Occupational Safety

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In the past few months, the communication tower industry has experienced an alarming increase in the number of injuries and fatalities occurring at communication tower worksites. As of September 3, 2013, there have been a total of 14 incidents, which is more than the last two years combined. OSHA is aware that there has been an acceleration in communication tower work during the past year due to cellular infrastructure upgrades, and the Agency is concerned about the possibility of future incidents.

A maintenance worker fell to his death Jan. 31 from a cell tower in Cameron County, Texas. The next day, a cell phone tower collapsed in Clarksburg, W.Va. Minutes later a second tower at the same Clarksburg site also fell. The collapse of these two towers resulted in the deaths of two workers and a firefighter responding to the scene, and sent two other employees to the hospital with serious injuries.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has announced the recipients of the 2014 AIHA awards, which honor individuals who provide significant contributions to the industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety profession.

For the second consecutive year, crimes including assault, robbery, theft, burglary and rape have increased, according to a recent National Crime Victimization Survey published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The two-year ascension ends a two-decade decline.

A 32-year-old worker at a wire mesh manufacturer died in August of last year because machine guarding had been disabled, according to an OSHA investigation. Florida-based Wire Mesh Sales LLC has been cited for dozens of safety violations and faces penalties of $697,700 in connection with the fatality.

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against AT&T in Ohio after an OSHA investigation found that  the company suspended 13 workers because they reported injuries.

An SCSR is a lifesaving device that miners depend upon in times of emergency to escape from a hazardous environment within the mine. To keep this important device functioning reliably, daily inspections and upkeep become a ‘life or death’ matter. Though you may consider this to be a high-maintenance relationship, it is worth the necessary attention.

An alarming uptick in the number of fatal falls in the cell tower industry has resulted in OSHA reaching out to the National Association of Tower Erectors and other industry stakeholders with safety reminders. The agency has launched a new Web page with educational resources about communication towers and distributed the following letter earlier this week:

A chemical fire that left an employee at a flavoring manufacturing facility led to 19 serious safety and health violations against Carol Callahan, doing business as Natural Advantage. The incident occurred in August 2013 at the company’s Oakdale, Louisiana facility. Proposed penalties total $91,000.

If a worker is injured slipping from a ladder while accessing an electrical panel, does this incident warrant more training on the employee’s part on how to properly use a ladder or does it call into question larger organizational issues that should be addressed?