UPDATE: Explosion at Louisville business kills two employees, injures 11
The explosion occurred Tuesday afternoon at Givaudan Sense Colour, which produces colorings for food and drinks.
Workplace Safety
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Lucas Oil Stadium not considering switch to natural grass, Colts exec says
The NFL Players Association has called on all NFL venues to use natural grass for their playing surfaces, but that type of switch isn’t practical for Lucas Oil Stadium, officials say.
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New York latest state to target Amazon’s use of productivity quotas
A report released in April by Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of four labor unions, found Amazon employed 33% of all U.S. warehouse workers in 2021, but was responsible for 49% of all injuries in the industry.
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Southwest pilots union says fatigue is safety problem
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which is currently negotiating with the airline for a new contract, said the number of pilots asking to be relieved from a flight assignment because of fatigue jumped 330% in March compared with the same month in pre-pandemic years.
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Companies take lead on response to COVID surge
While many government leaders seem reluctant to reimpose restrictions, businesses are beginning to lay down the law.
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Articles
Indiana hits record low for nonfatal workplace injuries, illnesses
Thirteen industries in Indiana saw decreases in their nonfatal injury and illness rates last year, while six saw increases.
INDOT to launch camera speed-enforcement pilot for highway construction zones
The agency will kick its pilot off Aug. 14 in Hancock County’s Interstate 70 construction zone and plans to add other sites to the program “over time,” it said.
After 20-year-old Amazon employee dies at work, Indiana issues $7,000 fine
Such cases reveal the limited ability of state and federal safety regulators to effectively levy penalties or enforce safety policies on powerful corporations like Amazon, which made $9.9 billion in profit in the last quarter.
Dollar Tree, Family Dollar agree to take steps to improve worker safety
U.S. regulators on Wednesday announced a settlement with the company that runs Dollar Tree and Family Dollar aimed at improving worker safety at thousands of the bargain stores across the country.
Dollar General targeted by U.S. for systemic work hazards
Over the past two years, the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued fines of $12.5 million against Dollar General, the most of any retailer during that period.
Administration to toughen enforcement of child labor laws as cases mount
As part of the effort, the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services will coordinate investigations and ensure the safety of migrant children.
Meat plant cleaning service fined $1.5M for hiring minors
The 13 plants where violations were found were in Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas.
Woman critical, suspect dead after Subaru plant shooting
Lafayette police reported that the woman and the suspected shooter previously had been in a relationship.
Ukrainian war hits local tech companies with overseas workers
Companies have had to figure out ways to support their Ukraine-based workers while also keeping business moving in a time of huge disruption.
Michigan’s Howard suspended 5 games for Wisconsin altercation
University of Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard also was fined $40,000 for hitting a Wisconsin assistant in the head, triggering a postgame skirmish.
Michigan hoops coach Howard hits Wisconsin assistant after loss
Juwan Howard struck Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft after jawing with Wisconsin coach Greg Gard during the handshake line. The Big Ten said it planned to “take swift and appropriate disciplinary action when it completes its review.”
Man dies after caught in industrial door in Terre Haute
First responders were dispatched Friday morning to the Steel Dynamics Heartland LLC plant in Terre Haute and found the man caught in a large roll-up industrial door, Vigo County Sheriff John Plasse said.
Members of Congress want answers from Amazon on warehouse collapse
The letter from more than a dozen lawmakers asks Amazon for documents and details about its policies for safety drills, storm shelters and flexible working hours during storms.
FedEx shooting victims ask Indianapolis for $2.1 million
Lawyers for the victims said the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office failed to follow Indiana’s red flag law when they decided not to file a case with the courts to suspend the shooter’s gun rights in March of 2020.
FAA proposes giving flight attendants 1 more hour of rest
The Federal Aviation Administration proposed Thursday that flight attendants get 10 consecutive hours of rest between shifts. The proposal does not change the current 14-hour limit on a flight attendant’s work day.
More companies weighing penalties for unvaccinated workers
Employers are increasingly moving from luring workers to get their shots to using threats, workplace experts say, frustrated by vaccine holdouts and emboldened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this week.
Poll: Half of U.S. employees favor workplace shot mandate
The sentiment is similar for workplace mask mandates, with 50% of Americans working in person favoring them and 29% opposed, while 59% of remote workers are in favor.
Pot users welcome: Amazon to stop testing jobseekers for cannabis
The company, the second-largest private employer in the United States behind Walmart, is making the change as states legalize cannabis or introduce laws banning employers from testing for it.
Union leaders decry Indiana’s high rate of worker deaths
Critics are calling for improved workplace safety enforcement with the state’s rate of deaths while working about one-third higher than the national average.