Among other violations, the company failed to provide workers with a fall arrest harness with a lanyard and did not adequately plank scaffolding during masonry work that reached as high as 24 feet, OSHA said.
Specifically, the facility failed to adequately train workers on respirator selection, use, storage, and maintenance; did not supply positive-pressure filtered air to all work cabs; did not label containers of coke-contaminated clothing; allowed food and beverages to be consumed in an area with visible accumulations of coke-oven emissions; and more, according to investigators.
In its fifteenth OSHA inspection since 1974, the company was charged with nine willful, four repeat, and 17 serious violations, including hazards of confined space entry and combustible dust.
While professional drivers have to worry about speed traps, weight restrictions, and traffic jams, many don't consider the effects of prolonged sun exposure from driving.
FEMA's United States Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report today examining the characteristics of grill fires on residential properties. The report, titled "Grill Fires on Residential Properties," was developed by USFA's National Fire Data Center and is further evidence of FEMA's commitment to sharing information with fire departments and first responders around the country to help them keep their communities safe.
The settlement resolves the natural resource trustees' claims against the aerospace and defense company, which are contained in a complaint filed with the consent decree. The complaint asserts claims for natural resource damages under the Superfund statute, the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and Washington's Model Toxics Control Act.
As a result of an October 2009 inspection in Cincinnati, OSHA issued Lowe's four willful citations with a proposed penalty of $40,000. Based on a November 2009 inspection, OSHA issued the Dayton store seven willful citations with a proposed penalty of $70,000.
This contractor has been inspected by OSHA 25 times since 1991 and has been issued numerous willful, serious, and repeat violations, including many lead violations, the agency said.
The stored materials uncovered by inspections included xylene, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, paint wastes, petroleum distillates, flammable liquids, sodium hydroxide, waste aerosols, and broken fluorescent bulbs, among others.
A revision of ASTM E2148-06, Standard Guide for Using Documents Related to Metalworking or Metal Removal Fluid Health and Safety, will add a reference to the new E2693-09, Standard Practice for Prevention of Dermatitis in the Wet Metal Removal Fluid Environment.
The company also received serious citations for failing to implement an effective energy control program and to provide adequate machine guarding on grinders.
Currently, more than 80 percent of cities and communities are served exclusively by trucks, especially the rural areas where rails and waterways do not reach. The first and last movements in the supply chain from farm to grocery store are by truck.
"Employers have a legal responsibility to protect their workers and the general public from the hazards associated with the improper removal and/or disturbance of asbestos," said MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski.
This week's FoodSafety.gov blog provides consumers with seven tips for avoiding foodborne illnesses when buying food.
Safety is the ultimate self-defense. While a leader might never be physically attacked, he will likely be sometimes swarmed by multiple problems, probed for weaknesses by seeming adversaries, or off-balanced by forces of swirling change. Even confronted with situations that can result in accidents and injury.
Outdoor workers should be protected against excessive heat exposure, and particularly if they are wearing protective apparel.
The majority of employers in the United States would not argue the point that the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) has cost their company an incredible amount of time, money, and grief since its inception. Though it is a great concept, I question whether the HCS, even after more than 20 years in existence, has produced more than a few positive results in the eyes of most employers and employees.
The new Web site is geared to give smartphone users easy access to disaster preparedness information.
"We believe this information, in the hands of informed, key stakeholders, will ultimately lead to a more robust and focused debate on what still needs to be done to protect workers in all sectors, especially in the chemical industry," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor of OSHA.