This is a good example of why we need to have a zero tolerance policy for horseplay, and make sure that people are thoroughly trained on the equipment they use.

Former EMT Headed To Jail For Prank
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
WBAL Radio and The Associated Press

A Viriginia judge convicted a former rescue squad worker of involuntary manslaughter for zapping a co-worker with defibrillator paddles in what turned out to be a deadly prank.
Joshua Philip Martin, 25, faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in March. Circuit Court Judge Michael Lee Moore, who found him guilty after Martin entered a no contest plea, said Monday he likely will order prison time.
Martin had been on the job four days when he carried out the deadly prank on June 1.
Courtney Hilton Rhoton told Martin not to touch her with the paddles, but moments later, he placed the device on her chest and shoulder and activated it, prosecutors said.
The 23-year-old mother of two small children went into cardiac arrest. Her body first stiffened and then went limp. Rhoton, who had been an emergency medical technician for one year, never regained consciousness and died three days later.
Martin was not yet qualified to use the defibrillator, which is used to restart a patient's heart with an electric current.
Martin's mother, Diane White, said he meant no harm and "just made a mistake."
Rhoton's sister, Chanda Lawson, said, "They're crying because he's going to jail, but my sister's not coming back."

Iowa DOT Website for Winter Safety

http://www.dot.state.ia.us/maintenance/

There are alot of great tips on here for winter safety, especially for driving in winter weather. I've also posted information about winter driving from the Maryland DOT, but this site has a windchill calculator which I thought was interesting. I know we don't live in Iowa, but the information is good all the same.

-Mike

Report: 'Scared' Roofers Fled Church Fire
Historic Church Destroyed In Fire

CHICAGO -- Two roofers using blow torches on the roof of the historic Pilgrim Baptist Church left the scene because they became scared when they couldn't extinguish what would become a devastating fire, says a Chicago Fire Department report.
The workers used a cell phone to alert their boss to the blaze, according to the report obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
But the report does not suggest a delay in the Jan. 6 fire being reported to authorities. A passing ambulance crew spotted the workers trying to stop the fire and called in an alarm, then urged the workers to get off the roof, the report says. Nearby residents also called 911.
The fire department has said the blow torches caused the blaze, which could be seen from miles away and left the landmark church, designed in the late 1800s by the famous architectural firm headed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, a charred shell. It had been in the midst of a renovation project.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond reiterated Monday that authorities don't believe any criminal action contributed to the fire.
The roofers were on the job through a subcontractor brought in by Conrad Roofing and Construction Co., a contractor hired for a $125,000 job to install new copper gutters at Pilgrim Baptist.
A person answering the phone Monday at Conrad Roofing and Construction declined to comment.
The workers told police they used a propane torch shortly before they noticed a small fire and attempted to extinguish it.
"But it got worse, so they gathered their tools (including the propane torch) and went to their work van," the report says.

Worker injured by falling wall in Olympia

OLYMPIA — A construction worker was injured this morning when a wall he and others were putting up fell on him, the Olympia Fire Department reported.
The worker was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital and was expected to survive, fire Lt. Steve Bradley said.The workers were building a house at the intersection of Cozy Drive and Sixth Avenue N.W. The accident was reported about 10:38 a.m., Bradley said.Workers pulled their colleague out from under the wall, which was about 10 feet high and 20 feet long, and had already been sheeted, he said.“I’m not sure what saved him at all. He took that whole wall coming down on him,” Bradley said.

Man's leg severed in job-site accident

By Sarah Langbein, Rocky Mountain News January 17, 2006
A 33-year-old Thornton man's leg was severed Monday morning in an industrial accident.
Mario Lujan's leg got caught in a trencher, a small tractor with a chainsaw-like digger attached to the back, while a co-worker was digging a septic line, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office reported.
Hospital officials said Lujan was in serious but stable condition. They declined to release any additional details about his injuries.
The accident happened around 9:30 a.m. in the 44000 block of East Mexico Avenue at a home under construction.
Roger Waychoff, 53, a subcontractor at the site, was driving the trencher. He told authorities that the last time he saw Lujan, his co-worker was 10 feet behind the machine. Then he heard Lujan screaming.
Lujan's leg was severed at the knee. Waychoff told deputies that he used his belt as a tourniquet and called for help on his cell phone.
Officials with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are expected to investigate the incident. The office was closed for the federal holiday Monday, and a spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Worker rescued from trench

Anne Arundel County emergency crews rescued a construction worker yesterday who injured his back after falling into a trench at a fiber optic cable work site in Annapolis.
The accident occurred about 11:30 a.m. after the worker fell into a hole that was about 7 feet square and 7 feet deep, said Lt. Frank Fennell of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. It occurred near the eastbound ramp to U.S. 50 off Route 2 and West Street.
The 21-year-old told rescuers he heard his back snap when he landed in the pit, which had been dug to install a concrete cable junction box, Fennell said.
Because the sides of the dirt pit were unstable, it had to be shored up with sheets of plywood and metal braces before medics could safely descend into the pit and remove the injured worker using a backboard and stretcher.
"It took about two hours and a lot of staffing to do it," Fennell said.
He said blankets were used and heat was pumped into the pit to keep the man warm.
The worker, whose name was not released, was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries, Fennell said.

