Man electrocuted while working at South Carolina school

A 26-year-old man was fatally electrocuted Friday afternoon doing ceiling electrical work at a school near Pageland, South Carolina. officials said. WSOC [with video]

Wyoming senator introduces worker safety program

U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyoming, is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill to make Fed-OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program permanent. According to Fed-OSHA, participating workplaces on average experience rates of injured workers 52 percent below average for their industry. The Voluntary Protection Program Act would codify the VPP. Jackson Hole News & Guide

Employees claim company did not allow them to take shelter during tornado

More than 20 employees of a Paducah, Kentucky-area call center say a supervisor told them to continue to work even after they reported hearing emergency sirens, and an employee received an emergency notification on a personal mobile phone, during a tornado incident in mid-March. WPSD (Paducah, Ky.) [with video]

MIOSHA cites school for improperly storing chemicals

Michigan OSHA found improperly stored chemicals in science labs at a suburban Detroit high school during an investigation spurred by concerns about a high number of cancer diagnoses among staff. However, compiling precise data on rates of cancer at the school is difficult, in part because of medical privacy. Detroit Free Press

Houston chemical disaster zone too hazardous for investigators

The Harris County, Texas fire marshal’s investigation of a four-day fire at Intercontinental Terminal Co. last month has been restricted to off-site interviews. Investigators reportedly won’t enter the site until the remaining tanks are emptied and other hazards have been mitigated. WorldOil