OSHA has issued two Texas contractors — Austin Constructors and Muniz Concrete and Contracting — trench-related safety violations and fined them a total of $121,343.

OSHA fines TX contractors $121K for trench hazards
By Kim Slowey | September 8, 2016 


 
Dive Brief:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued two Texas contractors — Austin Constructors and Muniz Concrete and Contracting — trench-related safety violations and fined them a total of $121,343.
OSHA issued Austin Constructors, which garnered the lion's share of the fine ($113,486), one willful and three serious violations for failing to utilize sufficient trench protection on the Austin job site, failing to secure power lines and loose soil properly in the trench, and failing to furnish guardrails or walkways over the trench.

The agency also issued Muniz ($7,857) one serious violation for leaving employees vulnerable to cave-ins at the street- and utility-related project.
Dive Insight:

OSHA said it launched an investigation at the site as part of its National Emphasis Program for trenching and excavations, and Area Director Casey R. Perkins said in a press release that the companies were "fortunate" the agency caught the violations before employees were killed or injured. Perkins added that 54 annual fatalities result from excavations.

Earlier this month, OSHA cited another Texas contractor, Renda Contracting, with several excavation- and trench-related violations on a drainage project in Houston and fined the company $124,300. The agency said it had investigated Renda six times in the last 10 years, inquiries that all resulted in citations and fines. Renda officials said the company, which has performed hundreds of millions of dollars in work for the city of Dallas over the last several years, would contest OSHA's findings.

Unprotected construction site trenches and excavations can be particularly deadly, and the legal tide could be turning against employers who do not take adequate safety measures. In June, a Manhattan judge found general contractor Harco Construction guilty of second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment in the trench-collapse death of worker Carlos Moncayo. Cases against Moncayo's direct employer, Sky Materials Corp., and supervisors from both Sky and Harco are pending. As part of Harco's sentence, the judge ordered the company to pay for a television safety ad campaign, but Harco said it would not comply and planned to appeal the verdict.

The New York sentence does not include the OSHA penalties assessed against both Harco and Sky, an even split of a total fine of $280,000. Had the incident happened after the agency's revised penalty structure went into effect, the companies could have found themselves paying up to 78% more in fines.
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SPEED KILLS: Two people killed after a truck went airborne, crashed into multiple trees and caught fire in DeKalb County

Police investigate a fatal crash in Doraville on Thursday, September 8, 2016. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

Airborne truck strikes trees in fiery fatal crash
3:29 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 

 Story Highlights
The truck became engulfed in flames after it fell to the ground, the Georgia State Patrol said.
Berduo-Gonzalez and a passenger died at the scene.
The truck was still ablaze when Doraville police responded.

Two people were killed early Thursday after a truck went airborne, crashed into multiple trees and caught fire in DeKalb County, authorities said.

Yudrian Yelson Berduo-Gonzalez, 26, of Atlanta, and a passenger were in a 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup truck traveling east on Tilly Mill Road when it left the roadway for unknown reasons and struck an unoccupied 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer parked in a private driveway.

The impact sent the Ford flying into the air.

“The truck then … struck multiple trees,” Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman Tracey Watson said. “The truck became engulfed in flames after it fell to the ground.”

The truck was still ablaze when Doraville police responded to a call about the accident just before 1 a.m. near Harbor Valley Drive.

“The fire department quickly responded to the scene and put out the fire, but it was too late,” Doraville police spokesman Gene Callaway said.

Berduo-Gonzalez and the passenger, who has not been identified, died at the scene, authorities said.

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the accident.

No other details were released.

FAA Proposes $54,000 Civil Penalty Against Gordon Food Service for Alleged Hazardous Materials Violations

Press Release – FAA Proposes $54,000 Civil Penalty Against Gordon Food Service for Alleged Hazardous Materials Violations

For Immediate Release

August 19, 2016
Contact: Kathleen Bergen
Phone: 404-305-5100; Email: kathleen.bergen@faa.gov


WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $54,000 in civil penalty against Gordon Food Service of Wyoming, Mich., for allegedly violating the Hazardous Materials Regulations.

The FAA alleges that on Aug. 11, 2014, Gordon Food Service offered UPS a shipment of 30 four-ounce Fryer Boil-Out Foaming tablets for air transportation from Plant City, Fla., to Greensboro, N.C. The tablets are made of corrosive sodium hydroxide, and the inner boxes displayed the words, “DANGER: May Cause Burns.”

Workers at UPS’s Lakeland, Fla., sort facility discovered the shipment.

