IMPO's top five stories last week included a GM worker's death in Ohio, a Toyota parts shortage due to a plant explosion and a fatality as a result of a toppled crane.
Take a look at last week's biggest stories:
Wisconsin Firm Terminates Muslim Workers In Prayer Dispute: A civil liberties group said Wednesday that it plans to file federal discrimination and harassment complaints after a Wisconsin manufacturer fired seven Muslim employees for violating a company break policy that doesn't provide extra time for prayer. Ariens Co. terminated the workers in a dispute that began last month when it moved to enforce an existing rule of two 10-minute breaks per work shift and dozens of Muslim staffers of Somali descent walked off the job in protest. Of the 53 employees involved, 32 have abided with the policy, 14 resigned and seven were terminated Tuesday, according to Ariens spokeswoman Ann Stilp.
Investigation Ongoing For Woman's Fatal Industrial Mixer Accident: A woman died after she was caught in an industrial-size bakery mixer in a Salt Lake City suburb. Sandy Police Sgt. Dean Carriger says 45-year-old Carmen "Jackie" Lindhardt was using the mixer in the bakery of Ream's Food Stores in Sandy Wednesday morning when she got caught in the machinery. Carriger says she may have been pulled into the machine after a piece of clothing got caught, although an investigation is ongoing.
Worker Dies At GM Plant In Northwestern Ohio: A General Motors employee has died at a GM plant in northwest Ohio. The agency said in a statement Wednesday that it is investigating the report of a 50-year-old electrician'sdeath Tuesday at a GM plant in Defiance. OSHA says initial reports indicate the worker died from injuries received when he fell about 25 to 30 feet into a pit while performing maintenance and troubleshooting on an overhead crane. The worker’s identity wasn’t immediately released.
Mill Explosion To Halt Toyota’s Japanese Production Next Week: Toyota will shut down production at its Japanese auto plants this week after a steel plant explosion in the country led to a parts shortage. Company officials had said that inventory from Aichi Steel Corp. will be sufficient to last through the weekend, but that the Jan. 8 explosion at an Aichi plant would force the company to cease operations today. Toyota said in a statement that it plans to reopen its Japanese plants on Feb. 15 and that it would evaluate other options — including shifting to alternative Aichi lines or buying from other steelmakers — "to minimize the impact of this incident on vehicle production."
Manhattan Crane Topples Into Street Killing 1, Injuring 3: A huge construction crane being lowered to safety in a snow squall plummeted onto a Lower Manhattan street Friday, killing a Wall Street worker in a parked car and leaving three people hurt by debris that scattered as the rig's lengthy boom fell, officials said. The mobile crane's boom landed across an intersection, smashed several car roofs and stretched much of a block after the accident around 8:25 a.m. at a historic building about 10 blocks north of the World Trade Center.