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Atlanta: The U.S Department of Labor’s OSHA cited Crespac Inc. in Tucker, Ga. with 34 safety and health violations. The proposed penalties are total of $266,400. "OSHA began its comprehensive safety and health inspection after learning of two separate incidents resulting in amputations within a 30-day period," said director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office, Gei-Thae Breezley. "In both instances, management knew of deficiencies but acted with plain indifference by failing to correct the problems in a timely manner that could have prevented these amputations." The willful citations result from the failure of the company to ensure that all machines had required safety guards, usable safety interlock switches installed in the machinery and functional emergency stop cords. A willful violation is that committed intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements or with the indifference to safety and health of the employee. Citation to the company is ...

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is a federal agency of USA in the Department of Labor. OSHA aims at safety and healthy working conditions for the employees to reduce death and accident that occurs at working site. The two principal functions of OSHA assigned by OSHA Act are: The main function of OSHA is to setting standards and conducting workplace inspection for ensuring whether employers are with the standards and providing a safe and healthful work place. The standard of OSHA requires reasonable and protective practices, methods, and process of job for the well being of the employees. OSHA ensures if these requirements for employees are provided by the employers or not. According to OSHA, employers should become familiar with the standard applicable to their establishment. If the work site is not hygienic and dangerous for the employees to work, then they should eliminate such hazardous conditions. Secondly, OSHA does inspection whether the equipments used by th...

New York: OSHA and Wage and Hour Division signed an alliance with Mexico’s Consulate General in New York as a part of an effort to promote the labor and human rights of Mexican and the other Hispanic workers. CMO (Catholic Migration Office) of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Brooklyn and The New York State Department of Labor are also the part of the alliance. The participants of the alliance will work together to support a call center which will provide Mexican and Hispanic workers in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey guidance, education and assistance about their rights in the workplace. "It's very simple. The law says every worker has both the right to proper compensation for hours worked and to a safe workplace," said Hilda L. Solis, Secretary of Labor. “The purpose of this alliance is to provide Mexican and other Latino workers in the tri-state area with the information and resources that will help them recognize and challenge unsafe and improper working conditions,...

Workers in general industries and construction companies are facing many kinds of problem from the very beginning. Many times they are not justified. They have to work at unhygienic sites and many times they get injured and die also. OSHA (Occupational safety and health administration) was established in the year 1971 as the main federal agency of U.S. Department of Labor to prevent such work related injuries, illness, and deaths. OSHA has begun to provide training for the workers. After the introduction of OSHA, the occupational death has been cut by 62% and injuries have decreased to 42%. These trainings help the workers in understanding if the employers are providing safe and healthy working conditions or not. OSHA aims at ensuring the worker friendly condition for the workers so that no worker dies or injures on the job. OSHA conducts inspection of workplace to ensure that the employers and employees are following the safety and health regulations. OSHA provides education and ...

BP, which has been ordered by a court in Texas to pay $100 million damages to ten workers after refinery incident in the state, it said that it would appeal against the ruling. BP insisted that it did not believe that anyone had been harmed when the chemicals were released during the incident in the year 2007 and had offered only $500 in compensation to each worker who claimed to have been affected. However, a federal jury in Texas ruled on Friday that all the ten workers should receive $100 million. A further 133 workers are also seeking damages. A spokesman for BP, Ronnie Chappell, said the company was “shocked and outraged” by the verdict made and would further appeal. “We believe the evidence showed that BP did not cause harm to anyone on April 19, 2007,” said Mr. Chappell. “The verdict and the punitive damages award in particular, are utterly unjustified, improper and unsupportable.” According to the workers they were exposed to the chemicals while repairing the units damaged in 2...

Huntington, W.Va. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cites Chapman Printing Co. for workplace safety and health violations. The penalties proposed are total of $158,400. OSHA started its inspection on June 18 in response to formal complaint. And as the result of investigation, the company has been issued citations for six willful violations, with a penalty of $27,900; and five other than serious violations, with a penalty of $4,500. "Each of these violations leaves the company's workers vulnerable to potential injuries and illness," said area director of OSHA’s Charleston, W.Va., office said Jeff Funke. "It is important that Chapman Printing Co. eliminate these hazards to ensure a safe and healthy work environment." The willful violations address the failure of the company to provide adequate energy control procedures and a hearing conservation program. A willful violation is defined be OSHA as one committed with plain indifference to, or i...

