Industrial Safety Blog

Plant Worker Crushed Under 25,000 Pound Mold

Bruce Township, MI- A plant worker died last Tuesday at a factory after a 25,000-pound manufacturing mold fell on top of him. The factory, about 40 miles north of Detroit, is part of Romeo Rim Inc, which creates custom injection molding services, and had recently celebrated a year without any safety incident.

Deputies and the Bruce Township Fire Department found the man, identified as 42-year-old Davi Spano, underneath the equipment that had fallen from one of the interior plant walls.

“At this time, this incident appears to be a tragic accident,” the sheriff’s office was quoted as saying. The accident was responded to just before 10am, and no other workers were reported to be injured.

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) was contacted following the incident, authorities said. Martin Technical reiterates the need for on-site training and courses to prevent such incidents from occurring.

Originally sourced from ABC News.

November 20, 2020

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Top Glove Worker Loses Hand in Machine Accident

Ipoh, Malaysia – A worker at a Top Glove factory in Ipoh, Malaysia lost his hand in an accident at the end of October.

The incident occurred at the factory at approximately 5:54 AM when the worker’s hand was severed because it was caught in a rotating shaft of a machine. Reportedly, the worker is in stable condition and was initially treated with first aid at the factory then taken to the hospital.

One of the worker’s colleagues told Free Malaysia Today they have been under pressure as a factory to keep up with the demand of supplying medical PPE/gloves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2018, A Thomson Reuters Foundation exposed and uncovered that some Top Glove workers were working significantly overtime, logging 12-hour shifts and clocking 90 to 120 hours of overtime a month.

This incident in Ipoh occurred towards the end of 13 shift for this particular worker.

Top Glove has said that the company has complied with Malaysian labor laws. Top Glove is the world’s largest manufacturer of gloves, and the news of this machine incident comes weeks just weeks before it has been reported that as many as 17 employees tested positive for Covid-19 since January.

Martin Technical aims to reduce worker injury through proper training and safety services.

Originally sourced from Free Malaysia Today.

November 10, 2020

Explosion at Sugar Factory Injures 4 Workers

Nampa, ID- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently investigating an explosion that occurred last month at Amalgamated Sugar as an open case.

Jessica Anderson, an Amalgamated Sugar spokeswoman, stated that the explosion occurred in the morning in a sugar beet pulp steam dryer. The cause of the explosion remains unidentified, and the damage reported to the factory is regarded as minimal.

Anderson said that none of the injuries were life-threatening; four were treated with first aid, one worker, William McMilian, was taken to a local hospital for injuries and further examination. McMillian suffered second degree burns on his head and on his back, as well as third degree burns on his arm that possibly will require a skin graft.

The employees were wearing appropriate fire protection gear, according to Anderson, though McMillian said that the protective gear did not stop the injuries from occurring.

“We are still investigating the situation, and will release more details as they become available,” Anderson told the Idaho Press.

This is not the first accident occurring at Amalgamated Sugar’s Nampa facility; over the past 35 years, four people have died at the factory. The most recent death happened in 2009 with the death of worker Mario Munoz, 45, whose body was discovered in an auger. The company ultimately paid $18,900 in fines in an OSHA settlement in the case of this 2009 death.

Sourced from KTVB and IdahoPress

November 3, 2020

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Worker Dies at Sewage Plant connected to Niagara River

Buffalo, NY- The body of a Buffalo Sewer Authority contractor whom fell down a well leading into the Niagara River was recovered last week in upstate New York.

The well at the city’s water treatment plant is 15 feet deep, and extends to feed into the Niagara River. The man was not wearing a life vest nor was he tethered or anchored to anything.

The Buffalo Police Department stated that its underwater rescue and recovery team was responding to a water rescue call near the foot of Ferry & Bird Island in Buffalo. The victim’s body ultimately recovered on Bird Island.

“Once he fell into this confined space, it’s a very intricate intake system that meanders into a lot of different areas, so it’s a very difficult process to find out exactly where he could’ve been. There was a hope that he could’ve gotten snagged on something as soon as he fell into the well, but unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the case.” Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo stated.

Confined space training and confined space rescue training lower the risk of accidents becoming tragedies.

Police said the investigation is considered an incident, it was not noted at this time if OSHA is involved yet.

Originally sourced from people.com

October 27, 2020

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OSHA Fines New Jersey Hospitals and Nursing Homes for lack of PPE

New Jersey, USA- Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited 37 establishments for violations, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $484,069.

The establishments in New Jersey were fined more than any other state, totaling $252,150. Fourteen health care institutions in the state have been cited for failing to provide enough equipment and other protections to health care workers. Among these violations were failure to provide PPE, and failure to fit workers so that their masks had a tight seal that prevented virus particles from entering, and to have a written “respiratory protection program.”

These failures resulted in workers falling sick and in some cases dying of COVID-19, in a range of establishments such as hospitals, nursing homes and an ambulance company. According to obituaries, more than 100 health care workers in New Jersey have died from COVID-19 since March.

Surrounding the coronavirus threat, it has been stated that over 4,000 workers across the United States have submitted complaints to OSHA.

Martin Technical sells medical PPE products to help protect workers, students, and community members alike.

Originally sourced from northjersey.com.