The FAA alleges the package was not properly marked, labeled or accompanied by shipping papers indicating the amount, type and hazardous nature of the material inside. The FAA also alleges that the company did not provide required emergency response information with the shipment.

Furthermore, the FAA alleges the company failed to ensure its employees received required hazardous materials training and failed to include emergency response information with the package.

Gordon Food Service has 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.

FAA strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.

Press Release – FAA Statement on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Devices

For Immediate Release

September 8, 2016
Contact: Laura Brown
Phone: 202-267-3883


In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.

OSHA's investigation of life-altering injury at General Aluminum Mfg. finds Ohio foundry continues to expose workers to machine hazards

September 8, 2016

OSHA's investigation of life-altering injury at General Aluminum Mfg.
finds Ohio foundry continues to expose workers to machine hazards
Company cited for 5th time since 2013, faces $218K in penalties after employee's March injury

CONNEAUT, Ohio - For the fifth time since 2013, federal investigators have been called to an Ohio aluminum foundry to investigate the serious injury of a worker.

In the latest incident, a mold-tilting machine used to produce aluminum parts crushed a 53-year-old worker's left hand between the center core and bottom plate at General Aluminum Mfg. Company's Conneaut facility. He now has limited use of the hand and has been unable to return to work since the March 23, 2016, injury. In 2013 and 2015, four workers suffered amputations, in separate incidents, as a result of machine safety violations at the company facilities in Wapokaneta, Ravenna and Conneaut.

On Sept. 2, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for two repeated, and two serious violations of machine safety standards, as a result of the worker's injury. OSHA has proposed penalties of $218,244.

"General Aluminum has written an unfortunate legacy of failing to protect its workers from machine hazards," said Howard Eberts, area director of OSHA's Cleveland office. "All too often, OSHA finds employers are complacent with machine safety features. Each year hundreds of workers suffer crushing injuries and amputations. The company needs to immediately address its legacy of worker injuries and make immediate improvements to its procedures, training and monitoring of machine safety procedures to ensure they are effective."

An investigation into the March incident by federal inspectors found General Aluminum allowed workers to service the mold table without powering it down or locking out machine parts to prevent workers from coming in contact with gravitational energy from moving machine parts.

OSHA's inspection found the company routinely failed to follow proper procedures to fully power down equipment to prevent sudden movement or starts from gravitational, hydraulic and electrical energy sources. The injured worker was training a co-worker on procedures when the injury occurred.

The company was cited for machine safety violations following injuries at its facility in Wapokaneta in April 2015 and at its Ravenna facility in March 2015. Those violations remain under contest.

Injuries were also reported at the Conneaut facility in September 2013 and the Ravenna Plant in August 2013. The company has settled those violations with OSHA.

View the current citations here.

Based in Cleveland, General Aluminum Mfg. is a full-service aluminum die casting supplier to a wide variety of industries including the automotive, agricultural, industrial, and appliance industries which operates five facilities in Indiana and Ohio. The company 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 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 Cleveland Area Office at (216) 447-4194.

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.


# # #


About Us

General Aluminum Mfg. Company (GAMCO)

GAMCO is a full service aluminum die casting supplier to a wide variety of industries including the automotive, agricultural, industrial, and appliance industries. Our diversified customer base and product mix ensures that GAMCO will remain a viable supplier to our customers.

Expertise in the Aluminum Casting Industry

By working closely with our customers, our strong technical staff and manufacturing teams are able to design a superior product for ease of manufacturing that is competitive in the global market. Our expertise in the aluminum casting industry is unmatched.

Safety Critical Components

As a manufacturer of safety critical components for the automotive industry, our facilities utilize the latest technology available to insure our customers receive components that exceed industry standards. Our facilities leverage continuous improvement practices to strive for 0 PPM. 

Conneaut

The Conneaut facility consists of 304,000 square feet of manufacturing space and utilizes the Gravity Permanent Mold and Semi-Permanent Mold processes. Products currently manufactured include cast and machined Knuckles, Pump Housings, Transmission Components, Master
Cylinders, Oil Pans, Front Engine Covers, and Cooling Modules.
Certified to ISO 14001:2004
1370 Chamberlain Blvd, Conneaut, OH 44030 Certified to ISO/TS 16949:2009, without Product Design
1043 Chamberlain Blvd, Conneaut, OH 44030 Certified to ISO/TS 16949:2009, without Product Design

OSHA cites TimkenSteel's Canton, Ohio, plant after worker dies from nitrogen exposure

September 8, 2016

OSHA cites TimkenSteel's Canton, Ohio, plant after worker dies from nitrogen exposure
OSHA also finds fall hazards in separate investigation

Employer name: TimkenSteel Corporation, 4511 Faircrest St., SW, Canton, Ohio

Citations issued: Sept. 7, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Cleveland Area Office has cited the steel mill for two repeated and four serious safety violations following two separate March 2016 agency investigations at the company's Canton plant.