Workers at a Texas refinery were trying to restart a giant industrial boiler while a catastrophic failure resulted death of one worker and two got injured, as said by a company spokesman. Valero Energy Corp spokesman Bill Day also said, 245,000 barrel (bpd) refinery in Texas City, 50 miles southeast of Houston, was presently operating at planned production levels. The boiler that failed was one of several providing steam and power at the refinery. When the boiler failed, Tommy Manis, 40, of Alvin died instantly said Day. Manis was part of crew working on the boiler. According to the Local media reports the boiler exploded on Friday night, but Day said investigators were investigating to determine exactly what occurred. "There was definitely a loud noise" when boiler failed, he said. "Our sympathies are with Mr. Manis' family," said Day. "It's a very sad event. For a company with 22,000 employees it is surprisingly tight-knit. These things reverberate th...

Washington: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) will hold a two-day Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) meeting in January, 2010, in Washington, D.C for addressing scaffolding, welding and other safety and health issues in maritime industries. In addition to addressing scaffolding and welding hazards, the agenda will include discussions on commercial fishing industry guidance; arch flash guidance; safety zones in marine terminals and speed limits in marine terminals. The committee advises Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA on the matters relevant to the workers safety and health in the maritime industries, marine terminals and longshoring, primarily shipyards and commercial fishing. Committee and workgroup meetings will be held at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210. The Longshore Workgroup will meet on Tuesday, 19th January 2010, in Room C-5515-1A and the Shipyard Workgroup will meet i...

Omaha, Neb. - OSHA other name for Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Farmers Union Coop Supply Co. of Stanton, Neb., with one alleged willful and nine serious violations after a worker was suffocated from lack of oxygen in the boot pit of a concrete grain elevator on June 19. "Farmers Union Coop Supply Co. willfully allowed its employees to work in a dangerous environment," said OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo., Charles E. Adkins. “This tragedy could have been prevented by evaluating permit-required confined space conditions prior to entry." The willful citations are proposed for the hazards that are associated with permit-required confined spaces. Specifically, the employer failed to evaluate permit-required confined space conditions by testing atmospheric conditions in the boot pit for carbon dioxide and oxygen levels prior to the entry. A willful violation is issued by OSHA when an employer shows plain indifference to or intention...

OSHA cited Cambria Contracting Inc. for 11 alleged willful violations of the standards of OSHA for failing to protect and train its workers at a Buffalo jobsite. The Lockport, N.Y., demolition contractor is charged a total of 484,000 as proposed in penalties. “These significant penalties reflect the fact that this employer, an asbestos contractor with extensive knowledge of the OSHA standards that govern asbestos removal and handling, chose not to follow these standards and put its workers, including young, inexperienced college students, in harm’s way,” said Jordan Barab, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA. OSHA found in inspection that many Cambria Contracting workers, who were cleaning up debris at former AM$A department store on Washington Avenue were not trained to in asbestos hazards and how to protect themselves. The workers also lacked protective clothing and proper respirators, and had not been informed of the presence of asbestos at the site. To its addition, the employe...

A measure, which was just signed onto law by President Obama, would prohibit the chemical companies from classifying safety information as “sensitive” in an effort to keep it from becoming public. This new law is in response to explosion at workplace that caused two fatalities. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) drafted The American Communities Right to Public Information Act as a separate part of legislation. It was passed into law as a part of an appropriations bill for the department of Homeland Security. The amendment makes it clear that the Sensitive Security Information designation that created by recent homeland security laws can’t be used to withhold the information that government should share with the public. The legislation was drafted in response to Bayer CorpScience explosion in August, 2008 that killed two workers in Institute, WV. Bayer was accused by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee of using a “campaign of secrecy” regarding the explosion. The committee said tha...

Newark, N.J OSHA has cited Solid Waste Transfer & Recycling Inc. for the alleged safety and health violations. The proposed penalties to the company are total of $212,400. OSHA began its inspection on June 3 as a part of its proactive program that targets the companies in the industries with high injury and illness rates. And as a result, the company was issued the citations for four willful violations with a penalty of $198,000 and six violations with the penalty of $14,400. The company’s failure to have an adequate lockout and procedure and a lack of machine guards was addressed as a willful violation. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with the plain indifference to, or intentional disregard for the safety and health of employee. The serious violation includes inadequate energy control procedures, blocked exits, compressed gas cylinders were not properly marked, lack of training and effectively close electrical box openings. A serious citation is issued when there...

