Source: http://www.ercweb.com/resources/viewtip.aspx?id=7749
Timestamp: 2015-05-23 14:51:44
Document Index: 319065618

Matched Legal Cases: ['in Fine', 'in fine', 'in fine', 'in fine', 'in fine', 'in Fine']

OSHA Publishes New and Revised Materials on Worker Safety and Health Safety
OSHA has recently published new and revised information that explains workers’ and employers’ rights, as well as how to protect workers from hazards in the construction, general, and maritime industries. To order free copies of these materials online, visit OSHA’s Publications page or call OSHA’s toll free number at 800-321-6742.
Aerial Lifts – Protect Yourself details measures employers must take to ensure safe use of aerial lifts by workers required to use this equipment.
Aerial Lift Fall Protection Over Water in Shipyards QuickCard lists ways to protect workers using aerial lifts from injuries and death resulting from equipment failure, tip-over, falls, and ejection.
Permit-Required Confined Spaces in General Industry QuickCard explains what workers should do before entering a confined space, such as an underground vaults, tanks, storage bins, silos, or manholes.
Protecting Workers from Heat Stress QuickCard and poster emphasize the importance of employers providing workers with water, rest and shade to prevent workers from suffering heat illness, exhaustion, and stroke.
Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course (RCRA) and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course, in Mobile, Alabama, from November 1–3 and save $100. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 1-800-537-2372.
Register for Hazardous Waste Management: The Complete Course (RCRA) and DOT Hazardous Materials Training: The Complete Course, in Williamsburg, Virginia, from November 15–17 and save $100. To take advantage of this offer, click here or call 1-800-537-2372.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has announced that nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses among private industry employers declined in 2010 to a rate of 3.5 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, down from a total case rate of 3.6 in 2009. Nearly 3.1 million injuries and illnesses were reported among private sector industry employers in 2010, down from 3.3 million reported in 2009. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement:
We are encouraged by the reported decline in incidence rates for workplace injuries and illnesses, which is reflective of the joint effort of government, business, unions and other organizations. Nevertheless, 3.1 million injuries and illnesses in the workplace is too high. Serious injuries and illnesses can knock a working family out of the middle class. Workers should not have to sacrifice their health and safety to earn a paycheck.
As our economy continues to rebound and grow, we must ensure that safety and health are a part of that growth. Let’s all remember that no job is a good job unless it is also a safe job.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has released a new safety video on the potential hazards associated with conducting research at chemical laboratories in academic institutions. The 24-minute video focuses on three serious laboratory accidents: the death of a lab research assistant in 2008 in a flash fire at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); the death, by accidental poisoning, of a highly regarded Dartmouth College professor in 1997; and a 2010 explosion at Texas Tech University (TTU) that severely injured a graduate student, who lost three fingers in the blast and suffered eye damage.
The video, Experimenting with Danger, notes that the CSB has collected preliminary data on 120 explosions, fires, and chemical releases at university laboratories and other research facilities that occurred around the country since 2001, causing deaths, serious injuries, and extensive property damage.
The video provides extensive information on the CSB’s investigation of the TTU accident and the resulting case study. The case study report, issued during a webinar on laboratory safety and now available online at www.csb.gov, includes six key safety lessons the Board believes apply to academia as a whole.
In the video, CSB Chairperson Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso states, “Research conducted at university laboratories is often on the forefront of technology and innovation. It is important that this research continues and thrives. But it must be done within a strong safety culture where preventing hazards is an important value.”
The three laboratory accidents are depicted through the use of illustrations. Dr. Naveen Sangji, the sister of Sheharbano “Sheri” Sangji, who died of injuries from the UCLA accident, says in the video, “A lost life is not just an anonymous loss of life, but real people, and families are profoundly affected. And safety has to be an absolute priority and the first priority for any laboratory.”
TTU vice president for research Dr. Taylor Eighmy, who appears in the video, has stated, “The video is immensely powerful. It tells a compelling and poignant story and should be used all the time in every university that has anything to do with laboratory or workplace safety.”
Investigator Mulcahy, who has a doctorate in physical chemistry, notes that at TTU, the injured lab worker had not received any specific, formal training on working with potentially explosive compounds. “When graduate students go into these new endeavors—a new project, a new process—they need to get specific training and they need to have it ensured and have it assessed—do they really understand what it is they’re doing?” she asks.
