A newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues
Man, 32, Killed After Barge Overturns in Guilford GUILFORD, CT — One person is dead after a barge carrying eight people overturned in Guilford Saturday, police said. At 2:20 p.m. Saturday the police and fire departments responded to the Guilford Yacht Club at 379 Whitfield St. after a barge overturned, resulting in several people in the water,…
Bad couple of weeks for workers in Kansas and firefighters across the country. Also two trench deaths and a food processing worker whose leg was ripped off. Last list of workers killed during 2017. Good Riddance. Let’s hope for a better 2018. Man Killed Loading Road Salt at Kentucky Facility Identified LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) —…
These reports always contain an surprising and upsetting diversity of ways to die in the workplace. The last couple of weeks seemed to witness a large number of workers who were killed in violent workplace incidents — retail robberies, carjackings, and law enforcement. Marks Farms worker dies from injuries suffered in farm accident MARTINSBURG, NY…
Worker killed after collision with SUV on Fargo airport runway FARGO, ND — A contract worker painting stripes on the runway of Hector International Airport was killed in a collision with an SUV early Monday, July 31, 2017, said Shawn Dobberstein, executive director of the Fargo Airport Authority. The name of the worker has not yet…
Five fatalities in Pennsylvania this week and three in Colorado. Work accident kills Mansfield business owner MANSFIELD, PA — A Mansfield business owner was killed Tuesday when he was pinned under a piece of farming machinery. Lane Smith, 57, owner and operator of L. P. Smith Co., was working on farm equipment when a manure spreader…
Exporting Cancer and Miscarriages: An upsetting but must-read article by Cam Simpson at Bloomberg Business Week looks at American semi-conductor companies who discovered in the 1980’s that chemicals they were using in the production of micro chips were causing cancer and reproductive problems in women working in their plants. So they did the honorable thing…
There are a couple of stories here. Recent headlines report on an OSHA letter warning Arizona OSHA that it is following inappropriate enforcement procedures. Underlying this situation is the question of how OSHA will enforce its legal duty to ensure that OSHA state plans are “at least as effective” as the national program. The Arizona case may…
The latest deaths in the workplace, at least as many as I can locate. Lots of vehicle related fatalities this week, and as usual, several who have no names. 25-year-old dies after falling at work; 8th worker death in Michigan this year Kalamazoo, MI — The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports the state’s…
Since I restarted this blog last month, I’ve mostly focused on policy and political issues, because, well….we’ve been overwhelmed by daily attacks by Congress and the Trump administration that undermine workplace safety standards and OSHA’s budget. But ultimately, we’re only fighting the policy and political issues because working people are getting hurt and killed every day in the…