Miners Ask West Virginia Supreme Court to Force Silica Dust Limits
- The United Mine Workers of America and 52 miners filed an emergency petition with the West Virginia Supreme Court on Oct. 29 asking it to order the state Board of Coal Mine Health and Safety to pass regulations limiting silica dust in coal mines.
- The petition describes miners, some as young as their 30s, developing pneumoconiosis from mining thin-seam coal, which requires cutting more sandstone.
- The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration passed a rule in 2024 limiting silica dust, set to take effect in 2025, but later delayed it indefinitely. Sam Petsonk, the miners’ attorney, said past state rules have pushed MSHA to follow suit: “That’s what, unfortunately, may have to happen at this time as well, given MSHA’s abandonment of the silica rule.”
- A West Virginia Supreme Court spokesman confirmed the case has been docketed and said it would likely be heard next year. The board’s administrator didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Aerospace Plant Worker Dies after Electrocution during Maintenance
- A 25-year-old employee of Tighitco, an aerospace and industrial manufacturer in Berlin, Connecticut, died after being electrocuted while performing maintenance on a piece of industrial equipment.
- Police and emergency medical crews responded around 8:12 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. First responders performed CPR and took him to a hospital, where he died the next day, Oct. 30.
- Police didn’t release the worker’s name, the type of equipment involved or other details about how the electrocution happened.
Roofing Company Fined $200K in Worker’s Fatal Fall through Roof
- Albatross Roofing Ltd. Edmonton, Canada pleaded guilty Nov. 2 in the Edmonton Court of Justice to one count under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of failing to ensure a worker’s health and safety.
- The company was fined $200,000, including the victim fine surcharge, and placed on two years of enhanced regulatory supervision that requires it to improve its health and safety systems.
- The worker fell through a roof to the floor below and died in December 2023 during a roof replacement project. The prime contractor, Calgary-based Arbutus Landscaping, pleaded guilty in August to failing to establish a system to ensure compliance with OHS laws and was ordered to pay $318,000 in fines.
- Albatross has up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalty.
Workers Hurt as Maintenance Vehicles Collide on Commuter Rail Tracks
- Two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority maintenance vehicles collided near a depot in Norwood, Massachusetts Nov. 2, according to Norwood police and fire officials.
- Six workers were taken to local hospitals with injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.
- The MBTA Transit Police are investigating the crash.
Juneau Dock Worker Pinned between Cargo Containers aboard Barge
- A worker suffered numerous “severe crush injuries” Nov. 2 when he was pinned between two cargo containers at the Alaska Marine Lines dock in Juneau, according to Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief Tom Hatley.
- “It sounded like the worker was working on the deck of the barge and the forklift driver didn’t see the individual,” Hatley said. “And when they pushed the container up against the other container it pinned the worker in between the two.”
- The worker was conscious and talking when responders arrived, had initial surgery at Bartlett Regional Hospital and was awaiting transport to a Seattle hospital Monday morning.