Nevada's OSHA has found that the death of a carpenter was caused by the contractor's pressuring employees to put construction speed before safety. Lyndal Bates, 49, was working at the construction site of a new casino in the Las Vegas strip last June when he mistakenly attached his safety harness to a piece of scaffolding that he was tearing down. Nevada OSHA has cited the contractor, Marnell Corrao Associations, with 5 violations related to the incident, for a total of $11,000. Marnell, not surprisingly, is appealing the ruling. The Las Vegas Sun has more on the dangers facing construction workers in Las Vegas here and here.
In other news:
- North Carolina OSHA recently cited Smithfield Packing Co. (surprise!) and one of its contractors, QSI, Inc. for serious and willful safety violations that resulted in an employee losing his arm last March at Smithfield's Tar Heel plant. The Fayette Observer has more here.
- Garrett Therolf of the Los Angeles Times reveals how participants of the area's "temporary student worker" program have gotten trapped working for years in low-wage jobs with no health insurance or paid leave.
- An article in the Herald Dispatch (WV) discusses an announcement by the Mine Safety and Health Administration to change procedures for its public hearings on its proposed rule on mandatory worker drug testing, after strong objections were rasied by the United Mine Workers Union to the "audio" public hearings.Â
- Tina Minter and Russell E. Drone discuss how we can better safeguard the health and safety of older workers at the website for the Society for Human Resource Management.
- The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and Booz & Co. have released a report examining levels of corporate engagement in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria among employees. The full report (12 pages) is available here.
- Omaha World-Herald reporter Michael O'Connor discusses the benefits to employers of investing in employee health via vaccination and wellness programs.
Have you seen any occupational health news stories this week that you'd like to share with The Pump Handle? Please post them in the Comments!