January 27, 2016

OSHA: Employees of Terryville, Connecticut, manufacturer exposed to chemical, fire, other hazards

Employer name: Phoenix Products Co., 55 Container Dr., Terryville, Connecticut

Citations issued: On Jan. 19, 2016, the Hartford Area Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Phoenix Products Co., for 15 serious violations of workplace safety standards.

January 27, 2016

OSHA finds Allenwood federal prison workers lack safety gloves to avoid punctures, infections from sharps

Employer name:  U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Correctional Institute Allenwood

Inspection site:  Main Access Road and State Route 15, White Deer, Pennsylvania

Notices issued: On Jan. 22, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a notice to the medium security federal correctional facility after inspectors identified one willful violation.

January 27, 2016

Worker deglazing bathtub in public housing complex died of acute exposure to methylene chloride, a toxic chemical found in paint stripper

CLEVELAND, Ohio ‒ The death of a 30-year-old worker from acute methylene chloride exposure could have been avoided if his employer had protected him properly from dangerous exposure to the toxin in the paint remover he used to deglaze a bathtub in a Cuyahoga County public housing complex, federal investigators determined.

January 26, 2016

Massachusetts roofing contractor again exposes workers to fall hazards

ANDOVER, Mass. – A Framingham contractor with a history of safety violations has again exposed its employees to potentially fatal fall hazards at one of its worksites, this time in Woburn.

Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found employees of A S General Construction Inc. risked falls of more than 26 feet from an unguarded roof and an improperly constructed and erected ladder-jack scaffold at the 51 Pleasant St. job site.

January 26, 2016

Lake Compounce Theme Park employees exposed to chemical, fire, other hazards: OSHA

Employer name:  Lake Compounce Family Theme Park, 822 Lake Ave., Bristol, Conn., sister company of Palace Entertainment Holdings LLC, Newport Beach, California

Citations issued:  On Jan. 15, 2016, the Hartford Area Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the Lake Compounce Family Theme Park for 18 serious violations of workplace safety standards.

January 25, 2016

Workplace hazards at Brownsville frozen seafood distributor leads to $155K in OSHA fines; company named ‘severe violator’

Employer name: Rich Products Corp., Brownsville, Texas

Citations issued: Jan. 22, 2016

January 25, 2016

Ohio manufacturer of fasteners exposes workers to amputation hazards

BEREA, Ohio ‒ More than 30 workers were at-risk of amputation and other injuries daily while manufacturing nuts and bolts at a Berea factory. Federal inspectors found Telefast Industries Inc. failed to install guards and use recommended safety procedures to prevent workers from coming in contact with operating parts of machinery, violations for which inspectors previously cited the company in 2014.

January 21, 2016

New York trucking company fired driver for reporting truck safety concerns

NEW YORK – All the truck driver wanted was a safe vehicle to operate. His employer fired him instead.

In so doing, Brindi Trailer Sales and Services Inc. of Meridale, New York, and owner Robert Urbina Brindi violated the anti-discrimination provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

January 21, 2016

OSHA cites Hurst, Texas, flooring company for hazards after worker falls off balcony at Fort Worth job site

Employer name: Subfloor Systems Inc., Hurst, Texas

Citations issued: Jan. 20, 2016

January 20, 2016

Atlanta manufacturer of popular frozen foods takes quick action in response to OSHA discovery of continued safety violations

ATLANTA – When U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors returned to an Atlanta food manufacturing facility and found previously cited hazards had reoccurred, the management of Schwan’s Global Supply Inc. took an unusual step.

January 20, 2016

OSHA cites Kansas grain cooperative for exposing workers to fall, grain dust hazards at Quinter location

Employer name: Frontier Ag Inc.

Citations received: Jan. 15, 2016

January 19, 2016

US Labor Department urges storm recovery workers and public to be vigilant and aware of hazards during storm cleanup

ATLANTA – As they recover from the impacts of severe storms and tornadoes, Florida’s emergency workers, employers, and the public at-large should be aware of the hazards they may encounter and take necessary steps to stay safe, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges.

January 19, 2016

South Jersey carpentry contractor continues exposing workers to safety hazards, most recently at Norristown work site

Employer name: Berlin Builders Inc., 141 Rte. 130, Suite 192, in Cinnaminson, New Jersey

Inspection site: Residential construction project at 1202 Dekalb St. in Norristown, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: On Jan. 15, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for three repeat and one serious safety violations.

January 19, 2016

OSHA cites Mississippi plastic manufacturer after severe worker injuries

Employer name: Mississippi Polymers Inc.

Inspection site: 2733 South Harper Road, Corinth, Mississippi

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on Jan. 14 for 11 serious safety violations.

January 14, 2016

Emphasis on logging safety finds more than a dozen willful, serious violations of worker safety standards at Clay, West Virginia, company

Employer name: A and S Tree Service Inc., PO Box 477, Clay, West Virginia

Inspection site: 222 Sweet Grape Run, Walton, West Virginia

Citations issued: On Jan. 6, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for two willful, 11 serious and three other-than-serious violations.

January 14, 2016

Fall protection could have prevented 39-year-old worker’s death

LINCOLN, Neb. ‒ A newly hired, 39-year-old worker who fell through a roof in October 2015 and later died, could have been saved if his employer provided required fall protection, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found.

January 14, 2016

Excavation company again exposes workers to the dangers of trench cave-ins at Middleton, Wisconsin sewer-line site

Employer name: A-1 Excavating Inc., Bloomer, Wisconsin

Inspection site: Valley Ridge Road, Middleton

Citations issued: Jan. 14, 2016

January 14, 2016

Genpak facility in Hope Hull cited for exposing Alabama workers to dangerous hazards causing two serious injuries in two-month span

Employer name: Genpak LLC

Inspection site: 7621 Bill Joseph Parkway, Hope Hull, Alabama

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the employer on Jan. 13 for two repeated, six serious and one other-than-serious safety violation.

January 12, 2016

Amazon fulfillment center receives $7K fine, hazard alert letters after OSHA investigates workplace safety complaint

Employer name: Amazon Fulfillment Services

Site: 50 New Canton Way, Robbinsville, New Jersey

Citation and hazard alert letters issued: On Dec. 21, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Marlton Area Office issued one other-than-serious citation. On Dec. 30, 2015, one ergonomic-related hazard-alert letter was issued. Additionally, OSHA issued a medical-related hazard-alert letter on Jan. 7, 2016.

January 12, 2016

Investigation finds negligent worker safety practices led to 40-foot fall that paralyzed Pennsylvania construction worker

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – A 30-year-old construction worker returned from a holiday weekend on July 6, 2015, ready to install gutters on new apartment and condominium buildings at 1323 West Chester Pike in West Chester. It was his first day on the job site, and his last as a builder.

As a rough terrain  forklift raised a makeshift platform on which he stood up three stories to the roof, the platform toppled and the man fell 40 feet onto the rubble below. The worker suffered serious and permanent injuries, including paralysis from the waist down.