The Burley, Idaho-based worksite has not experienced an occupational injury or illness in the last four years, the agency said.
According to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine, a new congressional mandate changing hospital reimbursement made by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could inadvertently reverse tremendous progress in reducing the use of physical restraints among hospitalized elderly patients.
"In this case, a worker was unloading materials from a box that was being elevated on a lift truck that became unstable, causing the worker to fall 36 feet to his death," said Stephen Boyd, OSHA's area director in Dallas.
Also, because summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena--lightning--NOAA is calling attention to Lightning Safety Week, June 21-27, by offering a number of new, free resources to increase safety awareness.
Due to the mobility of employers in the construction industry, the transitory nature of construction sites, and the fact that sites often involve more than one employer, inspections will target specific jobsites rather than specific employers.
"OSHA's process safety management regulations are designed to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards associated with the catastrophic release of highly hazardous chemicals," said Patricia Jones, director of OSHA's area office in Avenel, N.J., which conducted the investigation.
This year's awards recognize research that made ambulances safer for EMS workers and passengers and also EMS protective clothing recommendations used in the 2008 edition of the NFPA 1999 standard.
WorkCover New South Wales, the workplace safety authority in Australia's most populous state, has designated May 2009 as Slips, Trips and Falls Month as it tries to raise awareness of the issue.
"It takes only one slip or misstep to turn a construction site into an accident scene," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex (Massachusetts) counties.
Basic precautions and PPE could help to prevent deaths, injuries, and illness in the industry, according to a new NIOSH report. Though significant, safety hazards may be the least of the industry's worries as the 135th Kentucky Derby is run today.
In the first of this series of articles (March 2009, pages 66-67), we explored the difference between primary and secondary prevention strategies of employee injuries. As we stated, the dramatic reduction of employee injuries in the past 15 years demonstrates the employer's success in preventing an injury from occurring. However, when an injury does occur, the cost of that injury continues to spiral upward. We find ourselves in an environment where the frequency of injuries is down, but severity is up.
Analyzing 1,285 deaths in 1992-2007 of workers who died while performing tree care or maintenance, NIOSH found 38 percent were self-employed. While 34 percent died from falls, another 14 percent were electrocuted.
Jail terms and $248,000 in fines and restitution followed prosecution of managers at a Santa Rosa, Calif., roofing company after one worker died and another was permanently disabled.
Seminars and other events are being held all week at various locations throughout the city in support of Construction Safety Week. All sessions are free of charge and open to the public.
Inspectors identified other hazards including locked exits, obstructed exit access, and an unmarked exit; lack of welding screens and personal protective equipment for welders; untrained forklift operators; excess carbon monoxide levels from forklifts; and numerous electrical safety deficiencies including exposed live electrical parts.
The International Powered Access Foundation said a "radical re-examination of harnesses used by female operators of boom-type mobile elevating work platforms" is needed. Norguard Industries Inc. introduced the Go Pro-Girl™ line for women, shown here, on April 16.
Texas Mutual Insurance Company launched it in Lubbock on a trial basis with several participating employers. "Workplace Accidents Are a Pain. Work Smart" is the theme, and a free movie ticket can be earned by taking a safety quiz.
"There is no excuse for the lack of fall protection, and it's outrageous to think that employers still allow employees to be exposed to fall hazards without ensuring fall protection is in use," said Charles Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo.