A panel of OSHA and contractor representatives outlined the criteria and documentation needed in the selection of a tower crane versus a mobile crane or other equipment and reviewed and discussed the hazards associated with the different tower crane types.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Acting Chairman Nancy A. Nord recently announced that Quin Dodd will be leaving his position as CPSC Chief of Staff, effective Oct. 1. She also announced that Joseph Martyak, her Counsel, will assume the position of Chief of Staff at that time.
"It should be a no-brainer in the 21st century workplace that women deserve pay and promotional opportunities based on merit, not gender," said EEOC's New York district director Spencer H. Lewis Jr. "Employers who fail to grasp and abide by the letter of the law do so at great risk."
As part of the partnership, ADA representatives will continue to provide expertise in updating the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention and the Dentistry Safety and Health Topics pages.
The agency's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking includes several questions for public comment related to current employer practices, along with tasks, tools, equipment, machines, vehicles, processes, controls, and procedures involved in tree care operations. Comments must be submitted by Dec. 17.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it will update its inventory of industrial chemicals to more accurately reflect the most commonly used chemicals in commerce. The agency wants to update the current Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory as part of its Chemical Assessment and Management Program.
OSHA's inspection found that the office did not provide the injured employee with no-cost, post-exposure medical evaluation and follow-up, and did not have the blood of the source individual tested, as required under OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard.
"After agreeing to correct problems found during our previous inspection, management's admitted failure to make those changes seriously jeopardizes the safety and health of the people working in their plant," said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA's area director in Birmingham.
Charges of six willful and 10 serious citations follow a March 2008 explosion that caused serious injuries to two employees at the facility in Spooner, Wis.
FDA is advising consumers not to purchase infant formula manufactured in China from Internet sites or from other sources and said it will continue to check retail stores for food items imported from China that could contain a significant amount of milk or milk proteins.
Although it functions solely as an advisory body, the committee assists OSHA on matters relevant to the safety and health of employees in the maritime industry, including shipbuilding, ship-repair, shipbreaking, longshoring, and marine-terminal industries.
"If we can provide these employers and their employees with the knowledge and ability to anticipate, identify, and eliminate work-related hazards, we will get that much closer to eliminating job-related injuries," said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA's area director in Columbus.
According to OSHA, it all matters whether the employee's normal work schedule includes one or more work-from-home days.
Specifically, the agencies signed partnerships with the Rocky Hill, Conn.-based Independent Electrical Contractors of New England Inc. (IECNE) and the Wethersfield-based Connecticut Office of Apprenticeship and Training (CTOAT).
The proposed total penalty includes $92,500 in fines for five repeat citations involving unguarded elevated work areas, untrained forklift operators, storing a forklift in front of a marked exit, exposed wiring in a heater and an electrical junction box, and not providing hazard communication training to new employees.
Contractors say the proposal, which OSHA issued to clarify that certain respiratory and training standards apply on a per-employee basis, is a threat. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's comments predict a court will strike it down.
More Americans are buckling up than ever before, with 83 percent of vehicle occupants using seatbelts during daylight hours, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced recently. In 2007, 82 percent used seat belts.
Licensed by the state of New Jersey as a health inspector, Robert D. Kulick joined OSHA in 1977 and worked for six years as an industrial hygiene field compliance officer before advancing to other agency positions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that an Arizona city will pay $240,000 to resolve a 2007 complaint against it for allegedly violating the asbestos provisions of the Clean Air Act.
If a motor carrier contests the denial of a safety permit, claiming crashes that caused its rate to be in the top 30 percent of the national average weren't preventable, the agency will consider it.