"The employer had ample information alerting him to the hazards posed by hexavalent chromium, yet allowed his employees to continue to be exposed," said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office.
The company received citations for failing to maintain a safety program, fully plank scaffold platforms, provide a ladder for safe scaffold access, remove and replace damaged scaffold components, and properly brace scaffolds with cross braces.
Eight staffers from the agency are involved. The Health and Safesty in Employment Act 1992 gives the department up to six months to investigate and file charges, if any. A third explosion inside the mine occurred Friday.
"Failing to implement procedures to prevent injury from unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment is a leading cause of workplace injury," said OSHA Area Director Rob Medlock in Cleveland.
Two companies, a subcontractor and the general contractor on a New Hampshire job site, were fined after a worker tripped and fell 14 feet during the dismantling of a stairway.
In a speech last week, the OSHA administrator said none of the problems identified in audits of state plans "is catastrophic or threatens continued plan approval," except in one or two cases where the budgetary commitment to the program is in jeopardy.
Under the agreement, the Department of Defense will release airspace off the East Coast above 24,000 feet. The added capacity is expected to ease delays during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, saving time and money for passengers and airlines while reducing fuel burn.
For example, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is changing "deficient" to "alert" when a motor carrier's score in one or more BASIC categories is above the agency's threshold for intervention.
Experts have raised concerns that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication.
"These citations and sizable fines reflect the Postal Service's failure to ensure that the proper safety practices were being used by employees working with live electrical parts, leaving them vulnerable to multiple hazards," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels.
The enforcement cases represent civil cases filed in federal district courts across the country to protect the contributions made by employees and matching contributions promised by their employers.
The Justice Department announced Monday that a federal court jury convicted Keith Gordon-Smith and his asbestos abatement company, Gordon-Smith Contracting Inc., of violating CAA asbestos work practice standards and lying to hide the violations.
OSHA began its inspection on May 12 at the company's worksite in Dallas after receiving a complaint alleging workers were being exposed to lead while cutting lead cable that was to be recycled.
The new rule seeks to prevent “widespread fatigue damage” (WFD) by requiring aircraft manufacturers and certification applicants to establish a number of flight cycles or hours a plane can operate and be free from WFD without additional inspections for fatigue.
The Food and Drug Administration has been investigating reports that patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) brain perfusion scans were accidently exposed to excess radiation. FDA found that when properly used, the CT scanners did not malfunction. Instead, it is likely that the improper use of the scanners resulted in these overdoses.
"Employers must properly apply OSHA's standards for machine guarding techniques and adequately control associated energy hazards to avoid amputations," said Jeff Funke, OSHA's area director in the San Antonio office. "In this case, it is fortunate that no one was injured."
Most makers of approved drug and biological products are meeting their regulatory obligations and meeting targets for postmarketing studies/clinical trials in a timely manner, according to a study released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
More than anything else, shippers want visibility of a carrier's data. Many are mandating electronic onboard recorders.
"We found employees working without any form of fall protection at heights up to 15 feet, even though this employer well knows the requirement for fall protection whenever employees work at heights of 6 feet or above," said Patrick Griffin, OSHA's area director for Rhode Island.
OSHA's inspection found USA Demolition employees exposed to falls from 10 to 20 feet while working without fall protection on the building's roof.