{"id":7759,"date":"2023-07-14T19:14:36","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T23:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=7759"},"modified":"2023-07-14T19:19:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T23:19:55","slug":"they-myth-of-freak-accidents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2023\/07\/14\/they-myth-of-freak-accidents\/","title":{"rendered":"The Myth of “Freak Accidents”"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been writing this blog on and off for over 20 years. Sometimes it seems that the basic stories remain the same; only the names change.<\/p>\n

Such is the story of the tragic death of 16-year old Michael Schuls who was killed last month in a sawmill.<\/p>\n

Schuls<\/p>\n

had been trying to unjam a wood-stacking machine while working in a sawmill on June 29 when he was pinned inside…Surveillance footage of the tragic incident shows Schulz, who had been working alone, stepping onto a conveyor belt to unjam the machine, per the AP. He had not pressed a safety button that automatically shuts down the machine before doing so. About 17 minutes later, a coworker found him stuck in the machine.<\/p>\n

Any workplace death is tragic. The death of a 16-year old even more so. The only bright spot is that Schuls was able to donate his organs, saving the lives of several people, including his mother.<\/p>\n

But the point of this post is not the tragedy of Schuls’ death, but this headline that appeared in the West Palm Beach Messenger News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Freak<\/p>\n

As those knowledgeable about workplace safety well know, getting a part of one’s body caught in a piece of machinery that hasn’t been shut down and locked out is not a “freak accident.<\/a>” In fact, as readers of the Weekly Toll<\/a> know, it’s not even uncommon.<\/p>\n

The problem with labeling something like this a “freak accident” is not just that it’s wrong, it’s that the phrase implies that this type of incident hardly ever happens and there is, therefore, not much you can do about it.<\/p>\n

In fact, the phrase \u201cfreak accident\u201d is a double-whammy. Not only dies the word \u201cfreak\u201d imply \u201crare,\u201d but the word \u201caccident,\u201d defined as \u201can unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury,\u201d implies that the event was \u201cunexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of writing the same post yet again, I’m reposting below the last article I wrote<\/a> about “freak accidents” a year ago and you can read many others here<\/a> and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Freak Accidents and Bad Headlines<\/a><\/h1>\n
\n
<\/i>\u00a0March 10, 2022<\/span>\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"freak\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been writing this blog, off and on, for over 18 years now, and sometimes it seems like Groundhog Day \u2014 the\u00a0movie<\/a>, not the weather-predicting rodent.One of the groundhoggiest themes I write about it the media\u2019s habit of terming workplace incidents as \u201cfreak accidents.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019ve been writing about so-called \u201cfreak accidents\u201d since 2003 (See\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a>.)What are \u201cfreak accidents?\u201d Well,\u00a0Wiktionary<\/a>\u00a0defines a \u201cfreak accident\u201d as \u201cAn incident, especially one that is harmful, occurring under highly unusual and unlikely circumstances.\u201dBut for most reporters who use the term, \u201cfreak accident,\u201d it just means something that they\u2019ve never heard of before.<\/p>\n

For most reporters who use the term, \u201cfreak accident,\u201d it just means something that they\u2019ve never heard of before.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cUnusual?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cUnlikely?\u201d I\u2019ve seen articles describing a worker getting his head caught in a machine he was repairing termed a \u201cfreak accident.\u201d That kind of incident is so unusual that 30 years ago OSHA issued a\u00a0standard<\/a>\u00a0designed to prevent incidents like that.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen electrical\u00a0linemen<\/a>\u00a0getting electrocuted as \u201cfreak accidents.\u201d Getting crushed by machinery or in a trench collapse or forklift incidents \u2014 I\u2019ve seen them all described as \u201cfreak accidents,\u201d despite the fact that they\u2019re well-known and all-too-common causes of workplace death.<\/p>\n

The latest contribution comes courtesy of miner advocate and attorney Tony Oppegard, writing about the death of 44-year-old Paul Springer, in an LCT Energy coal mine in Pennsylvania last week. The headline in the\u00a0Johnstown Tribune-Democrat<\/a>\u00a0thundered:<\/p>\n

Coroner: \u2018Freak accident\u2019 likely to blame for miner\u2019s death<\/h1>\n

,What was so unusual, unlikely or freakish about Springer\u2019s death?<\/p>\n

Nothing, according to Oppegard, writing in Facebook:<\/p>\n

\n
COAL MINER IN SOMERSET COUNTY, PA DIES IN ROOF (OR RIB) FALL \u2014 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A \u201cFREAK\u201d ROOF OR RIB FALL<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
I grew up in Somerset County, PA, where this underground mining fatality occurred. The coroner quoted in the story obviously doesn\u2019t know much, if anything, about underground coal mining. He attempts to exonerate the coal company for not adequately supporting the mine roof (or rib) by calling the miner\u2019s death a \u201cfreak accident\u201d. When the federal and state mine investigators finish their investigation and issue their reports, I suspect that we will learn that the roof fall wasn\u2019t a \u201cfreak\u201d accident at all\u2026<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

And, of course if it\u2019s just a freak accident, you don\u2019t really have to do much about it because it\u2019s just one of those unavoidable things. Right? And then as a business owner there\u2019s only one thing left to do.<\/p>\n

[LCT Energy President Mark] Tercek said the company\u2019s \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d were with Springer\u2019s family and friends during the difficult time.<\/p>\n

Thoughts and prayers. But no commitment to investigate the death or correct the hazards that cause the fatality.<\/p>\n

Thoughts and prayers. But no commitment to investigate the death or correct the hazards that cause the fatality.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Move along, nothing to see here.<\/p>\n

A Guide for Reporters: What Is \u2014 And Is Not \u2014 A Freak Accident?<\/h2>\n

Being a reporter is hard. So much news. So many deadlines. So little time to actually learn about the subject you\u2019re writing about. And coroners apparently, know even less.<\/p>\n

So how do you tell what a freak accident is and what is not? Here are some hints that I\u2019ve used before:<\/p>\n

Not<\/em>\u00a0a freak accident:<\/strong>\u00a0Getting caught in machinery that has not been locked out<\/p>\n

Freak Accident:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Getting hit by a meteor while working on a roof.<\/p>\n

Not<\/em>\u00a0a freak accident:<\/strong>\u00a0Getting electrocuted when your construction vehicle hits a power line.<\/p>\n

Freak Accident:<\/strong>\u00a0Getting shot by a stray bullet while working on a construction site.<\/p>\n

Not<\/em>\u00a0a freak accident:<\/strong>\u00a0Getting hit by lightning while working in the fields during a thunder storm.<\/p>\n

Freak Accident:<\/strong>\u00a0Getting crushed by a falling tree while delivering the mail.<\/p>\n

Not<\/em>\u00a0a Freak Accident<\/strong>: Any cause of death or injury for which there\u2019s an OSHA or MSHA standard.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure this isn\u2019t the last post I\u2019ll write on this subject. In the meantime, if you run across articles claiming that predictable and preventable workplace injuries or fatalities are \u201cfreak accidents,\u201d don\u2019t hesitate to educate the reporter.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve been writing this blog on and off for over 20 years. Sometimes it seems that the basic stories remain the same; only the names change. Such is the story of the tragic death of 16-year old Michael Schuls who was killed last month in a sawmill. Schuls had been trying to unjam a wood-stacking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freak-accident"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Myth of "Freak Accidents" - Confined Space<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There's generally nothing freak about "freak" accidents. 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