New Jersey firm faces major penalties for mishandling chemicals

• A transportation company is facing $437,860 in federal penalties after an investigation by OSHA found workplace safety and health hazards at its Paulsboro site.
• OSHA initiated its inspection of Dana Container in July 2023 in response to an employee complaint that alleged safety and health deficiencies. The agency cited the company for one willful violation because they did not properly maintain safety data sheets for chemicals, including corrosives.
• Three repeat violations involved chemical container labels that were not updated and, therefore, workers were not made aware of the names of new chemicals; eyewash stations that were not properly maintained; and medical evaluations that were not conducted for workers before respirator use.
• OSHA previously cited Dana Container in 2019 and 2023 for similar violations. Four serious citations were also issued because the company failed to inspect hoists, establish a written hazard communication program, and ensure safety requirements were met using a lifeline fall protection system.
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Navigating workplace violence in New York

• The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in July 2022 that from 2014 to 2019, the number of workplace homicides in the United States increased by 11 percent.
• In response, a bill recently introduced in the New York State Senate would require retail employers in New York to assess workplace violence hazards and develop and implement comprehensive written workplace violence plans.
• States are increasingly addressing workplace violence prevention, with at least twelve states having enacted workplace violence prevention laws or adopted regulations applicable to healthcare settings.
• OSHA has also taken steps to develop a workplace violence prevention standard for healthcare settings.
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Drywall company faces fines after exposing workers to trips and falls

• A federal workplace investigation has found that a drywall contractor in Homestead, Florida, could have prevented a hoisting incident in July 2023 by following required safety regulations. A 22-year-old worker suffered a fatal head injury following the incident.
• Investigators with OSHA determined that a scaffold pulley system failed while workers were hoisting buckets of concrete at a Stucco Works Inc. residential construction site in Miami Beach. As a result, the hoist arm of the pulley system detached from the scaffold and struck one worker across the head.
• OSHA also found two other-than-serious violations after determining the company exposed workers to trips and fall hazards while they worked around cluttered materials and debris stored throughout the work area.
• The employer also failed to maintain OSHA injury and illness records.
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Injured worker files lawsuit after striking gas main

• A man filed a lawsuit against Stake Center Locating LLC in Illinois and Ameren Illinois, alleging he was thrown from the machinery he was operating at a construction site after striking an unmarked gas line.
• The defendants were negligent in their duty to locate and mark utility lines at specified premises before excavation work was carried out, according to the complaint.
• As a result of the alleged negligence, Miller was injured when the machinery he was operating struck an unmarked gas line. The incident resulted in injuries to his right knee, right elbow, left wrist, and left thumb.
• The plaintiffs are seeking damages over the jurisdictional limits of all inferior trial courts. They are represented by attorney Aaron Sanders of Kolker Law Firm.
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