In concluding the video, Dr. Moure-Eraso calls on universities to study the key lessons from the Texas Tech case study and, “Do everything possible to provide safe working environments in their laboratories.”
For more information, contact CSB Communications Manager Hillary Cohen at 202-446-8094, or Sandy Gilmour at 202-261-7614 or 202-251-5496.
OSHA Proposes More than $589,000 in Fines to Market Basket Grocery Stores
OSHA has cited DeMoulas Supermarkets Inc., doing business as Market Basket, for 30 alleged willful, repeat, and serious violations of workplace safety standards at its stores in Rindge and Concord, New Hampshire. The Tewksbury, Massachusetts-based grocery chain, which has stores in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, faces a total of $589,200 in proposed fines, chiefly for recurring fall and laceration hazards and also for improperly responding to a worker’s serious injury.
The inspection of the Market Basket store in Rindge on U.S. Route 202 began after an employee sustained broken bones and head trauma on April 17 when he fell 11 feet to a concrete floor from an inadequately guarded storage mezzanine. Instead of calling for emergency help, store management lifted the injured worker from the floor, put him in a wheelchair and pushed him to the store’s receiving dock to wait for a relative to take him to the hospital.
OSHA found that employees at both stores were exposed to falls from heights greater than 11 feet while working on top of produce coolers, freezers, and storage lofts that lacked adequate guardrails. OSHA previously had cited DeMoulas for the same hazard at the Concord store as well as stores in Fitchburg, Lawrence, and Tewksbury, Massachusetts.
Employees who worked in the produce, deli, and bakery departments at the Rindge and Concord stores were also exposed to laceration hazards from knives due to the grocery chain’s failure to conduct a hazard assessment and provide hand protection. DeMoulas previously was cited by OSHA for the same types of hazards at its Tewksbury and Westford, Massachusetts, locations.
Due to the company’s knowledge of the fall and laceration hazards and its systemic failure to correct them, OSHA cited four willful violations with $261,000 in proposed penalties. A willful violation exists when an employer has demonstrated either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the law or plain indifference to employee safety and health.
Additionally, DeMoulas Supermarkets has been cited for seven repeat violations with $225,500 in fines for hazardous conditions similar to those previously cited at its Ashland, Andover, Fitchburg, Salem, Tewksbury, and Westford, Massachusetts, locations. These citations encompass amputation hazards stemming from a lack of procedures, training, and equipment to ensure that a meat saw and seafood cooler would not be activated while employees were cleaning them, as well as hazards from exposed portions of the saw’s blade; inadequate training of powered industrial truck operators; and a lack of bloodborne pathogen training for an employee required to clean equipment and work in areas contaminated with human blood. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule, or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
Finally, the company has been cited for 19 serious violations with $102,700 in proposed penalties. One violation was cited under OSHA’s general duty clause for failing to contact emergency services and for moving the injured employee. The remaining 18 violations involve obstructed exit routes; a lack of eye and hand protection and an emergency eyewash for employees working with or near battery acid; a lack of chemical hazard communication training for workers; and other hazards related to electrical equipment, machine guarding and bloodborne pathogens. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
The citations can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/DemoulasSuperMarketsIncdbaMarketBasket_63192_1007_11.pdf and http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/DemoulasSuperMarketsIncdbaMarketBasket_29247_1007_11.pdf.
DeMoulas Supermarkets has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA’s Concord Area Office.
OSHA Cites Corpus Christi, Texas-based Grain Elevator Operator Following Bin Entrapment
OSHA has cited Corpus Christi Grain Co., in Corpus Christi, Texas, for six willful and 20 serious violations with total proposed penalties of $258,900. OSHA’s Corpus Christi Area Office initiated its inspection at the company’s facility on Talbert Lane after it was reported that a worker was engulfed while emptying grain from a storage bin. The employee was rescued due to the exceptional efforts of the Corpus Christi Fire Department.
In addition to the agency’s enforcement actions to promote grain bin safety, OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels sent a notification letter in August 2010 and another in February 2011 to a total of more than 13,000 grain elevator operators warning them of proper safety precautions. These include prohibiting entry in grain storage facilities while grain is being emptied out or flowing in or out of the bin, prohibiting employees from “walking down the grain” and ensuring that employees enter the bin with the proper safety equipment. The February letter is available at http://www.osha.gov/asst-sec/Grain-Letter-2-1-2011.html.
The citations can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/CorpusChristiGrain_315367599_10192011.pdf.
