A newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues
Two Fatalities Confirmed in Helicopter Crash Near Smethport Keating Twp, PA — Two workers were killed when a helicopter performing maintenance on power lines crashed late Sunday afternoon 1.5 miles north of Smethport Borough in Keating Township. The fatalities confirmed by State Police at the Kane barracks and McKean County Coroner Michael Cahill. A third person in the helicopter, believed…
Kentucky Limits Black Lung Claims Reviews: We have recently noted that black lung is back with a vengeance after almost being eradicated in the late 1990s. Epidemiologists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health say they’ve identified the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease ever reported. Well, the state of Kentucky is…
FedEx truck driver killed after crashing over highway in Texas DALLAS, TX — A fiery crash killed the driver of a FedEx delivery truck in Dallas early Saturday.The victim is 30-year-old Quantico Smith. Dallas police say the fatal accident began when two cars crashed on I-45 near Overton. The FedEx truck hit the one car that…
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,…
Ames Company Releases Details in Employee’s Workplace Death AMES, Iowa — An Ames company has confirmed one of its employees died as a result of an accident on the job. At approximately 4 p.m. on Thursday, Danfoss employee John Lavery, 45, was working at the company’s 13th Street location. A preliminary investigation revealed the safety hood on…
Much-Loved Tow Driver Killed While Helping Stranded Motorist Saginaw, MI — For many, tow-truck driving may not seem like a very hazardous occupation. But according the owner of one tow-truck company, one tow truck driver gets killed almost every six days in the United States.For him, it’s not just a statistic. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, one…
Nothing sharpens the mind like the prospect of spending time in jail. Those of you who know me know that there’s little that makes me more angry than seeing a worker killed in a trench collapse. Every construction company owner knows how to prevent trench collapses — or they should know, or shouldn’t be in…
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) —…
Bentleyville man dies at ArcelorMittal plant in Monessen Monessen, PA — A Bentleyville man died Sunday night at the ArcelorMittal Coke Plant in Monessen. According to a report Tuesday from the Washington County coroner’s office, Robert Klett, 60, was found unresponsive about 10:45 p.m. Sunday at the plant at 345 Donner Ave. The report said…
At a Congressional hearing last month, Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta extolled the virtues of compliance assistance, cooperation over confrontation and the Voluntary Protection Program. But he also repeated several times that the agency’s compliance assistance program “has to be balanced by a vigorous enforcement program” and especially when the employer engages in repeated and willful…