Sunday 30 September 2012

Brent tenants forced to remove their doormats in health and safety crackdown - News - Kilburn Times

Brent tenants forced to remove their doormats in health and safety crackdown - News - Kilburn Times: A social landlord has been accused of heavy handedness after it demanded that tenants remove doormats from outside their homes and threatened to take them away if their orders were not followed.Brent Housing Partnership, the arms-length management organisation in charge of housing for Brent Council, sent a letter to thousands of tenants in blocks of flats warning them about fire safety in communal areas.

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Explosion at a large Japanese chemical plant, causes diaper shortage fear

Blast causes diaper shortage fear: An explosion at a large Japanese chemical plant has sparked fears of a global shortage of disposable diapers, according to a newspaper report.

A tank at chemical producer Nippon Shokubai's factory in Himeji city, Hyogo prefecture, exploded on Saturday, killing a firefighter and injuring 35 other emergency service workers.

The company has a 20 percent global share of super-absorbent polymer, which is used in the production of diapers, the Sankei Shimbun daily said.

If the operation of the factory is suspended for a long time, it could affect production of disposable diapers, the newspaper said.

The company produces 320,000 tonnes of superabsorbent polymer at the Himeji plant annually, the Sankei said.

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Berlin 'abandons one million electric cars goal' - Germany

Berlin 'abandons one million electric cars goal' - The Local: The German government has abandoned its goal of having one million electric cars on the streets of the country by 2020.

"The hype is over," the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung wrote, citing information from the Ministry of Education and Research. The high expectations for electric cars, which have no carbon dioxide emissions, has been replaced by huge disappointment, the paper wrote.

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Saturday 29 September 2012

Chinese man warned after in-flight door mistake - Yahoo! News UK

Chinese man warned after in-flight door mistake - Yahoo! News UK: A Chinese man needed to be restrained after he tried to open the emergency exit thinking it was the toilet door during a flight to Hong Kong, an airline said Friday.

Crew of the Hong Kong Airlines flight from Bali, Indonesia, were shocked to see the 52-year-old man rise from his seat halfway through the journey and start pulling on the emergency door handle, the airline said.

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Lift drama at SkyCity - NZ Herald News

Lift drama at SkyCity - National - NZ Herald News: Punters panicked after being stuck in a hot elevator at SkyCity for nearly an hour last night.


Tuli Ah Voa and his cousin were among 18 people stuck in a lift in the casino's lobby. Ah Voa, 34, said the ordeal left him feeling "ripped off".

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Wolves were aggressive prior to fatal zoo keeper attack - #theresasurprise

Wolves were aggressive prior to fatal attack - The Local: The pack of wolves that killed a zookeeper at the Kolm�rden animal park earlier this year had displayed aggressive behaviour toward zookeepers in the past, according to a newly discovered report which contradicts the zoo’s initial assessment of the attack.

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Fire kills eight in Russia's western Siberia - Xinhua

Fire kills eight in Russia's western Siberia - Xinhua | English.news.cn: MOSCOW, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A fire in an oil processing plant in Russia's Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area in western Siberia has killed at least eight people, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Saturday.

Eight other people injured in the accident have been hospitalized, the ministry's regional branch said.

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X Factor 2012: Lucy Spraggan ‘almost died’ after accident at work | Telly Mix

X Factor 2012: Lucy Spraggan ‘almost died’ after accident at work | The X Factor 2012 | Telly Mix: X Factor hopeful Lucy Spraggan has told how she “cheated death” after falling from a cherry picker at work.In an interview with The Sun, Lucy recalls: “I was working in demolition and I was 40ft high in the cherry picker removing some roof tiles from a hotel.”Not at all over exaggerating, Lucy continued: “Then all of a sudden the machine collapsed and I went hurtling towards the floor at 120 miles an hour.

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Builder ‘took no advice on wall’ which crushed Prestatyn tot - North Wales News - News - Daily Post North Wales

Builder ‘took no advice on wall’ which crushed Prestatyn tot - North Wales News - News - Daily Post North Wales: A BUILDER who denies the manslaughter of a girl crushed to death by a wall, told Mold crown court he hadn’t taken any advice about its structure.
George Collier, 59, of Kinmel Bay, said he had assumed the wall would be alright when he filled behind it with soil. He said it was an ordinary garden wall built by two bricklayers. The wall, in Meliden, collapsed on Meg Burgess, 3, as she walked past with her mum in July 2008. The case is proceeding.

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Workman to stand trial for gas safety offences - Market Rasen Mail

Workman to stand trial for gas 
safety offences - Crime - Market Rasen Mail: A LABOURER is to stand trial at Lincoln Crown Court for three alleged gas safety offences after an explosion ripped through a couple’s home.

Daniel Hickling, 32, of Main Street, Howsham, has been charged with leaving 
Nettleton couple Martyn and 
Teresa Moody in danger after 
doing gas fitting work at their home.

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Clarehill Plastics Ltd fined £8,000 after man loses arm - Lurgan Mail - HSENI

Firm fined £8,000 after man loses arm - Local - Lurgan Mail: MOIRA based Clarehill Plastics Ltd has been fined £8,000 plus £1,500 costs at Craigavon Crown Court following an incident in which a man lost an arm.


The company had previously plead guilty to breaches of Article 4 of the Health and Safety at Work Order (NI) 1978 and Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (NI) 1999. The case arose following an investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) into an incident which occurred in their factory at Moira, on January last year.Justin Guiney, a 20 year old maintenance engineer, was carrying out unplanned maintenance on a rotational moulding machine.

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'Petty rules' could lead to hanging basket ban - Ely News

Ely News, Local Ely News Stories | Ely Events & Opinion From Ely Cambridgeshire | 'Petty rules' could lead to hanging basket ban: Hanging baskets could be banned from being attached to Ely’s street lights because of health and safety fears.
The Ely in Bloom Committee started to hang floral baskets on streetlight columns in the city centre for the first time this summer.
But now Cambridgeshire County Council’s health and safety chiefs have warned committee members they may have to remove them in case they fall and harm someone.

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Organogram and staff pay data for Health and Safety Executive - Datasets - DGU

Organogram and staff pay data for Health and Safety Executive - Datasets - DGU: Three datasets and one organogram comprising of:- A list of most Senior Civil Service posts in the Health and Safety Executive including title, contact details, their line manager, and where disclosed, the name of the officer; a list of staff junior posts including the grade , salary range and number of full-time eqquivalent staff; a list of senior staff salaries at Director grade and above including job title and salary expressed in �5k bands.

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Mum of worker killed in plastic shredder in St Helens speaks out - Liverpool Local News - News - Liverpool Echo

Mum of worker killed in plastic shredder in St Helens speaks out - Liverpool Local News - News - Liverpool Echo: AFTER the verdict, Valerie Bennett said she had got justice for her son Steven.
She told the ECHO: “They were trying to say it was partially Steve’s fault but it wasn’t.
“It was JFC’s fault, 100%.
“Steve was very safety conscious.

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Settlement reached in wrongful-death suit involving Moss Point man impaled at Mobile fairgrounds | al.com

Settlement reached in wrongful-death suit involving Moss Point man impaled at Mobile fairgrounds | al.com: Relatives of Roosevelt Jones had alleged that a gate at the Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds was defective, killing him in 2006 as he was preparing to leave the parking lot after attending the annual Spring Fling blues festival. According to testimony at the civil trial, the arm of the gate swung loose, crashed through the windshield and impaled Jones through the head.An attorney for the fairgrounds, a project of the Moblie Jaycees, argued that Jones caused his own death by knocking into the gate. Attorney Mark Newell offered evidence that Jones had been drinking that day and had a blood-alcohol content of .10, above the legal limit in Alabama.

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Amnesty and Greenpeace call for UK criminal investigation into Trafigura | Ekklesia

Amnesty and Greenpeace call for UK criminal investigation into Trafigura | Ekklesia: Trafigura, the multinational company behind the 2006 dumping of toxic waste in Abidjan, C�te d’Ivoire, resulting in over 100,000 people seeking medical assistance, must be criminally investigated in the UK, Amnesty International and Greenpeace International conclude in a major new report released on 21 September.
The Toxic Truth is the result of a three-year investigation and provides an in-depth examination of the tragic litany of failures that created a medical, political and environmental disaster. It details how existing laws aimed to prevent such tragedies were flouted, with several governments failing to halt the progress of the Probo Koala and its toxic cargo towards Abidjan.

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Two drown in underground water tank - The Times of India

Two drown in underground water tank - The Times of India: AHMEDABAD: Two workers of a food processing major company in Naroda got drowned in an underground tank when they entered into it for cleaning on Friday morning with three other workers. Naroda police have registered a case of accidental death and have started investigation to know whether it was a case of industrial safety negligence.

