November 5, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A measure, just signed into law by President Obama, would prohibit chemical companies from classifying safety information as “sensitive” in an effort to keep it from becoming public. The new law is in response to a workplace explosion that caused two fatalities.
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Tags: Bayer CropScience, chemical companies, sensitive information
November 3, 2009 by Fred Hosier
“I’m working myself to death.” Officials in Japan take that notion seriously and are holding companies accountable. The latest case involves a restaurant manager.
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Tags: karoshi, overtime, overwork, working myself to death
October 28, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Is Minneapolis safer than Denver? How about New York City versus Seattle? Forbes magazine has ranked the top 10 safest cities in the U.S.
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Tags: fatal crashes, safest cities, workplace deaths
October 18, 2009 by Fred Hosier
October 13, 2009 by Fred Hosier
OSHA has fined a waste processing company $207,800 after an investigation prompted by a fatality at the facility.
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Tags: fatality investigation, OSHA citation, rescue team
October 9, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Next time you want to address proper ladder use and fall protection with workers, you might want to use this story about a man who fell to his death when he was trying to reach a light fixture.
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Tags: died from fall, fall protection, jury-rig
October 2, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Imagine this: Someone finds one of your employees on the ground, conscious but incoherent, in your company’s parking lot. He dies two days later in the hospital. Cause: blunt trauma to his head. Is this death reportable to OSHA?
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Tags: blunt force trauma, OSHA reportable, parking lot, work-related employee death
September 30, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and OSHA interim administrator Jordan Barab have said that a new combustible dust regulation is one of their rulemaking priorities at OSHA.
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Tags: combustible dust regulation, Hilda Solis, Imperial Sugar explosion, Jordan Barab
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 28, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A government agency says the February 2008 explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar plant in Port Wentworth, GA, that killed 14 workers and injured 36 others, was caused by poor equipment design, maintenance and housekeeping.
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Tags: Chemical Safety Board, combustible dust, dust explosion and fire, Imperial Sugar explosion, poor housekeeping
September 25, 2009 by Fred Hosier
The American Society of Safety Engineers is calling on safety pros to support efforts to cut down on distracted driving since the leading cause of workplace fatalities is motor vehicle crashes.
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Tags: ASSE, cell phones and driving, distracted driving, driver education, motor vehicle crashes
September 22, 2009 by Fred Hosier
When it comes to workplace injuries, have you ever asked yourself, “Is there something in the water?” A recent magazine article kinda suggests that.
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Tags: Men's Health, top 10 accident-prone cities, workplace injuries
September 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Every safety manager has seen it: It-won’t-happen-to-me syndrome. What if you could show workers how likely they are to die from various causes? A new online calculator allows you to do just that.
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Tags: death calculator, death from falls, fatality odds
September 16, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A government investigation says a chemical company failed to recognize a hazard associated with its manufacturing process even after a number of near-misses.
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Tags: near misses, T2 Laboratories explosion and fire, U.S. Chemical Safety Board
September 9, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Recently, a federal agency started to gather information on why Wyoming has the highest workplace fatality rate in the nation.
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Tags: fatality rate, NIOSH, seat belts, Wyoming
September 7, 2009 by Fred Hosier
One of the reasons why worker fatalities decreased in 2008 was because fewer people were working, according to a government report. As the economy recovers, more people will return to work – people who will need safety training.
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Tags: Labor Day and safety
September 2, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Two executives and two companies face prison time and huge financial penalties in connection with the deaths of five workers in a workplace fire.
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Tags: RPI Coating, worker deaths, workplace fire, Xcel Energy
August 30, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A 30-minute video, made in a small town in Wales, was intended for local high school students to show them the dangers of texting and driving. But now, people from all around the world have watched it on YouTube — and the general reaction by viewers is that they’ll never text and drive again.
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Tags: cell phones and driving, Gwent Wales police department, texting and driving video
August 28, 2009 by Fred Hosier

A 30-minute video, made in a small town in Wales, was intended for local high school students to show them the dangers of texting and driving. But now, more than 1.5 million people have watched it on YouTube — and the general reaction by viewers is that they’ll never text and drive again.
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Tags: Gwent Wales police, texting and driving video, YouTube texting driving video
August 28, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Ever want to give your point of view to attorneys who represent workplace accident victims and always seem to blame the employer? Well, now’s your chance, especially after one New York injury attorney released a statement that expresses his bewilderment over continuing construction accidents.
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Tags: construction deaths, David Perecman, scaffold
August 26, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Previously, we looked at the causes of workplace fatalities in 2008 according to government figures. Now, let’s take a look at where the deaths are occurring.
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Tags: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Falls, workplace fatalities
August 25, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Severe weather adds hazards for outdoor workers. A massive storm that unleashed a torrent of water with no warning led to an employee’s death at an excavation project in Texas.
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Tags: employee death, flash flood, outdoor workers
August 24, 2009 by Fred Hosier
What’s one thing business execs often say after they experience an employee fatality in their workplace? “I never thought it’d happen here.” A new report sheds light on common situations that have led to workplace deaths.
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Tags: Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, workplace fatalities
August 14, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A lot of attention has been paid lately to the plight of farm workers who labor in extreme heat in California. But heat stress dangers aren’t limited to the agriculture industry.
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Tags: dies from heat stroke, extreme heat, heat stress
August 8, 2009 by Fred Hosier
With the difficulty and expense that some parents have trying to find childcare, some companies may allow employees to bring their kids to work. But this case shows the need for strict rules about restricted areas in hazardous jobs.
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Tags: 12-year-old buried in sand, bring kids to work, children at work sites
August 6, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Work-related vehicle fatalities aren’t always at high speeds and on the open road.
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Tags: OSHA investigating, run over by dump truck, vehicle fatalities
August 4, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A construction fatality in Texas has spurred criticism of OSHA’s recent inspection increase. But not all of the criticism is the same.
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Tags: OSHA crackdown, Texas construction, worker fatality
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 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
New regulations; accidents with multiple fatalities; the President-elect’s take on what OSHA should be doing. What is the top safety story of 2008?
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Tags: new regulations, Obama, OSHA, top 10
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 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 16, 2009 by Fred Hosier
The National Safety Council is encouraging employers and states to ban cell phone use while driving.
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Tags: cell phone ban, Death By Cell Phone, National Safety Council
July 10, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Here’s a reminder about the importance of guarding against slip-and-falls.
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Tags: dies in vat of chocolate, Lyons & Sons, slip and fall