The technical amendment was added as a result of the May 15, 2004, collapse of a steel bridge beam onto an interstate highway in Colorado, killing three people in an SUV passing below.
During an inspection that was part of a regional emphasis program, investigators observed employees working without adequate protection on platforms as high as 20 feet.
One of the largest safety blitzes ever conducted by the province's Ministry of Labour resulted in 784 stop-work orders and 121 summonses issued for fall hazards on hundreds of construction sites.
People can tolerate extremes of hot and cold but tend to be more productive within a narrow range of conditions. An uncomfortable working environment unwittingly affects employee morale, playing a large role in the health and safety of those within.
“Our heat sweeps are designed not only to send employers a strong enforcement message but also to provide employers and employees with information they need to keep their workers safe," said Cal/OSHA Chief Len Welsh.
"While it's fortunate that no collapse occurred, excavation safety cannot rely on good fortune," said OSHA Area Director Brenda Gordon. "Required safeguards must be in place and in use at all times."
Among other violations, the company failed to provide workers with a fall arrest harness with a lanyard and did not adequately plank scaffolding during masonry work that reached as high as 24 feet, OSHA said.
The agency is hosting three meetings next month -- one on June 3 in East Brunswick, N.J., another on June 10 in Dallas, and the final on June 29 in Washington, D.C. -- to gather comments. Registration will remain open until the meetings are full.
The regional economy is weak and the city faces a big 2011 deficit, but an important new tenant is coming, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus announced. Meanwhile, contractor Perini Building Company took its fight public for $500 million it claims is owed by MGM/Mirage for the mammoth CityCenter project.
As a result of an October 2009 inspection in Cincinnati, OSHA issued Lowe's four willful citations with a proposed penalty of $40,000. Based on a November 2009 inspection, OSHA issued the Dayton store seven willful citations with a proposed penalty of $70,000.
This contractor has been inspected by OSHA 25 times since 1991 and has been issued numerous willful, serious, and repeat violations, including many lead violations, the agency said.
July 16, 2010, is the deadline for proposals from potential speakers eager to be on the program of the June 12-15, 2011, meeting, which will be in the perfect location: downtown Chicago.
Outdoor workers should be protected against excessive heat exposure, and particularly if they are wearing protective apparel.
The sixth annual event by New York City's Department of Buildings includes events in each of the five boroughs. Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri and others visited an 11-story building under construction in Brooklyn on Monday.
In Senate testimony today, OSHA's assistant secretary listed many updates that are needed to make his agency's inspectors an effective force for change. Does Congress have the will, or the daring, to reform the law?
The latest semiannual regulatory agenda does not advance the rulemaking except to give an October 2010 date to complete analyzing comments submitted in 2008. EPA's agenda says NPRMs will be issued in July 2011 to enhance pesticide protection for applicators and agricultural workers.
Failing to hear smoke detectors and take quick action is the major reason adults 65 or older are more than twice as likely as any other age group to die in a home fire.
The settlement requires Hovnanian to develop improved pollution prevention plans for each construction site, conduct additional site inspections, and promptly correct any problems detected.
"Our inspection found that the blades on this and other saws lacked the guarding designed to prevent just this type of accident," said Diana Cortez, OSHA's area director in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Are we seeing the new face of OSHA? David Michaels said the agency is doing what it can to administratively raise the dollar amounts of its penalties and adopting a new structure for penalty reductions based on the company's employee count.