Kansas City, Mo.—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has appointed Sherwin-Williams Co. in Coffeyville, Kan., as a Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) merit site for meeting or increasing workplace safety and health standards. Sherwin-Williams that employ 25 workers in Coffeyville, manufacture, packages and distributes rust and smoke inhibitors, oil de-foamers and flame retardants. The company earned Voluntary Protection Programs recognition following a comprehensive onsite evaluation by a team of OSHA safety and health experts. "Sherwin-Williams in Coffeyville has shown it is deeply committed to providing a safe and healthful workplace," said OSHA’s regional administrator In Kansas City, Mo., Charles E. Adkins. "The company's proactive approach toward safety is a model for others to follow." OSHA’s recognition programs include the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) for the employers and employees who have implemented exemplary workplace sa...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cites the Milwaukee leather tanning and finishing firm D.R. Diedrich and Co. for alleged willful and serious violations of the federal workplace safety standards, said the agency on Tuesday. The fine proposed by OSHA is a total of $125,400. OSHA started the inspection of the company at 2615W, Greves St. after it received a notice that a worker who was on the job for about three weeks was got killed when his harness was caught and he was pulled under and between the mixing drum. According to the Milwaukee police, Billie J. Bell Jr. of Milwaukee was killed in the June 9 accident. The inspection by OSHA revealed one willful and 21 serious violation of OSHA workplace standards, according to the statement given by the agency. "The willful violation alleges the employer failed to guard machinery to protect workers who are routinely required to work in areas of unguarded rotating tanning drum mixers. A willful violation is one committed w...

Andover, Mass OSHA cites Tri-Sprinkler Corp. for the alleged willful and serious violations of the safety standards following the fall of a worker from ten feet at a Medford, Mass., worksite. The Derry, N.H based contractor faces $61, 200 in the proposed fines. The inspection by OSHA began on Sept. 29, 2009 after knowing the accident in August in which employee fell and was seriously injured when installing a sprinkler system above the ceiling of a building that was located at 215 Harvard St. In the inspection OSHA found that no form of fall protection had been provided that is needed for the employees who work six feet or higher. "The need for fall protection was clear and recognized, yet this employer did not provide this basic, commonsense and legally required safeguard," said the area director of OSHA for Middlesex and Essex, Paul Mangiafico. "This hazard was exacerbated by a lack of fall protection training, through which the worker could have recognized and prevent...

Marcus Hook, Pa The Occupational Safety and Health Administration( OHSA) has fined $32,000 to Sunoco Inc. in Marcus Hook for workplace safety and health violations. OSHA started the investigation following an ethylene complex explosion in May 2009 at the Marcus Hook refinery. As a result of investigation, the company was issued one repeat violation with a penalty of $25,000 and two other serious violations with a penalty of $7,000. "It is imperative that Sunoco correct all the identified hazards to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for its workers," said OSHA’s area director in Philadelphia, Al D’Imperio. The repeat violation includes the failure of the company to establish and implement the written procedures to maintain the on-going mechanical integrity of process equipment. A repeat violation is issued by OSHA when it finds a substantially similar violation of standard, regulation, rule or order issued to the same employer within the previous three years. The serious vio...

Employer is always obliged to make sure that the workplace is safe for the employees and also to ensure that the risk of accidents is kept to minimum. He must also have the overall safety program. OSHA 10 Hour training a part of Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s plan to provide a safe work environment and also maintain thereafter. There are some states require that all the employees should have a minimum of 10 hours of safety training to work in a public construction site. What are the states that require OSHA 10 hour course training? OSHA training is required by the law in the States of Connecticut, Missouri, New Hampshire, Navada, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. It is considered to be considered to be illegal to work on any public construction site without being OSHA 10 hour construction course certified. Who can get certified for OSHA 10 hour course Anybody who lives in the states mentioned above should get certified if they plan to work in a construction fie...

Danville, Ill - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cites the Atlas Excavating Inc. in West Lafayette, Ind., with two alleged willful violations for not following the federal safety standards at trenching operation in Danville and was proposed penalties of total $130,200. OSHA started an inspection in May 2009 in Danville at excavation jobsites after receiving the information that the employees were working in about 8 feet deep excavations without cave-in protection. And as a result to the inspection, OSHA issued two willful violations in failing to provide the workers in a trench a means of exit. OSHA’s definition of willful violation as one committed with intentional disregard or plain indifference to the safety and health of the employee. A serious citation is issued if there is a substantial probability that physical harm or death could result from a hazard about which the employer should have known. "It has long been known that cave-in fatalities are enti...

