Cherry Picker Boom Snaps, Killing Worker
A 34-year-old married father of three young children died in Littleton, CO, after the articulated boom he was working from snapped, causing him to fall about 30 feet (9.1 meters).
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the death of Adam Mackintosh, who operated his own company, Adam’s Tree Service.
He is survived by wife Melanie, a two-year-old son, Adison and one-year-old twins Claire and Sophia. A trust fund has been set up to help the children.
Mackintosh loved the outdoors, especially camping, fishing, sailing and spending time in his back yard with family and friends. He also enjoyed playing music and making people laugh.
Read MoreNovember 2010 Scorecard
REGION 1
Forest Products Company Cited Following Worker’s Death facing 15 alleged willful and serious violations. OSHA opened an investigation after a worker became caught in moving parts of a stacker machine at a mill in Presque Isle, ME. OSHA issued one willful citation for failure to de-energize and lock out the stacker and 14 serious citations alleging defective fork trucks, lack of access stairs, the lack of eye flushing facilities for employees working with corrosives, several machine guarding and electrical hazards and additional lockout/tagout hazards. Total penalties of $119,500 were proposed. [Columbia Forest Products Inc., Bangor, ME, Sept. 21, 2010].
REGION 2
Salt Plant Cited for Alleged Crushing, Fall, Fire, Mechanical and Electrical Hazards. A manufacturer of food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade salt has been cited for 37 alleged serious violations, including crushing hazards from damaged building structural support columns and lifting hooks that had not been rated to determine how much they could safely lift, several electrical hazards, a lack of PPE and unguarded moving machine parts. Other alleged violations include an obstructed exit door, failure to maintain the building’s sprinkler system, failure to bond flammable containers, a lack of fire extinguish training, tripping and fall hazards, unapproved modifications to a forklift and pressure vessels lacking pressure ratings and gauges. Proposed penalties totaling $111,600 have been issued. [US Salt LLC, Watkins Glen, NY, Sept. 2, 2010].
REGION 2
Painting and Stucco Contractor Cited for 15 Alleged Willful, Repeat and Serious Violations issued $225,200 in proposed penalties. OSHA says its inspectors observed clearly recognized fall hazards while driving past two jobsites. Eight willful citations were issued for failure to fully plank scaffolds, provide an access ladder, ensure scaffolds rested on base plates and provide fall protection. Six serious citations were issued for missing railings, toe boards and bracing. The repeat citation alleges failure to train workers on scaffold assembly and work. OSHA alleges that the contractor has repeatedly neglected to implement basic, common sense and legally required safeguards relating to fall protection. [Painting and Decorating Inc., Ronkonkoma, NY, Sept. 13, 2010].
REGION 2
Alleged Storage Concerns Bring Repeat Citations to Dollar Tree Stores. OSHA inspected a store in response to a complaint and issued two repeat citations for failure to properly stack, block, interlock or limit the height of stored materials to prevent these materials from sliding or collapsing onto workers. The same violations were cited earlier at other Dollar Tree Stores in Dover, NJ, and Kissimmee, FL. The employer was also cited for failure to cover exposed electrical outlets and failure to keep storage areas free from tripping and fire hazards. Proposed penalties total $52,125. [Dollar Tree Stores, Watchung, NJ, Sept. 7, 2010].
REGION 3
Manufacturer Cited for 10 Alleged Serious Violations issued $44,000 in proposed fines. OSHA initiated an inspection May 12, 2010 after being notified of an explosion in a waste dumpster. The alleged violations include inadequate hearing and respiratory protection programs, electrical hazards, improper use of compressed air and employee exposure to silica, lead and manganese fumes. [Felman Production Inc., Letart, WV, Aug. 30, 2010].
