Safety Alert for Supervisors: 08/17/2026

Incident summary A man was killed after his tractor stuck a tree stump, flipped over backward and pinned him to the ground. What happened A worker decided to use a tractor to transport a 16- inch-wide by 90-foot-long tree out of a wooded area. A coworker had offered to cut the tree into smaller pieces using a chain saw, but the staff member rejected that suggestion, opting to move the entire tree all at once. Before the crew member began the task, he failed to inspect the work area to confirm that there were no hidden obstacles. The worker wrapped one end of a chain around the trunk of the tree and the other end around a three-point top link pin on the tractor. The crew member climbed into the cab and began to move the vehicle forward. Within seconds, the passenger side front tire struck a hidden tree stump. When the tire began to climb up the tree stump, the angle of the pull changed, moving the vehicle’s center of gravity outside the rear stability baseline and causing the tractor to overturn to the rear. The vehicle flipped over, and the steering wheel struck the operator in the head. He wound up pinned beneath the tractor in a sitting position on the ground. The coworker raced over to help his mate. He was unable to lift the tractor off the victim, so he called for emergency services. Officials arrived six minutes later, but the man was already dead from traumatic asphyxia. Findings The employee should’ve inspected the work area before starting the job. Had he done so, he probably would’ve noticed the stump in the path of the tractor and either removed the stump or changed the vehicle’s path of travel. Man dies after vehicle flips over, pins him to the ground Crew member failed to inspect work area before starting task You make the call: Supervisor claims contractor set up defective equipment “ Y ou had two crew members working from an elevated location while standing on scaffolding,” said Tammy, the compliance officer. “However, the scaffold was missing several planks. I’m hitting you with a citation.” “It’s unfortunate that the scaffold didn’t have as many planks as it should have,” said George, the supervisor, “but you’re barking up the wrong tree here, Tammy. We didn’t erect the scaffold.” “Who put up the scaffold?” asked Tammy. “A contract company installed the scaffold,” said George. “OK,” said Tammy, “you didn’t set up the scaffold. But that doesn’t mean you’re not liable for the safety violation.” “Why not?” asked George. Using the scaffold “Your crew members were using the scaffolding,” said Tammy, “so you were responsible for making sure the equipment had been properly installed.” “How could we know that the scaffold wasn’t set up properly when we weren’t the ones who erected it?” asked George. “Your crew had been working at the site for at least five days with the defective scaffolding,” said Tammy. “Surely, one of your supervisors should’ve seen that the scaffold wasn’t safe.” “Keep in mind that some of the staff members were using fall protection gear,” said George. “That’s true,” said Tammy, “but some of them weren’t. The fine sticks.” Didn’t install “We didn’t install the scaffold,” said George, “so we’ll fight your citation.” Did the company win? 2 Safety News Survey: Employees often avoid discipline because managers play favorites. 2 Quick Ideas Why staff members who have deep, dark tans still need to apply sunscreen. 3 Legal Developments Did worker die because his employer ignored two previous incidents? 3 Horror Stories Man falls through tarp, tumbles into digester filled with toxic sludge. 4 Safety Meeting Horseplay is a leading cause of preventable work-related injuries. In this issue ■ Make your call, then go to page 3 for the court’s ruling. August 17, 2026 SafetyAlert FOR SUPERVISORS The No. 1 source of actionable information to help supervisors keep their people safe Including: Supervisor’s Safety Toolbox

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: JIM MCCANNEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: FIONA HERNANDEZ OFFICE MANAGER: SHARON CONNELL Safety Alert for Supervisors (ISSN 1541-7379), August 17, 2026, Vol. 24, No. 557, is published 24 times per year by Institute of Business Publications, P.O. Box 1340, Havertown, PA 19083; PHONE : 484-472-8227; FAX : 484-472-8708. Phone: 866-572-1352 Web: iobp.com Subscription Rate (for 24 issues): Users Annual price Users Annual price 1-5 $265 flat 25-29 $44/user 6-9 $53/user 30-34 $43/user 10-14 $49/user 35-40 $42/user 15-19 $47/user 41+ Call 20-24 $45/user 866-572-1352 Survey shows workers avoid discipline because managers play favorites Heads up: When it comes to enforcing your employer’s safety rules, it’s never a good idea to play favorites. That’s your takeaway from a newly released survey showing that 38% of 503 blue-collar employees in the U.S. reported that they’d seen their coworkers violating safety rules without being disciplined. Workers who responded to the survey conducted by Tradesafe pointed to several factors that protect certain people from discipline for safety infractions, including favoritism by supervisors (39%), seniority (36%), high productivity (19%) and job title or role (19%). The survey also revealed why many staffers won’t report a near miss. Fully 25% of respondents had witnessed a near miss within the past year but didn’t report it. According to the data, 36% of employees said they didn’t report a near miss because they didn’t think anything would change. One in five (20%) said they feared retaliation from management for reporting a near miss, 17% weren’t sure whether the near miss was serious enough and 12% didn’t report a near miss due to peer pressure. No training for crew members assigned to clean up chemical spill Keep in mind the importance of not letting untrained staffers clean up hazardous chemical spills. Such advice comes too late for One Way Environmental Services, Houston, TX, which