August 26, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Ingredients for disaster: flammable materials, confined space, no emergency responders on site.
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Tags: Cabin Creek explosion, Chemical Safety Board, five workers killed, Xcel Energy
August 24, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A federal agency says it’s overburdened and understaffed, and as a result, other investigations will suffer because of its work on the BP oil rig explosion.
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Tags: BP disaster, Chemical Safety Board, ConAgra Slim Jim explosion, Kleen Energy explosion
August 19, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Sure, a $16.6 million OSHA fine sounds like a lot of money. But that might be only the tip of the iceberg in the case involving an explosion at a Kleen Energy construction site.
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Tags: explosion, federal lawsuit, Kleen Energy
August 18, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A cautionary note to pass along to employees who weld outdoors: Hot weather can add to the risk of an explosion.
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Tags: 2 workers killed, explosion, oil vapors
August 13, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Once again, BP will pay the largest fine in OSHA history, breaking its own previous record. But, the oil giant also faces a half-billion dollars in additional costs as part of its settlement with the federal safety agency.
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Tags: BP Texas City refinery explosion, failure-to-abate fines, largest OSHA fine
August 6, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A February explosion in Middletown, CT, that killed six workers, injured 50 others and ravaged an under-construction energy plant has prompted OSHA to issue its third-largest fine ever.
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Tags: cut corners, explosion, Kleen Energy, natural gas, third largest OSHA fine
August 4, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Two companies face more than a quarter-of-a-million dollars in fines in connection with an explosion that resulted from the combination of flammable vapors and welding.
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Tags: flammable vapors, welding, willful violation
July 26, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Even though workers’ compensation is supposed to be the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries and death, lawyers will find a way to make someone pay even more, especially in the case of a fatality.
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Tags: gross negligence, hot oil heater, National Fire Protection Association, Workers' comp, workplace death lawsuit
July 8, 2010 by Fred Hosier
You’ve all heard the warnings: Let the professionals set off fireworks. The real dangers of these explosives become apparent when even the pros have problems.
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Tags: burns, fireworks, skin grafts
July 1, 2010 by Jim Burger
Fire departments and hospital emergency rooms are gearing up for what might be the most dangerous day of the year.
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Tags: burns, new study
June 23, 2010 by Fred Hosier
It must be a case of deja vu for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB). Five years ago it was investigating an explosion in Texas that killed 15 BP workers. Now it will investigate the Gulf explosion and spill that killed 11 BP workers.
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Tags: BP, BP Texas City explosion, Chemical Safety Board
June 10, 2010 by Fred Hosier
In the wake of the April 20 oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers, an article by ProPublica, an investigative journalism website, quotes former BP employees as saying management pressured or harassed them not to report safety problems.
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Tags: BP, David Michaels, injury logs, pressured not to report safety problems
June 9, 2010 by Fred Hosier
OSHA has fined a Belvedere, IL, company $510,000 in connection with a December 2009 explosion that killed a bystander.
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Tags: bystander killed, explosion, NDK Crystals, willful violations
April 27, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A 28-year-old worker was killed while welding barrels outside of a car repair shop.
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Tags: explosion, residual chemical vapors, welding
April 6, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Remember the incident in February in which a small private plane crashed into an IRS building in Austin, TX? There was only one IRS worker fatality. Credit goes to regular fire and evacuation drills.
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Tags: Austin IRS building, fire drills, plane crash
March 26, 2010 by Fred Hosier
On March 23, 2005, a series of explosions at BP’s Texas City, TX, refinery resulted in 15 fatalities and 170 injuries.
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Tags: BP refinery explosion, change, prevention, settle lawsuits, U.S. Chemical Safety Board
March 18, 2010 by Fred Hosier
An employee faces a slow, painful recovery after being burned over 40% of his body following a workplace explosion.
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Tags: burned, Chemical Safety Board, hot work
February 22, 2010 by Fred Hosier

In the first year of the Obama administration, OSHA was busy handing out fines the likes of which hadn’t been seen for eight years. Here’s our rundown of 10 significant fines from the last 12 months, and what they mean for businesses:
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Tags: BP, Obama administration, OSHA fines, prison time, top 10
January 29, 2010 by Fred Hosier
OSHA is looking into an explosion that killed a truck driver in Seminole, OK.
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Tags: explosion, propane torch, trucker killed
January 14, 2010 by Fred Hosier
ConAgra Foods has reached a settlement with the North Carolina Department of Labor regarding the explosion at a Slim Jim factory last year that killed four workers and injured about 70 others.
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Tags: ConAgra, explosion, Slim Jim plant
December 11, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A U.S. company tried — but failed — to block release of a video showing release of a hazardous chemical and a resulting fire, arguing it would “raise substantial issues of national security.”
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Tags: CITGO, national security, U.S. Chemical Safety Board
December 8, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Here’s proof that tragic workplace accidents can happen anywhere: An explosion at a refinery that was the recipient of several OSHA STAR awards has claimed the life of a worker.
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Tags: explosion, OSHA VPP, Valero
December 3, 2009 by Fred Hosier
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and local authorities are investigating to find the cause of an explosion at a middle school construction site that caused serious injuries to eight workers.
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Tags: burns, construction site, explosion, serious injuries
November 20, 2009 by Fred Hosier
An employee of a contractor sued BP for mental anguish in connection with the 2005 explosion that killed 15 at its Texas City, TX, facility.
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Tags: BP Texas City, emotional injury, explosion, mental anguish
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 2, 2009 by Fred Hosier
OSHA has proposed $87.43 million in fines against BP for the company’s failure to correct hazards uncovered after the 2005 explosion at its Texas City, TX, plant that killed 15 people and injured 170 others.
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Tags: 2005 explosion, BP, largest OSHA fine, Texas City plant
October 27, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Here’s a cautionary story for workers. John Capanna had a bright future at the age of 20. He was already a crew chief for his employer — a good job. Then, a workplace explosion burned over 90% of his body.
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Tags: burned on 90% of body, explosion, severe burns
October 14, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A dust explosion at a plant in Florida sent four workers to the hospital. One had to be airlifted to a burn center for critical injuries.
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Tags: combustible dust, dust explosion, serious burns
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 8, 2009 by Fred Hosier
An explosion at a worksite may cost an employee his leg, if attempts to reattach it fail.
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Tags: explosion, gas fumes, sever worker's leg
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 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 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 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
An employee of a government contractor was laid off shortly after expressing safety concerns to upper management at his company. Now OSHA is getting involved.
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Tags: Bering Sea Eccotech, Camp Pendleton Marine base, whistleblower
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