Best of 2023: Top 10 news stories impacting the industry

Best of 2023: Top 10 news stories impacting the industry

Jan. 10, 2024
Here are the news stories that captivated the manufacturing sector in 2023.

2023 was a busy year for the manufacturing industry. New plants were popping up across the country, companies continued to invest in their operations and their employees, and organizations pushed to improve the health of the industry. Despite this rosy outlook, however, safety incidents resulting in injuries and death were regularly reported by OSHA, many employees were denied their rightful overtime pay, and underage workers were required to operate hazardous machinery. Here are the 10 most popular news stories from 2023.

Grain company fined $116K after suffering 2 serious safety incidents in less than 6 months  
The company faces two willful violations and one serious violation for the July incident.

Explosion, fire at Illinois chemical plant releases “green substance” into surrounding neighborhoods 
An explosion and subsequent fire at an Illinois chemical plant forced nearby residents to shelter in place.

Worker crushed to death at South Carolina Michelin plant
Coworkers found the man pinned between pieces of machinery at the plant.

Worker dies after being trapped in laser cutting machine 
The Kearney Police Department reached out to OSHA to see if the incident needs to be investigated further.

Explosion at metal manufacturing facility kills maintenance worker
The incident occurred at the I. Schumann & Co. facility in Oakwood Village.

Explosion at Pennsylvania chocolate factory leaves 7 dead
The blast, which occurred at the R.M. Palmer Co. facility, destroyed one building, damaged another, and sent 10 people to the hospital.

German union criticizes Tesla for unreasonable working hours
Workers at the facility are claiming that required working hours are unreasonable and they are too afraid to speak out.

Worker dies from blastomycosis outbreak at Michigan paper mill
So far, everyone who has been affected by the outbreak has been a Billerud employee, did contract work for the company, or had visited the paper mill.

Amazon fined $60K for violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act 
OSHA has cited 3 Amazon facilities in Florida, Illinois, and New York for exposing workers to “ergonomic hazards.”

Fire at Marathon refinery kills 1 worker and sends 2 to the hospital
The incident occurred while the three workers were performing maintenance on a 5,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Ultraformer 3 (UU-3).

About the Author

Alexis Gajewski | Senior Content Strategist

Alexis Gajewski has over 15 years of experience in the maintenance, reliability, operations, and manufacturing space. She joined Plant Services in 2008 and works to bring readers the news, insight, and information they need to make the right decisions for their plants. Alexis also authors “The Lighter Side of Manufacturing,” a blog that highlights the fun and innovative advances in the industrial sector. 

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