Owner dies after fire rips through plumbing business (KTRK)
By Lauren Lea
Tuesday, October 04, 2016 06:28PM
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Heavy plumes of smoke rolled into the sky above a local plumbing business on Tuesday morning during a massive fire that took the life of the shop's elderly owner.
Frederick Byrd, 83, was living his dream of owning his own business, Byrd Plumbing Supplies & Services. Sadly, he died doing what he loved.
"It's going to be hard. It's going to be really hard. He's going to be missed," his son, Freddie Byrd said. Freddie Byrd rushed to the shop, hoping it wasn't his father's business that was burning. Frederick Byrd was rescued from inside but later passed away. His shop was a fixture on Cullen and he was a familiar face in the community.
"Everybody on this side of town knew him because he was always willing to help people out. He's always been there for those that didn't have nothing, he'd give them a second chance if they didn't have a first chance," Freddie Byrd said.
A self-made man who started from nothing and worked his way up, supporting a loving family along the way, his son says he'll always be remembered for how he lived, not how he died.
"The one thing I can say, he had a good life. He had a good life," Freddie Byrd said.
Investigators believe the victim may have gone back inside the building after the fire had already started. Electricians were working in the office area the day before and that is the same area where the fire is believed to have started, according to investigators at the scene.
Updated 1 hr 24 mins ago
CARNEYS POINT, N.J. (WPVI) -- New Jersey State Police are investigating a fatal crash in Salem County.
It happened on southbound Route 295 approaching the Delaware Memorial Bridge in Carneys Point just before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Police say a tractor trailer overturned onto a pickup truck in the southbound lanes.
One person was killed in the crash.
No other injuries have been reported.
Traffic is backed up approaching the scene.
Partial house collapse in Trenton after reports of explosion
Updated 2 hrs 10 mins ago
TRENTON (WPVI) -- Emergency crews responded to a partial house collapse in Trenton, New Jersey following reports of an explosion.
The reports came in around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday on the unit block of Wayne Avenue.
Emergency crews responded to an explosion and house collapse in Trenton.
"I was asleep and I heard this loud boom. I jumped up and asked my granddaughter, 'what was that?' She ran to the window and saw the house down," neighbor Elizabeth Bradley said.
"I was in the kitchen cooking and basically, I felt my entire house shake and all the power went out," neighbor Trashawn Collins said.
The twin homes affected are said to be 46 and 48 Wayne Avenue. The block was evacuated.
Chopper 6 over the scene of a house collapse in Trenton, NJ.
One of the homes was vacant; the other was occupied by three people.
Some neighbors say they had to break a window to get out.
The fire director says it appears the explosion caused by a natural gas leak originated in the rear of the house that was occupied.
One of the occupants suffered scrapes and was taken to the hospital, but is expected to be OK.
An explosion in Paterson, New Jersey on Tuesday destroyed two homes, left 38 residents home, and 10 firefighters suffered minor injuries.
U.S. Traffic Deaths Jump by 10.4 Percent in First Half of 2016
by The Associated Press
U.S. traffic fatalities rose by an estimated 10.4 percent in the first half of this year, federal officials said Wednesday, and continued an upward trend that started in late 2014 as the economic recovery accelerated.
The Transportation Department released the preliminary estimate at a conference where government agencies, the National Safety Council and other safety groups announced an ambitious goal of eliminating traffic deaths and injuries in the United States within the next 30 years.
"We have an immediate crisis on our hands, and we also have a long-term challenge," said Mark Rosekind, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Male motorists are twice as likely to be killed behind the wheel as women. also blacks and Hispanics cause disproportionately higher traffic deaths and injuries, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. Ringo H.W. Chiu / AP
The sharp increase in deaths this year follows a 7.2 percent jump in 2015, when there were 35,092 traffic fatalities.
For the first half of 2016, 17,775 people died on the road, compared with 16,100 over the same period a year earlier.
