Fed-OSHA cites Colorado employer for willful and serious trench hazards

Fed-OSHA has issued citations for one willful and five serious violations to a Colorado foundation repair contractor for allegedly willfully allowing employees to work in trenches up to 10 feet 6 inches deep without protective or retaining devices in place, and failing to provide training on trenching hazards. Construction Equipment

 

Fed-OSHA investigating employee’s fall from roof in suburban Chicago

Fed-OSHA is investigating the roofing company that a 25-year-old man man was working for when he fell 20 feet from a scaffold in Batavia, Illinois last month. The agency reportedly cited the company in 2016 about fall hazard risks on its aerial lift and in 2018 for a failure to have proper fall protection while its employees worked at a house. Daily Herald

 

Lawmakers investigate fatal Amazon Illinois warehouse collapse

Federal lawmakers are launching an investigation into Amazon’s handling of a deadly warehouse collapse in Illinois in December during a tornado, after which reports surfaced employees were unprepared for such a disaster because the company had inadequate safety protocols. New York Post

 

Fed-OSHA signs alliance with grain industry to reduce fatalities and hazards

According to Fed-OSHA, 6 out of every 10 workers who get trapped in a grain bin do not survive. Now, the agency is joining with three other organizations in an attempt to reduce the injuries or fatalities connected to hazards in the farming industry as “Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week” approaches. WIBW (Topeka, Kan.)

 

As employees return to offices, companies grapple with vaccine tensions

What should an employer do when an employee refuses to work around an unvaccinated colleague? Here’s how experts say to handle an issue that’s popping up often amid the return to work. Washington Business Journal [may require registration]

 

Fed-OSHA fines Massachusetts plastics company $370K

A Massachusetts plastic packaging manufacturer faces close to $370,000 in Fed-OSHA penalties after an employee was sprayed with hot liquid plastic last September at one of its facilities. According to the agency, the company did not comply with lockout-tagout requirements and did not provide employees with personal protective equipment. CBIA