Chemical Safety Board Chairman John Bresland released a new video safety message on Nov. 12 asking jurisdictions across the country to adopt the ASME Pressure Vessel Code to reduce the number of accidents involving catastrophic pressure vessel failures in process industries.
EPA said its Region 7 receives more accidental release reports for ammonia than for any other chemical. In addition to releases caused by transportation accidents, human error, and equipment failure, a number have been caused by anhydrous ammonia thefts.
In December 2007, EPA issued a rule requiring reductions in air toxic emissions from auto body shops that use spray application to paint cars or that use paint strippers containing a toxic substance called methylene chloride. Existing shops must comply with the rule by January 2011; new shops have to comply by 180 days after startup.
The reports include online graphs, trend information on enforcement and compliance in each state, and comparative reports. Data such as compliance monitoring activity, violations discovered, enforcement actions taken, and penalties assessed are available.
OSHA said the alleged serious violations stem from the employer using a flexible cord that was not properly wired, improper use of ladders that were damaged, and lack of ladder training.
Many companies introduced new products and initiatives at the Oct. 26-28 expo, and while attendance was mediocre, exhibitors generally were upbeat.
"They still have a systemic safety problem in this refinery," said acting OSHA chief Jordan Barab today, announcing an additional 439 new violations found in 17 follow-up inspections at the refinery in Texas City, Texas.
"Electricity moves--and can kill or injure--at the speed of light. It doesn't give you a second chance," said C. William Freeman III, OSHA's area director in Hartford, Conn.
"Steel mills remain a dangerous place to work, and it is inexcusable to fail to correct serious dangers, particularly after they've already been identified by OSHA. . . . We expect better," said OSHA Area Director Jule Hovi in Toledo, Ohio.
The venture, which will employ about 1,200 workers during peak construction activities, is an expansion and extension of Brook Army Medical Center and Fort Sam Houston and will create a medical complex encompassing both Army installations.
On Friday, the union and Chevron Philips Petroleum marked the 20th anniversary of a refinery explosion and fire in Pasadena, Texas, that killed 23 workers and injured 314 others. International VP Gary Beevers said not enough has been done since then to ensure safety at refineries.
The Health and Safety Executive examined what footwear and flooring suppliers offer to end users in sales literature and online. No indication of slip resistance was given for 47 percent of the 1,304 footwear styles surveyed, and another 36 percent claimed to be slip resistant but provided no test data.
There are potential health risks for some solvents, depending on the types of landfills in which wipes contaminated with them are disposed, said the agency, which seeks comments on its revised analysis.
Inspections conducted over the past several months by OSHA's area office in Andover, Mass., also identified various chemical, mechanical, and electrical hazards--41 violations in all, with proposed penalties totaling $138,000.
In April, a fire at the facility sent three workers to a local hospital. The resulting inspection revealed nine alleged willful, four serious, two repeat, and two failure-to-abate violations.
"The identified violations leave employees at the refinery at risk of accidents that could result in injury or possible death," said Patricia Jones, area director of OSHA's office in Avenel, N.J.
The investigation found 32 serious violations, including failing to evaluate the worksite for exposures to hydrogen sulfide, develop procedures for waste stream processing, develop decontamination procedures, and train workers on the hazards associated with confined space entry on barges.
"The more than 7,000 tons per year of sulfur dioxide reductions secured by this settlement will produce significant and measurable public health benefits for downwind communities," said EPA’s Cynthia Giles.
Most of that sum is the result of the company’s failure to correct seven violations identified during a previous inspection that focused on the firm’s lack of an energy control program to ensure machinery would not start up at inopportune times.
The researchers looked at a construction site, an industrial facility with a variable noise environment, and an industrial facility with a steady noise environment for one workday and for a two-week period.