"The committee decided to develop this standard because of the national emphasis on green energy, recognizing that thousands of these 'green' structures are going to be built and, as such, present challenging safety and health issues," A10 Committee Chair Richard King said. "The purpose of the new standard is to sort out the safety and health issues and provide practical solutions to constructors."
The company was issued one willful citation, with a proposed penalty of $35,000 alone, for not providing employees with confined space rescue training at least every 12 months.
Making and keeping the workplace safe and healthful will be the focus of the 18th Annual Downstate Illinois Occupational Safety and Health (DIOSH) Day slated for March 4 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Ill. Workplace safety and health issues will be discussed and information made available to employers, employees and the general public.
A 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision on Monday rejected all but one claim against the 5 micrograms per cubic meter PEL set in the February 2006 final rule. The judges told OSHA to state its reasons for requiring employees to be notified when monitored exposures exceed the PEL, rather than being notified of all monitoring results as the agency originally proposed.
The U.S. Labor Department's Web site posted the news this afternoon: The new U.S. secretary of Labor is Californian Hilda Solis.
According to EEOC's suit, a woman applied for a truck driver position at one of the company's facilities in Georgia, and even though she was more qualified than a number of male applicants who were hired, she was never interviewed and never received an offer. An investigation revealed a class of similarly qualified women who also were rejected despite their qualifications.
Bids to research and prepare a Regulatory Impact Statement for the proposed standard are due tomorrow at the Lansing headquarters of MIOSHA's parent agency, with a contract award scheduled to be made Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration announced recently that California device manufacturer Cardinal Health 303 Inc., formerly known as Alaris Medical Systems Inc., and three of its top executives have signed an amended consent decree to correct violations of current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements in the company's infusion pumps.
OSHA has ordered Union Pacific Railroad Co., headquartered in Omaha, to reassign a Beverly, Iowa, welder to his former position, reimburse the welder for travel expenses, and pay compensatory damages associated with personal hardship following a whistleblower investigation.
The new law is geared for performance and transparency: Preference will be given to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously, and EPA intends to move designated funds to states as quickly as possible.
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day public hearing as part of its ongoing investigation into the ditching of a US Airways Airbus A-320 into the Hudson River in New York City in January.
In an effort to curb the illegal use of steroids in the European beef industry, scientists in the United Kingdom are reporting the development of a new test that can identify steroids with higher accuracy, more convenience, and less cost than conventional doping tests.
"OSHA should promulgate a number of exposure standards including silica, beryllium, diacetyl and combustible dust. But we need to acknowledge that the standard-setting process has become excruciatingly slow and cumbersome," writes Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, one of many contributors to a special newsletter produced for the new administration.
Women who have been through sexual harassment at the workplace tend to leave the organization. That's according to a study that was carried out at the University of Haifa. "It is a matter of having no other outlet and not an act of control and power," the researchers stated.
Key updates contained in this version include optional testing and marking features for high visibility of head protection devices and a detailed protocol for reverse-wearing of hard hats.
The EPA said it would reopen the possibility of regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, according to the Washington Post.
On Feb. 10, 2009, certain children's toys and child care articles could no longer be sold, offered for sale, manufactured, or imported for sale in the United States if they contain more than 0.1 percent of specified phthalates. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled recently that this prohibition applies regardless of when the covered products were made.
Meanwhile, the agency has promised to adjust its mine rescue teams final rule as directed in a Feb. 10 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
OSHA has proposed $130,200 in fines against Novis Marine Ltd., a yacht design and fabrication company in Fairport Harbor, for alleged willful, serious, and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards.
Violations include failure to maintain proper levels in waste collection systems, failure to maintain records indicating locations of fields where animal waste has been applied and failure to properly dispose of liquid and solid animal wastes.