"There is no excuse for the lack of fall protection, and it's outrageous to think that employers still allow employees to be exposed to fall hazards without ensuring fall protection is in use," said Charles Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo.
OSHA recently announced that it has notified more than 13,500 employers nationwide that their injury and illness rates are considerably higher than the national average.
The newspaper is cited for "courageous reporting by Alexandra Berzon," shown here in a Sun photo, and exposing inadequate oversight by Nevada OSHA after several deaths among workers on the mammoth CityCenter and Cosmopolitan sites on the Strip. A safety assessment and follow-up training appear to have improved the situation.
Gov. Edward Rendell presented 2009 Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence to 15 organizations that are saving energy, recycling, reducing waste, using solar power, and teaching new home builders about sustainability.
The Georgia Local Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Society of Safety Engineers' Georgia Chapter, and the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Occupational Safety and Health Division are taking part.
"An unguarded excavation can collapse in seconds, crushing and burying workers beneath soil and debris before they have a chance to react or escape," said said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.
The grant program is designed to help occupational safety and health practitioners advance in their career.
The company has "a highly involved frontline employee workforce, an excellent medical program, and energy control procedures. Safety is valued from the bottom up," said Greg Baxter, OSHA's regional administrator in Denver.
The latest workplace safety and health information will be showcased at the Region X VPPPA Conference, scheduled for May 19-21, 2009 at the Davenport Hotel and Tower in Spokane, WA.
Steven Chu is making his first visit to the Sandia National Laboratories after visiting Los Alamos National Laboratory yesterday. He’ll speak on the labs' role in advancing President Obama's nuclear security agenda.
The initial inspection carried proposed penalties totaling $25,500. The re-inspection carries $108,000 in proposed penalties.
Employers cannot rely on online or video training tools as the sole source of training because physical manipulation of actual components of PPE (as opposed to virtual components of PPE) must be part of the program, the agency notes.
The DOL Solicitor’s Office has alerted parties they have until May 19 to supplement their comments made in OSHA’s recent public hearing and until June 18 to file comments about the hearing testimony and evidence in the record.
The U.S. Department of Energy has issued Preliminary Notices of Violation to three contractors -- Stanford University, Pacific Underground Construction, Inc., and Western Allied Mechanical, Inc. -- for violations in September 2007 of the department’s worker safety and health regulations.
"The significant hazard of a four-story plunge was exacerbated by the lack of required lifesaving rescue equipment," said C. William Freeman III, OSHA's area director in Hartford, Conn.
At its April 16 meeting, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is expected to adopt an amended Section 1598 that requires workers on foot who are exposed to vehicular traffic during work on public streets and highways to wear garments that meet ANSI/ISEA 107-2004.
The total penalty includes an other-than-serious proposed fine of $3,500 because the company allegedly failed to notify OSHA of the fatality within eight hours of the incident.
In the latest inspection, employees allegedly were working on scaffolding, in an aerial lift, and on the roof at a worksite in Torrington, Conn., with exposure to falls of up to 22 feet. Also, electrical, overhead, and chemical hazard communication deficiencies were identified at the site.
Rigger (Basic) is the first level in a three-level program. Development work on the Intermediate and Advanced Rigger levels is nearing completion and will follow during the year.