Ray Clearing Inc. has been fined more than $35,000 by OSHA.
Administrator Michael Wood explained in Oregon OSHA's latest newsletter that the agency will encourage employers to consider more-protective limits and also will "tackle four to six of the most significant and outdated PELs on a state level."
The agency has cited Kaiser Foundation Hospitals in Vallejo, Calif., for exposing workers to injury and infection from used needles at a collection box for biomedical waste and also water well services company M&W Pumps, Inc. for failing to follow high-voltage safety orders.
The settlement agreement with OSHA implements safeguards to protect workers at Dollar Tree stores nationwide from hazards associated with blocked emergency exits, obstructed access to exit routes, electrical equipment, and improper storage of materials. It commits Dollar Tree to pay $825,000 in penalties arising from 13 different inspections.
Blue Rhino has agreed to pay penalties totaling $52,000 and to complete the abatement of all hazards within 60 days of signing the settlement.
The alliance will focus on the safe operation, use, and maintenance of equipment such as cranes, chippers, digger derricks, and aerial lifts.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that focuses on upgrading the federal motor vehicle safety standards that address underride protection against vehicle crashes into the rear of trailers and semitrailers.
Citing the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, FDA reported 30-40 percent of civilian deaths by traumatic injury result from bleeding, and of those deaths, 33 to 56 percent occur before the patient reaches a hospital.
The Dec. 9-10 "Pathways to Prevention: Total Worker Health® --What's Work Got to Do With It?" workshop is free and open to the public; it is taking place at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md.
Participants from DOL scheduled to participate are Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels, Solicitor of Labor Patricia Smith, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy Sharon Block, Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division Dr. David Weil, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits and Security Phyllis Borzi, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training Eric Seleznow.
Two-thirds of employers believe prescription drugs are bigger problems than illegal drugs. The survey also discovered that only 53 percent of employers have a written policy on using prescription drugs at work, despite 80 percent reporting that they have had an issue.
The changes, approved at a recent ICC meeting, apply to the nation's most tornado-prone regions, from northern Texas to central Minnesota and from western Oklahoma to western Pennsylvania.
According to WHO's Dec. 7 announcement, from Ukraine to Afghanistan, 603 health workers were killed and 958 injured in 2014 attacks in 32 countries, according to data compiled by the WHO from various sources.
The Hawaii Department of Health reported Dec. 7 that a total of 139 cases of dengue fever have been confirmed as of that date on Hawaii Island.
The final rule has been in development for more than 15 years. It would halve the current limit for general industry.