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Sunday, mar 16
Tag:
Workplace Safety
Police & Fire
Construction Worker Killed In Fall, Failed To Secure Safety Harness: Lakewood Police
A 51-year-old construction worker from The Bronx was killed after falling three floors in Lakewood on the morning of Friday, Feb. 21, authorities said. Jorge Paltan-Ajila was working at a construction site at 1600 Avenue of the States, Lakewood police said. Paltan-Ajila while working on the third floor of the construction site, slipped and fell while handing tools to a fellow employee on a boom lift, police said. He was wearing a safety harness, but it was not secured to any anchor point, police said. As he stepped on an unsecured beam, both the beam and Mr. Paltan-Ajila slip…
Business
Amazon Dismissed Warnings On High Rates Of Worker Injuries, Report Says
ityAmazon is under fire following a US Senate report accusing the company of prioritizing speed over worker safety. Released by the majority staff of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee late Sunday night, Dec. 15, the report claims Amazon’s intense focus on productivity has led to unsafe working conditions. The Senate report outlines how Amazon’s warehouse workers face high rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and other injuries caused by repetitive tasks and demanding quotas. It accuses Amazon of knowingly exposing employees to these risks, …
News
NJ Amazon Worker Deaths Spark Federal Lawsuit: What Really Happened?
A support group for warehouse workers has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), demanding transparency into three worker deaths at Amazon warehouses across the state in 2022. The lawsuit, filed in the District of New Jersey this week, accuses the DOL of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by failing to release Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation records. The complaint, submitted by Leonia resident Daniel Schlademan, highlights alarming allegations about the working conditions at Amazon facilities in Carteret and …
Police & Fire
Two Landscapers Airlifted After Crashing Into Home In Jersey Shore 55+ Community, Police Say
Two landscaping company employees were airlifted to hospitals after their vehicle crashed into a home in Barnegat, authorities said. Barnegat police responded to the crash in the Seacrest Pines 55-and-older adult community at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, the department said in a Facebook post. Investigators said two men, 46 and 42 years old, were in a vehicle that "accelerated unexpectedly through an intersection" and crashed into a Black Bear Drive home. The workers hit the windshield, causing cuts to their heads and faces. The men remained …
News
Worker Fell 80 Feet Inside Jersey Shore Water Tower, Painting Contractor Fined $485K:
Osha
A painting contractor was facing nearly $500,000 in fines after a worker fell 80 feet to the bottom of an Ocean County water tower without safety gear, officials said. The U.S. Department of Labor cited U.S. Tank Painting for three willful and 19 serious violations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a news release on Wednesday, July 24. The DOL proposed $485,580 in penalties for the Millstone Township company. OSHA said the contractor didn't install the required safety equipment to prevent an employee from falling inside the Bayville wat…
News
Estate Of Welder Blown Through Roof At New Jersey Job Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The family of a 48-year-old welder killed in an explosion that blew him through the roof of a business in Gloucester County has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his former employer. Bruce A. Cheeseman, of Cedarville, was working at Timberlane Welding & Services Inc. in Mullica Hill when the fatal accident occurred on June 15, 2022. The company performs truck and trailer repairs. The lawsuit filed by Lisa Labrusciano, as Executor of the Estate, does not mention a dollar amount sought but also names Taylor Oil Co. — which owned the truck being worked on — a yet uniden…
News
NJ Food Factory Faces $463K Fine Over Safety Violations
A food factory in Cumberland County faces fines totaling $463,224 for violating federal safety regulations, officials said. Aunt Kitty's Food Inc. in Vineland allowed workers to service and clean equipment without having procedures in place to stop machinery from starting unexpectedly, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Aunt Kitty's is a subsidiary of Hanover Foods Corp., a prominent northeast food manufacturer based in York County, PA. OSHA slapped Aunt Kitty's with seven safety violations after the agency began an investigatio…
News
Amazon Exposed NJ Workers To Hazards Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders: Feds
Workers at a New Jersey Amazon fulfillment center were exposed to numerous hazards causing bodily harm, prompting fines and multiple letters from the US Labor Department. US Labor Department opened an investigation into the Logan Township (Gloucester County) site in January, following complaints that Amazon was exposing workers to hazards capable of causing serious physical harm, the DOL said in a release. Amazon had allegedly been requiring employees to perform tasks leading to bodily stress that had caused, were causing and were likely to cause musculoskeletal disorders, the DOL said. The…
