Declaring 2010 “the best year in safety performance in our company’s history,“ Transocean Ltd., owner of the Gulf of Mexico oil rig that exploded, killing 11 workers, has awarded its top executives hefty bonuses and raises, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Get the full story »
Inside these posts: Safety
Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
AIG to pay $100 million in workers’ comp fines
Bailed-out insurer American International Group will pay $100 million in fines in a settlement with all 50 states over reporting errors for premiums on workers’ compensation insurance. Get the full story »
OSHA fines Norridge-based sewer company
Norridge-based Gerardi Sewer & Water Co. was issued multiple safety citations for failing to protect workers from cave-ins during trenching operations, said the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Cave-ins are a leading cause of deaths during excavations. Get the full story »
Deaths, injuries among grain workers hit record
Accidents in grain silos, storage bins and other facilities killed and injured a record number of workers through October this year, a study by Purdue University showed. Get the full story »
FDA threatens to seize alcoholic energy drinks
(Associated Press)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned four makers of alcoholic energy drinks on Wednesday that their products could be seized if they continue to combine caffeine and alcohol in their beverages.
The move by the FDA, which described caffeine as an “unsafe food additive” in malt alcoholic beverages, was anticipated by at least one company – Chicago-based Phusion Projects, which manufactures Four Loko. The company announced Tuesday that it is removing caffeine and two other ingredients from its products. Get the full story »
Boeing: Still no timetable for more 787 flights
Boeing's long-delayed 787 Dreamliner takes to the sky at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, in this December 15, 2009 file photo. (Paul Joseph Brown/AFP/Getty Images)
Boeing Co. said Tuesday that it is still investigating last week’s electrical fire that forced an emergency landing of one of its 787 Dreamliner test planes and it has not yet decided when flight tests will resume.
The aviation industry is awaiting word on whether the fire will trigger another delay for first delivery of the light-weight, carbon-composite Dreamliner, which is still in development and nearly three years behind schedule.
Boeing has not updated its target for first delivery to Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co Ltd , which is planned for the middle of the first quarter of 2011. Get the full story »
GM recalls cars due to power steering fluid leak
General Motors will recall 13,780 Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne luxury sedans because of possible power steering fluid leaks that could cause a loss of steering or an engine fire. Get the full story »
Smoke forces Boeing 787 test flight landing
A Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner on Tuesday made an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas, after the crew reported smoke in the cabin during a test flight, according to the company and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The No. 2 plane of Boeing’s six-member test fleet was on a planned flight and routine approach to the Texas border city when a fire broke out in the rear of the cabin at about 2:50 p.m. local time. Get the full story »
Hyatt defends safety record after OSHA complaints
Hyatt Hotels Corp. defended its safety record Tuesday, following an announcement by the hotel workers union that it has filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on behalf of Hyatt housekeepers.
The complaints are being filed on behalf of workers at 12 Hyatt properties, including four in Chicago, citing more than 780 injuries that have been recorded on OSHA logs at those hotels. Unite Here, the union filing the complaints, cited injury rates that are 50 percent higher than the rest of industry.
Robb Webb, chief human resources officer for Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels Corporation called Unite Here’s accusations of a dangerous work environment “false” and aimed at increasing union membership and dues. Get the full story »
Qantas reviews way it runs A380s in engine probe
Qantas Airways is reviewing the way it operates its A380s after last week’s engine blowout, a source said on Tuesday, amid reports the carrier worked its Rolls-Royce engines harder than rivals. Get the full story »
Evanston’s Spartech fined for safety violations
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied $54,500 in fines against an Evanston-based plastic maker, saying it violated 16 “serious safety violations” by exposing employees to unguarded machinery and “electric shock hazards.” Get the full story »
N.Y. to require cleaning products to list contents
Consumers will get a newly detailed look at exactly what’s in common household cleansers, as regulators plan to start enforcing a nearly 40-year-old state law that would force manufacturers to reveal their products’ contents.
The move comes amid growing scrutiny of the chemicals that make up consumer goods. Possibly the only measures of their kind in the country, the 1971 New York law and related regulations call for manufacturers to provide ingredient lists and research on the products’ health and environmental effects.
