In recognition of its industry-leading commitment to employee safety and health, the company received a VPP flag and plaque during a ceremony this week at its site in Aurora, Colo.
We know the basics of head and face protection: impacts, flying particles, glare, radiation, and chemical exposure are givens, as is bloodborne pathogens exposure for medical personnel. Injuries range from the simplest scrapes to deaths and activities from medical care to heavy construction. Most companies have the physical items of PPE to work safely in all types of situations. Considering the potential for a workplace head/face injury, is basic really enough?
"The sizable fines proposed here reflect the fact that this company knew several of these critical safeguards were necessary yet chose not to provide them," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo, N.Y.
"Anyone involved in the energization of electrical equipment should consider this document a must have," says Al Peterson, president of Utility Service Corporation.
In addition, one of the plant's maintenance providers has also been cited, in part for failing to adequately train employees to fight fires, which it contracted to do at the site.
"The committee decided to develop this standard because of the national emphasis on green energy, recognizing that thousands of these 'green' structures are going to be built and, as such, present challenging safety and health issues," A10 Committee Chair Richard King said. "The purpose of the new standard is to sort out the safety and health issues and provide practical solutions to constructors."
The partners said they will work together to develop and distribute safety and health training materials for warehousing to enable employers and employees to implement and follow best practice standards and guidelines.
The company was issued one willful citation, with a proposed penalty of $35,000 alone, for not providing employees with confined space rescue training at least every 12 months.
Hazards included the lack of a confined space training program for employees whose duties involve entering sauerkraut tanks and numerous instances of moving machine parts not guarded against accidental employee contact.
PowerTest 2009 will bring the testing and maintenance industry together on the San Antonio Riverwalk for the March 9-12 event hosted by the InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA).
The Food and Drug Administration announced recently that California device manufacturer Cardinal Health 303 Inc., formerly known as Alaris Medical Systems Inc., and three of its top executives have signed an amended consent decree to correct violations of current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements in the company's infusion pumps.
The commission's programs aim to prevent, reduce, and eliminate water, solid waste, air, and pesticide pollution through standard-setting, monitoring, permitting, and enforcement activities.
The new law is geared for performance and transparency: Preference will be given to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously, and EPA intends to move designated funds to states as quickly as possible.
"Knowledge is the most portable and the most valuable resource in any worker's toolkit. Laborers and others will be able to carry the information obtained here to any jobsite," said Paul Mangiafico, director for OSHA's Boston North area.
"OSHA should promulgate a number of exposure standards including silica, beryllium, diacetyl and combustible dust. But we need to acknowledge that the standard-setting process has become excruciatingly slow and cumbersome," writes Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, one of many contributors to a special newsletter produced for the new administration.
SB 80 was sparked by a salmonella outbreak first linked to a Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Ga.
The EPA said it would reopen the possibility of regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, according to the Washington Post.
OSHA has proposed $130,200 in fines against Novis Marine Ltd., a yacht design and fabrication company in Fairport Harbor, for alleged willful, serious, and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards.
Violations include failure to maintain proper levels in waste collection systems, failure to maintain records indicating locations of fields where animal waste has been applied and failure to properly dispose of liquid and solid animal wastes.
The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities project involved system upgrades that resulted in 720,000 pounds of aniline reductions and 500,000 pounds of benzene reductions.