Flash: Judge Denies Injunctions on COVID Regulation
Here’s how Judge Ethan Schulman rules on the employer lawsuits seeking TRO’s to stop Cal/OSHA’s COVID emergency standard. Cal-OSHA Reporter
Six victims of nitrogen leak at Georgia food processing plant identified
Fed-OSHA is one of the agencies investigating the liquid nitrogen leak that occurred on Thursday at a Georgia food processing plant and resulted in the deaths of six employees. Five were pronounced dead at the scene; the sixth, one of 12 people rushed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, died at the hospital. NBC News
Facility where liquid nitrogen leak happened has citation history
There were at least six separate incidents, two involving serious injuries to employees, involving health and safety violations at a Gainesville, Georgia food processing facility where a nitrogen leak resulted in the deaths of six employees on Thursday. In a 2017 incident, an employee guiding a batch of meat product into a vat got his hand caught in an auger, amputating four fingers on his right hand. WXIA (Atlanta)
New Jersey man falls to death from scaffolding while fixing HVAC unit
A 44-year-old employee of a sheet-metal contractor was trying to repair the HVAC system in Newark’s Prudential Tower when he fell through the ceiling and was killed, a union representative said Friday. A Fed-OSHA deputy regional director said the company has no history of Fed-OSHA offenses. NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Construction worker dies after excavator falls into frigid water
A construction worker died Thursday morning after the excavator he was in flipped over into a water channel in an industrial area of Linden, New Jersey. The excavator was submerged in about 6 feet of water, believed to be below 40 degrees, for over an hour before a dive team pulled the man from the excavator with the help of the local fire department. Fed-OSHA is investigating. Radio.com/1010 WINS
German officials say AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine isn’t for people 65 and older
Germany’s vaccine commission said AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, which is being developed with the University of Oxford, should not be used on people 65 and older due to “insufficient data” on its efficacy. Two German newspapers reported the shot was found to be as low as 8 percent effective in seniors, which the UK-based company said was “completely incorrect.” New York Post
New COVID-19 employee safety guidelines from Fed-OSHA
Fed-OSHA on Friday issued new guidelines for workplace safety, in what officials say is a first step toward revamping national protections for employees from COVID-19. But at least one industry group says the new guidelines won’t change what employers are doing. USA Today
OR-OSHA offering free consultation services
Oregon businesses can request a free consultation with Oregon OSHA that includes services such as risk assessment, safety trainings, sanitation advice and recommendations on eliminating hazards. The public information officer for OR-OSHA says the program predates COVID-19, but can be used for advice and problem-solving specific to COVID-19 mitigation and can be conducted virtually. East Oregonian