My thoughts and prayers are with the brave people of France. I had visited Paris in October and found a vibrant and beautiful metropolitan city full of life and energy, that I instantly fell in love with.  Wish Paris a speedy recovery.       #standwithFrance    #standwithParis

What ever the reason, fatigue, carelessness, poor judgement or lack of concentration, mistakes happen.  Mistakes are also a very persuasive tool in learning a lesson but unfortunately not everyone has the fortune to get a second chance after making a mistake.  One little innocent slip, trip or unexpected gust of wind and you’re sailing to a life time of handicap or worse, your death.  Each death has a story and with that a lesson we can all learn from.  40 new stories have begun in FY2016 as that many people have already lost their lives in industrial accidents.  Don’t let their deaths be in vain and learn from their mistakes. The attitude “it won’t happen to me” will come to haunt you.  Take advantage of all safety equipment and/or practices available.  Fall safety gear, hard hats, goggles/safety glasses, LOTO.  You are just as responsible for your safety as your company.  Don’t let them ever put you in a unsafe position.  If you have expressed safety concerns to your supervisor or management and no one is addressing it contact HR or your union representative.  If no one is getting back to you  Call the OSHA Hotline -1 (800) 321-6742 (OSHA).

Penalties in Dallas Fatality Top $400,000 – PREVENTABLE – Jorge Carrion Torres a 44 year old worker, on the job for one month didn’t get a second chance and fell to his death.  His employer Design Plastering Inc. and Design Plastering West LLC didn’t think it necessary to protect Jorge while he applied stucco underlayment from a third story balcony and had not installed scaffolding or provided any fall protection which would have saved his life.  His daughter will spend her first Thanksgiving without him.  OSHA found 8 Egregious Willful and 4 Serious violations and issued a proposed fine of $407,400.  Design Plastering had no regard for the lives of their employees as Arizona OSHA had previously cited them 7 times for fall related hazards.  A man died due to willful neglect by this company and why the owner is not on trial is beyond me.

OSHA slaps ND contractor with $105K fine for fall protection violations – PREVENTABLE – Another day, another fall, the absurd continues.  When a worker injured his back and legs because the forklift platform he was on tipped over, the OSHA investigation found that his employer, Lorz Construction allowed workers on scaffolds up to 3 stories without guardrails or fall protection equipment and failed to ensure forklifts supporting scaffold platforms were not moved while occupied and construct scaffolds correctly. No second chances there.  OSHA issued 3 Willful violations along with a fine of $105,000.  They were also cited in 2014 for similar safety violations.  No matter where you work, you should not be on a platform of any type while it is moving unless you are in a cage and properly tethered.  Don’t let anyone put you into an unsafe situation.  Don’t keep quiet about safety.  Be loud!

OSHA fines Kinzers contractor $61,600 for ‘serious’ safety violations – PREVENTABLE – Deja Vu.  Rockvale Construction couldn’t care less about the safety of their workers on the job as they received 2 Willful violations along with a proposed fine of $61,600 for exposing workers to forklift and fall hazards up to 26 feet.  Get this, they also failed to properly attach the forklift platform and this is the third time since 2013 workers have been exposed to dangers and appears their safety program is based on luck and hoping not to get caught as they paid their own pockets with the blood money they save putting their employees in harms way.

TimkenSteel worker injured in crane accident, factory fined for 2nd time in a year: OSHA – PREVENTABLE – A failed safety latch on a crane caused 1000 pounds of equipment to fall on a worker who suffered a fractured left foot and several broken bones.  He got a second chance and the lesson is don’t stand directly under suspended heavy objects, ever.  The following investigation found 1 Willful, 1 Repeat and 2 Serious safety violations and the second serious violations within a year for TimkenSteel along with a proposed fine of $393,500.  Days earlier, OSHA had inspected their other plant and issued 8 Repeat and 8 Serious violations for fall hazards, lack of guardrails, slippery surfaces, PPE, no LOTO in place or use of guards or locking devices, damaged equipment, electrical hazards and didn’t bother to report injuries and illnesses as required.

New OSHA Rescue Requirements for Confined Space Retrieval: What You Should Know – READING – Whether you are in management, foreperson or worker you should read this article about the new rules for confined space retrieval and know what’s expected to protect you.

$1.8 Million in OSHA Charges Assessed Against Illinois Businessman – JERK of the Month – This person took advantage of other human beings who were trying to feed their families and have shelter.  He promised these immigrants work and then willfully exposed them to asbestos without any warnings or knowledge of the environment and the possible affects from the exposure.  This person exposed human beings to a life of disabilities just to fill his own pockets with money.  Read the article and see how morally bankrupt one person can be.

Well, that unfortunately brings yet another episode of companies behaving badly to a close.  As always, thank you all for stopping by and taking time out of your busy schedules to read the blog.  Please feel free to use any or all of these stories at your next safety tailgate/toolbox meeting. There are so many types of equipment and devices to provide you with a safe working experience.  Why wouldn’t you want to give yourself a second chance and learn from a mistake.  Use all safety equipment.  Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s o.k. this one time.  You have the right to go home the same way you arrived at work, in one piece.  Never stay quiet about safety.  BE LOUD!  Until next month, take care.