Although North Carolina is one of 22 states that operate their own job safety and health programs, under approval and monitoring by federal OSHA, this inspection was conducted by federal OSHA because the contractor was working on a federal installation.
So says a new study done by The Milken Institute with funding from the National Association of Manufacturers. The report looks both at infrastructure work and promoting exports, which the president addressed in his State of the Union speech.
Beginning April 6, the Health and Safety Executive must be notified within 14 calendar days of a competent person's inspection of a tower crane that is assembled on site.
Agency inspectors found that combustible particulate solids, which were generated during trimming and repair operations, were not collected into an adequately designed dust collection system, were allowed to accumulate on machinery and surfaces, and were not adequately cleaned up to prevent such buildup.
"An unguarded excavation is a tomb in waiting. Its walls can collapse in moments, crushing and burying workers beneath tons of soil before they have a chance to react or escape," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex counties.
The agency is conducting the two meetings in Atlanta to make it easier for families of those who perished in the 2008 Imperial Sugar Co. explosion in Port Wentworth, Ga., to attend.
NIOSH has translated "Simple Solutions – Ergonomics for Construction Workers" into Spanish to aid employers and workers.
"An unprotected excavation can become a grave in seconds. A cave-in can crush and bury workers beneath tons of rock and soil before they have a chance to react or escape," said Kang Yi, OSHA's acting area director in Bridgeport, Conn.
"The significant fines of $683,000 cannot replace this worker's life or bring peace to the family, but they will go a long way in letting this employer know disregarding worker safety and health will not be tolerated," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.
"There's no excuse for workers being repeatedly and needlessly exposed to potentially fatal or disabling falls," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.
Though the revision does not change the long-standing requirements for compliant garments with respect to classification and color, it does address their usable life and issues for the wearer related to flame-resistance and use during rainfall.
As part of the consent decree, the company will discontinue use of approximately 70 miles of a pipeline that travels through the Tehachapi Mountains, portions of which are geologically unstable. The agreement does allow for the reuse of the pipeline.
"[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.
NFPA applauds Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and California for their
actions on requiring home fire sprinklers per an initiative the association launched last year.
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.
“Structures built to the most modern codes should resist minor earthquakes without suffering damage and ride out severe earthquakes without collapsing,” said ICC CEO Richard P. Weiland.
"[W]e will shine a spotlight on the hazards and challenges faced by this vulnerable sector of the nation's workforce so that we can begin crafting new, badly needed strategies to prevent thousands of injuries and deaths every year," said OSHA chief David Michaels.
Woodworking is a popular hobby, with table saws being owned and used by an estimated 6 to 10 million people in the United States. A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that from 1990-2007, an estimated 565,670 non-occupational table saw-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments, averaging 31,500 injuries per year. Although a 27 percent increase in the number of injuries was found over the 18-year study period, there was no change in the rate of injuries per 10,000 U.S. population.
Tim Fisher, ASSE's director of Practices and Standards, said ASSE is developing technical briefs for ANSI/ASSE A10.47-2009, "Work Zone Safety for Highway Construction," and ANSI/ASSE A10.16-2009.