Explosion kills two maintenance employees at Connecticut VA hospital
Two employees were killed in an explosion Friday while repairing a leaking steam pipe in a maintenance building at a Veterans Affairs hospital in West Haven, Connecticut. Three other employees were injured with non-life threatening injuries. WFMJ
Broadway stagehand falls to death
A 54-year-old stagehand died Thursday morning after falling from a platform above the stage at a Broadway theater that was preparing for a production. Fed-OSHA is investigating. Broadway News
Wisconsin construction worker hospitalized after fall from scaffolding
Fed-OSHA is investigating after a construction worker at a Madison, Wisconsin worksite fell around 35 to 40 feet from scaffolding down an elevator on Thursday morning and suffered head and internal injuries. Other employees reportedly helped bring him out of the hole from underneath scaffolding and bricks. Channel 3000 (Madison, Wisc.)
More than 200 violators now on Fed-OSHA’s COVID-19 list
Fed-OSHA has now issued more than 200 citations for violations related to the pandemic, with more than $369,000 in newly proposed penalties according to its most recent list released late last week, bringing the total number of citations to 204 and proposed penalties to more than $2,8 million. The list of new citations contains establishments in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island. Law360
BLS data shows improvement in meatpacking safety numbers
A newly released Bureau of Labor Statistics annual report for 2019 shows U.S. meat and poultry packers and processors continued their lengthy track record of reducing employee injuries, reaching a new all-time low for injuries. The industry says a 20-year injury rate reduction from 17.1 to 9.3 to 4.0 illustrates the sustained industry trend of workplace safety improvement. News Dakota
Iowa ACLU, unions sue IOSH over COVID-19
Citing employee complaints that led to no inspections at meatpacking plants where COVID-19 outbreaks reportedly infected hundreds of employees, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and other groups have filed a federal complaint against Iowa OSHA claiming the agency failed to protect employee during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the first week of October, 148 complaints were filed with Iowa OSHA that offices or factories were unsafe due to the coronavirus; of those, the plaintiffs say only five led to onsite inspections while the rest were closed. Des Moines Register
Rhode Island nursing home fined for COVID-19 hazards
Fed-OSHA has fined the operator of a Woonsocket, Rhode Island nursing home more than $11,000 for two violations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, although it was not immediately clear what alleged violations prompted the citations. Providence Journal
Fatigued driving in Houston: How are truckers protected?
Anyone who lives in Houston or anywhere in Texas has probably noticed that there are a lot of trucks, along with tractor-trailers on a highway. The American Trucking Association claims these vehicles move around 70 percent of all freight in the country. According to the US Department of Transportation, one of the biggest causes of truck accidents is fatigue, as some drivers work for stretches of for 10 to 14 hours. What are the most important safety rules? The Island Now