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Worker killed, another injured after explosion at Oklahoma oil refinery - U.S. News

Worker killed, another injured after explosion at Oklahoma oil refinery - U.S. News: One worker was killed and another injured after an explosion and fire at an Oklahoma oil refinery on Friday night, the owner of the plant,�CVR�Energy, told NBC News.CVR�Energy�confirmed that a boiler at the�Wynnewood�Refinery�exploded at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

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10 held over illegal waste dumping - Avon - The Press Association:

The Press Association: 10 held over illegal waste dumping: Ten people have been arrested in connection with the suspected illegal treatment, dumping and trading of hazardous waste including asbestos, the Environment Agency said.A 60-strong team from the Environment Agency, backed by Avon and Somerset Police, carried out the UK's largest ever hazardous waste raid on several sites, in an investigation into alleged toxic waste offences by an Avonmouth-based company.

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Diabetic woman fed biscuits through a gap while trapped in lift for three hours - North Wales News - News - Daily Post North Wales

Diabetic woman fed biscuits through a gap while trapped in lift for three hours - North Wales News - News - Daily Post North Wales: A WOMAN with diabetes was fed biscuits through a gap after she got trapped in a broken down hotel lift for three hours.
Tina Challons was on holiday in the Bay Marine Hotel in Llandudno with Shearings when she became trapped in the elevator.

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Friday 28 September 2012

Court convicts in deadly 2001 French factory blast - The Associated Press:

The Associated Press: Court convicts in deadly 2001 French factory blast: PARIS (AP) — A court in southwestern France on Monday convicted a factory chief and a subsidiary of oil giant Total of manslaughter for an explosion at a chemical plant in 2001 that killed 31 people.The appeals court overturned earlier acquittals, 11 years after the blast that tore apart the AZF plant in Toulouse with the force of a 3.4-magnitude earthquake. Some 2,000 people were injured.The appeals court cited negligence by factory chief Serge Biechlin, saying it "created or contributed to the situation" that caused the accident, according to the Sipa news agency. It said Total subsidiary Grande Paroisse was his employer and, therefore, also responsible.

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Indonesian Worker Killed By Elephant, >>> Orang Asli Attacked By Tiger

BERNAMA - Indonesian Worker Killed By Elephant, Orang Asli Attacked By Tiger: IPOH, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- An Indonesian contract worker, found dead at a rubber estate in Gerik this morning, is believed to have been attacked by an elephant.

The victim, who worked at the Felda Tawai 1, was identified only as Ngatmin, 44. He sustained injuries on the chest.

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American Airlines Primes Suit Against Pilots [for maintenance requests]

Courthouse News Service: FORT WORTH (CN) - American Airlines says pilot sick calls and maintenance requests have caused widespread flight delays and cancellations, and that it may sue the Allied Pilots Association.
First reported by the Dallas Morning News, the airline says it does "not want to pursue a legal remedy, but we will be left with little alternative if APA does not take action to stop those pilots who are intentionally harming the operation."

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Applebee's Not Liable in Fingertip in Salad Claim

Courthouse News Service: (CN) - Applebee's International is not liable to a Louisiana patron who says she found the tip of a human finger in her salad, a state appeals court ruled.
May Deal Chambers-Johnson sued the parent company, franchisee Southern River Restaurants Inc. and managers Jeremy Walcott and Raymond Mundy for physical and psychological injuries from alleged 2005 incident.

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Asif v Elmbridge Borough Council (Unfair Dismissal ) [2012]

Asif v Elmbridge Borough Council (Unfair Dismissal : no sub-topic) [2012] UKEAT 0395_11_2609 (26 September 2012): The Claimant was dismissed, following a redundancy exercise in which three employees had to be selected from a pool of four to fill three new posts which replaced five old posts (one of which was vacant). The selection process was agreed with trade unions. The Claimant scored substantially less well than the other three and was given notice of dismissal. She conceded that she had been dismissed for redundancy but contended that she had been set-up to fail and that one of the four employees should have been excluded from the group.



During the Employment Tribunal hearing, it emerged that in the course of the Claimant’s notice period, one of the three selected employees had resigned. The Claimant was permitted to run the point that she should have been given that employee’s post. The Tribunal rejected her original case and the new point; they found that, although the exercise included no formal passmark, the employers were entitled to treat the Claimant as unsuitable to be appointed to any of the new posts.
On appeal the Claimant put forward three arguments; they were:-

(1) On the resignation of the selected employee there was no redundancy situation; and she should be permitted to withdraw her concession that she had been dismissed for redundancy.

(2) The ET failed to consider fairness in the light of the agreed procedure.

(3) The ET failed to consider the provision in that procedure for a 3-month trial period and that it was unfair to dismiss the Claimant without giving her such a trial.

Held:

(1) (a) On the authorities – Langston, Kumchyk, Jones v Burdett-Coutts – the Claimant should not be permitted to withdraw her concession.  Segor v Goodrich distinguished.

(b) In any event the ET considered in sufficient detail whether the new posts were different from the old posts; on their findings they were different; and the redundancy situation continued despite the resignation.

(2) The ET had considered the point and were entitled to conclude that the Claimant was reasonably regarded as unappointable to any of the new posts.

(3) The ET had considered the trial period; their assessment was not open to criticism on appeal in the absence of perversity.
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St Helens recycling firm sentenced over worker's death

RNN media information for journalists and the press - Press Releases - St Helens recycling firm sentenced over worker's death - Regional News Network: A recycling company has been ordered to pay £240,000 in fines and costs after a worker was killed at a St Helens factory.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted JFC Plastics Ltd, previously known as Delleve Plastics Ltd, after Steven Bennett died at the company’s former premises at the Neills Road Industrial Estate in Bold.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Mr Bennett, 31, was last seen alive by his colleagues in the early hours of the morning on 24 November 2005.

The HSE investigation concluded that the most likely cause of his death was that he fell into a machine, used to break apart bales of plastic bottles, while checking to see if it was running smoothly.

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OSHA announces selection of OSHA Training Institute Education Centers

2012 - 09/28/2012 - US Department of Labor's OSHA announces selection of OSHA Training Institute Education Centers: WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced four new OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers and the renewal of 24 existing OTI Education Centers. Current OTI Education Centers offer training courses on OSHA standards and occupational safety and health issues. The new OTI Education Centers, which are non-profit organizations, will provide additional outlets for safety and health training to workers and employers throughout the country.

"This year, we have seen record numbers of requests for occupational safety and health training from the private sector and federal agency personnel," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. "The renewal of OTI's Education Centers and the addition of four new centers will help OSHA to meet this demand and deliver life-saving training to our country's employers and workers."

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OSHA cites The Home Depot for exposing workers to electrical hazards at Chicago store; more than $69,000 proposed in penalties

2012 - 09/27/2012 - US DepaUS Department of Labor's OSHA cites The Home Depot for exposing workers to electrical hazards at Chicago store; more than $69,000 proposed in penalties: CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Atlanta-based The Home Depot Inc. for two repeat and one serious safety violations for exposing employees to electrical hazards at a Chicago store. OSHA opened an inspection in July that was prompted by a referral about blocked electrical panels in the store. Proposed fines total $69,300.

"The Home Depot has a responsibility to protect the safety of its employees by minimizing exposure to hazards, such as by clearly marking electrical boxes," said Diane Turek, director of OSHA's Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines.

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Shoppers evacuated after fire in Weston-super-Mare Asda | This is Somerset

Shoppers evacuated after fire in Weston-super-Mare Asda | This is Somerset: Shoppers and staff had to be evacuated from a Weston-super-Mare supermarket after fire broke out.
Firefighters dealt with a small electrical fire at Asda in Phillips Road. at 6.30pm yesterday.

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HSE begins fee for intervention [they will get loads if they do more inspections] #fridayfunny

HSE begins fee for intervention: The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) new cost recovery scheme, Fee for Intervention (FFI), will come into force on Monday, 1 October.

Under The Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations 2012, those who break health and safety laws are liable for recovery of HSE's related costs, including, inspection, investigation and taking enforcement action.

The many businesses that comply with their legal obligations will continue to pay nothing.

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Airbus 'nearly crashed' when pilots fell ill - Cologne

Airbus 'nearly crashed' when pilots fell ill - The Local: An airbus carrying nearly 150 people nearly crashed at Cologne airport, when both pilots were so badly affected by bad air in the cockpit they were nearly unconscious – but details are only emerging now, two years later.

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Season's 'first' snowfall hits northern Sweden - #santaalert

Season's 'first' snowfall hits northern Sweden - The Local: Residents in some areas of northern Sweden woke up to white lawns this morning, as the first snow of the season outside the mountain areas started falling over Sweden on Thursday evening.

