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AFCO, a Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, soap and detergent manufacturer, faces a $161,310 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine following the agency’s investigation of a chemical gas release that sent a dozen workers to the hospital, the agency announced January 14. OSHA cited AFCO, a manufacturing subsidiary of Zep Inc., with one repeat violation, nine serious […]
On January 13, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su reacted to a newly released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study of worker health and safety in poultry plants, saying, “The findings in USDA’s report on worker safety in poultry and swine plants show that injuries, including chronic pain and musculoskeletal disorders are too common. These […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to carry out inspections and issue citations to employers that expose workers to hazardous conditions. We’ve summarized some of the key enforcement cases from the past few months for a look at where OSHA is focusing its efforts. Roofing contractor faces $328K in fines A Newark construction […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities are tracked by the federal government. The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) collect and disseminate […]
California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted December 19 to make the state’s emergency respirable crystalline silica (RCS) standard permanent. The rule aims to protect workers, especially those who work with artificial, man-made stone, from silica exposures. According to the standards board, the RCS standard strengthens the emergency temporary standard (ETS) that went into […]
Corner Construction Corp., a Zion, Illinois, contractor, faces $266,175 in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for again failing to provide fall protection for its employees, the agency announced December 31. OSHA cited Corner Construction with one willful, one repeat, and one serious violation. Agency investigators found workers performing roofing work on a […]
Patriot Paving Group LLC, a Glenburn, Maine, contractor, faces $161,325 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after an employee suffered fatal crushing injuries in a trench, the agency announced December 26. OSHA cited Patriot Paving with five willful violations, finding that the contractor ignored an on-site expert’s repeated warnings and the company’s own site-specific […]
Fatal workplace injuries declined 3.7% in 2023, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced December 19 with the release of its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). There were 5,283 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2023. The fatal work injury rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Amazon have entered into a corporate-wide settlement to help better protect employees from hazardous working conditions leading to serious lower back and other musculoskeletal disorders at Amazon facilities. The settlement agreement resolves the department’s multiple ergonomics cases against Amazon.com Services LLC, in the first major multi-site investigation […]
The Harbor Animal Services Center of San Pedro, California, operated by Los Angeles City Animal Services, faces a $563,250 fine after a series of employee animal attacks and bites, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced December 17. One worker, whose leg was badly mauled, required hospitalization, according to the agency. The […]