Enforcement


OSHA Orders Connecticut Railroad Co. to Compensate Whistleblower

OSHA has ordered the railroad, which provides commuter rail service in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, to take corrective action and pay the worker $80,500 in punitive damages and attorney's fees.

British Agency Inspecting Die Cutting Machines

The Health and Safety Executive alerted known users of hand-fed platen machines about the potential risk of serious or fatal injuries and announced it will carry out inspections this year.

Massey, MSHA Reach Settlement on Kentucky Mine

The settlement covers the work that will be done to permanently close the mine, over which MSHA sought an injunction last fall.

Fall Hazards Cited in Another Enforcement Case

Three repeat and two serious citations against a New Jersey firm included $58,080 in proposed penalties.

Serious Violations Lead to Texas Refinery's $115,650 Fine

The serious violations include failing to provide properly constructed scaffolds and provide supports to hold piping.

President Barack Obama

Obama Signs Food Safety Modernization Act

But it's one of the new laws and regulations some congressional Republicans have in their sights. This one they could threaten by not funding its enforcement by FDA.

U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., is now chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

Meet the New Boss(es)

U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., has already changed the House Education and Labor Committee's name and its website. He brings a much different agenda than during the 111th Congress.

OSHA Fines Postal Service for Electrical Hazards at Mass. Mail Facility

The Postal Service faces $238,000 in fines, mainly for exposing workers to electrical hazards.



Illinois Contractor Cited $360,000 for Trenching Hazards, Repeat Violations

OSHA issued willful citations alleging that Gerardi failed to properly protect workers from trench cave-ins, the result of four separate inspections conducted under the OSHA Trenching and Excavation Special Emphasis Program.

MSHA Proposes Revisions to Underground Coal Mine Examination Requirements

MSHA recently announced a proposal to revise its requirements for pre-shift, supplemental, on-shift, and weekly examinations. The proposed rule on "Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards" would require mine operators to take responsibility for conducting complete workplace examinations; correcting violations; and reviewing with mine examiners on a quarterly basis all citations and orders issued in areas where pre-shift, supplemental, on-shift, and weekly examinations are required.

FAA Fines American Eagle Airlines $330,000 for Broken Seats, Armrests

FAA alleges American Eagle mechanics failed to note broken passenger seats and armrests on two aircraft during a Dec. 18, 2008, inspection and did not follow the approved maintenance manual instructions during those inspections.

MSHA Announces Results of November Impact Inspections

MSHA recently announced that federal inspectors issued 250 citations, orders, and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal and 10 metal/nonmetal mine operations last month.

Solis Announces New Appointments, Leadership for 2011 ERISA Advisory Council

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis recently announced the appointments of five new members to the 2011 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans--known as the ERISA Advisory Council. She also announced the appointment of the incoming chair and vice chair of the council.

OSHA Renews Alliance with Steel Erectors Association, Iron Workers Union

OHSA recently announced a renewed alliance with the Steel Erectors Association of Metropolitan Philadelphia and Vicinity Inc. and the Iron Workers Local Union No. 401. OSHA and its alliance partners will continue to promote workplace safety and health, and provide guidance and training resources for steel erection workers.

This LM Wind Power photo shows a truck in Denmark moving what the company claims is the longest mass-produced wind turbine blade in the world, the LM 61.5 P.

Wind Turbine Maker Fined $92,000 in Fatality Case

The penalty, announced Dec. 28, stems from a July 2010 death at the North Dakota plant of the world’s leading supplier of wind turbine blades and services, LM Wind Power.

CPSC Approves Stronger Crib Safety

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously to approve new mandatory standards for full-size and non-full-size baby cribs as mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The federal crib standards had not been updated in nearly 30 years and these new rules are expected to usher in a safer generation of cribs.

OSHA Appoints New Head of Construction Directorate

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, has appointed Jim Maddux as the new director of the agency's Directorate of Construction, effective Monday, Dec. 20, 2010.

Court Grants MSHA Injunctive Relief against Maine Quarry

The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced recently that it successfully obtained a court order that imposes a number of requirements on Sullivan Granite Co. LLC, which operates Brown's Meadow Quarry in Franklin, Maine.

An image of a patient being tranferred to a trauma center.

Study Questions Two-Hour Trauma Transport Law in Illinois

Illinois law states that when hospitals need to transfer trauma patients to centers with higher levels of trauma care, such transfers should be made within two hours. A new study, published in the December issue of the Archives of Surgery, concludes that the two-hour mandate isn't cost-efficient because it does not lead to better patient outcomes.

Clinic Owner Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

Yudel Cayro, owner and operator of Courtesy Medical Group Inc., a medical clinic in Miami, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for his role in a wide-ranging Medicare fraud scheme involving Miami-area home health agencies, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announced.

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