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Worker killed, another hurt when 3-ton beam falls on them at western NY steel factory

Worker killed, another hurt when 3-ton beam falls on them at western NY steel factory: LACKAWANNA, N.Y. — An industrial accident in western new York has killed one man and injured another.
Federal workplace safety authorities tell WGRZ-TV in Buffalo (http://on.wgrz.com/QXlE1E ) that a 3-ton steel beam fell on the men at the Linita Design and Manufacturing plant in Lackawanna at about 5 p.m. Thursday.

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Badger cull could be scuppered by health and safety - Telegraph


Badger cull could be scuppered by health and safety
A planned cull of badgers could be scuppered by health and safety concern, it has emerged.
A licence has been issued to kill thousands of badgers over 100 square miles
of West Gloucestershire in an attempt to eradicate the threat of
tuberculosis to cattle .
Badger cull could be scuppered by health and safety - Telegraph:
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Study shows how people shift expectations and goals

Study shows how people shift expectations and goals (9/28/2012): Sally and Harry are about to invest in their company's 401(k) plan. Sally chooses the best performing mutual fund, which has high risks but boasts a 25 percent year-to-date return. Harry, after considering the tradeoffs between risks and rewards, opts for a lower performing fund with an 8 percent year-to-date return. When they receive their next quarterly performance reports, both Sally and Harry discover that their funds have met their initial expectations. Are they satisfied? If not, why? And how could their levels of satisfaction be improved?

One might assume that Sally and Harry would be equally pleased, since both have met their expectations. However, new research by Gita Johar, the Meyer Feldberg Professor of Business and senior vice dean of Columbia Business School, and Cecile K. Cho of the University of California, Riverside, shows that this equation is not so simple. Instead of comparing performance to an initial goal, consumers sometimes evoke an entirely different standard. In fact, poor performers tend to compare results to the highest potential results, and are therefore dissatisfied, the authors found. However, if these performers are reminded that they set their own goals-and that these goals were met-they are as satisfied as better performers. 

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Pretzel factory 'failed hygiene tests' -

Pretzel factory 'failed hygiene tests' - The Local: Bavarian health authorities shut down last week an industrial bakery producing pretzels for the Oktoberfest after they found it did not comply with hygiene standards. Everything produced in the past five days has been recalled.

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Study: Elevators neglected - Times Union

Study: Elevators neglected - Times Union: ALBANY — An audit by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli blasted the state Office of General Service's oversight of elevator maintenance in the vast Empire State Plaza complex.The just-released study turned up instances in which repairs went uncompleted, maintenance appears to have been skipped and the state officials previously in charge weren't up to the job.

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5 killed in gold mine fire in NW China |chinadaily.com.cn

5 killed in gold mine fire in NW China |Society |chinadaily.com.cn: XI'AN - Five people were killed and two rescued after a fire broke out at a gold mine pit in northwest China's Shaanxi province Thursday evening, local authorities said Friday.

The accident occurred at about 6:30 pm Thursday as welding sparks ignited the fire on wooden scaffoldings at the mine run by Xinglong Mining Co. in Tongguan county that was undergoing a safety overhaul, the county government said.

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100 evacuated as fire breaks out in hotel, 12 people trapped in an elevator - Dubai

100 evacuated as fire breaks out in hotel: One person received severe burns and 12 others suffered suffocation after a fire broke out in a hotel in Al Ras area of Dubai, forcing its evacuation, on Thursday.The Civil Defence personnel also had to rescue 12 people trapped in an elevator.
The fire in the three-storey Al Firdos Hotel located opposite Hyatt Regency Hotel was first reported at 11.45am. Firefighters and fire engines from Al Hamriya, Al Qusais and Karama Civil Defence stations controlled the fire by 12.30pm.

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Chinese crew rescued as boat burns in Japan | theSundaily

Chinese crew rescued as boat burns in Japan | theSundaily: TOKYO (Sept 28, 2012): A dozen Chinese crew members were rescued by Japan's coastguard when their Panama-registered boat caught fire in a Japanese bay, an official said Friday.
Television footage showed thick smoke pouring from the Hao Han, a 1,999-tonne cargo vessel, as the ship listed badly in waters off Osaka, in Western Japan.

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Thursday 27 September 2012

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis appoints 6 members to Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health

2012 - 09/27/2012 - Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis appoints 6 members to Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health: WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the appointment of four new members and re-appointment of two current members to the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. They will serve two-year terms and represent the interests of the public, employers, employees and government.

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Worker killed in Ctg ship breaking yard

Worker killed in Ctg ship breaking yard: A ship-breaking worker died from injury sustained while working in a yard at Sitakunda in Chittagong yesterday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Mohammad Aziz, 32, son of Nurul Alam, of Moheshkhali in Cox's Bazar.

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Darren Mattocks uses Twitter to escape from elevator - SBNation.com

Darren Mattocks uses Twitter to escape from elevator - SBNation.com: Darren Mattocks, the talented young Vancouver Whitecaps forward, apparently got stuck in an elevator this morning. We know this because he used Twitter to inform the official team account of his predicament.

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OSHA provides expanded information on variance procedures

2012 - 09/27/2012 - OSHA provides expanded information on variance procedures: WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has enhanced its variances Webpage to improve public understanding of the variance approval process and increase access to the Agency's decisions on variance requests. The page now lists both denied and approved requests and provides information to employers on submitting formal requests for a variance from an OSHA workplace standard.

A variance is a regulatory action that permits an employer to deviate from the requirements of an OSHA standard under specified

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OSHA cites COM2 Computers and Technologies in Carol Stream, Ill., for exposing workers to lead, other hazards

2012 - 09/27/2012 - US Department of Labor's OSHA cites COM2 Computers and Technologies in Carol Stream, Ill., for exposing workers to lead, other hazards: CAROL STREAM, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited COM2 Computers and Technologies LLC for 11 alleged serious safety and health violations, including finding airborne lead above the permissible level in a March 30 inspection prompted by a complaint. Proposed fines total $67,320.

"COM2 Computers and Technologies is responsible for protecting the health of its employees by ensuring that they operate under minimum exposure to lead hazards," said Kathy Webb, director of OSHA's Chicago North Aurora Area Office. "Companies with hazardous materials on work sites have an obligation to monitor exposure and train workers."

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OSHA reaches settlement with Calhoun, Ga.-based Mohawk Industries to improve fire safety protection at facilities nationwide

2012 - 09/27/2012 - US Labor Department’s OSHA reaches settlement with Calhoun, Ga.-based Mohawk Industries to improve fire safety protection at facilities nationwide: JOHNSTOWN, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement agreement with Mohawk Industries Inc., a carpet manufacturer based in Calhoun, Ga., under which the company will increase fire protection at its four carpet pad facilities. The agreement resolves citations issued by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration in June 2011 for violations found at the company's manufacturing facility in Johnstown.

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Boy Who Lost Foot Loses $3.9 Million Judgment

Courthouse News Service: (CN) - A 12-year-old boy who lost his foot while trying to jump on a moving train cannot keep a $3.9 million judgment he won from the railroad companies, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled.
Dominic Choate, a Chicago Ridge resident, filed a negligence claim against CSX Transportation Inc., Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co.; and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad Co.

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Wal-Mart Still on Hook for Worker Class Action

Courthouse News Service: (CN) - A class of Wal-Mart employees who said they received less pay and fewer promotions than men in comparable positions can continue with their amended claims against the company, a federal judge ruled.
Several women sued Wal-Mart in a San Francisco-based District Court in 2001, claiming the class they sought to represent received less pay and fewer promotions than men in comparable positions.

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Computerized Asphalt Dumps: What Could Go Wrong?

Courthouse News Service: FORT WORTH, Texas (CN) - A computer-operated silo dumped 6 tons of hot asphalt onto a truck, cracking the windshield and burning the driver, the man claims in court.
Marco Perez was injured while transporting material from the Reynolds Asphalt & Construction Co. silo in Euless, Texas, on June 9, 2012, according to the complaint in the 67th Judicial District Court of Tarrant County.

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OSHA cites Commerce, Calif.-based 99 Cent Only Stores Texas with multiple serious violations at Houston facility

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Commerce, Calif.-based 99 Cent Only Stores Texas Inc. with 19 serious safety and health violations at the company's Houston distribution center that are related to process safety management, including exposing workers to anhydrous ammonia while storing frozen products in refrigeration units. OSHA's inspection was initiated as part of the agency's national emphasis program on process safety management for covered chemical facilities. Proposed penalties total $121,000.

US Labor Department's OSHA cites Commerce, Calif.-based 99 Cent Only Stores Texas with multiple serious violations at Houston facility

M &K Autos Ltd garage fined for dangerous repair work

RNN media information for journalists and the press - Press Releases - Barking garage fined for dangerous repair work - Regional News Network: A Barking garage has been prosecuted for allowing workers to continue using unsafe electrical equipment for car repairs.

On 19 January 2011 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) banned M &K Autos Ltd from using a two-post vehicle hoist at premises on the Barking Industrial Estate until repairs were made on exposed live cables and terminals.

However, workers were not instructed to stop using the equipment, which put them at risk of electrocution.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard (26 September) that when a HSE inspector revisited the site in April he found the hoist was still in use and that no remedial work had been undertaken.

M&K Autos Ltd, of the Rippleside Commercial Estate, Ripple Road, Barking, pleaded guilty to breaching the requirements of a prohibition notice served under Section 22 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined �4,000 and ordered to pay �2,000 in costs.

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Worker killed, 9 injured at firecracker factory blast | NDTV.com

Worker killed, 9 injured at firecracker factory blast | NDTV.com: Chhindwara:�A person was killed and nine others, four children and five women, were injured in a blast in an illegal firecracker factory on the Mokshdham road in Chhindwara on Thursday.The factory was run by Gudda Maharaj from a rented premise, without requisite licenses, police said.The blast occurred in the afternoon when the people were working inside.

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Fire Prompts Evacuation of Moscow Shopping Center | News | The Moscow Times

Fire Prompts Evacuation of Moscow Shopping Center | News | The Moscow Times: A fire caused the evacuation of the Gorbushkin Dvor shopping center in western Moscow on Wednesday.

No one was injured in the blaze, which apparently broke out in the ventilation system, Interfax reported, citing the police.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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Explosion at chemical factory in South Korea kills 2, injures 2 others

Explosion at chemical factory in South Korea kills 2, injures 2 others: SEOUL, South Korea - An explosion at a chemical factory in South Korea has killed at least two workers and injured two others.
Police say the explosion occurred Thursday when the four people were working near a tank truck carrying chemicals similar to hydrochloric acid.
Police officers say a fifth worker was also near the truck at the time of the explosion and hasn't been found.

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Vietnam Dairy Association rejects rumors about leeches in milk

Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily | Dairy association rejects rumors about leeches in milk: The Vietnam Dairy Association on Monday rejected rumors that leeches had been found in milk imported from China.

Trinh Quy Pho, its general secretary, said some online forums, social media, and blogs have recently been saying that Chinese traders came to Vietnam to buy leeches, and the creatures were then ground and added to milk .

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Fines and Disqualification Order imposed on waste company and one of its officers

Environment Agency - Fines and Disqualification Order imposed on waste company and one of its officers: A waste company and one of its officers have been ordered to pay a total of �19960 in fines, costs and victim surcharges.

The defendants faced two allegations each, first for failing to comply with the conditions of their environmental permit and secondly failing to comply with a regulation 36 Environmental Permitting Regulations notice to remove the excessive waste from the site by the 17 August 2011.

Teale Waste Management Ltd were fined £7000 for each of the two offences, ordered to pay a contribution to prosecution costs of £3130 and a victim surcharge of £15. Barry Medlicott senior, 52 of 9 Selborne Way, Whitehill, Bordon was fined £750 for each offence, ordered to pay a contribution to prosecution costs in the sum of £1000 and a £15 victim surcharge. He was also disqualified from being a company director for a period of two years.

Teale Waste Management Ltd operates a waste transfer station in Rosewood, Hampshire. The environmental permit, initially granted to the land owner Alan Bray, was transferred over to Teale Waste Management Ltd in early February 2011.

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At Least 7 Seriously Injured in Chemical Plant Blast - Guangxi Zhuang

At Least 7 Seriously Injured in Chemical Plant Blast: At least seven people have been seriously injured on Thursday in a chemical plant blast in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, police said.No casualties have been reported. An unknown number of other people were slightly injured after the accident around noon at a Hechi Chemical Industrial Group Company purification workshop in Hechi City, said an officer with the Liujia Township police station in the city.

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Neuroscientists investigate lotteries to study how the brain evaluates risk (9/27/2012)

Neuroscientists investigate lotteries to study how the brain evaluates risk (9/27/2012): People are faced with thousands of choices every day, some inane and some risky. Scientists know that the areas of the brain that evaluate risk are the same for each person, but what makes the value assigned to risk different for individuals? To answer this question, a new video article in Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to characterize subjective risk assessment while subjects choose between different lotteries to play. The article, a joint effort from laboratories at Yale School of Medicine and New York University, is led by Yale's Dr. Ifat Levy. Dr. Levy explains, "This procedure allows us to examine all kinds of normal and pathological behaviors focusing on risk assessment. It could explain things like substance abuse and over-eating from a different perspective than how it is usually characterized."

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Job centre employee stabbed to death at work - Germany

Job centre employee stabbed to death at work - The Local: Questions were raised across Germany about safety for officials on Wednesday, after a woman working in a job centre was stabbed to death by a client in her office – despite having taken a de-escalation course the day before.

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In Bangladesh with no food: Ship owner leaves crew in the lurch

Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily | In Bangladesh with no food: Ship owner leaves crew in the lurch: The crew members of a crippled Vietnamese ship said Friday that their company has washed its hands off them and its customer in Bangladesh has stopped paying for their food.

Tran Dinh Son, a crew member, sent an email to Lao Dong newspaper saying the all-Vietnamese crew is stuck in Bangladesh after the vessel owner Anh Son Commercial Transport Company in the northern city of Hai Phong and insurer PetroVietnam Insurance Company cannot agree on which one of them is responsible for paying the money required to rescue them.

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National Hotel Chain Travelodge, Guilty ot Fire Safety Offences

 After being found guilty of breaching fire safety laws at its Gatwick Airport Central hotel, Travelodge hotel chain has been fined £13,000 and ordered to pay 6,500 costs.

Crews were called to a blaze at the premises in September 2011 whilst it was being refurbished and when fire safety officers attended, they served a prohibition notice after concerns were raised by the inadequacy of the fire safety measures.
National Hotel Chain Guilty ot Fire Safety Offences #firesafety #hotelfiresafetycharges £ Fire Safety and Security Blog by Alert Fire and Security Ltd:
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Builder crushed by cement mixer - Austrian Times

Builder crushed by cement mixer - General News - Austrian Times Online News - English Newspaper: A 26-year-old builder was crushed to death when he accidentally switched on a cement mixer while he was inside cleaning it at Selzthal in Liezen, Austria.

Health and safety experts said that the man had apparently accidentally press the start button on the automatic control that he had been carrying during the cleaning work and the machine had started turning – crushing him in the mechanism.

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‘Work safety returns to the Seventies as budgets cut’ - Scotsman.com

‘Work safety returns to the Seventies as budgets cut’ - Health - Scotsman.com: WORKPLACE safety regulation in the UK has regressed to pre-1970s standards due to severe budget cutbacks, according to a leading public health expert.



Professor Andrew Watterson from the University of Stirling issued the blunt assessment as his 82-page report criticising dwindling resources at the UK Government’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was published.

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Tanker Crew Held as Police Investigate Deadly Ferry Accident | The Jakarta Globe

Tanker Crew Held as Police Investigate Deadly Ferry Accident | The Jakarta Globe: Police are holding the crew of a chemical tanker for questioning following a collision with a passenger ferry in the Sunda Strait that left eight people dead early on Wednesday. Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto, a spokesman for the National Police, said that the accident occurred at around 4:40 a.m., about an hour and a half hours after the ferry KMP Bahuga Jaya left Merak Port in Banten to make the crossing to Bakauheni Port in Bandar Lampung.

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Asbestos fears at Braddon building site - ABC News

Asbestos fears at Braddon building site - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): Work Safe ACT is allowing work to continue on a inner-city Canberra construction site where asbestos handling concerns have been raised. The construction union, CFMEU, had called for the hotel redevelopment site at 78-80 Northbourne Avenue in Braddon to be shut down.

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Indictment alleges Gulf clean-up training scam - Marine Log

Indictment alleges Gulf clean-up training scam - Marine Log: SEPTEMBER 26, 2012 — In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, many fisheries were closed, causing many fishermen in the Gulf region to seek other sources of employment, including as oil spill clean-up personnel. All clean-up personnel were required to receive hazardous waste safety training before working in contaminated areas due to dangers from the oil itself and clean-up materials.

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Wednesday 26 September 2012

Perth Woman Pleads Guilty To Illegal Fires |

 Perth Woman Pleads Guilty To Illegal Fires

Wendy Menzies was today fined £2,250 at Perth Sheriff Court for illegally burning waste at the premises of her skip hire company.

Menzies is the waste management licence holder for Fair Mile Skips, which is managed by her husband who himself has environmental convictions which prohibits him from holding a waste management licence.

Menzies pled guilty to two charges of burning the waste within the site on the premises at Friarton Business Park in Perth on 18 May and 27 May 2011, in contravention of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 33(6).