Penalties Total Nearly $170,000 Against America’s Fiberglass Animals
OSHA has cited America’s Fiberglass Animals for eight repeat and seven serious violations of safety and health standards found during an inspection at the company’s manufacturing facility in Minden, Nebraska, which was conducted as a follow-up after the company moved operations from Hastings, Nebraska. Two failure-to-abate notices also were issued because the company had not corrected employee respiratory hazards cited at the Hastings location. Proposed fines total $169,260.
The failure-to-abate notices with $63,000 in fines were issued for failing to provide fit-testing and medical evaluations for employees who were required to wear respirators to be protected from hazardous airborne chemical vapors and dust. A failure-to-abate notice applies to a condition, hazard, or practice found uncorrected upon re-inspection that is the same for which the employer was originally cited.
“America’s Fiberglass Animals was cited last year for exposing employees to serious chemical hazards that can affect the respiratory system, as well as for other dangerous conditions, and failed to correct those hazards,” said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Missouri. “All employers must take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace.”
The repeat violations with $73,920 in fines address hazards associated with the use of unrated electrical systems and equipment in a location where combustible dust accumulated, the lack of mechanical ventilation and the presence of ignition sources inside an area where flammable liquids were sprayed, the storage of flammable liquids in the vicinity of a spray area, and the lack of a respirator program for employees who were required to wear respirators to protect them from exposure to hazardous airborne chemicals. The company was cited in July 2010 for the repeat and failure-to-abate violations at its Hastings facility.
The serious violations with $32,340 in fines involve improperly storing flammable chemicals; allowing hazardous materials to accumulate in a spray area; spraying organic peroxides and dual component resins outside of a spray booth; failing to use non-sparking tools in areas where hazardous chemicals were stored, mixed, and applied; allowing employees to consume food and beverages in areas exposed to toxic materials; and failing to train workers on the use of fire extinguishers and how to detect the presence of hazardous chemicals.
The company creates custom Fiberglas forms for public art projects and other uses.
Polar Service Center Fines Total $151,000 for Variety of Hazards
OSHA has cited Polar Service Center in Billings, Montana, for one willful and 13 serious violations of safety and health standards for exposing workers to a variety of hazards. The tank trailer service and repair center faces proposed penalties of $151,000.
“Polar Service Center failed to provide its employees with a safe and healthful workplace,” said Christine Webb, director of OSHA’s Billings Area Office, which conducted the inspection. “The hazards discovered during this inspection are well-recognized and must be addressed immediately to prevent needless injuries or illnesses.”
The willful violation was cited for failing to utilize protective guards on equipment.
The serious violations involve failing to implement a confined space program, hazard communication program, hearing conservation program, and respiratory protection program for voluntary use of respirators; using a modified crane that was not designed by a professional engineer; and failing to provide ventilation in a confined space during welding operations.
The citations for Polar Service Center can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/PolarInc_29160_1007_11.pdf and http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/PolarInc_29206_1007_11.pdf.
Steel Structures of Ohio Fined Over $134,000 for Endangering Employees’ Safety and Health
OSHA has cited Steel Structures of Ohio for 17 safety and health violations, including one willful safety violation for unsafe crane operations at its Akron, Ohio, location. Proposed fines total $134,400.
Seven serious safety and health violations involve failing to evaluate the workplace for hazards that necessitated the use of personal protective equipment; exposing employees to potential burns and smoke inhalation from a dust collector that contained combustible dust; failing to physically separate spray painting activities from electrical boxes; failing to install electrical equipment in accordance with industry standards; and failing to provide an exhaust or ventilation system in a designated spray paint room to remove vapors, mist, or powders from flammable paints.
The citations can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Steel_Structures_of_Ohio_315443663_1013_11.pdf and http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Steel_Structures_of_Ohio_315443689_1013_11.pdf.
This investigation falls under the requirements of OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program (SVEP). Initiated in 2010, SVEP is intended to focus on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate violations. For more information on the program, visit http://www.osha.gov/dep/svep-directive.pdf.
OSHA Proposes $59,400 in Fines for Mollett Welding and Mine Service Inc.
OSHA has cited Mollett Welding and Mine Service, Inc., after an inspection at its welding and machine shop facility in Stollings, West Virginia, revealed 25 violations of safety and health standards. Proposed penalties total $59,400.
Twenty-two serious violations, carrying $58,800 in penalties, involve failing to provide a written respiratory program; develop a hazard communication program; provide medical evaluations for workers required to wear respirators and ensure they were fit-tested and clean-shaven; evaluate and identify respiratory hazards; provide clean, orderly places of employment; ensure use of approved electrical equipment in a spray area; remove rags and combustible materials from the spray area; post “no smoking” signs; conduct a personal protective equipment hazard assessment; ensure employees wore eye protection when exposed to metal shavings; utilize energy control procedures and conduct periodic inspections; provide training for employees on lockout procedures to prevent machinery from unexpectedly starting up; provide employees with first-aid training and adequate supplies; ensure fire extinguishers were mounted, readily accessible, and fully charged; conduct fire extinguisher training; and ensure stored material was stable and secure.
The violations also include the company’s failure to remove damaged slings, inspect slings daily, properly guard machines and adjust equipment, ensure compressed air used for cleaning was reduced to less than 30 per square inch, ensure valve protection caps were in place when compressed gas cylinders were not in use, store oxygen and acetylene cylinders in separate places, provide functional and legibly marked electrical equipment, ensure access around electrical equipment was clear, close unused openings in electrical boxes, ensure an extension cord had a ground pin, place an outer cover on a junction box, replace a damaged receptacle, and ensure use of permanent wiring in lieu of an extension cord.
Three other-than-serious violations, carrying $600 in penalties, were cited for incomplete OSHA 300A injury and illness forms, not posting a load capacity sign for an overhead storage area, and a lack of hot or tepid running water in a bathroom. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.
“Workers at this welding shop are left vulnerable to hazards that could cause serious injuries or even death,” said Prentice Cline, director of OSHA’s Charleston Area Office. “This company should immediately address the cited violations to ensure its employees have a safe and healthful work environment.”
Horizon Milling LLC Fined for 17 Serious Safety Violations
OSHA has cited Minneapolis-based Horizon Milling, LLC, for 17 serious violations for exposing workers to multiple safety hazards at the company’s facility in Saginaw, Texas. Proposed penalties total $57,000.
“Employers are responsible for protecting workers from injuries and illnesses,” said Jack Rector, OSHA’s area director in Fort Worth. “It is very fortunate that no one was hurt at this facility.”
OSHA’s Fort Worth Area Office initiated its inspection as part of OSHA’s emphasis program for grain handling facilities. The investigation found that Horizon Milling exposed workers to unsafe working conditions while involved in shipping and receiving, flour blending, maintenance, and other operations at the company’s facility on East Industrial Boulevard.
The serious violations include failing to enclose or guard sprockets and chains; guard pulleys 7 feet or less from the floor; ensure coverings were provided for panel, electrical pull, and junction boxes; guard or enclose vertical belts and rotating shafts; provide strain relief on electrical circuits; ensure that exit access areas are at least the required 28 inches in width; provide at least two means of escape from galleries or bin decks; and install a mid-rail in the overhead storage location.
OSHA Cites M-Power Chemicals for Respiratory, Combustible Dust, and other Hazards
OSHA has cited M-Power Chemicals, LC, in Brookshire, Texas, for 14 serious and two other-than-serious violations, including exposing employees to respiratory and combustible dust hazards. Proposed penalties total $54,600.
“This company jeopardized the safety and health of its workers by exposing them to respiratory and combustible dust hazards,” said David Doucet, director of OSHA’s Houston North Area Office. “Long-term exposure to dust can lead to disabling illnesses.”
OSHA’s Houston North Area Office conducted its inspection at the company’s facility on Farm to Market 529 where workers handle various powders and liquids in the production of lubricating agents to improve flow in pipelines.
The serious violations involve failing to adequately control combustible dust; failing to use noncombustible ventilation ducts; failing to electrically ground bulk container bags while being emptied; failing to keep work and storage areas clean of combustible dust; failing to develop, implement, and train employees in a respiratory protection program; failing to medically evaluate and fit-test employees for respiratory protection; and failing to provide warning signs to alert employees of the hazards of combustible dust.
The other-than-serious violations involve failing to use the proper filter cartridge on respirators and failing to list hazardous chemicals used in the workplace.
Texas-based Operator of Jiffy Lube in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Cited for Repeated Slip and Fall Hazards, Other Violations
OSHA has cited Heartland Automotive Services, Inc., the operator of a Jiffy Lube oil changing facility in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for failing to keep floors dry to prevent employees from falling and other hazards. Proposed penalties total $52,700.
One repeat violation was cited for failing to maintain dry floors and allowing floors to be slick from oil and water accumulation, which created slip and fall hazards. Heartland Automotive Services was cited for this violation in January 2011 at a Kansas City, Kansas, facility.
“Employers who are cited for repeat violations demonstrate a lack of commitment to workplace safety and health,” said Diane Turek, director of OSHA’s Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines. “The responsibility to maintain safe working environments belongs to employers, but OSHA is committed to protecting workers when employers fail in that responsibility.”
OSHA Sites Rhode Island Contractor for Serious Safety Violations after Fatal Worker Fall
OSHA has cited Fernandes Construction of Glendale, Rhode Island, for 10 alleged serious violations of workplace safety standards at a construction site located at 167 Blackstone St. in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, after an employee sustained fatal injuries from falling 50 feet through a skylight. Fernandes Construction faces $42,840 in proposed fines.
“One step in the wrong location can have devastating and irreparable consequences,” said Patrick Griffin, OSHA’s Rhode Island area director. “Falls are the leading killer in construction work, but they can be prevented with effective guarding and training. I urge all contractors in Rhode Island to examine their fall protection programs, make any necessary improvements, and ensure that their workers are properly trained to recognize and avoid fall hazards on the job.”
An inspection conducted by OSHA’s Providence Area Office found that the skylight opening lacked a guardrail or equivalent means to prevent workers from stepping on or through the skylight. In addition, open holes on walking/working surfaces at the site were not covered, and employees were not trained to recognize fall hazards.
Inspectors also identified violations involving a hand-fed circular saw that lacked proper guarding to protect employees, electrical components that were not covered to prevent employees from possible contact, unmarked electrical panels, and the lack of ground fault circuit interrupters.
NIOSH and CDC to Sponsor Two-Day Buy Quiet Workshop
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be holding a two-day Buy Quiet Workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 9–10, 2011, from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The Workshop is a National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) activity jointly organized by the NORA Construction Sector and Manufacturing Sector Programs, and the NIOSH Hearing Loss Prevention Cross-sector Program. The purpose of the Workshop is to determine feasibility and functionality of Buy Quiet programs and to explore proactive steps to ensure successful implementation. The Workshop goal is to stimulate the wider adoption of current and future engineering noise controls on machinery and equipment and to motivate the development and implementation of Buy Quiet programs for the Construction and Manufacturing industries.
The meeting is open to the public, limited only by the space available. If you are interested in attending the meeting, contact the NIOSH Docket Office via mail at NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, via phone at 513-533-8611, via fax at 513-533-8285, or via email at nioshdocket@cdc.gov.
Free registration and information on the workshop can be found at https://www.team-psa.com/BUYQUIET/general.asp.
Purchasing agents and buyers of construction and manufacturing machinery and equipment who believe Buy Quiet programs can be effectively and efficiently woven into existing procurement processes.
Construction and manufacturing employers who wish to investigate the cost effectiveness of Buy Quiet and determine how best to use the program to demonstrate best available engineering noise control technology is being deployed at their worksites.
Noise control engineers, product designers, and manufacturers wishing to learn how best to gather and present noise level information and to provide necessary information to their customers in support of Buy Quiet programs.
Other safety and health professionals and employee representatives who want to assist in bringing Buy Quiet programs into the workplace.
Day one will provide presentations from invited speakers. Day two will combine presentations with break-out sessions and roundtable discussions. The break-outs and roundtable will provide participants the opportunity to share relevant experiences and aspirations on process techniques for implementation, incentives, and barriers for implementation, and research to practice products and partnerships.
For more information contact Charles Hayden, NIOSH, MS-C27, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, or via telephone at 513-533-8152, or via email at chayden@cdc.gov.
UN Experts Target Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) for Control under Global Chemicals Treaty
OSHA Recognizes Bristol Design Build Services as Workplace Safety and Health ‘Star’
Hawaii’s State OSHA Plan Now Excludes Coverage of Private Sector Employers at Military Installations
Michigan OSHA Relinquishes Coverage of Indian Tribe-owned Establishments on Indian Reservations
UL Warns of Unauthorized UL Mark on AC to DC Power Adapter and Switching Power Supply
OSHA’s Seasonal Flu Webpage Includes Information on How to Reduce Flu Spread
Cell Phones Don’t Raise Brain Cancer Risk
CDC Warns US Diet Still Has Too Much Salt
Hoorah for HDL Cholesterol