Fed-OSHA still probing investigation of Kansas landfill death
Fed-OSHA continues to investigate a landfill accident that killed a 59-year-old Lawrence, Kansas man in early January. He was fatally pinned by a semi-trailer against a “tipper” machine, a large piece of equipment used to dump trash from trailers into the landfill, that he was operating at the time. Lawrence Journal-World
New York Rep requests probe of lead at gun range where Customs agents trained
U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins is asking the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to determine if Buffalo, New York-area Customs agents suffered from excessive exposure to lead at a gun range training facility. None of the officers tested reported blood lead levels over the Fed-OSHA limit, but two reportedly had relatively high lead levels and were assigned to other duties. Buffalo News
Two burned after tank of lotion explodes at Florida business
A large pressurized tank of hot lotion exploded at a Melbourne, Florida business on Monday, burning two workers. Fed-OSHA is investigating. One of the workers, a 64-year-old man, reportedly suffered second-degree burns to 60 percent of his body. Florida Today
Ohio worker killed in trench collapse
First responders were not able to save a man was trapped in the collapse of a 14-foot trench on a construction site in Sugarcreek Township, Ohio. Fed-OSHA is investigating. WHIO (Dayton)
Senator pushes agencies for hospital workplace violence plan
Hospitals have been warning over the past several years that violence is becoming more prevalent and poses a significant threat to their employees; according to one report, about 20 percent of nurses and nursing students nationwide have been physically assaulted on the job. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, who chairs the Senate health appropriations subcommittee, says Fed-OSHA and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should work together on a regulatory plan for how hospital employees can deal with violent outbursts and confrontations. Modern Healthcare
Montana slag pile dust more hazardous than thought: Report
According to an unpublished report based on two samples, the arsenic in a 130-acre pile of slag dust from a former copper smelter near Anaconda, Montana, is about 10 percent more absorbable by the body than Environmental Protection Agency originally believed. The EPA is planning to partially cap the pile. KPVI (Pocatello, Idaho)
MIOSHA raising awareness of roadway accident prevention
According to Michigan OSHA, roadway accidents are most common around construction sites and nine of the 38 workplace fatalities in Michigan in 2018 involved workers being struck by vehicles. In response, a new State Emphasis Program will increase the priority of inspections related to construction roadway safety to reduce health hazards associated with roadwork. MIOSHA is creating a public service campaign to raise awareness on the issue. WLNS (Lansing, Mich.)
Avoiding the most common OSHA citations in the sanitation industry
The top five cited federal standards for 2018 in the North American Industry Classification System for solid waste collection were general requirements, general duty clause, hazard communication, powered industrial trucks and lockout/tagout (hazardous energy control), according to Kirk Sander, National Waste & Recycling Association, who will be moderating a WasteExpo panel session on May 7 in Las Vegas focused on avoiding these hazards. Waste360