Construction Worker Dies in Airport Accident, One of Many Fatal Work Incidents Last Month

Tampa, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – OSHA is investigating a workplace fatality at the Tampa International Airport after an equipment operator was killed in an accident there.

His death was one of many fatal workplace incidents across the country this past month.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) officials said the worker died after a morning accident on July 31. Around 7:41 a.m., airport police reported receiving calls about an accident involving a construction worker. Police said the worker had been onsite at the Airside A Shuttle Guideway Refurbishment Project. First responders rushed to the scene, and found construction equipment had fallen off the shuttle track. The operator was inside the equipment, officials said.

Officials said the worker died from his injuries. All work on the project was paused while officials conducted a comprehensive safety review, airport officials said. OSHA, the TPA Police Department and the Tampa Police are investigating the incident, officials said.

"TPA is committed to the highest standards of safety and is also working closely with the project’s general contractor, Johnson-Laux Construction, to fully understand what happened," airport officials said in a press release.

In West Bridgewater, Mass., a transportation worker was killed while cleaning up debris on the road.

Massachusetts State Police said a Massachusetts Department of Transportation worker died on July 27 when he was hit by a vehicle while he cleaned up debris on Route 24. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz identified the worker as 57-year-old David Sousa.

Cruz said Souza was cleaning debris up around his parked car on the side of the road when he was struck by a driver. The driver stayed on the scene, officials said, and it’s unclear if they will face any charges.

"We offer our deepest sympathies to the Sousa family and all who knew him,” State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said in a statement. “He worked for MassDOT in the Highway Division and was dedicated to service, working for several district offices as a foreman. He was also a former Select Board chair in the town of Stoughton. He will be missed dearly.”

In Phoenix, Ariz., a construction worker died following an incident on a construction site.

According to the Phoenix Fire Department, the worker died on July 29 as they were working on a home in the Paradise Valley area.

Capt. Shaun DuBois with the PFD said crews were called to the scene around 12:30 p.m. for a report of a person trapped under fallen debris.

Jose Ramirez Robledo, 56, was declared dead at the scene.

"Early reports indicate that multiple windows had fallen from a crane operating at the construction site onto an employee working in the area," DuBois said.

A truck driver, Victor Del Castillo, who was delivering crates of windows to the site, said he witnessed the incident. According to him, a woman rushed toward him yelling for help. When he looked around, he saw the worker crushed between a crane on the site and the windows.

"He was leaning on the bar of the forklift. His back was on the bar, and the windows were on top of him, but only on the stomach side," Del Castillo said. "The windows didn't crush his face. He's leaning back, and the windows are standing up, crushing him."

Del Castillo said he attempted to get the man out, but the crates were too heavy. He was joined by five other workers, but combined the six men were only able to move the crates a few inches.

"I literally saw the guy take his last breath," Del Castillo said. "I saw him gasp for air, and that's when the paramedics walked in and let go of the air, and they tell me he was gone."

Rescue workers were able to recover the body after more than three hours.

Officials said there does not appear to be any indication of foul play.

And in Decatur, Ala., a General Electric plant has re-opened after an employee died in a work-related accident, officials said.

A spokesperson for the GE Appliances Plant in Decatur said that the plant reopened on July 30, just a few days after an employee died after being trapped in a piece of machinery.

Officials said Rodney Terry, 58, of Town Creek, Ala., was killed on July 24. Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn called Terry’s death an accident. GE said all employees would be paid for Monday, but it was unclear if they would be paid for the days the plant was closed.

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