Florida rate of deaths on job higher than nation’s

Even as workers’ chances of dying on the job have declined nationally, Florida’s workplaces collectively have become less safe in recent years, new data shows.

In Central Florida during the last two years, workers have died at Universal Studios, amid Interstate 4 construction, in a mushroom plant and elsewhere. Some worked in highrisk areas while others were completing fairly mundane tasks.

During the most recent yearlong reporting period, Florida’s rate of fatalities increased from 2.7 to 3.1 for every 1,000 workers. Nationally, the worker-fatality rate dropped during that time from 3.43 to 3.38 per 1,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Florida had larger increase in its worker death toll in 2015 than the nation as a whole. During the year-long period that ended in 2015, job-related deaths in Florida increased by 44, reaching 272. Across the entire U.S., worker deaths increased by 36 during that time.

Eustis resident Bruce

Stevenson Sr. said families might not appreciate the importance of workplace safety until it hits close to home. Last year, he lost his namesake son in an accident at the Monterey Mushroom Inc. plant in Apopka.

“They called us one evening and we had to go to the Apopka emergency room,” Stevenson Sr. said. “When we got there they had him up on a gurney and they were trying to bring him back. It’s still hard to believe.”

About 10:30 p.m. June 6, forklift driver Bruce Stevenson Jr. was hauling six trays at the plant. Each one can weigh 849 pounds. A coworker pulled on the stack and it wobbled, according to an OSHA inspection. Stevenson dismounted the forklift when the wobbling stack hit another stack “and then crushed the employee to the ground,” the report stated. He was transported to Florida Hospital Apopka and declared dead.

Stevenson’s training had covered guidelines about staying on a forklift if a load becomes unstable but the federal safety group still found the company could have taken other precautions, including inspecting spacers between trays, redesigning trays to prevent sliding and transporting no more than four trays with a forklift.

Monterey did not respond to requests for comment.

The region’s largest construction project — the makeover of Interstate 4 — claimed the life of a worker last year in a situation that lacked certain safeguards, according to OSHA.

Work at a Maitland site had come to a slowdown because of rain about 10:30 a.m. Feb. 24, 2016, according to an OSHA report. Site supervisors stopped dump trucks at the site but four trucks entered and were cleared to proceed. Company policy required a spotter to be in place but he left his position for a meeting and was not replaced. Marvin Franklin, 34, had been hired about three weeks earlier as a carpenter and his supervisor asked him to do some work on an incline used by the dump trucks. As he was walking across, a dump truck backed over him. The driver was unaware he had hit someone.

An OSHA inspection determined the accident could have been avoided with: traffic programs for pedestrians, a spotter in place, and adherence to manuals restricting people from danger areas.

Jon Walker, program project manager at SGL Constructors, said safety is a priority for the joint venture of Skanska Granite and Lane. Besides continual training, safety measures range from lighted hard hats to employee warm-up exercises.

“We empower all of our team members on the I-4 Ultimate project to care about each other,” he stated recently. “This culture requires planning ahead to ensure we are integrating established safety measures into our work, watching out for each other and never ignoring an unsafe situation,

“Nobody wants to get a fine but, more importantly, everyone has family they are going home to, so it’s more about doing the right thing.” Chip Tucker, owner of Tucker Paving Inc.

as well as having the courage to stop work when it cannot be performed safely. Our goal is to always keep each other safe.”

Companies are not always to blame. In at least one case, federal inspectors found there was little an equipment company could have done to prevent a fatal accident at a Central Florida auction yard last year.

In an ongoing case, OSHA is investigating the electrocution of a Universal Orlando ride technician Leopoldo Buenaventura on Nov. 8. About 2:30 a.m., he was was troubleshooting some electrical issues with the animatronics equipment and fell into it. He died on-site, according to an OSHA report..

“We’re not going to discuss the specifics,” said Tom Schroder, a spokesman for the park. “But I can say that we take these situations very seriously, work closely with OSHA and always review our protocols and safety measures with the goal of constant improvement.”

At Ritchie Bros. Auctions Inc. in Davenport last June, Larry Howard Brower, 62, was removing sticker decals from the windows of a tractor-trailer that Brower Equipment Sales Inc. had purchased when “he became unstable and fell backwards, striking his head on the asphalt ground.”

“The unfortunate incident occurred after a customer had loaded his equipment and was leaving our auction site. The incident did not involve any Ritchie Bros. staff since customers are responsible for loading and transporting any equipment they purchase at our auctions. Ritchie Bros. has not changed any of its processes or procedures because of the incident,” said David Fogarty, Ritchie Bros. Director of Environment, Health & Safety.

Federal safety officials cited Brower Equipment only for failing to report accident details in a timely manner.

Chip Tucker, owner of Tucker Paving Inc., said the culture of safety has been improving in a region inundated with construction in recent years.

“Nobody wants to get a fine but, more importantly, everyone has family they are going home to, so it’s more about doing the right thing,” he said. “There is a need for OSHA to go out and look for people who are doing stupid stuff. And we’re working with all the major theme parks in Orlando. Safety is very important to them.”

The paving contractor has retrofitted about a dozen trucks with rear-view cameras so drivers can see what’s behind them. And Tucker said he rewards employees for taking precautions by giving occasional bonuses, gift cards and other recognition. A supervisor recently sent one worker home for not wearing a hard hat, he added.

For the family of Bruce Stevenson Jr., closure does not come easily. His mother, Dorothy Stevenson, said she feels her son died in vain. A supervisor from the mushroom plant stopped by the house but family members said they have seen little else happen.

“They could do something to honor him for losing his life on their job site,” she said.