The improving economy means people are doing more driving on U.S. roads than ever before. U.S. drivers put in a record 1.58 trillion miles on the road in the first half of this year, 3.3 percent more than during the same period in 2015, the Federal Highway Administration said this week. So, a 3 percent rise in the miles traveled resulted in 10.4 increase in traffic deaths.
The Transportation Department said it is committing $1 million a year for the next three years for grants for the zero deaths campaign. The rapid introduction of self-driving cars and other advanced technologies may make it possible to achieve the elimination of traffic deaths, the department said in a statement. Fully autonomous vehicles hold the potential to eliminate human error, which is a factor in 94 percent of crashes, according to the department.
The zero deaths idea was first adopted in Sweden in 1997 as a plan called Vision Zero. It has since been adopted elsewhere, including several U.S. cities.
UNITED
STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE
WORLD: 34,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.
Despite the improvements in
road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person
dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher
death rate.
Some states, such as Texas
and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic
safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates
of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the
national death rate.
Approximately 34,000 people
are getting killed each year. In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people
used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement in the number of
dead.
However, the number of
injured is rising. Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it
correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year. That is, 1 percent (1%) of the
population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.
It is worse than a war zone
out there. So, please be safe and be on the lookout for weaving-through-the-traffic
drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition
drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers,
drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers,
talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers,
tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers,
putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.
Man dies after falling 50 feet from bucket truck
24 Hour News 8 web staff
Updated: October 5, 2016, 3:16 pm
SCHOOLCRAFT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A tree service worker died after falling 50 feet from a bucket truck in Kalamazoo County.
It happened shortly before 11 a.m. Monday at a private residence in the 16000 block of Watersedge Drive in Schoolcraft Township, south of Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo County deputies say 49-Ronald Lee Phillips of Three Rivers was trimming a tree when a portion of it fell in an unexpected way, causing him to fall 50 feet to the ground.
Investigators determined that Phillips was not wearing a safety harness at the time of the accident.
========
Ronald Lee Phillips
Obituary
Guest Book
Be the first to share your memories or express your condolences in the Guest Book for Ronald Lee Phillips.
Phillips, Ronald Lee 10/1/1967 - 10/3/2016 Mr. Ronald Lee Phillips, age 49, of Three Rivers, passed away tragically on Monday, Oct. 3, 2016 on a job site where he was working. Ron was born on Oct. 1st, 1967 in Kalamazoo, MI., the son of Mr. Gary and Linda Sue (Slater) Phillips.
Ron grew up in the Plainwell area where he graduated from high school in 1985. On August 11, 1990 Ron married the love of his life Cathy Daugherty in Paw Paw, MI. That same year, Ron and Cathy moved to Three Rivers. Later, Ron started Phillips Construction and then Phillips Tree Service. Ron enjoyed working and tending to his property at Corey Lake.
He cherished spending time with friends and family, especially his children and grandchildren. He was also a long time member of Corey Lake Nazarene Church. Ron was always willing to provide anyone with a helping hand and will be missed by all whom were touched by his generosity and kindness for others.
Ron leaves to cherish his memory, wife of twenty six years, Cathy Phillips of Three Rivers; daughter, Lindsey Phillips of Three Rivers; son, Jacob (Jordan) Phillips; of Three Rivers; parents, Gary and Linda Phillips of Three Rivers; brothers, Wade Phillips, Brad Phillips both of Three Rivers, and Kevin (Carrie) Phillips of Arizona; grandchildren, Ezra, Katherine, and Ava Phillips brother-in-law, Bob (Tina) Daugherty and two nieces and two nephews. In accordance with family wishes cremation will be conducted.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 7, 2016 at Hohner Funeral Home. Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 8, 2016 at Corey Church of the Nazarene with Pastor Gary Carr officiating. Memorial donations may be directed to the Grandchildren Trust c/o Cathy Phillips or Corey Church of the Nazarene. Envelopes available at the funeral home or church. Online condolences may be left at www.hohnerfh.com.
