OSHA has cited Sinclair Tulsa Refining Co. with one alleged willful and one serious following an inspection at the company's crude oil refinery in Tulsa. Proposed penalties total $240,750. OSHA's Oklahoma City Area Office began its investigation Feb. 4 at the company's facility on 25th Street in Tulsa.
The union and the oil and gas industry's trade association issued press releases Aug. 4 accusing each other of undermining their work on a national standard requested by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board after the BP refinery explosion in Texas City in 2005.
"OSHA standards require that circuits be de-energized before employees work on them and that appropriate personal protective equipment be supplied and used in those rare instances where de-energizing is not feasible," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex (Mass.) counties.
ASTM F1637-09, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, addresses the design, construction and minimum maintenance criteria for floors, walkway surfaces, sidewalks, short-flight stairs, gratings, wheel stops, and speed bumps of new and existing buildings.
Hazard Communication Guidance for Combustible Dusts is a new guidance document recently published by OSHA that assists chemical manufacturers and importers in recognizing the potential for dust explosions, identifying appropriate protective measures and the requirements for disseminating this information on material safety data sheets and labels.
The warranty extension is retroactive, applicable to products manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2009. Therefore, products with a date code stamp of "0109" or later are protected by the new 36-month policy.
The government's report on the May 2004 explosion and collapse of the ICL Plastics factory in Glasgow, caused by a gas leak, was released this month. A timetable to replace 210,000 commercial and home installations has been agreed to, and a push is on to hire and train gas engineers.
Facilities are required to update and resubmit their risk management plan at least once every five years; the plans are used by EPA to assess chemical risks to surrounding communities and to prepare for emergency responses.
"This partnership showcases a commitment to the value of safety and health shared by PPGA and Black & Veatch and acts as a force multiplier to the advancement of OSHA's mission to promote the safety and health of working men and women," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo.
The settlement will result in operational improvements that are expected to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants by more than 48,000 pounds per year and nitrogen oxides by 313,000 pounds per year, EPA said.
Chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants deplete the stratospheric, or "good" ozone layer, allowing dangerous amounts of cancer-causing ultraviolet rays from the sun to strike the earth, EPA notes. Production of some of these chemicals was stopped in 1995, and federal law strictly controls their use and handling.
"It is especially heartening that given today's economy, ASHRAE chapters and members as well as industry companies continue to see the value of supporting our research program," said Gordon Holness, president of the society.
The company is subject to the dry cleaning rule of the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants because it uses perchloroethylene in its dry cleaning process. EPA says perchloroethylene may cause serious health effects including birth defects and cancer, and it may also cause harmful environmental and ecological effects.
Toxic substances and near shore health and runoff will be among the principal areas of focus over the course of the two weeks of meetings.
The firm provides services at O’Hare International Airport, as well as to the hospitality industry and private schools in the Chicago area.
ACCSH advises the secretary of labor and the assistant secretary of labor for OSHA in the formulation of standards affecting the construction industry and on policy matters arising in the administration of the safety and health provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the OSH Act of 1970.
One case involved alleged machine guarding and other violations against Crucible Specialty Metals following an investigation sparked by a worker's death Jan. 15.
The Paterson, N.J.-based companies promised to make corrections, but they failed to do so, DOJ said. The government’s complaint requests a court order to stop the companies and its officer from manufacturing and distributing the products until needed corrections are made.
The recalled units, sold by wholesale distributors to plumbing and heating contractors nationwide from September 2007 through December 2007 for between $5,000 and $7,500, are white and designed to be mounted on walls.
Japan's recession is idling both industrial and toy robots there, but the situation apparently isn't so dire in American industry. Ford uses robots to test new air bag sensors on its 2009 F-150 pickup to Taurus models; this Ford photo shows a robot inflicting a door impact simulating a hard-thrown ball.