was just hit with a proposed fine of $3,045,452 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for allowing untrained staffers to clean up a chemical spill at the BWC Terminals facility in Houston. After an over-pressurized tank ruptured and released 1 million gallons of a caustic chemical, BWC Terminals contracted with One Way Environmental to remove the spilled substance, but the crew members sent by One Way to handle the work hadn’t been trained in safety procedures for chemical spills. Staffer trimming trees at the height of 60 feet killed by lightning bolt If any of your crew members think lightning isn’t a workplace hazard, let them know about the recent unfortunate death of Rodrigo Barrera Arreola at a job site in Whitewater, WI. The 31-year-old employee of The Davey Tree Expert Co. had been elevated to the height of 60 feet so he could trim a tree when a storm suddenly moved into the area. Without warning, there was a loud bang and a flash, and a bolt of lightning struck the tree near Arreola. Coworkers were able to lower Arreola to the ground, but his injuries were too severe and he was declared dead at the scene. safety news for supervisors 2 Safety Alert for Supervisors August 17, 2026 Staffers with deep, dark tans still need to apply sunscreen Your crew members might think they’re protected from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays because they have deep, dark tans – but they’re not. In reality, tanning happens because the skin is trying to protect itself from further harm; a tan isn’t a sign of good health, and a tan offers only minimal protection from UV rays. Employees should know how to administer CPR to injured mates Do your crew members know how to administer CPR to an injured coworker who’s nonresponsive and not breathing? Staffers should immediately start compressing the victim’s chest. They should place their hands in the center of the chest, interlock their fingers and begin compressions. They should press down at the rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute and allow for the full recoil of the chest between compressions. After every 30 compressions, they should give two rescue breaths by tilting the victim’s head back, lifting the chin, pinching the nose shut and breathing into the person’s mouth until the chest visibly rises. They should keep performing cycles of 30 compressions and two breaths until medical help arrives or the victim starts breathing. Why workers should assume all electrical components are live At your next training session on electrical safety, let workers know that they should assume all electrical parts and components are live – unless and until the electrical circuit has been tested. Remember: Live electrical parts don’t look any different from parts that aren’t energized. SafetyAlert FOR SUPERVISORS Click Here to Subscribe Now Copyright © 2026 Institute of Business Publications. Reproduction of this material is prohibited without prior permission. All rights reserved in all countries. quick ideas

legal developments Safety insight: Try not to ignore the lessons that can be learned from injury incidents – always investigate incidents after the fact to find out whether there’s a safer way to do the job. What happened: A crew member was injured when a pipe fell from a stack and landed on him. Four years later, another employee was pinned between two pipes when a crane operator lifted a pipe from the bottom of a pile and the pipe landed on him. The staffer suffered a broken pelvis. What people did: A few months later, two workers were told to extend a stack of heavy steel pipes that were 36 inches in diameter and 40 feet in length. The pipes each weighed 4 tons and were stacked nine high. While the men were working, the stack of pipes collapsed on them and pinned them to the ground. One of the staff members died, and the other man was severely injured. Legal challenge: The injured worker and the family of the dead crew member sued the company, claiming that the two previous incidents put the company on notice that an injury was sure to happen. Result: The employer won. The court tossed out the lawsuit. The judge ruled that the injured employee and the family of the dead staffer were entitled to workers’ comp benefits but nothing more. The court said the hurt worker and the family failed to prove that the organization intended to injure the two men, which was the legal bar they needed to reach in order to obtain damages beyond workers’ comp. The skinny: Remember: It’s hard for injured staffers to prove that their employer intended to injure them. Cite: Fredericks and Estate of Woody v. GH Cranes and Components USA and Jindal Tubular, U.S. District Court, S.D. Mississippi, No. 1:25- cv-222, 4/13/26. horror stories Summary An employee removing rainwater from the top of a tarp tumbled into a vat of toxic sludge and wastewater. The incident After he was assigned to remove rainwater from a tarp that covered a water digester at the Sunshine Raisin Corp. plant in Fowler, CA, Juan Patino procured a pump, placed it in a cart and drove to the digester, which is a pond of toxic sludge, water and chemicals that break down waste. Patino set up the pump and began removing the rainwater from the tarp. However, he was unable to get the water off one section of the tarp, so he leaned over and began trying to push the water off. Suddenly, the tarp ripped and Patino plunged into the vat of toxic sludge. The response When Patino failed to check out at the end of his shift, coworkers began searching for him. They found his hard hat and work cart near the digester. They also noticed a tear in the tarp, so they contacted the local sheriff’s office. Emergency responders quickly realized that they couldn’t safely enter the digester because of the toxic substances it contained, so specialized dive teams from Utah were called in. The teams spent several hours unsuccessfully looking for Patino. When the