Construction worker seriously injured after falling 4 stories at condo construction site in Etobicoke, in Toronto, Canada

A construction worker suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries after he fell four storeys from scaffolding at this condo site in Etobicoke. (Frederic Lacelle/Radio-Canada)

Toronto paramedics say the man's injuries are not life threatening

CBC News Posted: Sep 06, 2016 10:27 AM ET Last Updated: Sep 06, 2016 12:28 PM ET


A construction worker was seriously injured on Tuesday morning after he fell four storeys from scaffolding at a construction site in Etobicoke, Toronto paramedics said.

Toronto Paramedic Services said they received a call about the incident at about 9:15 a.m. The fall happened at a condo project that's being built at the West Mall and Holiday Drive, near Highway 427 and Burnhamthorpe Road.

The man has been rushed to a trauma center. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, paramedics said.

The provincial Ministry of Labour is investigating.

More than $121K in OSHA fines proposed for construction companies Austin Constructors LLC and Muniz Concrete and Contracting Inc. that exposed workers to trench cave-in hazards at Austin project

September 6, 2016

More than $121K in OSHA fines proposed for construction companies
Austin Constructors LLC and Muniz Concrete and Contracting Inc. that exposed workers to trench cave-in hazards at Austin project

Employers' name: Austin Constructors LLC and Muniz Concrete and Contracting Inc.

Worksite location: Colorado St., Austin, Texas 78701

Citations issued: Sept. 6, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Austin Constructors LLC for one willful and three serious violations involving trenching hazards. The willful violation was for not having an adequate protective system in place for employees in the trench. The serious violations were for failing to support and cover utility lines in the trench, not protecting employees from loose rock or soil, and for not providing guardrails on walkways over the trench.

The company in charge of the worksite, Muniz Concrete and Contracting Inc., was also cited for one serious violation for exposing workers to trench cave-in hazards. The inspection was initiated April 28, 2016, at the City of Austin Street Reconstruction and Utility Adjustment Project. OSHA opened this inspection as part of OSHA's National Emphasis Program for trenching and excavations.

Proposed Penalties: Austin Constructors LLC, $113,486; Muniz Concrete and Contracting Inc., $7,857

Quote: "There are roughly 54 fatalities associated with excavations each year, such as the one that happened in Lockhart this past week, because employers failed to take the necessary measures to keep them safe," said Casey R. Perkins, OSHA's area director in Austin. "These employers knew better, and they are fortunate we inspected them before any of their employees were seriously injured or killed."

View citations at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AustinConstructorsLLC_1144114_0906_16.pdf and http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/MunizConcreteandContractingInc._1144117_0906_16.pdf

Information: Austin Constructors LLC, and Muniz Concrete and Contracting Inc., have 15 business days from receipt of their citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Austin office at 512-374-0271.

3 truck cabs were destroyed and a fourth truck was damaged after fire at Apex xpress trucking at 114-120 Seaview Dr. in Secaucus, NJ

One firefighter was injured and three trucks were destroyed at a Seaview Drive fire in Secaucus on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016. Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal
Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal

  Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal
on September 04, 2016 at 12:05 PM




SECAUCUS, NJ -- One firefighter was injured and multiple truck cabs were destroyed in a fire behind a Seaview Drive warehouse.   The 120 Seaview Drive address shows that Apex xpress trucking is located there.

The fire broke out just before 9 a.m. and drew dozens of firefighters and first responders to the multi-use building at 114-120 Seaview Dr.

Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, who volunteers with the town's fire department, was at the scene at about 9:30 a.m. He said three truck cabs were destroyed and a fourth truck was damaged.


One firefighter was brought to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion, the mayor said.

