A construction worker injured after he fell through scaffolding while on a work site in Portland, OR

OCTOBER 25, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – Firefighters helped rescue a construction worker that fell through some scaffolding Tuesday afternoon while on a work site near Southwest Barnes Road.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said the worker was hanging from the scaffolding on the third floor of a building in the 900 block of Southwest Briar Lane.

He had one leg hanging through the scaffolding, officials said. Crews gave him pain medication while he was waiting for emergency crews to lower him down in a Stokes basket.

The man was taken to the hospital for further treatment.

construction worker who died after a fall at the Iroquois Village Apartments construction site on Alice Wagner Way, off Hillside Avenue, in Niskayuna had just unhooked himself

OSHA: Worker unhooked himself in Niskayuna construction fatality
By Daniel Fitzsimmons

 October 25, 2016


Photographer: Marc Schultz
A construction worker died after a fall at the Iroquois Village Apartments construction site on Alice Wagner Way, off Hillside Avenue, in Niskayuna, seen here in March.









NISKAYUNA — A federal labor investigation found that a worker who fell at a Niskayuna construction site in March and later died had unhooked his safety harness from a lifeline just moments before the fall. A witness told investigators the worker unhooked himself in an attempt to untangle his leg from the lifeline.

A lifeline is a nylon or polyester-blend length of rope that’s anchored to stop a fall at height.

Wilfredo Vazquez, 37, died on March 13 after falling 24 feet to the ground, according to an inspection report by the Occupational Safety and Health Organization obtained through a Freedom of Information request.


Where the employee's fall protection was found following the fall.

The accident occurred at the Iroquois Village Apartments development on Alice Wagner Way in Niskayuna. Vasquez and other workers were performing carpentry work on a small ledge just prior to the fall, said the report.

“The only witness to the fall stated that Mr. Vasquez was attached to a rope lifeline, his leg was tangled in the lifeline and he unhooked his lanyard from the dorsal D ring of the harness. While trying to untangle the lifeline, he fell to the ground,” according to the inspection report.

Niskayuna firefighters were called to the scene around 11:30 a.m. on March 13. Vasquez was transported via ambulance to General Electric on River Road in Niskayuna before being airlifted to Albany Medical Center. Vasquez died later that day from injuries he sustained in the fall.

Following the accident, Department of Labor spokesman Ted Fitzgerald said OSHA was investigating three firms attached to the Iroquois Village project: Ballston Mourningkill Associates LLC, the general contractor on the project, Rankin Construction National Builders, LLC, a subcontractor, and Hernandez Framing Inc., a Rankin subcontractor providing framing work.

Hernandez Framing was hit with $15,143 in fines after the OSHA inspection and investigation, but it’s unclear how closely related the violations are to Vasquez’s death.

The company received a $2,673 penalty for a “serious” violation because during the investigation it was found employees were improperly securing their lifelines.

Hernandez faced a second serious violation and $12,471 penalty for failing to provide steps or a ladder where there was a break in elevation of 19 inches or more on the site. The inspection report said employees accessed an exterior walking surface by climbing through a wall opening that measured 2’ 10” from the floor to the bottom of the opening.

OSHA interviews with employees of Hernandez Framing were conducted in Spanish, the inspection report noted. The report also noted under a heading called “Incident causes” that “the employee unhooked his harness dorsal D ring from his [lifeline] prior to falling 24 feet.”

Under a heading called “Incident related issues,” the report says Hernandez Framing had not provided fall protection training to their employees, did not ensure there was a competent party to inspect the job site and the work involved, did not evaluate the fall protection training provided by a previous employer, and did not have a general accident prevention program.


Rope secured around a 2" x 4" and 2" x 6".

Hernandez Framing is based in Dallas, Texas, according to the report. OSHA interviewed owner Raul Hernandez via telephone and asked him to provide health and safety training records, “but no records were received,” said the report.

“[Raul Hernandez] stated that the employees of the crew involved received training for a job in Boston, [Massachusetts] by Patriot Framing,” said the report. “Patriot Framing’s management was contacted by telephone and stated that they had previously supplied fall protection training to the crew of Hernandez Framing and agreed to supply the training records. The records were not received by OSHA.”

Contact information for Raul Hernandez or other company officials could not be found. It’s unclear if Hernandez Framing paid the violation or is appealing OSHA’s findings. Department of Labor spokesman Jim Lally said two weeks ago that the agency is still trying to determine if Hernandez received the citations.

“OSHA is awaiting confirmation that Hernandez Framing received its citations, so this case is still open,” said Lally in an email Oct. 12. “Once received, the employer has 15 business days to comply, meet with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.”

Lally did not immediately return a request for comment by press time Tuesday when the FOIL request was received by this newspaper.


