OSHA fines Rhode Island firm after worker dies

• Fed-OSHA determined that concrete contractor, John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete Inc., in East Freetown, Rhode Island, could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries by following required safety regulations.
• The worker was crushed between a conveyor and its frame while performing maintenance.
• OSHA concluded that John Oliveira & Sons instructed the employee to remove a soil screen on the conveyor, but failed to ensure the conveyor’s power source was disabled.
• OSHA investigators found that the company did not have an energy control program to isolate the conveyor’s power source and prevent an unintended startup, among other infractions.
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Pennsylvania lawmakers want to follow OSHA more closely

• A pair of bills in Pennsylvania would require municipalities to adopt workplace health and safety standards for public employees just like the private sector does through fed-OSHA.
• Senate Bill 93 and House Bill 299 would also provide “powers and duties of the Secretary of Labor and Industry; establish the Pennsylvania Occupational Safety and Health Review Board; provide for workplace inspections; and impose penalties” for municipal governments violating the standards.
• National Safety Council estimated that work-related deaths and injuries cost the nation, employers, and individuals $171 billion in 2019.
• However, it is unclear how much of that price tag is for public- vs. private-sector employees.
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Resorts facing fines after zip-line death

• Vail Resorts is being sued after the death of Scott Lewis, a zipline guide at Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont. The lawsuit involves four other companies, alleging equipment failure and safety negligence.
• Lewis, 53, of Stowe, was killed on September 23, 2021, while descending the 3,500-foot Perry Merrill section of a three-part ZipTour at the resort.
• An investigation revealed that a critical equipment failure led to the accident.
• The Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that Lewis, who was wearing a Garmin GPS tracking device, was traveling at 82mph when a piece of equipment failed during his descent.
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Possible more protection for miners

• A proposal by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration would cut the amount of silica dust that miners and other mineral workers can be exposed to during a full shift in half.
• Advocates claim the plan would provide greater protections and curb an increase in black lung that has impacted a new generation of workers.
• Public hearings are currently being held in Virginia, Colorado, and West Virginia.
• One in five central Appalachian miners who had worked at least 25 years were diagnosed with the disease as of 2018, the highest level in more than two decades, according to NIOSH.
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