DOJ notes the plea is related to felony guilty pleas already entered by the company and its president, who pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Clean Water Act for disposing pesticide waste down the sewers of the city of St. Joseph, Mo.
The separate settlements took place one week apart in different states and together totaled more than $2 million in monetary relief for the victims.
The Georgia-based company has been cited for having no written procedures for formaldehyde process equipment, engineering controls not implemented for overexposure to dust, and exposing employees to dust two-and-a-half to 20 times the permissible exposure limit, among other violations.
The agency's inspection found that the facility, which uses large amounts of anhydrous ammonia in its refrigeration system, had not conducted a proper evaluation of hazards and that standard operating procedures were either incomplete or had not been developed for all system activities, among other things.
The February 2008 explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Georgia sparked attention and concern about combustible dusts. The company's computer-based training teaches workers about dust, food safety, emergency preparedness, and heat stress.
"The sizable fines proposed here reflect the gravity of this employer's ongoing failure to correct clear and recognized hazards that could result in burns, crushing injuries, or death for its employees," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo, N.Y.
With hurricane season in full swing and experts predicting an increase in cases of the H1N1 virus this fall, now is the time to revisit preparedness plans.
Like clockwork, the start of each day in the office usually involves reading through at least 30 new e-mails. Among that electronic clutter, only five to six items are original, followed by numerous replies back and forth between everyone addressed. Getting up-to-date on each e-mail is a tricky proposition that often results in the accidental deletion of a reply here and there.
Better packaging standards would provide protection from mercury vapor emissions from this source.
Having well-documented information about the pre-disaster condition of your facility helps you pinpoint the spots that are at greatest risk.
One of the best options for effective emergency communications is a multi-modal notification system that incorporates an institution's existing modes of communications with newer technologies, such as mobile phones.
"We believe that this agreement represents a fair and just resolution of this matter and, hopefully, will serve as a warning to all businesses that generate wastewater that they must abide by all requirements of their discharge permits," said U.S. Attorney Nora R. Dannehy.
According to DOJ, the company's six plants in the state are illegally emitting massive amounts of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter.
According to a study by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, SH&E professionals with certifications such as the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) can earn up to $30K more per year than persons without certifications.
According to the lawsuit, the disabled worker could not effectively communicate with others without the assistance of a job coach because of his cerebral palsy and limited intellectual functioning.
Of the 39 percent who reported they do not plan to get the shot, 13 percent said they would if their employer offered it.
Candidates must be a member of the health care organization's executive team who has made infection prevention an organizational priority, supported programs to target zero health care-associated infections (HAIs), and reduced the transmission of one or more HAIs within their facility.
The intensive weeklong event, Feb. 14-20, will include more than 50 seminars ranging from one to three days in length on all manner of safety and health topics.
The greatest potential hazard from a leaking underground storage tank is that the petroleum or other hazardous substances might seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly one-third of all Americans, the agency noted.
An agency inspection identified dozens of instances throughout the plant where workers were exposed to possible lacerations, amputation, and crushing injuries from unguarded moving parts of mechanical power presses and other machinery as well as a lack of specific procedures to prevent the accidental startup of numerous machines during set-up, maintenance, and repair.