This spans 40 years working at a phosphate mine/ chemical plant
1. welder struck an arc on drum filter that filters phosphoric acid . Hydrogen build up inside the vessel killed him instantly when the end of the filter blew off.
2. Excavator operator was cleaning out a ditch after a heavy rain and due to the overflow could not see that he was backing into part of the ditch. The excavator backed into the ditch turned over and the operator drowned by the time they could get him out.
3. loaded LP tank had been moved to storage lot away from the plant. Bushes had grown up around the tank which was just off the gravel road.
One day a fork lift and grader was coming in opposite directions , the grader went off the road to give the fork lift room to pass, his blade hit the tank igniting a flame from hell, fryed him in the seat, his hands never came off the steering wheel, the fork lift driver cloths were burnt off and he lost most of his fingers on one of his hands.
4. Glandular plant operator was cleaning build up odd a conveyor belt tail pulley while it was running , he lost his balance somehow fell thru the guard and the conveyor showed him up pretty good, he lived but is paralyzed from waist down.
5. my personal worst. We had a metal punch that was capable of punching holes in inch and a quarter metal. Pretty simple machine a die with a small hole on one side that the punch goes thru to punch out the metal, the bottom of the die has a much larger hole to let the metal expand and drop out.
I installed the die with the small hole down, the punch sheared off and came out like a bullet. Luckily for me it only got my arm an I got off with 23 stitches