"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."
The settlement is related to a release at the company’s ammonia and nitric acid manufacturing facility in Deer Island, Ore., on Sept. 29, 2008. EPA alleges that the company failed to notify the appropriate emergency response entities until approximately 11 hours after the release occurred.
Exposure to high levels of xylene and ethylbenzene can cause a variety of human health effects, including harm to the nervous system, fatigue, general weakness, memory loss, and visual problems.
In addition to issuing willful, repeat, and serious citations to the company, OSHA also issued it a notice of failure-to-abate citation relating to its failure to implement a respiratory program, institute a medical surveillance program for workers overexposed to chromium VI, and develop and implement a hazard communication program for workers exposed to caustics and corrosives.
For the first quarter of 2009, the agency's Disability Rights Office received 142 informal complaints raising closed captioning issues but no complaints regarding hearing aid compatibility issues.
The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation will host "Transform," a collaborative symposium on innovations in health care experience and delivery, Sept. 13–15.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the co-chairs of the Obama Administration's Food Safety Working Group, have unveiled a new consumer Web site today at www.foodsafety.gov. The site is designed to help consumers and families get all the latest information on food safety and food recalls in one convenient place.
Work continues on new approval criteria for various respiratory categories, and the branch chief at NPPTL asks whether users have additional needs that NIOSH could address.
"Workers exposed to occupational hazards requiring head, foot, or eye and face protection will now be provided protection based on a standard that reflects state-of-the-art technology and materials," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab.
A follow-up OSHA visit found uninspected overhead cranes; uninspected lifting hooks; defective and unmarked lifting slings; unguarded live electrical parts; damaged electrode holders and insulation; incorrectly stored compressed gas cylinders; unmarked and unchecked fire extinguishers; and slipping hazards from an oil spill in a work area.
As a way to head off potential cases of foodborne illness, the Reportable Food Registry is what food industry officials must use to alert FDA quickly when they find their products might sicken or kill people or animals.
“Current rates of health care worker immunizations are appallingly low and must not be tolerated,” said APIC President Christine J. Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC. “It’s time for hospitals to require flu shots--and hold employees accountable for declining the vaccine.”
Some other establishments that did not answer an OSHA Data Initiative survey also will be targeted. The agency said its intent is to deter employers from not responding to avoid inspection.
“Disasters may strike at any time so it’s always important to be ready and prepared to maintain the health and safety of yourself and your loved ones until first responders are able to arrive,” said AADM President Gary M. Klein, M.D., MPH, MBA, CHS-V.
“Even in these difficult economic times, cities must appropriately allocate resources to protect all employees from potential on-the-job dangers,” the group said in a statement issued to its members nationwide.
The most recent charge—with a proposed penalty of $153,057--is in addition to a penalty of $1.025 million the company paid in May for similar violations of the Clean Water Act.
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.
“If we could communicate two messages for the Labor Day weekend they would be to simply wear your life jacket and be totally aware at all times of what’s going on around you,” said Al Johnson, the First Coast Guard District’s recreational boating specialist.
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.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Howard's selection today. OSH professional societies had pushed for him to be returned to NIOSH's top post.