On April 19, 2011, I was interviewed by John Saunders of ESPN after the University of Notre Dame issued their final report in the scissor lift fatality of Notre Dame videographer Declan Sullivan. Click here to view the episode. Jon
Safety Articles
Yale student dies after machine shop incident
A Yale senior was killed after a machine shop incident. Click here to learn more. Machine shops typically have numerous machine guarding issues - abrasive grinders; metal lathes; saws. It is essential this equipment is properly guarded and employees properly trained...
Chemical Safety Board to investigate Hoeganaes Corp after two serious incidents since January 2011
March 30, 2011: The Chemical Safety Board announced it will launch an investigation of the Hoaganeas Corporation facility located in Gallatin, TN after two serious flash fires have occurred since January 2011. The first incident resulted in one fatality and one...
OSHA fine upheld against Wal-Mart in 2008 Trampling death of employee
A $7,000.00 OSHA fine against Wal-Mart was upheld on March 25, 2011 by Covette Rooney, the chief Administrative Law Judge of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Judge Rooney concluded that unruly crowds led to the trampling death of a Wal-Mart...
Robots increase worker productivity – But are robot hazards being properly evaluated?
MSNBC recently published an article attributing the significant increase in worker productivity to the use of robots: (click here to read the article) Indeed robots are extremely effective at improving productivity and product quality. However, unsafe work practices,...
New York Fire Department to replace gloves after six suffer hand burns
The New York City Fire Department is replacing new fire-retardant gloves after determining they do not properly protect firefighters from burns. Since November 2010, six firefighters have suffered second degree burns on the back of their hands after fighting house...
Scissor-Lift Fatality Interview: ESPN – Outside the Lines
I was interviewed by ESPN - Outside the Lines following the Notre Dame scissor lift incident. Click here to view the video. Jon
Notre Dame Fatality Interview: Chicago Tribune
Following the death of Declan Sullivan, a videographer at the University of Notre Dame, I was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune concerning the incident. Click here to read the interview. Unfortunately, this incident was entirely preventable: Forseeable: On October...
Imperial Sugar to pay $6 Million for safety violations
Imperial Sugar Co. agreed to pay $6 million in fines over safety violations following the February 2008 explosion in a Georgia plant that killed 14 people. Imperial Sugar says it added numerous safety features when it rebuilt the Georgia plant last year. The...
Recent accidents likely to result in increased enforcement
Several recent safety accidents will likely result in increased enforcement from federal safety agencies. Consider the following incidents that have occurred in 2010: Tesoro Refinery explosion: On April 2, 2010 a catastrophic failure of a heat exchanger resulted in 7...