Workplace deaths - Articles - Page 5

U.S. Steel Corp.'s safety shortcuts lead to fatal explosion

Time and cost concerns blamed in 2 worker deaths and serious burns to another

October 1, 2019

Like most of us, Leo Bridges and Edward Bryant left for work one day in September 2014, probably thinking about some rest and relaxation when the shift ended. Like many, they figured their managers and employer would ensure they were safe at work. Bridges and Bryant were wrong; they were caught in a fiery explosion in the Flux Building, which OSHA inspectors said occurred because U.S. Steel Corp. put workers at risk, so as not to slow production at its Fairfield facility.

NYC may revoke construction licenses after fatalities

September 24, 2019

The recent deaths of employees during construction projects may cost three New York contractors their special rigger licenses – if the city’s Buildings Department’s prevails in its effort to revoke them. The special rigger licenses of Wayne Bellet of Bellet Construction and Mohammad Bhutta of Zain Contracting were suspended following the June death of 44-year-old Carlos Olmedo Lala, who plunged from the second level of scaffolding at a Harlem job site.

After runaway train kills engineer & conductor, NTSB urges brake inspections

September 23, 2019

An ongoing investigation into an October 4, 2018 train collision that claimed the lives of two railroad employees has resulted in calls for greater scrutiny of train air brakes by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). That key piece of equipment was singled out in a report issued by the agency last week about the Granite Canyon, Wyoming incident.

CSB reverses policy, will name names of chemical accident victim

Had stopped so companies wouldn't have implied culpability

September 18, 2019

Under pressure from worker safety advocates, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has decided to return to a policy of including the names of deceased workers in its investigative reports. The CSB, an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical incidents, has included names of fatally injured workers in its reports since 2014. The agency changed its policy in June with the release of two reports on fatal incidents.

Two Michigan workers crushed by granite

September 11, 2019

Two employees of a granite and marble business in suburban Detroit were fatally crushed Monday afternoon when multiple slabs of granite fell on them. Sterling Heights Fire Chief Chris Martin said it appeared that the workers were using an overhead crane to move granite slabs – each weighing more than 1,000 pounds. When slabs were lifted off their storage rack, others shifted, causing slabs to fall on the men.

Recycling facility worker killed in Nebraska

September 9, 2019

A 60-year-old employee of Omaha’s largest recycling plant was killed in a workplace accident last week. Authorities have identified the victim as Dilaver Gasa, an employee of First Star Recycling. News sources say the incident occurred on Thursday morning, when Gasa was pinned under the bucket of a front end loader.

Oil company must pay $2 mill in employee fatality

August 30, 2019

An oilfield company has been ordered to pay more than $2 million in damages related to a worker fatality at its Williston, North Dakota facility. C&J Well Services – formerly called Nabors Completion and Production Services (NCPS) – pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to a willful violation of a federal statute requiring that tanks be cleaned before welding.

Sanitation employee crushed in workplace accident

August 29, 2019

Authorities are trying to determine the cause of an accident earlier this week in Riverbank, California that claimed that claimed the life of a sanitation worker. News sources say 30-year-old Ismael Martinez-Huertas, a father of two, was crushed by a hydraulic mechanism on a garbage truck Monday afternoon.

Construction worker sues Marriott, others over coworkers’ deaths

August 29, 2019

A construction worker who watched two co-workers fall to their deaths at a hotel construction site in Florida last year is suing Marriott and its partner companies for failing to provide sufficient safeguards for workers. News sources say the August 29 incident occurred during construction of a 16-story hotel.

Struck-by accidents in three states result in fatalities

August 27, 2019

A spate of recent struck-by accidents in Texas, Indiana and Florida have left three workers dead – and OSHA investigators busy. In Robertson County, Texas, an employee at a used auto parts business died when a vehicle fell on him. OSHA is investigating the incident at Abco Auto Parts, which claimed the life of 43-year-old Carmelo Aguirre-Ortega on August 19th.