On March 20, 2016, OSHA responded to a report that a worker was found dead in the elevator control room while performing monthly fire extinguisher checks. An investigation determined nitrogen leaked into the control room resulting in an oxygen deficient atmosphere causing the worker's death. OSHA cited the company for failing to: 

• Protect workers from potentially hazardous atmospheres created by the introduction of nitrogen into the ventilation system.
• Train workers using pneumatic tools powered by nitrogen on the hazards, effects and how to detect nitrogen leakage.

View citations here.

Acting on a complaint alleging safety concerns at the facility, OSHA opened an investigation March 18, 2016, which found the company:

• Exposed workers to fall hazards of up to 20 feet while performing maintenance in the rolling mill.
• Failed to install guardrails on walkways.

View citations here.

Quote: "As a result of the fatality, the company discontinued the use of nitrogen to power tools and removed all the connections from the ventilation systems," said Howard Eberts, OSHA's area director in Cleveland. "TimkenSteel has made significant strides in fixing safety discrepancies and improving the framework of the safety and health management system in its aging plants in recent months. These two investigations demonstrate that maintaining a safe working environment requires a commitment to continuous improvement."

Background: TimkenSteel signed a settlement agreement in August 2016 to abate hazards cited by OSHA at its Ohio steel plants in 2015, including multiple violations of fall protections standards. Under terms of the agreement, TimkenSteel will implement numerous enhancements such as a STOP work card program, an anonymous safety reporting system, create a United Steel Workers safety position at three facilities, retain an abatement auditor, create an electronic tracking of corrections, and conduct routine safety audits for fall hazards and lockout/tagout procedures. View agreement here.

Total Proposed Penalties: $113,131

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 Cleveland Area Office at 216-447-4194.


NITROGEN - N


Increases the strength, hardness and machinability of steel, but it decreases the ductility and toughness. In aluminum-killed steels, nitrogen combines with the aluminum to provide grain size control, thereby improving both toughness and strength. Nitrogen can reduce the effect of boron on the hardenability of steels.
# # #




TimkenSteel
Our Business


TimkenSteel is a top focused special bar quality, or SBQ, steelmaker in North America. While we are the leading manufacturer of SBQ steel large bars (6-inch diameter and greater) and seamless mechanical tubing in North America, that is only part of our story.



The TimkenSteel business model is unique in our industry and focuses on creating tailored products and services for our customers’ most demanding applications. Our engineers are experts in both materials and applications, so we can work closely with each customer to deliver flexible solutions related to our products as well as their applications and supply chains. We believe few others in our industry can consistently deliver that kind of customization and responsiveness.



We manufacture alloy steel, as well as carbon and micro-alloy steel, with an annual melt capacity of approximately 2 million tons. Our portfolio includes SBQ bars, seamless mechanical tubing and precision steel components. In addition, we supply machining and thermal treatment services, as well as manage raw material recycling programs. We focus on research and development as we create the answers to customers’ toughest engineering challenges and leverage those answers into new product offerings.


How We Operate





Facilities



We make our steel products in the United States in Akron, Canton and Eaton, Ohio; Columbus, North Carolina; and Houston, Texas. To serve customers around the world, we have warehouses in the United States, Mexico and China and offices in all those countries plus England and Poland.



Visit the Our Locations page for contact information for – and maps to – these facilities. 

History



TimkenSteel is a new, independent company with a century-long history. It began as the steel business of The Timken Roller Bearing Company, founded by carriage maker and inventor Henry Timken and his two sons. A strategic decision to gain greater control over its supply of steel led the company to pierce steel in 1915 and go on to melt steel in 1917.

 At the time, the business had one of the country’s largest electric-arc furnace facilities. TimkenSteel has its roots in continuously improving steel for one of the most demanding applications, bearings. Through the years, that focus on application knowledge and innovation led to a business that created customized solutions – from materials to components to logistics services – for applications that reach every corner of the globe in customer applications. 




==========


OSHA: Nitrogen gas exposure likely culprit in TimkenSteel death


By Repository staff report
Posted Mar. 21, 2016 at 7:32 AM
Updated Mar 21, 2016 at 5:48 PM


A fire technician at the TimkenSteel Faircrest plant appears to have died from exposure to nitrogen gas, federal investigators said Monday.

