Following two trench deaths, New York contractor fined $136K, ordered to stop excavating
A Long Island, New York contracting company has agreed to stop digging excavations and to pay about $136,000 in penalties stemming from a 30-foot trench that collapsed and fatally trapped two employees under five feet of dirt in January 2020, according to Fed-OSHA. The company has also agreed to develop an excavation safety checklist to identify hazards and protective measures for work in excavations, and also to ensure a competent person on site will consult and complete the checklist whenever employees enter excavations, according to the agency. Patch (Glen Cove, N.Y.)
Biden administration launches $500K contest to improve mask designs
In collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a $500,000 “Mask Innovation Challenge” to find new and effective face masks people will find more comfortable. Up to 10 winners will be chosen in the first phase of the challenge and will split a $100,000 prize. KMOV
Indy steakhouse reports death of employee during shutdown
Indiana OSHA reports the operator of a legendary downtown Indianapolis has confirmed the death of an employee while the restaurant’s doors were temporarily closed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among its staff. Fox 59
Ohio: Multiple businesses in Butler County cited, fined
An Oxford, Ohio manufacturer of large busways used for power distribution, which Fed-OSHA has cited for confined space violations safety and training violations, is the second in Butler County to be fined by Fed-OSHA in the past four months. The company faces more than $119,000 in fines for a variety of citations, which include lack of an adequate respiratory protection program for employees required to wear respirators when working with the dust collectors. Journal-News
Barge operator pays restitution to whistleblower in explosion investigation: Fed-OSHA
A Melville, New York-based coastal petroleum barge operator and three former and current management officials have paid $375,000 in restitution to the brother of one of two mariners killed in a barge explosion off the Texas coast in 2017, according to Fed-OSHA. The mariner alleged the company fired him for cooperating with investigators and reporting safety concerns to the Coast Guard. Investigators for the agency’s Whistleblower Protection Programs found the employers’ actions constituted retaliation against the seaman for protected activity. WorkBoat