Four killed in construction crane collapse in Seattle
Two workers in the cab of a crane were killed, as were two people in cars on the ground, when the crane fell at a building under construction on the new Google Seattle campus on Saturday. Investigators are seeking information from four companies: the general contractor; a subcontractor that physically disassembled the crane into pieces; a company that removed sections with a smaller crane; and the company that owned the tower crane. Seattle Times [with video]
One year after blast, concerns over safety at northern Wisconsin refinery
Just after 10 a.m. on April 26, 2018, an explosion ripped through the cracking unit of the Husky Energy refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, injuring 36 workers and launching shrapnel into a nearby asphalt tank. In separate investigations, both the Chemical Safety Board and Fed-OSHA found that the facility’s process hazard analysis did not consider the scenario that caused the explosion. The rebuilt cracking unit and much of the refinery won’t be operational until at least 2020 or 2021, company officials recently stated. Bemidji Pioneer
Connecticut worker killed in barn collapse
A 38-year-old Danbury, Connecticut man died Thursday after being trapped under debris at a nearly-collapsed barn in the town of Bethany. His employer reportedly was hired to replace roofing, remove excess materials, restore the structure of the barn and replace windows. Fed-OSHA is investigating. Connecticut Post
Man electrocuted at Texas power plant identified
Officials have identified the 56-year-old man who was fatally electrocuted at a Cherokee County, Texas power plant last week. Fed-OSHA is investigating. KLTV (Tyler, Texas)
Fed-OSHA hands down $75K in penalties for hazards at Alabama plant
Fed-OSHA has cited the owner of a Mobile, Alabama packaging manufacturing facility for exposing employees to caught-in and struck-by hazards. The company faces more than $75,100 in penalties. In one incident, an employee suffered a severe hand injury after being caught in a piece of equipment; in a separate incident, an employee sustained a finger laceration when struck by moving machine parts. Fox10 News (Mobile, Ala.)
Georgia worker dies in trench collapse
Fed-OSHA is investigating what caused a a 16-foot trench to collapse on a worker, killing him, at a subdivision construction site in DeKalb County, Georgia on Friday afternoon. Investigators reportedly told a reporter there was no trench box inside the hole when the collapse happened. WSB (Atlanta) [with video]
Nursing students: Violence cannot be accepted as ‘part of the job’
Nurses and other healthcare workers are increasingly dealing with aggression from patients, but until recently the problem has mostly been tolerated, underreported, and ignored, write Cara Haskins and Patricia Miller, masters nursing students. Roanoke Times