Lodged in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee since March, S. 2996 sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is expected to be marked up in July, said SOCMA Government Relations VP Bill Allmond.
EMTs at the scene said the incident was an excellent example of what is possible if CPR and AED use are initiated quickly, along with timely activation of the emergency medical services system.
The July 7-8 event in Baltimore brings top DHS officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, together with leaders of the chemical industry to discuss security issues and solutions.
"It should not take an OSHA inspection and enforcement action to prompt an employer to complete necessary repairs that should have been made months, even years, ago," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director for western New York.
"A system that is based on inconsistent data and a flawed scoring methodology will not achieve its objectives," said Transportation Corporation of America CEO Keith Klein, in his testimony Wednesday before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
"When doctors or nurses lean over the beds of patients who are carrying organisms, their clothing can become contaminated. Hours later, that bacteria can still be alive and passed on through incidental contact with other patients," said Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
The penalty against B&W Nuclear Operations Group of Lynchburg, Va., is based on its alleged failure to have adequate instructions telling workers how to neutralize acid spills.
All five companies prosecuted for the Dec. 11, 2005, explosion and fire at an oil storage depot in Hertfordshire, England, either pleaded guilty or were found guilty by a jury. Sentencing is set for July 16.
The railroad issued an employee a notification of formal investigation in reprisal for reporting a work injury and also retaliated against the employee by disciplining him in the form of a letter of censure, OSHA said, noting these actions violate the Federal Rail Safety Act.
Following a safety and health complaint, an investigation uncovered 13 serious and repeat violations that OSHA said "put workers at risk for potential injury or possible death."
The citation is based in part on information that two children living in renovated Michigan homes had tested positive for elevated blood lead levels.
According to EEOC, a jobseeker who has multiple sclerosis applied for one of six open barista positions but was never contacted for an interview; meanwhile, individuals with less experience and availability were hired instead.
“Every day we have millions of risks and different types of risks. We assess, audit, look ahead. We must complete our mission safely, as does NASA and everyone on this panel,” said Greg Hale, vice president of Worldwide Safety and Accessibility for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
The study calls the new standard "radically different" from the previous standard and says because its rules for product markings have changed, users will need to be educated on matching the hazard from which they need protection with the new marking on the product.
“It’s an unfortunate fact that monetary penalties just aren’t enough,” said OSHA chief David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH. “We believe that nothing focuses the mind like the threat of doing time in prison, which is why we need criminal penalties for employers who are determined to gamble with their workers’ lives and consider it merely a cost of doing business when a worker dies on the job.”
"It is unacceptable for employers to retaliate against employees who raise safety and health concerns," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York. "Employers will be held accountable if they violate workers' legal right to have a voice in the workplace on health and safety."
“For members of the community with specialized mobility needs, such as people with disabilities, older workers, youth and low-income earners, transportation is often the link that makes employment in good jobs possible,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.
"For too long workers have avoided making claims of unsafe work conditions out of fear of losing their jobs," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels. "We are confident that this new training will embolden workers to speak up when they find work practices that endanger their lives and the lives of their co-workers."
“We typically hear about hot work accidents weekly," said CSB Investigations Supervisor Donald Holmstrom. "It has become one of the most significant types of incidents the CSB investigates, in terms of deaths and in terms of frequency.”
Violations found at both stores include the company's failure to maintain exit routes, as well as walking and working surfaces that were free and unobstructed, to implement a hazard communication program, and to protect employees from electrical hazards.