Police & Fire
2 Workers Hospitalized In Somerset County Construction Accident
Two workers were hospitalized following a construction accident in Somerset County on Wednesday, August 2, authorities said. Bound Brook Police responded to a construction site at the corner of Vosseller Ave and West Maple Avenues around 11:55 a.m. While initial details were scarce, two workers at the site were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, police said. The accident also caused a localized power outage. The accident investigation is being led by the Bound Brook Construction Office and the Code Enforcement Office. Assisting agencies include the Bound Brook Fire Dept, Bound Br…
Police & Fire
Philadelphia Worker ID'd As Victim Killed In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse
A 43-year-old construction worker from Philadelphia has been identified as the victim crushed to death by a balcony that collapsed at a Sea Isle City high-rise Friday, Feb. 24, authorities said. Jose Pereira was on the 7th floor balcony of the Spinnaker South Tower when the balcony above him collapsed, crushing him around 2:20 p.m., Sea Isle City Police Chief Anthony J. Garreffi Jr. said. Pereira's body was pinned under the 30-foot concrete slab for several hours before responders could cut through approximately 12 inches of reinforced concrete, Garreffi said. The side of the building was …
News
NJ Amazon Workers Demand Details In Colleague's Death, Some Info Released: NBC
Amazon employees who worked alongside the man who collapsed and died during the company's Prime Day shopping rush at a New Jersey warehouse are demanding answers, NBC reports. While some staffers speculated that the death was work-related, Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told the outlet that the incident was related to a personal medical condition, and ruled out working conditions as a culprit and disputed labor leaders’ account of the timeline. The worker, identified only as Rafael, experienced chest pains the evening before his shift on Wednesday, July 13, but didn't tell colleagues o…
News
Update
: Tree Worker Dies On Job In Closter, Brought Down By Firefighters
Authorities were trying to determine how long a tree worker who died on the job in Closter had been suspended in the air. The worker was tethered in a harness nearly 40 feet up, supported by climbing ropes attached to several parts of the tree, when he apparently suffered a medical emergency outside a home on Anderson Avenue on Saturday, Police Lt. Vincent Aiello said. The homeowner, who'd dialed 911 around noon, didn't know how long he'd been up there, Aiello said. Responding police officers shouted but couldn't revive the worker from the ground, the lieutenant said. He was lowered to a…
News
Welder Dies In Fall From Ferris Wheel At NJ Amusement Park: Report
A 62-year-old welder died in a fall from a Ferris wheel in New Jersey Monday, May 2, NJ Advance Media reported. The subcontractor was killed while working at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, an Ocean City amusement park, President Jay Gillian said in a statement. Gillian also is the city's mayor. Robert W. Sanger, of Pittsgrove, reportedly fell around 10:30 a.m. He was employed by Cargo Tech International of Swedesboro, Gloucester County, the outlet said. OSHA is investigating the worker's death, Leni Fortson, the federal agency's regional director, told Daily Voice. “We are cooperating w…
News
NJ Stoneworker, 37, Killed By Granite Slab Was 'Everyone's Friend'
A 37-year-old stoneworker from Burlington County was killed when a slab of granite fell onto him, authorities said. The man from Marlton, who was not identified, worked for Empire Marble & Granite in South Brunswick, police said. At 3:28 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, South Brunswick police, South Brunswick EMS, and Monmouth Junction Fire Department responded to 5 Chris Ct. The worker from Empire Marble & Granite who was killed in an industrial accident.Facebook/ Empire Marble & Granite Police found that the man's coworkers had removed much of the slab off of him, they said.…
News
$2 Million Fine For NJ's 'Most Flagrant'
Osha
Violator Upheld By Judge
A Bergen County framing contractor dubbed New Jersey’s "most flagrant violator" of federal workplace safety laws the past decade must pay $2 million in back fines to the government, an administrative law judge has ruled. Juan Quevedo-Garcia, 42, of Palisades Park "deliberately failed to pay the fines and displayed a total disregard for the safety of his workers and for the law," Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said. In doing so, he "continually put workers at risk of serious injuries or worse" at four different job sites in Bergen County, a federa…
Police & Fire
Trash Disposal Business Owner Pinned, Killed Working On Garbage Truck In Central Jersey: Police