SEPA Officers attended the site on 27 May following a complaint being made to Tayside Police and found over a tonne of burning waste emitting a large plume of grey smoke which could be seen for some distance.
Perth Woman Pleads Guilty To Illegal Fires | Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service:

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Trapped Saskatchewan miners rescued | Canada | News | Toronto Sun

Trapped Saskatchewan miners rescued | Canada | News | Toronto Sun: ROCANVILLE, SASK.�-�Even after being trapped for 24 hours, most of the workers at a potash mine in southeastern Saskatchewan will be back to work for their next scheduled shift.
The 20 miners were confined underground for a full night and day after a blaze broke out at the PotashCorp-owned mine near Rocanville, about 200 km east of Regina, around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

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5 detained after fatal Gansu mine accident - chinadaily.com.cn

5 detained after fatal Gansu mine accident |Hot Issues |chinadaily.com.cn: LANZHOU - Five people have been detained in�Northwest China's Gansu province for their alleged involvement in a mine carriage crash in which 20 miners were killed on Tuesday, local public security authorities announced on Wednesday.
The names of the five, who are suspected of being accountable for the accident, were not given by the public security bureau of Baiyin city's Pingchuan district in Gansu.
It did reveal, however, that one of them is the head of the coal mine.

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Two injured in industrial accidents in Jarrettsville, Riverside - baltimoresun.com

Two injured in industrial accidents in Jarrettsville, Riverside - baltimoresun.com: Three people were taken to area hospitals Wednesday after they were injured in separate accidents in Harford County.In the first accident, a 54-year-old man, a painter, was hurt in a fall from a ladder in the 3600 block of My Ladys View Court near Jarrettsville around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to Rich Gardiner, spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS Association.

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Leeds City Council pay out �1.2m to staff injured at work - Yorkshire Evening Post

Leeds City Council pay out �1.2m to staff injured at work - Top Stories - Yorkshire Evening Post: eeds City Council has been forced to pay out more than �1.2m to staff who have had accidents at work in the last five years.



Figures obtained by the YEP show an average of more than a hundred staff every year have put in personal injury claims since 2007.A trip causing multiple injuries proved the most costly, with a fall causing back injuries also landing council chiefs a with a huge bill.

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Worker Fell When Boarding a Barge and Drowned - Workplace Safety and Health Council

Workplace Safety and Health Council: At the start of a new workday at 7:40 am, the Deceased was transferring from a workboat (used to ferry workers) to a fixed vertical ladder for boarding a crane barge anchored at sea. While he was trying to climb up the ladder, he lost his balance and fell into the sea. The life jacket the Deceased was wearing immediately inflated and he successfully grabbed onto a life buoy thrown to him by the barge supervisor. However, the Deceased became unconscious before he could be rescued and was subsequently pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be drowning.

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Illegal waste site costs Bromsgrove man nearly �24,000

Environment Agency - Illegal waste site costs Bromsgrove man nearly �24,000: On Tuesday 25 September 2012, a Bromsgrove man pleaded guilty at Redditch Magistrates’ Court to two charges of operating a regulated waste facility without an environmental permit.

In sentencing, the magistrates told Mr Roger Aylett of Causeway Meadow Farm, Stoke Works, Bromsgrove that these were serious offences. He was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,737.38.

The charge was brought by the Environment Agency under Regulation 12(1) contrary to Regulation 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010.

Environment Agency officers visited the farm on 11 May 2011 and found a barn containing the household and commercial waste from about 400 skips. Outside they found skips of general waste, tyres, and building wastes. Mr Aylett was served a notice requiring him to remove the wastes, which he did not comply with.

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Clydebank man fined for waste offences

Clydebank man fined for waste offences: A Clydebank man was fined �400 at Dumbarton Sheriff Court yesterday (25 September) after pleading guilty in July to illegally keeping waste on a site in West Dumbarton.

Mr Robert Crawford pled guilty to keeping controlled waste on the site at Boquhanran Road, Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire and failing to comply with an enforcement notice that required him to remove the waste. The matter was reported to the Procurator Fiscal by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) after repeated attempts to have the waste removed were unsuccessful. He pled guilty on 31July 2012. Sentencing was deferred until 25 September 2012.

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OSHA cites Commerce, Calif.-based 99 Cent Only Stores Texas with multiple serious violations at Houston facility



HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Commerce, Calif.-based 99 Cent Only Stores Texas Inc. with 19 serious safety and health violations at the company's Houston distribution center that are related to process safety management, including exposing workers to anhydrous ammonia while storing frozen products in refrigeration units. OSHA's inspection was initiated as part of the agency's national emphasis program on process safety management for covered chemical facilities. Proposed penalties total $121,000.
2012 - 09/26/2012 - US Labor Department's OSHA cites Commerce, Calif.-based 99 Cent Only Stores Texas with multiple serious violations at Houston facility:
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Tuesday 25 September 2012

OSHA cites Tucson, Ariz., postal facility for exposing workers to potential injuries from a powered industrial truck

TUCSON, Ariz. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a U.S. Postal Service processing and distribution center in Tucson for one willful safety violation for the improper operation of a powered industrial truck. The proposed penalty is $70,000. OSHA's investigation of the facility, located at 1501 S. Cherrybell Stravenue, was prompted by a complaint that an untrained, uncertified supervisor had operated a powered industrial truck during an evening shift. The truck, which is used to move large quantities of mail, requires training and certification to operate. When two of three certified truck operators did not report for their shift, a supervisor without training or certification operated the truck, exposing workers to potential injuries. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health. 

US Labor Department's OSHA cites Tucson, Ariz., postal facility for exposing workers to potential injuries from a powered industrial truck

OSHA cites Carter Construction in Loveland, Ohio, for exposing workers to trenching hazards

LOVELAND, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Loveland-based Carter Construction Co. Inc. with four – including two willful – safety violations for exposing workers to excavation hazards while installing an underground storm sewer pipe in a 20-foot-deep trench in Montgomery. OSHA's June inspection was conducted under the agency's National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation. Proposed penalties total $68,500."Carter Construction has a responsibility to ensure that workers are properly protected from known workplace hazards such as trench cave-ins, a leading cause of death and injury in excavation work," said Bill Wilkerson, OSHA's area director in Cincinnati. "OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so."

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Carter Construction in Loveland, Ohio, for exposing workers to trenching hazards

OSHA cites Miller Compressing in Milwaukee for failing to isolate power during maintenance

MILWAUKEE – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Miller Compressing Co. in Milwaukee with two willful safety violations for allowing employees to perform maintenance on a shredder without first isolating the machine's energy source. OSHA opened an inspection upon receiving a complaint alleging hazards at the company's scrap processing facility. Proposed fines total $70,000."Miller Compressing Co. has a responsibility to ensure that workers are properly protected from known workplace hazards – such as machinery becoming unintentionally energized during maintenance – that can result in amputations and other serious injuries," said George Yoksas, OSHA's area director in Milwaukee. "OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so."

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Miller Compressing in Milwaukee for failing to isolate power during maintenance

OSHA cites Podnar Plastics for 7 violations after investigating complaints of hazards at Kent, Ohio, manufacturing facility

KENT, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Podnar Plastics Inc. in Kent with seven safety violations, including one willful, for failing to ensure that a mold machine's point-of-operation was guarded. OSHA opened an inspection in June after receiving complaints alleging hazards at the facility, which manufactures plastic containers. Proposed penalties total $64,400."Employers have a responsibility to ensure that they are protecting workers against known hazards in their plants," said Howard Eberts, OSHA's area director in Cleveland. "OSHA is committed to investigating reports of workplace hazards and protecting workers on the job, especially when employers fail to do so."

US Labor Department's OSHA cites Podnar Plastics for 7 violations after investigating complaints of hazards at Kent, Ohio, manufacturing facility

Monday 24 September 2012

OSHA cites Dlubak Glass for exposing workers to lead, other hazards at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, plant

UPPER SANDUSKY, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Dlubak Glass Co. for 15 alleged health – including willful and repeat – violations, many of them related to the presence of lead, following a March inspection at one of its two Upper Sandusky plants. Proposed fines total $126,700."Dlubak Glass Co. has a responsibility to protect the health of its workers by ensuring that they operate in a manner that eliminates or minimizes lead hazards, including exposure," said Kim Nelson, director of OSHA's Toledo Area Office.

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Dlubak Glass for exposing workers to lead, other hazards at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, plant

Yorkshire ice cream maker in court

A North Yorkshire ice cream manufacturer has been sentenced after a factory worker had his forearm broken when it got caught in a conveyor belt.Sam Goodall, 20, of Northallerton, was working on the ice cream production line at R&R Ice Cream Ltd, in Leeming Bar, when his glove got caught and his arm drawn into an in-feed conveyor belt.He managed to pull himself free, but suffered two broken bones in his right arm and a dislocated wrist. He was off work for six weeks.The incident, on 8 August 2011, was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive, which prosecuted R&R Ice Cream for two safety breaches.

