"The dangers of scaffolding can be controlled by adhering to OSHA standards, but this company continues to expose its workers to unnecessary hazards," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA area director in Fort Lauderdale.
OSHA's El Paso Area Office initiated this inspection on Oct. 19, 2010, when employees were observed working on a scaffold without the use of fall protection equipment at a worksite.
Only four fatal construction accidents occurred in the city during 2010, all of them falls. Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri credits increased enforcement, new requirements, and more outreach to the construction industry for the improvements.
Some of the wind energy industry's largest competitors teamed to create the modules, which recently were tested, the Danish company Vestas Wind Systems A/S announced.
Due to the number of repeat violations cited, the company has been added to OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
This one is focused on slips, trips, and falls and is sponsored by OSHA, the Southeastern Line Constructors Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, Southeastern Line Constructors Apprenticeship and Training, and districts 5 and 10 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Three repeat and two serious citations against a New Jersey firm included $58,080 in proposed penalties.
The serious violations include failing to provide properly constructed scaffolds and provide supports to hold piping.
Included in the 56-page booklet is advice for preventing slips and falls caused by the top 10 hazards.
With the right equipment and a combination of three basic methods, it's a cinch.
The penalty, announced Dec. 28, stems from a July 2010 death at the North Dakota plant of the world’s leading supplier of wind turbine blades and services, LM Wind Power.
Several enforcement actions been filed this month, including one against a Houston contractor in connection with a job site in Hamburg, Pa.
Recommended by the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, the National Association of Home Builders, and the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association, this change took effect immediately. Its enforcement effective date is June 16, 2011.
OSHA began its inspection on Oct. 21 at the company's facility, which found employees working at an elevation of approximately 14 feet without wearing fall protection.
The company was prosecuted after an employee suffered fatal head injuries in October 2006 when he fell from a wooden ladder.
OSHA has proposed $91,000 in fines against the company for one alleged willful, two alleged serious, and one other-than-serious violation.
OSHA began its inspection June 10 at the company's worksite and found employees operating a forklift without wearing a seat belt, as well as wet floors in passageways, aisles, and laundry work areas.
The deadline to comment on the 582-page document is April 4, 2011, and government safety agencies are urging employers and workers to participate as Australia moves toward harmonized regulations.
The National Floor Safety Institute announced the publication of ANSI/NFSI B101.1. For the first time, property owners can be held accountable for the slip resistance of their floors, said NFSI founder Russ Kendzior.
The investigation followed a June 12 fatality at its Philadelphia plant when a worker was crushed by a paper hopper during loading operations.