OSHA's Fort Worth Area Office initiated an inspection on June 28 in response to a report that employees working on a new sewer line were exposed to inhalation of a hazardous chemical.
MSHA recently announced that federal inspectors issued 315 citations, orders, and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and six metal/nonmetal mines last month.
OSHA cited the company in January 2011 for willful and serious violations of workplace safety standards, including fall hazards of up to 17 feet for employees working at Rowes Wharf in Boston.
The page includes guidance for workers clearing heavy snow in front of workplaces and from rooftops, workers encountering downed power lines or traveling on icy roads, and utility workers restoring power after winter storms.
The NTSB's chairman and the head of the FedEx branch of the Air Line Pilots Association International say it's a mistake that the rule does not cover cargo aviation operations.
OSHA's Austin Area Office initiated an investigation on June 24 following a report that a third-floor balcony had collapsed at a construction site. Three employees fell 16 feet to the ground and received medical treatment for their injuries.
The repeat violation is for failing to lock out the energy sources of mechanical and hydraulic forging presses during die changes, servicing, and/or maintenance. Colfor Manufacturing was cited for the same violation in February 2010.
PSM inspections of chemical facilities through a new National Emphasis Program is listed first among the five most important developments expected from OSHA next year by two lawyers in the OSHA Practice Group of Epstein Becker Green.
The contractors have been cited for inadequate safeguards to protect workers exposed to airborne concentrations of lead while performing torch cutting operations. The citations carry a total of $127,400 in proposed fines.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other employer groups fiercely oppose what they call an "ambush elections" rule.
The commission voted 4-0 to publish an advance notice of proposed rulemaking. Between April 2010 and September 2011, at least 65 incidents involving gel fuels and firepots have injured 34 people and killed two, the agency says.
"Failing to ensure machine guarding is in place to protect workers from the point of operation puts employees at risk for injury and amputation hazards," said Howard Eberts, OSHA's area director in Cleveland.
Shortages of prescription drugs -- the same issue that prompted a Dec. 15 interim final rule from HHS to require manufacturers of some critical drugs to report manufacturing interruptions to FDA –- also is prompting Canadian action.
An inspection was initiated July 22 after a worker sustained a serious injury to his left arm caused by a piece of falling steel when a lifting magnet malfunctioned and dropped a load weighing approximately 2,900 pounds.
With the 2010 decrease, Texas has seen a decline in such workplace injuries and illnesses for four years in a row, according to the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation.
"This new page compiles an extensive library of information about robot safety that is available from RIA," said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotic Industries Association.
OSHA initiated an inspection after receiving a referral from the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding an employee with blood containing an elevated level of lead.
A willful health violation was issued for exposing workers to an oxygen deficient environment when processing pizzas in the liquid nitrogen cryogenic freezer.
The proposed rule to extend the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime provisions would affect nearly 2 million workers who provide in-home care for elderly and infirm individuals, DOL says.
Comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking are due by Jan. 12. There would be an administrative review before an out-of-service order in such a case could take effect.