Extra law enforcement patrols beginning July 16 in King County are part of a statewide "Slow down or pay up" campaign statewide and a push to eliminate deaths and serious injuries in traffic crashes by 2030.
"These citations and sizable fines reflect the Postal Service's failure to equip its workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to safely work with live electrical parts," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "The Postal Service knew that proper and effective training was needed for the safety of its workers but did not provide it."
Effective July 8, a new directive extends to Sept. 30 a yearlong NEP. It specifies programmed inspections in three regions and unprogrammed ones in the other seven OSHA regions.
Three top leaders from the U.S. Labor Department endorsed H.R. 5663 at a House hearing Tuesday, but the leading safety professional associations have taken opposing sides on the bill.
All told, the inspections at four of the discount retailer's Connecticut locations resulted in seven repeat citations with $95,200 in proposed fines, 13 serious citations with $38,500 in fines, and 10 other-than-serious citations with $7,000 in fines, for a proposed total of $140,700.
$152,100 in penalties were filed against Enbridge G&P (East Texas) LP, along with two alleged willful and five alleged serious violations, in connection with the death of Nalvester Maxie.
The fine, levied after the company sold misbranded cotton seed to restricted counties in Texas, is the largest civil administrative penalty settlement ever received under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
According to the Justice Department, the man connected to his former employer’s computer network from his home and recklessly caused damage by inputting various Oracle database commands. He also copied and saved to his home computer a database file containing personal information on the GEXA Energy customers, including names, billing addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth and drivers license numbers.
The smokeless cigarettes in the shipment contained alcohol, a flammable liquid, and a lithium battery, a hazardous material.
"OSHA doesn't work unless workers feel secure in exercising their rights," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. "This Web page is part of OSHA's promise to stand by those workers who have the courage to come forward when they know their employer is cutting corners on safety and health."
Starting work well hydrated is first on the list from the Washington Department of Labor & Industries, which takes care of enforcement for the state's outdoor heat exposure regulation. The rule was enacted in 2008.
An employee of one of the firms fell 20 feet when the second floor balcony he was standing on collapsed as he was attempting to jack up the third floor balcony. An inspection by OSHA's Manhattan area office found that the second floor balcony was overloaded, improperly constructed, and incapable of supporting its weight load.
The move marks the first time the department has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy.
For the HAZWOPER work at hand, the agency requires 40 hours of "rigorous" training, Michaels said, adding that reportedly "some are offering this training in significantly less than 40 hours, showing video presentations and offering only limited instruction."
Horizon Lines of Puerto Rico Inc. had recurring problems at the Puerto Nuevo Port Area marine terminal in San Juan, said José A. Carpena, OSHA's area director for Puerto Rico.
The Las Vegas-based subcontractor failed to properly pay at least 50 employees who worked across California from December 2006 through January 2009, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations.
As part of the settlement, the company agrees that it has corrected all deficiencies at both of its plants or will correct those deficiencies according to a set schedule. Originally, OSHA fined the company $8.8 million following the 2008 explosion that took 14 lives and seriously injured dozens of others at its plant in Port Wentworth, Ga.
The proposed changes to be discussed Aug. 19 are derived from the federal standards, 29 CFR 1926.451(a)(6) 1926.701(a), and will clarify who is responsible for determining how much weight a structure can bear.
Introduced by Mayor Richard M. Daley on July 1 after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling shot down the prior ordinance, this one was passed 45-0 the next day by the city council but denounced by the National Rifle Association.
The half-day event will focus specifically on damage to building contents that can result from airborne contaminants and the ramifications to contractors of EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule.