Explosion prompts proposed fine from OSHA

• OSHA fined a manufacturing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, for a deadly explosion last fall.
• Adriana Alvarez was killed in an explosion at the Hornady Manufacturing plant on Oct. 13, 2023.
• The explosion happened in the chemical compound building at the Hornady plant, which is about four miles northwest of Alda on the site of the old Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant. Authorities said two other employees were injured.
• The explosion occurred during the mixing process of the primer compound and OSHA proposed $12,676 in fines for various infractions.
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North Carolina investigating carbon monoxide in state office

• The North Carolina Department of Labor is investigating four complaints of possible carbon monoxide exposure at the Durham County Human Services building in downtown Durham.
• A spokesperson for the DOL says the complaints were filed between Jan. 18 and Feb. 8 of this year.
• A total of 12 employees have filed a workers’ compensation claim among the approximate 700 employees working in the HHS building, according to a county spokesperson.
• Workers have been suffering for weeks, if not months, from nausea, headaches, fatigue and even fainting in the office.
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More safety trouble for SpaceX

• Elon Musk’s SpaceX was fined $3,600 by OSHA after an employee nearly lost a limb at one of its facilities this month.
• The incident at its Redmond, Washington, facility occurred when a roll of material fell, crushing a staff member’s foot. The inspectors described the resulting injury as a near amputation.
• More than 600 previously unreported injuries at SpaceX facilities since 2014. The average injury rates at its three sites far outpaced those across the wider space industry.
• Last month, the company was sued over negligence claims by the wife of a technician whose skull was fractured during a rocket malfunction in January 2022.
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Fatal work injuries rise in Mississippi

• Fatal work injuries totaled 78 in 2022 for Mississippi, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
• Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Mississippi was up from the previous year.
• Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 128 in 1995 and 1999 to a low of 41 in 2021.
• Nationwide, a total of 5,486 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2022, a 5.7-percent increase from 5,190 in 2021, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
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