The case includes nine per-instance willful citations for failing to require respirator use by six workers exposed to dust above the permissible exposure limit and failing to adequately protect three dust collection units which collect dusts such as starch, potato base, cellulose fiber, and pea protein.
EPA will revise hearing protectors' labels in 2012, Howard Leight's Theresa Schulz predicts, but when is uncertain.
Mine inspectors are checking underground mines with large fleets of diesel equipment, while the PPE blitz targets health care workplaces, among others.
The NIOSH event in Cincinnati is intended to encourage greater use of engineering noise controls by construction and manufacturing employers.
Proposed penalties total $122,000 following an inspection initiated as part of OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting Program for industries with high injury and illness rates.
NIOSH research shows that workers at call and dispatch centers may face several hazards, including acoustic trauma from a sudden spike in noise levels and background noise from an incoming call.
When OSHA withdrew its proposed reinterpretation of “feasible administrative or engineering controls” to prevent hearing loss, it promised to convene a stakeholder meeting. That meeting will take place Nov. 3.
Bottom line, it is best to find a solution that strikes the appropriate balance between hearing protection and situational awareness.
The Hauppauge, N.Y., swimming pool manufacturer faces a total of $106,200 in proposed fines.
Eighteen serious violations include failing to maintain emergency lighting in the warehouse, provide employees exposed to noise hazards with proper training and monitoring, provide written operating procedures for the foam extrusion system.
A study published in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics measured sound pressure levels as four orchestras performed, then estimated the risk of hearing loss for someone exposed over 40 years of employment.
OSHA's Dallas Area Office initiated a safety and health inspection at the company's facility in Texas following receipt of a complaint that employees were not adequately protected from being injured by rotating machinery parts, and employees were exposed to toxic welding fumes while fabricating trailers and noise levels above approved health standards.
The report highlighted that the number of occupational diseases went up from 124 in 2010 to 361 in 2011, primarily due to the increased reporting of noise-induced deafness cases.
Charles Greer Lumber Co. has been cited by OSHA for 18 safety and health violations following an April inspection of the company's plant in Suwanee, Ga. Penalties total $87,780.
Some of the serious violations involve exposing employees to electrical hazards due to the company's failure to properly mark voltage panel boxes, properly guard voltage junction boxes, and cover live electrical parts.
Violations include failing to provide machine guards on a bandsaw blade, allowing aluminum dust to collect in the shot blast machine, and failing to implement explosion protection measures for equipment and exhaust ventilation systems.
Take a look at the entire list of winners of the 2011 New Product of the Year awards.
Eight serious violations involve a storage cabinet for flammable liquids that did not meet fire resistance requirements, an auger that did not have its power source locked out to prevent its activation while employees cleared jams, and blocked and unmounted fire extinguishers.
Five years after the company was founded, it has landed a deal with the U.S. Marine Corps that opens more opportunities with the U.S. military, CEO Justin Miller says.
Several large gifts already have been made to assist the institute and the 65 Faces Campaign marking its 65th anniversary.