The serious violation was cited for failing to ensure that employees who worked more than eight hours during a workday were not exposed to lead at concentrations greater than the reduced permissible exposure limit.
"The violations which related to improper management of the anhydrous ammonia system demonstrate a lax attitude towards a potentially catastrophic atmospheric release," said John Healy, OSHA area director in Englewood.
Millions of students will head back to school over the next eight weeks, and tens of thousands of school buses will be on the roads. It’s crucial that all motorists understand how to safely share the roads with school buses, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
"Even in a retail outlet, employees can be exposed to deadly or disabling hazards if the proper safeguards and training are absent, as they were here," said Edward Jerome, OSHA's area director in Albany.
OSHA's Houston South Area Office initiated a safety and health inspection Feb. 9 at the company's facility after receiving a report that a worker had been found, unresponsive, inside a tank trailer that was being prepared to be washed.
Jay-Bee Oil & Gas Inc. was cited for the same ones at the same gas well drilling site in 2010, according to OSHA.
The 2010 Joint Action involves market surveillance of five new product categories in 21 European countries.
A total of 37 violations are alleged, including two repeat violations involving machine guarding. OSHA said its Frankfort, Ky., office notified the Army earlier about those same violations at a Kentucky installation.
The violations involve failing to instruct workers in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions, ensure the use of personal protective equipment, and protect workers from electrical shock.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the civil penalty has been provisionally accepted on a 5-0 vote by the commission.
The GRIGRI 2 belaying device, which has an assisted brake for climbing ropes of 8.9 to 11 mm, has been recalled. Excessive force exerted on the handle when it is fully open may cause it to stick in the open position, disabling the braking action.
Fiscal year 2011 funding will target the development and implementation of training and training materials for mine emergency preparedness as well as mine emergency prevention in underground mines.
Jeff Atwater, the state's chief financial officer, announced a working group with representatives from several state agencies will target "bad actors" bent on evading payment of workers' comp premiums.
Stockbridge, Ga.-based Creative Multicare Inc. was issued five serious, two willful, and one other-than-serious violation following the death of a worker who was exposed to excessive amounts of methylene chloride while using the chemical to remove paint from a bathtub surface.
OSHA's inspection found employees exposed to fire hazards from the open container of gasoline, combustibles allowed in the work area when the acetylene torch was being used, an unapproved light fixture in a hazardous location, and a lack of training in fire extinguisher use for employees.
OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program will report directly to the assistant secretary instead of being housed in the Directorate of Enforcement. In addition, changes in field structure are currently being pilot tested.
Juan Batten, a 22-year-old Guatemalan immigrant, died when he became caught in the auger of a mixing machine. OSHA's inspection found that the mixer was not guarded to prevent employees from coming into contact with its points of operation.
The alleged serious violations included failure to monitor employees who were exposed to methylene chloride, OSHA said.
"This injury could have been prevented had the company followed proper machine guarding safety procedures," said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office.
Northeastern Wisconsin Wood Products was first inspected by OSHA in 2006 and issued eight citations. A follow-up inspection in 2007 found that most of the originally cited hazards remained unabated.