‘Worksite of horrors’ exposed workers to asbestos, lead: $700K fine
Renovations at a former New York psychiatric center exposed workers to lead and asbestos hazards, leading to a huge OSHA settlement for this real estate development company.
Contractors
$10.5M fatality settlement: Worker fell through hole into icy river
Just weeks before a trial was to start in the case, the family of a deceased worker has reached a settlement with the general contractor on a rehabilitation project.
$2.3M fine for knowingly exposing workers to asbestos
Fines added up quickly for this real estate development and management company when OSHA decided to use per-instance citations for each employee exposed to asbestos and lead. Total fine: $2,359,000.
13 workers injured in formwork collapse; 3 companies receive $147K in safety fines
The injuries employees received in this structure collapse could have been much worse. The only thing that prevented worse injuries from their 20-foot falls?
15 dead, 300 injured: Why was OSHA fine only $118K?
A Texas newspaper takes a look at how the $118,300 OSHA fine for the West Fertilizer explosion stacks up against those for other catastrophic workplace incidents. Its conclusion: OSHA fines aren’t proportional to loss of life.
2 Hershey contractors fined $288K by OSHA
Two companies involved in packaging Hershey’s chocolates face $288,000 in OSHA fines in connection with violations regarding foreign exchange students. On top of the OSHA violations, an organization representing guest workers calls the situation one that “kills decent U.S. jobs.”
5 workers die: Emergency responders were an hour away
Ingredients for disaster: flammable materials, confined space, no emergency responders on site.
6 deaths in 12 weeks raise issue of safety for remote workers
Just 12 weeks into 2014, 6 cell phone tower workers have died on the job. While it will be months before we have official OSHA investigation results, this spate of tower worker deaths raises this question: How safe are your employees who work off site, away from you, the safety professional?
7 workers burned in flash dust fire; report cites lack of hazard analysis
Poor design of a dust collection system led to a flash fire that burned seven employees – one seriously – at an ink manufacturing plant in New Jersey, according to an investigation. On top of that, the report says the company’s emergency response was also lacking.
Alberta to fine workers for safety violations: Should U.S. do that?
Is this a good idea? A Canadian province is about to enact a new workplace safety law that would allow inspectors to issue fines to workers for violations. Penalties could be substantial for repeat offenders.
Are injury lawyers licking their chops over down economy?
Who has more work during the down economy? A lawyer who represents people injured on the job expects he may be getting more work.
ASSE forming accreditation institute to recognize quality safety programs
An independent accreditation institute created by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will debut this summer.
Bizarre accident: Exploding toilet sends worker to hospital
Is no place, no action, safe from a potential injury at work? Guess not.
BP well blowout investigation: Safety lessons for all
A government investigation into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill looks at specific factors such as how deep a cement plug was set and whether additional barriers should have been installed. But the root causes of the incident that killed 11 workers focus on common subjects for workplace safety: management, communication, previous near-misses, safety culture […]
BP’s new safety program: Is it serious this time?
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: In light of the disaster earlier this year, BP says safety and risk management are the company’s “most urgent priority.”
California shuts down five farm labor contractors for violation of heat regulations
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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