Regulatory & Standards


MNOSHA Ready to Enforce New Standard for Window Washing

It takes effect March 1. Recent compliance inspections found some workers lacked proper safety equipment and some operations didn't comply with manufacturers' guidelines for using scaffolds and lifelines.

MSHA's Contested Case Backlog Fell 25 Percent in 2011

In a speech summarizing activities during 2011, Assistant Secretary Joe Main said the backlog went below 67,000 cases in December. He said coal mining operations have increased since the Upper Big Branch tragedy in April 2010, proving enforcement hasn't inhibited the industry's growth.

New ASSE Podcasts Highlight Variety of Workplace Safety Topics

The free podcasts on a variety of occupational safety, health, and environmental topics are available at ASSE’s virtual classroom.

MSHA Begins Third Phase of 'Rules to Live By' Enforcement Initiative

The initiative will focus on 14 safety standards that were chosen because violations related to each have been cited as contributing to at least five mining accidents and at least five deaths during the 10-year period of Jan. 1, 2001, to Dec. 31, 2010.

OSHA Releases New Videos on Proper Use of Respirators

Topics include OSHA's Respiratory Standard, respirator use, training, fit-testing, and detecting counterfeit respirators.

A Ralphs Market king cake, one of the popular symbols of Mardi Gras season in New Orleans.

The Big Easy Beckons

The International Stroke Conference 2012, with 2,600 people expected, starts a big year for medical and EH&S meetings at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The cartridge life expectancy calculator is an interactive means to help determine when a specific cartridge should be replaced, based on length of use and concentration. (MSA photo)

How to Comply with Respiratory Protection Standards

A working knowledge of applicable standards is critical to a company's continued success. However, understanding your requirements isn't necessarily easy.

Worker Loses Hand in Shear Machine, Firm Fined $74,900

OSHA initiated an inspection on Aug. 16, 2011, upon receiving a complaint that alleged a malfunctioning safety pin on the hydraulic shear machine had resulted in the amputation of a worker's hand on July 27.



The law today requires that the atmosphere is tested to ensure that conditions are safe prior to entering the workspace. (Industrial Scientific photo)

My First Confined Space Experience

It was hot, and it immediately became difficult to breathe. The space inside the condenser was, in a word, confining.

Worker's Burning at Metal Finishing Plant Leads to $51,680 Fine

On Sept. 20, flammable vapors ignited in a storage room holding more than 800 gallons of flammable liquids, and a plant employee who tried to extinguish the fire sustained burns that were not life-threatening.

RAND Finds I2P2 Works in California, When It's Enforced

With federal OSHA planning its own injury and illness prevention program standard, the new report shows effective enforcement is vital to achieving injury and major hazard reductions.

Judge Orders Construction Firm to Pay $59,000 for Trenching Violations

Two willful violations were issued for failing to provide employees working in a trench with an adequate protection system to prevent cave-ins and protect employees by removing them from the unprotected trench.

EPA Penalizes Potato Company for Failing to Report Ammonia Release

On July 2, 2009, the company's facility released approximately 300 pounds of anhydrous ammonia into the environment, according to the EPA settlement.

MSHA Releases Results of December Impact Inspections

Federal inspectors issued 321 citations and orders during special impact inspections conducted at 10 coal mines and three metal/nonmetal mines last month.

Fertilizer Producer Hit with $148,000 Fine for Process Safety Management Violations

Of 24 serious violations, those related to process safety management include incorrect and incomplete process and implementation diagrams, a deficient process hazard analysis of the system, and incomplete operating procedures.

$169,000 Fine Issued to Conn. Contractor for Cave-In Hazards

An inspection by OSHA's Hartford Area Office found that the cave-in hazard was intensified by the presence of an unsupported sidewalk and catch basin overhanging the trench.

NIOSH, NHCA Publish Hearing Protection Supplement

The supplement includes lessons learned from the use of new methodologies in studying hearing sensitivity after exposure to drug therapies that may cause hearing damage.

NYC Construction-Related Accidents Fell 18 Percent Last Year

Construction-related injuries also decreased across the city last year—falling from 165 reported accidents in 2010 to 152 in 2011, a reduction of 7.8 percent.

OSHA Busts Auto Parts Manufacturer Following Crushing Injury

The agency's inspection was initiated Nov. 2 based on a complaint alleging that a worker's finger was crushed when a mold being lifted by a remote-controlled crane swung into his hand.

Hewlett-Packard to Pay $425K for Failing to Immediately Report Hazardous Laptop Batteries

The settlement resolves staff allegations that HP knowingly failed to report immediately to CPSC, as required by federal law, that certain lithium-ion battery packs contained a defect or created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death.

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