Enforcement


GHSA Alarmed by Another Year of Higher Motorcycle Deaths

Its chairman sees "a few signs for optimism" in latest DOT report, which estimated 41,059 people died in U.S. highway crashes last year.

Kansas Construction Companies Targeted for Inspection by Zip Code

Cities with a population of 8,000 and greater will be eligible for inspection, and all active residential and commercial sites within a selected zip code will be inspected.

Bush Signs CPSC Reform Bill into Law

Maximum civil penalties for violations now can top $10 million, and the agency can ban toy imports made by a company whose products persistently present substantial product hazards.

FMCSA Declares Bus Operation 'Imminent Hazard to Public Safety'

The agency declared motor coach vehicles and drivers used by Liberty Charter & Tours that are or were recently affiliated with Angel Tours Inc., Iguala Busmex Inc., and Angel De La Torre to be an "imminent hazard."

FAA Seeks $7.1 M in Penalties Against American Airlines

FAA proposed $7.1 million in fines against American Airlines for a string of violations that include improperly deferring maintenance on safety-related equipment and violations of employee drug-testing rules.

OSHA Revises Training Program for New Compliance Officers

Each newly-hired CSHO will be required to complete a minimum of eight courses offered by the OSHA Training Institute during the first three years of his/her career as a CSHO. The order and sequence of these courses are prescribed in an agency-wide Instruction posted yesterday.

ASSE Urges Negotiated Rulemaking on Combustible Dust

The complex technical and policy issues involved and having so few OSHA inspectors trained in the subject make a cautious approach necessary, the association has told Congress.

OSHA Launches Local Construction Emphasis Programs

OSHA's Region VI office in Dallas, Texas, has established a Regional Emphasis Program covering employees in the construction industry who perform crane operations. The program conducts safety inspections of workplaces in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and sites in New Mexico that are under federal OSHA jurisdiction.



Safety Director Sentenced to Home Detention for Driver's Log Scheme

Others in the scheme were sentenced to confinement, home detention, and two years' probation. All were ordered not to work in the trucking industry unless approved by the Probation Office.

Refrigeration Company Self-Discloses Ozone Violations, Gets Reduced Fine

Under the EPA's audit policy promoting self-disclosure, the agency may reduce certain penalties for violations that are voluntarily discovered, promptly disclosed, and quickly corrected, which is what happened in this case.

Florida Readies for No-Notice OSHA 'Swept Up' Week

Federal compliance officers will focus their unannounced enforcement efforts on construction sites in the area that reaches from Daytona Beach to Pensacola, Fla., sometime this month.

Ariz. Utility Settles Clean Air Violations, Promises Millions in Retrofits

"This settlement marks a significant step in controlling harmful nitrogen oxide emissions in the Western United States," said EPA's Granta Nakayama.

Fishing Industry, Citizens Tell NMFS to Throw Back Proposal, Try Again

"NEPA has played an important role in protecting critical habitats for ocean fish," said the Pew Environment Group's Lee Crockett. "If NEPA is undermined, fishermen will suffer yet another blow to their ability to make a living."

NY Governor Sends Message of 'Zero Tolerance' to Crane Inspectors

Legislation signed last week establishes the crime of impairing the integrity of a government licensing examination and provides means to revoke a crane inspector's license due to various offenses, including accepting a bribe.

Safety Partnership Signing Ceremony Tomorrow at Savannah State U

One aspect of this agreement requires participating employers to provide effective training on worksite safety and health issues to non-English speaking employees.

MSHA Fines Contractor $115,000 in Double Fatality

MSHA has assessed $115,000 in fines against Alaska Mechanical Inc., a contractor at Alaska Gold Co.'s Nome Operations Mine, for safety violations contributing to the death of two miners in July 2007.

NY Firm Disputes 'Failure to Abate' Notices, Fines

The plant received similar failure to abate notices and a proposed fine of $75,000 in April for failing to guard press brakes and rollers. The latest, follow-up inspection resulted in an additional $109,100 in proposed fines, in part for failing to provide employees with lockout/tagout and fire extinguisher training as it previously agreed it would, according to OSHA.

Sweden Latest to Ratify Occupational Safety and Health Convention

The United Kingdom, Finland, Japan, and South Korea also have ratified the 2006 ILO document recently.

Landowner May Pay $32,500 Per Day for Damaging Wetlands, Streams

According to EPA, the individual used heavy equipment to clear, grade, and fill wetlands and streams to create a pond on his property without first obtaining a required Clean Water Act Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Foundry Faces $128,700 in Fines after Local Emphasis Program Crackdown

"Handling dangerous chemicals, electrical hazards, and machine guarding problems are issues that should not exist at any worksite," said Richard Gilgrist, director of OSHA's area office in Cincinnati.

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