KEEP COMBUSTIBLES AT LEAST 3 FEET AWAY FROM SOURCES OF HEAT: FIRE CONTAINED ON 1112 PLUM STREET IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. THE FIRE MAY HAVE STARTED WITH CARDBOARD THAT WAS TOO CLOSE TO A SPACE HEATER.

keep combustibles at least 3 feet away from sources of heat:  Fire contained on 1112 Plum Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The fire may have started with cardboard that was too close to a space heater.

Lincoln firefighters assist a fellow firefighter out of a basement window on the scene of a fire at 1112 Plum St. on Thursday.

Smoke and flames interrupted a Lincoln family’s celebration of the New Year Thursday evening and one firefighter suffered a minor injury while working the fire.

The Strilkivsky family had gathered upstairs in the white, two-story house at 1112 Plum St. and put some pizza in the oven just before 6:30. There were about eight people there, said Paul Strilkivsky, who along with his sister, Natalya Strilkivsky, had recently bought the house from their father.

They smelled smoke and thought it was just something on the bottom of the oven burning. But the smell got worse. Paul and his brother went to investigate as the rest of the party evacuated.

They found heavy smoke and flames in the basement.

Paul Strilkivsky said that when he got outside moments later flames could be seen coming from basement windows on the west and south sides of the house. The heat melted siding on both sides.

Firefighters arrived at 6:37,attacked the fire from outside of the house and then moved inside. It was declared under control by 6:47 p.m., Battalion Chief Jeanne Pashalek said.

Pashalek said one firefighter may have been shocked by a low-voltage source, such as an extension cord. He was taken to an area hospital and kept overnight for evaluation. His injury was considered minor. His name was not released.

Fire and smoke caused about $25,000 to the home, which was not habitable due to smoke damage, said city Fire Inspector Damon Robbins.

He described the fire as unintentional and said it burned mainly belongings like clothes, paper and cardboard in the southwest corner of the basement. It likely was started with cardboard that was too close to a space heater, he said.

Four of the Strilkivskys lived on the upper floor of the house and were renovating the basement and first floor. Permits for the work were posted. There was no heat or electricity on the lower levels. They had run extension cords to space heaters on those floors to prevent pipes from bursting.

Robbins said he did not see smoke alarms in the house and it was a good thing the fire happened during the day. Had the fire broke out while people slept, he said, there could have been fatalities.

Paul Strilkivsky said they have home insurance.

OSHA INVESTIGATION FINDS WORKERS EXPOSED TO LEAD, COPPER FUMES AT REPUBLIC METALS IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

OSHA investigation finds workers exposed to lead, copper fumes at Republic Metals in Cleveland, Ohio

Dec. 18, 2014

CLEVELAND – A complaint that alleged unsafe work conditions at Republic Metals Inc. resulted in U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors uncovering dangerous levels of lead and copper fumes. The investigation found that the company failed to implement engineering controls and maintain areas free of lead dust and accumulation. The Aug. 4, 2014, inspection of the Cleveland facility resulted in 19 serious safety and health citations, with proposed penalties of $42,800.
Lead exposure can cause long-term damage to the central nervous, urinary, blood and reproductive systems.
"Lead is a leading cause of workplace illness and a common health hazard. Lead particles can travel from work sites on clothing and materials, which endangers workers' and families' lives," said Howard Eberts, OSHA's area director in Cleveland. "Republic Metals failed to protect employees from known dangers in its manufacturing process, and this must stop."
OSHA found workers were exposed to copper fumes and lead in excess of levels allowed over an eight-hour period. The agency identified the company's failure to implement engineering controls that would have limited exposure and to train employees about exposure hazards. Republic Metals also did not monitor worker overexposure and failed to post warning signs in overexposure areas, and it did not provide properly fitted respirators or train workers in respiratory protection use.
Other violations involved lack of personal protective equipment, hygiene and housekeeping practices. Additionally, Republic Metals did not monitor employee exposure to excess noise properly and failed to train workers on potential exposure to methylene chloride. The inspectors also noted electrical hazards, lack of machine guarding and struck-by hazards from machinery.
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.
Republic Metals has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Cleveland 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.

EXPOSING WORKERS TO ELECTRICAL SHOCK AND OTHER HAZARDS YIELDS FINES OF $66,400 FOR C & H DIE CASTING INC., A TROY, TEXAS, MANUFACTURER

Exposing workers to electrical shock and other hazards yields fines of $66,400 for C & H Die Casting Inc., a Troy, Texas, manufacturer 

Dec. 29, 2014

TROY, Texas – Twice in 18 months, C & H Die Casting Inc. has exposed workers to safety hazards, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found, leading the agency to cite the Troy-based company for 15 serious safety and health standards violations with proposed penalties of $66,400.

“Once again, C & H has failed to provide a workplace free from hazards that could seriously harm workers,” said Casey Perkins, OSHA’s area director in Austin. “Waiting until a worker has been injured or killed to find and fix these hazards is unacceptable.”
During the 2013 inspection, C & H Die Casting was cited for violating 30 serious safety and health OSHA standards, including using spliced electrical cords. The citations carried $112,500 in proposed fines. In September 2014, inspectors discovered workers still being exposed to electrical shock hazards. This repeated violation carried a $22,000 penalty. A repeated violation exists when an employer has been cited previously for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.

Also cited were 14 serious safety violations with a $44,400 penalty. OSHA cited the serious violations for failure to repair damaged and uneven concrete floors; failure to guard belts, pulleys and shafts; and numerous electrical violations, including spliced welding cables, uncovered welding terminals, missing grounding prongs on electrical cords and unlabeled circuit breaker panels.


OSHA investigators also witnessed an employee in the furnace area pouring hot metal into dies without proper personal protective equipment, which exposed him to burn hazards. 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. 

C & H employs approximately 315 workers and has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s Austin area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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

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.