Five charged with manslaughter in death of man at wind farm
Authorities have charged five people with manslaughter in connection with the death of a 24-year-old man who died in January 2020 when a trench that had not been reinforced collapsed during construction of a Connecticut wind farm. The victim entered the trench to attempt to free a coworker who was trapped as the crew dug a trench to install a conduit under a culvert, when a second collapse of the trench walls occurred. The Chronicle
Meatpacking company fined nearly $175K after employees loses arm in conveyor belt
Fed-OSHA has issued meatpacking giant JBS USA five citations and fined it more than $174,000 after a 37-year-old employee at its beef plant in Greeley, Colorado became stuck in a conveyor belt while cleaning it and had his left arm amputated. Fed-OSHA determined the employer had not properly guarded the conveyor belt, exposing employees to the threat of lost limbs, and that employees did not know to wear a plastic device that ensures smock sleeves don’t dangle. Denver Post
Work suspended at site of fatal Alabama trench collapse
Work was suspended last week at a stormwater drainage system construction site near a stadium in Huntsville, Alabama where a trench collapse killed one city employee, and resulted in the hospitalization of two others. Fed-OSHA is not investigating the incident. WHNT
Crane incident kills Michigan employee
On Thursday, a crane boom snapped and a cable struck a superintendent on a Mastodon Township, Michigan worksite, killing him as his crew installed a bulkhead on a hydroelectric dam. MIOSHA is investigating. Keweenaw Report
Rail transportation company must pay more than $667K to two whistleblowers
CSX Transportation has been ordered to reinstate two employees at a yard in Waycross, Georgia and pay them more than $667,000 after Fed-OSHA determined they were fired after they reported encountering a signal that their train could not move safely. It is reportedly the third such Fed-OSHA finding against the company in 10 months. Trains
Massachusetts chemical leak results in no injuries
A hose on a railcar carrying pressurized sulfuric acid leaked and spilled around 5,000 gallons of the substance outside an Attleboro, Massachusetts chemical company Friday, but no injuries were reported. The leak was stopped by hazmat technicians by depressurizing the rail car tank, offloading some of the contents and shutting off a value at the top of the car, according to a fire official. Sun Chronicle