Ohio House to vote on refinery construction safety bill

The Ohio House of Representatives Commerce & Labor Committee advanced a bill Tuesday proponents say is aimed at increasing safety standards for oil refinery construction projects. Opponents of the bill contend it will place an undue limitation on the potential workforce for these projects, saying the bill would require 80 percent of employees hired to be enrolled in or graduated from a registered apprenticeship program. LimaOhio

 

Meatpacking units agree to infectious disease plan in settlement with Fed-OSHA

Fed-OSHA has announced that four JBS Foods USA subsidiaries and affiliates have agreed to work with third-party experts to develop and implement an infectious disease preparedness plan for seven of the company’s meat processing facilities to protect employees. The agency said said the companies will work with outside experts recommended by Fed-OSHA, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, to evaluate and provide recommendations on engineering, cleaning, ventilation, personal protective equipment and visitor screening protocols. Food Dive

 

Tennessee Supreme Court to decide if coal ash cleanup company is shielded from lawsuit

For nearly a decade, hundreds of families have pinned their hopes for accountability in the nation’s largest industrial disaster, the 2008 coal ash spill at the Kingston coal-fired power plant in East Tennessee, on a federal lawsuit. Records show more than 50 employees working on the cleanup have died, and hundreds more have been made ill. The Tennessee Supreme Court is addressing whether the coal ash employees, and ultimately other such employees across the US, have legal recourse to sue for damages they say were caused by their exposure to coal ash. Knoxville News Sentinel

 

Local employers recognized by North Carolina Department of Labor

The North Carolina Department of Labor recently held its 2022 Safety Awards, in order to recognize private and public firms throughout the state that achieve and maintain good safety records. Statesville-area companies received 42 awards with one, Keystone Powdered Metal Company Troutman, receiving a Gold Award for 15 years in a row. Statesville Record & Landmark

 

Union coalition’s report says injuries among some Amazon drivers spiked last year

Injuries among drivers for Amazon’s delivery service partners increased nearly 40% from 2020 to 2021, according to a coalition of labor unions. Among the company’s delivery station employees, the report found 10.9 injuries per 100 workers in 2021, a 15% increase from the previous year. USA Today