Explosion at Under Construction Texas Hospital Leaves 1 Dead, 15 Injured

Investigators are on the scene of a catastrophic explosion at a Texas construction project that killed 1 and has injured another 15 workers. The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Coryell Memorial Healthcare System in Gatesville, Texas, which is being expanded.

The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but KWTX news is reporting that the investigation has been narrowed to the hospital’s new utility plant, which is under construction and will eventually contain the facility’s boilers and chillers.  Several witnesses on the scene said that they saw an on-site generator explode, but that is not confirmed as the official cause.

Late Thursday evening, the Waco Tribune Herald reported that officials confirmed that the explosion happened in a boiler room, but the actual cause still remains unknown.

All 15 of the surviving victims are in critical condition after the explosion, with some suffering serious burns.  KWTX said that the blast was strong enough that it spread debris across a 6.5 acre area.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction is the General Contractor on the project, but at least some of the injured workers were employees of subcontractor Lochridge-Priest, Inc.  There are conflicting reports regarding which company all of the injured were employed by.  None of the hospital’s patients or employees were among the victims.

Corbett Nichter, president of the Gulf States Region of Adolfson & Peterson Construction, offered his condolences to the victims and their families: “Our team is deeply saddened by this tragedy and we are working closely with our partners at Coryell Memorial and Lochridge-Priest to provide support during this time. Our sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those injured and lost.”

The explosion did cause some damage to the existing facility, but was not catastrophic.  The Gatesville Police Chief expects the investigation to finish by next week, at the latest.  We’ll follow up with the results of the investigation at that time.

KWTX News 10 has more information in the video below:

Featured
hilti+exo-01+exoskeleton.jpg
Hilti Officially Releases EXO-01 Exoskeleton, Names Price

Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.

unsplash-image-sgYamIzhAhg.jpg
How to Minimize Risk on Your Construction Site

[guest post] It’s a morbid statistic, but the construction industry experiences more workplace deaths than any other. With so many potential hazards, heavy-duty machinery, and power tools, it’s perhaps not surprising that serious accidents are relatively commonplace.

balfour beatty covid-19 safety orientation video.PNG
[VIDEO] How Balfour Beatty is Handling COVID-19 Safety on the Jobsite

Even though we’re over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is still threatening the health of construction’s workers and taking a toll on project timelines. It’s likely that your company has already determined the best course of action to help mitigate the risk of spreading the virus on your jobsites, but it’s never too late to learn from another contractor.

effects of pandemic on construction.png
1 Year Later: The Effects of Coronavirus on Construction

It’s been a little over a year since the coronavirus pandemic sent the entire world into a period of uncertainty, heartache, and panic. The construction industry itself has undertaken many different challenges, above and beyond keeping their people safe on the jobsite, many of which no one could have expected.

doosan transparent bucket.jpg
Doosan Announces Industry First “Transparent Bucket” to Wheel Loader to Eliminate Blind Spots

“You make a better door than a window!” is what I imagine loader operators constantly yell at the bucket in front of them (or maybe I’m just projecting based on my experience of having the habit of sitting right in front of the TV as a kid). Either way, operators may not be yelling that in the future, as equipment manufacturer, Doosan, has introduced what they claim is an industry first “transparent” bucket.

iq228 3.PNG
Cool Tools: World’s First Dry Cut 7-1/2” Portable Tile Saw

Reducing dust when cutting tile is important for many reasons (including safety and cleanliness), but wet tile saws can be a pain to use, with the slurry created spraying all around the work station and cold weather making the saw much more difficult to use outside. iQ Power Tools has a solution for that: the world’s first 7” portable dry table saw with integrated dust control.

Fall_Stand-Down_Tweets1.png
National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction Starts May 3

In the construction industry, falls from height are continuously the leading cause of jobsite injuries, fatalities, and, as a result, OSHA citations. From May 3-May 7, OSHA invites construction employers and stakeholders to take part in their 8th annual National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.

syracuse+crane+collapse.jpg
Crane Collapses on Jobsite in Syracuse, NY, No Injuries Reported

On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

Feher ACHardhat.JPG
Finally, an Air-Conditioned Hard Hat is on the Horizon

It seems a little odd to be talking about air-conditioning when much of the United States hit some incredibly low temperatures in recent days, but a product that I learned about recently is just too exciting to ignore. Announced at CES 2021, a research company has unveiled an air-conditioned hard hat (ACHH) that can reduce the ambient temperature up to 22 degrees Fahrenheit!

7 Biggest Safety Stories 2020.png
The 7 Biggest Construction Safety Stories of 2020

2020 was a challenging year in many respects, but none greater than from a safety standpoint. The coronavirus pandemic placed the notion of “people over profits” under the microscope, while also balancing the needs of their employees to continue to make an income under difficult circumstances. While the pandemic was a large part of the construction safety conversation last year, there were several other developments to take note of for your projects in the future.