Serious injuries & fatalities (sifs) - Articles - Page 37

Blankenship blames UBB tragedy on MSHA

September 12, 2017

After spending a year in prison on charges related to one of the nation’s worst mining disasters, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship has taken to TV to plead his innocence. In a series of television ads running in West Virginia, Blankenship, who was convicted of conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards, is now blaming the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster that killed 29 miners.

Va. State Police chopper turned right, descended rapidly before crash

September 6, 2017

The cause of the fatal Virginia State Patrol helicopter crash in Charlottesville, Virginia has not yet been determined, although investigators have been able to rule out a few possibilities as they examine the wreckage.

Op-Ed piece

Southern construction study shows deficiency in labor conditions

Dennis Donahou

September 1, 2017

Construction activity in the southern United States is booming. In Texas and Tennessee alone, construction now generates more dollars annually than it did before the Great Recession. In Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, construction spending is rapidly approaching pre-recession levels.

A Confined Space blog post

Weekly Toll: OSHA won't tell you who died in the workplace. We will

Jordan Barab

August 29, 2017

Last week in the workplace: Of note, three fatalities related to forklifts. Also, while OSHA removes workplace fatalities from its homepage and buries them on their website without victims’ names, you’ll continue to find them here.

A Confined Space blog post

OSHA covers up workplace fatalities

Jordan Barab

August 28, 2017

Two weeks ago, OSHA gained new political leadership in Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt. And now we’re seeing the first impact of the Trump-Acosta-Sweatt regime at OSHA: A brazen attempt to hide from the American public the extent of workplace fatalities in this country.

A Confined Space blog post

5 killed in Tampa: Playing with fire and workers’ lives

Jordan Barab

August 21, 2017

The Tampa Bay Times has published a fascinating and tragic investigative piece on the June 29, 2017 incident where five workers at Tampa Electric — Michael McCort, 60, Christopher Irvin, 40; Frank Lee Jones, 55, Antonio Navarrete, 21, and Amando J. Perez, 56 — lost their lives at the Big Bend Power Station after management forced them to do a procedure that they knew was hazardous.

A Confined Space blog post

No excuse: Confined spaces continue to kill

Jordan Barab

August 7, 2017

I wrote a few weeks ago about the death of three workers in a confined space incident where the initial worker passed out and two would-be rescuers died attempting to rescue the original victim.

A Confined Space blog post

Weekly Toll: And Congress wants to cut OSHA’s enforcement budget?

Jordan Barab

August 2, 2017

FARGO, ND — A contract worker painting stripes on the runway of Hector International Airport was killed in a collision with an SUV early Monday, July 31, 2017, said Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of the Fargo Airport Authority. The name of the worker has not yet been released.

Pa. miner killed by his own bulldozer

August 1, 2017

A Pennsylvania mine worker died last week after being run over by his own bulldozer. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is working with local officials to determine just how the accident occurred.

NTSB: A watchman’s warning not enough to prevent train accidents

2 workers killed by a train in SD

August 1, 2017

The National Transportation Safety Board today issued a Safety Alert warning rail workers of the risks of working on the tracks using only a watchman/lookout to provide the train approach warning. Safety Alert 066 was prompted in part by the deaths of two rail workers who were struck and killed by a train in Edgemont, South Dakota, Jan. 17, 2017.