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.
"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.
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.
"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.
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.
OSHA Underground has been answered by OSHA Aboveground, with the criticism leveled by the former being rebutted by the latter's postings.
OSHA standards require an effective form of fall protection whenever employees work at heights of six feet or greater.
OSHA has is inviting employers from Connecticut and southern New England to attend a free March 12 meeting at Wesleyan University in Middletown to learn about the agency's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).
"Personnel trained to the first responder awareness level may make an effort to identify hazardous substances, but they must do so from a safe distance," wrote Richard E. Fairfax, director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs.
The Food and Drug Administration announced a Consent Decree of permanent injunction filed March 2, 2009, enjoining KV Pharmaceutical Company, its subsidiaries ETHEX Corporation and Ther-Rx Corporation, and its principal officers from making and distributing adulterated and unapproved drugs.
An explanation of the use and limitations of methods that will prevent or reduce exposure to bloodborne pathogens and OPIM, including appropriate engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment, should be included in the training.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has proposed new quality assurance and control requirements for manufacturers of respirators approved by NIOSH or NIOSH and MSHA under 42 CFR Part 84--Approval of Respiratory Protective Devises.
The Food and Drug Administration recently announced that manufacturers of metoclopramide, a drug used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, must add a boxed warning to their drug labels about the risk of its long-term or high-dose use. Chronic use of metoclopramide has been linked to tardive dyskinesia, which may include involuntary and repetitive movements of the body, even after the drugs are no longer taken.
GINA would prohibit the use of genetic information in employment and the intentional acquisition of genetic information about applicants and employees.
According to OSHA, A-1 Excavating has received 38 citations from the agency since 1982, including at least eight citations for hazards associated with potential cave-ins, and seven citations for having the spoil pile too close to the trench edge.
"The sizable fines proposed here reflect the fact that this company knew several of these critical safeguards were necessary yet chose not to provide them," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo, N.Y.
Autozone, one of the nation’s largest retailers of auto parts and accessories, had been sued by EEOC on June 13, 2007 because, the EEOC charged, the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to reasonably accommodate the manager, who had back and neck impairments, at its Macomb, Ill., retail outlet.
The Food and Drug Administration recently announced that a facility owned by India-based Ranbaxy Laboratories falsified data and test results in approved and pending drug applications. The facility, Paonta Sahib, has been under an FDA Import Alert since September 2008.
In addition, one of the plant's maintenance providers has also been cited, in part for failing to adequately train employees to fight fires, which it contracted to do at the site.
Copper theft has become a serious public safety issue in recent years as the price of copper in the U.S. has increased.