Yorkshire ice cream maker in court

Pair fined for running illegal waste oil operation at Brentford site

Two men have today (Monday, 24 September) been ordered to pay more than £16,000 for running an illegal waste oil collection and storage operation at a site in Brentford, Middlesex.Barry Wiltshire, 49, of Cherry Crescent, Brentford, and Kevin Muir, 50, of Carville Crescent, Brentford, pleaded guilty at Feltham Magistrates’ Court for storing waste engine, gear and lubricating oils at the Hogarth Tyres site, Lionel Road South, without an environmental permit. Mr Wiltshire and Mr Muir were operating as part of their oils collection and storage business, known as BKM Oils.The pair were fined £9,000, ordered to pay costs of £7,266 as well as a £30 victim surcharge.

Pair fined for running illegal waste oil operation at Brentford site

No Workers' Comp for Wounded Exotic Dancer

     (CN) - A South Carolina woman who was shot while dancing at an exotic club cannot collect workers' compensation benefits, a state appeals court ruled.     LeAndra Lewis, who was 19 at the time of the incident, regularly danced at Club Nikki's in Charlotte, N.C., but also worked for several other dance clubs in the Carolinas - a common practice, several of her fellow exotic dancers testified.     One of these clubs was the Boom Boom Room Studio 54 in Columbia, S.C., although she never filled out an employment application and did not sign a contract with the club's parent company, L.B. Dynasty Inc.

No Workers' Comp for Wounded Exotic Dancer

Aerial photography recorded several fires -- Waste company fined for burning

Aerial photography recorded several fires at a Boston waste transfer station after the owner had been warned not to burn waste there.On 21 September Ronnie Bennett and his company Forceshift (Contracting) Ltd were fined a total of £26,000 after pleading guilty to breaching a permit condition and failing to prevent others setting fire to waste that should have been disposed of properly. The company has also been ordered to pay costs of £10,000 and Bennett was order to pay costs of £4,000.

Waste company fined for burning

Sunday 23 September 2012

Major fire breaks out in Kolkata factory

Major fire breaks out in Kolkata factory: A major fire broke out in a plastic factory in the city's Cossipore area Sunday, a minister said. No casualty or injuries have been reported yet."As many as 22 fire tenders have been pressed into service but because of dingy lanes leading to the factory, reaching the spot has been difficult, resulting in delay in controlling the fire. No casualty or injury has been reported so far," Fire Services Minister Javed Khan told IANS.

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Elevator mishaps leave one dead, another injured - Globaltimes.cn

Elevator mishaps leave one dead, another injured - Globaltimes.cn: One person died and another was injured in two elevator-related accidents in�Shanghai over the weekend, just after the local quality control bureau launched its latest round of annual elevator inspections, local media reported.The two accidents, one in a department store on Nanjing Road East and the other in a residential building in Songjiang district, occurred a week after the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision announced its plan to inspect 700 elevators and escalators this year.

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Pregnant woman gets stuck in lift at hotel in Southend (From Southend Standard)

Pregnant woman gets stuck in lift at hotel in Southend (From Southend Standard): A HEAVILY pregnant woman and two other hotel guests had to climb out of a lift to safety in the early hours of the morning.


Fire crews from Southend�were called at 2.20am today, Sunday,�after the lift at the Park Inn Hotel, in Church Road, got stuck between floors.

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Fire reduces Portimão Retail Park stores to ashes

Algarve Resident - the REAL Algarve Resident - 1st for News, information and classifieds - Fire reduces Portim�o Retail Park stores to ashes: Acrid smoke filled the air in Portim�o harbouring the once busy Retail Park which now barely stands. Plumbs of smoke are still evident from the ashen remains of the shops.You cannot see from one end to car park to the other, as the smoke, mixed with the dampness in the air, makes it almost impossible to breathe in the area, let alone see.

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‘World’s gone mad’ reaction to health and safety fears over school’s chickens - News - Welwyn Hatfield Times

‘World’s gone mad’ reaction to health and safety fears over school’s chickens - News - Welwyn Hatfield Times: PARENTS were left spitting feathers as beloved chickens at their children’s school were thought to have been facing eviction over health and safety fears.

Little Heath primary schoolWelwyn Hatfield Council’s health chiefs cried ‘fowl’ after a complaint and it was rumoured they ordered Little Heath Primary School to chuck out their chicks.

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more > Rescuers work to free 17 miners trapped in 2 coal mine accidents in China - The Washington Post

Rescuers work to free 17 miners trapped in 2 coal mine accidents in China - The Washington Post: BEIJING — Chinese state media say two coal mine accidents have trapped 17 people underground.
The official Xinhua News Agency says a fire broke out Sunday in a mine in northeast Heilongjiang province, trapping 11. Two other people working in the mine were lifted out.

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Construction worker killed in fall – BorneoPost Online

Construction worker killed in fall – BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News | Largest English Daily In Borneo: KUCHING: A construction worker fell to his death at a site in the city on Friday night after failing to see where he was walking while talking on his mobile phone.The deceased, identified as 24-year-old Fabian Linggong of Kampung Ruan Lama in Simunjan, was taking a break of the first storey of a building at the site when the incident happened around 7.30pm.



Worker killed after crashing car into parked jet at SFO | www.ktvu.com

Worker killed after crashing car into parked jet at SFO | www.ktvu.com: MILLBRAE, Calif. — A worker was killed after crashing a truck into a private jet at the San Francisco International Airport early Saturday morning.The incident occurred at 5 a.m. Saturday morning as man driving a cafeteria truck drove into a jet that was parked on a service road, according to police.

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Rescue work underway in Macao ship collision - Globaltimes.cn

Rescue work underway in Macao ship collision - Globaltimes.cn: Rescuers search for survivals at the accident site in Macao, South China, on September 22, 2012. A fishing boat sunk after colliding with a cargo ship in Macao Saturday evening.�Five persons have been rescued and other three are still missing.

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Saturday 22 September 2012

Basecrete Inc. and Westin Homes Ltd. Fined $85,000 After Worker Injured

Basecrete Inc. and Westin Homes Ltd. Fined $85,000 After Worker Injured: Barrie, ON - Basecrete Inc., a Woodbridge concrete and drain construction company, was fined $50,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured. Westin Homes Ltd., a Brantford residential constructor, was fined $35,000 in relation to the same incident.

On November 5, 2008, workers from Basecrete Inc. were installing sewers at a construction project in Brantford owned by Westin Homes Ltd. Two workers were in a trench installing a sewer main when part of the excavation collapsed. One of the workers suffered broken bones.
A Ministry of Labour investigation revealed that the trench had not been reinforced by an appropriate support system at the time of the collapse.

Basecrete Inc. was found guilty, as an employer, of allowing workers to enter an excavation that was not compliant with Ontario's construction regulations. Westin Homes Ltd. was found guilty, as a constructor, of the same offense.

The fines were imposed by Justice of the Peace Dennis Wilson. In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.


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Maesycwmmer hotel must pay £9,165 after fryer accident (From South Wales Argus)

Maesycwmmer hotel must pay �9,165 after fryer accident (From South Wales Argus): A VALLEYS hotel was ordered to pay £9,165 following an accident in the kitchen of the premises.


An employee of Bryn Meadows Golf Hotel and Spa in Maesycwmmer scalded her right hand, knee and foot while cleaning a deep fat fryer as part of her duties on December 18, 2011.


But the hotel said it is disappointed by the decision, as she said the employee sustained a burnt toe and returned to work three days later.

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Farmer faces tipping charge after moving asbestos dumped in lane � Shropshire Star

Farmer faces tipping charge after moving asbestos dumped in lane � Shropshire Star: When farmer Neale Dalton found dangerous asbestos dumped on his land he did the responsible thing and reported it to Shropshire Council.



2 killed, 12 injured in S. Korean bridge collapse

2 killed, 12 injured in S. Korean bridge collapse: SEOUL - Two South Korean workers were killed and 12 others injured Saturday when the bridge they were building in the northern city of Paju collapsed, according to media reports.
A 55 metre long (181.5 feet) section of the 539 metre long bridge over the Imjin River collapsed, causing the workers to fall 15 metres down onto gravel and muddy ground, Yonhap news agency said.

