Lawyers, investigators, policymakers and safety professionals will be wrangling over the Deepwater Horizon tragedy for years to determine what happened, where fault lay, and who will pay.
By many accounts, Deepwater Horizon was had a relatively good safety record. Its 125-member crew had no serious injuries in the seven years prior to the explosion. In a cruel irony, BP mangers were reported as being on board to recognize the Deepwater crew for its outstanding record on the very day that the explosion occurred.
The sheer magnitude of the disaster and the economic and ecological impact have taken center stage, while the deaths of 11 workers are all too often the asterisk to the story. Their surviving family members and their 156 work colleagues, who narrowly averted death themselves, are in the early stages of an arduous healing process. Coworkers lived through the harrowing and terrible event, many sustaining physical and psychological scars. At hearings and in the media, their personal survival accounts are beginning to be told.
In the first part of a 60 Minutes segment on the disaster, crew member Mike Williams talks about events leading up to the explosion. Production was off schedule by more than a month and $25 million had been lost. This put crews under even pressure to perform. A critical piece of equipment was damaged 4 weeks prior to the explosion, yet this unsettling event did not slow the inexorable push forward. Williams describes a “chest-bumping” argument that occurred on the morning of the fateful day, between a BP manager and crew manager about who would have the final word about process decisions. In his account, the BP manager won the argument and made a process decision, which preceded the explosion.
In the second part of the report, Williams relates his own struggle for survival, as well as the dramatic close call for other coworkers. He talks about being injured in the initial two explosions, the helpless feeling when crawling outside to see the extent of the damage, and the terror of jumping 90 feet into oil-slicked, fiery water and swimming until being rescued.
The dividing line between survival and death was a matter chance and of seconds. Although there had been weekly lifeboat drills, some survivors said that they had not anticipated such chaos, nor had they actually sat in lifeboats or thought through the details of a quick escape. And details could make the difference. One life raft of survivors was tethered to the rig and narrowly avoided being pulled back into the inferno simply because the company’s strict “no knives” policy meant that no one had a knife to cut the rope.
Other survivors and family members shared their experiences on CNN.
Family members relate the experience from their point of view – hearing the terrible news of the explosion and the long, terrible vigil waiting to get official word of whether their loved one survived or not.
Also see: Profiles of the profiles of the Deepwater Horizon Eleven, ranging in age from the youngest at 22 to the oldest at 56 years old.
Prior posts
News update on BP
Engulfed by risks
Posts Tagged ‘survivors’
Survivor stories: the human aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy
Monday, June 28th, 2010NY scaffolding: one miracle survivor saved by physics; others not so lucky
Monday, February 4th, 2008When cables broke on a scaffold on the 47th floor of a New York high-rise residential building on a crisp December day, it took only about 6 seconds for the two window washers who had been on the platform to plummet 500 feet to the ground. Edgar Moreno was killed instantly but, astonishingly, his brother Alcides Moreno survived the fall.
The word “miracle” is often tossed about lightly, but in this case, Alcides Moreno’s survival was part miracle, part physics, and part good medicine. As Moreno fell, he clung to the scaffolding, riding it to the ground and the platform provided wind resistance that slowed his fall. While his brother Edgar struck the ground at a probable speed of about 100 miles per hour, experts say that Alcides’ descent probably slowed to about 45 miles per hour. Platform cables acting like the tail of a kite may have slowed him further.
Philip Barie, chief of critical care at New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, who has treated fall survivors before, talked about the odds:
“You get above six stories, it gets unusual,” he said. “You get above 10 stories, it’s rare. We’ve had two people survive 12, one person survive 14 and one person survive 19. Forty-seven stories is uncharted territory.”
Barie said he didn’t know if Moreno set a record. No, he did not, at least according to the Free Fall Research Page. The record was made by a Russian airman, who survived a 22,000 foot fall in 1942 after his bomber was attacked by German planes. (There are many other fascinating fall survival tales at this site, and Moreno’s story is on the front page.)
Of course, Moreno suffered grievous injuries – broken ribs, a broken arm, shattered legs and spine damage. He was in a coma for weeks and has undergone more than 16 operations. But within a few weeks, the prognosis looked good not only for his survivability, but likelihood that he would be able to walk again. In mid-January, he was dismissed from the hospital to a rehab facility.