REGION 3
Brass Company Cited for Alleged Employee Lead Exposure issued willful and serious citations. OSHA alleges that the company refused to protect workers from overexposure to lead and other workplace hazards. Willful citations allege the company did not take air samples as required for workers who were over-exposed to airborne lead, did not provide required annual training on lead-exposure hazards, failed to provide required medical surveillance for lead-exposed workers and did not make available the results of medical tests performed shortly after OSHA came to the facility and opened the investigation. An additional willful citation alleged that the company stopped providing hearing tests to employees who were over-exposed to noise. Numerous serious citations allege additional lead exposure concerns, noise hazards, respirator issues and lockout/tagout issues. Fines totaling $550,400 have been proposed. [Kief Industries Inc., doing business as Excelsior Brass Works, Blandon, PA, Sept. 2, 2010].
REGION 4
Picture Frame Maker Cited by OSHA for 34 alleged violations. OSHA held a follow-up inspection to a 2008 visit and cited the company for willful failure to maintain a workplace free from the accumulation of combustible dust around equipment and overhead conduits and willful failure to administer hearing tests and to require hearing protection for workers exposed to noise above the baseline level. Among other repeat and serious safety and health violations cited were hazards associated with noise, flammable liquids, falls, dust collection, blocked exits, the lack of an eyewash station, the lack of machine guarding, inadequate emergency lighting, failure to conduct periodic inspections of energy control procedures and failure to develop, implement or maintain a written hazard communication program. Proposed penalties total $228,320. [Art Horizons Inc., Batesville, MS, Sept. 17, 2010].
REGION 4
Alleged Cave-in Hazards Result in Construction Company Receiving $287,500 in Proposed Fines. OSHA alleges that a construction contractor exposed workers to excavation hazards while they were installing a storm water sewer junction box. Willful citations were issued for not having a protective system during excavation, failure to keep excavated and other materials or equipment at least two feet from the edge of the excavation and failure of a designated competent person to remove workers from hazardous working conditions. Serious citations alleging failure to instruct workers about the risks associated with working inside an excavation and not ensuring that workers wore hardhats while exposed to overhead hazards were also issued. OSHA requires that all trenches and excavations five feet or deeper must be protected against collapse. [Wiregrass Construction Co. Inc., Ariton, AL, Sept. 2, 2010].
REGION 4
Lumber Company Cited Following Worker’s Death issued $439,400 in proposed penalties. After opening an investigation into the death of one worker and the critical injury of a second worker, OSHA issued 53 citations for alleged health and safety violations. They include one willful and five serious safety and health citations for permitting a worker to stand under an elevated portion of a powered industrial truck. One worker died when his head was crushed between a motor being hoisted with a forklift and other equipment. In connection with another worker breaking his neck in a 10-foot fell while performing maintenance on a debarker machine, OSHA issued one willful, one repeat and one serious citation for not providing guardrails and fall protection and not having a means of disconnecting a rotor motor. Two failure-to-abate, 11 repeat, 21 serious and 10 other-than-serious safety and health citations were issued for other alleged violations, including failure to provide energy control procedures for equipment and machinery that require more than one lockout device, failure to provide proper electrical enclosures around live conductors and allowing ignitable or combustible dust to accumulate. [MDLG, doing business as Phenix Lumber Co, Phenix, AL, Sept.3, 2010].
REGION 4
Paving Company Cited After Worker Injured issued $62,200 in proposed fines. OSHA opened an inspection after a tractor struck a worker who was digging a shallow ditch. The worker was hospitalized but has since returned to work. OSHA cited the company for willful failure to provide a reverse signal alarm on equipment that struck and pinned a worker while it was backing up. The tractor had had a non-functional reverse signal alarm for about two years. Ten serious violations were also cited. They include failure to train workers in the recognition and avoidance of hazards, a lack of eye protection while working near chemicals, exposing workers to an accumulation of materials that could result in tripping, fires or explosions, failure to provide a fire extinguisher within 50 feet of flammable and combustible materials, operating trucks with inoperative safety devices and failure to develop or maintain a hazard communication program. [Asphalt Paving Specialists Inc., Hollywood, FL, Aug. 26, 2010].
