Weekly articles are to be a summary and reaction to an article you find related to occupational safety and health. Make sure it is double spaced, 12 font, and at least one full page. Make sure your articles are related to health and safety issues in this country and post the link of your article in the body of your paper.

MODEL ANSWER:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162-57523596/oklahoma-refinery-blast-probe-could-take-months/
The article, “Oklahoma Refinery Blast Probe could take Months,” described an explosion that occurred at a refinery in Wynnewood, Oklahoma that killed one worker and critically injured another. The United States Department of Labor commented on the explosion and stated that the entire investigation could take months to complete. Elizabeth Todd, speaking on behalf the Department of Labor, stated that OSHA investigators were at the scene today and may be there for up to a week.
The refinery is owned by a company called CVR Energy, which is based in Sugar Land, Texas. On Friday, the refinery was closed for scheduled maintenance. A boiler exploded after it was being brought back online. The blast killed Billy Smith, 34, and critically injured Russell Mann, who remains hospitalized in critical condition.
While this article was a bit short, it incited a good amount of anger within me. First off, the fact that this article is so short and is buried within the local section of CBS News tells a lot of what the United States thinks about worker safety. Obviously, not many people think this is much of a big deal, since it was not widely talked about. The fact that even one person died on a seemingly routine workday is just unacceptable. How could this company not take measures to prevent this? There had to be some, even slight, indication that this boiler could have in fact exploded. Even if it was a very faint concern by either a worker or management person, it should have been dealt with. I’m sure that somebody noticed something unusual about this boiler or the area of the refinery or something that should have been dealt with and it is despicable that nothing was done about it. Nearly all workplace accidents are preventable and I’m sure that this one was no exception. When OSHA completes its investigation, I really hope the results will be widely reported and discussed across the country to bring awareness to the still-dangerous situations that workers face. There is, perhaps, some hope on the horizon, but the fact that this story was so underreported saddens and angers me greatly.

WEBSITES: http://rss.topix.net/us/osha; www.OSHA.gov; and http://weeklytoll.blogspot.com/

Category: Essays