The 67-year-old owner of a garbage collection business was killed while working on a company truck, authorities said. Kenneth Buratti of Piscataway was pinned by a hydraulic arm attached to a garbage collection truck at 8:31 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9,, according to Middlesex police. Police received a 9-1-1 call from an employee at Bridgewater Disposal, 1 South Raritan Ave. reporting the machinery accident, Buratti was performing maintenance on a truck when the accident occurred, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Representatives from the Middlesex County Medica…
News
New Immigrant Dies In Fall From Roof At Abandoned NJ Hospital
A worker at an abandoned New Jersey psychiatric hospital fell to his death on Wednesday, authorities said. Cristian Velez-Hurtado, 33, of Paterson had been working on the roof of Marlboro State Hospital on Springs Road (Monmouth County location) when he fell inside the building around 9:30 a.m., NJSP Sgt. Lawrence Peele said. The incident was deemed accidental in nature and remains under investigation. According to his Facebook profile, Velez-Hurtado is from Loja, Ecuador. He apparently celebrated one year in the US in January 2020, photos show. The hospital apparently closed in 1998 and…
News
Injured EMT Settles Suit Against Mountain Creek For $1.75 Million
An EMT who was injured in a fall while working at Mountain Creek reportedly settled a lawsuit against the resort for $1.75 million. Frank Villecco was working for Atlantic Health, which provided emergency medical services to the Vernon Township resort, when he slipped on water while bringing an injured skier into a medical room in March 2013, New Jersey Law Journal reported. Villecco suffered a herniated disc, which required fusion surgery, a spinal cord stimulator implant and pain medication for what became a chronic condition, his lawyer said. He sued Mountain Creek for not removing the …
News
Osha
: NJ Group Home Operator Failed To Guard Workers From Coronavirus Outbreaks
A New Jersey company failed to protect its workers from potentially deadly exposure to the coronavirus pandemic, a federal agency said. Oaks Integrated Care, based in Burlington County, provides healthcare in 19 counties for mental illness, developmentally disabilities and addictions, including group home residents. One worker at Oaks' Bock Bay group home in Howell and a worker at the Pat LeBon Center in Lumberton allegedly were exposed to COVID-19 at those facilities, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Both Oaks workers later died of the virus, OSHA said. I…
News
Jersey Shore Company Faces $13.7K
Osha
Fine After Employed Couple's COVID Death, Agency Says
The US Department of Labor says it may fine a Central Jersey company up to $13,653 for coronavirus violations in its workplace. On Tuesday, the labor department's Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited a pharmaceutical and, biotech manufacturer from Eatontown. The company failed to protect dozens of employees from COVID-19 at its Monmouth County facility, OSHA said in a news statement. A husband and his wife died after contracting the virus last fall, OSHA said. At least two other workers were hospitalized and at least 30 workers tested positive for COVID, the federal ag…
News
Osha
: Newark Contractor Admits Guilt In Death Of Worker Who Fell From Fair Lawn Roof
A contactor that had previously been cited by OSHA for failing to protect its employees from falls admitted its role in the death of a worker who plunged from a roof during a job in Fair Lawn, federal authorities said. Trustworthy Roofing and Siding of Newark, through its owner, pleaded guilty Thursday before a magistrate judge to “willfully violating OSHA standards by failing to provide fall protection to employees engaged in the construction of a residential home,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. By doing so, he admitted, the company “caused the death of an employee,” she said…
Police & Fire
Maintenance Worker Killed In NJ Industrial Accident Survived By 'Pride & Joy' Toddler Son
A 23-year-old maintenance worker killed over the weekend in an industrial accident over the weekend is being remembered as a hard-working dad who would've done anything to put a smile on his little boy's face. Samuel Toatley Jr., of Ewing, was operating a machine at nuLoom warehouse (Rugs USA) became pinned between a cleaning machine and section of shelving around 3 a.m. at the Prospect Plains Road facility, police said Wednesday. Affectionately known as "Loco," Toatley worked for Complete Care Maintenance, a company that cleaned the facility once a week, and was pronounced dead at the…
News
Lakewood Ice Cream Maker Fined $237K By Feds After 2nd Worker Loses Fingers
An ice cream manufacturer has been fined, again, after a worker lost his fingers in a Lakewood company machine, authorities said. The mechanic apparently was repairing an ice cream wrapper when he was seriously injured. The mishap last September at Fieldbrook Foods' plant marked the second time since 2018 that a Lakewood worker lost fingers in the same machine, federal OSHA officials said on Monday. “Fieldbrook Foods knew that machines must be completely disabled before workers perform service and maintenance," Paula Dixon-Roderick, area director of OSHA's Marlton office, said. "Inst…
