Investigation opened into death of home improvement store employee
Minnesota OSHA is investigating the death of a Menards employee who died Thursday after a pallet of lumber fell on the forklift he was operating at the company’s store in Golden Valley. Responders found him dead upon arrival. A woman who claimed she was the victim’s sister said he had not been trained on the forklift, something an employee in the company’s corporate offices denied. KARE
Georgia poultry plant cited in six deaths following nitrogen leak; $1M in fines issued
Six people died and a dozen others were injured in a late January incident at a Georgia poultry plant when odorless liquid nitrogen leaked inside the plant’s refrigeration system. Now, Fed-OSHA has cited four companies investigators believe are responsible for the deaths with 59 violations totaling nearly $1 million, U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh announced Friday. Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Formaldehyde lurks in hair products despite FDA warning
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a warning earlier this spring aimed at hair smoothing and straightening products that have been on the market for over a decade. Even though FDA scientists have urged the agency to ban formaldehyde in hair-smoothing products for years, the agency has yet to take action. FDA claims it does not have the power under federal law to regulate the beauty industry. The Regulatory Review
Construction employee is Oregon’s latest workplace heat death
An additional workplace heat-related death has been reported by Oregon officials: an employee collapsed after working on a rooftop at a Hillsboro construction site on June 28, the hottest day on record in the state. The man died on July 9 of heat stress, according to OR-OSHA, while he was hospitalized. OPB
Lifting and related injuries now second on workers’ comp cost list
Recent data collected by Liberty Mutual finds construction employee injuries related to lifting have risen to second place in a ranking of most costly injuries, accounting for about one out of five dollars of construction-related workers’ comp claims. Engineering News-Record
Massachusetts governor’s councilor demands answers on former judge’s hiring
A member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council is urging the state’s Governor Charlie Baker to fire a former Industrial Accident Board judge who landed a job at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services after her reappointment was withdrawn. Boston Herald
These 24 jobs could ruin your hearing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 22 million Americans are exposed to one particular hazard at work: noise. To determine the noisiest jobs, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on noise exposure by occupation from the University of Michigan’s Job Exposure Matrix. msn