The trucks were reduced almost completely to rubble as the owners emotionally began arriving on the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

120 Seaview Dr, Secaucus, NJ 07094

Resident Name	Phone	More Information
Apex Express	(201) 601-0100	Categories: Heavy Duty Trucking Site: apexxpress.com
Apex Xpress Inc.	(201) 601-0100	Specialties: Copier Delivery & Installation, White Glove, Air Ride, Padded Van, Liftgate, 2 Men, Flatbed - Oversized - Union Sites Industry: Transportation/Trucking/Railroad, Trucking Operator-Nonlocal Business type: Domestic Business Corporation Site: www.apexxpress.com

Carlson Tool & Manufacturing Corp. allowed the computer numerical controlled lathe to operate with its safety interlocks bypassed, causing the death of lathe operator in WI

OSHA’s investigation of lathe operator’s fatal injuries finds machine guards were bypassed at Wisconsin machining facility


CEDARBURG, Wis. – As he hand-polished a 40-inch long metal cylinder, a 36-year-old lathe operator became entangled in the machine’s operating spindle and suffered injuries that led to his death two days later.

An investigation into the incident by federal inspectors found his employer, Carlson Tool & Manufacturing Corp. allowed the computer numerical controlled lathe to operate with its safety interlocks bypassed. The interlocks prevent workers from coming in contact with moving machine parts.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for one willful, and one serious violation of machine safety standards, as a result of the worker’s death on March 17, 2016. Carlson had employed the man for two years.

“All too often, OSHA finds employers are complacent with machine safety features and bypass them to speed production,” said Christine Zortman, area director of OSHA’s Milwaukee office. “This worker’s tragic death was preventable. Carlson Tool & Manufacturing must re-evaluate its overall safety and health management system, including their machine safety programs and procedures to ensure they are effective.”

OSHA’s inspection found the lathe’s door that provided guarding, was open exposing the worker to the machines rotating parts. Unrelated to the incident, agency inspectors found that the company also failed to follow proper procedures to fully power down equipment to prevent sudden movement or starts.

OSHA has proposed penalties of $124,709. View the citations received by the company on Aug. 31, 2016, here.

Based in Cedarburg, Carlson Tool & Manufacturing Corp. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the Milwaukee Area Office at (414) 297-3315.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
OSHA News Release:
09/06/2016

'Flakka' has all but disappeared in Florida, after Chinese chemical ban cutting illegal drug use in U.S.

Chinese chemical ban cutting illegal drug use in U.S.
'Flakka' has all but disappeared in Florida

By Sara Ganim CNN

Updated 09/03 2016 04:07AM

  China's ban on certain chemicals is being credited by Drug Enforcement Administration officials in a noticeable decrease in certain synthetic drugs in the United States.

Police encounters with six substances that were part of China's 115-chemical ban have dropped dramatically since it took effect in October, DEA numbers show.

Synthetic cannabinoids -- commonly known as K2 or spice -- stimulants similar to cocaine or MDMA and the notoriously dangerous synthetic known as flakka have fallen dramatically from they were last summer.

Flakka has all but disappeared from Florida, where it was wreaking havoc.

"We've definitely seen a significant decrease, especially of flakka," Broward County Sheriff's Lt. Ozzy Tianga said.

As a result, DEA officials say, they are optimistic that ongoing meetings with their Chinese counterparts can continue the trend. This month, 14 high-ranking DEA officials spent a week in Beijing and two other Chinese provinces, where they talked about how to work together to tackle the problem of Chinese chemists making and selling dangerous synthetic drugs in the United States.

DEA spokesman Russell Baer called it an "unprecedented dialogue between the two countries."

China now faces a problem similar to one the United States has been struggling with: how to keep up with chemists who are constantly tweaking formulas to stay one step ahead of the law.

Tianga said he anticipated that new synthetics would show up in place of those banned, and officials have seen some of that, but the numbers have been nothing like last summer, when flakka use was at an alarming high.

"Overall, [synthetics have] significantly dropped since the ban -- at the epicenter here in South Florida," Tianga said. "But by no way are we out of the woods. There will be more molecular changes to substances that will be introduced to society."

In Florida this summer, the Legislature approved and the governor signed a blanket ban of substances that have no practical use other than to get high.

Baer said the DEA is continuing to work with Chinese officials on a similar ban as they now battle a nationwide problem with synthetic fentanyl.

"They talked about continuing efforts to try to understand each other's perspective of this problem," he said. "Historically, we have not been able to talk about this stuff. We've now gotten to the point that China is listening to us and addressing some of the [drug] scheduling issues. They are their own country, and they have their own concerns. One [problem] people don't understand is that China has an extensive commercial manufacturing program over there. These illicit substances ... are a small part of that huge legitimate industry."