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Earlier this year, a worker died after he became caught in the moving parts of an industrial ice-making machine. The machine activated as the worker performed maintenance work inside it. When officials from Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the New Bedford company, a seafood processor, they discovered 23 alleged safety violations.

Following the fatal machinery accident, the company received 19 serious citations and four other-than-serious hazards. OSHA found that the company’s seafood processing plant did not have specific steps and procedures to power down and lock out the ice machine’s power source before workers entered it.

Investigators also found that employees were not trained to deal with the hazard of the machine’s operating without warning. The plant was also missing a program to train employees to work in confined spaces such as the ice machine. OSHA regulations aimed at preventing serious injuries require that machinery be powered down and power sources locked out before employees enter the machine to perform maintenance.

The combined proposed penalties total $66,800.

Source: Seafood Processor Cited for Worker’s Death in Ice Machine, OHSonline.com, November 9, 2009 Continue reading

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On Saturday night, an accident at the construction site of a soon-to-be Texas Roadhouse killed a subcontractor. The man was working as part of the painting crew when the construction site accident occurred around 5:30pm. Authorities believe the worker fell. When rescue crews arrived at the scene of the accident, they found the unconscious worker lying at the bottom of an interior staircase.

Firefighters performed CPR on the worker as they transported him the hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police have not released the name of the worker pending notification of his family.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to investigate the fatal construction accident.

Construction Worker Dies At Texas Roadhouse Site, WDIO.com, November 2, 2009
Death at Texas Roadhouse construction site, Fox21online.com, November 2, 2009 Continue reading

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On Friday morning, a construction worker suffered multiple fractures to both legs when a steamroller ran over his legs. The construction accident occurred around 3:30am when the worker was measuring part of the roadway.

Following the steamroller accident, the worker was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he underwent a lengthy surgical procedure.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said he was listed in critical condition as of late Friday afternoon. The injured worker’s age and hometown were not released to the media.

Steamroller accident on I-287 in Edison leaves worker critically hurt, MyCentralJersey.com, October 30, 2009 Continue reading

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A Hingham, Massachusetts company has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following a night inspection in July, 2009. Inspectors from OSHA’s Boston North Area Office discovered workers exposed to excess silica levels as they were jackhammering concrete on a bridge on I-93 in Melrose.

In addition to not protecting employees from overexposure to silica, OSHA also cited the company for alleged safety violations including not having controls to lower exposure levels, not fit-testing respirators, failing to evaluate employees’ exposure levels, and not providing a respiratory protection program and training. OSHA also alleges that the company has repeat violations found during an April, 2009 inspection. The proposed fines total $38,100.

The nighttime inspection was part of OSHA’s efforts to target highway construction job sites where silica is generated.

Silica Citations Follow Night Inspection, Safety.BLR.com, October 26, 2009 Continue reading

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On Sunday evening, a construction worker was killed on Interstate 215 in Utah. Troopers say the worker was walking in a construction zone when a truck drifted into a barreled off construction area and hit the worker. According to police, the truck was traveling at more than 40 miles per hour when it hit and killed the worker from behind.

The truck continued south after hitting the 20-year-old construction worker and police have not located the driver or the vehicle, which they describe as a blue and white pickup. Troopers say the truck may have significant damage from the accident.

Following the construction accident, traffic was backed up for several hours Sunday evening.

Construction worker killed in hit-and-run accident, ABC4.com, October 26, 2009
Construction worker killed in hit-and-run on I-215, The Salt Lake Tribune, October 26, 2009 Continue reading

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Last Tuesday, an explosion at a biodiesel plant injured a worker. The local fire department responded to the scene of the workplace accident after a reactor reportedly exploded. The fire sprinkler system at the plant extinguished most of the flames, and firefighters managed to contain a few remaining hot spots.

A worker suffered a broken leg and was taken by emergency medical services (EMS) crews to a local hospital. No other workers were injured.

Authorities have not stated what prompted the explosion or what the worker was doing when he was injured. However, investigators from the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration will conduct a full investigation of the workplace accident.

Explosion at biodiesel plant broke workers leg, JusticeNewsFlash.com, October 15, 2009 Continue reading

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On Monday, a crane accident in Philadelphia’s Center City resulted in the death of the crane operator and injuries to at least three others. According to reports on the radio, the operator fell 125 feet when the crane toppled over at about 1:30pm, hitting a building containing a florist shop and apartments. The 40-year-old operator was declared dead soon after the construction accident.

Among those injured were a 70-year-old woman in a nearby car who was hit by either the crane or debris and was in stable condition at Hahnemann Hospital. Two others in the area were injured by falling debris.

Officials from the Department of Licenses and Inspection were investigating the scene of the fatal accident to determine whether residents could safely return to their apartments.

Report: Crane topples in Center City Philadelphia, killing operator, Philadelphia Business Journal, October 12, 2009 Continue reading

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Last Friday morning, a construction superintendent died in an accident. Emergency responders were paged at about 10am after a man was reportedly electrocuted. Brady Meier was overseeing the base area construction project and was pronounced dead at 12:45am at Yampa Valley Medical center.

Authorities said they are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, but they believe Meier might have been struck with a fitting from a pressurized water line. The owner of Duckels Construction said Meier was trying to turn on a water valve inside a utility vault when a compression on another water line blew off and hit him. Meier had worked for the company for two years prior to the construction accident.

Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration plan to investigate the fatal accident.

Brady Meier died Friday after construction site accident, Steamboat Pilot & Today, October 10 Continue reading

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A former employee for Sears, Roebuck and Co. was injured on the job, took workers’ compensation leave, and later learned that he’d been terminated when his wife’s discount card was denied. That incident resulted in a lawsuit filed by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2004.

The suit accused the company of illegally firing a disabled worker and failing to make reasonable accommodations that would have allowed the injured service technician to return to work. In response, Sears Holdings Corp. has agreed to pay $6.2 to settle the lawsuit.

The three-year consent decree requires the company to abide by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), amend its workers’ compensation leave policy, provide reports to the EEOC outlining its workers compensation practices, and train employees on the ADA.

Sears settles lawsuit with disabled former worker for $6.2M, Chicago Sun-Times, September 29, 2009 Continue reading

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A 50-year-old construction worker from Plymouth was seriously injured on Wednesday morning after falling from a 25-foot-high scaffold. The scaffold accident occurred at a waterfront construction site in Cohasset, Massachusetts, where three workers were installing siding to restore several buildings.

An emergency call came in at 11:23am and the injured foreman was airlifted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he was in critical condition according to police. He reportedly suffered severe head injuries.

The construction accident is being investigated by an inspector from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine if proper fall-protection equipment was used. According to a spokesman for OSHA, work being performed at more than 6 feet generally requires guardrails or the wearing of safety harnesses.

Plymouth laborer injured in fall at Cohasset construction site, The Patriot Ledger, October 1, 2009 Continue reading

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