Lawsuit reportedly filed in trench collapse that killed 2 workers
By Justin Zaremba | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on October 05, 2016 at 7:23 AM, updated October 05, 2016 at 7:33 AM
BOONTON TOWNSHIP — The family of a 46-year-old man who was killed along with a co-worker in 2014 when a trench they were digging collapsed has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against their employer, the Daily Record reported.
Employees of Bednar Landscape Services were installing a French drain system at a residence on Rockaway Valley Road in Boonton Township on Oct. 1, 2014 when a trench collapsed, killing workers Oscar Portillo and Selvin Zelaya.
The wrongful-death lawsuit was filed on behalf of the estate of Portillo, with his brother, Juan Carlos Montoya, acting as administrator of the estate, according to the Daily Record.
The day after the collapse, an official with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that if employers follow OSHA standards and use protective systems "trenching deaths caused by cave-ins are completely preventable."
Bednar Landscape was later fined $77,000 after OSHA found its lack of cave-in protections led to the fatal trench collapse.
Fatal trench collapse in Boonton caused by company's indifference to safety, feds say
Oscar Portillo and Selvin Zelaya were killed on Oct. 1 when the French drain system they were helping to install at the historic James Dixon Farm on Rockaway Valley Road collapsed.
An investigation into the trench collapse found that Bednar was responsible for one willful safety violation and nine serious safety violations.
Federal labor authorities said the willful violation was for failing to install cave-in protections for the trench by adequately sloping it, or protecting it by shield or shoring.
Bednar's other serious violations included: failure to provide a ladder in the trench every 25 feet to allow safe exit; not having a competent person inspect the trench; failure to have utilities marked out; failure to provide head protection; and failure to train workers on the hazards of the chemicals with which they worked.
One cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as a small car, according to OSHA. The trench Portillo and Zelaya were working in was between nine- and 13-feet deep when it collapsed.
======= By Justin Zaremba | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author
on April 01, 2015 at 4:58 PM, updated April 02, 2015 at 5:22 PM
BOONTON TOWNSHIP, NJ -- A landscaping company is facing up to $77,000 in fines after federal officials found its lack of cave-in protections led to a trench collapse that killed two workers in October, authorities said.
Employees of Bednar Landscape Services were installing a French drain system at a residence on Rockaway Valley Road on Oct. 1 when the trench in which they were working collapsed, killing workers Oscar Portillo and Selvin Zelaya.
An investigation into the trench collapse found that Bednar was responsible for one willful safety violation and nine serious safety violations, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a news release Wednesday.
"Without the required protections, these men had no way to escape and their heartbroken families are left to make sense of a needless tragedy," said Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA's Parsippany Area Office. "Bednar management placed its employees in mortal danger by not using cave-in protections, and we believe these managers were plainly indifferent to the serious dangers their workers faced."
A representative of Bednar Landscape Services, which provides landscape, excavation and snow removal services, declined comment Wednesday afternoon.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirement, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Authorities said the willful violation was for failing to install cave-in protections for the trench by adequately sloping it, or protecting it by shield or shoring.
According to OSHA, Bednar's other serious violations include: failure to provide a ladder in the trench every 25 feet to allow safe exit; not having a competent person inspect the trench; failure to have utilities marked out; failure to provide head protection; and failure to train workers on the hazards of the chemicals with which they worked.
Hoffman, of OSHA, said one cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as a small car. The trench Portillo and Zelaya were working in was between nine- and 13-feet deep when it collapsed.
The day after the men's deaths another OSHA official told NJ Advance Media that if employers follow OSHA standards and use protective systems "trenching deaths caused by cave-ins are completely preventable."
According to OSHA's trench excavation fact sheet, the administration requires that all trenches four feet or deeper have ladders, steps, ramps or other safety means for employees working in trench excavations. Unless the excavation is made in stable rock, OSHA mandates that protective systems be put in place for excavations five feet or deeper.
