Scaled Composites Space Tourism Firm Fined Over Deaths

On Feb 5, 6:44*am, Denny wrote:
I am not dismissing that there were injuries and deaths at Scaled
Composites...

However, as an office based business that has had dealings with OSHA,
I can tell you from experience that they will find 'serious' problems
everywhere... In our case it was having an uncontained corrosive
substance, no explosion proof metal safety locker for storing it, no
safety poster with the MSDS for the corrosive, and failing to have a
full body shower and eye shower station...
What was this corrosive substance that triggered the OSHA action, you
ask? Uranium hexafloride? *Red fuming Nitric Acid for fueling my V2
rocket?
Well sir, it was a gallon of salad vinegar from the local supermarket
(where they have a stack of them in the middle of the aisle) that the
janitor kept in the cleaning supplies closet for cleaning the
windows...
In order to avoid the fine, we had to submit a notarized affadavit
that said 'corrosive substance' had been removed from the office and
disposed of in accordance with the laws governing hazardous waste...

Based upon my dealings with OSHA, I have a jaundiced eye when I read
ANY pronouncements from them...

denny

There's enough laws on the books to make any of us criminals in any
situation. Gives the government in power absolute power to pick and
choose to harrass anyone they don't like.
--
Gene Seibel
Gene & Sue's Flying Machine - http://pad39a.com/gene/
Because we fly, we envy no one.

On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:44:46 -0800, NW_Pilot
wrote in
:

Have Fun collecting from a Piece Of Paper!!!!!!!!!!

If there is a Civil Action aka Wrongful Death Judgments etc. If they were not
smart enough to have a insurance policy then it's Called Bank-o on the Corp and
they can start a new one!! Aka, Scaled Space Composites Corp.

Ask the Trump.... How many time has he done it?

So you're implying that corporations, soulless entities, buy
legislative influence that favors their bottom line above the welfare
of the populace, and then escape responsibility by dissolving and
re-forming under a new name? (No reflection on Scaled Composites
intended.) I thought the corporate principles could be held
personally responsible in certain cases.

On Feb 5, 10:29 am, Larry Dighera wrote:
On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:44:46 -0800, NW_Pilot

So you're implying that corporations, soulless entities, buy
legislative influence that favors their bottom line above the welfare
of the populace,

It's always interesting to me when people who have never been in a
boardroom make statements like this. When running a public company you
have a fiduciary duty to your shareholders (mostly retirement funds,
401K's etc usually) to produce a return for investors. If you believe
people should donate their retirement funds to subsidize the
employment of people when the company isn't able to make money on
their labor you should check out communism.

-Robert

Correct. Also, some states (such as mine) allow co-employee suits.
Depending on the assets of the co-employee, a suit could be possible.
Generally, WC is the exclusive remedy, regardless of the presence or absence
of negligence. There may be exceptions for gross negligence, or wanton and
wilful conduct on the part of the employer, depending upon the state.

IANAL, but from what I've heard, worker's
compensation insurance is often the "exclusive
remedy" allowed for workplace injuries.


Depending on jurisdiction, and I don't do any work for California clients,
you usually need to have a third party involved for negligence claims to
come in. Where that often hits the employer is that some sort of waiver of
subrogation is in place where the employer has indemnified the third
party.

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 11:33:45 -0800 (PST), "Robert M. Gary"
wrote in
:

On Feb 5, 10:29 am, Larry Dighera wrote:
On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:44:46 -0800, NW_Pilot

So you're implying that corporations, soulless entities, buy
legislative influence that favors their bottom line above the welfare
of the populace,

It's always interesting to me when people who have never been in a
boardroom make statements like this. When running a public company you
have a fiduciary duty to your shareholders (mostly retirement funds,
401K's etc usually) to produce a return for investors.

I was referring to the unscrupulous corporations that employ the sort
of tactics that landed Abramoff in jail:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...010300474.html
Abramoff Pleads Guilty to 3 Counts
Lobbyist to Testify About Lawmakers In Corruption Probe

By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 4, 2006; Page A01

Jack Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist at the center of a
wide-ranging public corruption investigation, pleaded guilty
yesterday to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public
officials in a deal that requires him to provide evidence about
members of Congress.

The plea deal could have enormous legal and political consequences
for the lawmakers on whom Abramoff lavished luxury trips, skybox
fundraisers, campaign contributions, jobs for their spouses, and
meals at Signatures, the lobbyist's upscale restaurant.

Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist at the center of a
wide-ranging public corruption investigation, was sentenced to
five years and 10 months in prison on March 29, after pleading
guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public
officials in a deal that required him to provide evidence about
members of Congress.

In court papers, prosecutors refer to only one congressman: Rep.
Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio). But Abramoff, who built a political
alliance with House Republicans, including former majority leader
Tom DeLay of Texas, has agreed to provide information and
testimony about half a dozen House and Senate members, officials
familiar with the inquiry said. He also is to provide evidence
about congressional staffers, Interior Department workers and
other executive branch officials, and other lobbyists.

"The corruption scheme with Mr. Abramoff is very extensive," Alice
S. Fisher, head of the Justice Department's criminal division,
said at a news conference with other high-ranking officials of the
Internal Revenue Service and the FBI. "We're going to follow this
wherever it goes."

Fisher declined to identify the officials under scrutiny. "We name
people in indictments," she said, adding: "We are moving very
quickly."

Among the allegations in the court documents is that Abramoff
arranged for payments totaling $50,000 for the wife of an unnamed
congressional staffer in return for the staffer's help in killing
an Internet gambling measure. The Washington Post has previously
reported that Tony Rudy, a former top aide to DeLay, worked with
Abramoff to kill such a bill in 2000 before going to work for
Abramoff. ...

On Feb 5, 5:44 am, Denny wrote:

Based upon my dealings with OSHA, I have a jaundiced eye when I read
ANY pronouncements from them...

denny

My eyes are more than jaundiced...
OSHA is another of those good ideas gone overboard.
At work, I have to place those stupid little NFPA stickers on every
container of anything.
The label needs: the chemical name, the manufacturer, and "the date".
It doesn't say what date. Pick one.
This label ends up covering exactly the same information--and more--
that was on the original container label.

I suppose, originally, the NFPA label was required on otherwise
unlabeled containers (think refillable spray bottles). Then someone
wanted to see it on every container, since that was easier than
figuring out WHICH containers.

Oh, yeah. One of the containers held a dangerous chemical: sodium
chloride!!!!!
I wonder why we don't have to have a label on the cafeteria salt
shakers???
sigh....

On Feb 5, 4:32*pm, Larry Dighera wrote:
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 11:33:45 -0800 (PST), "Robert M. Gary"
wrote in
:

On Feb 5, 10:29 am, Larry Dighera wrote:
On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:44:46 -0800, NW_Pilot

So you're implying that corporations, soulless entities, buy
legislative influence that favors their bottom line above the welfare
of the populace,

It's always interesting to me when people who have never been in a
boardroom make statements like this. When running a public company you
have a fiduciary duty to your shareholders (mostly retirement funds,
401K's etc usually) to produce a return for investors.

I was referring to the unscrupulous corporations that employ the sort
of tactics that landed Abramoff in jail:

Sure those exist, but to make your statement of "So you're implying
that corporations, soulless entities, buy
legislative influence that favors their bottom line above the welfare
of the populace," is like saying all women are evil because your ex-
wife was evil. From my personal experience I've found board members
and execs to be vary concerned with liability and to see genuine value
in their employees and community and have a desire to keep all happy
whenever possible.

-Robert