Enforcement


Delivery Driver's Fatal Fall Carries Penalties for Dairy Companies

OSHA issued the willful citation to Associated Milk Producers for allegedly failing to fully implement and properly install fall protection for workers performing milk unloading operations. Additionally, two serious citations were issued for not providing training, evaluation, and certification for operators of powered industrial vehicles.

Lead Exposures at Gun Range Bring Citations

OSHA has proposed a total of $201,000 in penalties against Miami, Fla.-based E.N. Range Inc.

Asbestos Abatement Firm Fined $437,300 for Willful Violations

In August, L&I began an inspection at the company's worksite and found multiple safety problems, including open removal of dry asbestos with no containment and piles of bags containing chunks of dry asbestos materials.

California updated its standard in November 2010 to clarify the shade requirement, include temperature triggers, and address high-heat requirements.

To Beat the Heat

Employee training, hydration, rest, shade, and monitoring of workers who may be at risk are elements to include in a heat illness prevention plan.

Cave-In Hazards Lead to Contractor's $69,300 Fine

OSHA's inspection, initiated in response to a complaint about unsafe conditions, found A.A. Will Corp. employees working in a trench deeper than 5 feet that lacked protection against collapse of its sidewalls.

Fabrication Firm Fined $71,000 for Hazmat, LOTO Violations

"This employer has continued to endanger its workers by failing to correct hazardous conditions," said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA's area director in Birmingham.

OSHA Orders Company to Rehire Whistleblower, Pay $111,000

In February 2009, after repeatedly complaining to a supervisor about mechanical problems with a truck, the supervisor agreed to the complainant's suggestion to leave work and return when the truck was repaired. The next day, the complainant's employment was terminated.

Oregon OSHA Initiates Emphasis Program on Amputations

The agency will focus more on inspections of job sites with machinery, equipment, and processes that cause amputations and job sites where amputations have occurred in the past.



Hazmat Violation Carries $227,500 Penalty for Dover Chemical

FAA alleges that the company offered sulfur monochloride, a hazardous material, to United Parcel Service for transportation by air from Hammond, Ind., to Dover, Ohio.

LA Man Pleads Guilty to Asbestos Work Practice Conspiracy

John Bostick apparently knew the building's ceiling contained asbestos but failed to tell workers, who were not trained in correct work practice techniques.

California Hospital Cited for Workplace Violence Violations

Cal/OSHA penalized the hospital for having an ineffective training program, incomplete and inadequate procedures to deal with safety concerns, and an “incomplete and untimely hazard correction for workplace violence exposures in the emergency department.”

Workers in Aqueduct Tunnel Exposed to Excess Noise Levels; Firm Fined $52,500

Employees were also exposed to fall hazards of up to 14 feet from a lack of fall protection and from using a ladder that did not extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing service for required stability.

Ignition Interlocks Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving: CDC

Ignition interlocks are devices that can be installed in vehicles to prevent someone from operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above a specified level.

Florida Distributor Fined Following Amputation of Worker's Arm

Penalties for the citations total $239,000.

Pizza Shell Maker Fined $195,200 for Recurring Hazards

The hazards included failing to install and maintain electrical equipment that was safe for a hazardous location, not replacing pressure relief devices on the oil separator for an ammonia refrigeration compressor, and failing to develop a written emergency action program.

Scaffolding Collapse Leads to Fla. Contractor's $69,168 Fine

In October 2010, two employees were painting the inside of a water tank when a suspended scaffold device anchored on the outer surface of a roof hole fell through the hole, causing one side of the scaffold to collapse.

MSHA Announces January Impact Inspections Results

MSHA recently announced that federal inspectors issued 377 citations and orders during special impact inspections conducted at 15 coal and seven metal/nonmetal mine operations last month. The coal mines were issued 208 citations and seven orders; the metal/nonmetal mines were issued 148 citations and 14 orders.

The December 2005 explosion and fires at the Buncefield storage depot are the costliest industrial disaster in British history.

Buncefield Report Faults PSM Failures, Complacency

Summarizing investigators' findings, the new report includes information that could not be disclosed while the companies involved were being prosecuted. The December 2005 incident is Britain's costliest industrial disaster at more than $1.6 billion.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act took effect in April 2008.

First UK Conviction for Corporate Manslaughter

After a three-week trial, a jury convicted a small company in connection with the September 2008 death of geologist Alexander Wright in a trench collapse. Cotswold Geotechnical was fined $622,000.

Disability Violations Lead to Delta's $2 Million Fine

This civil penalty is the largest penalty ever assessed against an airline by the Department of Transportation in a non-safety-related case.

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