Farming is among the most dangerous occupations in the US, and dairy farming presents even more hazards than crop farming due to animals, feed and on-farm chemicals that are handled daily. Fed-OSHA has identified the top 12 safety concerns on dairies, which the agency calls the “dairy dozen.” Dairy Herd
IOSHA cites employer after man’s crush death in crane incident
A 53-year-old man was crushed in a November 2020 accident at an Anderson, Indiana company more than seven months after safety deficiencies were found with a crane he was operating at the time of the accident. The incident also injured another employee. Herald Bulletin
9,000 employees sick as COVID overwhelms Arkansas workplaces
A new analysis of COVID-19 cases at workplaces in Arkansas is highlighting one particular poultry processor as a significant source of outbreaks over the past year. Few Arkansas employees complained to Fed-OSHA, however; only eight of 106 COVID complaints to Fed-OSHA involved Arkansas poultry factories. 4029TV
Massachusetts health boards overwhelmed during pandemic
During the pandemic, Massachusetts’ 351 local boards of health, some staffed with only one or two people, have been unwittingly thrust into a new role as overseers of workplace safety. The challenge may have contributed to at least one chairman’s heart attack and highlighted the fragility of the workplace safety landscape in Massachusetts, and the crisis illustrates the perils caused by Fed-OSHA’s retreat from its duties in recent years. WBUR (Boston)
Working to an early grave: Mortality in South Dakota
In South Dakota, 20 employees were killed on the job in in 2019, according to a report released by the South Dakota Federation of Labor, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. KELO
Michigan Republicans create website for complaints about pandemic workplace rules
Some Michigan House Republicans are concerned proposed COVID-19 standards for workplaces contain language that would allow guidelines to be extended without any emergency declaration in place. The proposed workplace rules cover mandates like mask requirements, social distancing, proper ventilation and other COVID-19 safety measures. Holland Sentinel