OSHA proposed $178k in penalties to the manufacturer of Chobani Greek Yogurt.  Included in the 34 violations of workplace safety and health standards were failure to train employees in electric safety-related work practices, and lack of PPE for employees working on live electrical equipment. Click here to read the OSHA News Release dated 3/14/12.

From June 2011 – February 2012, 24 employees and contract workers of the Kerala State Electricity Board have died in electrical accidents.  Several died in an explosion in June, 2011, but the remainder lost their lives in various sections across the state.  The Electricity Minister admitted that the number of deaths has been increasing during [...]

Attempting to repair an external flood light, a worker was shocked, burned, and suffered memory loss after touching a live junctionn box.  The contractor and managing director of the firm hired to perform the work were fined for not having protected the worker’s health and safety. Click here to read the article from 3/9/12.

In 2012, OSHA will be targeting the wind-energy industry with one of its National Emphasis Programs (NEP) due to several arc-flash events associated with wind turbines.  OSHA reports 32 arc-flash accident investigations that occurred in 2009 at wind farms. Click here to read the article dated 3/13/12.

OSHA has proposed $47.6k in penalties to International Stone, Inc., of Woburn, MA, for 11 workplace safety  violations.  Included are:  unapproved electrical equipment and outlets used in wet locations, blocked access to circuit breakers,  ungrounded, spliced and misused extension cords, and worn out and illegible control buttons for a crane used to lift and move slabs of marble [...]

Hobart Brothers Co. of Troy, OH, was cited with 55 safety & health violations, with proposed penalities of $174K.  OSHA focused on this company due to higher-than-average injury and illness rates.  Included in the serious safety violations were failures to isolate energy sources, provide lockout/tagout procedures for the energy sources of equipment, train workers on [...]

A munitions depot in the Congo exploded on Sunday morning, killing over 200 and injuring an estimated 1500.  An electrical short circuit / faulty wiring has been listed as the cause of the explosion.  The blasts scattered ammunition across the city of Brazzaville, and they were continuing to explode, causing more fatalities. Click here to [...]

AGrowStar, LLC, of Fort Valley, GA, was cited by OSHA for 20 serious and 2 other-than-serious violations, with proposed penalties of $74k.  Included was failure to develop and implement lockout/tagout procedures for energy sources, annual training for employees exposed to fire or explosion hazards, securing a permit prior to entering a confined space to perform [...]

OSHA proposed $91k in penalties against Yaskawa America, Inc., of Oak Creek, WI, for allowing a worker to come in contact with exposed and energized parts without the appropriate PPE.   Yaskawa America was cited with 6 safety — including 1 willful – violations, 3 serious safety violations, and 2 other-than-serious violations. The worker received an [...]

Citations won’t be filed after two young farm workers were electrocuted while removing tassels from corn in rural northwestern Illinois last summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced January 25th. The investigation found lightening may have struck the field’s irrigation system. About 72 people working for St. Louis-based Monsanto Corp. were de-tasseling corn when the accident occurred.