The site in Agawam, Mass., was admitted for three years of participation at the star level following an OSHA team’s three-day onsite review, which included an examination of the facility’s safety and health management system, interviews with employees, and a complete tour of the plant.
Experts at the event Wednesday will discuss older workers’ ability to keep their jobs during layoffs or to find work afterward and the effect of recent controversial Supreme Court decisions on enforcement of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
According to EEOC, a North Carolina-based company doing business as Preferred People Staffing restricted women to a narrow range of assignments and complied with discriminatory requests from its clients for male-only temporary employees.
In a suit filed this week in New York, the government says the company has an extensive history of operating under unsanitary conditions and producing cheese contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious illness and death.
"The identified violations leave employees at the refinery vulnerable to accidents that could result in injury or possible death," said Al D'Imperio, area director of OSHA's Philadelphia Office.
In addition, EPA alleges the manufacturer violated notification and recordkeeping requirements and requirements to continuously monitor emissions from its boilers.
Among the charges against the company are citations for four repeat violations for failing to conduct and document inspections and tests on process equipment, conduct the proper process hazard analysis (PHA), and maintain adequate process safety information.
The prevailing advice from outplacement firms and job-finding books goes beyond merely hyping the positives and toning down admission of negatives, says Bradford Smart, Ph.D., president of hiring consultancy firm Smart & Associates Inc.
According to Steven Spotts, vice president and general manager at Sperian Protective Gloves USA, the acquisition of a state-of-the-art glove manufacturing facility in Nantong, China; the recently established Global R&D center in France; and the current economic uncertainty have necessitated the decision to close the Buffalo, N.Y. facility.
A written and enforced floor safety policy and procedures guide will improve floor safety while demonstrating management's commitment to prevention. Slip-resistant footwear is part of the solution.
The ideal temperature for indoor work is to some degree subjective, but the range for what is acceptable is fairly narrow.
"More important than the number of years Cathy has served in this agency is the influence she has had on making worker safety among the top priorities in America's workplaces," said OSHA's acting Assistant Secretary of Labor Jordan Barab.
The voice is the primary occupational tool for many professions, yet rarely do we think about the demands placed on the human voice. If a famous singer cancels a concert tour due to a voice problem—that might make the news. Yet every day, millions of Americans spend the majority of their work day using their voice in some capacity, especially workers such as salespersons and schoolteachers.
Imagine you've been thrust into the cockpit of a packed commercial airliner on its final approach, you've never piloted an airplane—and now, you're at the controls. "Scary" doesn't begin to describe how almost anybody would feel in a situation that pressure-packed and urgent.
Following these suggestions will promote productivity out of your most experienced workers while avoiding the costs of accidents and injury.
The transaction, valued at approximately $3.5 billion, will form a new, publicly listed company called Towers Watson & Co.
"As there are no global marketplace boundaries today and with a large number of our 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental (SH&E) professional members continuing to work in countries and projects around the world, this agreement will help us move forward in preventing injuries and illnesses worldwide," said ASSE President Warren K. Brown, CSP, ARM, CSHM.
"You are not alone," Jordan Barab assured the packed audience of safety professionals present for ASSE's Safety 2009 in San Antonio. "We have your back and your fight is our fight."
The Illinois facility was storing chlorine and diesel fuel over the minimum threshold level and failed to provide emergency and hazardous chemical inventory forms to state and local authorities, EPA said.
The facility, which manufactures bottled water products, has had an injury and illness rate nearly 70 percent below the industry average for three years, OSHA said.