After a follow-up inspection, OSHA issued the company seven failure to abate notices carrying $168,000 in proposed fines and then further issued the company one serious citation with a $1,500 fine for not medically evaluating employees' fitness to wear respirators.
Today's final rule, effective Jan. 12, 2009, says the agency weighed 50 comments and what was said at an Oct. 6 hearing and decided not to change the Aug. 19 proposal that explicitly states where employers may be cited on a per-employee basis for not providing PPE and/or training.
The current draft standard aims to keep workers safe on the road worldwide by specifying legal and other requirements for an organization's RTS management system.
Years of discussion, studies, and comments went into the final rule published yesterday. Taking effect April 9, 2009, it addresses maritime employers' responsibilities for providing training and designating "stand-clear zones" from vertically connected containers in motion.
The series of four animated training videos and associated learning materials are designed to keep viewers engaged and thinking while reinforcing critical safety and compliance practices.
"We need to be creative," said former NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard. "For instance, the new head of OSHA should meet with the head of Commerce in the next administration and say 'you need to incorporate an overall workplace safety, health, and environmental program for the proposed new infrastructure programs the President has called for'; this includes all the new highway and bridge construction projects. Start there and show them how.
Enforcement of disaster-resistant building codes is part of the effort being launched by FEMA and the International Code Council, which earlier this year added home fire sprinklers to its model U.S. building code.
"Employees who were removing asbestos-containing materials at this site lacked basic safeguards that must be in place before performing such work," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, Conn.
DOL's suit was filed following an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division which disclosed that the company had misclassified as exempt from FLSA's overtime requirements, four employees at its headquarters, and 969 temporary placement employees across the country.
But 17 percent of workers in the first-ever National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance survey said their employers do nothing to shield them from loud noise on the job, and 22 percent said nothing is done to dampen vibration of equipment or vehicles to which they are exposed.
Located in the Pocono Mountains, the facility performs metal fabrication for the military and has approximately 589 full-time employees.
ACCSH advises the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health on the formulation of standards affecting the construction industry and on policy matters arising in the administration of the safety and health provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, and the OSH Act of 1970.
"Partial measures don't get the job done," said Arthur Dube, OSHA's area director in Buffalo, N.Y. "Proper lockout/tagout training and procedures must be implemented and maintained completely, effectively, and continuously to safeguard employees against possible injuries."
A professor who has conducted nearly 200 behavior-based safety workshops at Indian industrial companies during the past 15 years reports BBS has increased safety, improved accident prevention practices, and raised the safety culture of the fast-growing country's manufacturing sector.
Ideally, the workplace would be hazard-free and safe from potential injuries and accidents. However, many operations involve a certain amount of risk that cannot be controlled through engineering measures, administrative controls, or personal protective equipment. These situations require careful measures to prevent workplace accidents and injuries. The value of safety signs in these situations shouldn’t be ignored.
AEDs are much improved since they began showing up in airports, arenas, and workplaces. Training is an essential part of getting workers to use them when necessary, and that training performs a valuable service in accurately educating the trainees about the latest guidelines for performing CPR, said Pam Erno, national account manager for the Health & Safety Institute.
Because the sudden slide in U.S. stock prices was happening just as the OH&S 2008 Executive Safety Summit was taking place, managing in difficult times became a major theme for several presenters. Keynote speaker Robert Pater, managing director of Strategic Safety Associates Inc. and MoveSMART®, started the trend when he asked the audience to consider how stressful times affect people: They lose their sense of humor and develop tunnel vision.
For example, the revised regulations clarify that calling in "sick" without providing more information is not sufficient notice of the need for FMLA leave.
The trucking company was cited for failing to train the contract driver, who was permanently disabled by the July 31 crash, and for not equipping the truck with adequate brakes. The mine operator also was cited for an alleged training violation.
Available to both graduate and undergraduate students pursuing degrees in occupational SH&E or a closely related field, the $1,000 award will be part of the Foundation's 2009 scholarship package, and the first recipient will be announced on April 1, 2009.