Few miracles, many deaths
It is sadly ironic that Morena survived a 500 foot fall, but William Bracken was killed in a 19-foot fall in a scaffold collapse in Mooreville, PA about 10 days ago. And in the city of New York alone, there have been at least two more scaffolding deaths since Moreno’s fall. High winds were blamed for a scaffold collapse in Brooklyn that killed Jose Palacios in a 12-story fall last week. This followed on the heels of the death of Yuriy Vanchytskyy in a 42-story fall from the top of Trump SoHo, a condominium hotel under development.
Repeat safety violations
State records show that in the Moreno incident, the scaffolding had been cited for 10 violations in June, including four that were repeat violations. According to news reports, the brothers had complained about safety issues but were told the scaffolding was safe. Neither of the brothers were wearing safety harnesses when the accident occurred.
Repeat citations are not an uncommon story. A New York Times investigation into the collapse that killed Vanchytskyy found that his employer, DeFama Concrete, had a history of safety violations, had been fined tens of thousands of dollars in penalties, and had another worker death on record – the 2004 death of an employee who perished after falling 60 feet from the platform of a crane. In that accident, OSHA found a failure to provide sufficient safety devices. These fines and citations are apparently little more than a slap on the wrist because offending contractors are still hired to work on some of the city’s most prestigious new construction projects.
Worsening employment practices and the underground economy
City Limits looks at the matter of construction safety in New York, a problem that seems to be worsening:
“According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data on work fatalities, construction deaths in New York City more than doubled from 2005 to 2006, from 20 to 43. (Data for 2007 is not yet available.) Over that period, New York City also had a higher percentage of construction deaths than the U.S. overall, according to BLS: “the construction sector accounted for 43 percent of all fatalities; nationally, construction also led other sectors … accounting for 21 percent of all job-related fatal injuries.” The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB), however, reported that between Jan. 1, 2007 and Oct. 31, 2007, construction-related fatalities dropped 43 percent from the same period in 2006, from 14 to 8, and injuries stayed constant – but accidents on high-rise sites increased from 23 to 42.”
Part of the problem? City Limits links to and cites a recent report by the Fiscal Policy Institute (PDF) attributing much of the problem in New York construction to “worsening employment practices.” City Limits summarizes this part of the report:
” …the construction industry employs more than 200,000 workers in New York City, almost a quarter of whom work in the illegal “underground” construction industry. Not only does this lead to a half-billion-dollar annual financial loss because of unpaid payroll taxes and workers compensation premiums, according to the report, but it correlates with dangerous practices. Data from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) “indicate a strong correlation between construction fatalities and the characteristics of the underground economy: half of the deaths occurred among workers at very small construction companies, three-fourths of the workers involved worked for non-union companies, and failure to provide safety training was cited in over half of the cases.”
It’s a horrifying and daunting problem, but to their credit, city officials are taking action, and some improvements have occurred since 2006. A Suspended Scaffold Worker Safety Task Force was formed and several scaffolding-related laws were enacted to increase penalties. Many are also calling for an overhaul of the Department of Buildings, the regulatory body, which many fault for being slow and reactive.
Of course, all the deaths that we’ve discussed have occurred since these laws were enacted. The city needs to continue focusing on this issue because Alcides Moreno’s story notwithstanding, the miracle plan does not make for good safety policy.
(Thanks to rawblogXport for pointers to many of the links we’ve cited.)
News roundup: Health Wonk Review, survival story, manhole covers, I.C.E. followup, OSHA agenda
Thursday, December 13th, 2007David Harlow hosts the holiday edition of Health Wonk Review at Health Blawg, our final edition of the year. As one of the few attorneys in our HWR lineup, David lends a unique and valuable perspective to our discussions. Today, he sheds light on a variety of health matters in what may well be the largest edition of the year. Grab some coffee and holiday cookies – there’s enough good reading to carry you into the New Year.
Survival story – Thanks to Jordan Barab for calling our attention to this follow-up story to the recent scaffolding tragedy in New York: After a Window Washer’s 47-Floor Plunge, the Big Question Is: How Did He Survive?
NYC to India and back again – A freelance photographer for the New York Times captures a work scene out of the Middle Ages in India, and it happens to be a foundry with a local link: New York Manhole Covers, Forged Barefoot in India. Here’s an excerpt:
When officials at Con Edison — which buys a quarter of its manhole covers, roughly 2,750 a year, from India — were shown the pictures by the photographer, they said they were surprised.
