Failures at Gas Manufacturer Led to Worker’s Death

November 22, 2023

Gas manufacturer faces OSHA fines after an explosion

  • A global manufacturer of industrial gas in Florida could have prevented an explosion in High Springs that severely injured several employees by following required operating procedures in the manufacturing process, according to OSHA.
  • After the explosion at Air Liquide Advanced Materials Inc., investigators inspected the manufacturer site, where a toxic, colorless and pyrophoric gas is produced, distilled, mixed, and transferred.
  • OSHA cited Air Liquide Advanced Materials for willfully exposing workers to fire and explosion hazards by requiring them to use equipment not intrinsically safe in the presence of flammable chemicals and vapors.
  • The agency proposed $201,573 in penalties.
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Maryland Governor wants better highway protections

  • Maryland Gov. Wes Moore increased the presence of both state and local police on the same day the state Work Zone Safety Work Group released more than a dozen recommendations.
  • Moore ordered the State Highway Administration to spend $500,000 on work zone safety commercials and said the state will also work with the Maryland State Department of Education to implement a similar campaign in public schools.
  • Included in this year’s soaring fatality figure is a crash in western Baltimore County along I-695 that killed six workers.
  • Maryland’s Occupational Safety and Health Office cited the State Highway Administration with a “serious violation” related to the fatal crash.
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Massachusetts health officials recommend hazard controls for cannabis workers

  • Public health officials in Massachusetts outlined steps the cannabis industry should be taking to prevent work-related asthma and sent a bulletin to healthcare providers asking them to identify work-related asthma among cannabis workers.
  • The state Department of Public Health said an investigation it conducted with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration “confirmed that the first known occupational asthma fatality in the US cannabis workforce happened last year in Massachusetts.”
  • A 27-year-old cannabis cultivation facility worker died after a shift at Trulieve’s Holyoke facility.
  • OSHA fined the company $35,200 upon finding that McMurrey inhaled ground cannabis dust and could not breathe.
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Challenges for OSHA

  • OSHA is being hampered” by the lack of a permanent standard on infectious diseases and needs to address worksite violence, according to a report by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
  • The Office of the Inspector General has asked OSHA to develop a permanent standard aimed at protecting workers in all high-risk industries from infectious diseases.
  • The report concludes that workplace violence is a major problem shown to be the fourth-leading cause of death on the job and the fifth-leading cause of nonfatal injury resulting in days away from work in private industry.”
  • The report’s other recommendations include complete initiatives aimed at improving employer reporting of severe injuries and illnesses.
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