Enforcement


OSHA Busts Ohio Manufacturer for 55 Safety Violations

Safety and health violations include inadequate lockout/tagout programs, fall protection, and noise sampling, among others. Proposed penalties total $174,600.

Navy Secretary Announces Major Alcohol Testing Program

The 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative includes breathalyzer tests, both randomly and upon reporting for duty. Secretary Ray Mabus also said the Navy will begin random testing of urine samples this month for Spice and other synthetic drugs.

DOL Files Complaint against San Antonio Firm to Collect $234,450 in Fines

The fines are associated with 26 citations issued by OSHA during the course of six inspections at the San Antonio-based company's various job sites in Texas between February 2007 and December 2010.

Mine Safety Bill Nears Passage in West Virginia

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin thanked members of the House of Delegates for unanimously passing it Feb. 28 and said he hopes for quick State Senate passage. Its most controversial provisions concern drug testing of miners.

DOL Sues Postal Service for Violating Whistleblower Protections

OSHA's investigation found that the Postal Service followed a pattern of adverse actions against the safety specialist after learning that he had assisted another employee in exercising her rights under the OSH Act and provided her with OSHA's contact information.

Hexavalent Chromium Hazards Add Up to Pa Firm's $82,000 Fine

OSHA found that employees performing welding work in the main fabrication area were exposed to airborne concentrations of hexavalent chromium in excess of the permissible exposure limit.

Aluminum Manufacturer Fined $139,800 for Combustible Dust Dangers

"The level of disregard for workers' safety demonstrated by this employer is irresponsible. Although the employer knows the fire and explosion hazards associated with the accumulation of combustible dust, a choice was made to do nothing about it," said Les Grove, OSHA's area director in Tampa.

MSHA Releases Results of January Impact Inspections

Federal inspectors issued 253 citations, orders, and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 12 coal mines and four metal/nonmetal mines in January.



OSHA Orders Shipping Firm to Reinstate Whistleblower, Pay $190,000

An employee was allegedly terminated after reporting safety concerns about the brakes on his truck and refusing to violate U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for allowable driving and rest hours.

OSHA Renews Alliance with Society for Chemical Hazard Communication

The alliance is geared to address hazard communication and to increase awareness of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).

Manhattan Elevator Fatality Triggers Suspension

Suzanne Hart, 41, died on Dec. 14, 2011, as she was entering elevator number 9 at 285 Madison Ave. and it accelerated upward with its doors open. Two city departments have suspended the license of the elevator maintenance firm.

NRC Reviewing Cracks in Ohio Nuclear Plant's Shield Building

The Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station is located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, approximately 21 miles southeast of Toledo.

Worker Suffers Burns from Electrical Shock, Manufacturer Fined $91,000

"Allowing workers to come in contact with exposed and energized parts without appropriate personal protective equipment demonstrates a lack of concern for their safety," said George Yoksas, OSHA's area director in Milwaukee.

Rena's Chief Officers Plead Guilty, Sentencing May 25

The names of the master and second officer of the container ship that ran aground on New Zealand's Astrolabe Reef on Oct. 5, 2010, have been suppressed while their case is before the courts.

New Jersey Chemical Company Runs Afoul of OSHA's Site-Specific Program

The agency described Kuehne Chemical Co. Inc. as a bleach manufacturer and chlorine and caustic soda reseller that employs 45 workers at its Delaware City, Del. facility, where the inspection took place.

Experts Survey Causes of Fingerprint Analysis Errors

A new report from a panel appointed in 2008 to study the causes and recommend ways to reduce errors caps its work with forensic experts.

OSHA Busts Manufacturer for Burn Hazards, Issues $55,000 Fine

The violation was cited after an investigation prompted by a complaint determined that employees working on mold machines and exposed to hot temperatures that could result in burns were provided with ineffective personal protective equipment.

$226,000 in Fines, Costs Assessed in UK Asbestos Case

A freight company, its managing director, and a contractor pleaded guilty in connection with a remodeling job that may exposed at least 20 people to asbestos fibers.

CDC: 13 Deaths Linked to Bath Refinishing Chemical

Methylene chloride vapor has been recognized as potentially fatal to furniture strippers and factory workers but has not been reported previously as a cause of death among bathtub refinishers.

Amputation Hazards Add Up to $77,100 in Fines for Food Firm

OSHA's Houston South Area Office initiated a safety inspection Sept. 1 following a complaint alleging that several employees had suffered near amputation incidents while operating machinery.

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