Proposed penalties against the two companies total more than $97,000. John Healy, OSHA's area director in Englewood, Colo., said the agency "will be stepping up its enforcement of fall hazards, especially in those areas of the state that experienced significant hail damage this year--areas where we expect to see an influx in roofing work."
"This case clearly shows that an unprotected excavation can turn deadly in seconds, trapping and burying workers before they can react or escape," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding 11 new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. Also, EPA is proposing to add 10 other sites to the list. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.
The nation's OSH regulatory agency will become operational in November 2009, and it will deliver the laws by December 2011, Chairman Tom Phillips promised.
GHSA, whose chairman is scheduled to speak at next week's DOT Summit, also seeks model policies for employers to use and an advertising campaign similar to the ones against drunken driving.
European authorities are already taking in-vehicle safety to a new level, with Sweden mandating alcolocks in 11,000 government vehicles by 2012. The new report discusses benefits of speed limiters, event data recorders, distance warning systems, and more.
The company also received one repeat citation, which alone had a proposed $25,000 fine, for not developing and implementing specific hazardous energy control procedures for all machinery at the plant. It was cited for a similar hazard in February 2007.
"There can be no delay in exiting a workplace during a fire or other emergency when the difference between escape and injury or death can be measured in seconds," said Kay Gee, OSHA's acting area director in Manhattan.
The site's lack of eyewash or shower stations near where employees were exposed to corrosive materials were among the 10 serious health violations for which OSHA cited the Georgia company.
The company was cited for violating Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements for treating, managing, and disposing of hazardous waste, including failure to mark, label, and keep hazardous waste containers closed; and comply with training, monitoring, inspection, and recording requirements.
Revised ahead of the DOT Distract Driving Summit later this month, the society's position statement notes distractions are not limited to electronic devices. The statement also discusses technological solutions.
Under the settlement, the city will improve its sewer system to minimize, and in many cases, eliminate overflows of sewage combined with stormwater overflows into the river at a cost likely between $100 and $150 million. The city has to have a comprehensive plan in place by calendar year 2020 or 2025, depending on the city's financial health.
During a 2007 inspection, EPA staff found acetone and toluene being stored improperly at the facility. The agency noted that exposure to such solvents can affect breathing and cause vomiting.
"Technology has forever changed the way we do business, virtually erasing geographic boundaries," said U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan. "However, this case demonstrates that even in the cyber world, there is no such thing as anonymity.” Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
The massive December 2007 explosion and fire at T2 Laboratories in Jacksonville was caused by a runaway chemical reaction that likely resulted from an inadequate reactor cooling system, investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) said in a final draft report released on Sept. 15.
The drug, which is also sometimes used to combat morning sickness and as an anti-allergic medication to treat hay fever, allergic rhinitis, and other allergic reactions, is available only by prescription in the United States but is available over the counter in the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and many other countries.
"The procedures for protecting trench workers are easy enough to implement, but what's required first is employer and employee dedication to workplace safety and health," said Greg Baxter, OSHA's regional administrator in Denver.
The serious violations OSHA unearthed related to inadequate process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, lack of emergency preparedness and response procedures, and poor respiratory protection for workers.
MSHA recently announced it has awarded $500,000 in grant funds to six organizations that provide education and training within the mining industry.
"Our Coast Guard crews face risks each and every time they respond to a call--including hoax calls and reports of abandoned or adrift vessels," said Cmdr. Phillip Thorne, chief of the response department at Sector Northern New England. "Not only do these cases put responsible mariners in danger, the time and resources expended are a needless waste of money."