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Under the Biden administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued five National Emphasis Programs (NEPs) since 2021. Because OSHA doesn’t have the personnel to inspect every workplace in America, NEPs, along with Local and Regional Emphasis Programs (LEPs, REPs), enable the agency to focus its enforcement resources. Starting in July 2021, the […]
On July 21, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it cited Petco’s North Andover, Massachusetts, pet supply store for routinely exposing employees to live and dead rodents, as well as their droppings and urine. Agency inspectors also found that the North Andover store exposed employees to electrical hazards by blocking access to electrical […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) and the criteria for an SVEP case. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is well known for not only setting the standards for safety, […]
On July 11, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it issued a pair of six-figure fines to employers in Missouri and New Jersey. BCP Ingredients Inc., located in Verona, Missouri, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Balchem Corp., faces the larger of the fines—$393,798—after agency inspectors found dozens of serious safety and health […]
Rex Lumber LLC faces $184,385 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a 20-year-old worker trying to clear a jammed roller in its Troy, Alabama, sawmill was crushed and killed after stored energy caused the infeed unit to close on him, the agency announced July 5. OSHA issued a willful citation for allowing […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 28 that an administrative law judge (ALJ) with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ruled that Shawn D. Purvis is personally responsible for $1,572,340 in OSHA fines. Purvis, who does business as Purvis Home Improvement Co. Inc., willfully exposed roofing workers to fall hazards at […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 16 that snack food maker Hostess Brands faces $298,010 in proposed fines following a worker’s amputation injury. The 29-year-old worker suffered an amputation of a fingertip while reassembling a pump at a Hostess facility in Chicago—an injury Hostess could have prevented by shutting down and locking […]
On June 8, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it has again cited discount retailers Dollar General and Dollar Tree for repeat exit route and other violations. Dollar Tree Inc., operator of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores, is facing $98,219 in new OSHA penalties for a repeat violation following the agency’s inspection […]
A Fairmont City, Illinois, roofing contractor is facing $66,711 in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for five repeat, four serious, and one other-than-serious violation, the agency announced June 6. Juan Zuniga Ramos, operator of JZ Exteriors and Repairs LLC, failed to provide fall protection and train workers on its use. Agency inspectors […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced May 17 it cited United Hospital Supply Corp. of Burlington, New Jersey, after an employee suffered the amputation of three fingers while operating a press brake without required safety guards on his first day at work. OSHA cited the employer with 3 willful violations, 17 serious violations, and […]