Note: OSHA Today will take its annual summer break starting Monday, July 3, and resume daily publication Monday, July 17. Happy Fourth of July to all of our valued subscribers!
Massachusetts manufacturer Riverdale Mills Corp. failed to train workers
- A federal appeals court upheld federal allegations that Massachusetts manufacturer Riverdale Mills Corp. failed to train workers about machine and chemical hazards.
- The judges rendered an unpublished decision that rejected arguments from Riverdale that OSHA’s case was flawed by misinformation from workers and misunderstandings about the machinery.
- Riverdale, based in Northbridge, Mass., manufactures welded wire mesh used in a range of products, from lobster cages to fences.
- The case began in June 2019 when the OSHA launched an inspection after learning from police that a Riverdale employee injured his right arm.
Read more
Energy company fined over fire
- Suncor Energy in Denver was fined more than $15,000 for a safety violation that led two employees to be injured in a December fire at the company’s Commerce City oil refinery.
- OSHA issued a $15,625 fine for what inspectors labeled a serious violation at the refinery, according to an inspection report on the OSHA website.
- The report said the refinery violated standards for process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals.
- Guidelines on OSHA’s website said those standards are in place to prevent unwanted releases of hazardous chemicals, especially in locations where employees and others could be exposed to serious hazards.
Read more
Michigan man falls to death
- A 53-year-old man fell to his death while working at the Ford Central Campus building in Dearborn, according to the Michigan Office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- MOSHA said the construction worker was “performing fire-proofing activities to structural steel while wearing fall protection.”
- The worker, whose name has not been released, was not tied-off to an anchorage point and fell about 18 feet, crashing into a concrete floor, according to MiOSHA.
- MOSHA reported that this was the 16th work-related death this year, which is on pace to be a significant drop from the 43 that were reported in 2022.
Read more
Texas airline workers killed
- A Texas airport worker was killed after being sucked into a jet engine at San Antonio International Airport.
- Emergency crews were called to the tarmac just before 10:30 p.m. after reports that a ground worker had been ingested into the engine of a plane that had just landed.
- The Delta flight had just arrived from Los Angeles and had only one engine running at the time of the incident.
- Delta Flight 1111 was taxying to the gate, with one engine on at that time, and a worker was ingested into that engine at 10:25 p.m., according to the report.
Read more