The wooden structure that the anchor was attached to. One nail splintered the wood on the edge of the 2" x 4".

Rankin Construction was cited with an “other than serious” violation and penalized $400 for not including in their fall protection plan a list of workers’ names for those individuals who were authorized to be on the construction site.

Lally said Oct. 12 that Rankin settled with OSHA and wound up paying $300 of the original $400 fine. A spokeswoman for Rankin Construction, based in Ft. Worth, Texas, did not return calls and an email requesting comment.

OSHA did not cite Ballston Mourningkill Associates in connection with the incident.

Lally previously said OSHA drafted a letter to explain their findings to Vasquez’s family, but the letter is not public information. He added Hernandez Framing was cited for two serious violations that were issued under the “fall protection standard.”

“A serious violation exists when the workplace hazard could cause an accident or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, unless the employer did not know or could not have known of the violation,” he said.

Lally said Hernandez Framing and Ballston Mourningkill Associates had no prior inspections in the last five years. Rankin Construction was inspected in 2012 and cited for two serious violations while working on a senior housing project in Rexford called Coburg Village.

An employee of Secure Energy Services killed in Alberta, CA oilfield near Fox Creek after he was struck by a lose pump hose

OCTOBER 25, 2016

A 47-year-old man was killed in a workplace accident near Fox Creek on Sunday.

The man, an employee of contractor Secure Energy Services, was working at a Shell Canada drilling site about 260 kilometres northwest of Edmonton when the accident occurred. Occupational Health and Safety spokesperson Lauren Welsh said the man was struck by a hose at about 5:45 p.m.

“The work site was situated by the side of a river and the workers were pumping water to a different location for well-site activities,” Welsh said. “The pumps started revving, and when workers went to investigate, one of the hoses let go and struck a worker.”

The man, who has not been identified, was treated by paramedics at the scene and then transferred to hospital in Fox Creek, where he died.

The worksite was immediately shut down and OHS officers are investigating. Counselling support is being provided to employees through both Secure Energy and Shell Canada’s Employee Assistance programs.

In a statement, Secure Energy Services President and CEO Rene Amirault said he was shocked by the tragedy.

“Our thoughts are with the family, friends and co-workers of the deceased as we work through this difficult time,” Amirault said, adding it was the first fatal worksite accident involving a Secure Energy Services employee in the company’s history.

Secure Energy Services, a publicly traded energy services company with 1,000 employees in Canada and the U.S., has its corporate head office in Calgary. The company offers fluids and solids solutions to the oil and gas industry.

Shell Canada said in a statement it is conducting its own investigation into the cause of the accident, in addition to cooperating with the OHS investigation and RCMP.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of an industry colleague, and our thoughts are with the family,” said Murray Elliott, Shell general manager, Greater Deep Basin.

“The safety of our staff, contractors and neighbours is our top priority in everything we do. We are working closely with the parties involved to gather more information and learn from this incident.”

This is the 16th death as a result of a workplace incident in Alberta in 2016, according to OHS.

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Our Fox Creek Full Service Terminal offers waste management, fluid disposal, custom treating and terminalling services. We have applied best-in-class engineering practices throughout the design of the facility to meet the expressed needs and preferences of our customers.

As responsible corporate neighbours we designed, built and operate this facility with the environment and public health and safety as a top priority:

• When offloading sour hydrocarbon-based liquid and slurry loads, a closed system is used to prevent fugitive H2S emissions and occupational exposure.
• Our process vessels and tanks use a state-of-the-art vapor collection and recovery system to prevent fugitive emissions. When new product enters the tank, the blanket gas is displaced and sent through the vapour recovery system.
• The site has an intermittent, air-assisted natural gas piloted flare at the site. Flaring activities at the site meet the requirements of ERCB Directive 60.

Drunk and speeding Anwar Daoud Askar, 54, of Tampa, arrested and charged with two counts of DUI Manslaughter and vehicular homicide after he crashed his speeding 2014 Mercedes Benz into the rear of another car, causing it to burst into flames on the Veterans Expressway in Florida

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) —- Two victims killed by a suspected drunk driver in a fiery crash on the Veterans Expressway Saturday morning have been identified.

Florida Highway Patrol investigators say Jesus Emanuel Lanzo, 33, of Tampa, was killed after another driver rear-ended the 2001 Pontiac Lanzo was driving, causing his car to crash and burst into flames. Carlos Angler Quinones Perez, 33, of Tampa, was a passenger in Lanzo’s car and also died.

Troopers say Anwar Daoud Askar, 54, of Tampa, was driving his 2014 Mercedes Benz northbound at a high rate of speed on the Veterans Expressway at 2 a.m. Askar was on the outside lane when he crashed into the rear of Lanzo’s vehicle.

