Six construction worker fatalities on the mammoth project figured prominently in OSHA’s Oct. 20, 2009, critical report on the Nevada OSHA agency’s performance and earned a Pulitzer Prize in April for the Las Vegas Sun.
"If scaffolding parts had been inspected and replaced or repaired as needed, it is possible that this tragic accident and loss of life could have been avoided," said Eric Harbin, OSHA's area director in Austin.
Today's highway contractors may see parallels in the story of the Bighorn River Bridge's construction: The contractor underbid the project and eventually was declared in default, so Montana Highway Department workers completed it in 1933.
"The need for fall protection was clear and recognized, yet this employer did not provide this basic, commonsense, and legally required safeguard," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex counties.
"Few Americans are aware of lead's deadly effects or the fact that lead taken home on clothing and work tools can infect an entire family," said OSHA Area Director Richard Gilgrist in Cincinnati.
The Connecticut-based company received citations for working around energized transmission lines that were not grounded and working within the minimum approach distance in a bucket truck that was improperly rated for the work being conducted, OSHA said.
Today's online chats by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and OSH Acting Assistant Secretary Jordan Barab tell us they are not planning an ergonomics rulemaking, although a column to log MSDs on the 300 log will be restored.
During the past 10 million hours, the company has safely completed a number of major construction projects, from replacing a segment of line underneath the Susquehanna River in Maryland to lifting an underwater line in southern Mississippi to replace block valves, to boring a new line under I-65 near Birmingham while traffic continued above.
According to OSHA, workers at the site lacked proper respirators and protective clothing and had not been informed of the presence of asbestos at the site, and the employer failed to determine the asbestos exposure level and establish a regulated work area for asbestos removal and handling.
You're in the market for a material handling product, something that can help your employees move those loads quickly and safely. You surf the Web and flip through catalogs, but how do you start to narrow your choices? The same way best-in-class manufacturers create innovative products: research, testing, and knowledge.
Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), a regulatory requirement under OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.119(e), is a collection of methodologies to address process hazards. Societal and technological changes are affecting sources, intensity, and frequency of hazards. For instance, digital controls and smart instruments have reduced maintenance requirements inherent with analog instruments.
OSHA and other federal agencies track electrical accidents of all kinds, but not arc flash incidents specifically. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are working to change that through a collaborative research project to conduct extensive testing on arc flash. At present, only data on all electrical accidents are available.
Strongest leaders know that real Safety
goes beyond what you think or say; it’s
revealed when there’s no time to think.
Safety Director Ted Sommer said the company "strives every day to meet our goal of zero incidents through preplanning, training, and open coordination among the trades."
"We want to ensure all construction companies -- big and small -- are prepared to effectively control the workplace hazards their employees may encounter," said Nick Walters, OSHA's area director in Peoria, Ill.
A publicly available register of tower cranes will be launched April 6, 2010, if the regulations go forward from here.
"The CURT Construction Industry Safety Excellence Award winners have once again established new levels of safety performance, achievement, and innovation that proves zero incidents can be achieved," said Greg Landis, co-chairman of the CURT Safety Committee.
"An unprotected trench is a potential grave, since its sidewalls can collapse in an instant, crushing and burying workers before they have a chance to react or escape," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.
"This is a clear example of the grave consequences that can result when basic electrical safeguards are not provided and used," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo.
Representatives of the Transportation Construction Coalition told reporters Friday that passage of a five- or six-year highway funding reauthorization bill is essential to their industry and their companies.