The requirements under the rule apply to maintenance, renovation, or repair activities where six square feet (about the size of a poster) or more of a painted surface is disturbed inside, or where 20 square feet or more of painted surface (about the size of a door) is disturbed on the exterior.
The order results from an inspection of the facility following three releases of the gas in January, including the release that caused the death. EPA determined that the facility has not satisfied Clean Air Act requirements that are designed to help prevent accidental releases and minimize the consequences of releases that do occur.
The company was inspected as part of a federal site-specific targeting program based on its high injury and illness rates in comparison to the national rates.
Two days after the event, a “We Can Help” safety and worker rights fair will take place, also in Houston, providing free information, resources, training, and services.
"This case clearly shows the department's commitment to ensuring that individuals are provided the protections and relief afforded by the law and sends a strong message that retaliatory actions will not be tolerated," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels.
The company, which distributes specialty injectable pharmaceutical solutions and medical supplies to regional customers, has maintained an injury and illness rate 54 percent below the industry average for three years.
According to DOJ, on average, the center’s residents die at the age of 46.5 years, compared with the average age of 72 years for other individuals with developmental disabilities living in institutional settings.
Among the 18 serious hazards the agency cited are the company’s failure to protect workers from rotating parts on conveyor belts and not providing a wash station for employees during the use of corrosive chemicals.
According to investigators, the company has not maintained OSHA 300 logs for two years and has failed to develop and implement a hazcom program, train employees on hazardous chemicals, and develop and implement a respiratory protection program, among other problems.
International President Edwin D. Hill promises a "bold, timely and safe startup" of two new nuclear reactors that are planned with federal loan guarantees near Augusta, Ga.
Restrictions were imposed in 1990 on the practice when white phosphorus from Army munitions was found to be killing ducks and swans on Eagle River Flats. A Superfund cleanup of the area is about to be completed.
EPA alleges that UCM failed to conduct hazardous waste determinations at their point of origin and failed to comply with universal waste regulations by not storing waste in closed containers.
The 45 serious violations of which the facility stands accused address hazards with industrial trucks, falls, PPE, machine guarding, electrical safety, process safety management, respirators, and emergency response.
OSHA has ordered The Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. to pay $1,000 in punitive damages and to take corrective actions, including expunging disciplinary actions and references to them from various records as well as compensating the worker for attorneys' fees.
The Food and Drug Administration is warning health care providers and consumers about counterfeit surgical mesh being distributed in the United States under the C. R. Bard/Davol brand name. Surgical mesh products are used to reinforce soft tissue where weakness exists.
Unguarded protruding steel rebar, uncovered 7-foot deep holes, and an unprotected 14-foot-high excavation wall were among the unsafe conditions OSHA found at the construction site in Newton, Mass.
"Unprotected trenches can become deathtraps in an instant when cave-ins occur," said Richard S. Terrill, OSHA's regional administrator in Seattle.
"Employers should not assume this [combustible dust] hazard is minor or non-existent. Addressing it requires ongoing attention and effort, but proper precautions can prevent or minimize the possibility of a devastating explosion or fire," said William Coffin, OSHA's area director for Maine.
Acciona Energy, a Spanish company whose North American subsidiary has several U.S. projects under way, announced March 9 it has signed a deal to build three wind farms in the Mexican state of Oaxaca with 204 of its turbines providing 306 MW of total capacity. New equipment for servicing turbines is arriving, too.
If energy-saving construction were a poker game, the Department of Energy made a large bet March 5 by offering a conditional commitment for a $72 million loan guarantee to SAGE Electrochromics Inc. of Faribault, Minn.