Virginia crane collapse injures worker
Investigators are looking into yesterday’s partial crane collapse at a downtown Charlottesville, Virginia office space construction site. City officials say a worker suffered a compound fracture of his leg in the incident. NBC29 [with video]
Fed-OSHA cites Bureau of Prisons for violence risks at Miami facility
Citing two examples of inmate violence at the institution, Fed-OSHA in late November issued a citation to a Bureau of Prisons facility for unsafe working conditions at a low-security Miami federal correctional institution. According to a Labor Department spokesperson, it is the first time OSHA has cited the Bureau of Prisons for such violations. GovExec
Neighbors of Alabama pallet manufacturer say their complaints of health, safety hazards ignored
Residents who live near a Montgomery, Alabama pallet and box construction company have complained for years about dust, rodents and fire hards, but the city’s attempts to regulate the company’s practices have been futile. After fires, fines, citations and community meetings, many residents are asking why problems still persist. Montgomery Advertiser
South Carolina workplace deaths rose in 2018
The number of workplace deaths in South Carolina increased by 10 in 2018, to 98. Transportation incidents remained the most frequent occupational fatality, with violence and other injuries by persons or animals, and falls, slips and trips following. SCNow
Oregon: Construction safety summit in Bend
A two-day training conference in Bend, Oregon on January 27-28 will focus on the safety and health of workers in residential, commercial, and industrial construction. The Mid-Oregon Construction Safety Summit will address topics including fall protection, personal protective equipment, silica hazards and electrical safety. KTVZ (Bend, Ore.)
New safety program takes on silica dust amid possible crisis
Physicians have found aggressive forms of the silicosis in young, previously healthy workers who cut and polished countertops made out of natural stone and engineered quartz. Although Fed-OSHA is targeting silica dust exposures, its new program doesn’t give special attention to the kitchen and bathroom countertop industry. In Australia, studies of countertop workers have found that more than 10% have silicosis. It’s unknown how many of the estimated 100,000 countertop workers in the U. S. are affected. Morehead State Public Radio (Morehead, Ky.)
Florida roofing contractor fined after fatal fall
Fed-OSHA has fined a Palm Bay, Florida roofing company $18,375 following the death of a 52-year-old roofer who fell from a second-story roof of a Melbourne church while working in March. It had recently rained, and the metal on the roof had become slick, according to police. The agency says the employer failed to ensure that employees used fall protection; failed to train employees on recognizing fall hazards and the proper use of portable ladders; and failed to ensure that portable ladders extended 3 feet above the upper landing. Florida Today
Workplace amputation regs updated
Fed-OSHA will roll out a three-month period of education and outreach through March 10 as part of its update of the National Emphasis Program on amputations. The updated program revises methodology to include data from amputation reporting requirements, revises coding requirements for amputation inspections in the OSHA information system and adds new appendices on amputations targeting methodology and North American Industry Classification Codes. Tire Business