Fed-OSHA investigating house explosion in Missouri
The Missouri Public Service Commission and Fed-OSHA have opened an investigation into a gas explosion that destroyed a home and damaged several others in the city of O’Fallon. The main home caught fire after a contractor digging across the street reportedly hit a gas line. No one was injured but the incident. KSDK
Employee killed in Ohio printing press accident identified
Authorities have released the identity of a 48-year-old man who became fatally trapped Wednesday in an industrial accident at a printing press in Union Township, Ohio. Fed-OSHA is investigating. Fox19 (Cincinnati)
OR-OSHA fines nursery, contractor $6,300 in farmworker’s death
Oregon OSHA has fined a nursery and a labor contractor a total of $6,300 for allegedly failing to keep employees safe from the triple-digit temperatures that led to the death of a worker laying irrigation pipe last June. The agency says the employers did not inform employees of heat-related hazards or take steps like additional rest breaks to mitigate the danger on a day when temperatures topped 104 degrees. Salem Reporter
OR-OSHA fines school district $43K for making masks optional
Following complaints by employees, Oregon OSHA has fined the Alsea School District $43,000 for knowingly not enforcing the indoor mask mandate in accordance with statewide guidelines. Investigators say they found out approximately 80% of the students in the district’s schools and about half the staff did not wear masks, and documents state employees were told they were not allowed to “mask shame” if they wanted to take measures to correct an unmasked staff member or student. Gazette Times
Discount chain stores closed after reports of rodent infestations
Filthy, rodent-infested conditions at a Family Dollar warehouse in West Memphis, Arkansas are part of what city leaders describe as a history of the company neglecting the health and safety concerns of its customers and employees. The distribution center was not the only Family Dollar to have rodent infestations in recent years: stores in Las Vegas, Sacramento, Richmond, Miami Gardens, Pittsburgh, Canton, New York and other areas had to close down over the past few years because of rodent infestations. Some experts say these issues point to a larger pattern of neglect at at Dollar Tree, the parent company. KTVZ
Fed-OSHA announces more than $3M in workplace safety grants
Fed-OSHA will make $3.2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 available for Susan Harwood Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19 grants. The grants will fund training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent work-related infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Training topics must focus either on COVID-19 specifically or infectious diseases broadly. The maximum awarded for each grant is $160,000 for a 12-month performance period. Facility Executive