Deadliest Catch Not as Deadly
- Commercial fishing deaths in Alaska declined at a rate of 57% from 2013 to 2022, according to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council
- The state had 88 fishing fatalities from 2013 to 2022, which accounted for slightly over a third of the nation’s fishing-related deaths during the period, per the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
- The decline in Alaska fatalities mirrors a national trend.
- Although there are year-to-year fluctuations, nationally the rate of fishing fatalities has declined by about 42% since 2009.
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Training and supervision issues cited in compactor fatality
- A 28-year-old employee climbed inside a trash compactor to clear out a piece of rebar at the Chancellor Convenience Center’s station No. 5 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He never made it out.
- The machine activated while Brandon Nutter was still inside and he was killed by the compactor.
- The county now faces nearly $300,000 in OSHA fines for violations related to the incident.
- The booth operator told a detective that he had no formal training to do the job.
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Amazon twice as dangerous as other warehouses?
- A union report alleges that Amazon warehouses are twice as hazardous than the rest of the industry.
- The Strategic Organizing Center, using Fed-OSHA data, says Amazon had 6.6 serious injuries for every 100 employees in 2022, more than twice the industry rate of 3.2/100.
- Amazon’s serious injury rate actually fell slightly last year, but overall injuries increased.
- The online retail giant says SOC’s findings “paint an inaccurate picture.
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Ship with history of safety violations moored
- A 77-year-old fishing ship with a reputation for pollution and safety violations has been docked on the Foss Waterway in Tacoma since August after smashing into a private pier.
- The owner said he doesn’t know when it will leave.
- In July, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation was opened but was delayed when the ship left Alaska for Seattle.
- OSHA cited the ship’s owner for 20 violations, including 17 listed as serious, and proposed $208,983 in fines.
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