The collision caused Lanzo to collide with the concrete barrier wall. Lanzo’s Pontiac came to a stop on the Independence Parkway exit ramp and burst into flames, killing Lanzo and a passenger.

Askar was taken to Tampa General Hospital. The FHP says his injuries were serious.

8 on Your Side has learned that Askar is the owner of Radiant gas station on Kennedy Boulevard

His colleagues said they feel terrible about the crash.

Askar was charged with two counts of DUI Manslaughter and vehicular homicide.

He is hospitalized and will be arrested on the charges later.

FHP confirms Lanzo had a previous address in Rhode Island, before moving to Florida.

Dump truck driver died after he was hit by another truck at a construction debris landfill on Mount Zion Road, Shreveport, LA

Dump truck driver died after he was hit by another truck at the CPS construction debris landfill at 616 Mount Zion Road, Shreveport

Posted: Oct 23, 2016 9:07 PM EST Updated: Oct 23, 2016 9:08 PM EST
SHREVEPORT, La -

The Caddo Parish Coroner's Office has identified a man killed Tuesday, October 18, 2016, as a south Louisiana man.

They identifies the victim as 24-year-old James Myles Jr. of Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

Myles was trapped for hours in his truck after another truck one fell on it at a construction debris landfill on the 616 Mount Zion Road in southwest Shreveport.

Firefighters arrived at the scene just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday. It took six units and 22 firefighters two hours and 30 minutes to extricate and rescue Myles.

He was airlifted out after receiving blood transfusions from a University Health team of doctors that were flown out to care for him.

He was pronounced deceased about an hour later in the emergency room at University Health-Shreveport.

The incident is being investigated as a workplace accident by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.
===========
Update: Man killed in dump truck crash ID'd

Miles Jay Oliver , The Shreveport Times 7:10 p.m. CDT October 23, 2016


UPDATE: 7 p.m. Oct. 23:

The Caddo Parish Coroner's Office has identified man killed in a dump truck crash.

James Myles Jr., 24, of Donaldsonville, was killed Oct. 18 at 687 Mount Zion Road in Shreveport. He was pronounced deceased at 6:11 p.m. in the emergency room at University Health-Shreveport.

Shreveport police and other local emergency personnel responded to the incident, which is being investigated as a workplace accident by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.

Update, 3 p.m., Oct. 19:

The man rescued from a crushed dump truck late Tuesday afternoon died as the result of his injuries.

The accident happened just before 3 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Zion Road Landfill in the 600 block of Mount Zion Road.

Shreveport Police Department and Shreveport Fire Department both responded to the scene to free the trapped man and provide emergency medical services for the two and a half hours it took to free the trapped man.

22 firefighters worked the scene, and the man was air lifted to a local hospital with CPR in progress. He later died.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation by SPD.

The Caddo Parish Coroner's office will determine the cause of death.

The man's name has not yet been released.

Original story:

Multiple emergency units were on the scene of an accident where a man was trapped inside a truck Tuesday afternoon on Mount Zion Road.

Shreveport Fire Department, Shreveport Police Department and first responders freed a man trapped inside a dump truck that was involved in an accident.

The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-disclosed injuries.

His name, details regarding the accident and the extent of his injuries have not been released.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

The Carnitas La Michoacana restaurant in Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago destroyed by fire

Tuesday, October 25, 2016 04:23PM

CHICAGO (WLS) --

A popular restaurant in the city's Pilsen neighborhood was destroyed Tuesday afternoon in a fire.

Chicago firefighters battled the fire at Carnitas La Michoacana, 2049 W. Cermak Road, on the Southwest Side.

Flames poured from the back of the building before the roof collapsed.

Several workers were treated for smoke inhalation, and two were taken to a hospital.



======



Two people were injured and a favorite neighborhood restaurant was lost after a fire broke out in Pilsen on Tuesday afternoon.

The fire started at 12:20 p.m. at a restaurant located at 2047 W. Cermak Rd., according to the Chicago Fire Department. Two people were taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation and listed in good condition.

The restaurant, Carnitas La Michoacana, a popular neighborhood staple well known for its pork dishes, was destroyed by the blaze.

$300,000 in damage to new Roosevelt High School building blamed on vandalism by visiting teens during basketball camp

Flooded hallway in Roosevelt High School (Courtsey of Portland Public Schools)
By Bethany Barnes | The Oregonian/OregonLive
 updated October 25, 2016 at 12:09 PM



Late one Saturday night, Roosevelt High School's basketball coach made a horrifying discovery: Water gushing through multiple floors of the school's brand new wing.

For more than two hours, water had been coursing through the North Portland school's new hallways, down its elevator shaft, into office spaces and classrooms.

