Flash: New ETS Language Posted

Here’s how revisions to Cal/OSHA’s COVID emergency regulation look like, ahead of an April 21st vote by the Standards Board. Cal-OSHA Reporter

 

Daikin says no exposure or injury in valve incident at Alabama plant

A spokesman for Daikin America says a March 29 incident at its Decatur, Alabama plant, in which a contract employee accidentally bumped a valve handle and then quickly closed the valve, did not result in injury, and no exposure to a hazardous level of any chemical took place. The company is contesting a proposed $232,000 Fed-OSHA fine, which the agency issued in connection with a July 2021 incident in which three employees allegedly were exposed to toxic and hazardous chemicals. WHNT (Huntsville, Ala.)

 

Man killed in Wisconsin boat explosion identified

The man killed April 1 in a pontoon barge explosion while installing a pier on Walworth County, Wisconsin lake, has been identified. Two other employees were injured in the explosion. WTMJ (Milwaukee)

 

OR-OSHA fines irrigation district in truck driver’s death

Oregon OSHA has cited the cited Vale Oregon Irrigation District for two serious violations related to a workplace fatality last October, that occurred when a 26-year-old ditch rider and truck driver, who had been driving on a canal road, rolled the vehicle and was ejected and pinned underneath it. Each cited violation carries a $1,400 penalty. Argus Observer

 

New Fed-OSHA bulletin for job-made boxes and platforms

The use of job-made boxes, baskets and platforms increase fall-related risks and crush injuries inherent in the construction industry. Fed-OSHA has found that from 2002 to 2020, there were 57 reported incidents involving these types of platforms. In those incidents, 46 employees suffered serious injuries and 33 died. In response, the agency has issued a new information bulletin addressing the hazards of job-made boxes. Equipment World

 

IG report says agencies could have done more to protect meatpacking employees

An Office of Inspector General report released last week concludes the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Fed-OSHA could have better ensured the safety of meatpacking plant employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the pandemic’s first year, Fed-OSHA issued small fines to only a handful of plants, and it failed to inspect every plant where cases were reported publicly. Missouri Independent

 

Railroad employees warn new policy may force them to work while sick, exhausted

Thousands of railroad workers in Colorado can’t strike over a new attendance policy that two unions say is so punitive it could lead employees to clock in while sick or exhausted, potentially leading to accidents. Colorado Sun