Mystery Illness Hits Two More Smurfit Mill Workers in Virginia
- Less than a week after 16 contractors were treated for nausea and mild symptoms after working at Smurfit Westrock Covington Mill in Covington, Virginia, two more workers were treated for similar symptoms on Oct. 20.
- The cause of their symptoms is unknown. A Smurfit Westrock spokesperson said there is no confirmed hydrogen sulfide gas leak at the facility.
- Federal records show the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has had an active investigation into the mill since July 14, and its investigation into last week’s incident is ongoing. OSHA records also show the company was fined more than $31,000 for two health violations last year.
- Residents say there had been chemical issues at the mill in the past.
Second Worker Dies After Explosion at Intel Factory in Israel
- A second worker died Oct. 15 after an explosion at Intel’s Kiryat Gat factory in southern Israel the day before, raising the death toll to two. A 49-year-old man died at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba despite prolonged resuscitation efforts. A gas technician was pronounced dead Oct. 14, and a third victimremains in serious condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit, sedated and on a ventilator.
- Police suspect a gas cylinder exploded while trucks were being unloaded. Kiryat Gat police commander Shai Aleli said one truck unloaded material into tanks, and after it disconnected and a second truck connected, the explosion occurred.
- The blast sparked a fire and a leak of nitrogen trifluoride, a nonflammable but toxic gas that poses serious inhalation risks.
- Aleli said investigators had not established whether criminal activity or negligence was involved.
Survey: 86% of Companies Exploring or Using AI in Workplace Safety, ASSP Report Finds
- A new report from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) found 86% of companies are exploring or implementing artificial intelligence strategies for environmental, health and safety (EHS) work, and for 66% of them the effort began within the past two years. “Exploring” means researching the technology or piloting programs. The report is based on a survey of nearly 1,000 safety professionals conducted July 6 to Aug. 2.
- Companies are using AI for report development, tailored education and training, incident analysis and pattern recognition, resource optimization, predictive analytics, automated compliance and real-time monitoring and alerts.
- Barriers cited by more than half of respondents include low resource investment (74%), data quality (62%), lack of ownership or organizational priority (59%), mistrust or lack of confidence (55%) and concerns about data privacy, security or bias (55%). Data quality remained a challenge at every stage, and training was associated with stronger AI knowledge and confidence.
- ASSP President Monique Parker said human oversight remains essential and AI does not change the fundamental responsibility to protect people, property and the environment. ASSP said the findings will inform its Standards-Based User Group on AI in Safety.