News
Worker Critically Injured In Explosion At Ramapo College
UPDATE: A construction worker was gravely injured in a pipe-valve explosion Tuesday morning at Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah, responders said. Mahwah firefighters carried the victim out after he was struck in the head and knocked out by a valve cap during a pressure test on an 8-inch water line on the second floor of the college library shortly after 8 a.m., they said. A helicopter was cancelled because of the weather and he was taken by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center with severe head trauma, responders said. They were doubtful about his chances for survival. T…
Police & Fire
Fire Breaks Out At Massive New Jersey Amazon Warehouse
More than 100 Amazon workers were evacuated in a warehouse fire Tuesday night, authorities said. Several fire departments and first aid crews responded to the blaze at the Hightstown-Cranbury Station Road location on reports of smoke in the building around 11:30 p.m. Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said. The fire was located and extinguished, Ciccone said alongside Chief Michael J. Owens of the Cranbury Police Department. No injuries were reported and 1 million-square-foot building apparently reopened Wednesday, Amazon spokesperson Jenna Hilze…
News
Covid-
19: More Than Dozen NJ Hospitals, Nursing Homes Cited For Violations
More than a dozen New Jersey hospitals and nursing homes were issued citations from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 14 New Jersey facilities are among 37 ticketed nationwide, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $484,069. New Jersey had more hospitals cited than any other state, totaling $252,150. Hospitals and nursing homes issued violations and their penalties include: Valley Hospital Inc., Ridgewood, $8,675 Valley Physician Services Inc., Waldwick, $…
Police & Fire
Construction Worker Struck By Backhoe In Midland Park
A construction worker was hospitalized after being struck Wednesday afternoon by a backhoe in Midland Park. The Kemsco Construction and Equipment Company (Newark) worker was injured shortly before 4:30 p.m. behind the Midland Park Shopping Center on Godwin Avenue. Members of the Midland Park Ambulance Corps tended to the worker and took him to the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury. OSHA was notified. Midland Park and Wyckoff police also responded.
News
NJ Roof Worker Who Fell 30 Feet To His Death Had Heartbreaking Final Facebook Posts
A roof worker fell 30 feet to his death while on a warehouse roof in Bridgewater, authorities said. Frank Bartholomew, 34, was working at Brook Warehouse on Van Veghten Drive when he fell onto the warehouse floor, around 10:30 p.m. Monday, Bridgewater Police Lt. Thomas Rice said. First responders began lifesaving measures when they arrived. Bartholomew, of Pennsylvania, was transported Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick, where he later died of his injuries, Rice said. Bartholomew had repeatedly posted messages on Facebook saying how much he loved his wife and stepson in th…
Police & Fire
PSE&G Workers Burned In Teaneck Gas Flash Fire
Two PSE&G workers were burned Thursday – one seriously – when they struck a gas line that ignited on a Teaneck street, authorities said. Both were working in a construction hole on Merrison Street near Grange Road when the fire flashed shortly before 11 a.m., Deputy Police Chief John Faggello said. “Apparently, they were using a cutting instrument when they struck a gas line that ignited,” Faggello said. “One employee was severely burned on the arm while the second had less serious burns.” The Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps and medics responded along with police, the deputy chief sa…
Police & Fire
Tree Worker From Bergenfield Falls To Death In Ridgewood
A tree worker fell to his death Thursday in Ridgewood. The 35-year-old Bergenfield worker for Arrow Tree Service in Old Tappan was nearly 30 feet up when he fell and tree limb landed on top of him at a Waiku Road home off Carlton Terrace at 8:40 a.m., Police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke said. He was killed instantly, responders said. Village police, firefighters and ALS and BLS units responded. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and co-workers.
Business
Covid-
19: Amazon Worker At Central Jersey Warehouse Tests Positive
At least one Amazon employee at a Mercer County warehouse reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus, increasing the reported total in New Jersey to three on Monday. Amazon confirmed a diagnosed case of coronavirus in the company's Robbinsville facility, NJ.com reported. "We’ve taken extreme measures to keep people safe, tripling down on deep cleaning, procuring available safety supplies & maintaining safe distances," Amazon tweeted. "Our employees are heroes fighting for their communities & we couldn’t be more grateful." The report came amid a protest by workers at A…
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