October 16, 2009 by Fred Hosier

In some states, when workers are placed on permanent partial disability, it’s expected that injured employees will make a “good-faith effort” to find alternate employment they can perform. However, one state court just found a reason to overturn that 15-year precedent and allow a worker to keep collecting.
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Tags: back injury, good faith effort, permanent partial disability, sit home and collect comp
September 29, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A jury in Illinois has awarded the family of a worker $6.74 million after he died at an Archer Daniels Midland plant in 2007.
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Tags: Archer Daniels Midland, record jury verdict, third degree burns
September 24, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A retailer faces a hefty OSHA fine for exit hazards. This citation also shows how the safety agency is currently using repeat violations against businesses with multiple locations.
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Tags: exit hazards, repeat violations, Toys R Us
September 18, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Good news for employers in one state: Your workers’ comp insurance rates are going down. But that’s not all the information released. A new report also details who files for comp more often and why.
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Tags: insurance rates, most common injuries, Workers' comp
August 31, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Once OSHA finds significant safety violations at one facility, it’s likely to go after other locations owned by the same company.
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Tags: fast moving machinery, OSHA fines, Sims Bark, Sims Stone, struck by equipment
August 17, 2009 by Fred Hosier
The head of Oregon OSHA has suggested raising fines for serious workplace safety violations. But some large companies say higher fines won’t make them any safer.
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Tags: ConAgra, higher OSHA fines, Oregon OSHA
July 28, 2009 by Jim Burger
It’s been a little over a year since the feds announced the third-largest penalty in OSHA history.
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Tags: combustible dust, fines, Imperial Sugar, OSHA, settlements
July 24, 2009 by Jim Burger
July 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
In the last two weeks, three undocumented workers have reached settlements totaling $3.85 million for workplace accidents in New York.
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Tags: construction, illegal immigrant workers, workplace accidents
July 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A national safety organization that championed mandatory seat belt laws is now calling on governors and legislators in all 50 states to ban cell phone use while driving.
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Tags: cell phones, legislation, National Safety Council, states
July 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
In most cases when an illegal immigrant is injured at a U.S. company, courts have ruled in favor of giving workers’ comp benefits. One state is trying to put a stop to that.
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Tags: illegal immigrants, injured, legislation, South Carolina, Workers' comp
July 20, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A federal investigation appears to show that Imperial Sugar Co. didn’t train many workers at its Port Wentworth plant about how to escape during an emergency.
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Tags: federal investigation, Imperial Sugar explosion, OSHA investigation Imperial Sugar
July 20, 2009 by Jim Burger
July 17, 2009 by Fred Hosier

A Texas drilling company will pay $16 million to the family of a woman who was killed when equipment fell off its tractor trailer and onto the victim’s SUV.
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Tags: big settlement, fatal truck crash, Pioneer Drilling Co.
July 17, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Which fine is larger: One from OSHA involving two worker deaths or a Gaming Control Board fine against a Las Vegas casino for underage drinking and drug use?
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Tags: Las Vegas Sun, Nevada OSHA, OSHA fine
July 13, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Expecting an employee to construct a proper scaffold from materials and tools available at a worksite violates state labor law, according to a New York state court.
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Tags: New York state labor law, responsibility for safety, scaffold
July 2, 2009 by Fred Hosier
OSHA is two-thirds of the way through the federal 2009 fiscal year. How are inspections stacking up this year?
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Tags: ASSE, high incident rates, OSHA inspections
July 1, 2009 by Fred Hosier
The interim head of OSHA says it’s time to look at restructuring OSHA fines.
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Tags: ASSE Safety 2009, Jordan Barab, OSHA fines
June 30, 2009 by Fred Hosier
U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis had two messages for attendees at the American Society of Safety Engineers’ annual conference: We’re here to help companies provide safe workplaces, but we’ll also crack down on those who don’t.
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Tags: American Society of Safety Engineers, Hilda Solis, Jordan Barab, Safety 2009, Texas construction fatalities
June 24, 2009 by Fred Hosier
American manufacturers are increasing their international market shares due, in part, to workplace safety programs, according to one safety expert.
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Tags: ASSE Professional Development Conference and expo, international market share, workplace safety programs
June 23, 2009 by Fred Hosier
OSHA takes employee safety complaints seriously, especially when a company has a record of previous infractions.
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Tags: employee safety complaints, Milk Specialties Co., seven-figure OSHA fine
June 19, 2009 by Fred Hosier

