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.
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.
"This facility is not only the first oil and gas field operations for ConocoPhillips that has exceeded OSHA's VPP minimum standards, but the company has not had an OSHA recordable injury since 2005," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas, Texas.
"[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.
"It's been 99 years since the fire at The Triangle Shirtwaist Co. in New York City took the lives of nearly 150 workers. . . . Blocked fire exits can be deadly. It is that simple," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.
Requirements for exposure limits, exposure monitoring and determination, protective work clothing and equipment, medical surveillance, communication of hexavalent chromium hazards, and recordkeeping are described.
The society cited growth and interest in these sectors' safety for launching them. The Utilities Branch will address EHS issues in solar and wind power generation, water and wastewater, and telecommunications, among other areas.
Among the topics the agency wants to address in “OSHA Listens” on Feb. 10 is what specific actions can it take to enhance the voice of workers in the workplace, particularly workers who are hard to reach, who do not have ready access to information about hazards or their rights, or who are afraid to exercise their rights?
Are hospital operating rooms by default "wet locations"? Deciding yes or no has not been easy for the technical committee revising NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities, Richard P. Bielen writes in the current NFPA Journal.
Research aimed at adapting circulation control technology to wind turbine blades will be conducted by PAX Streamline, a California company, in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology. The two-year project, which will lead to construction of a demonstration pneumatic wind turbine, will be supported by a $3 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy --the federal energy research and development organization also known as ARPA-E.
"Unfortunately, this incident was a classic example of a multiple-fatality event where would-be rescuers are themselves overcome in their attempt to save the initial victim," said Kay Gee, OSHA's area director for Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.
According to the society, recent studies indicate that approximately 40 percent of work-related fatalities are design related.
The number of falsified emissions reports varied by defendant, with some defendants having falsified approximately 250 records, while others falsified more than double that number, for anywhere from $10 to $100 over and above the usual emissions testing fee, DOJ said.
The Department of Agriculture requires the heat treatment of wood pallets imported into the United States. The requirement is designed to prevent plant pests that can destroy domestic agriculture and livestock from entering the United States in wood packaging materials.
OSHA has cited Lyons & Sons Inc. with seven serious citations and Cocoa Services LP with five serious citations for workplace safety and health violations following the death of a worker.
Most characteristics of the "Type A" personality are linked to increased work stress. But there's one important exception, according to a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
The videos also explain how workers can perform a user seal check to test whether a respirator is worn properly and will provide the expected level of protection.