Two fall, one fatally, at Nebraska poultry plant

Authorities say two workers fell from basket about 40 feet in the air at a chicken processing plant in Fremont, Nebraska Thursday morning. A 56-year-old-man died in the fall, while his 26-year-old coworker was hospitalized. Fed-OSHA reportedly is investigating. KPTM (Omaha)

 

Ag: Increased grain bin hazards can result from recent floods

In the wake of the recent flooding in the Midwest, it’s important to remember that the safety risks inherent to working with grain and grain bins are even higher once they are damaged by floodwaters. NTV

 

OR-OSHA investigating deadly fall at solar panel facility

Oregon OSHA is investigating the death of a worker who reportedly fell from stairs at a Hillsboro, Oregon solar panel manufacturing plant and succumbed several days later to head trauma. The man’s mother says it was his first day on the job. KPTV (Portland) [with video]

 

Michigan: Agencies differ over cause of worker’s death

Detroit Police and the county medical examiner declared the June 2017 death of a 46-year-old electrician working on the construction of Little Caesars Arena an accident, but Michigan OSHA deemed it a suicide, along with with other workers who say he appeared to have intentionally jumped from a height of seven stories. Safety experts say MIOSHA’s decision to overrule its own inspector raises questions about whether regulators are putting big business ahead of workers. Detroit Free Press [with video]

 

New Jersey man dies after being pinned under piece of equipment

A 58-year-old man was killed after he was pinned under a piece of equipment Thursday morning at a Jackson, New Jersey statewide masonry manufacturing company. Police last week were not sure what the piece of equipment was. Fed-OSHA is investigating; according to the agency’s reports, a man was struck and killed at the company’s North Arlington loading yard in October 2017. Asbury Park Press

 

Ventilation, other failures reportedly caused toxic gas leak at Iowa police academy

Iowa OSHA has determined that a series of infrastructure failures caused a toxic gas leak at an Iowa police academy residence hall in November that sickened dozens of recruits and was potentially fatal. IOSH cited the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in February for exposing 77 recruits to unsafe levels of carbon monoxide and for not having an effective ventilation system at the facility in Johnston. One officer reportedly suffered exposure levels that were more than eight times the amount deemed unsafe. Washington Post

 

North Carolina: Chatham County earns statewide safety awards

For the sixth straight year, Chatham County received several top awards from the NC Department of Labor for outstanding safety practices. To qualify, the county had to verify for each award that the department had no fatalities and maintained an incident rate at least 50 percent below the average for its industry group. Chatham Journal Newspaper