In the last two weeks, three undocumented workers have reached settlements totaling $3.85 million for workplace accidents in New York.
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Tags: employer financially responsible, illegal immigrants, injuries to undocumented workers
June 18, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A new report from a local advocacy group for construction workers paints a picture of a dangerous profession and less-than-caring employers.
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Tags: Associated Contractors of America, Building Austin, construction safety, Workers Defense Project
June 15, 2009 by Fred Hosier
An employee helps a co-worker get a stuck bag of chips out of a workplace vending machine and in the process fractures his hip. Does he get workers’ comp or not?
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Tags: vending machine, worker sues for comp, Workers' comp
June 12, 2009 by Fred Hosier

An employee helps a co-worker get a stuck bag of chips out of a workplace vending machine and in the process fractures his hip. Does he get workers’ comp or not?
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Tags: fractured hip, good Samaritan doctrine, personal comfort doctrine, snack machine, Workers' comp
June 9, 2009 by Fred Hosier
UCLA has paid $31,875 in fines and taken corrective steps after a lab fire that claimed the life of an employee. But now, the university wants to appeal the citation for a technical reason.
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Tags: Cal-OSHA fine, Sheri Sangji, UCLA fatal fire
June 5, 2009 by Fred Hosier
As U.S. companies are watching how OSHA changes under the Obama administration, the agency’s counterpart in Great Britain has launched a 10-point plan to tackle death and injury at work.
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Tags: death and injury at work in Great Britain, HSE safety strategy, recession and workplace safety
May 29, 2009 by Fred Hosier

While it didn’t cite Wal-Mart for a violation of a specific standard, OSHA has used its General Duty Clause to fine the retailer in the trampling death of a worker last November.
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Tags: OSHA General Duty Clause, Wal-Mart fined, Wal-Mart worker crushed to death
May 28, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A company in Barboursville, WV, faces $56,250 in OSHA fines following a fatality at the plant earlier this year.
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Tags: blocked exit routes, machine guards, worker pulled into lathe
May 27, 2009 by Fred Hosier
California officials have more than fines to use against companies that expose employees to extreme outdoor heat without adequate protection — and they’re using these measures against violators.
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Tags: expose employees to extreme outdoor heat, heat illness prevention regulations, Merced Farm Labor
May 22, 2009 by Fred Hosier

Imagine this: Two of your employees who work together both get little sleep before performing a safety-sensitive task. Then, the two are involved in an incident that kills 50 people.
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Tags: Continental Flight 3407, NTSB investigation, too tired to work safely
May 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Should you add “recession stress” to the list of possible root causes for workplace injuries?
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Tags: recession stress, root causes, workplace accident
May 18, 2009 by Fred Hosier
OSHA has proposed $99,000 in fines against a stamping company after an employee’s hand was crushed while operating a 75-ton mechanical power press.
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Tags: amputation, OSHA fines, worker's hand is crushed
May 8, 2009 by Fred Hosier

California authorities have made massive allegations of workers’ comp fraud against an employer.
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Tags: insurance premiums, Petronella Roofing, workers' comp fraud
May 1, 2009 by Fred Hosier

Slips, trips and falls are routinely one of the top causes of injuries in workplaces. They also subtract from a company’s bottom line due to medical and workers’ comp insurance, lost productivity and retraining costs.
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Tags: ASSE, flooring, slip, top causes of injury in workplace, trip and fall prevention