“We were disturbed by the photos,” said Michael S. Clendenin, director of media relations with Con Edison. “We take worker safety very seriously,” he said.
Now, the utility said, it is rewriting international contracts to include safety requirements. Contracts will now require overseas manufacturers to “take appropriate actions to provide a safe and healthy workplace,” and to follow local and federal guidelines in India, Mr. Clendenin said.
Immigration raids – one year later – Chris Ortman of Change to Win follows up on I.C.E. Raids – one year later in Greeley, Colorado; Worthington, Minnesota; and Grand Island, Nebraska. Peter Rousmaniere also features an item from Morning Edition revisitng a Cargill plant in Beardstown, Illinois one year later.
OSHA’s agenda – The Pump Handle reports on OSHA’s issuance of its semi-annual agenda, noting that several of the safety issues and standards that had been on the agenda in the past are curiously missing: “The Secretary’s last regulatory agenda (April 2007) listed 38 workplace health and safety hazards for possible regulatory action, 16 for MSHA and 22 for OSHA. The newly published regulatory agenda lists only 9 items …”. The post details what’s still on the list and what’s missing.
To hell and beyond: Dave Holland’s terrible story
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007Survival stories are a magnet for many and I am no exception. Whether they be stories of people who escaped death by seconds in the World Trade Center, shipwrecked sailors who spent weeks on a life raft, or cancer survivors who prevailed, there’s something inspiring and fascinating about the indomitable will to survive against all odds. But no prior accounts quite prepared me for the utterly gruesome story of Dave Holland’s survival of a work-related accident. Be warned, unless you are a physician or someone similarly inured to severe injuries, his story of being scalped by an industrial drill is a difficult read.
Three years on, sleep still comes uneasily. His head hits the pillow and he flashes back: Caught up in the spinning and metallic screaming and the wet cracklepop sound of tearing flesh. The coppery tang of blood. The thing dragging him closer. The fear and the pain.
Beyond the sheer horror of his story, the article resonated on many levels: the medical miracle that was his survival; the window into the fierce will to live that kept him alive; the detailed account of the steep toll of an industrial accident, both when it occurs and in the aftermath; and the case history of post traumatic stress disorder. In reading this, it’s also hard not to wonder about his co-workers. How does one return to the workplace after witnessing an event of this kind? How does one get over the fear of the environment?
Dave’s survival may make him unique, but an injury of this nature is unfortunately not unique. I recall sharing a table with claims managers at an insurance trade event a number of years ago, and losing my appetite as they exchanged stories of “worst claims” cases they’d handled, such as scalpings and deglovings. Machine-related injuries are commonly recorded as caught or crushed injuries or the more prosaic contact with objects and equipment. These types of accidents result in about 18% of all work fatalities each year, as well as tens of thousands of injuries that do not result in death, such as Dave’s.
In reading other reports of “caught or crushed” injuries, there are some recurring themes: The worker is often working alone. The worker often wasn’t trained to use the equipment, or hadn’t been alerted to the dangers. The worker was often young. The equipment often didn’t have safeguards, or sometimes those safeguards had been manually overridden by either worker or boss. Hair and loose clothing were often the first point of contact. Ponytails and braids are particularly troublesome – a few strands may give way, but a thick plait that is caught could well be a death sentence.
There’s not a lot more to say beyond what Dave’s story already imparts: workers, be safe – speak up if you have unease or need training, and don’t work with hazardous equipment while alone. Employers, ensure that your workers are safe – you don’t want a Dave Holland on your conscience.
The Miracle Survivors – Coping with Recovery
Thursday, September 18th, 2003Among the many stories, news items and remembrances of 9/11/2001, there was one very compelling article relating the astounding story of the 16 people who survived the collapse of the twin towers. Surviving proved to be only part of the story. This article tells a lot about the difficulties of recovery from a traumatic event, even when physical injuries are relatively minor.
For a long time, Buzzelli wanted to be left alone – most of the survivors did. Billy Butler, who got himself a tattoo – a tattered flag and the date, 9-11-01 – would go upstairs when he got home, turn on the TV, ignore his wife and kids. “It’s not a deliberate self-absorption, explains Komorowski. You’re just trying to battle to keep yourself together on a day-to-day basis.”
Those of us working in the area of disability should learn what we can about helping others from these incredible stories.
