worker safety News

University of Arizona Gets $1.6M Mine Safety Grant

The University of Arizona’s public health college and its mineral resources institute will use a $1.6 million grant to help improve mine safety training. The federal grant announced this week will be used to develop new training methods for mine …

Washington Contractor Faces Manslaughter in Worker’s Trench Death

Criminal manslaughter charges have been filed against the owner of a Seattle, Wash.-area construction. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed second-degree manslaughter charges against Phillip Numrich, the owner of Alki Construction, in connection with the death of Harold Felton. …

Cal/OSHA Issues Citations Following Fatal Bee Attack on Tree Worker

Cal/OSHA has issued citations to Hadley Date Gardens Inc. of Thermal, Calif., for workplace safety and health violations following a bee swarm that stung and killed a tree worker. The incident serves as a reminder that employers must protect tree …

Firms Renovating Old Chicago Post Office Hammered for Worker Safety

A federal agency has cited three Chicago-area companies for allegedly not properly protecting workers doing renovations on Chicago’s sprawling Old Post Office from lead and cadmium exposure. They face more than $200,000 in fines in all. A Wednesday statement from …

Study Will Test California Firefighters’ Toxin Exposure

Researchers are studying whether firefighters suffered any toxic exposure in last month’s deadly Northern California wildfires. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that researchers plan to take blood and urine samples from 200 firefighters for the study. A cancer-research organization of …

Company to Require Helmets for Ski Resort Employees after Maine Worker Death

A company that operates nine ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada will require workers to wear safety helmets when working on the mountains. The new policy follows the death in March of Alexander Witt, who wasn’t wearing a helmet …

New Rules for Oil-Gas Lines Proposed Following Colorado Blast

Colorado energy regulators are proposing tighter rules for shutting down oil and gas pipelines after a fatal explosion blamed on natural gas leaking from a line that was thought to be out of service but was still connected to a …

In 1st Year, South Dakota OSHA Office Handles 105 Inspections

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in South Dakota plans to add another inspector after its first year of operation because of the volume of inspections it’s handling. The five-person office conducted 105 inspections in the last fiscal year, …

Fines for Workplace Deaths in Nevada Reduced Often

Companies that contested Nevada workplace safety citations after an employee died on the job received reduced fines about half the time. An analysis of state and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fatality records by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed …

New Regulations to Improve Safety at California Oil Refineries Finalized

New regulations designed to strengthen workplace and environmental safety at oil refineries across the state were finalized this week. The regulations, which take effect on Oct. 1, include recommendations of the Governor’s Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety, created after …