surface she was conscious but her breathing was laboured. 20th May 2013 France Calvados baker burned by exploding caramel A baker was admitted to the burns unit of a hospital in Caen yesterday after being struck by boiling caramel when a product being prepared in the kitchen at Fournil des Halles in Dives-sur-Mer, exploded in his face. 20th May 2013 Austria Elderly farmer dies in tractor rollover An 86-year old Steyr farmer was found dead under his tractor on Thursday on his land in Murzsteg after his vehicle overturned on a gradient. 17th May 2013 Malta Worker wins award over disabling fall A former employee of General Repairs Ltd was awarded 25K€(£21,089) in court after it judged that he had sustained a 9% permanent disability following an accident in which he fell 2 metres while undertaking maintenance work on machinery used in container loading at Freeport in Birzebugga. The company did not contest liability over a failure to provide a safe system of work but had contested the size of the claim for damages. 17th May 2013 New Zealand Fatal head injury on Napier site A Hawkes Bay construction worker sustained fatal head injuries when he was struck by a steel section while working on the ground floor of a newbuild site on Dickens Street in Napier. 16th May 2013 Sweden Bear attacks reindeer stock supervisor A livestock worker supervising reindeer calving is recovering in hospital from injuries sustained in an attack yesterday by a bear in woodland in Sielkentjakke in the Jamtland high terrain in northern Sweden. A colleague managed to shoot the bear and raise the alarm to have his colleague airlifted to hospital. He is listed as being in serious but not life-threatening condition. 15th May 2013 Argentina Site worker dies in wall collapse A structural collapse has claimed the life of a 52-year old construction worker in Frias, Santiago del Estero, on a newbuild site on Alvear Street. An excavation was being dug when either a retaining wall or a wall of an old building collapsed on 2 workers, the surviving worker's arm was broken in the accident. 14th May 2013 USA Bulldozer falls through ice on Alaskan alpine lake A 72-year old contractor driving a D6 Caterpillar bulldozer drowned in an alpine lake when his vehicle went through the ice of the lake in an off-road high terrain area between Gold Creek and Stephan Lake in Alaska. Equipment and machinery were being taken to Stephan Lake Lodge, 140 miles north of Anchorage, which is being used to support work on the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project. 13th May 2013 England Patient dies in apparent jump from hospital window The HSE is investigating a fatal accident at West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven, where a 40-year old patient has died, it is believed that he had jumped from a 2nd floor window of the hospital. 10th May 2013 Australia Falling gate kills worker at East Melbourne factory A worker has died in a crush accident at a factory on Clipsal Drive in Melbourne's Bayswater North area where he became pinned against a vehicle by a 500Kg metal gate which fell off its tracks.  9th May 2013 Germany Platform winch fails in lift shaft A 39-year old worker sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries in a 3-metre fall from a platform in a lift shaft when a winch failed during renovation work yesterday in premises in Karlsruhe. 8th May 2013 Austria Farm worker impaled on plough An agricultural worker was listed in stable condition in Wiener Neustadt following surgery to remove a section of metal rod upon which he became impaled while working in a barn. The 32-year old man had stumbled and fallen on to the protruding metal section of a plough which penetrated his stomach but missed major organs, fire crews cut him free from the plough prior to hospitalisation to remove the rest of the metal. 7th May 2013 Spain Classic aircraft crash at Madrid airfield A pilot lost control of his classic aircraft during an acrobatic manoeuvre at the Cuatro Vientos airfield west of Madrid, crashing into a building housing helicopters. He was rescued and reported to have been badly injured in the accident which saw 4 rescuers also treated for smoke inhalation. 7th May 2013 England Decomposed body in chimney may have been intruder Derbyshire Police has launched an investigation into an unexplained death following the discovery of a body in the chimney void of the Moody and Woolley Solicitors premises in the St Mary's Gate area of Derby. Staff had become aware of an odour in the building prior to the discovery of the significantly decomposed body. It has been speculated that the body may be that of an intruder engaged in lead theft from the roof. 3rd May 2013 Germany Reversing lorry hits worker on motorway site A construction worker was admitted to hospital in Dusseldorf yesterday morning with life-threatening injuries after being struck by a reversing lorry at a motorway site in the Universitats Tunnel in the Wersten area of Düsseldorf where dismantling and clearing up work was taking place. 2nd May 2013 Russia University chemistry lab fire Fire broke out in a chemistry lab on the 3rd floor of the 5-storey faculty building of Moscow State University yesterday, fire crews controlled the blaze in just over an hour and no injuries were reported. 1st May 2013 Austria WW2 bomb unearthed at Graz Station A bomb disposal crew made safe and removed a WW2 bomb which was discovered yesterday during construction work at Graz Station. The 500-Kg bomb still contained half of its explosive and had been unearthed beside the tracks at platform 1. 1st May 2013

Spain Falling plaster bags kill worker on Madrid site A 39-year old construction worker was killed in the Pacifico barrio of Madrid when heavy bags of plaster fell on his head during renovation work of a property on Andalucia Street. 24th May 2013 Scotland Worker caught fire on Edinburgh site A teenage construction worker was hospitalised in Edinburgh yesterday with serious burns to his hands and lower arms following an explosion and fire at a Robert McAlpine building site on the city's Hope Street Lane. Site workers controlled the blaze with fire extinguishers prior to the arrival of a fire crew, the exact cause of the fire was unclear. 23rd May 2013 Italy Steel worker dies after 12 days of burns agony A 57-year old worker died in hospital in Verona yesterday, succumbing to the agonising effects of 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 90% of his body after falling into a cooling tank 12 days ago while he and colleagues were handling metal sections at the Venete steel works. 21st May 2013 Wales Gwynedd light aircraft crash One person died and 2 others were critically injured when a light aircraft crashed as it approached the runway at Dinas Dirlle airfield, Caernarfon. 