The Oct. 15 flooding means six classrooms and six bathrooms are now unusable for at least weeks, Roosevelt Principal Filip Hristic said.

Now there's science in a food pantry. Another class is stuck in a conference room.

The estimated $300,000 in damage is being attributed to visiting teens.

Video surveillance footage shows teenagers in jerseys — seemingly part of a basketball camp the school hosted — turning on an emergency shower in a science room, defacing a whiteboard with vulgar language and spraying a fire extinguisher in the classroom, Hristic said.

Hristic said after viewing the footage multiple times he's positive the students don't go to Roosevelt and that the damage was intentional.

It's a huge setback for a school that has been in upheaval since spring 2015 while construction crews work on a $92 million bond-funded rebuild of the school.

In August, students and teachers were rewarded for some of the discomfort with the now damaged wing's opening.

"It's a new building, it's a new space, a space we can be proud of," said Joel Hanawalt, who teaches in the science room where the crime occurred. "It's two steps forward and one step back. This is a challenge, but it's a temporary challenge."

The students don't like being in the food pantry — it's a bit cold and doesn't have a lot of natural light due to being in the basement — but the upside is it has a counter top and a sink, so experiments are still possible, he said.

"There really is no way to do a science experiment in a library," he said. "I got down there and thought 'Great I can do an experiment."

But there was still some disappointment to come. After he saw the space could work, he found out the vandals had sprayed the fire extinguisher over all the science equipment.

Now he's waiting for the equipment to be cleaned and adjusting lesson plans to work around hands-on activities.

The district filed a police report. The surveillance footage has not been released.

"This was very, very difficult. Our teachers are really doing an incredible job," Hristic said. "We literally had to move a teacher into the auxiliary gym on zero notice."

Cause and origin of massive inferno at the Cobblestone Apartments in Baton Rouge, LA may never be determined

OCTOBER 25, 2016
Baton Rouge, LA

A fire at Cobblestone apartments on Essen Lane in Baton Rouge injured at least four people and destroyed dozens of units Thursday afternoon.

Fire officials say the total destruction caused by a massive fire at an Essen Lane apartment complex earlier this month means they have been unable to determine what started the fire.

But there's no evidence of human involvement, either accidental or intentional, according to a news release Tuesday from the St. George Fire Department.

The fire at the Cobblestone Apartments on the afternoon of Oct. 6 destroyed two buildings and several vehicles and damaged the exteriors of several other nearby buildings.

Two residents were taken to the hospital for burns. A St. George firefighter was treated at the scene for heat stroke, and another fireman and an East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputy were both treated by paramedics for symptoms of smoke inhalation, Eldon Ledoux, a St. George Fire spokesman said.

Ledoux said a thorough investigation was conducted by members of the St. George Fire Department, the Baton Rouge Fire Department, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The massive 3-alarm Kiryas Joel, NY fire was caused by unattended candles in a succah built on a second story deck. 12 Jewish families displaced.

OCTOBER 24, 2016



KIRYAS JOEL, NEW YORK – Twelve families were displaced when fire raced through a three-story multiple residence in the Village of Kiryas Joel early Sunday morning.

Firefighters from the village were assisted by area fire departments, battled the blaze at 4 Paksh Place. The fire was reported before 2 a.m. and firefighters were on the scene well into the daylight hours.

A large crowd gathered at the scene requiring police to be called in.



======


OCTOBER 24, 2016

Monroe, NY - A three alarm fire tore through a Kiryas Joel home in the early morning hours, with firefighters from several agencies responding to the blaze at the three story building.

The blaze took place at 3 Paksh Place, with firefighters arriving shortly before 2 AM to find a fully involved fire tearing through the building’s roof.

Kiryas Joel Fire Chief Shea Blumenthal said that the fire was caused by unattended candles in a succah built on a second story deck.

“The fire most probably caught the walls and the schach and then caught the succah on the third floor,” Blumenthal told VIN News. “From the third floor it went into the attic and got the whole roof.”

The Kiryas Joel Fire Department called in mutual aid, with crews responding from Monroe, Vails Gate, Washingtonville, Salisbury Mills, Woodbury and South Blooming Grove. Police teams from Goshen, Washingtonville, Chester and Salisbury Mills were also on scene according to the Orange and Rockland County Fire Facebook page.



The building has 12 apartments but a firewall kept the flames to the right side of the building, preventing the flames from spreading through the entire structure. Power and gas were cut to the entire building so residents of both sides of the property have been displaced until the building can be inspected and utilities can be safely restored.

“There is really big damage,” said Blumenthal. “The third floor is very bad and the second and third floor both have water damage.”

It took firefighters approximately 90 minutes to put out the flames and no injuries were reported.