Protective systems can take the form of trench boxes that shield workers, hydraulic support structures that shore up the sides of the excavation, and sloping of the soil at an angle away from the excavation site, according to OSHA. The sides of the trench can also be benched so that the walls of the excavation form large steps away from the excavation site.
OSHA has proposed penalties of $77,000 against Bednar, which has 15 business days to either comply, request a conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the findings.
Napa vineyard worker killed after being crushed by forklift
Register staff
OCTOBER 5, 2016
A Napa vineyard worker was killed Monday afternoon after he was ejected from the forklift he was driving and the machine fell on top of him, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.
The man, identified as 27-year-old Arnulfo Pozos, was driving the forklift on a steep and windy road on the 3000 block of Mt. Veeder Road when the incident occurred just before 4:45 p.m., said Capt. Keith Behlmer. Pozos was pronounced dead at the scene.
Pozos was an employee of Coastal Viticultural Consultants doing business as North Coast Farming, said Julie Bernstein, spokeswoman with Cal/OSHA, who immediately opened an investigation.
"We're deeply saddened by the loss," Office Manager Kathy Lopez, Coastal Viticultural Consultants, said on Tuesday. The incident happened on a client's property, she said, declining to name the owner.
Bernstein said there were no witnesses to the incident. The person who reported the death to Cal/OSHA said that Pozos was driving a small forklift down a hill to load grapes, Bernstein said. The road was wet, the grade was steep, and the forklift may have overturned, she said.
====
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10/05/2016
Contact Information:
Elias Rodriguez (rodriguez.elias@epa.gov)
212-637-3664
(New York, N.Y. – Oct. 5, 2016) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a legal agreement with Occidental Chemical Corporation, one of more than 100 parties identified as potentially responsible for contamination of the lower Passaic River, to perform engineering and design work needed to begin the cleanup of the lower 8.3 miles of the lower Passaic River. This work, which includes sampling, evaluating technologies, and doing the engineering work necessary before physical cleanup work can begin, will be done under EPA oversight. Occidental Chemical Corporation will also pay for the EPA’s oversight costs. The EPA will pursue additional agreements with all of the more than 100 parties legally responsible for the contamination to ensure that the cleanup work in the lower 8.3 miles will be carried out and paid for by those responsible for the pollution as required by the Superfund law.
“This agreement is a milestone in getting the Passaic River cleaned up. It is an example of how Superfund is designed to work – those responsible for the contamination pay for the work, rather than taxpayers,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Occidental has agreed to spend $165 million to do this work and in doing so is moving us a lot closer to a restored Passaic River. The EPA will work to secure similar agreements with the other parties that polluted the Passaic River and have the legal responsibility to pay for the cleanup.”
In March 2016, the EPA issued its final plan to remove 3.5 million cubic yards of toxic sediment from the lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic, from Newark Bay to the Newark/Belleville border, followed by capping that entire stretch of river bottom. The sediment in the Passaic River is severely contaminated with dioxin, PCBs, heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants. The lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic is the most heavily contaminated section of the river. Ninety percent of the volume of contaminated sediments in the river is in the lower eight miles. The cleanup is estimated to cost $1.38 billion. Design work is expected to take four years to complete. The dredging, dewatering and disposal of dredged materials, and the capping and related construction work will follow, and is expected to take an additional six years to complete.
Under the legal settlement, Occidental Chemical Corporation will:
- Develop an overall project management plan to get all work needed prior to and during the cleanup done on a prescribed schedule
- Submit to EPA a design plan that includes work plans and technical approaches for implementing all design activities
- Submit field sampling and quality assurance plans for EPA approval, including a plan to collect and analyze sediment samples for the purposes of designing the dredging plan and the engineered cap
- Develop a plan for dredged material disposal
- Submit a site-wide plan to monitor water and air quality throughout the life of the cleanup project
- Identify and select a site or sites for the sediment processing facility, with public input
- Perform studies to evaluate enhanced capping technologies.