20th May 2013 Spain Fall from height death on Las Palmas site A 40-year old construction worker succumbed to severe head injuries after falling 10 metres at a site on Cruz del Ovejero Street in the Tamaraceite district of Las Palmas. 20th May 2013 Australia Adelaide worker severely injured by falling fencing sheets A man was listed in critical condition last night in Royal Adelaide Hospital after being struck by steel fencing sheets at premises on Semaphore Road in Birkenhead, northwest Adelaide. 17th May 2013 England North-east company fined over kiln operator's injury At Darlington Magistrates' Court brick manufacturer Weinerberger was fined £13,500 plus £4,190.70 in costs over a fall from height accident which saw a worker fracture his skull, neck vertebrae and a leg. At the mothballed premises on Eldon Lane, Bishop Auckland, a 56-year old kiln operator was standing atop a kiln trying to free a jammed door on 18th January last year when he lost his balance and fell 3 metres. HSE investigation found that the company had failed to provide any safety measures to control risks of a fall from height and failed to provide a safe system of work for releasing the jammed oven door. The company pleaded guilty to a  breach of Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. 16th May 2013 Antarctica US worker in medevac flight to New Zealand An unwell American worker was airlifted from the McMurdo Station on Antarctica to Christchurch, New Zealand, in a medevac flight as his condition required further investigation and treatment than was possible on the base. A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft completed the 10-hour return flight, the pilots having to use night-vision goggles for the landing on the Pegasus ice runway and its special marking systems. This was the 2nd medevac flight outwith the scheduled flight programme of September-March, with the onset of winter the station is now in darkness for several months apart from a brief daily twilight. 15th May 2013 Australia Angle grinder cuts into worker's thigh A stair chair specialist lifting equipment was deployed to bring a worker down from height after an angle grinder cut deeply into his thigh as concrete was being cut at the site of the Quest Apartments and Huon Hill hotel in Wodonga. His condition in Albury Hospital is listed as stable, the deep cut having missed major arteries. 14th May 2013 Austria Worker drove to hospital with severed arm A 37-year old Hungarian worker severed the lower section of his arm while cleaning a rotating drum at premises in the Purbach suburb of Eistenstadt on Saturday. Remarkably he managed to switch off the equipment and bring the severed section out of the machine and then drive himself 10 miles at low speed to the local hospital where astonished staff immediately stabilised him, took the severed section which was wrapped in a pullover and arranged for an air ambulance to Vienna. Re-attachment of the lower arm was completed, success would depend on the worker's circulation. 13th May 2013 Austria Power arcs from overhead rail line to worker in MEWP Early yesterday a worker in a MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) sustained life-threatening burns over 40% of his upper body when power arced from 15K-volt overhead power lines at Bruck an der Mur station in Karnten, it was alleged by OBB (Austrian Rail) that the maintenance work was not scheduled to be undertaken at this location at that time. 13th May 2013 Scotland Skipper fined over boat grounding The 58-year old skipper of the fishing boat Elegant II has been fined £850 after his boat grounded on Davaar island off Kintyre on 7th June 2012. Problems with steering motor bushes saw him go to the engine room and leave the wheelhouse unattended, the rest of the crew being asleep. The boat subsequently grounded on a beach and a mayday was issued. The MCA was critical of the wheelhouse having been left unattended with the boat under way, leaving the potential for a much more serious accident.  10th May 2013 Scotland Primary school girl dies on trip to outdoor centre A post-mortem is to take place to ascertain the cause of death of a girl from Primary 7 of Whiteabby Primary in Northern Ireland who has died during a school trip to the Loch Insh Outdoor Centre at Kincraig, Kingussie. Highland Police say the cause of the child's death has not been established and it is being treated as unexplained, but it is understood that no other child or adult is involved. The alarm was raised when the girl became unwell and fell unconscious and she was later pronounced dead in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. 9th May 2013 Canada Ontario construction worker falls through gap in floor The Ministry of Labour in Ontario is investigating an accident at a house site on Fitzgerald Drive in Cambridge where a 23-year old worker was injured and transferred to hospital in Hamilton after falling through an opening in a floor. 8th May 2013 England Fatal crash at Leics racing circuit A 51-year old Londoner participating in the Donington Historic Festival at Donington Park, Leicestershire, was killed when his Mini Cooper S was involved in a collision during a vintage touring car race, the severity of the accident became apparent when stewards raised the red flags to halt the race. 7th May 2013 England Fatal accident on Isle of Man water site A 55-year old contractor was killed in an accident on a construction site of an Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority project on Balleira Road, Kirk Michael, the Health and Safety Inspectorate is investigating this accident. 3rd May 2013 Scotland Delivery driver crushed under heavy load at East Lothian racecourse A delivery driver died in a crush accident yesterday at Musselburgh Racecourse when he became trapped under a pallet carrying a 1-tonne bag of soil, the pallets were being unloaded by a crane-operated mechanism on the lorry at the rear of the stables. 2nd May 2013 England Falling marble fireplace kills Lancs child A post-mortem takes place today in the Wirral following the death of a 3-year old boy who died in hospital following an accident in which a marble fireplace fell on him at a property in St Catherine's Gardens, Tranmere. 1st May 2013 Australia Traffic controller run over by grader on roads site Worksafe Western Australia is investigating a fatal accident in Bunbury where a 68-year old worker was killed when he was struck by a reversing grader while working as a traffic controller at a site on Robertson Road. It is speculated that he had stepped backwards unaware of the approach of the reversing vehicle. 1st May 2013