Sudden deaths of amateur and professional geologists and paleontologists in the field due to accidents (paper being written now)

[Darren H. Tanke]

 Hi all, 

 

 Just started writing a paper on health and safety in the field, collecting newspaper articles, obituaries, first-hand stories on deaths or near-death occurrences among amateur or professional earth scientists in the field. NOT after heart attacks in field, strokes, suicides, or industrial disease. Things like rock falls, falling off cliffs, quicksand, drowning, tree falls, lightning strikes, murder, vehicle accidents, animal attacks, etc. People going about their day in the field, doing earth science work and then suddenly having a tragic ending. Near death experiences may also be considered. Nothing like this has been compiled before and I wish to do so for a health and safety paper to help make us all safer and think about health and safety. Reply here for sure, but also c.c. me at: dtanke (at) hotmail.com  please. If it is a published newspaper article or obit, please copy and send to me.

[FossilDAWG]

You wouldn't happen to be a lawyer would you?

 

Don

[Darren H. Tanke]

No, a technician at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology with a special interest in keeping people safe. We can learn from their accidental deaths.

[Troodon]

23 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

You wouldn't happen to be a lawyer would you?

 

Don

Darren is very modest about his role at the RTMP.    From afar he's been an active member in their research for many years and has worked with notable paleontologist like Phil Currie, edited books like, Mesozoic Vertebrate Life: New Research Inspired by the Paleontology of Philip J. Currie and hosts FB Group: Ceratopsian Dinosaurs.

 

I applaud this activity and hope everyone here supports this effort.

[The Amateur Paleontologist]

Hi Darren, nice to have you and your expertise on the Fossil Forum.  

There've been a few pretty massive landslides and rockfalls at the chalk cliffs I work at in Denmark, but so far I haven't heard of any fossil collectors dying or getting serious injuries because of those landslides. I'll let you know if I see something in the local newspapers.

[Troodon]

Here is one from Dorset

Topic initiated by  @jpc

 

[JohnJ]

1 hour ago, Darren H. Tanke said:

Reply here for sure, but also c.c. me at: dtanke (at) hotmail.com  please. If it is a published newspaper article or obit, please copy and send to me.

 

I recommend that commentary relating stories about someone's death are sent via PM or email to @Darren H. Tanke  This respects the privacy of everyone involved.  I would ask that any replies to This topic be of a general nature or survival.  Thanks.

[jpc]

1 hour ago, FossilDAWG said:

You wouldn't happen to be a lawyer would you?

 

Don

This is legit.  I saw his post on Facebook as well.  I also PMed him last year's  news about caldigger.   Just so he doesn't get a PMN from all of us about that. 

 

Darren, there are occasional reports of divers diving for shark teeth in South Carolina dying due to scuba accidents in while fossiling.  

[DPS Ammonite]

You might look at the Landslide blog as an example of possible hazards in the field. Also, I recalled a geologist that died during the Mt. St. Hellens eruption.

 

You might also search for stories of geologists that were harmed while exploring public lands where illegal activity was happening. Some of my geologist friends said that they would often go into the bars to announce what they were doing (mapping and not looking for “gardens”) in Northern California. In that general vein, I bet that exploration geologists in remote areas might have some harrowing stories. 
 

A mummified Native American body was found in an ancient Verde Valley salt mine:

 

https://www.mindat.org/loc-45093.html

 

 

https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/woman-narrowly-escapes-landslide-northern-010526879.html

Search for several famous volcanologists deaths by volcanos.

 

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by DPS Ammonite

[FossilDAWG]

I sincerely apologize.  I'll admit to being sensitive about lawyers sniffing around for leads due to one of my other interests (skydiving).  Writing a safety article is a commonly used cover story when they are trying to dig up "dirt".

 

Don

[Thomas.Dodson]

5 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

I sincerely apologize.  I'll admit to being sensitive about lawyers sniffing around for leads due to one of my other interests (skydiving).  Writing a safety article is a commonly used cover story when they are trying to dig up "dirt".

 

Don

You're not alone as this is what I also thought.

 

6 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:

You might also search for stories of geologists that were harmed while exploring public lands where illegal activity was happening. Some of my geologist friends said that they would often go into the bars to announce what they were doing (mapping and not looking for “gardens”) in Northern California. In that general vein, I bet that exploration geologists in remote areas might have some harrowing stories.

Hmm. I know people who have been shot at doing field research. I found one such garden myself in Georgia.

