Quote of the day
“While the trend is encouraging, it is imperative that everyone remain diligent and committed to workplace safety.”
Laurence Hubbard, president of Montana State Fund, the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurance company, regarding downward trend in workplace accident frequency
Boulder man accused of failing to pay, threatening to report workers
A 43-year-old Boulder, Colorado man whom authorities charged with failing to pay his contract employees and then threatening to report their immigration status to Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been sentenced to four years probation and ordered to pay about $26,000 in restitution. KUSA (Denver)
Michigan: East Lansing settles lawsuit with former employee for $125K
The city of East Lansing, Michigan has settled a lawsuit with a former wastewater treatment plant employee for $125,000. His lawsuit alleged he was fired in retaliation for reporting health and safety violations to state agencies and filing a workers’ compensation claim. Fox 47 (Lansing, Mich.)
Widow of trucker crushed by steel beams moves forward with lawsuit
The widow of a 71-year-old truck driver who was crushed by steel beams at a Florida warehouse is moving forward with a wrongful death lawsuit. A pile of steel beams weighing nearly 7,000 pounds and stacked next to tractor-trailer became unsecured and fell on him while he was picking up a load at the facility. Freight Waves [with audio]
Montana sees dip in private industry injuries
Montana employers reported 14,100 recordable injuries and illnesses in 2018, with 11,900 of those occurring in private industry, an 11 percent dip from 2017, according to a new report. The industries with the highest incidence rates were manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and construction and health care and social assistance. Great Falls Tribune
Thousands of farmworkers have died in accidents
Because of special rules for small farms, underreporting and a lack of public data in Idaho, there is no way to tally agricultural casualties and debilitating injuries. The meager data available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that men and women who pick fruit, harvest crops, milk cows and work in processing plants in Idaho are injured and killed at a higher rate than in other professions. Valliant News