Small firms get money even with worker fatalities
- Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited Arlington Cattle Company for safety violations and fined the company based on the seriousness of the violations after two workers died on the job.
- However, ADOSH then gave the company a 70% discount, according to records, from about $22,000 to just under $7,000.
- The company was eligible for such a discount because Arlington Cattle Company was a small business with 15 employees.
- DOSH routinely gives companies with fewer than 250 employees a reduction on their fines, under a federal OSHA policy designed to minimize the financial impact on small businesses, according to local news station, ABC15.
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Crane accident kills worker in Colorado
- One person is dead after an accident involving a crane on the grounds of the EVRAZ steel mill in Pueblo, Colorado.
- Rescue crews determined an employee of a subcontractor working on EVRAZ grounds “deceased beneath the toppled crane.”
- Recovery efforts for the man began with the permission of the Pueblo County Coroner.
- The PFD said that there were no other injuries reported; EVRAZ released a statement Friday evening to explain that it will work with federal OSHA on the investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
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Professor accused of stealing money from safety grant
- A former West Virginia University professor was named in a two-count federal indictment outlining the theft of grant funding.
- Xinjian “Kevin” He, a professor in the engineering department, allegedly embezzled grant money to purchase personal clothing, furniture, home goods, and electronics, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.
- He received a grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to study the breathing of healthcare workers utilizing respiratory protection.
- He fled to Canada and was apprehended in New York upon a return to the United States in 2023.
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Firefighters deal with cancer risks from chemicals
- Michele Chittum is a firefighter in Hampton, Virginia, and was diagnosed with cancer, which is the leading cause of death in the line of duty for firefighters.
- Chittum will undergo a double mastectomy for breast cancer and possible reconstructive surgery.
- Cancer is considered a line-of-duty death because of exposure to hazardous substances fire produces, such as formaldehyde, and others released by burning debris, such as asbestos.
- Career firefighters are 9% more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with cancer, and 14% more likely to die from it, according to research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
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