Kenny Ray Jr., 32, was found unresponsive shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday at the plant at 4511 Faircrest St. SW in Perry Township. A member of TimkenSteel's security and fire team, Ray had been in an elevator room checking fire extinguishers, the company said. The Stark County Coroner's Office later pronounced him dead. 

An autopsy was planned for Monday evening.
Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the tests of the room by company employees and Perry Township firefighters detected oxygen levels were less than 4 percent. OSHA's initial investigation determined that nitrogen, which is used in the plant, somehow was released into the room. When nitrogen concentration rises and oxygen levels drop below 19.5 percent, rapid suffocation can occur, OSHA said.

COMPANY COOPERATING

In a statement, Howard Eberts, OSHA's Area Director in Cleveland, called Ray's death a "preventable workplace incident." Companies that use nitrogen systems should make sure they recognize the hazard of oxygen deficiency can exist because nitrogen has the ability to displace oxygen, he said. 

OSHA is working with TimkenSteel engineers to trace the nitrogen system and determine if any other oxygen deficient atmosphere areas exist in the plant. Tests are being made before other employees are allowed to return to the work area. In November, OSHA cited TimkenSteel for nitrogen exposure because of an incident in May 2015, OSHA said. TimkenSteel has contested the violation, OSHA said. 

TimkenSteel issued a statement Monday that said Ray was a "well-respected member" of its security and fire team. He has worked at the steel company for six months. The company also said it is helping with the investigation.
Tom Stone, vice president of industrial relations and environmental, health and safety, said Ray was checking fire extinguishers throughout the plant as part of his job. Members of the security team found him unresponsive in a fifth-floor elevator motor room.

"This is a sad time for our entire workforce at TimkenSteel. We want to express our sympathies to Kenny’s family, friends and the communities he served as a police officer and firefighter,” Stone said in a statement.

OSHA ISSUES

TimkenSteel has been cited several times over the past year by OSHA for a string of safety violations. The company is facing fines totaling more than $500,000. OSHA placed TimkenSteel on a severe violator list last October following investigations at the Gambrinus and Harrison steel plants.

Last May, a Gambrinus worker was seriously injured when a safety latch failed on a crane and 1,000 pounds of equipment fell on him. In August a worker in the Faircrest plant suffered serious injuries when he fell more than 40 feet from a crane.

OSHA officials said that since 2005 the company, which in 2014 was spun off by Timken Co. to create TimkenSteel, was inspected 29 times and issued 76 violations.

Stone said TimkenSteel has been working with OSHA and employees "on additional actions to strengthen our safety program. We have addressed every issue that OSHA has identified at our facilities over the past year," he said. The company also has hired an independent auditor to do assessments, engaged employees in safety auditing, followed up on every concern and taken additional actions.

TimkenSteel has several uses for nitrogen at the Faircrest plant, a company spokesman said. The gas is used in the steel refining process, to open and close valves on pneumatic operated equipment, and to cool equipment.

ALWAYS READY

Besides his job at TimkenSteel, Ray, of Atwater, also was an 11-year veteran of the Uniontown Fire Department and worked as an officer with the Creston Police Department. 

In an email to The Repository Monday, Uniontown fire officials said Ray would be one of the first people to take the new recruits under his wing to share his knowledge and his experience. 

"Kenny was one of the first to step up in any situation to get the job done," the email from the department said. "His fellow firefighting family is devastated of his passing and will never forget the legacy that he has left behind." 

The email also included a statement from Ray's wife that said the family requested privacy during their time of mourning. 

"The Ray family is deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Kenny, he will be truly missed. Please keep our family and friends in your prayers during our time of mourning," according to the statement. 

Creston police posted a message to its official Facebook page Sunday stating that Ray had been one of the department's newer officers. The department also said Ray was well liked and accepted by the department, and he had worked as a police officer in other jurisdictions since 2008.Calling hours for Ray will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Maranatha Bible Church at 1424 Killian Road in Akron. Stark County firefighters will conduct a last alarm ceremony at 1 p.m.

The 32-foot fishing vessel Bigger Dirls on fire in Hopkins Point Marina in Jonesport, Maine

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory Langston fights the boat fire from the Coast Guard 29-foot response boat in Hopkins Point Marina in Jonesport, Maine on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephanie Horvat) 



Coast Guard fights boat fire in Jonesport, Maine
September 8, 2016 
 
BOSTON — A Coast Guard boat crew extinguished a boat fire Thursday off the coast of Jonesport, Maine.

At about 6:12 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received a call from the owner, who was on shore, that his 32-foot fishing vessel Bigger Dirls was on fire in Hopkins Point Marina.

