Employees Killed in Winter Storm

Climate & Comp

Dayton, OH (WorkersCompensation.com) – As a major winter snowstorm turns into extreme freezing temperatures across most of the eastern half of the country, snow and ice have claimed the lives of several employees.

In Dayton, Ohio, a snowplow company employee is dead after being run over by a snowplow. According to the Montgomery County Regional Dispatch, police were called to the 600 block of St. Paul Avenue on Jan. 25 around 11:30 a.m.

Police said a private plow company was clearing a private lot the snow plow a snow plow backed over an employee. Officials said the employee was taken by medics to a nearby hospital, but he passed away because of his injuries there.

His death was one of nearly 29 people across the country who have died due to the storm. Some of the other deaths were also employees at other cities across the country.

In Bartlett, Ill., a worker died after being struck by a train on Jan. 26.

Police said the worker was clearing snow in the intersection of Oak Avenue and Railroad Avenue. The driver of the snowplow was struck by Metra Milwaukee District West train bound for Elgin, Ill. The worker was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.

Metra officials said inbound and outbound trains were stopped in the area and that passengers were delayed as officials investigated the incident. The village of Bartlett said the employee was driving a small vehicle with a snowplow attachment when it was struck.

The Metra Police Department is leading the investigation into the incident, and OSHA has been called to investigate as well. Federal transportation officials will also join the investigation and look into whether the victim began crossing the tracks and simply did not see the train coming, or if something else had happened.

Officials said the man was operating a "small, private snow plow" and that the driver was identified as a 64-year-old Village of Bartlett Public Works employee.

"It's really sad," Thad Tobolte, a passenger on the train told media outlets. "One of the conductors said one of the village guys got killed. So, I was stuck on the train for 40 minutes."

Tobolte, who works in Bartlett, said he had seen the employee who was killed in the area before after getting off Metra.

Bartlett Mayor Daniel Gunsteen offered support for the employee’s family.

"We offer our comfort, prayers, and full support to the Public Works Department and all Village staff, who are understandably devastated and shaken by the loss of their colleague, friend, and valued member of their work family,” he wrote in a statement.

"On behalf of the entire Village of Bartlett, we mourn this profound loss and stand with his family and our Public Works team in their grief," the statement said.

In Grayslake, Ill., an employee was injured after two trucks caught fire next to a natural gas fueling station at a waste management facility.

Police said on Jan. 26, the Grayslake Fire Protection District responded around 5;15 a.m. to the Waste Management Renewable Natural Gas Facility for the report of a fire. At the plant, officials told firefighters two roll-off trucks were on fire, Grayslake Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ian Mandigo said.

Mandigo said firefighters were concerned that the fire could spread to other trucks as well as to an adjacent natural gas fueling station. Firefighters then pulled out multiple hose lines and began to put the fire out.

An employee of the facility suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was evaluated by paramedics. The employee declined transportation to the hospital.

Mandigo said the fire was brought under control, and that the fire is under investigation by Grayslake Fire Protection District.

Similar to extreme heat injuries for outdoor workers, officials cautioned that employees could help themselves when working in snow, ice and cold temperatures.

Cold, icy conditions can increase the chances of job-related injuries. Construction, snow removal, oil and gas, utility repair, police, firefighters, postal carriers, and other outdoor workers can help protect themselves by making winter safety a priority, the Texas Department of Insurance said on their website.

Workers should protect themselves against slips and falls by using weather-appropriate footwear; knowing the symptoms of cold stress that could cause trench foot, frostbite or hypothermia; dress appropriately for the weather; protect their skin from ultraviolet rays and hard winds; ensure adequate warmth; and know when it is too cold to work.

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