The total penalty includes an other-than-serious proposed fine of $3,500 because the company allegedly failed to notify OSHA of the fatality within eight hours of the incident.
In the latest inspection, employees allegedly were working on scaffolding, in an aerial lift, and on the roof at a worksite in Torrington, Conn., with exposure to falls of up to 22 feet. Also, electrical, overhead, and chemical hazard communication deficiencies were identified at the site.
Among other things, the agency's new, 51-page guidance document explains how to use Assigned Protection Factors numbers and Maximum Use Concentration limits, per the 2006 revisions to its Respiratory Protection standard.
Frost & Sullivan's Chemicals and Materials Research & Consulting practice predicts the country's demand for apparel, gloves, footwear, and head, vision, hearing, and respiratory protection will reach $1.7 billion in 2015.
Determining the level of hand protection performance required in a safety glove is critical to the right glove specification. However, different standards and different test methodologies are in use, which can be confusing and complex for safety managers. It is imperative that buyers and safety managers of gloves seek out expert advice and counsel to help them make sense of the different and often incomparable data available.
Occupational foot protection is very often ignored until a serious injury occurs. Safety professionals should take the following steps to ensure their facilities and employees are following best practices when it comes to foot protection.
More than a million U.S. workers are exposed to potentially harmful vibrations from the tools they use at work, says Joseph D. McGarry, president of Gloves-Online.com.
Statistics show the percentage of injuries involving lacerations is considerably higher for the construction industry than for all other industries. And yet, despite the availability of comfortable, cut-resistant gloves, it is not unusual for most construction workers to go gloveless for at least part of the work day.
In a field where hand washing and hygiene is of utmost importance, studies indicate compliance among health care providers is well below 50 percent, on average.
The big players foresee growth in Central and South America and in Asia, and they are positioned to benefit from it.
The International Glove Association's 2009 conference March 16-17 featured an update on a standards project pursued by glove manufacturers' technical experts and a report on the rising levels of imported gloves of all types.
The effect of the federal economic stimulus package on the construction industry will be the main topic discussed at a meeting of OSHA's Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), April 14-17, 2009 in Washington, D.C.
Stakeholders are asked to comment by April 20 on the plan, which anticipates an expanded role five years out and beyond.
OSHA began its inspection following a release of steam and heated petroleum coke that occurred the day before while workers were removing refractory brick used for lining furnaces in kiln chambers.
The American Industrial Hygiene Foundation partnered with TSI to distribute the remaining production stock of PortaCountTM Plus Respirator Fit Tester Model 8020s that had recently been retired.
The W. Va.-based company was cited for failing to ensure that operating procedures addressed special or unique hazards of the process, failing to conduct adequate inspections on process equipment, and failing to ensure that proper respiratory protection and personal protective equipment were utilized during an emergency response, among other things.
The former OSHA chief and Fisher & Phillips LLP colleague Howard A. Mavity presented a webinar today in which they advised employers to review their corporate policies for disciplining workers who violate safety standards. Foulke said employers shouldn't ignore routine areas such as recordkeeping, lockout/tagout, and PPE, job safety analyses.
In addition, eight serious violations include management's failure to provide a warning line system around the entire perimeter of the roof, failure to provide a path of access to the hoisting area, improper use of ladders, and lack of employee training.
"The shrouded mystery of electricity compels many safety managers to depend upon plant electrical maintenance or engineering departments to manage their electrical safety program," writes Phil Allen, president and owner of Grace Engineered Products.
Through the partnership, APCa has developed 10 fact sheets so far, all describing best safety practices when working with equipment such as backhoes, sidebooms, and trenching machines.