OSHA fines Ray Clearing Inc. more than $35K for federal violations
December 10, 2015
An OSHA inspection of a Ray Clearing Inc. worksite found that employees were using chainsaws to fell 12-inch diameter trees without the proper protection--chaps, heavy duty logging boots, eye protection and face protection. They also lacked the head protection necessary for working in woods, where there is a potential for being struck by falling limbs.
Blue Rhino affirms safety violations, accepts $52K in penalties
December 9, 2015
For employees working with hazardous substances, an oversight can be disastrous - an unfortunate lesson learned by six Florida workers at a Blue Rhino propane tank refurbishing facility in Taveras, Florida who were injured during a fire.
A salon manager who was fired after warning her colleagues about an occupational health hazard will get $165,000 from the salon, in a settlement with the U.S. Labor Dept.
Hearthside Food Solutions is nation's largest cookie, cracker manufacturer
December 7, 2015
A 41-year-old worker cleaning product waste from a factory floor suffered severe scalp injuries and multiple lacerations when a machine caught her hairnet, resulting in her hospitalization for four days. This is the third serious injury involving machine hazards reported this year by Hearthside Food Solutions LLC, which bakes cookies and crackers for national brands.
An employee working alone late at night at a Speedway gasoline station/convenience store in South Syracuse was shot in the leg on May 10, 2015, during an armed robbery – an incident OSHA says was preventable.
OSHA determines Piramal Glass USA did not provide FR clothing
November 13, 2015
A 34-year-old machine operator suffered third-degree burns on his legs and hands when molten glass bottles fell on the production floor and ignited oil residue that had leaked from the machines. The man had not been provided fire-retardant protective clothing, and the fire spread to his pant leg. He has been unable to return to work since the injury.
The owner of a Sandpoint, Idaho oil change facility will pay $100K to an employee who was fired for reporting safety concerns to OSHA. A federal judge upheld the findings on Sept. 29 of an OSHA investigation. Judge B. Lynn Winmill of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho cited Sydney Oskoui, owner of Sandpoint Gas N Go Lube Center Inc., for his “reprehensible” conduct.
After spending days fighting fires, clearing brush and performing arduous physical tasks, U.S. Forest Service employees should return to a safe home base after work. Yet repeated inspections of national forests throughout Oregon during the last 10 years have found the opposite, with the Forest Service cited by federal inspectors for widespread safety violations nine out of every 10 visits.
J&M Metro General Contracting Corp. failed to provide lifesaving protections
October 9, 2015
Vidal Sanchez fell to his death at a Brooklyn work site on April 1, 2015. It should not have happened. The 51-year-old laborer, who worked for Brooklyn-based J&M Metro General Contracting Corp., fell while raking freshly poured concrete at the unprotected 6th floor edge of a building under construction at 360 Neptune Ave. in Brighton Beach.
A leading supplier of fast food and supermarket chicken is facing more than $1.4 million in fines this year for worker safety and health violations, including several that led a teenaged worker to suffer the amputation of his lower leg.