Cal OSHA Investigates Worker’s Fatal Fall
By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has launched an investigation into the fall that claimed the life of a construction worker at the new Berkeley City College Building.
Robert Walton, a 58-year-old Oakland man, sustained fatal injuries when he fell four stories while working on the new community college building at 2000 Center St.
Cal/OSHA spokesperson Renee Bacchini said investigators were on the scene of the Jan. 3 accident soon after the accident.
Walton was rushed to Highland Hospital, where he died a week later on Jan. 10. The Alameda County Coroner’s officer attributed the cause of death to “multiple blunt force injuries.”
Bacchini said Walton was applying stucco to the surface of the building from a scaffolding at the time of the accident. “He fell from four stories up,” she said.
Walton was an employee of J&J Acoustics, a San Jose firm.
Bacchini said investigators will question witnesses, co-workers, and his employer and will examine equipment he was using, whether he had received adequate safety training, any safety equipment or mechanisms he may have been using and whether he was properly equipped with a safety harness.
“It will be a very comprehensive investigation,” she said.
While the agency is allowed six months to conclude an investigation, the Cal/OSHA spokesperson said she expected that results would be available in two to three months.
A memorial service for Walton will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Fouche’s Hudson Funeral Home, 3665 Telegraph Ave., Oakland.

Safety Classes at ABC Baltimore, February - April 2006

OSHA 10 Hour-Construction
Dates: February 9-10, March 9-10, or April 6-7
Time: 8am to 2pm
Cost: $75.00 members/$185.00 non-members
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OSHA 10 Hour-General Industry
Dates: February 16-17 or March 16-17
Time: 8am to 2pm
Cost: $75.00 members/$185.00 non-members
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CPR and First Aid Training
Date: February 6, March 6, or April 10
Time: 8am to 12pm
Cost: $55.00 members/$70.00 non-members
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flagger Certification-ATSSA Course
Date: February 8 or March 15
Time: 8am to 1pm
Cost: $60.00 members/$75.00 non members
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Note: All cancellations require 48 hours notice. Cancellations within 48 hours and unannounced no-shows will be charged and credited for future classes

ABC Baltimore
1220B East Joppa Rd. Ste. 322
Towson, MD 21286
410.821.0351 Fax: 410.821.0358
Attn: Mike Barton

Members...if you need help with this, please call me at 410-821-0351 or mbarton@abcbaltimore.org

2006 - 01/13/2006 - OSHA Reminds Employers to Post Injury/Illness Summaries Beginning February 1
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents

Trade News ReleaseJanuary 13, 2006Contact: Frank MeilingerPhone: (202) 693-1999
OSHA Reminds Employers to Post Injury/Illness Summaries Beginning February 1WASHINGTON -- Beginning February 1, employers must post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today. Employers are only required to post the Summary (OSHA Form 300A) -- not the OSHA 300 Log -- from Feb.1 to Apr. 30, 2006.The summary must list the total numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2005 and were logged on the OSHA 300 form. Employment information about annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is also required to assists in calculating incidence rates. Companies with no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2005 must post the form with zeros on the total line. All establishment summaries must be certified by a company executive.The form is to be displayed in a common area wherever notices to employees are usually posted. Employers must make a copy of the summary available to employees who move from worksite to worksite, such as construction workers, and employees who do not report to any fixed establishment on a regular basis.Employers with ten or fewer employees and employers in certain industry groups are normally exempt from federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements. A complete list of exempt industries in the retail, services, finance and real estate sectors is posted on OSHA's website.Exempted employers may still be selected by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics to participate in an annual statistical survey. All employers covered by OSHA need to comply with safety and health standards and must report verbally within eight hours to the nearest OSHA office all accidents that result in one ore more fatalities or in the hospitalization of three or more employees.Copies of the OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301 are available on the OSHA Recordkeeping Webpage in either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet format.Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
# # #
U.S. Labor Department news releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this release will be made available in alternative format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call 202-693-7773 or TTY 202-693-7755.

OSHA Extends Comment Period on Revised Rule for Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Installations Public Hearing Rescheduled for March 6, 2006


http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=11631

OSHA Seeking Comments on ROPS Standard


http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=11741

OSHA Offers Assistance to Employers for Protecting Employees from Cold Weather

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=11738