Station Jonesport launched a 29-foot response boat crew. They arrived on scene where the vessel was tied to a mooring ball and used their dewatering pump to begin fighting the fire.

Jonesport Fire Department also arrived on scene and assisted in dousing the flames.

When the fire was extinguished, the boat was towed by a good Samaritan to shore at Hopkins Point Marina.

The cause of the boat fire is currently under investigation.





===


Coast Guard responds to fire on Jonesport fishing vessel: Photos

The boat was not manned and was on a mooring when the fire broke out.



Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory Langston fights the boat fire from the Coast Guard 29-foot response boat. Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

A Jonesport boat owner called the Coast Guard from shore Thursday when he saw that his 32-foot fishing vessel, Bigger Dirls, was on fire.

A crew from Station Jonesport responded to Hopkins Point Marina where the boat was moored. The Coast Guard used a dewatering pump to fight the fire and was aided by the Jonesport Fire Department.



Fishing vessel Bigger Dirls burns at Hopkins Point Marina on Thursday.

After the fire was extinguished the boat was towed to the marina.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation.

Tropical Storm Hermine damaged at least 657 properties in Dare County and destroyed a house in Southern Shores, damages more than $2.5 million

Flooding on Hatteras Island. (Melody Patterson)

Dare damage hits $2.5 million, one house destroyed by storm

By Rob Morris on September 6, 2016

 Delivering a bigger blow than expected, Tropical Storm Hermine damaged at least 657 properties in Dare County and destroyed a house in Southern Shores, a preliminary assessment shows.

So far, the damage has added up to a loss of $2.5 million, not including debris pickup and more losses that a second assessment might find, County Manager Bobby Outten said.

Flooding in Frisco accounted for more than half of the losses, according to the report. No structural damage was reported in the Hatteras Island community, but as many as 100 buildings saw flooding on lower levels, most of which were storage areas.

Hatteras Island losses totaled $1.4 million in the assessment, which was presented to the Dare County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.

Three homes in Hatteras village had 4 to 6 inches of water in living areas and two had minor flooding in unfinished storage areas. Two cabanas in Hatteras Sands Campground were detroyed by a tornado.

A house in Southern Shores was destroyed when two trees fell on it. Seven more properties were listed as sustaining major damage — six in Duck and Blackwell Boatworks on the mainland.


Beachcombers found plenty to pick through at Milepost 4 in Kitty Hawk Tuesday. (Sam Walker)

In Kill Devil Hills, the assessment found 205 properties with damage totaling $672,000. Structures lost shingles and siding, and fences were damaged. The Comfort Inn on N.C. 12 suffered $300,000 to $350,000 in losses to its roof and ventilation system.

Signs were damaged at other commercial properties.

Duck and Kitty Hawk saw similar problems from wind and falling debris, but nothing major, the report said. Roanoke Island had debris from foliage, and an outbuilding was detroyed by a fallen tree. Nags Head was not planning a report and Manteo has not responded.

The assessment does not include damage to campers, trailers, boats, cars and trucks.

Commissioners generally praised the response of county workers to the storm, even though its impact had been underestimated.

Outten said the response was based on information that called for winds in the 40-mph range, minor soundside flooding and no ocean overwash.

“So all the response, all of the efforts, all of the things that we do were based on that information that we get from the National Hurricane Center,” he said.

After the center of the storm passed over the Outer Banks Saturday morning, winds on the backside of the storm gusted to almost 80 mph from the north. Sound water that had been forced to the northwest rushed back onto the barrier islands.

Commissioner Allen Burrus, who owns a grocery store in Hatteras village, said the water on the island rose from “dead low” to 2 1/2 to 4 feet in less than 40 minutes.

Burrus urged the county staff to look at its response to see what could have been done better. He expressed concern in particular about what he said was an unreliable system to help people check on family members.

“There’s a lot of difference in expecting a 40-mile-an-hour wind . . . and ending up with an 80-mile-an-hour wind that puts people in peril,” he said. “And there has to be something that’s set up that communicates quickly to the powers that be . . .”

Outten said the county would probably not qualify for state or federal money to help with debris pickup, which will take 30 to 45 days. The county will announce the schedule, he said.

Recalled Samsung Note 7 possible cause of Horry County house fire

Recalled Samsung Note 7 possible cause of Horry County house fire Tuesday, September 6th 2016, 10:46 pm EDTWednesday, September 7th 2016, 12:09 pm EDT
By Josh Roberson, Reporter


Damage to the home's garage possibly caused by the Note 7 (Source: WMBF News)

An Horry County EMT thinks his cellphone could have led to his house catching on fire. (Source: WMBF News)

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - An Horry County man is looking for answers after his garage caught fire over the weekend.

