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A Decatur, Alabama, manufacturer of GE appliances faces $193,585 in proposed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties after a frontline supervisor’s death, the agency announced January 17. The 58-year-old supervisor suffered fatal injuries while trying to service a door molding machine. Agency inspectors found the company allowed workers to bypass the machine’s safety doors […]
Southeast Services of the Treasure Coast Inc., a Vero Beach, Florida, drainpipe cleaning and maintenance company, is facing a $16,131 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fine following a 24-year-old worker’s death, the agency announced January 16. According to OSHA, the employer could have prevented an explosion at a Port Saint Lucie worksite in June […]
On January 15, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) terminated its healthcare COVID-19 rulemaking (90 Fed. Reg. 3665). The agency decided to focus its resources on developing an infectious diseases rulemaking for healthcare, describing the infectious diseases rulemaking as “the most effective and efficient use of agency resources” for protecting healthcare workers from occupational […]
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 […]