Braintree, Mass. - OSHA has cited Dale Medical Products Inc. for alleged and willful serious violations of workplace safety standards after a worker lost the tip of his finger while operating a packaging machine in March. Fine of $58, 100 is proposed to the Plainville, Mass., manufacturer and packager of medical equipment. The injury took place when the worker’s finger was pinched by a heat seal bar which was used to seal plastic bags. On the inspection by OSHA, it found three such packaging machines in the plant that did not had the required safeguards to keep the employees from becoming caught in their point of operation. Due to this condition workers were exposed to laceration and amputation injuries. "It's imperative that machines be adequately guarded and the guarding continually maintained to prevent the possibility of accidents such as this one," said OSHA’s area director for Southeastern Massachusetts. "In this case, three other similar machines were allowed...

Naperville, Ill. - OSHA has imposed utility equipment maintenance contractor Midsun Group Inc., Southington, Conn., with serious and willful violations of the federal workplace safety standards at worksites in Naperville, Ill, with a proposed fine of $50,250. OSHA’s inspection started in July after getting information that the workers were exposed to potential electrocution when painting transmission poles in the Naperville area. The inspection revealed nine alleged serious and two alleged of willful violations of the OSHA standards. One willful violation addressed potential electrocution based on the energized transmission lines which were not grounded. And the second willful violation addressed to the employees working within the minimum approach distance in a bucket truck which was improperly rated for the work being conducted. A willful violation is explained as one committed with knowing, intentional or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements or with the plain indifference ...

Eau Claire, Wis. - Workers from the greater Eau Claire will continue to benefit from the renewal of the alliance between Chippewa Technical College (CVTC) and the OSHA designed to prevent and reduce some of the most common workplace illness and injuries threats. The formal alliance between the two was signed in Eau Claire to develop safety training programs and materials that focus on the relevant health and safety issues. Over the past two years, the alliance of CVTC and OSHA has provided workplace safety and health courses for supervisors, employees and management officials those employed in the district of CVTC and all the area covered by the alliance. "This alliance continues to help us combat all kinds of hazards through the development and presentation of programs designed to keep working men and women safe on the job," said Mark Hysell, OSHA’s Area Director in Eau Claire. "Working with an organization that has the stature and reputation of the Chippewa Valley Tech...

Atlanta: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing $69,550 penalties against the wheel repair solutions that is doing a business as the World of Wheels & Hubcaps, for the safety and health violations at Decatur, Ga., Location. While a follow-up inspection at World of Wheels & Hubcaps, OSHA found seven failure-to-abate violations. The employer failed to certify a hazard assessment for personal protection had been conducted, failed to provide a hazard communication training, failed to develop a written hazard communication program, failed to develop a written respiratory protection program and also did note train workers to wear tight- fitting respirators. Addition to this, the employer let the workers use compressed air that was greater 30 pounds square inch (PSI) for cleaning. The penalty proposed for the failure-to-abate violations is $66,750. Also, the citation also include three repeat violations with proposed penalty of $2,800 for employees witho...

Tarrytown, NY. - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Kane Contracting Inc. for allegedly violating safety standards during the renovation work at Peekskill Middle School that is located at 212 Ringold St. The contractor is charged of $42,000 in penalties and inspection opened June 29 in response to the complaint. During inspection OSHA found that the workers were exposed to falls up to 18 feet at the time of using scaffold for the installation of sheetrock on the ceiling of the auditorium. The scaffold had no guardrails, and fall protection equipment was neither used nor supplied. According to OSHA’s requirement, an effective form of fall protection should be in place and should be used whenever employees are working on scaffolds 10 feet higher above the next level. Diana Cortez, OHSA’s area director in Tarrytown said; "Falls are the leading cause of death in construction, and this employer well knows the requirement that workers be protected against this co...

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the Wage and Hour Division fined a Colorado grain elevator company $1.6 million in violations. Kiowa Country, CO- In the history of Colorado, the second largest fine was issued against the Temple Grain Elevators following the death of the 17 year old Cody Rigsby who was killed while working in grain elevator on 29th of May. OSHA and the Wage and Hour Division on Monday, November 23, 2009 issued over $ 1.6 million in fines, as reported by 9News.com. The victim, Cody Rigsby was killed at the Temple Grain’s Haswell grain elevator, when he fell into the elevator and was suffocated. The body was not recovered for nearly six hours. Occupational Health and Safety Administration slapped the Wiley- based grain elevator company for the various violations at the Haswell site and their headquarters that included: • The flow of the grain was not shut off. • There were no employees to supervise the men working inside the bin. • Ri...