Horry County Fire Rescue investigators said the fire originated near a wall outlet where the man's phone was charging. The phone was a Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

The Note 7 has been recalled, and Samsung released a statement on Friday that said the company would stop selling the Galaxy Note 7 smart phone after it was determined there was an issue with the battery.

Wesley Hartzog said he plugged in his Note 7 to charge on Sunday and left his house to pick up his two daughters. When he returned, he found his home in flames and fellow firefighters surrounding it.

"Everybody was here and they were actually at the front door about ready to go inside and make the initial fire attack. Somebody told me that there was a fire in the garage. You know, you just don't really ever think it will happen to you." said Hartzog. "They asked me if I had anything plugged in in the garage. My cell phone, which was the new Note 7, was plugged in in the garage. I also had an air compressor plugged into the same outlet but the compressor wasn't on."

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Samsung said that 35 cases of faulty phones have been reported since Sept. 1.

Hartzog said the house has now been condemned and he and his kids are forced to live in hotels for the time being.

"As soon as they can finish the investigation, and the insurance company for the home and Samsung can determine the exact the cause of the fire, whatever it may be, and then be able to move back in and somebody comes in and we're able to clean it up," he said.

To read the full statement from Samsung regarding the recall, click here.

SURPRISE!!! Ellsworth Air Force Base groundwater contaminated with PFOA toxic chemicals from fire-fighting foam used at a training site.

Ellsworth groundwater contaminated

U.S. Air Force firefighters extinguish a simulated aircraft fire as part of an operational readiness exercise on Ellsworth AFB, July 15, 2013. The firefighters, assigned to the 28th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department, use exercises to hone their skills for real-world operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alystria Maurer)


Posted: Wed 1:18 PM, Sep 07, 2016 |
Updated: Wed 4:00 PM, Sep 07, 2016




ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (KEVN TV) – The Air Force found some contamination in groundwater at the boundary of Ellsworth Air Force Base, caused by fire-fighting foam used at a training site.

The contamination was first discovered in 2011 and further testing this year continues to show perfluorinated compounds (called PFCs) are present, exceeding health advisory levels.

Later this year, the Air Force will install monitoring wells to determine the extent of groundwater contamination on the base and in the surround area.

There are 12 sites that will be further investigated for PFCs May 2017.

The Air Force has already stopped training with the fire-fighting foam and awarded a $6.2 million contract for a replacement system.

Ellsworth is one of 200 bases tested for contaminated groundwater. PFCs are man-made compounds present in commonly used products like nonstick coatings, food packaging and stain repellents.

 

 

The owner of the vacant former Master Cleaners at 2312 Western Ave., Albany, NY has applied to be named a brownfield cleanup site.

New owner of old dry cleaners asks for brownfield cleanup
r

Source: https://www.altamontenterprise.com, September 7, 2016
By: Elizabeth Floyd Mair

The owner of the old and vacant dry cleaners at 2312 Western Ave. has applied to be named a brownfield cleanup site. According to the application, the property lies about 1,000 feet from the Hunger Kill, a creek that feeds into the Watervliet Reservoir, the town’s main water source.

Remedial costs for removing toxins from the site of the former Master Cleaners will be approximately $400,000 to $700,000, depending on the methods used, the application says.

“Most former dry cleaners that apply do get in, just because of sloppy historic practices,” said Robert Cozzy of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which runs the Brownfield Cleanup Program.
Benefits for the owner

If the property is approved for inclusion in the program, said Cozzy, the current owners would get two types of tax credits, once a more thorough environmental investigation is done and a final cleanup plan is agreed upon and satisfactorily completed.

One is a remediation tax credit, which is a sliding-scale percentage of the amount the owner spent to clean it; the sliding-scale is based on how thoroughly the cleaning is done. The other is a tangible property tax credit, awarded after the owner puts up a new building on the site; it represents a percentage of the cost of the new building.

“So it’s not a dollar-for-dollar type of credit,” Cozzy said. “But they do get some of their money back.”
History

Charles Bohl Incorporated bought the 0.43-acre Master Cleaners property in 2011, according to the brownfield application, which is available for public viewing at the Guilderland Public Library.

The purchase price was $200,000, according to a deed listed in the online records of the Albany County Clerk’s office.

Albany County assessment rolls posted online show that Charles Bohl Incorporated also owns the building next door, at 2314 Western Ave.

The brownfield application estimates that 2312 Western Ave., near the corner of Foundry Road, was used as a dry cleaners from approximately 1956 through 1996, and notes that, at the time of purchase, it had been vacant “for many years.”

