Explosion at fireworks factory burns three workers

OSHA has cited Global Pyrotechnic Solutions Inc., a fireworks manufacturer in Dittmer, Missouri, for 25 serious and six other-than-serious safety violations after three workers suffered burns caused by an explosion at the company's facility in March.

The employees were transported to local hospitals, and two were treated for serious burns and released. The third employee, who suffered third-degree burns, was hospitalized for…Read more>>

AEM publishes updated truck-mounted forklift safety manual

TheAssociation of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has updated its Truck-Mounted Forklift Safety Manual to provide machine operators, maintenance personnel and others on the jobsite with up-to-date industry safety and maintenance information.

The 48-page manual outlines some of the basic safety situations that may be encountered during normal operation and maintenance of the machine and suggests…Read more>>

NFL commits $30 million to medical research for sports-related medical problems

With increasing attention being given to the effects of concussion and other brain injuries on athletes, the National Football League (NFL) is donating $30 million to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) fund research on serious medical conditions prominent in athletes. This is the largest…Read more>>

Monroe Muffler hits the brakes on hydraulic lift hazards

Monro Muffler Brake Inc., which operates a chain of more than 800 stores that provide automotive repair and tire services throughout the eastern United States, has reached an enterprise-wide settlement agreement with OSHA in which it will institute procedures to protect its workers against being crushed or struck by automotive hydraulic lifts.

In September 2011, OSHA cited the company's Stoughton location for improperly inspecting and maintaining hydraulic lifts, as well as other…Read more>>

Near-misses on ground inspire calls for anti-collision equipment on planes

Passengers traveling on Boeing 747s and other large planes probably don’t realize that their pilot cannot see the airplane’s wingtips from the cockpit unless he opens the cockpit window and sticks his head out of it.

That design deficiency – which may have been a factor in several recent instances of airplanes colliding while taxiing -- has prompted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to recommend that large aircraft be equipped with…Read more>>

Report: Use of staffing companies endangers worker safety

A report compiled on the dismal safety records of staffing agencies used by Chicagoland companies is just “the tip of the iceberg,” according to the public health researcher who crunched the numbers and interviewed the workers .

Because staffing agencies are held responsible for worker injuries, the client companies who use their services have little incentive to make their workplaces safe, says Sohni Choudhary, of the University of Illinois School of Public Health…Read more>>