teams returned to the digester the following morning, however, they noticed that Patino’s body had floated to the top of the water, and they were able to get him out of the digester. Unfortunately, the crew member was already dead. The aftermath Patino, 39, left behind a wife and five children. Said Fowler police chief Greg Gularte, who was involved in the rescue, “It’s a traumatic event; traumatic for the business and its workers, and traumatic for the family that lost a loved one.” August 17, 2026 Safety Alert for Supervisors 3 You make the call: The decision (See case on page 1) No. The employer lost. The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission upheld the fine. The commission said the employer couldn’t dodge the penalty by claiming that the defective scaffolding had been installed by a contract company. Here’s why: The organization’s employees were the ones standing on the scaffold, so the employer had a legal duty to make sure its people weren’t exposed to hazardous conditions, no matter who set up the equipment to begin with. According to the commission, the company had been working at the site for five days, yet its supervisors failed to inspect the scaffolding to make sure it was safe. And while some of the workers were wearing fall protection gear, some of them weren’t, so the fine was valid. What it means: Check the work of contractors It pays to remember that you have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the safety of your crew members. Even if equipment has been installed by someone else, you still have to make sure the workplace is OK for your people. Action step: Always inspect scaffolding and other equipment set up by contractors and verify it’s safe before allowing your crew members to use it. Based on Secretary of Labor v. C Pacific Corp. Man dead because employer ignored two prior incidents Worker tumbles into digester filled with toxic sludge, waste

W ould you intervene if you saw a member of our work crew pulling a prank on a colleague? Or would you laugh it off and say, “Boys will be boys?” Keep in mind that horseplay incidents are no laughing matter. Every year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration identifies horseplay as a top cause of preventable workplace injuries. Not only can pranks and practical jokes lead to compressed air incidents that cause fatal embolisms, eardrum ruptures and eye loss, but falls from heights triggered by horseplay have mortality rates as high as 85%. Plus, struck-by incidents from thrown objects can cause fractures, amputations and head trauma. Key areas To prevent horseplay- related injuries, we first need to identify key areas in the workplace where inappropriate conduct can lead to incidents. These include crowded or cluttered workspaces, production areas with heavy machinery that requires the full attention of the operator, and stairways and walkways where clutter can cause slips, trips and falls. In these work areas, it’s especially important to avoid pranks such as faking an emergency or tripping an alarm, booby-trapping equipment, hiding tools or materials, removing warning signs or tape, or switching labels or tags on hazardous material containers. Compressed air You also want to pay attention to safety when you’re using compressed air. Never point an air gun at a coworker. Here’s why: If compressed air enters the bloodstream through the rectum, the genitals, or a wound, it can cause air bubbles to form in the blood, block circulation and stop the heart. And compressed air directed at the ear can rupture the eardrum and lead to permanent hearing loss. Air pressure can also damage the eye and lead to retinal detachment, bleeding in the eye, or a globe rupture, any of which can cause blindness. Another way to avoid injuries from horseplay is to never throw tools or materials at coworkers. It might seem harmless at first, but tossing items such as wrenches, hammers, or screwdrivers can be risky because the person on the receiving end might react slowly and get hit in the face or the head. Be proactive In addition to steering clear of horseplay yourself, you should be proactive if you see other employees engaging in unruly conduct. Remember: If you report horseplay, you’re not being a snitch; you’re protecting your coworkers. And if you see horseplay and do nothing, you’re endorsing the untoward behavior. Speak to your supervisor privately, and be as specific as you can: “I saw Bob throw a wrench at Bill in the break room.” Thanks for your attention. And remember, let’s stay safe out there! Subject: Warning signs In the hustle and bustle of getting our work done, we might not always pay as much attention to warning signs as we should. But that can be a mistake. Warning signs have been put up for a reason, and failure to heed them could lead to a severe injury. What to focus on Here are two things to know about workplace warning signs. 1. Be aware of what the different signs mean. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has identified three different types of warning signs: Danger, which indicates an extremely hazardous situation; Caution, which signifies the potential for moderate injuries; and Warning, which discloses a level of hazard between Danger and Caution. 2. Pay attention to the color of the sign. OSHA also classifies warning signs according to their color. Red means danger or stop and is intended to warn against hazards from flammable liquids, emergency stops and fire dangers. Orange is used for warning signs in work zones. Yellow signs point out hazards and warn against unsafe behaviors. Green signs provide safety instructions, and blue signs disclose general information unrelated to the risk of incidents or injuries. Today’s safety meeting ✔ Topic: Horseplay ✔ Today’s Date: __________________ ✔ Attendee Signatures: Tailgate talk Supervisor’s safety toolbox SafetyAlert FOR SUPERVISORS 4 Safety Alert for Supervisors August 17, 2026