 

6 hours ago, JohnJ said:

 

I recommend that commentary relating stories about someone's death are sent via PM or email to @Darren H. Tanke  This respects the privacy of everyone involved.  I would ask that any replies to This topic be of a general nature or survival.  Thanks.

In the case of of well known incidents, published articles, and news stories do you think these are best sent only by PM or email as well?

[JohnJ]

 

3 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

In the case of of well known incidents, published articles, and news stories do you think these are best sent only by PM or email as well?

 

I suppose respectful, published articles or news stories would be fine. 

 

My main concern is publicly publishing a litany of callous hearsay with little regard for family or friends and their privacy.  They have been through enough...we should respect that.

[Thomas.Dodson]

20 hours ago, JohnJ said:

 

 

I suppose respectful, published articles or news stories would be fine. 

 

My main concern is publicly publishing a litany of callous hearsay with little regard for family or friends and their privacy.  They have been through enough...we should respect that.

In that case I'll mention that I passed along a news article relating to the Lilydale Quarry accident, if only so he doesn't get sent the same story several times.

[Harry Pristis]

On 4/21/2021 at 5:18 PM, Darren H. Tanke said:

 Hi all, 

 

 Just started writing a paper on health and safety in the field, collecting newspaper articles, obituaries, first-hand stories on deaths or near-death occurrences among amateur or professional earth scientists in the field. NOT after heart attacks in field, strokes, suicides, or industrial disease. Things like rock falls, falling off cliffs, quicksand, drowning, tree falls, lightning strikes, murder, vehicle accidents, animal attacks, etc. People going about their day in the field, doing earth science work and then suddenly having a tragic ending. Near death experiences may also be considered. Nothing like this has been compiled before and I wish to do so for a health and safety paper to help make us all safer and think about health and safety. Reply here for sure, but also c.c. me at: dtanke (at) hotmail.com  please. If it is a published newspaper article or obit, please copy and send to me.

 

You have begun writing the paper, so you must have an outline prepared.  Can you be more specific about how you plan to raise safety awareness.  Is it going to be a list of possible hazards, with illustrations?  Any statistical data would be sketchy, wouldn't they?  Will you offer analysis and alternative approaches to risks in the field?  Just how will your list of hazards, many of them in unique circumstances, make us safer in the field?

[Harry Pristis]

I forgot to ask:  Will your compilation and analysis be used by local, state, or even federal agencies to make access to collecting areas more difficult?  Will you be providing evidence that some activities or some areas are too hazardous to allow collecting?

[LabRatKing]

As the guy that over-plans for safety and pretty much always gets hurt (blood sacrifice to the gods), be it in the field or in the lab:

 

My suggestion is to look into the “safety third” phenomenon, that is, people that know better but get complacent due to experience...

 

I don’t keep up with news in general, but nearly every incident involves some degree of the “safety third” attitude in my experience in science and industry.

[jpc]

I have always used "Safety Third" as what I saw a lot of in Africa, which differ in that it means 'Safety is not even on the radar'.    

Edited April 24, 2021 by jpc

[Darren H. Tanke]

In reply to some concerns raised here, I am simply trying to increase awareness of health and safety practices in the field, especially professional vertebrate paleontology. Whether you are a professional fieldworker or weekend avocational hobbyist we all are in the field doing our work in the same general circumstances, and tragically sometimes we die accidently. Sometimes we have no control over it, for example a car or helicopter crash, where in other cases we do have control such as a trench collapse, undermining an outcrop, or working in cliff area which collapse regularly. Right now I am just gathering information. Specifically I'm looking for any patterns to these accidents/incidents that can highlight a need for wider awareness of proper field practices, especially regarding health and safety. I'm working on another project like this, but that one is in regards to angle grinder use in paleontology museum settings. Many people in the general population are killed and maimed by their improper use. After ladders, they are the second most dangerous tool Joe Public might have in their toolbox. When I looked in detail at what went wrong, patterns emerged. People used the tool with guard removed, wrong blade (metal cutting blade to cut rock and vice versa), speed of angle grinder too fast for blade, etc., etc. When I looked at professional paleontologists use of these tools, I found the same mistakes being made. We had already had close calls with blades exploding, but no deaths, but it was only a matter of time before a colleague died as a result. So I gave a talk on their improper use at a paleontology technical conference 9 years ago and it was a real eyeopener for the audience, they still talk about it. Most had no idea they were using them wrong. By posting to this group I hope to gather information for a planned paper. I want to save someone grievous injury or death; nothing wrong with that. Readers will take away from the paper what they will. Maybe some will think twice about what things they do in the field that could use improving. I have one instance of a professional geologist in the 1800's looking at outcrops in a railcut in England. A freight train approached. He thought it wise to exit the area until that train passed, so he stepped into a second set of tracks and was run over by a fast express train travelling the opposite direction. I guess he did not look both ways. Knowing and learning from this tragedy, I will remember it and if I ever find myself in a similar situation, will look both ways and instruct younger colleagues to do same. We did some dumb things years ago, and I don't want the death of a young colleague on my conscience. Regarding federal and state laws, I'm in Canada, so no worries. Also I am not trying to restrict collecting in any way; we rely on avocational paleontologists to report significant finds. They are our second, third, fourth, fifth, etc pair of eyes. I have learned much from the replies to this posting and hope to learn more. Enjoy your fossil hobby and/or profession and stay safe. Darren

