Priorities will include developing courses for small businesses and employees who speak no or limited English regarding construction safety and health hazards.
As part of its new approach, the agency is revising the existing drinking water standards for four contaminants that can cause cancer.
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.
Previous meetings in this series addressing combustible dust hazards were held in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. OSHA will consider participants' comments in developing its proposed standard on the issue.
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.
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.
"Having proper machine guarding on equipment can prevent these needless injuries to workers," said OSHA Area Director Jule Hovi in Toledo, Ohio.
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.
"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.
Exposure to the toxic chemical can affect the nervous system and can cause changes in color vision, fatigue, slowed reaction time, concentration problems, and balance problems.
Rick Marinelli joined FAA in 1992 and now serves as manager of its Airport Engineering Division, responsible for programs relating to runway and taxiway geometry, airport airspace analysis, airport winter operations, design standards for airport facilities and equipment, airport pavements, airport lighting and electrical systems, and airport safety data.
The new guidance does away with the old Survey Type 1, 2, and 3, replacing those with the more comprehensive Management Survey and Refurbishment and Demolition Survey.
Among the most significant challenges facing the river is the runoff of excess nutrients from manure and commercial fertilizer, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus.
An inspection found workers unable to open emergency exit doors from inside the workplace; a lack of specific procedures to lock out machine power sources; missing guardrails; improperly stored oxygen cylinders; several electrical hazards; and more.
Among the products considered most likely to lead to the danger of an explosion or fire are zinc and other metallic powders, wheat flour and other food products, and certain plastics and resins. In all of these cases, if unprotected, normal processing steps can produce enough static electricity to ignite a dust cloud.
Specifically, the agency found instances of improper transfer and storage of flammable liquids; lack of specific lockout/tagout procedures and training to prevent the unintended startup of machines during maintenance; lack of hearing protection; inadequate respirator training, fit-testing, medical evaluation, inspection, and maintenance; unguarded grinders; and more.
Acting in response to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's recommendations from the ConAgra Slim Jim explosion, NFPA's National Fuel Gas Code Committee proposed an emergency change to strengthen NFPA 54. Expedited public review and comment will follow.
There will come a point during the upcoming American Society of Safety Engineers Professional Development Conference & Expo, June 13-16 in Baltimore, when visitors will have the opportunity to witness something close to what inspired Maryland native Francis Scott Key by that dawn's early light in 1814, when he penned the words of what would become our national anthem.