Pittsburgh-area skid loader accident under investigation
Fed-OSHA is investigating into an accident that injured a man last week as he was using a skid loader to dump dirt over a hillside in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. The employee was ejected as the equipment slid 150 feet to the bottom of a ravine, according to emergency responders and was hospitalized with unspecified, non-life-threatening injuries. TribLive
Bridge worker sues over injuries he suffered when pilings crushed him
A 51-year-old Maine man who was permanently disabled, including being blinded, 18 months ago when he was crushed by 10,500 pounds of metal pilings while working on Interstate 95 has sued a highway contractor alleging unsafe working conditions. Fed-OSHA cited the contractor for violating conditions in stacking the piles, according to the lawsuit. Bangor Daily News
Fed-OSHA provides updated guidance on robotics safety
The World Robotics 2021 Industrial Robots report estimates currently that more than 310,000 industrial robots now operate in U.S. factories. The continuing rise of robotics increases the risks associated with robotic systems’ hazards such as struck-by/caught-between, crushing and trapping, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic and environmental. Fed-OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Association for Advancing Automation in 2017 formed an alliance to share technical knowledge, improve awareness about workplace hazards and appropriate safeguards, and identify needed research on the use of traditional industrial and emerging collaborative robotic technologies. Recently, the alliance updated and expanded a chapter in the OSHA Technical Manual on Industrial Robot Systems and Industrial Robot System Safety. CleanLink
Can I use the bathroom? The answer for truckers is often ‘No’
Lack of access to restrooms at locations where drivers pick up or drop off their loads is a common problem commercial truck drivers face. Operators often “hide behind liability” as a reason not to loosen restroom restrictions, according to the director of state regulatory affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association; or they say drivers have a history of trashing bathrooms, a charge driver advocates say unfairly singles out drivers for behavior that could be attributable to any restroom user. FreightWaves
Industry pushes back on Nevada’s proposed heat rules
In 2020 Nevada officials announced they were starting the rulemaking process to create permanent regulations amending the state’s occupational safety and health rules to protect outdoor and indoor employees from heat-related illnesses and injuries. A draft of the proposed regulations would require employers to provide training relating to heat illness once employees are exposed to extreme heat. The proposed regs, however, have received pushback from industries that say they already follow guidelines to prevent heat illness, and anticipate additional costs or fines under proposed rules if they are found noncompliant. Nevada Current
Hershey confirms few departures under vaccine mandate
Hershey has confirmed a “small number” unvaccinated employees have left the US confectionery and snacks business under a mandate set out last October. The requirement to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 was first announced to Hershey’s salaried corporate office employees in August, with the policy implemented from early October, the company said. Just Food