The KJ EMS & KJFD Calls Twitter feed said that additional hot spots reignited this morning but Blumenthal said that the additional flare ups were quickly extinguished.

According to Blumenthal, all of the residents at 3 Paksh Place will be spending Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah with family members in Kiryas Joel.

John Spincken, 37, of Pequannock, New Jersey died after plunging off the Wanaque Bridge on I-287. But his 1-and 3-year-old sons lived

Dray Clark has details on a family tragedy in New Jersey. (John Spincken's photo via Facebook)

Eyewitness News
Updated 14 mins ago
WANAQUE, N.J. -- Police say it's miraculous how two young boys survived a 100-foot fall off a bridge after their father took them over the side in an attempted murder-suicide in New Jersey Monday night.

The father, identified as John Spincken, 37, of Pequannock, died after plunging off the Wanaque Bridge on I-287. But his 1-and 3-year-old sons somehow lived.

"When the officers found the children -- conscious and alert -- it's nothing short of a miracle, that's for sure," said Captain Christopher Depuyt with the Pequannock Police Department.

The boys were found in an area with thick brush and trees near the Wanaque River. Police believe the forest-like terrain helped cushion the impact of their fall.

This is a daylight view of the area via NewsCopter 7:



Both suffered concussions and one has a bruised lung -- but they're expected to be OK.

A high fence is supposed to prevent people from being able to jump over the side of the bridge, but police said Spincken found a way around it.

"It's only fair to assume that from where his vehicle was positioned on the shoulder that he must have climbed on top of the vehicle to surmount the fence," Captain Depuyt said.

LEADING UP TO THE FALL

Police said that at 6:55 p.m., they were called to a home on Greenview Drive in Pequannock, New Jersey. The mother of the two boys said that she and Spincken were arguing and he told her that he was going to harm the children.
He then took the boys and drove off with them, according to the New Jersey State Police.

Around 8 p.m., state troopers said they were notified that a suicidal man may have jumped from the Wanaque Bridge with his two sons. They discovered Spincken's unoccupied car on southbound Interstate 287 in Wanaque.



Wanaque Police officers found Spincken and his two children in a wooded area near the Wanaque River.

Spincken was pronounced dead at the scene around 9 p.m.

I guess people are leaving this lousy state of New Jersey any way they can.

EPA fined Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, LLC $190,000 for not disclosing chemical information at its plant in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico as required by the federal Clean Air Act’s chemical accident prevention, chemical safety, and risk management requirements

EPA Fines Pfizer in Puerto Rico for Not Disclosing Chemical Information
10/25/2016
Contact Information:
Elias Rodriguez (rodriguez.elias@epa.gov)
(212) 637-3664

(New York, N.Y. – Oct. 25, 2016) 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, LLC $190,000 for not disclosing chemical information at its plant in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico as required by the federal Clean Air Act’s chemical accident prevention, chemical safety, and risk management requirements.

“Emergency responders need to know where hazardous chemicals are used and stored as well as how to deal with any risks associated with those chemicals,” said EPA’s Caribbean Environmental Protection Division’s Director Carmen R. Guerrero Pérez.

The Pfizer plant used liquid ammonia and methylamine gas, a derivative of ammonia to make pharmaceuticals. Ammonia is a corrosive substance and can damage people’s health. Ammonia is a severe irritant of the eyes, respiratory tract and skin.

An EPA inspection at the Barceloneta plant in 2014 indicated that regulated substances, including ammonia and methylamine, were present in processes at the plant in amounts above the regulatory limit and without proper disclosure to the EPA. Following that inspection, the EPA met with the company and sent information request letters to Pfizer. The regulated substances are no longer present in processes at the plant in an amount above the regulatory limit and, therefore, the Pfizer facility now appears to be in compliance.

The Clean Air Act requires that companies develop a hazard assessment plan to identify potential impacts of an accidental release of chemicals; an accidental release prevention program that includes safety precautions, safe operating procedures, maintenance and employee training measures; and an emergency response program that spells out emergency health care, employee training measures and procedures for informing the public and local response agencies should an accidental release occur.

To learn more about risk management plans, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/rmp

To learn more about facilities with significant amounts of chemicals and your communities’ right to know about them, please visit: http://www2.epa.gov/epcra

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Pfizer Global Manufacturing Announces Plans To Reconfigure Its Global Plant Network

Eight Sites Targeted for Exit; Reductions Recommended At Six Plants; Operations to Expand at Others


Tuesday, May 18, 2010 7:00 pm EDT


"Nevertheless, today’s announcement is very difficult to make because of its impact on our colleagues"

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pfizer Global Manufacturing announced today plans to reconfigure its worldwide plant network to create a fully aligned manufacturing and supply organization from the combined networks of Pfizer and Wyeth. This implementation of the first phase of Pfizer’s previously announced Plant Network Strategy includes recommendations to cease operations at eight manufacturing sites in Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United States by the end of 2015, as well as to reduce operations at six other plants in Germany, Ireland, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The planned reductions will increase manufacturing efficiency and lower costs by more effectively using resources and technology, improving plant processes, eliminating excess capacity, and better aligning production with market demand. These changes will result in a global reduction of approximately 6,000 jobs over the next several years. Product transfers will expand the roles of a number of plants in Pfizer’s manufacturing network.

