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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers
Lawmaker: Investigate Deaths Linked To Chinese Drywall
March 5, 2010 3:48 am | by Cain Burdeau, Associated Press Writer | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — U.S. Sen. David Vitter has called for federal officials to do a more thorough review of the deaths of several people who lived in homes that contained smelly, possibly toxic Chinese drywall. Federal officials at the Consumer Product Safety Commission said they have investigated and found no link between the drywall and the deaths of eight people.
Commercial Metals Closes Nev. Plant, Cuts 100 Jobs
March 5, 2010 3:36 am | CommentsFALLON, Nev. (AP) — Commercial Metals Co. is closing its Fallon plant, and scores of employees will lose their jobs. Officials for the Irving, Texas-based company are blaming the sluggish economy for the closure set for April 29. But they declined to release the number of affected employees.
Lawsuit Reveals Details In Deadly Refinery Blast
March 5, 2010 3:32 am | by Tim Korte, Associated Press Writer | CommentsA survivor of a deadly explosion and fire at a southeastern New Mexico oil refinery has filed a lawsuit, saying the cause was a welding accident and that the plant operator failed to follow safety procedures. Juan Carlos Hermosillo, also known as Elias Aleman, remained hospitalized Thursday with injuries from Tuesday's explosion at Navajo Refinery in Artesia, N.
Pratt & Whitney Demands Quick Decision On Jobs Appeal
March 5, 2010 3:31 am | CommentsEAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Pratt & Whitney asked a federal appeals court Thursday to act quickly on the jet engine maker's request to overturn a judge's ruling that blocks the company from moving 1,000 jobs out of Connecticut. In a request to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Pratt & Whitney said a decision is needed soon to avoid financial harm because the company plans to shut two Connecticut plants immediately after its union contract expires in December.
Toyota President Ushers In 'New Beginning'
March 5, 2010 3:29 am | by Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer | CommentsTOYOTA, Japan (AP) — Toyota President Akio Toyoda urged thousands of his employees Friday to work toward a new start and win back customer trust following safety lapses that have battered the world's biggest carmaker. "Let's go with high spirits, have fun and be confident while staying humble," Toyoda, choking up and wearing a gray workman's jacket, told 2,000 workers packed into the company's headquarters.
Wyoming Senate Kills Worker Safety Bill
March 4, 2010 9:11 am | by Ben Neary, Associated Press Writer | CommentsCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A bill that would have increased employer penalties for workplace safety violations has died in the Wyoming State Senate. House Bill 93 had come out of a worker safety task force Gov. Dave Freudenthal appointed last year to address the state's chronically high worker fatality rate, particularly in the energy industry.
CSB Releases 7 Guidelines To Reduce Workplace Explosions
March 4, 2010 7:30 am | by Dinesh Ramde, Associated Press Write | Commentsr MILWAUKEE (AP) — There was no reason to think the storage tank was unsafe. All it contained was recycled water and organic waste. So when a damaged part needed repair, three workers approached the top of the 80-foot-tall tank on a catwalk and one worker began welding. Moments later an explosion tore through the massive tank.
Puerto Rican Hand Sanitizer Contaminated With Bacteria
March 4, 2010 5:21 am | CommentsSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers in Puerto Rico that two locally produced hand sanitizers contain high levels of bacteria. The agency says "Bee-Shield Hand Sanitizer" with Aloe Vera and "MD Quality Hand Sanitizer" are distributed only in the U.
GE Transportation Plans Tobacco-Free Facility
March 4, 2010 4:16 am | CommentsERIE, Pa. (AP) — The union representing about 4,000 workers at the GE Transportation plant near Erie plan to discuss the company's plans to make the facility tobacco-free by next year. General Electric Co. experimented in 2007 by offering $750 to workers who quit smoking and earlier this year discounted its health insurance premiums for workers who don't smoke.
Govt. Slow-Moving On Standards Overhaul For Deadly Blinds
March 4, 2010 4:12 am | by Christine Simmons, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — When 3-year-old Brandyn Coppedge became entangled on a window blind cord, it took less than a minute for the toddler to strangle. His father says the safety device designed to prevent such a tragedy had broken, but the window blind was never recalled. "They need to make the product safer," said Navy Chief Petty Officer Phillip Coppedge, who lives in Norfolk, Va.
Toyota NUMMI Layoffs Cost California $2.3 Billion
March 4, 2010 4:10 am | CommentsSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A new report says it will cost California taxpayers $2.3 billion to replace jobs lost from the closure of a factory that makes Toyota cars and trucks. The report released Wednesday also says the layoffs that result from closing Fremont-based New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.
ConAgra To Close Damaged Slim Jim Plant
March 3, 2010 11:24 am | by Mike Baker, Associated Press Writer | CommentsRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — ConAgra Foods Inc. said Wednesday it will close a Slim Jim production facility in North Carolina that was damaged during a deadly explosion last year, cutting hundreds of jobs in North Carolina while adding capacity in Ohio. The Omaha, Neb.-based food manufacturer said the Garner site will close in late 2011 and production will transition to a facility in Troy, Ohio.
Lawmakers Mull Overhaul Of Auto Safety Regulations
March 3, 2010 6:28 am | by Ken Thomas and Stephen Manning, Associated Press Writers | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — After skewering top Toyota executives in three congressional hearings, lawmakers and federal safety officials will now decide if the auto industry needs new regulations to ensure that the company's huge safety recalls aren't repeated. Hearings over two weeks in the Senate and House focused mostly on Toyota's foot-dragging on problems of sudden unintended acceleration and whether the Transportation Department's safety division failed to hold the company accountable for big safety problems that have been linked to 52 deaths.
Senators: Stop Stimulus, Investment In Foreign Manufacturers
March 3, 2010 6:26 am | by Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press Writer | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — A group of Democratic senators is urging the Obama administration to suspend an economic stimulus program aimed at financing renewable energy, complaining that money is going to projects that are creating jobs in foreign countries. The four senators, led by Chuck Schumer of New York, wrote to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday to request a moratorium on the Recovery Act program.
Nissan Recalling 540,000 Vehicles For Loosening Brakes
March 3, 2010 6:12 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. is recalling about 540,000 pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and minivans to fix problems with brake pedals and fuel gauges. Most of the recalled vehicles are in the U.S., with smaller numbers scattered across the globe. The brake pedal recall affects 179,000 vehicles in the U.