OMAHA, Neb. – OSHA‘s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Omaha Area Office has started a local emphasis program in Nebraska aimed to reduce employee exposure to health hazards in general industry establishments that commonly have the respiratory and noise hazards. This program is designed to help general industry employers who proactively addresses to air and noise quality issues in the workplace. The use of the term “general industry” by OSHA refers to all industries not included in construction, agriculture or maritime. “The hazards associated with noise and air contamination are well recognized,” said the OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo., Charles E. Adkins. "OSHA's Omaha Area Office will devote resources to outreach and enforcement activities for many general industry employers in Nebraska to help ensure worksites are safe and healthful." According to the program, OSHA will make a list of potential companies for inspection based on the type...

Washington: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has prepared a fact sheet that includes crowd control guidelines for the retailers to protect the workers at the time of major sales events. Last year a worker died because he was trampled while a mob of shoppers rushed through the doors of a large store to take an advantage of an after Thanksgiving sales event. The store lacked the kind of crowd control measure that was recommended in OSHA’s fact sheet. “Crowd related injuries during retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years,” said Jordan Barab, Assistant Secretary. “Many of these incidents could possibly be prevented, and this fact sheet provides retail employers with the guidelines for avoiding injuries during the holiday shopping season.” The fact sheet provides employers with the recommended elements for crowd control plans. The plan should include to have trained security police officers or personnel on site, setting up of rope lines or ...

OSHA Standard Rules and Regulations were already in effect in many states of United States Of America. The states where OSHA law is being followed include – Hampshire, New York, Missouri, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. It is enforced that OSHA Law will get in effect in the state of Nevada from beginning 2010. It is nothing written in the books of Law that workers of these 7 states require OSHA 10 hours construction safety training before they get started working in any construction industry. OSHA 10 hour outreach training was designed by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration as an intended course to educate workers about the hazards being faced in the construction industry and teach the ways to over come these hazards ruining lives of many workers working in these hazardous place dealing with harmful chemicals. But now, Law has made this 10-hour safety training course as a compulsion in the seven states of US to all workers working in construction industry where they have...

Dakota Dunes, Iowa- According to the authorities the worker who died in a accident at construction site in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota on Tuesday morning is from Sioux Falls. The Union County sheriff says Gabe Koenigsfeld; 27 year old was a part of the crew digging a basement on Tuesday morning when a part of the wall collapsed. He was buried under sand and dirt. Despite of the quick efforts put to dig him out, he was pronounced dead at a Sioux City hospital. The worker worked for the JJ construction, in Tea. He was an outstanding at sports at Rudd-Rockford- Marble Rock High School in Iowa, and was former football player in South Dakota State. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration spokesperson says that they did have a compliance officer at the site on Wednesday. The first task is to ensure that no one else is exposed to the hazards at the site says OSHA. The officer will check if the work site was in compliance with trenching and excavating standards interview the employees...

With the World becoming global and so is the communication which is also becoming easier at a rapid pace. With the help of internet it has now become easy to educate oneself without having the need to move around. You can access to all kind of facilities just at the click of a mouse. It is very much possible now to make your workplace safer, where you spend your maximum time of the day by just a click of a button. To make your work site safer for yourself or the others working on the site is to enroll yourself in OSHA 30 hour course online. But for the starters you need to make sure that you select on OSHA approved OSHA safety program to gain the correct OSHA certification. There are many benefits of taking OSHA 30 hour training online. This safety training program has been made approachable and simpler by designing it meticulously with the regular updates and making it available on the internet. While there may be people who believe that they can get good experience of the subject by ...

Washington-There are some employers who have been pressurizing the workers not to report injuries and illness. According to the congressional investigators this is the problem that has led to the widespread underreporting of workplace safety issues. OSHA’s inspectors often didn’t interview the workers to verify what employers claim when keeping tabs on illness rates and accidents, The GAO (Government Accountability Office) report released on Monday states. According to the report; workplace illness and injuries went unreported because the employees were pressured by the companies to withhold the information. And there were health providers said that they were pressured to withhold medical treatment so companies could avoid filing the reports with OSHA. The report of GAO said OSHA could catch some of the underreporting of the companies by properly auditing the employer records and not totally relying on the data of employer. On Monday, Hilda Solis, the Labor Secretary said she will move...