“The restructuring of our global plant network is critical to our efforts to remain competitive so that we can continue to meet patient needs and expand the access and affordability of our medicines,” said Pfizer Global Manufacturing President Nat Ricciardi.

“Nevertheless, today’s announcement is very difficult to make because of its impact on our colleagues,” Mr. Ricciardi added. “We have a tremendous global workforce and some of the best manufacturing facilities in the industry. But we must continue to adjust to the fast-changing and extremely competitive environment in which we operate. That means realigning our network and reducing our manufacturing capacity so that we can position Pfizer for the next phase of growth across biopharmaceuticals and our diversified business portfolio.”

The announcement is the culmination of an intense half-year evaluation of sites that manufacture aseptic (injectable), soliddose, and biotechnology medicines, as well as consumer healthcare products.

Pfizer plans to discontinue manufacturing operations over the next 18 months to five years at three solid-dose sites that manufacture tablets and capsules: Caguas in Puerto Rico; Loughbeg in Ireland; and Rouses Point, N.Y., in the United States. (Wyeth had previously announced in 2005 that it would exit and sell the Rouses Point site.)

The company also plans to phase out pharmaceutical solid-dose manufacturing at Guayama, Puerto Rico, and that site will expand its Consumer Healthcare operations.

Two aseptic facilities that make sterile injectable medicines are targeted for exit: Dublin, Ireland; and Carolina, Puerto Rico. Reductions are planned at two other solid-dose facilities: Illertissen, Germany and Newbridge, Ireland.

While Pfizer’s biotechnology portfolio continues to grow significantly, the company also proposes changes at its sites that manufacture vaccines and large-molecule medicines to improve efficiencies, capitalize on process and productivity improvements and new technology, and to simplify the supply chain. Pfizer plans to exit operations in Shanbally, Ireland, as well as biotechnology manufacturing in Pearl River, N.Y., in the United States. Plants in Sanford, N.C., and Andover, Mass., in the United States and Havant, in the United Kingdom, also expect to see reductions.

Pfizer plans to cease production of consumer healthcare products at its plants in Richmond, Va., and Pearl River in the United States. The Pearl River site will remain Pfizer’s Center of Excellence for Vaccine Research and Development, as previously announced. Consumer Healthcare R&D also will continue in Richmond. In both Pearl River and in Richmond, R&D jobs will be unaffected by the planned manufacturing exits.

The timing of specific exits will depend upon the complexity of operations, the amount of time required for product transfers, and other business requirements.

In an effort to preserve jobs and minimize the impact to communities, Pfizer will explore opportunities to divest plants in the event operations are discontinued. Success will depend upon a number of market factors, including present demand for pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.

“We are keenly aware of the impact these types of changes have on employees and their families,” Mr. Ricciardi said. “We will provide support to our colleagues who lose their jobs so that their transition to new careers is as smooth as possible.”

Pfizer’s solid-dose network will include plants in Freiburg, Germany; Amboise, France; Vega Baja and Barceloneta, Puerto Rico; Ascoli, Italy; Newbridge, Ireland; and Illertissen, Germany. Plants in Puurs, Belgium; Perth, Australia; Catania, Italy; and Kalamazoo, Mich., in the United States will make up the aseptic network.

The biotechnology network will consist of sites in Grange Castle, Ireland; Strangnas, Sweden; Algete (Madrid), Spain; Havant, United Kingdom; and Andover, Mass. and Sanford, N.C., in the United States.

The Consumer Healthcare network will include plants in Guayama, Puerto Rico; Montreal, Canada; Albany, Ga., in the United States; Aprilia, Italy; Hsinchu, Taiwan; and Suzhou, China. Evaluations of Pfizer’s Animal Health manufacturing sites are presently underway. Recommendations are expected by the end of June. Studies of the Nutrition and Emerging Markets plant networks will begin later this year.

Pfizer Global Manufacturing presently operates 78 plants internationally with a workforce of approximately 33,000 colleagues. It is one of the world’s preeminent biopharmaceutical supply organizations.

