Lab tests find dangerous silica in dust from Cranston quarry
Laboratory test results confirm dust from a rock quarry in Cranston, Rhode Island contains silica. Some who work there say they fear they’re breathing in silica dust, which can cause cancer or silicosis. Turn to 10 (Providence) [with video]
Florida man claims gun range he worked for gave his kids lead poisoning
An Orange County, Florida man claims he was fired by a gun range when he brought his concerns about lead levels to management and that the range caused lead poisoning in his children. The shooting range and Fed-OSHA reportedly have agreed to settle cited violations. ClickOrlando
What to expect from Fed-OSHA in 2020
Fed-OSHA, which spent 2019 increasing its number of employer inspections and pursuing new rulemakings and programs, is not expected to slow down next year. One example: in June it plans to release its proposed rule on occupational exposure to crystalline silica that would allow employers in general industry to meet the same standards as the construction industry. Material Handling & Logistics
UPS challenging whistleblower case ruling
UPS Ground Freight is challenging Fed-OSHA’s ruling that the carrier pay more than $47,000 in compensatory and punitive damages to a driver who filed a whistleblower complaint against his managers at a New Hampshire facility, after he was fired for refusing to drive without an electronic logging device or a mounting device for a portable one. The company claims it already paid a settlement to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Land Line
Coal miners exposed to toxic dust that causes black lung: Study
New research, the first to specifically analyze long-term data on exposure to toxic silica dust for workers at surface mines, finds Appalachian surface coalminers are consistently overexposed to the dust. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health researchers were specifically interested in surface miners’ exposure because those mines produce the most coal and, in 2017, twice as many miners worked at surface mines compared to underground mines. WV Public Broadcasting
Manager charged with obstructing Fed-OSHA death investigation in oil patch
A maintenance manager for a company working in the North Dakota Oil Patch faces federal charges for allegedly obstructing an investigation into a fatal 2014 workplace accident that occurred five days after an employee was severely injured while welding inside a water hauling tank that had not been properly cleaned and vented. KFGO (Fargo)