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Friday 21 September 2012

Contractor Yanks Offer to Cover Funeral Costs for Dead Worker: Report | NBC New York

Contractor Yanks Offer to Cover Funeral Costs for Dead Worker: Report | NBC New York: The widow of a Brooklyn construction worker killed in a building collapse last week says the company has reneged on its promise to cover the funeral costs for her husband, according to a published report.�

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OSHA cites Westlake Vinyls in Geismar, La., for multiple process safety management violations

2012 - 09/21/2012 - US Labor Department's OSHA cites Westlake Vinyls in Geismar, La., for multiple process safety management violations: GEISMAR, La. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Westlake Vinyls Co. LP in Geismar for 10 serious safety and health violations, primarily related to OSHA's process safety management standards. Proposed penalties total $67,000.

"This company exposed its employees to avoidable workplace hazards that can cause serious injury and possible death," said Jack Turner, OSHA's area acting director in Baton Rouge. "OSHA's safety and health standards must be followed to prevent accidents and illnesses."

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OSHA cites Westlake Vinyls in Geismar, La., for multiple process safety management violations

GEISMAR, La. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Westlake Vinyls Co. LP in Geismar for 10 serious safety and health violations, primarily related to OSHA's process safety management standards. Proposed penalties total $67,000. "This company exposed its employees to avoidable workplace hazards that can cause serious injury and possible death," said Jack Turner, OSHA's area acting director in Baton Rouge. "OSHA's safety and health standards must be followed to prevent accidents and illnesses." 

US Labor Department's OSHA cites Westlake Vinyls in Geismar, La., for multiple process safety management violations

NY tree service worker killed while grinding stump - WSJ.com

NY tree service worker killed while grinding stump - WSJ.com: CHAUMONT, N.Y. — Authorities say a 39-year-old employee of a northern New York tree service was accidentally killed while he was grinding a stump.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says Ronald Watson of Gouverneur (goo-vur-NOOR') was working alone Thursday afternoon when he became pinned between the grinder's protective shield and an adjacent building in the village of Chaumont, on Lake Ontario's northeastern shore 70 miles north of Syracuse.

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Factory Managers Blamed for Gruesome Death

Courthouse News Service: CHICAGO (CN) - Shampoo factory managers denied a worker medical help for half an hour while his "skin was visibly peeling off of his body" from a chemical accident, his estate claims in court.
ATG Trust Co., on behalf of Carlos Centeno's estate, sued Raani Corp., RNS Bedford Park, Balwinder Singh, Muhammad Javaid, and Pervaiz Jafri, in Cook County Court.
Centeno worked through for Ron's Staffing agency, which sent him to work at Raani's plant. Raani Corp. produces toiletries, such as shampoos, lotions and deodorants, according to its website.

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9 passengers rescued from clinic’s stalled elevator�|�DavidsonNews.net

9 passengers rescued from clinic’s stalled elevator�|�DavidsonNews.net: Firefighters responded to two elevator entrapments this week, including one Tuesday at The Davidson Clinic building on Griffith Street where 9 people were trapped.� Also Tuesday, a�tree fell across Davidson-Concord Road and briefly stopped traffic before emergency personnel arrived to remove the obstacle. Details on these stories and more, along with a tally of the week’s medical calls, may be found below.

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DMI (UK) Ltd fined after worker suffers toxic chemical burns

RNN media information for journalists and the press - Press Releases - Tyneside firm fined after worker suffers toxic chemical burns - Regional News Network: A Tyneside firm has been fined after a worker was soaked with a concentrated, corrosive chemical and suffered serious burns.

Michael Reid, 66, of North Shields, was employed as an electroplater at DMI (UK) Ltd when the incident happened on 30 January 2011.

In a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard how as part of an electroplating process, the company used a stripping tank filled with a sodium hydroxide solution, which from time to time had to be topped up with a concentrate of the chemical.

Mr Reid was topping up the tank, by pumping the highly-caustic concentrated sodium hydroxide from a drum into the tank, when the hose attached to the pump came off, soaking him in the corrosive chemical.

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WANSTEAD: Anger over "dangerous" trees plan

WANSTEAD: Anger over "dangerous" trees plan (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series): FURIOUS homeowners fear a "beautiful" picturesque avenue will be ruined when dozens of mature trees are felled for health and safety reasons.


Redbridge Council has deemed 24 century-old trees in St Mary's Avenue dangerous following a risk assessment and plan to destroy them to prevent a potential accident.

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Staffordshire Council in guilty plea on asbestos at school � Express & Star

Staffordshire Council in guilty plea on asbestos at school � Express & Star: Staffordshire County Council is facing a hefty fine after admitting liability when dangerous asbestos fibres were released into a primary school.

Glenthorne Primary School in Cheslyn Hay was closed for four months as a result in 2009, costing taxpayers £246,000. Lawyers for the local authority yesterday entered a guilty plea to a health and safety charge brought over the asbestos alert. They admitted failing to ensure persons not in its employment were not exposed to risks.Sub-contractor Mr Ian Turner was listed as one of the people put at risk.

Rugeley building firm G Evans (Services) Ltd admitted a similar charge and another of failing to ensure the safety of employee Mr Lawrence Hollins.No details of the offences were given by Mr Timothy Green, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive at Stafford Crown Court.

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Andrew Jones pie firm accused of health and safety breaches following fatal blast - Local West Yorkshire News - News - Huddersfield Examiner

Andrew Jones pie firm accused of health and safety breaches following fatal blast - Local West Yorkshire News - News - Huddersfield Examiner: A HUDDERSFIELD pie firm is being prosecuted over a factory explosion that killed one of its workers.
Father-of-two David Cole died in the blast at the Andrew Jones Pies factory on April 10, 2009.
A year following the tragedy the Crown Prosecution Service said that it had insufficient evidence to prosecute the company for gross negligence manslaughter.

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Official sacked for grinning at accident

Official sacked for grinning at accident: State media in China say a work-safety official photographed grinning at the scene of a road crash that killed 36 people has been sacked. The pictures of Yang Dacai caused an outcry among China's internet-users. Later images showed him wearing expensive watches, glasses and bracelets, prompting public questions about his salary. Xinhua news agency said he'd been removed from his post for possessing the expensive watches and for serious violations of discipline.

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Chinese wood-eating beetles invade Rhineland - #fridayfunny

Chinese wood-eating beetles invade Rhineland - The Local: A Chinese wood-eating beetle has invaded western Germany, wildlife experts said on Thursday. They fear the insect's ferocious appetite could force authorities to chop down 300 trees in the city of Bonn.

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Birse Metro Ltd fined £167,000 over worker's death #lifeischeap

Redhill company fined �167,000 over worker's death: A Redhill-based construction company has been ordered to pay £210,000 in fines and costs after an employee died following an explosion on a construction site in central London. The explosion occurred following damage to an 11,000 volt live cable within an excavation.

Ioan Boboc, 22, a construction operative from north-west London, suffered burns over 60% of his body whilst he and other workers were using breakers and a shovel within the excavation at the corner of Charing Cross Road and Tottenham Court Road on 2 December 2008.

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UK chemistry graduate student poisoned by thallium, arsenic | The Safety Zone

UK chemistry graduate student poisoned by thallium, arsenic | The Safety Zone: Several UK news outlets this week reported that a Southampton University chemistry graduate student, reportedly a 25-year-old man, is hospitalized for poisoning by thallium and arsenic. “The 25-year old had been feeling ill for around three weeks and is now being treated at a specialist toxicology unit in Cardiff,” according to Chemistry World. The chemistry building had been closed since the evening of Sept. 12, but on Tuesday, Sept. 18, the university reopened all but “one level which is still part of the ongoing Police investigation,” a university spokesman told C&EN European Correspondent Sarah Everts in an e-mail.

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Man crushed to death in Vietnam stone quarry

Vietnam latest news - Thanh Nien Daily | Man crushed to death in Vietnam stone quarry: A 37-year-old worker was crushed to death by a rock at a stone quarry in the central province of Ha Tinh Wednesday.

Nguyen Xuan Thach died instantly when a large rock fell on him, witnesses said.

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Columbia woman killed beneath a loading dock - TheState.com

Columbia woman killed in work-related accident - Local / Metro - TheState.com: Lexington County authorities are investigating the death of a loading dock worker Wednesday night at the Otis Spunkmeyer plant on Overland Drive in West Columbia. Susan C. Henley, 47, of Columbia, was found pinned beneath a loading dock plate at some point after 11:28 p.m., the estimated time of the accident. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

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Executives reach breaking point| chinadaily.com.cn

Executives reach breaking point|Business|chinadaily.com.cn: Stress among managers in China is mounting, even causing deaths at work. What is pushing them to the brink?
These days, Brian Dong is crying out for a vacation. The stress of running a startup company in China's finance industry is threatening to overwhelm him. Too bad he does not have the time.

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Forklift accident kills worker in Bolton, Ontario – Daily Commercial News

Forklift accident kills worker in Bolton, Ontario – Daily Commercial News: A worker is dead following a workplace accident involving a forklift in Bolton, Ontario.
Ministry of Labour (MOL) spokesperson Matt Blajer said the deceased was working alone replacing a hydraulic lift cylinder on a Raymond reach truck.

