Regulatory & Standards


Delivery Driver's Fatal Fall Carries Penalties for Dairy Companies

OSHA issued the willful citation to Associated Milk Producers for allegedly failing to fully implement and properly install fall protection for workers performing milk unloading operations. Additionally, two serious citations were issued for not providing training, evaluation, and certification for operators of powered industrial vehicles.

Asbestos Abatement Firm Fined $437,300 for Willful Violations

In August, L&I began an inspection at the company's worksite and found multiple safety problems, including open removal of dry asbestos with no containment and piles of bags containing chunks of dry asbestos materials.

Trainer Don Wrege said he hopes carriers will be measured only against their true peers: van against van, tank against tank, flatbed against flatbed.

Settling In

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has promised "continuous improvement" of CSA 2010, and carriers are counting on it.

The State of Occupational Hearing Conservation

New technologies make the goal of OSHA's Hearing Conservation Amendment, the elimination of noise-induced hearing loss, very feasible.

California updated its standard in November 2010 to clarify the shade requirement, include temperature triggers, and address high-heat requirements.

To Beat the Heat

Employee training, hydration, rest, shade, and monitoring of workers who may be at risk are elements to include in a heat illness prevention plan.

Birth of a Standard

ISEA is developing an eye and face protection standard for biological hazards.

Cave-In Hazards Lead to Contractor's $69,300 Fine

OSHA's inspection, initiated in response to a complaint about unsafe conditions, found A.A. Will Corp. employees working in a trench deeper than 5 feet that lacked protection against collapse of its sidewalls.

Help for the Regulatory Onslaught

Hazardous materials present safety and environmental challenges for growing companies.



Hearing the Future

By the time I have an EV of my own, it should be equipped to emit noise so that it complies with the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010.

Fabrication Firm Fined $71,000 for Hazmat, LOTO Violations

"This employer has continued to endanger its workers by failing to correct hazardous conditions," said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA's area director in Birmingham.

Many construction activities, including masonry and concrete work, can expose workers to crystalline silica, OSHA says.

Crystalline Silica Rule Pending at OIRA

The Occupational Exposure to Crystalline Silica proposed rule was received by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Feb. 14. If the NPRM is published in April as planned, the agency will be trying to lower its PELS for general industry, construction, and maritime.

OSHA Orders Company to Rehire Whistleblower, Pay $111,000

In February 2009, after repeatedly complaining to a supervisor about mechanical problems with a truck, the supervisor agreed to the complainant's suggestion to leave work and return when the truck was repaired. The next day, the complainant's employment was terminated.

Oregon OSHA Initiates Emphasis Program on Amputations

The agency will focus more on inspections of job sites with machinery, equipment, and processes that cause amputations and job sites where amputations have occurred in the past.

Hazmat Violation Carries $227,500 Penalty for Dover Chemical

FAA alleges that the company offered sulfur monochloride, a hazardous material, to United Parcel Service for transportation by air from Hammond, Ind., to Dover, Ohio.

California Hospital Cited for Workplace Violence Violations

Cal/OSHA penalized the hospital for having an ineffective training program, incomplete and inadequate procedures to deal with safety concerns, and an “incomplete and untimely hazard correction for workplace violence exposures in the emergency department.”

SB 140, before the Nevada Senate, would make it a violation for any driver to read or send data while operating a motor vehicle.

Nevada Moves Closer to Texting, Hand-Held Ban

Several state residents supported two bills during a Senate committee's hearing on Tuesday. One bill would make it a violation for any driver to read or send data while operating a motor vehicle. The other would apply to minor drivers only.

Workers in Aqueduct Tunnel Exposed to Excess Noise Levels; Firm Fined $52,500

Employees were also exposed to fall hazards of up to 14 feet from a lack of fall protection and from using a ladder that did not extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing service for required stability.

Florida Distributor Fined Following Amputation of Worker's Arm

Penalties for the citations total $239,000.

The Alimak Hek MS ProMax mast climbing work platform (www.alimakhek.com) can reach 200 meters in height when anchored, according to the company.

Mast Climbing Industry Foresees Safety Gains

Several initiatives will make a positive impact this year, the co-chair of the Scaffold Industry Association's Mast Climbing Council has said. They include a revised design standard, training courses, materials from the SIA/OSHA alliance, and a CPWR white paper's recommendations.

Pizza Shell Maker Fined $195,200 for Recurring Hazards

The hazards included failing to install and maintain electrical equipment that was safe for a hazardous location, not replacing pressure relief devices on the oil separator for an ammonia refrigeration compressor, and failing to develop a written emergency action program.

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