OSHA has cited Maryland-based contractor Power Factor LLC for exposing workers to electrical hazards after an employee was fatally electrocuted while installing solar panels on a building in Fort Riley, Kansas.
Inspectors determined that the employee was hoisting a metal rail that came into contact with energized overhead power lines.
The circumstances surrounding an accident Monday that claimed the life of a young auto dealership employee have not yet been disclosed by official sources, although a local television station reported seeing a badly damaged bay door at the facility following the fatality.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released this week show that the incidence rate for non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the meat and poultry packing and processing industry reached an all-time industry low.
OSHA has cited Thiele Dairy in Clearwater, Nebraska for failing to develop and implement safety and health programs related to grain bin entry after an employee suffered fatal injuries.
OSHA inspectors determined that an operating sweep auger lacerated an employee's leg as he attempted to remove corn from inside a grain bin at the dairy.
Nearly three workers die every week (as calculated over a five-year period) from exposure to electricity – a total of 739 deaths during that period. One-fifth of the victims were self-employed. Most fatalities (417) were caused by direct exposure to electricity, such as touching a live wire.
A starkly worded tweet from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) spelled out the fate of a construction worker buried under rubble last Wednesday: “The incident is transitioning from a rescue to a recovery.” The tweet came after first responders dug for three hours in heavy rain through a mixture of mud and concrete for hours in an effort to find the worker who disappeared when a retaining wall cracked and collapsed.
An explosion at a Gatesville, Texas, hospital addition project killed one construction worker, 43-year-old Michael Bruggman, and injured 15 others, according to KWTX. Ten of those injured at Coryell Memorial Healthcare System were in critical condition at one point.
One firefighter is dead and six others hospitalized after battling a massive natural gas explosion in Wisconsin yesterday. One civilian was treated and released.
Two public outreach campaigns this month aim to reduce work-related vehicle accidents – the number one cause of occupational fatalities. In keeping with the National Safety Council’s (NSC) designation of April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the organization is offering a free webinar, “Engaging Ways to Address Distracted Driving at Work,” on April 19, 2018.
The day set aside each year to honor workers who have died on the job or because of the job is fast approaching, and a variety of events related to it are being finalized.
Workers' Memorial Day is observed every year on April 28 – the day OSHA was established in 1971. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their workers.