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Thursday 20 September 2012

Dairy worker killed in accident - El Nido

Dairy worker killed in accident News: A worker at a dairy farm near El Nido, Calif., was killed Thursday morning in an accident involving a tractor. The worker, identified as 19-year old Oscar Peredia, reportedly was run over by a tractor driven by a co-worker.

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Man dies in industrial accident in gravel pit area 3 miles southwest of Hankinson

Man dies in industrial accident in gravel pit area 3 miles southwest of Hankinson: HANKINSON, N.D. — The Richland County Sheriff's Office says a man has died in an industrial accident after getting entangled in some equipment.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the gravel pit area about three miles southwest of Hankinson at 11:15 a.m. Thursday and found the man dead.

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Man Trapped Between Lift, Framing Timber Dies in Graham - The Chronicle: News

Man Trapped Between Lift, Framing Timber Dies in Graham - The Chronicle: News: GRAHAM, Wash. (AP) — A 25-year-old man who was trapped for several minutes between a manlift and a framing timber at a business in Graham, Wash., has died.


KOMO-TV reports (http://is.gd/Q44nbC ) that the man was freed Tuesday afternoon and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was later pronounced dead.

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OSHA cites Atlanta utility contractor for willful and serious safety violations, proposes more than $43,000 in penalties

DONALSONVILLE, Ga. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited J.J.E. Constructors Inc. of Alpharetta with one willful and two serious safety violations for exposing employees to trenching hazards while installing new storm and sewer lines on South Wiley and West First Streets in Donalsonville.

After receiving a complaint alleging hazards, OSHA initiated an inspection in March as part of the agency's national emphasis program to reduce injuries at trenching and excavation construction sites. Proposed penalties total $43,400.The willful violation involves exposing employees to struck-by and cave-in hazards by not using a protective shoring system. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Atlanta utility contractor for willful and serious safety violations, proposes more than $43,000 in penalties

Worker badly hurt setting up music festival stage, Carlisle court told - News & Star

News & Star | News | Worker badly hurt setting up music festival stage, Carlisle court told: Organisers of the Kendal Calling music festival appeared at Carlisle Crown Court after a contractor was severely injured while setting up the stage at Lowther Park two years ago.






















They all pleaded not guilty to charges brought by Eden council which alleged that they had failed to ensure the safety of people doing preparatory work at Hackthorpe, near Penrith, in the run-up to the festival in July 2010.

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Bideford Tantons Hotel fire: Owners fined

BBC News - Bideford Tantons Hotel fire: Owners fined: The owners of hotel in north Devon who admitted health and safety breaches after it caught fire have been fined �40,000 and told to pay �10,000 costs.
More than 50 guests fled from the Tantons Hotel in Bideford after the fire was started deliberately in a room on the top floor in May 2011.

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Gas pipeline on Mexican border explodes; 30 killed, 46 injured - Utica, NY - The Observer-Dispatch

Gas pipeline on Mexican border explodes; 30 killed, 46 injured - Utica, NY - The Observer-Dispatch, Utica, New York: REYNOSA, Mexico —

Esteban Vazquez Huerta felt the ground suddenly shake as he worked on pipes at a natural gas plant near the U.S. border, then a pipeline just 300 yards away exploded in boiling flames higher than a three-story home.

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AT&T worker dies after on-the-job assault in the Kansas City suburb of Gladstone

AT&T worker dies after on-the-job assault in the Kansas City suburb of Gladstone: GLADSTONE, Mo. — An AT&T technician has died after someone attacked him while he worked in a suburban Kansas City neighborhood.
Kevin M. Mashburn managed to pull himself into his service truck and radio for help after he was struck in the head early Wednesday in Gladstone.

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Worker wins comp for accident while walking from garage to work

Risk & Insurance Online - Worker wins comp for accident while walking from garage to work: Case name: Hersh v. County of Morris, No. A-1442-10T4 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 07/24/12).
Ruling: The New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division held that a worker was entitled to benefits for her injuries after being struck by a car while walking to work from her assigned parking garage.

What it means: In New Jersey, employment is deemed to commence when the worker arrives at the employer's place of employment, including parking lots used by the employer for employee parking, to report for work

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OSHA cites Jersey City, NJ, company for workplace safety and health hazards at Kearny warehouse

2012 - 09/20/2012 - US Labor Department's OSHA cites Jersey City, NJ, company for workplace safety and health hazards at Kearny warehouse: JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Continental Terminals Inc., based in Jersey City, with 18 alleged safety and health violations at the company's warehouse in Kearney. OSHA initiated an inspection upon receiving a complaint. Proposed fines total $162,400.

Citations carrying $98,000 in penalties have been issued for two willful violations that involve permitting employees to ride on the forks of forklifts and a failure to provide fall protection on platforms. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and healt

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H&E Knowles (Lye) Limited fined after worker suffers horrific head injuries

Company fined after worker suffers horrific head injuries: A West Midlands company has been fined after a worker suffered severe head injuries in a pneumatic metal press.

Wayne Hill, a maintenance engineer at H&E Knowles (Lye) Limited, was repairing the press when it unexpectedly started working and crushed his head. He was trapped for around ten minutes before colleagues were able to free him.

His nose and jaw were broken, his upper lip ripped off and he bit through his tongue. Mr Hill, 42, of Lye, Stourbridge, also sustained lacerations to the back of his head and neck, muscular damage to his left arm, severe neck pain and scratches and bruising to his left side.

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OSHA cites OPC Polymers in Columbus, Ohio, for process safety management program deficiencies; fines exceed $138,000

 COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Yenkin Majestic Paint Corp. for 26 health violations after a cloud containing flammable vapors was released from the company's Columbus facility, which operates as OPC Polymers, on March 21. OSHA initiated an inspection under its national emphasis program on process safety management for covered chemical facilities. Proposed fines total $138,600.

The vapor cloud was caused by a copolymer reaction of flammable chemicals when over-pressurization occurred in the equipment. No injuries were reported.

"Employers must provide safe working conditions, especially for employees who work with highly hazardous chemicals," said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA's area director in Columbus. "It is clear that OPC Polymers failed to create safety procedures, and did not train and review procedures with employees to ensure their effectiveness."

2012 - 09/20/2012 - US Labor Department's OSHA cites OPC Polymers in Columbus, Ohio, for process safety management program deficiencies; fines exceed $138,000:

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Severed finger leads to prosecution of food manufacturer, Q Cold Limited

RNN media information for journalists and the press - Press Releases - Severed finger leads to prosecution of food manufacturer - Regional News Network: A Herefordshire food manufacturer has been fined after an employee severed her finger in an inadequately guarded machine.

Ewalina Giedziun, aged 29, from Hereford, sustained the injury while working on a suet packing line at Q Cold Limited’s Ledbury site on 17 October last year.

The tip of her index finger on her left hand was severed when she reached into the machine and came into contact with heated clamping jaws that crimp and seal plastic bags once filled. She was unable to work for several months as a result of the incident.

Hereford Magistrates’ Court heard today (20 September) that an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Q Cold Limited had assessed the risks associated with the packing line and had installed both fixed guards and interlocked doors to prevent access to dangerous moving parts. However, one of the fixed guards was not properly secured and was effectively useless.

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Walsall Canal Boat Operator Pleads Guilty To Breaches Of Safety Legislation

Newsroom - Press Releases: At a hearing today at Walsall Magistrates the owner of a Staffs & Worcester Canal Boat pleaded guilty to four charges under Government safety legislation. He was fined £10,000 plus costs of £4,654.33.

The UK registered Canal Boat Hatherton Belle is a 20 metre vessel that had been adapted to carry up 45 passengers along the Staffs & Worcester Canal from Calf Heath Marina.

The owner, local businessman Andy Small who also operates a bar next to the Marina, used the canal boat to take paying parties on cruises along the canal. It was brought to the attention of the MCA that the Hatherton Belle had no Passenger Ship Safety Certificate or Domestic Management Certificate.
 
Mr Small was served with a Prohibition Notice as the Canal Boat lacked safety equipment. Mr Small ignored the Prohibition Notice and continued to take paying passengers on cruises along the canal. When interviewed by MCA Enforcement Officers he admitted breaching the Prohibition notice and not having any formal Boatman qualifications to allow him to captain cruises.

In passing sentence the Chairman on the Magistrates said: Ignoring the detention notice is a very serious offence. We have taken a significant amount of time to consider this case.

Mr Colum Leggett, Area Operations Manager for the Wales and Western Region of the MCA stated: Although the thought of a cruise down the canal may be attractive, safety equipment and procedures need to be in place to prevent potential incidents that may result in a loss of life


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