The president of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Daryl Hill, took part in an international assembly of occupational health and safety professionals in Saudi Arabia Monday and Tuesday, according to WorkersCompensation.com. Hill met with many ASSE members and conducted a presentation on contactor safety management. The meeting was sponsored…
Articles Posted in Workplace Safety
Statistics Show Workplace Hazards by Industry
Although this blog frequently reports on Massachusetts construction accidents and similar hazards, construction workers are not the only ones to face serious hazards in the workplace. In fact, the service industries account for 70% of all on-the-job illnesses or injuries (that’s 1 in 1.43 incidents). That’s compared to just 1…
Seven Injured, One Dead Following a Propane Explosion in Norfolk Home Under Construction
William Nichols, a 58 year old electrician, passed away Friday night as a result of injuries he sustained from a Norfolk home explosion. William Nichols was working in his capacity as an electrician when the Norfolk home suddenly exploded, injuring Nichols and seven others. Nichols was airlifted to Brigham and…
OSHA Fines Weymouth Contractor After Worker Falls 30 Feet
While climbing a scaffold at a Brookline, Massachusetts job site, an employee of a masonry contractor fell 30 feet. After the fall accident, when OSHA inspectors visited the job site, they found that it lacked a ladder or other safe means of accessing its upper levels. They also discovered that…
Tufts Medical Center Pays $5K to Settle OSHA Issue
Following complaints filed to OSHA by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Tufts Medical Center has agreed to pay $5,000 to settle issues in record-keeping. OSHA cited the hospital for failing to properly record employee injuries that occurred on the job, including back strains, broken thumbs, needle-stick injuries, and cuts from sharp…
OSHA Says Trench Lacked Proper Safety Measures
Last week, a trench collapse killed a 56-year-old worker in Hudson, Ohio. The workplace accident also injured a 58-year-old worker who remained in serious condition at a local hospital. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the 15-foot-deep trench was unsafe and lacked safety protections in the area…
Energy Company Had Long History of Safety Issues
Earlier this week, at least 25 workers died in an accident at a coal mine owned by Massey Energy, the country’s fourth largest coal company and the single largest coal producer in Central Appalachia. While the company’s website boasts that it has a safety record above the industry average, the…
OSHA Makes Workplace Injury and Illness Data Public
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has compiled data on work-related injuries and illnesses since 1996. Now the agency has made that information public through a searchable online database which allows people to look at company and industry-specific data on injury and illness. The data is used by OSHA…
OSHA Cites Massachusetts Contractor for Unsafe Trenches
A Methuen-based contractor has received 23 citations with proposed fines of $166,950 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for trench safety hazards at two Massachusetts worksites, one in Quincy and one in Lynnfield. OSHA’s citations include alleged willful, serious, and other-than-serious violations of safety standards. During inspections, OSHA discovered…
AWPT Warning Stickers Aimed at Preventing Construction Accidents
Last year, OSHA cited a Framingham, Massachusetts-based company after an aerial lift accident injured one employee and killed an employee for another roofing contractor. This incident and several other roofing accidents highlight the need for better safety training. That’s why the American Work Platform Training (AWPT) subsidiary of the International…