OSHA rules for firefighters prompt worries

• OSHA proposed new standards for fire departments around safety and these changes are being discussed by fire rescue squads at Hudson Valley Community College in New York.
• Some of the proposed rules have already been covered by local departments such as smoke detectors in living quarters.
• Fire officials worry how some updated health protections, such as replacing old or damaged equipment, will affect smaller departments.
• They’re concerned the changes will impose financial equipment training restrictions, or requirements, on fire departments across the country.
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More info released on roller coaster accident

• New details have emerged about what led to the high-profile break in the support beam of Carowinds’ largest roller coaster in North Carolina last summer.
• Fury 325 was shut down after a park visitor reported seeing a cracked beam as a cart full of passengers were on the tracks. Carowinds inspects all of its rides daily but the visitor’s report was how the park learned of the problem.
• A video of the damage was posted on social media. No one was injured before one of the world’s tallest and most popular roller coasters was shut down.
• The N.C. Department of Labor, which has jurisdiction over the Charlotte theme park that crosses the state line into South Carolina, released a series of documents to the Observer for a public records request from last summer for records related to the case.
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Crane crashed into condominiums

• OSHA is investigating after a condominium was damaged after a crane collapse in Norwood, Massachusetts.
• Firefighters used two cranes to remove the boom that was resting on the roof after the crane tipped over around 12:30 p.m. and the boom came crashing down onto the building.
• Investigators say the crane operator was able to get out on his own and none of the residents were injured.
• Inspectors are determining which condos are safe to live in. Residents say the roof has been under construction for months and the project was just about completed.
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Improvements being made at 3M

• A 3M plant in Wisconsin continues to make safety-related improvements and investments designed to prevent incidents after a worker was killed.
• OSHA issues willful citations only when it believes a company shows “intentional disregard” or “plain indifference” to worker safety.
•  3M did a corporate-wide review and determined that machine rollers were hazards needing safety improvements weeks and months after the worker was killed.
• 3M’s Prairie du Chien, Wis.,  plant had no work safety violations in at least a decade before the accident, according to OSHA.
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