Enforcement


Roofing Fatality Leads to Willful Citation against Contractor

In addition, eight serious violations include management's failure to provide a warning line system around the entire perimeter of the roof, failure to provide a path of access to the hoisting area, improper use of ladders, and lack of employee training.

Sugar Producer Fined for Combustible Dust Hazards

Other alleged violations of the Florida company include not developing lockout/tagout procedures on packaging machines to prevent accidental machinery start-up; exposing employees to electrical hazards; and using high-pressure compressed air for cleaning purposes.

OSHA Schedules March Maritime Advisory Committee Meeting

The Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) will hold a meeting March 24, 2009, to discuss its goals for the next two years and to review accomplishments achieved during the last two years. These accomplishments include developing shipyard and longshoring industry guidance documents and digests, expanding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) shipyard eTool module, and publishing a Safety and Health Prevention Sheet.

a motorcyclist who is wearing a helmet

Interactive Maps Track Helmet, Camera Laws

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety posted the maps last week, allowing anyone to know which three states have no laws on their books requiring motorcyclists or bicyclists to wear protective helmets.

Illinois Beach State Park

Illinois Safety Engineer Warns of Asbestos Exposure at State Beach

"The dredging of toxic asbestos contaminated sand continues in Illinois, spreading increased risk of mesothelioma cancer rates that are already elevated when compared to the national average. How high must the body count get?" Jeffery C. Camplin, CSP, CPEA, asked the House Committee on Science and Technology's Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee on Thursday.

DOL Sues Pennsylvania Benefit Firms, Lawyers for Alleged Abuses

The Department of Labor has sued Penn-Mont Benefit Services Inc. of Bridgeport; its owner, John Koresko V; Koresko's law firms; and an attorney for the firms over alleged improper administration of death benefit plans marketed nationwide. The defendants allegedly underpaid benefits to participants, improperly withdrew more than $1 million in plan assets from the plans' trust, and illegally used assets to pay unreasonable and unnecessary lobbying expenses (Solis v. Koresko, Civil Action Number 2:09-cv-00988).

Renewed Alliance Addresses Trenching, Excavation Hazards

Through the partnership, APCa has developed 10 fact sheets so far, all describing best safety practices when working with equipment such as backhoes, sidebooms, and trenching machines.

a knife

UK Knife Crackdown: Hospitalizations Down, Jail Sentences Up

The Ministry of Justice launched a program last October targeting 10 areas in England and Wales. Individuals given immediate jail sentences for possession rose by 23 percent, to 1,386, in the October-December 2008 quarter.



Turkey Feed Producer Gobbles OSHA's Praise

The California, Mo.-based company, which produces bulk turkey feed for 197 independent producers, earned VPP recognition after implementing a comprehensive employee safety and health management system in accordance with VPP standards, which exceed minimum OSHA standards.

Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood

Oregon's Fatalities Rose 25 Percent Last Year

Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood, shown here, announced the 2008 total, 44, on Tuesday at the 2009 Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health Conference in Salem.

New FDA Guidance for Food Makers Using Peanut-Derived Products

Separately, numerous news organizations report President Obama will soon nominate Dr. Margaret A. "Peggy" Hamburg to be FDA administrator.

Over Victims' Protest, Houston Judge OKs $50 Million BP Fine

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal, who approved the fine, said she had no authority to alter the deal submitted to her and cannot make the Texas City refinery safe, The Houston Chronicle reported today.

Construction Company to Pay $325,000 for National Origin Harassment, Retaliation

The EEOC’s complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona charged that employees Leonard Lopez and Juan Campos were subjected to harassment based on their national origin (Mexican) and retaliation for complaining about it.

Fatal Trench Collapse Leads to $201,600 Penalty for Excavator

Following an investigation of the Sept. 12, 2008, incident that killed four workers, the company has been charged with violating the OSH Act.

Georgia Commercial Shipper Sentenced for Hazmat Violations

The company and its owner were indicted for shipping chemicals via United Parcel Service and Federal Express on multiple occasions without declaring the chemicals as hazmat. The owner's activities were discovered when a shipment leaked onboard an aircraft causing the entire aircraft to be unloaded and cleaned.

Process Safety Management Failings at Refinery Lead to $130,500 in Fines

Included in the penalty amount is one willful violation for the company's failure to appropriately test gas monitors for hydrogen sulfide and combustible gas in the HVAC systems for the control rooms.

Construction in Illinois Gets a Safety Boost

"We would like to ensure all construction companies--big and small--are prepared to effectively control the workplace hazards their employees may encounter," said Nick Walters, OSHA's area director in Peoria.

NTSB Urges Modification of Mobile Acetylene Trailer Regulations

The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that the Department of Transportation modify current federal regulations addressing the adequacy of mobile acetylene trailer design for protection during transport and the effectiveness and safety of current unloading procedures.

Escalating Workplace Violence in Florida the Focus of New OSHA Alliance

"With up to five percent of American workplaces experiencing a workplace violence episode annually, this alliance is both timely and beneficial to all employers," said James Borders, OSHA's area director in Jacksonville, Fla.

Mattress Manufacturer Springs into VPP

In recognition of its industry-leading commitment to employee safety and health, the company received a VPP flag and plaque during a ceremony this week at its site in Aurora, Colo.

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