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MDLG Inc., a Phenix City, Alabama, sawmill, faces $2,471,683 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines following a worker’s death, the agency announced February 22. A 67-year-old sawmill supervisor at MDLG, operating as Phenix Lumber Co., had climbed on top of an auger to access a difficult-to-reach area to unclog a woodchipper. The employee was […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine silica hazards and compliance with related OSHA standards. Silica shows up in materials like sand, stone, concrete, and mortar and is used to make artificial stone, bricks, ceramics, glass, and pottery. Respirable […]
A Framingham, Massachusetts, roofing contractor with a history of fall-related safety violations is facing $306,229 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for again exposing employees to potentially fatal falls, OSHA announced February 21. The agency cited Brothers Construction Services Inc., which also operates as Brothers Construction and Roofing and Brothers Roofing, with eight […]
Kenric Steel LLC, a Millville, New Jersey, steel fabrication company, faces $348,683 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for four willful and seven serious safety and health violations, the agency announced February 20. OSHA began an investigation on July 26, 2023, in response to a complaint and cited Kenric Steel for violations involving […]
Confined spaces can pose hazards to workers including asphyxiation, electrical and struck-by hazards, engulfment, explosions, and fires. Here’s what you need to know about compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) permit-required confined space standard (CPL 2-00-100). Check out our Back to Basics: Check Up on Your Confined Space article for more information.
A Wisconsin federal judge has sentenced six Didion Milling Inc. officials for their role in a fatal explosion at a facility operated by the corn milling company in 2017. “These defendants put Didion workers in grave danger, and five people tragically lost their lives, devastating their families and their community,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. […]
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 to comply with OSHA’s confined space standard. Confined spaces are ones that workers may have to enter but that often pose atmospheric or physical hazards. Hazards of confined spaces can […]
Green Bay, Wisconsin, household cleaning products manufacturer Tufco LP faces $194,518 in proposed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties after an employee’s fingertip was amputated in an August 2023 accident, the agency announced February 9. OSHA cited the employer with one repeat, four serious, and two other-than-serious violations. Investigators found that an employee’s fingertip […]
A federal court ordered a Milford, Connecticut, sports bar to pay a total of $359,485 in back pay, emotional distress damages, withheld compensation, and punitive damages to employees who were fired after participating in an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection, the agency announced February 7. Department of Labor (DOL) attorneys filed suit in […]
On February 5, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for a new emergency response standard to replace the agency’s nearly 44-year-old fire brigades standard (89 Fed. Reg. 7774), which was established in 1980. Emergency response has been covered by a patchwork of hazard-specific OSHA standards, none of […]