Thousands evacuated after a Wisconsin refinery explosion, MSHA issues a final rule on mine examinations and NIOSH tests a fall prevention mast climbing platform. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.
Six injured in Husky Energy refinery explosion
April 27, 2018
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has dispatched a four-person investigative team from to the scene of yesterday’s explosions and fire at a Husky Energy oil refinery in Superior, Wisconsin. Eleven people were initially reported injured in the blast, which occurred as workers were shutting the refinery down in preparation for a five-week turnaround.
Construction worker killed on Indiana University project
April 27, 2018
A construction accident at Indiana University (IU) Wednesday afternoon claimed the life of a contract worker. Sources say William Brown Jr. was killed when a large piece of limestone fell on him.
ASSE to bestow honor of Fellow on Deborah Roy
April 26, 2018
A woman whose safety career began as an occupational health nurse and who ultimately transitioned to being a corporate executive on the leading edge of safety initiatives has received the honor of Fellow from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).
Mining exam rule amended by MSHA
April 26, 2018
After industry objections to several provisions of the Examinations of Working Places in Metal and Nonmetal Mines final rule issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the agency has published a final rule that includes changes to the provisions.
Honeywell recalls two hard hat models
April 26, 2018
Honeywell is recalling its Fibre-Metal E2 and North Peak A79 hard hats due to their potential for failing to protect users from impact, posing a risk of head injury. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled hard hats and contact Honeywell to receive a product credit or voucher equal to the purchase price of the recalled hard hat.
Amazon, Tesla named to most unsafe employers list
Case Farms in North Carolina had 74 OSHA violations per 1,000 employees
April 26, 2018
The top online retailer in the world is also tops at being an unsafe employer, according to the “Dirty Dozen” list released yesterday by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH).
A Confined Space blog post
Weekly Toll: Workers Memorial Day Week Edition
April 25, 2018
Nashville police have released the names four people who were shot and killed Sunday morning after a gunman opened fire on a Waffle House in Antioch. Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, of Goodlettsville was an employee of the Waffle House. He was fatally wounded standing outside the restaurant. Police say Travis Reinking, 29, used an AR-15 assault-style rifle in the attack.
Faulty forklift nets company big fine
"Employer ignored employee concerns"
April 25, 2018
A farm supply company faces more than a quarter million dollars in penalties for failing to take a malfunctioning forklift out of service, despite employees’ complaints about faulty brakes. OSHA has cited Rural King Supply Inc., for failing to maintain forklifts properly at its Xenia, Ohio facility. Proposed penalties are $258,672.
Workers tested for flammable atmosphere, but...
April 25, 2018
A company’s failure to realize that welding work was being done near flammable materials was behind a fatal explosion, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which has released its final investigation report into the February 8, 2017, blast at the Packaging Corporation of America’s (PCA’s) DeRidder, Louisiana, pulp and paper mill.
Global navigation satellite systems can enhance logging safety
April 25, 2018
With the first satellite launch in the late 70s, the U.S. global positioning system (GPS) expanded our technological boundaries. Today’s global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) include GPS and newer, similar systems that transmit location and time information from satellites in space to receivers on Earth.
3 ways stress takes a toll on your body
April 24, 2018
Did the latest challenge at work bring on a tightening in your stomach? Does constant worry about a loved one’s health make you physically ill yourself? Everyone at some point feels the effects of stress. Not everyone deals with stress in the best way, though. “Often stressed-out people seek relief through alcohol, tobacco or drugs, but that just makes matters worse,” says Richard Purvis, a health and wellness practitioner.
ASSE names its Safety Professional of the Year
April 24, 2018
Tim Page-Bottorff, a highly respected safety trainer, mentor and motivational speaker who is often called a “public utilities safety guru,” is the American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) 2018 Edgar Monsanto Queeny Safety Professional of the Year. He has taken a variety of innovative steps to advance the safety and health profession while being influential with safety training for school-age children, encouraging them to consider safety as a fun and meaningful career.
School bus crashes in the spotlight at NTSB meeting
April 24, 2018
School bus safety will the focus of a National Transportation Safety Board meeting next month to consider the Special Investigation Report based on the investigation of two 2016 school bus crashes. On Nov. 1st in Baltimore, Maryland, a city school bus crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a commuter bus, killing six people.
European workers want a work-life balance directive
April 24, 2018
A proposal for a European directive on work-life balance for parents and caregivers is getting strong support from the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which says it would benefit society socially and economically and encourage more women to enter the labor market.
How to cope with insomnia caused by rude co-workers
April 23, 2018
If you’ve had a bad day at work thanks to rude colleagues, doing something fun and relaxing after you finish your workday could net you a better night’s sleep. That was the key finding of research that appears in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology®, published by the American Psychological Association.
Manager fired for reporting e-cigarette environmental concerns will get $110K
April 23, 2018
E-cigarettes are at the heart of a recent whistleblower retaliation case, but this time, the devices’ effects on environmental health rather than human health was at issue. OSHA has ordered Mr. Good Vape LLC of Chino, California, to reinstate a former manager and pay him $110,000 in compensation after he was fired for claiming the company’s production of flavored liquids for e-cigarette vapor inhalers violated federal environmental law.
Smoking sharply increases stroke risk for younger men
April 23, 2018
Men under 50 who smoked were more likely to have a stroke, and their risk increased with the number of cigarettes they smoked, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke. An increasing number of young adults are suffering ischemic stroke, which is the most common stroke type.
From NIOSH:
Freestanding mast-climbing work platform remains stable during fall arrest, if properly used
April 23, 2018
If you have seen a construction site recently, you may have noticed workers standing on elevated equipment that resembles scaffolding, except with only one platform level for workers. With its ship-like mast, this equipment is aptly called a mast-climbing work platform, or mast climber for short.