[Harry Pristis]

Obfuscation is kinda' rare here.  So, we did get a glimpse of your safety advice:  "Look both ways before you cross [the railroad tracks]."  

One railroad casualty story is tragic, an accumulation of casualty stories seems macabre.  Most of us, I suspect, don't want to think too closely about a single death, much less be confronted with a bevy of 'em.

But, maybe you have a tactful, upbeat manner of presenting the macabre.  How about posting your angle grinder paper here so that we can assess your approach.  Just the notes or poster from your earlier presentation will be useful.

 

[Darren H. Tanke]

Here is the PowerPoint talk (no sound), but you get the idea. Several companies have used it, or parts thereof, for Health and Safety training of their own staff. For the record, I don't profess to be a formal trainer in the use of these tools (I have been unable to find one) - I just share my own good and negative experiences using these tools over a 42 year period, combined with those experiences of others in my line of work, and an extensive review of the medical literature. Compiling factual examples of accidents, injuries/deaths in industry, aviation, medicine, pathology or many other fields of work/activity is a common practice.  When you buy an angle grinder or rock saw, it does not come with an instruction book on how to use it properly. The project was inspired by a colleague who makes large stainless steel animal sculptures and restores antique cars- he had his forearm ripped open by an angle grinder blade that shattered. No nerve damage- he was lucky. There is a gore "fair warning" box in the bottom right before each gory picture. I was not after "Blood and guts" in this talk, but to shock my colleagues into reality as to what could also happen to them if they used the tools improperly which I have witnessed. The conference was in Utah. On the drive home we visited 5 museums or interpretive centres. I looked for angle grinder and rock saw use at each. 4 angle grinders had no guard which gives you about 1/4 inch more cutting depth. Is ones fingers or life worth that? The angle grinder/rock saw safety paper is still in progress so I can't share it here. PowerPoint talk: (99+) (PDF) Safe use of angle grinders and rock saws in the fossil preparation lab and field | Darren H. Tanke - Academia.edu

[Harry Pristis]

Thanks for posting the talk.  It was not useful in assessing your approach to "death while fossicking."  Let me summarize what you said for those who won't bother to download the talk:

-- Get proper training.

-- Be alert.

-- "...[E]xercise care and common sense to avoid possible disaster."

 

In fairness, you did have specific cautions about working with an angle grinder (and tangentially, a rock saw).  But, a similar, circumscribed subject does not exist for death in the field.  You would have to advise on such incidents as:  "rock falls, falling off cliffs, quicksand, drowning, tree falls, lightning strikes, murder, vehicle accidents, animal attacks,"  and don't forget dehydration, killer bees, and so on.  So, you'd have to pick one or two hazards (as in the angle grinder talk) to propose cautions.  And, maybe you could use a couple of grim illustrations.  But, I can't understand why you want to compile accounts of death and near-death experiences in the field.  Frankly, it sounds a bit creepy to me.

 

I think I have already cited the best overall approach to safety in the field:

 

-- Get proper training.

-- Be alert.

-- "...[E]xercise care and common sense to avoid possible disaster."

[FossilDAWG]

17 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said:

 

I think I have already cited the best overall approach to safety in the field:

 

-- Get proper training.

-- Be alert.

-- "...[E]xercise care and common sense to avoid possible disaster."

To which I'll add always let someone know where you will be and when you plan to return.  It would suck to be injured and eventually die of exposure because no-one knew you were even missing or where to start looking.

 

Don