A major source of dioxin in the river was pollution from the former Diamond Alkali facility in Newark, where the production of Agent Orange and other pesticides during the 1960s generated dioxin that contaminated the land and the river. Fish and shellfish in the lower Passaic and Newark Bay are highly contaminated with mercury, PCBs and dioxin. Fisheries along the river have long been closed due to the contamination. Catching crab is prohibited, as is consumption of fish and crab taken from the Lower Passaic River.
The lower 17 miles of the Passaic River, stretching from its mouth at Newark Bay to the Dundee Dam, are part of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site.
Because of the complexity of the Passaic River contamination, the EPA divided the investigation and consideration of cleanup options into two studies – one for the 17-mile stretch of the Lower Passaic from its mouth to the Dundee Dam and the other focused on the lower 8.3 miles. Information gained from the 17-mile study was integrated into the EPA’s Record of Decision for the cleanup of the lower 8.3 miles.
The EPA cleanup plan builds on dredging that has already occurred in two areas of the lower 17 mile stretch with high concentrations of contaminants in sediment. In 2012, the EPA oversaw dredging in the Passaic River near the former Diamond Alkali facility in Newark. About 40,000 cubic yards of the most highly dioxin contaminated sediment were removed, treated and then transported by rail to licensed disposal facilities out of state. In 2013, the EPA oversaw dredging of approximately 16,000 cubic yards of highly contaminated sediment from a half-mile stretch of the Passaic River that runs by Riverside County Park North in Lyndhurst, N.J. This area is located about 11 miles north of the river mouth and outside of the lower eight miles addressed in today’s announcement.
The cleanup plan requires the permanent removal from the river of approximately 24,000 pounds of mercury, 6,600 pounds of PCBs, 1,300 pounds of DDT, a pesticide, and 13 pounds of highly toxic dioxin. Sediment will be dewatered and transported, likely by train, for disposal. Dredged sediment will be sent to licensed, permitted facilities designed to accept the type of contaminants in the sediment. After dredging, the entire lower 8.3 miles of the river will be capped bank-to-bank. The cap will isolate the remaining contaminated sediment, effectively eliminating the movement of a major source of contamination to the rest of the river and Newark Bay. It will be monitored and maintained to ensure that the cleanup remains protective. In the 1.7 miles closest to Newark Bay, deeper dredging will occur to allow current commercial navigation to continue.
Although Occidental Chemical Corporation did not directly discharge pollution into the Passaic River, the company is legally responsible for pollution discharged from the former Diamond Alkali pesticides manufacturing plant that operated in Newark from the 1940s to the 1960s. The Diamond Alkali factory no longer exists and the company was sold several times, and eventually it was bought by a company affiliated with Occidental, and merged into Occidental. When one company merges with another, both the assets and the legal liabilities continue with the resulting company, which is Occidental.
Under the Superfund program, EPA searches for parties legally responsible for the contamination at sites that are placed on the Superfund list and seeks to hold those parties accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. To date over 100 companies have been identified as potentially responsible for generating and releasing toxins to the Passaic River. Most of the work to clean up the Passaic has been performed by parties legally responsible for the contamination.
To learn more, please visit the Passaic River web site: http://www.ourpassaic.org
To view the settlement, please click on this link: https://semspub.epa.gov/src/collection/02/SC31941
A list of parties that were notified by EPA of their potential liability for costs associated with contamination in the lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic River is available at https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/02/457510
Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2
OSHA cites US Postal Service after two Des Moines workers suffer heat illness while delivering the mail
Agency finds mail carriers were exposed to excessive heat
DES MOINES, Iowa – Feeling the symptoms of heat-related illness, a 24-year-old U.S. Postal Service mail carrier asked her supervisor to be relieved after walking about half-way through her 11-mile delivery route on a hot June day in Des Moines when temperatures exceeded 93 degrees. Investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration later learned the woman’s supervisor told her initially to continue walking her route despite feeling ill.
