Weekly news round-up
A train accident in North Carolina, the value of a limb varies from state to state and psychologically healthy workplaces were among the EHS- and public safety-related stories posted on ISHN.com this week.
Workers, Indiana casino, battle over health care
A dispute coming to a head in East Chicago, Indiana shines a spotlight on the affordable health care issue – but not in terms of Obamacare. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., which purchased Ameristar Casino last year, is attempting to replace the current health care plan with one that charges employees up to $4,000 per year in payroll deductions for family coverage.
American Express is tops
The American Psychological Association will recognize six employers for their efforts to promote employee well-being and organizational performance at its 10th annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, March 14, 2015.
Motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the U.S. in 2012, accounting for 25% of deaths. Truck drivers accounted for 46% of these deaths.
American Psychological Association to recognize psychologically healthy workplaces
CDC: 14 percent of truck drivers often don’t wear seat belts
OSHA this week published a final rule finalizing procedures for handling whistleblower retaliation complaints filed under Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The SOX Act protects employees who report fraudulent activities and violations of Securities Exchange Commission rules that can harm investors in publicly traded companies.
If his employer had protected him properly as he worked in a 12-foot-deep trench to connect a new home's plumbing to the main sewer line, 31-year-old LeDonte McCruter could have returned home at day's end to spend time with the young nieces and nephews he adored.
Trains colliding with other trains, trucks and cars are high profile stories – especially within the last month or so. When trains collide with people, the results can be even deadlier, yet such accidents tend not to garner as much media coverage as the other kind.
A ProPublica report:
By Michael Grabell and Howard Berkes
At the time of their accidents, Jeremy Lewis was 27, Josh Potter 25. The men lived within 75 miles of each other. Both were married with two children about the same age. Both even had tattoos of their children’s names.
"These workers were essentially defenseless”
Employees at a Wallingford, Conn. freight shipping terminal faced dangerous chemical, fire and explosion hazards on Oct. 6, 2014, as they tried to contain a highly flammable and explosive chemical spill without proper training and personal protective equipment, OSHA investigators have determined.
OSHA is suing the owner of a Bronx, NY hair salon for firing a worker who warned her fellow employees about the dangers of formaldehyde – an ingredient in many professional hair styling products.
Tractor-trailer slowed by oversized load
A collision between an Amtrak train and a tractor-trailer yesterday in North Carolina injured dozens of passengers. There were no fatalities. A spokesman for the state’s Department of Transportation said the locomotive and baggage car of the train derailed during the accident, which occurred at a crossing.
The death of a 27-year-old camera assistant on a movie set in rural Georgia has resulted in a jail sentence for the film’s director. The two year sentence for Randall Miller came after Miller pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing in a plea deal that got charges dropped against his wife and business partner, Jody Savin.
As part of its ongoing investigation into last week’s accident at LaGuardia Airport where Delta Air Lines flight 1086 veered off the runway shortly after touching down, the NTSB today released its second investigative update.
An Auburn, Ala.-based contractor exposed workers to dangerous cave-in hazards and failed to use safety measures to prevent excavation collapse, OSHA inspectors found, in an investigation conducted as part of the agency’s National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation.
OSHA announces final rule on handling retaliation complaints
Trench collapse buries and kills Ala. day laborer
NTSB to hold forum on the dangers of railroad trespassing
How much is your arm worth? Depends on where you work
Cleaning up toxic chemicals without PPE
Hair salon hazard warnings get worker fired
Amtrak train hits truck at North Carolina crossing
Movie set death leads to prison sentence
NTSB issues update on LaGuardia accident investigation
Ala. workers exposed to cave-in hazards
Investigators over the weekend began interviewing crew members of the Delta Air Lines plane that slid off a runway at LaGuardia Airport last week, resulting in minor injuries to passengers and a major – if temporary – shutdown of the airport.
After a worker was killed in September 2014 by electrocution at Seldat Distribution Inc. in Dayton, N.J., OSHA investigators found 10 serious violations at the warehouse. The fatality was caused by an improperly wired, powered conveyer system.
NTSB opens investigation into LaGuardia accident
Warehouse worker electrocuted in 'preventable tragedy'
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