The OSHA leader and Dr. John Howard, director of NIOSH, are working together on a broad front to make important changes in OSHA's approach and effectiveness, they said Wednesday in a joint AIHce appearance.
"Although management knew the existing sign needed to be removed or covered, they chose to ignore the requirement and put their employees in danger," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Inspectors discovered that employees were bypassing safety switches in order to reach into running machinery to un-jam it without shutting down the machine.
Following a thorough investigation, the agency issued two willful and 12 serious citations with total proposed penalties of $135,900. The alleged violations include arc flash hazards, insufficient hand protection, and industrial truck training deficiencies.
Cryptococcus "is inhaled into the lungs of people who may have been near trees or soil where the microbes live,” says Dr. Christina Hull of the ubiquitous C. neoformans species (pictured), the spherical cells of which are 3 to 7 microns in diameter. Abandoned buildings also are often hotbeds.
Thirty-four percent of respondents said they have an infection control plan to increase interventions in the event of an outbreak of CDI, a condition frequently associated with previous antibiotic use and most commonly contracted by the elderly and those with recent exposure to hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care institutions.
"This was a horrific and preventable situation," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. "The employer was aware of the hazards and knowingly and willfully sent workers into a confined space with an explosive and toxic atmosphere."
Training of cleanup employees is ongoing throughout the Gulf Coast region. The agency has officials monitoring the training and observing the cleanup efforts that are already underway.
The Connecticut-based metal finishing company also was cited for not establishing a regulated work area and ensuring contaminated protective clothing remained in the work area, and for not conducting cadmium exposure sampling.
The 33 serious violations include a lack of training, electrical hazards, inadequate personal protective equipment, failing to implement an adequate hazard communication and respiratory protection program, and failing to properly handle confined spaces.
During an inspection that was part of a regional emphasis program, investigators observed employees working without adequate protection on platforms as high as 20 feet.
OSHA issued citations for, among other things, failing to ensure workers were not exposed to noise levels at or above 85 decimals and to adequately protect employees from exposure to hazardous chemicals such as formaldehyde.
The company was cited for violations at its Parsippany, N.J., worksite, which it shares with Salonika Associates LLC, also cited after a Site-Specific Targeting Program inspection.
"This facility has been inspected previously and received citations for various workplace hazards," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Management cannot delay taking action any longer to improve its safety and health program in order to protect workers."
The union, which represents some 390,000 active members, said May 11 that it filed its petition last month with OSHA.
The new law creates a new Health and Human Services Referral Board -- 2-1-1 Maryland -- linking citizens with the health services, community preparedness information, and crisis response.
The three-hour programs, designed to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss among workers, are set to take place in Dallas, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Houston, June 7-10, respectively.
JOEH LLC, a partnership of ACGIH and AIHA, has appointed Mark Nicas, Ph.D., MPH, CIH, to the job. He'll start July 1, about five weeks after the 2010 AIHce.
"While it's fortunate that no collapse occurred, excavation safety cannot rely on good fortune," said OSHA Area Director Brenda Gordon. "Required safeguards must be in place and in use at all times."
Within the past five years, OSHA has conducted more than 900 inspections at USPS facilities across the country and has issued more than 600 citations.