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PAGE 2 February 2024
OSHA cites Huntsville business after man dies According to a news release from the US Department of Labor, in July 2023 a 33-year- old concrete finisher collapsed at a Huntsville construction site after showing clear signs of heat illness. This is a tragedy that federal safety investigators found could have been prevented had the employer followed established safety practices for heat hazards. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration into the July 28, 2023, fatality found workers of SJ&L General Contractor LLC were hand forming concrete curbs when – as the heat index neared 107 degrees and humidity climbed to 85 percent – the worker was seen by coworkers stumbling, talking incoherently and eventually vomiting before becoming unresponsive. Though employees provided first aid and paramedics transported the worker to the hospital, the worker died only two hours after being admitted. OSHA investigators determined that SJ&L General Contractor LLC exposed this worker and 18 other employees to hazards of extreme heat while working outside in direct sun during their 10-hour shifts. “Had the employer ensured access to shade and rest in this brutal heat, this worker might not have lost their life and would have been able to end their shift safely,” said OSHA Area Office Director Joel Batiz in Birmingham. “Regardless of the season – summer or winter – employers must establish rest cycles, train workers in identifying signs and symptoms of weather exposure, ensure workers have time to acclimate to temperatures, and implement and follow safety plans and ensure those plans are monitored. If not, weather conditions can have severe – and sadly, sometimes fatal – consequences, as they did in this case," he added. OSHA determined SJ&L General Contractor LLC exposed workers to hazards associated with high heat while working in direct sunlight. The employer faces $16,131 in proposed penalties, an amount set by federal statute. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Increasing summer temperatures continue to impact workers. Fatalities due to exposure to extreme temperatures increased 18.6 percent in 2022, rising to 51 from 43 in 2021. Fatalities specifically due to environmental heat were 43 in 2022, up from 36 in 2021. OSHA has a number of resources that can assist employers and help workers stay safe while working in outdoor and indoor heat environments, including a heat safety tool that allows employers and workers to calculate the heat index and risk level to workers and follow protective measures to maximize safety. Also, OSHA urges employers to visit the agency’s winter safety page to understand the dangers of cold-weather hazards in the workplace and view resources to help recognize and reduce risks by planning, equipping and training workers for outdoor weather.
NEWS & EVENTS
Flock to North Alabama for the Year of Birding HEROES AT THE POLLS - Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen has launched his “Heroes at the Polls” initiative, which encourages veterans to request to be appointed as a poll worker and attend poll worker training administered by each of Alabama’s probate judges prior to each election. After training, they will serve as poll workers at a location designated by their local probate judge. Veterans who are interested in participating in the Heroes at the Polls program should contact their local probate judge or apply to be appointed as a poll worker by navigating to the Election Information tab at www.alabamavotes.gov. CONECUH SAUSAGE TO EXPAND - Conecuh Sausage, an iconic Alabama maker of hickory smoked sausages, plans to invest nearly $58 million to open a second production facility in the state, creating 110 jobs in Andalusia. Conecuh Sausage was founded in Evergreen in 1947, and the production location in Conecuh County will remain operational as the company expands to meet increasing demand for its products WELLNESS FAIR - Gadsden State Community College is hosting “Leap into Wellness: Whole Person Wellness Fair” at two campus locations. The wellness fairs will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Ayers Campus Cheaha Center and Feb. 28 in Allen Hall on the Wallace Drive Campus. Various vendors will be present with information related to all aspects of health care. Whole person health involves looking at the whole person and focuses on restoring health, promoting resilience and preventing diseases across a lifespan. The wellness fairs are free and sponsored by the Advising and Retention Center. For more information, call 256-549-8271 or email arc@gadsdenstate.edu. ROAD FUNDING - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has appointed more than $40 million in state transportation funding for various road and bridge projects. There were 26 projects selected for funding for a total of just over $40 million in state transportation funding. Of those awarded projects, 18 were from cities and counties putting forward more than $18 million in local funds. Under the ATRIP-II program, there is no requirement that local governments put up matching funds to be eligible. A couple of the projects will take place in Northeast Alabama. In Glencoe, there will be an intersection improvement at US-431 (SR-1) and Green Valley Road, which will include a southbound acceleration lane and new traffic signal. The amount received for the project was $1.7 Million and the total cost will be $1,884,300. Marshall County received $2 million for a roundabout at the intersection of SR-205 and Oneonta cut-off road/Turnpike Road. The county will spend $317,645 on the project for a total cost of $2,317,645. K9 VEST - DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office K9 Vulp will receive a bullet and stab protective vest. The vest is sponsored by Vested Interest in K9s. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks. BOGO SCHOLARSHIP - Gadsden State Community College is extending its Buy One Get One Free Scholarship program. Members of the Chambers of Commerce in Calhoun, Cherokee and Etowah counties can now use the scholarship for the summer semester. In July, signing events were held with the area Chambers to solidify the partnership that provides a free course for each paid course at Gadsden State for the 2023 Fall Semester. It was expanded in October to include the 2024 Spring Semester and now the 2024 Summer Semester, which starts May 29. Registration opens March 14. For more information visit the website GadsdenState.edu/BOGO. For questions please email admissions@gadsdenstate.edu. SHAMROCKIN' - Shamrockin’ with my Gnomies will take place on March 15 in downtown Gadsden. This is a time to wear green, while shopping and dinning in downtown in celebration of St Patrick’s Day. Be sure to check out the specials in participating stores, maybe you’ll be lucky and win a prize! The following day on March 16, there will be a St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl. The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) and the sixteen northernmost counties in Alabama are proud to celebrate 2024 the Alabama Tourism Department’s Year of Birding. The North Alabama region will be booming with events celebrating the native birds of Alabama and their impact on the region. One of these events will be at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge where Whooping Crane Walks will be offered at 11:00 a.m. on February 23, 24 and 29. The Oakville Feather Fest will take place at the Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center on March 9, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This event will be a day filled with a variety of engaging activities, including educational stations, guided bird walks, raptor shows, guest speakers, hands-on crafts for students, and highlighted bird art and goods made by local students. For more info visit www.facebook.com/oakvilleindianmounds. Bald eagles are often spotted in North Alabama. They are concentrated primarily along rivers and large bodies of water. A January survey of bald eagles in Alabama has averaged about 100-150 birds in recent years. Concentrations occur on Pickwick Lake near Waterloo and Guntersville Lake near Guntersville State Park. The Huntsville Botanical Garden hosts several activities that tie in perfectly with the Year of Birding. February is National Bird Feeding Month and the Huntsville Botanical Garden invites everyone to actively contribute by offering food, water and shelter to the birds in your backyard. Also, folks can stop by the Huntsville Botanical Garden for a great selection of bird seed, charming birdhouses and top-notch bird feeders for purchase. Tweetsville is a new immersive experience in the Children’s Garden that explores the role that birds play in the ecosystem. In Tweetsville, observe birds in their natural environment, learn about bird habitats and discover new ways of connecting to nature through play. Tweetsville is open daily during regular Garden hours and is included with Garden admission to the Botanical Gardens. What may be the largest known purple martin colony is located in North Alabama in the town of Rainsville. Johnsons World's Largest Purple Colony is home to 2167 nesting sites with anywhere between 9,792 to 14,688 Purple Martin's at the colony according to estimates for 2023. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/JWLPMC/. The Guntersville Museum, as part of its natural history collection, showcases a local treasure that fascinated generations of local residents who attended the old City Elementary “Rock School.” In the lobby of that school, and now at the museum, is a superb display of mostly native birds collected and mounted by the late Bessie Rayburn Samuel in the 1920s. For more information, visit https://www.guntersvillemuseum.org/our-collection. For the science behind how birds fly, check out the Formed to Fly exhibit at Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur. For more info visit www.cookmuseum.org. Overall, the North Alabama Birding Trail features more then 50 fantastic birding sites across the 16 North Alabama counties and each location offers a different birding experience. The North Alabama Birding Trail is not a "trail" in the traditional sense, but a series of mostly roadside stops throughout north Alabama selected for their birdwatching characteristics. Almost all sites can be accessed from a vehicle and many of the sites also have traditional walking trails associated with them. A few sites do contain extensive areas that are best explored by boat or canoe.
Alex Johnson and Hannah Hurst were crowned Snead State Community College’s 2024 Homecoming King and Queen on Monday, Feb. 12, inside Plunkett Wallace Gymnasium. The Homecoming Court was honored between the men’s and women’s basketball games against Chattahoochee Valley Community College on John Kitchens Court. Other students selected to the Homecoming Court were: (Sophomores) Connor Aderholt, Mario Andrews, Olivia Gilbert, Trey Higgins, Erica Lang, Fisher Moss, Julie Ramirez, Lydia West; and (Freshmen) Audrey Beasley, Courtney Brewer, Bo Hester, Sarah McCullars, Blake Moon, Brooks Parkerson, Evan Patterson and Lainie Phillips. Homecoming Royalty Photo By Brandon K. Pierce, Alabama Ledger
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