October 20, 2020

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Man Falls to his Death Working on StarFlyer Attraction

Orlando, FL- A worker fell to his death at the Orlando StarFlyer while working on the attraction. The worker, identified as 21-year-old Jacob David Kaminsky, was said to have been climbing the tower while conducting a routine safety check before he fell.

The ride stands 450 feet tall and was permitted in 2018, advertised as the world’s tallest swing ride.

“They were doing their daily safety inspection which is conducted every day. That’s when the accident occurred,” said Jacob Stine, the marketing manager for the attraction. “We have an ongoing investigation right now to determine exactly what happened.”

OSHA will also be beginning their investigation into this situation. Stine noted that there are “quite a few redundancies” in their safety procedures and that they’re very thorough.

According to The Florida Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fair Rides Inspections, there hadn’t been any recorded incidents or violations with the Starflyer since it was permitted before this death.

Martin Technical provides safety training taught by trade experienced subject matter experts, as well as safety management software solutions accounting for topics such as maintenance and inspections.

Read more details from our source, Fox 35 Orlando.

Image credit is to Icon Park.

October 2, 2020

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Explosion leaves one dead, one injured in Lincoln, CA

Lincoln, CA- One man was killed and another worker was injured at the Sierra Pacific Industries location in downtown Lincoln on the afternoon of Sept. 18, 2020. Sierra Pacific Industries is the second-largest lumber producer in the United States.

The two were working on an commercial-sized air compressor at the industrial plant when it allegedly exploded.

This accident is currently under a California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL/OSHA) investigation, and it is believed that the company will have a better understanding of what took place which caused the accident and death once the investigation is finished.

“Lincoln Police personnel interviewed witnesses and documented the scene, and will turn everything over to Cal OSHA investigators,” Public Safety Chief Doug Lee was quoted saying.

Milo Fryer Jr., 34, of Lincoln, was named as the man who lost his life because of this accident. The other worker was not identified in the local news reports but was released from the hospital.

Mechanical and machine safety and training is essential to prevent accidents like these.

Read more details from our source, NewsOpi.

Image credit to Core Materials Distribution.

September 25, 2020

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Six Bay Area Employers fined over lack of COVID-19 Protection

San Francisco, CA- In the Bay Area, Cal/OSHA has cited six employers for failing to adequately protect employees from COVID-19 exposure.

Cal/OSHA conducted nearly 8,000 compliance checks in businesses across the state of California in July to identify issues with protecting employees from the coronavirus.

Cal/OSHA recently cited the following employers: Uni-Kool Partners, in Salinas; Sutter Bay Medical Foundation, in Berkeley; Serve Max Farm Labor, in Vacaville; Ruiz Farm Labor, in Dixon; Michel Labor Services Inc. in Dixon; and M and J Williams Inc. in Santa Clara.

These six are included among eleven employers cited statewide in California within the industries of food processing, meatpacking, health care, agriculture and retail.

These citations ranged from penalties of about $2,000 to a penalty of more than $50,000, which was cited for a food processing company in Monterey Park.

“These are industries where workers have been disproportionately affected, and these citations are the first of many to be issued in the coming weeks and months,” Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker was quoted as saying.

In general, workers in warehouses, factories, supermarkets, and others of the industries listed above are considered essential and have had outbreaks of COVID-19 in different establishments across the country.

Martin Technical and Safety Hive Software provides and manufactures COVID-19 safety solutions including antibacterial wipes, face masks, and free COVID apps.

September 16, 2020

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Two Deaths result in 1.57 Million in OSHA Fines

Cleveland, OH- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $1.57 million in fines against an Ohio company after an accident that claimed the lives of two workers in February 2020. These two deaths prompted an on-site inspection on behalf of OSHA, and a letter from OSHA outlining the violations and fines was released August 2020.

The company in question is Great Lakes Tank and Vessel L.L.C., which specializes in cleaning large storage tanks such as chemical and gas. The proposed charges are the 5th-highest the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued since January of 2015.

With such a sum of over $1.5 million, the breakdown of individual charges and citations proposed by OSHA and served to the company can be found here. Among the many fines, one included was a fine for not evaluating the effectiveness of respirators after an Tattempt had been made to repair them using tape following chemical exposure.

Martin Technical reiterates our commitment to safety, education, and training that prevents these tragedies in the workplace.

Find more details from our source, Bloomberg Law

August 31, 2020

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OSHA Investigates Leg Amputation Incident

Fargo, ND – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has begun investigating Red River Commodities, a Fargo agricultural company, after an employee suffered an injury that resulted in losing his leg.

The worker involved in this incident was Aaron Maves, 31, who had to wait nearly 40 minutes in pain while emergency responders worked to free him.

“I’m really lucky…grain bin auger accidents have a really low survival rate,” Maves said, as reported by Valley News Live.

Maves leg was caught when he sweeping around the auger of a grain bin. He said his colleague’s quick thinking saved his life. Though unexpected accidents happen, grain bin related injuries and death are more preventable with proper training.

Since January 2018, Red River Commodities has roughly paid $25,700 in fines towards OSHA for other incidents, including one incident where an employee unfortunately was killed after being struck by a forklift while they were sweeping. OSHA cited Red River Commodities for at least eight violations committed in 2018.

August 25, 2020

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