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Florida grocer Kissimmee Meat & Produce Inc. faces $95,315 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines following a 65-year-old clerk’s fatal fall from a defective ladder, the agency announced October 27. OSHA cited the employer for 11 serious safety violations. OSHA inspectors found that the employee fell about 9 feet when a ladder rolled […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) construction industry fall protection standard was the agency’s most frequently cited standard for the 13th straight year, the agency announced October 24 at the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo in New Orleans. Eric Harbin, OSHA’s Region 6 (Dallas) administrator, unveiled preliminary data for the agency’s […]
Trimac Transportation Inc., operating as National Tank Services, faces $399,349 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after two employees suffered injuries from exposure to hydrogen sulfide, the agency announced October 23. OSHA cited the company with nine health violations, including two willful, three repeat, and four serious. The flammable, highly toxic colorless gas […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited feed and food processor Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) following the agency’s investigation into an explosion at ADM’s West Plant in Decatur, Illinois, that resulted in the hospitalization of three employees with burns and other injuries and extensive damage to the grain elevator, OSHA announced October 18. The […]
A special issue of the journal Seminars in Hearing highlights over 50 years of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) hearing loss prevention efforts, the institute announced October 16. NIOSH has conducted and supported basic and applied research into workplace noise exposures and hearing loss risks, as well as hearing conservation and […]
On October 16, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) extended the public comment period for the agency’s proposed rule change regarding worker representatives during inspection walkarounds (88 Fed. Reg. 71329). Comments on the August 30 proposal, titled Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process (88 Fed. Reg. 59825), were due October 30, but they’re now due […]
On September 28, 2023, the EPA approved Ohio’s plan to reduce the amount of phosphorus flowing from the Maumee River into Lake Erie’s western basin. The plan establishes a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for phosphorus for the Maumee River Watershed. “The TMDL is a ‘pollution diet’ dictating the maximum amount of pollution the water […]
The EPA announced that Jens Schkade of Grand View, Idaho, has agreed to pay an $88,749 penalty over violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) related to the safe handling and disposal of asbestos. According to the consent decree, on October 5, 2021, Schkade wrecked a commercial building called the Square Deal Store, located at […]
A new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rule issued October 13 limits exemptions from safety regulations during emergency declarations (88 Fed. Reg. 70897). Under the revised regulations, a presidential emergency declaration will continue to trigger a 30-day exemption from FMCSA safety regulations (49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 390 through 399), including hours-of-service […]
According to research findings from the National Safety Council (NSC), investments in technology to reduce workplace musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can improve both worker well-being and an organization’s bottom line, the NSC announced October 4. However, employers may not have the access and knowledge they need to effectively assess and implement risk-reducing technologies, according to the […]