Recommended Site Exits:

-- Caguas, Puerto Rico (solid-dose)

-- Carolina, Puerto Rico (aseptic)

-- Dublin, Ireland (aseptic)

-- Loughbeg, Ireland (solid-dose)

-- Shanbally, Ireland (biotechnology)

-- Rouses Point, N.Y. (solid-dose)

-- Richmond, Virginia (consumer healthcare manufacturing targeted for exit; R&D operations to remain in Richmond)

-- Pearl River, N.Y. (proposed exit of biotechnology and consumer healthcare manufacturing; vaccines and biotherapeutics vaccines R&D will remain active at this site)

Recommended Plant Reductions:

-- Guayama, Puerto Rico (phase-out of pharmaceutical solid dose operations planned; volume increases in consumer healthcare)

-- Newbridge, Ireland (solid-dose)

-- Andover, Mass., U.S. (biotechnology)

-- Sanford, N.C., U.S. (biotechnology)

-- Havant, UK (biotechnology)

-- Illertissen, Germany (solid-dose)

OSHA fined $109,211 Dedicated Logistics Inc. of Hudson, Wisconsin for unsafe use of powered industrial vehicles

OSHA cites national logistics company’s Wisconsin facility for exposing workers to powered industrial vehicle, electrical hazards


Employer name: Dedicated Logistics Inc.
2720 Enloe Ave.
Hudson, Wisconsin

Citations issued: Oct. 20, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Eau Claire Area Office has cited Dedicated Logistics Inc. for one repeated and four serious safety violations after receiving a complaint of unsafe working conditions.

In its June 2016 investigation, the agency found the company:

• Failed to remove damaged powered industrial vehicles from service; inspect and repair them as required.
• Blocked exit routes.
• Exposed workers to live electrical parts and blocked electrical service panels.
• Stored gas cylinders improperly.

OSHA cited the transportation and logistics company for unsafe use of powered industrial vehicles at a facility in Illinois in September 2012.

Quote: “Each year hundreds of workers are injured by powered industrial vehicles in the workplace,” said Mark Hysell, OSHA’s area director in Eau Claire. “Dedicated Logistics needs to immediately remove damaged powered industrial vehicles until they are repaired and determined to be safe to operate.”

Proposed Penalties: $109,211.

View Citations here.

Background: Based in Oakdale, Minnesota, Dedicated Logistics Inc. provided fleet and contract transportation and logistics services. The company is an affiliate of Total Logistics Inc. which employees 880 workers at 33 facilities.

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 Eau Claire Area Office at (715) 832-9019.
OSHA News Brief:
10/25/2016

About Dedicated Logistics, Inc.

Dedicated Logistics, Inc. (DLI) offers comprehensive, dedicated fleet services that include scalable, costeffective contract transportation and access to broad expertise in industry-leading logistics services. With advanced technologies that include real-time business intelligence mapped to customized KPIs, DLI enables companies to provide the highest level of JIT service to their customers without sacrificing the bottom line.

DLI is an affiliate company of, Total Logistics, Inc. (TLI). TLI offers end-to-end transportation and logistics management services that enable you to grow your business and operate more profitably, avoiding large capital expenditures in vehicles, real estate, technology, staff, training and operations.

Award-winning service & performance

The TLI family of companies continues to earn recognition by the industry for outstanding performance, expertise and innovation. Our awards include:

• GM Supplier of the Year
• Minnesota Trucking Association Fleet Safety
• Schneider Logistics Carrier of the Year

Dedicated fleet and contract services

When operating your own trucks, the cost and risk of owning and maintaining a private fleet can be a burden. Relying on just any transportation provider can be wrought with pitfalls. If you are considering supplementing your existing fleet or need to outsource your entire transportation and distribution network, turn to the pros at Dedicated Logistics, Inc. (DLI). In business since 1995, we’re a leader in dedicated fleets and contract transportation.

Whether your deliveries are regional or more national in nature, DLI serves your network with professional, fast service. From intermodal and TL to freight requiring specialized equipment, DLI serves companies across industry, including the manufacturing and automotive sectors. Your operations—and your customers—benefit by an end-to-end transportation management solution that ensures superior JIT service.

WITH A NAME LIKE SMUCKER'S: OSHA proposes $60,571 in fines, after it finds J.M. Smucker’s Orrville, OH facility lacks gravity control procedures during investigation of employee’s amputation injury

OSHA’s finds J.M. Smucker’s facility lacks energy control procedures in federal investigation of employee’s amputation injury


Employer name: The J.M. Smucker Company
1 Strawberry Lane
Orrville, Ohio

Citations issued: Oct. 21, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued one repeated and one serious safety violation to The J.M. Smucker Company, after the agency’s investigated an incident in which a 39-year-old maintenance employee suffered the amputation of the tip of his right index finger on July 29, 2016 at its Orrville facility.