REGION 4
Chicken Producer Issued Repeat and Serious Citations carrying $135,500 in proposed fines. OSHA opened an inspection after receiving a complaint concerning ammonia odors, trip and struck-by hazards, cuts and stabbing injuries. Cited were two repeat safety violations for failure to utilize lockout/tagout procedures and not labeling containers with appropriate hazard warnings. Serious citations allege fall hazards, unmarked fire exits, unsecured chlorine cylinders, unsafe batteries that exposed workers to acid burns and electrical shock, a lack of machine guarding, a lack of hand protection and electrical deficiencies. [Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., Russellville, AL, Sept. 7, 2010].
REGION 5
Iron and Metal Recycler Cited for Alleged Lead and Arsenic Exposure Hazards issued $135,850 in proposed fines. OSHA issued four willful citations alleging failure to implement a respiratory protection program, failure to provide a written lead compliance or training plan, failure to monitor air for lead during process or material changes and allowing workers to be exposed to lead in excess of allowable limits. Twelve serious citations were also issued for alleged failure to evaluate employees’ exposure to arsenic or provide arsenic training, place lead-contaminated clothing in closed and labeled containers, provide a medical surveillance program for lead exposure and implement a hazard communications training program. [Gaby Iron and Metal Co., Chicago, IL, Sept. 20, 2010].
REGION 5
Thermal Products Company Fined $77,500 for alleged electrical shock hazards. OSHA cited the company with six serious and two repeat safety violations for failing to provide proper PPE and lockout procedures for electrical equipment, resulting in a worker’s injury. The serious violations allege failure to provide fall protection, proper lockout procedures for machinery and electrical equipment and appropriate personal protective gear for employees working on electrical equipment. The repeat violations allege failure to properly shut down and lock out machinery prior to servicing and failure to provide proper training for workers conducting repairs on equipment. [Behr Dayton Thermal Products LLC, Dayton, OH, Sept. 21, 2010].
REGION 5
Hefty Fines Proposed for 38 alleged safety and health violations at meat packing plant. As a result of two inspections, OSHA cited four alleged willful violations for failure to perform hearing tests on employees exposed to extremely high noise levels and failure to record more than 125 injuries in the required OSHA 300 injury log. Twenty serious citations were also issued for alleged failure to provide proper fall protection and hand rails, failure to provide hazardous energy control and forklift training, a lack of eyewash stations, improper hazardous chemical storage, overexposure to high noise levels, a lack of PPE and a lack of required worker protection against bloodborne pathogens. Fourteen other-than-serious violations were also cited for failure to record injury and illness reports since 2007. Proposed penalties in this case total $369,500. [VPP Group LLC, Norwalk, WI, Aug. 31, 2010].
REIGON 5
Employer Hit With $466,400 in Fines for allegedly exposing workers to dangerous dust levels and other hazards. Ten willful citations were issued for exposing workers to levels of hazardous dust exceeding the permissible exposure limit, failure to implement a written respiratory protection program or to provide respirators to employees and failure to implement engineering controls to reduce harmful dust exposures. Fifteen serious citations were issued for violations including alleged failure to assess the need for adequate PPE, inadequate eye protection, unsanitary washing facilities, failure to develop procedures and practices for permit-required confined space entry, lack of a written hazard communication program and inadequate information and training on dust containing silica. Six repeat citations allege violations of permit-required confined space entry rules and failure to maintain a clean and orderly workplace. [US Minerals LLC, Dyer, IN, Sept. 9, 2010].
REGION 6
Company Issued $1.2 Million in Proposed Fines for alleged failure to properly record injuries and illnesses. A manufacturing company has been issued 83 willful citations for failure to record and improperly recording work-related injuries and illnesses. OSHA opened an investigation in response to a complaint that workplace injuries and illnesses weren’t being properly recorded. OSHA alleged that the company had either not recorded or failed to properly record the nature and/or duration of 72 percent of employee injuries and illnesses on its log between January 2008 and March 15, 2010. With regard to the injuries and illnesses improperly recorded, important information reflecting severity, such as the time away from work, was grossly incorrect. [Goodman Manufacturing Co. LP, Houston, TX, Sept. 1, 2010].
