Feds probing Indiana’s workplace safety agency
The federal government’s workplace safety agency is investigating its Indiana counterpart—a department that documents indicate is trying to boost its inspections without hiring new staffers.
Workplace Safety
Articles
Report: IOSHA loses its teeth as workplace safety watchdog
The state agency inspects fewer than a third of the businesses it did in the 1980s, issues fines for serious violations that average less than half the national rate and issued violations at a lower rate than the national average the past decade, according to a newspaper report.
Glass company faces more fines for safety violations
The state wants to fine Pilkington North America $231,000 following another round of safety concerns at a Shelbyville factory. This is at least the third time in less than a year, and fourth time since 2010, that the state has stepped in to address problems at the plant.
Head of Indiana safety agency resigns after 7 years
The head of Indiana's workplace safety agency has stepped down after seven years in the job, during which the department issued some of the largest safety fines in the state's history.
Bill would crack down on convenience store safety
Stores with crime problems that wanted to remain open overnight would have to do one of the following: have two employees working, install a bulletproof enclosure, have a security guard or conduct business through a pass-through trough.
Glass factory’s safety under state’s lens yet again
Union leaders say working conditions are improving at the Pilkington glass factory in Shelbyville, but an employee’s injury in October has led to another visit from state safety officials and possibly more fines.
Farm fatalities fall in Indiana; no children die
A new Purdue University report says farm-related deaths in Indiana fell to 16 last year and none involved children for the first time in 13 years.
Indiana workplace deaths up slightly last year
A new report says the number of people dying on the job rose slightly in Indiana last year, to 122, the Indiana Department of Labor said Monday.
Lawsuit tests Indiana’s ‘take your gun to work’ law
New provisions of Indiana gun laws that allow people to keep guns in their cars at work and prohibit employers from asking about gun possession will get their first test in a lawsuit filed by an Indianapolis man.
Shelbyville factory in trouble again, faces record IOSHA fines
Pilkington North America faces $453,000 in proposed penalties after state inspectors detected 29 new safety violations at the plant, according to agency documents.
Violations persist after fatality at Shelbyville glass factory
A Shelbyville glass factory has had almost two years to address safety violations resulting from a worker’s death, but the state says the plant still has a lot of the same problems. Pilkington North America faces $150,000 in fines after an Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection in March and April.
Flavor-maker under siege fights back in court
Locally based Sensient Flavors LLC is fighting back with a fury in federal court, following months of intense federal and state scrutiny of the health risks at its Indianapolis plant.
Closed meeting angers wounded store clerk’s family
The family of a convenience store clerk critically injured in an October shooting harshly criticized an Indiana agency's decision to hold a closed-door meeting Wednesday with trade groups on efforts to boost safety at the 24-hour facilities.
Fatal shooting creates human resources issue for Kroger
Kroger officials are reviewing the actions of a manager who fatally shot a would-be robber inside a grocery store while it was busy with customers.
State scrutinizing Village Pantry for workers’ safety
The Oct. 21 shooting of a clerk at a north-side Village Pantry came just four months after the convenience-store chain settled allegations by state inspectors that another of its Indianapolis stores failed to establish and maintain “reasonably safe” working conditions.
Avon security company beefing up work force
Nolan Security & Investigations said it plans to add as many as 300 part-time and full-time workers to serve new clients.
Indiana workplace injury, illness rate remains flat
Indiana workplaces reported 4.3 injuries and illnesses per 100 workers last year. It marked the 13th straight year when the statewide rate didn't increase.
Workplace fatalities fall to record low in Indiana
In 2010, 115 workers died on the job in Indiana, a decrease of eight from 2009, according to the state Department of Labor.
Can’t stand the heat? Get off the job site
The combination of rising temperatures and humid air have prompted the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for central Indiana through 8 p.m., but some area workers can’t stay out of the elements.
New law bans firms from asking workers about their guns
Indiana employers won't be allowed to ask workers about guns and ammunition that they might have in their vehicles under a bill that Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed into law.