"OSHA determined that this company is fully aware of the deficiencies it has in its safety program and what needs to be changed to provide safe work conditions for employees but hasn't acted to correct those deficiencies," said Roberto Sanchez, director of the agency's area office in Birmingham, Ala.
"An unprotected excavation can become a grave in seconds. A cave-in can crush and bury workers beneath tons of rock and soil before they have a chance to react or escape," said Kang Yi, OSHA's acting area director in Bridgeport, Conn.
OSHA agents found workers were exposed to dangers from the company's failure to first de-energize live electrical parts before having employees work on them, resulting in the issuance of a willful citation.
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said the new restriction isn't the end of what his agency will do to prevent distracted driving. This measure subjects truckers or bus drivers who text while driving to a possible $2,750 penalty.
"The significant fines of $683,000 cannot replace this worker's life or bring peace to the family, but they will go a long way in letting this employer know disregarding worker safety and health will not be tolerated," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.
Hagen is currently the USDA's chief medical officer, serving as an advisor to USDA mission areas on a wide range of human health issues.
"There's no excuse for workers being repeatedly and needlessly exposed to potentially fatal or disabling falls," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.
In an effort to comply with the Open Government Directive, DOL has released six high-value datasets for public use. The datasets include OSHA’s Data Initiative, which provides establishment-specific injury and illness rates, and DOL’s Research and Evaluation Inventory.
Inspections at two of the wholesaler's warehouses found damaged storage racks, unguarded moving machine parts, no auxiliary lighting for powered pallet jacks that were operating in areas where the dock lights were not in working order, and exposed energized electrical conductors, among other violations.
As part of the consent decree, the company will discontinue use of approximately 70 miles of a pipeline that travels through the Tehachapi Mountains, portions of which are geologically unstable. The agreement does allow for the reuse of the pipeline.
The airline and its sister company, DAL Global Services, are the only air transportation operators in the state to receive VPP's highest level of recognition.
The grants are part of a larger Recovery Act initiative — totaling $500 million — to fund workforce development projects that promote economic growth by preparing workers for careers in the energy efficiency industries.
As part of the settlement, the facility also will perform visible emissions readings, limit the sulfur content of any coal or fuel oil burned in its rotary kiln, and achieve a lower sulfur dioxide emission rate from the kiln. These requirements are estimated to reduce the plant's sulfur dioxide emissions by 425,000 pounds per year.
In addition to paying a $13,166 penalty, the company agreed to provide more than $8,800 for training and equipment to the City of Hoquiam (Wash.) Fire Department to improve the department's capabilities in responding to hazardous materials emergencies.
The waste was part of a shipment of approximately 31,993 pounds of cathode ray tubes that had been rejected in Hong Kong and returned to the Port of Long Beach.
"[T]hese settlements call for tough new controls and innovative technologies to cut down on harmful air emissions that threaten the health of millions of Americans," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
"This was a serious accident which claimed the lives of four workers, injured scores of others, and resulted in hundreds of job losses," said CSB Chairman John Bresland. "The goal of the CSB investigation is to recommend measures that will help prevent other devastating accidents during gas purging operations."
The refinery "did not ensure adequate maintenance and oversight of its process safety equipment, exposing workers to the release of toxic chemicals and posing a danger to not only the company's employees but to the community, as well," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas.
The Department of Justice recently announced that it has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee on behalf of Michael Crivello, a detective in the Milwaukee Police Department, alleging the city violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.
Authorities said as many as 759 companies that paid fines by check between Jan. 1, 2009, and Nov. 18, 2009, could have had fraudulent checks issued to steal money from their bank accounts.