REGION 6
Refinery Issued Alleged Willful and Serious Citations with proposed penalties of $165,600. One willful citation was issued for failure to maintain process safety information for the design of various pressure vessels. Among 21 alleged serious violations are failure to provide the required information for changes on process safety management, provide an initial process hazard analysis, establish procedures on the integrity of process equipment, ensure that written operating procedures were made available regarding various equipment, ensure that workers entering confined spaces were provided with a prompt means of rescue in the event of an emergency and to provide required respiratory protection and personal protective equipment. [Martin Operating Partnership LP, Smackover, AR, Sept. 21, 2010].
REGION 7
Company Cited for Alleged Willful and Serious Violations after OSHA receives complaint. OSHA issued two willful citations alleging that spray painting took place outside of a predetermined, designated spray booth and that powered industrial truck fork extensions were used without manufacturer notification, approval and determination of lifting capacity. Serious citations allege hazards associated with storage of flammable liquids, improper forklift training and improper use of powered industrial trucks, the lack of an appropriate respiratory protection program and the lack of a chemical material safety data sheet. Proposed penalties totaling $124,000 were issued. [Porta-King Building Systems, Montgomery City, MO, Sept. 16, 2010].
Read MoreBP Says Blame for Disaster Must be Shared
A BP report into the Deepwater Horizon Oil explosion which killed 11 workers and spilled 206 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico has assigned much of the blame to two contractors—Halliburton and Transocean.
A 200-page BP report into the April 20, 2010 explosion blames faulty cement work, a misread pressure test and an improperly maintained blowout preventer.
“The team did not identify any single action or inaction that caused this accident,” states the report. “Rather, a complex and interlinked series of mechanical failures, human judgments, engineering design, operational implementation and team interfaces came together to allow the initiation and escalation of the accident. Multiple companies, work teams and circumstances were involved over time.”
Transocean, owner of the oil rig, said in a statement that BP had made a number of cost-cutting decisions in the design and construction of the rig which increased the risks for an incident occurring.
Read MoreOSHA Issues $3 Million Plus in Proposed Fines
OSHA has come down heavily on a company, alleging that workers at two plants were willfully exposed to amputation hazards in an effort to boost production at the expense of safety.
Whitesell Corporation, based in Muscle Shoals, AL, has been issued 72 alleged health and safety violations carrying proposed penalties totaling $3,071,500.
“Whitesell willfully tampered with the safety mechanisms of its hydraulic forging presses at its Tuscumbia (Alabama) plant to speed up production, resulting in the amputation of a worker’s hand,” says Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.
Among 13 citations issued to the Tuscumbia plant are allegations of willful failure to develop and utilize lockout/tagout procedures of energy sources for employees engaged in maintenance activities on hydraulic forging presses and willful bypassing of a safety feature intended to protect workers. Serious citations were issued for an alleged lack of machine guarding, electrical hazards and failure to provide engineering or administrative controls for workers exposed to high noise hazards and failure to provide audiograms for those employees.
Whitesell’s Muscle Shoals plant has been issued numerous willful and serious citations, including willful failure to develop and utilize lockout/tagout procedures for the plant’s mechanical forging presses and failure to lock out mechanical forging presses when dies are changed or maintenance is performed.
Other alleged violations at Muscle Shoals include obstructed exit routes, machine guarding, electrical and noise hazards and a lack of hazard communication.
Read MoreFarmer Survives 21-Hour Combine Ordeal
An 82-year-old farmer working north of Edmonton is lucky to be alive after being trapped in his combine for 21 hours.
While attempting to read some numbers on a filter while servicing the machine’s motor, Ray Como fell into the combine and could not get out.
He told CTV news that the more he tried to free himself, the worse he became stuck.
Como’s son-in-law found him the next morning and he was flown to hospital by air ambulance. He was treated for hypothermia, dehydration and bruising
Como says his farming days are over and it’s time to retire.
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