The carrier working at the U.S. Postal Service’s University Station location subsequently missed three days of work recovering from her illness.
In its investigation of the reported illness on June 9, 2016, the department learned that a co-worker – a 47-year-old female carrier – needed transport to a hospital emergency room with heat-related illness on July 21, 2016, when the heat index reached more than 111 degrees. She had walked about five miles in the heat that day.
On Sept. 30, 2016, OSHA issued the post office one repeated citation under the agency’s general duty clause for exposing workers to excessive heat and proposed penalties of $68,591. In 2012, the agency cited the USPS after the heat-related death of a mail carrier in Independence, Missouri in July 2012. Since January 2016, OSHA has investigated 16 heat-related deaths reported to the agency.
“Heat-related illnesses and deaths are preventable when employers help workers acclimate to hot environments, allow frequent water breaks, ample time to rest and provide shade,” said Larry Davidson, OSHA’s area director in Des Moines. “Working in full sunlight can increase heat index values by 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Employers must keep this in mind and plan additional precautions for working in these conditions.”
The agency has found a lack of heat prevention and acclimatization programs by employers commonly lead to heat-related deaths and illness among workers.
In addition to acclimating workers to heat conditions OSHA also recommends employers:
- Train supervisors and other employees in the proper response to employees reporting heat-induced illness symptoms, which includes stopping work, moving to a cool place, and providing help, evaluation and medical assistance.
- Require trained supervisors to go into the field and conduct in-person evaluations of employees complaining of heat-induced symptoms.
- Establish work rules and practices that encourage employees to seek assistance and evaluation when experiencing heat stress symptoms.
Commonly and mistakenly, people believe that if they are sweating, they are not in danger of heat stroke. In fact, sweating is no indication that heat stroke is possible. One frequent symptom of heat stroke is mental changes, such as confusion or irritability. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. If there is any suggestion of heat stroke, call 911 and institute the other safety measures as quickly as possible. To learn more about heat-stress symptoms see OSHA’s Heat Stress Quick Card http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3154.pdf
OSHA’s Heat Safety Tool App is available to employers, employees and the public for free download on iPhones and Android phones.
View current citations here.
The postal service has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the citations and proposed penalties 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 agency’s Des Moines Area Office at 515-284-4794.
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:
10/05/2016
New Jersey aluminum company continues to expose employees to machine hazards – resulting in worker injuries, amputations
OSHA fines Aluminum Shapes LLC $89K for repeat, serious safety violations
Employer name: Aluminum Shapes LLC
900 River Road
Pennsauken, New Jersey
Citations issued: On Sept. 23, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Aluminum Shapes for one serious and two repeat violations.
Investigation findings: OSHA’s inspection began on April 27, 2016, after the company reported a worker had suffered an amputation, and as part of the agency’s National Emphasis Program on Amputations.
Inspectors determined that an employee suffered a fingertip amputation while feeding aluminum pieces into a roll-forming machine. While OSHA’s inspection was ongoing, two additional incidents occurred; the first resulted in an employee’s thumb injury and the other resulted in a worker suffering a fingertip amputation.
OSHA issued repeat citations to the company for a lack of machine guarding, as well as for its failure to report the amputation within the required time frame. The agency cited the employer for the same violations in May 2012 and March 2016.
Quote: “In 2015, our investigation found 44 safety violations at Aluminum Shapes’ facility including amputation hazards related to the lack of machine guarding. This employer has taken no action to protect its workers and serious and senseless injuries are the result. This is unacceptable,” said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA’s Marlton Area Office. “Employers have a legal responsibility to provide employees with a safe and healthful work environment, and we intend to hold companies accountable when they fail to meet their obligations.”
Proposed penalties: $89,390
The citations can be viewed at: https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AluminumShapes_1143202.pdf
The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a 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 Marlton Area Office at 856-596-5200.
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:
10/05/2016
