Congress considers new federal rules limiting excessive heat in workplace
Currently, there are no federal heat-stress safety standards for workers, but new rules being considered by Congress would require Fed-OSHA to set standards for preventing excessive heat for both outdoor and indoor workers. Nearly 700 people die from extreme heat each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public News Service
Arizona postal worker cooks steak on dash to highlight ‘inhumane’ conditions
A United States Postal Service letter carrier cooked a steak in about two and a half hours in his truck. The experiment was made public by a state representative in a letter to the U.S. Postal Service, Fed-OSHA and postal workers/letter carriers unions. The Weather Channel [with video]
Contractor in Wisconsin gas explosion fined $25K for not calling before dig
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has fined a contractor involved in last summer’s fatal gas explosion in Sun Prairie $25,000 for failure to contact the state’s underground utility location service before starting work. The commission voted unanimously to issue the maximum fine as well as a 10 percent surcharge. Fed-OSHA also fined the contractor and a communications company following the incident. Kenosha News
Company fined $250K for hiding details in death investigation
Extrudex Aluminum Inc. has been fined $250,000 for intentionally hiding information from Fed-OSHA as it investigated the 2012 death of an employee at its North Jackson, Ohio extrusion plant. Two executives who have been charged with trying to cover up circumstances of the death by lying to investigators will be sentenced next month in federal court. Tribune Chronicle (Warren, Ohio)
Fed-OSHA investigates ditch injury incident in New York
Fed-OSHA has initiated an investigation into a recent accident on a bridge project in Port Jervis, New York that injured a construction worker when a concrete pylon fell into a ditch and landed on him. Mid Hudson News
Report addresses grain silo explosion that killed Iowa firefighter, injured another
An IOSH report officials claims firefighters were told there was no explosion hazard at a grain silo just before a blast killed one and injured another in Clinton, Iowa. ADM supervisors were unsure of the contents of the silo where the fire had broken out, hindering the firefighters’ ability to protect themselves and determine how best to fight the blaze, according to the report. Des Moines Register [with video]
Fed-OSHA issues $413K in fines following finger amputation at spirits manufacturer
Fed-OSHA has cited Missouri Cooperage Company, LLC and fined it more than $413,000 for violations including exposing employees to amputation, noise and other hazards at a spirits and wine barrel-making facility in Lebanon, Missouri, following an employee’s finger amputation in a belt and pulley system. The incident was the fifth amputation injury the company reported in a 14-month period. The company also was cited for exposing employees to electrical and occupational noise hazards, failing to guard machines and implement adequate lockout/tagout procedures and creating a potential fire hazard by allowing dust to accumulate on floors and surfaces. The Mail (Marshfield, Mo.)