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Workplace Safety

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Amazon Dismissed Warnings On High Rates Of Worker Injuries, Report Says Amazon Dismissed Warnings On High Rates Of Worker Injuries, Report Says
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, …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
NJ Amazon Worker Deaths Spark Federal Lawsuit: What Really Happened? NJ Amazon Worker Deaths Spark Federal Lawsuit: What Really Happened?
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 …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Two Landscapers Airlifted After Crashing Into Home In Jersey Shore 55+ Community, Police Say Two Landscapers Airlifted After Crashing Into Home In Jersey Shore 55+ Community, Police Say
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 …

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by Chris Spiker
News
Worker Fell 80 Feet Inside Jersey Shore Water Tower, Painting Contractor Fined $485K: OSHA Worker Fell 80 Feet Inside Jersey Shore Water Tower, Painting Contractor Fined $485K: OSHA
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…

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by Chris Spiker
News
Estate Of Welder Blown Through Roof At New Jersey Job Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Estate Of Welder Blown Through Roof At New Jersey Job Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit
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…

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by Jon Craig
News
NJ Food Factory Faces $463K Fine Over Safety Violations NJ Food Factory Faces $463K Fine Over Safety Violations
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…

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by Jon Craig
News
OSHA Fines Pennsylvania Contractor $18K After Fatal Balcony Collapse In Sea Isle City OSHA Fines Pennsylvania Contractor $18K After Fatal Balcony Collapse In Sea Isle City
Osha Fines Pennsylvania Contractor $18K After Fatal Balcony Collapse In Sea Isle City Federal inspectors have levied $18,082 in fines against a Bucks County, PA, contracting company after a balcony collapse that killed a worker in Sea Isle City earlier this year. Jose Pereira, 43, of Philadelphia, was working on a seventh-floor balcony on the Spinnaker Condominium complex’s south tower on Feb. 24 when an eighth-floor balcony collapsed on top of him, pinning him under the concrete slab. OSHA officials have cited Ferguson Contracting Inc. of Yardley, PA, for five different violations. OSHA citationOSHA Sea Isle City balcony collapse.Lex Step for Daily Voice Crews were …

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by Jon Craig
News
Amazon Exposed NJ Workers To Hazards Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders: Feds Amazon Exposed NJ Workers To Hazards Causing Musculoskeletal Disorders: Feds
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…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
OSHA Fines South Jersey Company $38K Over Fatal Explosion OSHA Fines South Jersey Company $38K Over Fatal Explosion
Osha Fines South Jersey Company $38K Over Fatal Explosion Federal inspectors have levied more than $38,000 in fines against a South Jersey repair shop where an explosion killed a worker. Bruce A. Cheeseman, 48, of Cedarville, was welding at Timberlane Services Inc. in Mullica Hill on June 15, 2022, when he died from the explosion, according to investigators with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. (OSHA) "We are contesting the alleged violation,'' said a spokeswoman for Timberlane.  The explosion blew Cheeseman through the building's roof, according to an investigative report.  He was welding nipples onto the top of a fuel tank t…

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by Jon Craig
Police & Fire
Philadelphia Worker ID'd As Victim Killed In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse Philadelphia Worker ID'd As Victim Killed In Sea Isle City Balcony Collapse
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 …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Amazon Workers Demand Details In Colleague's Death, Some Info Released: NBC NJ Amazon Workers Demand Details In Colleague's Death, Some Info Released: NBC
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…

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by Cecilia Levine & Eli M. Rosenberg (NBC News)
News
UPDATE: Tree Worker Dies On Job In Closter, Brought Down By Firefighters UPDATE: Tree Worker Dies On Job In Closter, Brought Down By Firefighters
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Welder Dies In Fall From Ferris Wheel At NJ Amusement Park: Report Welder Dies In Fall From Ferris Wheel At NJ Amusement Park: Report
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…

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by Jon Craig
News
NJ Stoneworker, 37, Killed By Granite Slab Was 'Everyone's Friend' NJ Stoneworker, 37, Killed By Granite Slab Was 'Everyone's Friend'
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.…

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by Jon Craig
News
$2 Million Fine For NJ's 'Most Flagrant' OSHA Violator Upheld By Judge $2 Million Fine For NJ's 'Most Flagrant' OSHA Violator Upheld By Judge
$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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Trash Disposal Business Owner Pinned, Killed Working On Garbage Truck In Central Jersey: Police Trash Disposal Business Owner Pinned, Killed Working On Garbage Truck In Central Jersey: Police
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…

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by Jon Craig