Brockton Hospital fined after worker killed

• OSHA is concluding its investigation into a construction accident at Brockton Hospital that killed a worker from Cape Cod last summer.
• Sixty-three-year-old Roger Porter of Sandwich was reportedly struck by a Bobcat loader on June 13.
• OSHA said the general contractor, LMA Services of Stoughton, could have prevented the death if it had trained workers on the safe operation of heavy equipment.
• The company should have “followed required safety regulations and trained workers on the safe operation of heavy equipment at a Brockton work site and was assessed $142,000 in penalties.
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Being prepared for workplace violence

• While there are currently no specific OSHA standards for workplace violence, OSHA recommends that employers train their workforce on workplace violence prevention and incorporate it into a safety and health program or employee handbook.
• Certain employers are also at higher risk for workplace violence due to the nature of their customers: healthcare and social service workers and late-night retail, such as bars, convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants.
• OSHA recommends that any workplace violence prevention program should establish a clear written policy for workplace violence, both verbal and non-verbal threats and related actions, and train employees on it.
• Encourage workers to promptly report incidents, suggest ways to reduce or eliminate risk, and ensure that no one who reports it will face reprisals.
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Virginia firm fined after inmate killed

• A manufacturing facility in Winchester, Va., is facing $35,000 in fines by state health and safety regulators following the workplace death of a 40-year-old Frederick County man last June, according to Virginia OSHA.
• Jason William McBride, an inmate at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center, was working at Shockey Precast on Stine Lane in Frederick County as part of a work release program when he was struck by a slab of concrete.
• He died on the scene as a result of his injuries.
• Metromont, LLC, did not ensure that the crane operator never lost visual contact with the groundsman by the crane operator’s manual, investigators said.
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Amazon worker dies in frigid conditions

• An Amazon worker died at a fulfillment center in St. Thomas, Ontario, following a fire alarm evacuation that saw employees sent into dangerously cold conditions.
• The worker, along with several other employees, spent about 45 minutes in the break room warming up before returning to their workstations.
• The deceased employee collapsed for unknown reasons near a water cooler by his workstation.
• In a statement emailed to Canadian Occupational Safety, Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel says workers were provided everything needed to stay safe.
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