The company did not return repeated calls asking for comment on its application.

Federal regulations since about 1980 have treated dry-cleaning spent solid wastes as hazardous waste, said Cozzy. But the owners of these small businesses have not always known about the regulations, he said, and they have often simply thrown the old machine filters, saturated with toxic chemicals, into Dumpsters or onto the ground behind the businesses, resulting in many years of leakage into the ground.

In October 2015, a Hudson Falls company called Property Solutions performed a preliminary environmental investigation, involving soil borings — later converted into monitoring wells — and field soil samples. The company found indications, according to its report contained in the application, of concentrations of volatile organic compounds in the soil and groundwater in at least three of four soil boring sites.

The report also says that “the detected VOC [volatile organic compounds] compounds appear to consist of formerly-used dry cleaning fluid impacts and/or breakdown constituents.”

Sites previously used by cleaning companies typically have soil and groundwater contamination in the form of perchloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), and associated breakdown products.

What’s bad about these two chemicals

There are an array of health effects linked with PCE and TCE exposure, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a division of the Centers for Disease Control, depending on when someone is exposed and for how long and the type of exposure. Children who were exposed prenatally can suffer leukemia, fetal death, major heart defects, and neural tube defects.

Health problems in people who drink contaminated water include non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leukemia, rectal cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer. Those working with these chemicals have suffered various types of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, neurological effects, and generalized hypersensitivity.

The Property Solutions report concludes that VOC impacts were identified in both soil and groundwater, especially along the property’s southern, southeastern, and southwestern sides. The Hunger Kill is approximately 1,000 feet to the southwest, the application notes.

Property Solutions recommends more thorough testing.
Redevelopment

There are no specific plans for redevelopment of the site yet, says the application. The anticipated use, it says, will be commercial or restricted residential.

Charles Bohl Incorporated’s application says, “Completion of the project will benefit all parties (citizens, businesses, services) as it is an integral part of a much larger public/private effort to remove and redevelop blighted properties, and improve the living standard for the citizens.”

The Master Cleaners building is one of three in a row that are empty on a busy stretch of Route 20 near Foundry Road.

Like Nedco Pharmacy on Carman Road and the Governors Motor Inn on Western Avenue, Master Cleaners is one of the examples often cited by residents who complain about vacant, rundown commercial properties around town.

The town recently amended its abandoned properties law to more clearly define an “abandoned property” and to clarify the steps the town can take to ensure enforcement of its zoning regulations for properties deemed to have been abandoned.

Tractor-trailer tanker truck with Big State Logistics loaded with 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel overturned, spilling the fuel into a ditch that runs between a small wetland and the Richardson Highway.

Richardson Highway tank spill totals more than 3,500 gallons


Source: http://www.ktoo.org, September 7, 2016
By: Tim Ellis

Cleanup work continues today near Birch Lake where a tractor-trailer tank loaded with 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel overturned Monday, spilling the fuel into a ditch that runs between a small wetland and the Richardson Highway.

The workers are trying to keep fuel from seeping into the wetland or the lake.

Alaska state environmental officials say a fuel spill from an overturned fuel tank off the Richardson Highway totaled more than 3,500 gallons, the Associated Press reported.

The Department of Environmental Conservation said Wednesday the cleanup continues at mile 306 of the highway, where the accident involving the Big State Logistics tank occurred Monday afternoon.

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on-site coordinator Tom DeRuyter said workers Tuesday suctioned just more than 11,000 gallons of fuel-and-water mix from a ditch just south of the roadside pulloff to the Birch Lake State Recreation Site.
They also plugged some culverts that runs under that stretch of the Richardson Highway to prevent contaminated water from flowing in to Birch Lake, DeRuyter said.

“No oil has been seen on the lake,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “Is there oil infiltrating underneath the roadway? I suspect there is.”

Workers pushed up dirt berms to limit fuel from flowing into the wetland. He says the marshy area sits a bit higher than the lake, so he thinks the fuel is more likely to flow downgradient in the other direction.

“It all goes toward the lake,” he said, “and that’s why the culverts are plugged and … we’re watching those to make sure no oil gets into the culvert system.”

Tests will be conducted to determine whether diesel leaked into the wetland or lake. DeRuyter said the first priority is removing fuel and contaminated soil, which is why workers began building a roadway Tuesday to enable equipment to get in to the area to begin excavating.

“We still have pure fuel that’s leaking out of the vegetative mat and is forming pools on-site,” he said. “We need to get rid of that and the heavily contaminated soil and the vegetation that’s hold the oil and allowing it to leak out slowly. And that’s really the first step in this process.”

