Trench collapse kills two Alabama workers

Following a rescue attempt by around 30 responders, two workers were found dead Tuesday evening after a drainage system trench collapsed on them in a Hoover, Alabama neighborhood, near Birmingham. The trench reportedly was about 8-feet deep and 4-feet wide. Fed-OSHA is investigating. WBHM (Birmingham, Ala.)

 

Fed-OSHA hits transportation company with $188K in penalties

Fed-OSHA has fined international transportation company Transdev Services, Inc. more than $188,000 for five violations, including four classified as repeat, that investigators allegedly found at the company’s Norcross, Georgia facility. Employees were regularly handling corrosive chemicals but did not have easy access to emergency showers in case of chemical burns, and chemicals were not properly labeled, according to the agency. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

Unsafe practices on a lawn mower

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 69 Americans are killed in lawn mower accidents annually. In addition, the Academy of American Pediatrics reports that more than 9,000 children go to the ER for mower related injuries every year. However, there are ways to prevent this from happening to you. KIMT [with video]

 

Miners head to Washington to advocate for black lung benefits

The recent resurgence of black lung, coupled with coal company bankruptcies and a lower rate for the coal excise tax, has brought a heightened sense of urgency to the demands that miners and their family members will be making to Congress this week: More than 100 miners from across the Appalachian region are traveling to Washington, D.C. to lobby lawmakers on a number of issues related to black lung disease. Appalachian Voices

 

Fed-OSHA fines Florida panhandle employer $81K following amputation incident

A Tallahassee, Florida excavating company has been handed more than $81,000 in proposed fines by Fed-OSHA following an an employee’s arm-amputation injury in a conveyor. Cited violations include improper guarding, training, and inspections. Miami Herald

 

Ex-employees claim they were fired for reporting violations

Four former lead installers are suing their former employer in Cook County, Illinois, alleging they were unfairly terminated for reporting alleged health and safety violations. The suit asserts the employer failed to keep the employees current on their OSHA training and certification and instructed the plaintiffs to work in a manner contrary to Fed-OSHA regulations. Cook County Record