Officer at Naval Station Norfolk killed in forklift incident
A chief petty officer onboard the USS Jason Dunham died after being struck by a forklift at Naval Station Norfolk Friday morning. WGHP (Greensboro, N.C.)
Fed-OSHA cites more nursing homes, healthcare facilities for COVID-19 violations
Fed-OSHA announced a new batch of COVID-19 sanctions Friday, raising, the total amount of virus-related fines the agency has levied against employers to over $1.2 million. The agency has issued citations to 85 establishments since the pandemic started. Nearly all of the establishments facing citations related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic have been nursing homes or medical facilities. All 23 establishments on the new list appear to be those types of facilities. The expanded list of violations includes failing to implement a written respiratory protection program, to provide a respirator fit test or training, or to report injuries or illnesses. Law360
Union says OR-OSHA’s newest COVID guidelines could be stricter
There are 73 active workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 presently in Oregon, and the AFL-CIO has expressed disappointment with the latest OR-OSHA guidelines, asserting the state could have required stronger ventilation requirements for keeping clean air circulating. KGW (Portland) [with video]
Fire at Santa Fe cannabis facility injures two
State and local officials are investigating the cause of a fire Thursday afternoon that severely injured two employees at a Santa Fe, New Mexico producer of medical cannabis products. This is the second explosion at the facility: a blast in 2015 left two employees severely burned. Santa Fed New Mexican
One killed, one critically injured in Minnesota construction accident
One employee was killed and another critically injured in an industrial accident Friday morning at a construction site in Meeker County, Minnesota, when the stabilizing platform for a concrete boom truck gave way, causing the boom to fall to the ground. The two victims were struck as it fell. Minnesota OSHA was notified. TwinCities.com Pioneer Press
New York man loses part of leg in wood chipper
The wife of the man who was caught in a wood chipper at a Kingsbury, New York company on Thursday says he lost part of his leg and is recovering. Fed-OSHA is investigating. The employer was fined a total of $15,000 in 2019 for issues related to practices and procedures to safeguard workers from hazardous energy releases, according to the Fed-OSHA website. Post Star (Glens Falls, N.Y.)
Lawsuits arising from Florida power plant accident to proceed
A Florida appeals court has rejected arguments that Tampa Electric Co. should be shielded from lawsuits stemming from injuries suffered by two men during a 2017 accident at the utility’s Big Bend Power Station when a door on a condenser unit blew open and released a large amount of water that struck them. A circuit judge had ruled against the utility, finding it was not entitled to workers’ compensation immunity because it was not the statutory employer of the men. Florida Politics