DEC and Alaska State Troopers both are investigating the spill and the equipment failure that apparently led to it.

Troopers say there were no injuries.

DEC says it hasn’t received any reports of wildlife being affected by the fuel.

A Trooper spokesperson couldn’t yet provide specifics, but said it appears the driver was not speeding.

Photos taken by DEC show what appeared to be jagged edges around the tip of the tongue that connected the rear tank to the tanker truck – which was carrying another 9,000 gallons of diesel.

Troopers said the Big State Logistics tanker was just rounding the bend of the long curve along the southern shore of Birch Lake about 1 p.m. Monday when somehow the trailer in tow broke loose, hit the ditch and overturned.

ADEC said the tank had multiple punctures and that most if not all of the 5,000 gallons of diesel in the tank quickly leaked out.

Mark Lockwood says he saw the tanker approach as he was sitting in his truck at the intersection of Lost Lake Road, waiting to get onto the highway and get back to Fairbanks.

“The fuel truck got past me,” he said, “I looked again, nobody was coming, pulled out. And the fuel truck was pulling over to the side of the road – sans trailer, and a hitch dangling. And so I just missed seeing that happen.”

A DEC news release says crews and equipment will be working around the cleanup site today, and that flaggers will be controlling traffic along that stretch of the highway around milepost 306.



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Responders Clean Up Diesel Spill at Richardson Highway Tanker Rollover
Alaska Native News Sep 7, 2016.




Roadside pond impacted by diesel, September 5, 2016 (Photo/John Ebel – ADEC)


Damaged tanker being removed from site, September 5, 2016 (Photo/John Ebel – ADEC)
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(Hover over image to pause slideshow)

Although the secondary tank carrying #11 Ultra-Low Sulfer diesel that rolled over in a ditch at mile 306 of the Richardson Highway on Labor Day has been pumped out and the tanker pulled out and removed from the scene, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation did not reveal the actual amount of diesel spilled in the incident on Tuesday.

According to the trooper report on the incident, at 1:04 pm on Monday, as a 2012 Freightliner pulling double fuel tanks, driven by 63-year-old Edwin Case, suffered an equipment failure when the rear trailer tongue failed and the rear trailer detached and rolled in the southbound ditch.


The rear tank, carrying an estimated 5,000-5,500 gallons of diesel, was punctured in multiple places when it impacted.

State TTroopers and Big State Logistics, along with Salcha Fire and Rescue responded to the scene. They were joined by the Fairbanks North Star Borough Hazmat Team and a representative of the Alaska Department of Transportation Commercial Fehicle Enforcement and cleanup and preventative efforts began.

ADEC stated in an incident report that “Crews successfully blocked culverts north of the spill site that lead into Birch Lake utilizing tarps and soil.” They report that this measure kept any fuel from entering the lake.

Additional berms were established to prevent further migration of fuel, and crews began removing fuel from the tank while troopers provided traffic control.

By 3:30 pm, flaggers and flagger equipment arrived and took over traffic control from the troopers.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation arrived on the scene as the pumping operation was still underway. Two hours after that, the tanker was succeswsfully uprighted and towed to the highway.

A trailer was utilized to take the damaged tank from the scene.

Two vac trucks were soon on scene to begin removal of the oil and contaminated water. ADEC reports that “A total of 11,020 gallons of oil and water mixture were transported to an above-ground storage tank at Organic Incineration Technology, Inc.” There were no injuries in the incident, and the remaining fuel tank, with its 9,000 gallons of fuel, was not impacted.




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	Top level safety classification
	Annually inspected tankers
	Trained employees

Big State tanker at the shop, on the way to a customer

Safety is a priority for usWe understand our responsibility to safely transport petroleum and other bulk products in Alaska.  We are committed to the safety of others on the roads, our personnel, and Alaska's environment.  We have transported hundreds of millions of gallons of fuel with minimal losses. Safety classification The US Department of Transportation rates our safety record "satisfactory."  This is the top level of the safety classifications for transporters.  You can see information about our safety record on the web.  Spill response Big State employees have HAZWOPER training in spill response in the unlikely event we spill some product.  Our response van (photo at right) has responded to a number of spills called in by other companies and government agencies.  We are pleased to continue to help others with this service.  Annual inspections Federal regulations require annual inspections of tankers.  We carefully comply with these regulations for the safety of all and to prevent spills. Trained employees We train all of our drivers in safe procedures for transporting and handling hazardous materials.  In the unlikely event of an incident, our drivers know what to do.