OSHA found the company failed to develop procedures to control gravity as an energy source. The employee was cleaning a valve body when it fell into the valve housing amputating the tip of his finger. The agency cited the company for a similar violation in November of 2013, at the same facility.

Unrelated to the incident, agency inspectors found that the company also exposed workers to struck-by hazards from an overhead obstruction above a staircase in the facility.

Quote: “All too often, OSHA finds employers are complacent with machine safety features and conduct maintenance and other tasks without taking all steps to prevent machinery from movement,” said Howard Eberts, area director of OSHA’s Cleveland office. “The J.M. Smucker Company should re-evaluate its machine safety programs and procedures to ensure they are effective.”

Proposed Penalties: $60,571.

View Citations here.

Background: Based in Orrville, The J. M. Smucker Company is a leading marketer and manufacturer of consumer food and beverage products and pet food and pet snacks in North America.

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.
OSHA News Brief:
10/25/2016



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ORRVILLE, OHIO:

Jars of jellies, jams, preserves and ice cream toppings are among the products zipping along new production lines at J.M. Smucker Co.’s newest manufacturing plant in Orr­ville.

The new plant at the food company’s headquarters first started new production last June and when fully operational by next year will have seven lines in place, making 325 different products, including seven sizes of glass jars and three plastic containers.

The plant makes many of the company’s well-known products, including Smucker’s jellies, jams and preserves — both in packaging for retail stores and single serve, or portion-controlled packaging for restaurants and institutions — as well as ice cream toppings and Hungry Jack syrups, which are new to the plant.

Company spokeswoman Maribeth Burns said Smucker does not disclose financial details on its investments. The company previously said the new plant would cost more than $100 million.

Construction projects are guided by what the company calls its “Sustainability Strategy,” which includes an emphasis on reducing energy usage, said Brian Kinsey, Smucker director of operations. Examples of energy reduction features include a high-efficiency lighting system, high-efficiency boiler stack economizers, and reflective roofing and concrete paving to minimize heat effects.

“The expansion and efficiencies gained through the introduction of new automation technology will allow this facility to produce twice as much,” Kinsey said.

The new plant has more than doubled in size from the previous plant, which was a 60-year-old, 150,000-square-foot facility. The new facility is 460,000 square feet, including 300,000 square feet of new production space and 160,000 square feet of warehouse facilities.
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AdvertisementThe new plant is attached to the existing warehouse. Parts of the old plant’s areas will be incorporated into the recently announced headquarters campus expansion, which includes two new buildings and a nearby day-care area. Portions of the old plant will be repurposed into what has been called the Innovation Center, which will be retail-customer focused and provide a centralized area for clients to meet with various Smucker teams. Parts of the old plant will be razed for the new buildings on campus.

More automation

Smucker employs 300 people in the plant, down from 425. The new plant has efficiencies and more automation and positions were eliminated by attrition and an early retirement package, Burns said. No layoffs occurred, she said.

In 2010, the company announced it would cut 40 percent of its production workforce in Orrville, or about 180 factory workers, and attributed it at the time to “new technologies and efficiency improvements,” allowing for more products to be made with fewer people.

The company announced it would close a jam and jelly plant in Ste. Marie, Quebec, and earlier this year changed plans to close a plant in Memphis, Tenn., when growth in its peanut butter businesses meant it needed more production, switching it from a fruit spread facility to mostly peanut butter.

The company will also repurpose a plant in New Bethlehem, Pa., to make nut butter products.

In recent years, the company has also invested in its Ripon, Wis., plant, which makes jams and jellies, and its peanut butter operations in Lexington, Ky.

The company has about 1,700 employees on its main Orrville campus. The maker of food brands Smucker, Folgers, Jif, Crisco and Pillsbury most recently acquired Rowland Coffee and Sara Lee Beverage for Foodservice. Both of those brought more employees to the main campus that has One Strawberry Lane as its address.

“The designed mixture of the skilled employees leveraging state-of-the-art automation technology is a great reflection of Smucker’s commitment to product quality and safety,” Kinsey said.

Indoor rail depot

In a new indoor rail depot at the new plant, train cars bring in corn syrup every three days to the two rail lines inside the building. Building the depot allows rail cars to avoid stopping traffic on a main street in Orrville, Wads­worth Road or state Route 57, for a few moments for deliveries, Burns said.

The rail cars can each carry 17,000 to 21,000 pounds of corn syrup. The new depot allows up to 12 to 18 cars to come at a time when before it was six, said Renee Patterson, Smucker buyer of indirect materials, who was giving a tour of the plant.

According to the company, the Orrville plant is the largest fruit spreads manufacturing facility in the world. It is more than 10 acres under one roof — the equivalent of eight football fields.