The inspection was initiated under the agency's Construction Hazards Emphasis Program when an OSHA inspector observed employees working at heights of more than 14 feet without the use of fall protection.
"Falls are the leading cause of death in construction work, and employers must take all required steps to prevent and minimize this potentially deadly hazard," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. "Safe working conditions must not and can never be a matter of luck."
The OSHA leader and Dr. John Howard, director of NIOSH, are working together on a broad front to make important changes in OSHA's approach and effectiveness, they said Wednesday in a joint AIHce appearance.
"Although management knew the existing sign needed to be removed or covered, they chose to ignore the requirement and put their employees in danger," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Inspectors discovered that employees were bypassing safety switches in order to reach into running machinery to un-jam it without shutting down the machine.
The agency is seeking comment on, among other things, whether it should include an explicit reference to combustible dust or other hazardous material in the regulatory language of the final rule.
During a routine surveillance from March 14-20, 2008, FAA inspectors determined that FedEx had failed to incorporate Technical Standard Orders (TSOs) into its Continued Airworthiness Maintenance Program for 14 cargo Unit Load Devices.
The agency needs nominees with experience and expertise in construction-related safety and health issues to fill two employee, two employer, one state safety and health agency, and two public representative seats to advise DOL on developing standards affecting the construction industry.
Following a thorough investigation, the agency issued two willful and 12 serious citations with total proposed penalties of $135,900. The alleged violations include arc flash hazards, insufficient hand protection, and industrial truck training deficiencies.
The nine health care facilities located in seven states "put profits ahead of sound medical judgment," said Tony West, assistant attorney general for DOJ's Civil Division.
The agreement resolves violations of the Clean Air Act’s new source review requirements at the company’s Gorsuch Station, which has a sulfur dioxide emission rate in the highest three percent of coal-fired utility sources in the country.
"This was a horrific and preventable situation," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. "The employer was aware of the hazards and knowingly and willfully sent workers into a confined space with an explosive and toxic atmosphere."
The flood of contested cases -- about 9,200 each in 2008 and 2009, more than twice the usual number of previous years -- must be addressed, the commission says.
The violations occurred primarily because employees were not compensated for all hours worked when the company failed to pay for breaks that were less than 30 minutes in length, or for time spent by employees waiting for work areas to become available even though their shifts already had started.
Training of cleanup employees is ongoing throughout the Gulf Coast region. The agency has officials monitoring the training and observing the cleanup efforts that are already underway.
"This is a landmark day in the history of Kansas City," EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks said of the 25-year improvement plan. "This agreement charts a course for the largest infrastructure project in the city's history, and what we believe to be one of the largest municipal green infrastructure projects undertaken anywhere in the nation."
The Connecticut-based metal finishing company also was cited for not establishing a regulated work area and ensuring contaminated protective clothing remained in the work area, and for not conducting cadmium exposure sampling.
“As part of the underground economy, illegal businesses often do not pay state taxes and take advantage of employees by not providing workers’ compensation coverage or paying proper wages," said California Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet.
The rule would prohibit the use of an electronic device—whether personal or railroad-supplied—if it interferes with an employee’s or another employee’s performance of safety-related duties.
The technical amendment was added as a result of the May 15, 2004, collapse of a steel bridge beam onto an interstate highway in Colorado, killing three people in an SUV passing below.