The company is being cited with two repeat violations and $56,000 in proposed penalties for failing to inspect a trench after conditions changed. In addition, the company is being cited for exposing workers to engulfment hazards by not having a protective system in place to prevent a trench collapse.
Gy Bennar, a former landscaping and maintenance worker for the public golf course at the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark, filed a whistleblower retaliation charge against the Southwestern Oklahoma Development Authority irrigating a golf course with untreated effluent from sewage that had not undergone proper filtration or chlorination, exposing both golfers and workers to potentially harmful toxins.
"This injury could have been prevented if the employer implemented OSHA standards for lockout/tagout procedures," said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office.
Behr Dayton Thermal failed to provide proper personal protective gear and lockout procedures for electrical equipment, resulting in a worker being injured.
Applying to about 415 underground bituminous coal mines in the United States, it says they must increase the incombustible content of dust to at least 80 percent in underground areas by Nov. 22.
A worker died when he became caught in moving parts of a machine known as a stacker, which activated while he was inside the machine performing maintenance.
Scathing GAO report cements case for a separate whistleblower protection agency.
"This employer had been renting a trench box designed to protect workers from cave-ins but returned it to cut down on costs," said Les Grove, OSHA's area director in Tampa, Fla. “Risking the safety of your workers is not an acceptable business decision."
OSHA is proposing $228,320 in penalties for 34 safety and health violations found at Art Horizons Inc. in Batesville, Miss.
According to case documents, EPA alleges that Tree Top failed to immediately notify emergency response authorities after the ammonia release occurred and also failed to submit the required reporting documents.
The violations address hazards associated with spray painting outside of a predetermined, designated spray booth, and the use of powered industrial truck fork extensions without manufacturer notification, approval and determination of lifting capacity.
The company did not obtain drug approval, increased its distribution of Levothroid rather than scaling down, and ignored a subsequent warning letter to stop the manufacture and distribution of Levothroid.
The complaint requests that all of Tyson's federal contracts be canceled; it be debarred from future government contracts until it has remedied the violations; and it provide complete relief, including lost wages, interest and other benefits of employment, to affected individuals.
The proposed “Strengthening Pipeline Safety and Enforcement Act of 2010” would increase from $1 million to $2.5 million the maximum fine for the most serious violations involving deaths, injuries, or major environmental harm. It also would provide additional resources for the enforcement program by authorizing 40 additional inspection and enforcement personnel over four years.
The citations against Lexington Homes Inc. in Lexington, Miss., alleged it violated lockout/tagout, electrical, HazCom, and other safety and health standards. Penalties total $60,076.
"Scaffolds must be properly erected and fall protection provided to employees when they work on scaffolds at heights of 10 feet or more, yet this employer has repeatedly neglected to implement these basic, commonsense and legally required safeguards," said Anthony Ciuffo, OSHA's Long Island area director in Westbury.
"Even with employees covered head to toe in dust, the company still failed to provide breathing protection and other controls," said Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the pediatric use of Protopam Chloride (pralidoxime chloride), a drug used to treat poisoning by organophosphate pesticides and chemicals (e.g., nerve agents). The drug is approved to be administered either by intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) injections.
OSHA recently awarded $8 million in Susan Harwood Capacity Building Grants to 45 organizations, including nonprofit and community/faith-based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, and colleges and universities. The grants will assist these organizations in providing safety and health training, and educational programs for workers and employers.
The Food and Drug Administration recently issued warning letters to five electronic cigarette distributors for various violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act including unsubstantiated claims and poor manufacturing practices.