Enforcement


Narrow Escape in Tree Felling Brings $32,000 Fine

The company, the F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company Limited, was carrying out the job on Aug. 1, 2016, when the 82-foot poplar tree was dropped in the wrong direction, hitting two vehicles and narrowly missing two members of the public.

Colorado Agencies Step Up DUI Enforcement Through Dec. 11

According to preliminary data, 193 people have died in impaired driving crashes on Colorado roadways through Oct. 31 this year, a sharp increase from 170 at the same time a year ago.

DEA Restructuring Includes Louisville Field Division

The first new Field Division in nearly 20 years, it will be established on Jan. 1 and will include Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Insurance Agent Sentenced in Comp Fraud Case

The Washington state Attorney General's Office prosecuted the case as an aggravated offense because it happened over a long time and involved multiple acts as well as the loss of a large amount of money.

Fine Assessed in 'Horrific' UK Fatality

A British recycling company has been fined about $1.1 million and two individuals were given suspended prison sentences for the death of an employee who was pulled onto a conveyor and into an industrial waste shredder.

$10 Million to Be Paid By Defendants in Virgin Islands Methyl Bromide Case

DOJ and EPA alleged the Virgin Islands pest control company illegally applied fumigants containing methyl bromide in multiple residential locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including the condominium resort complex in St. John where a family of four became seriously ill in March 2015 after the unit below them was fumigated.

OSHA Fines Wisconsin Miller $1.8 Million After Explosion

The agency cited the Didion Milling facility in Cambria, Wis., for 14 willful violations, including eight willful per-instance egregious ones, and five serious violations, most of which involved fire and explosion hazards. The company also has been placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

Coast Guard Commissions Hawaii's First Fast Response Cutter

USCG will be acquiring 58 FRCs to conduct missions that include search and rescue; fisheries enforcement; drug and migrant interdiction; ports, waterways, and coastal security; and national defense.



Oregon Company Fined After Fatal Fall

"We're seeing a continuing pattern of these uncontrolled risks in the construction industry, and as a result, there's been a significant number of deaths and severe injuries," said Anne Soiza, L&I's assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Recommendations from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board following the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 are still open. (U.S. Chemical Safety Board photo)

CSB Meeting Nov. 14 on Two Macondo Blowout Recommendations

The board is scheduled to discuss changing the status of two recommendations to the Department of Interior in its 2016 final report on the Deepwater Horizon blowout and spill, as well as the status of current investigations.

OSHA Cites Mississippi Company, Issues $220,544 in Penalties

The company was cited for two willful, seven serious, and five other-than-serious violations, according to the agency's news release.

Alaska Governor Releases Public Safety Action Plan

Gov. Bill Walker's plan aims to stem rising crime in the state and includes steps to address the opioid epidemic and drug trafficking.

FedEx's Mugno Nominated to Lead OSHA

Scott A. Mugno is vice president for Safety, Sustainability and Vehicle Maintenance at FedEx Ground in Pittsburgh, Pa.

California Medical Provider Suspensions Up to 52

The most recent suspensions involve a provider who had pleaded guilty to health care fraud and illegal kickbacks, one whose medical license was suspended in New Mexico after he was charged with sexual assault of a patient, and one who pleaded no contest to grand theft from the California Health Care Deposit Fund, according to the Department of Industrial Relations announcement.

OSHA Now Fully Enforcing Construction Silica Standard

A memo issued Oct. 19 says as of Oct. 23, 2017, the agency is fully enforcing “all appropriate provisions” of the standard.

Massachusetts Companies Agree to Penalty, Changes in OSHA Lockout Case

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Shield Packaging will pay $150,000 in penalties, provide documentation to OSHA that all hazards have been corrected, retain a professional engineer to approve the design and installation of a safety interlock on the machine that injured the worker, retain a qualified safety consultant to perform a comprehensive inspection of the plant, and develop a workplace safety and health program.

Duke Energy Nuclear Plant Under Increased NRC Oversight

NRC said in April, an electrical component on a Catawba Unit 2 emergency diesel generator failed during a scheduled test. NRC said its inspectors reviewed the event and determined that the plant staff had failed to adequately develop and adjust preventive maintenance activities using operating experience, maintenance history, and performance records.

Texas on the Lookout for School Bus Passing Violators

During 2016 and so far in 2017, Texas Highway Patrol troopers have issued 1,100 citations and 573 warnings for passing a stopped school bus.

November Brown Bag Lunch Focused on Safety Enforcement

Attendees of the Nov. 8 event in Washington, D.C., can meet leaders and staff from the Solicitor's Divisions of Occupational and Mine Safety and Health, OSHA, MSHA, and the Occupational and Mine Safety and Health Review Commissions.

OSHA Resumes Normal Enforcement Following Harvey

"We are now able to resume regular enforcement operations in most of the impacted areas," said OSHA Region VI Administrator Kelly Knighton. "For those areas most heavily impacted by Hurricane Harvey, we will continue to provide employers and workers with compliance assistance and outreach.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence

Webinars