All five companies prosecuted for the Dec. 11, 2005, explosion and fire at an oil storage depot in Hertfordshire, England, either pleaded guilty or were found guilty by a jury. Sentencing is set for July 16.
The railroad issued an employee a notification of formal investigation in reprisal for reporting a work injury and also retaliated against the employee by disciplining him in the form of a letter of censure, OSHA said, noting these actions violate the Federal Rail Safety Act.
Following a safety and health complaint, an investigation uncovered 13 serious and repeat violations that OSHA said "put workers at risk for potential injury or possible death."
A roundtable hosted by CSA Standards produced a whitepaper suggesting how to prepare for the next one, with emphasis on vaccine development and PPE.
"I have witnessed the ravages of Lyme on countless occasions," the author writes. "I see patients who have been sick with Lyme disease for more than two years without a positive test. I also have patients who have been sick for more than six months because they were not aware that fatigue, poor memory, irritability and poor sleep could be symptoms of neurologic Lyme disease."
“Closing harvest waters that could be exposed to oil protects the public from potentially contaminated seafood because it keeps the product from entering the food supply,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
The publication is geared to guide organizations through the anticipated changes to the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System.
"This employer had no business conducting work inside the grain bins without taking protective measures to ensure that its employees were working in a safe environment," said OSHA Regional Administrator Charles Adkins.
According to EEOC, a jobseeker who has multiple sclerosis applied for one of six open barista positions but was never contacted for an interview; meanwhile, individuals with less experience and availability were hired instead.
“Every day we have millions of risks and different types of risks. We assess, audit, look ahead. We must complete our mission safely, as does NASA and everyone on this panel,” said Greg Hale, vice president of Worldwide Safety and Accessibility for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
The game, being developed along with a dedicated website, will be designed "to enthrall and teach children and their families practical knowledge on how to prepare for and deal with natural disasters or emergencies," according to the site.
The association's first national study, in 2006, found that 46 of every 1,000 inpatients were either infected or colonized with MRSA, a type of bacteria that causes serious infections and is resistant to powerful antibiotics, including methicillin.
The study calls the new standard "radically different" from the previous standard and says because its rules for product markings have changed, users will need to be educated on matching the hazard from which they need protection with the new marking on the product.
“NPDES permits are an integral part of the nation’s system to protect rivers and lakes from pollution, and mercury is a dangerous pollutant, especially for children and pregnant women,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Region 4 acting regional administrator.
“It’s an unfortunate fact that monetary penalties just aren’t enough,” said OSHA chief David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH. “We believe that nothing focuses the mind like the threat of doing time in prison, which is why we need criminal penalties for employers who are determined to gamble with their workers’ lives and consider it merely a cost of doing business when a worker dies on the job.”
"It is unacceptable for employers to retaliate against employees who raise safety and health concerns," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York. "Employers will be held accountable if they violate workers' legal right to have a voice in the workplace on health and safety."
In all, the employer faces allegations of three willful and 16 serious violations carrying nearly $201,000 in penalties, plus an other-than-serious charge with no proposed penalty related to voluntary respirator use.
According to DOJ, on some of their asbestos projects, the hazardous material was removed in violation of EPA and OSHA regulations and then illegally dumped on unwitting landowners’ properties in Poland, N.Y.
"For too long workers have avoided making claims of unsafe work conditions out of fear of losing their jobs," said OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels. "We are confident that this new training will embolden workers to speak up when they find work practices that endanger their lives and the lives of their co-workers."
“We typically hear about hot work accidents weekly," said CSB Investigations Supervisor Donald Holmstrom. "It has become one of the most significant types of incidents the CSB investigates, in terms of deaths and in terms of frequency.”