Category: Injuries and Illness

Modern safety management goes beyond covering traditional workplace accidents to now being equally concerned with illnesses caused on and even off the job. This section will explain what you need to know to avoid both injuries and illnesses, and to track your progress in reaching this goal.

Alabama Sawmill Facing $2.5 Million OSHA Fine for Fatality

MDLG Inc., a Phenix City, Alabama, sawmill, faces $2,471,683 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines following a worker’s death, the agency announced February 22. A 67-year-old sawmill supervisor at MDLG, operating as Phenix Lumber Co., had climbed on top of an auger to access a difficult-to-reach area to unclog a woodchipper. The employee was […]

Back to Basics: Silica Hazards, Compliance, and Enforcement

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine silica hazards and compliance with related OSHA standards. Silica shows up in materials like sand, stone, concrete, and mortar and is used to make artificial stone, bricks, ceramics, glass, and pottery. Respirable […]

Massachusetts Roofer Facing $306K OSHA Fine for Repeat Violations

A Framingham, Massachusetts, roofing contractor with a history of fall-related safety violations is facing $306,229 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for again exposing employees to potentially fatal falls, OSHA announced February 21. The agency cited Brothers Construction Services Inc., which also operates as Brothers Construction and Roofing and Brothers Roofing, with eight […]

Company Officials Sentenced to Federal Prison Over Deadly Facility Explosion

A Wisconsin federal judge has sentenced six Didion Milling Inc. officials for their role in a fatal explosion at a facility operated by the corn milling company in 2017. “These defendants put Didion workers in grave danger, and five people tragically lost their lives, devastating their families and their community,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. […]

Cleaning Products Maker Facing $194K Fine for Amputation

Green Bay, Wisconsin, household cleaning products manufacturer Tufco LP faces $194,518 in proposed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties after an employee’s fingertip was amputated in an August 2023 accident, the agency announced February 9. OSHA cited the employer with one repeat, four serious, and two other-than-serious violations. Investigators found that an employee’s fingertip […]

NIOSH Looks at Homecare Worker Injuries

Over a five-year period (2015 to 2020), 117,000 homecare workers were treated in emergency departments for work-related injuries, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced February 6 in the latest edition of its eNews publication. The recently completed research found that nearly all injured workers (93%) were female. Home health and personal […]

NJ Transportation Company Facing $437K OSHA Fine

New Jersey transportation company Dana Container faces $437,860 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for one willful, three repeat, and four serious violations, OSHA announced January 31. The agency cited Dana for one willful violation because it didn’t properly maintain safety data sheets for chemicals, including corrosives. Three repeat violations involved chemical container labels […]

Wisconsin Ice Cream Maker Facing $145K OSHA Fine

AJLS Enterprises Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin—operating as Schoep’s Ice Cream—faces $145,097 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for 12 serious safety violations, the agency announced January 29. OSHA inspected the ice cream plant in response to reports of workers being exposed to anhydrous ammonia. Investigators found that the plant lacked sufficient process safety […]

EHS On Tap E191: OSHA’s New Injury Reporting Rule

On episode 191 of EHS On Tap, John Ho, co-chair of the OSHA Workplace Safety Practice at Cozen O’Connor, talks about OSHA’s new injury reporting rule.