The new standard, OR-OSHA Administrative Order 6-2008 for general industry and construction, will be effective July 1.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on May 16 directed Hope Food Supply Inc., a Pasadena, Texas, food processing company, to shut down and immediately recall all products manufactured from its Texas facility since 2007.
Eighteen women, including teens, were abused, EEOC said.
Inspectors found J.A.M. employees working in an excavation deeper than 6 feet that lacked adequate protection against cave-ins. OSHA standards require that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse.
Three employees were killed by steam and hot ash when boiler tubes ruptured in the lower vestibule/dead air space of boiler Unit #3 in the plant's boiler house in Salem, Mass.
Under the settlement, the company also has agreed to adopt remedial measures to ensure that its employees are not sexually harassed, EEOC says.
The hearing will address a global concern: use of child labor and forced labor to produce goods. ILO soon will consider proposing a standard for gathering accurate statistics.
"Employees and management at the Wallingford facility take a proactive approach to safety and health, so they can identify and remove work-related hazards before they harm employees," said Marthe Kent, OSHA's regional administrator for New England.
"Facilities that process particularly toxic chemicals, such as lead, must follow reporting rules to ensure area residents and emergency response personnel are informed of possible chemical hazards locally," said Nathan Lau, Communities and Ecosystems Division Associate Director for EPA's Pacific Southwest region.
The company was also cited for failing to implement a mechanical integrity program for pressure relief devices and fixed equipment, and failing to correct deficiencies associated with vessel and piping wall thicknesses.
A reopened record on electrical rule and a revised HazCom standard in October are two highlights of the spring 2008 semiannual agenda.
"Employers have an essential and unavoidable responsibility to see to it that areas with flammable liquids and chemicals which carry significant health risks are made safe for their employees," said Richard Gilgrist, OSHA's area director in Cincinnati.
This proposed rule, for which the agency took comments in 2005, is one of two important ones expected to be proposed in June.
EEOC announced a major settlement of a racial harassment lawsuit for $1,650,000 and significant remedial relief against Conectiv, A.C. Dellovade Inc., Steel Suppliers Erectors Inc., and Matrix Services Industrial Contractors.
The U.S. Department of Labor yesterday unveiled an "elaws" advisor that the agency says helps employers determine which of the department's recordkeeping, reporting, and notice requirements apply to them.
"We are committed to protecting the right of all authorized workers in the United States against citizenship status discrimination," said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for DOJ's Civil Rights Division.
Employee exposure to electrocution and being caught in unguarded or unexpectedly energized driers and other machinery were also among the dangers OSHA found.
"Employers must remain dedicated to keeping the workplace safe and healthful, or face close scrutiny by this agency," said Diane Turek, director of OSHA's Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines, Ill.
Three employees contracted from a temporary help company were injured after they were instructed by supervisors to clean the inside of a tank that contained concrete slurry waste.
This is a seven-month delay in the rule's final compliance date.