The Dirty Dozen Pile Up

• More companies are making the list of some of the worst safety violators in the wake Workers Memorial Day.
• A company doing business in Las Vegas, Black Iron, is facing the ire of Nevada’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety violations and retaliating against employees who report them. It’s parent company, XL Concrete has over 20 violations over in nearly 10 years.
• The Boring Company working on projects in Las Vegas has major safety problems and has amassed thousands in fines, according the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
• Nevada’s OSHA called out the Boring Company for exposing employees to a chemical accelerant that they had to walk through, leading to burns on their arms.
• Other Companies making the list include Tyson Foods, Mar-Jac Poultry, and Waffle House.
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Worker Toppled by Zoo Animal

• A worker at a Michigan zoo, remains in critical condition after being injured by the actions of a Giraffe.
• The employee was working on a ladder at in a Giraffe enclosure, when he fell hitting his head. He is in the ICU with a traumatic brain injury.
• The stall was empty at the time, but it appears one of the other Giraffes wandered in. Deputies say that the employee toppled off the ladder when one of the Giraffes hit the ladder. The zoo currently has two Giraffes.
• The employee was cleaning the enclosure in the preparation for its opening on Memorial Day.
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EPA Follows OSHA

• The Environment Protection Agency is recognizing toxic chemical already regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
• The EPA has banned methylene, a chemical commonly used in paint thinner. It’s been connected to liver cancer and other health issues.
• It emits a toxic substance that is responsible for the deaths of 88 workers since 1988, according to the EPA. It would still be allowed in certain applications with strong worker protection in place.
• OSHA already has a rule in place regulating methylene, and there is some concern that it may cause confusion according to some industry groups.
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Correctional Officers Express Safety Concerns

• Staff and management are being called out for not addressing safety concerns at a correctional facility in North Carolina.
• The most recent incident occurred when an air duct fell from the ceiling while working and inmates were the unit, according to the union representing correctional officers.
• Management knew about the risk for years yet has done nothing about it, according to union reps.
• The union is calling upon the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to do a thorough inspection of the building.
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Worker Crushed

• A worker at a Minnesota plant was crushed to death by a cement mixing drum.
• The worker was reportedly doing some work while standing on a dolly that supported the mixer, when the dolly collapsed.
• Co-workers used a fork lift remove the drum, which weighed thousands of pounds, but were too late.
• The Occupational Safety of Health Administration has opened an investigation to determine whether safety standards were violated.
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Best Practices Buoy Construction

• The construction industry finds that consistently employing best practices can keep them there members at the top of their game, according to the latest information from a trade industry report.
• Members of the Associated Builders and Contractors show that their members are 576% safer than the Bureau of Labor and Statistics construction average, according to the 2024 Safety Performance Report.
• The success of its members come is the result of the a number of steps it takes to keep at peak safety performance including top management engagement and safety orientation for new hires.
• Members who followed the safety steps are nearly six times safer than the industry average, say industry experts.
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