Regulators to hold hearing on fatal Wisconsin blast

Wisconsin utility regulators have scheduled hearings June 14 to address a complaint that a drilling contractor failed to notify the state utility call center before starting work, prior to last summer’s gas explosion in Sun Prairie, which killed a fire captain and injured two other firefighters. Wisconsin State Journal

Postal Service fined for rodent incidents at Albuquerque post offices

Fed-OSHA has fined the U.S. Postal Service $9,475 for two rodent-related incidents at post offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One incident occurred in March as a worker was placing mail in customers’ postal boxes, when a rodent reportedly jumped out of a drawer and “clawed and scratched” the clerk. Albuquerque Journal

Farmers, ranchers bracing for health risks, other hazards from flooding

Fort Smith, Arkansas and surrounding communities have been hit this year with record-setting floodwaters, according to the National Weather Service. Crests in some spots could last until the middle of June. How much it could impact Arkansas’ planting season is unknown, but debris and disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella could also have significant impacts, according to University of Arkansas scientists. Talk Business & Politics

Staff at Minnesota psychiatric hospital fear for safety

Staff members at Minnesota’s Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center reportedly have been knocked unconscious, dragged across the floor by their hair and had feces and urine thrown at them by patients. “It is not set up to deal with people who should be in jail,” according to a social worker who last week joined colleagues in an informational picket at the facility. St. Paul Pioneer Press

Fed-OSHA cites four construction contractors for violations at Florida site

Four Florida-based contractors have been cited by Fed-OSHA for alleged violations at a residential community construction site in Naples, including lack of fall protection, exposing employees to hazards from falling construction debris and improper use of a ladder. Naples News

New Jersey construction worker falls 50 feet

A 49-year-old man was hospitalized Friday morning after falling from through a hole and landing on concrete at a parking garage under construction in Hackensack, New Jersey. Fed-OSHA is investigating. TAPintoHackensack