It’s a duty of an employer of a company not to follow OSHA standards, its rules and regulations, but also to understand it as well. Today there are some organizations where several programs are organized, specially meant to educate youngsters about the organizational health safety and help them finding jobs. It has been continuously a center point in every industry that hazardous accidents are taking place due to lack of people’s knowledge about safety. When talking about teenagers, it is found out that all kind of industries are unsafe for them and lots of training is to be provided to them to avoid such accidental injuries. It is not that employers are unaware about the efficiency of health and safety training for youngsters, but they are lacking behind to aid them with a proper training due to the reason they do not want to invest their time, and money to educate their employees who work with them. Industries specially Construction Industry and Agriculture Industry are the most trea...

OSHA reveals the preliminary top ten most frequent workplace safety violations for the year of 2009 in a presentation at NSC’s annual Congress & Expo. There has been increment in the number of top ten violations almost 30% from the year 2008. “We appreciate our colleagues at OSHA presenting their violation data to such a receptive audience,” said Janet Froetscher, National Safety Council President and CEO. “The sheer number of violations gives us new resolve in raising awareness about the importance of having sound safety procedure.” Given below are the workplace violations in 2009: 1. Scaffolding-9,093 violations: Scaffold accidents are mostly due to the planking or support giving way, or from the employer who is slipping or is being struck by a falling object. 2. Fall Protection-6,771 violations: Whenever a worker is at a height of four feet or more, the worker is at risks and his protection is needed. Fall protection is a must to be provided at four feet in general industr...

Fairfax, VA- The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) will be hosting “OSHA’s Proposal to Adopt the Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication,” which is an Intermediate TeleWeb Virtual Seminar on 19th November, 2009 from 2-4.30pm. Speakers featured are Jennifer Silk and Denese Deeds, CIH. OSHA’s proposal for aligning its Hazard Communication Standard with the globally harmonized provisions is first major rulemaking action of the agency by the new administration. The GHS, (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals) gives specific criteria to characterize physical, health and environmental hazards of chemicals. It also comprises of harmonized label elements and an agreed format for safety data sheets. On the completion of the program, participants can; • Describe about OSHA’s proposal to revise the Hazard Communication Standard • Describe the difference that is between the proposed revisions and current standard. • Identify the c...

Springfield, Mo. - The U.S Department of Labor’s OSHA has cited seven alleged willful and three alleged serious violation to Loren Cook Co. after a worker was killed by an ejected machine part on May 13. “Loren Cook Co. willfully allowed employees to work on dangerous equipment without safeguarding the machinery and exposed workers to debris ejected while operating manual spinning lathes,” was said by Jordan Barab, an acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA. “It is compulsory that employer take steps to eliminate hazards and provide a safe working environment.” Seven willful citations at $70,000 each proposed for failing to guard seven manual spinning lathes, with a proposed penalty of $490,000. A willful violation is issued by OSHA when an employer exhibits plain indifference to or any intentional disregard for employee’s safety and health. Total of $21,000for three serious citations with penalties are proposed for absence of adequate personal protective equipment for worker’s face, hands ...

The U.S Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a fine of $50,600 against Metro Steel Fabricators Inc. to steel erection contractor of Brooklyn, for alleged serious and willful violations of safety standards at Tuckahoe, N.Y. On OSHA’s inspection they found that workers at the 30 Elm St. worksite were exposed to electrocution hazards while working within the 10 feet of energized High- voltage power and the service lines. While the workers who were connecting steel beams without the fall protection were exposed to falls of three stories. “Fall and electrocutions are counted among the leading causes of death in construction work.” Said OSHA’s area director in Tarrytown, N.Y. “Electricity can kill or injure instantly, while a momentary slip, trip or loss of balance can lead to a fatal or disabling plunge. There is no good reason for employers’ failure to provide the basic, commonsense and legally required safeguards at each and every jobsite. “ In insp...

If you want to get Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) training and don’t have time to attend campus training course then you don’t have to worry now. OSHA training is now available online as well as on site. Here are some useful tips given of how to get an OSHA training online. Step-1 Go to the OSHA campus website and view the demo courses they provide. This will let you get a feel of what are their teaching methods and online course content available through the website. Step-2 Then click the “Contact us” tab at the top of the page, followed by “course enrollment”. This will take you to the contact page of OSHA. Step-3 Fill in the inquiry form and wait for the response. You can also directly contact OSHA at the toll free number to expedite your application process. Step-4 After you have contacted them and registered yourself, login and begin your course. Before that make sure you have a good internet connection and are not relying on others wireless signal. Losing intern...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration imposed the largest fine in the history as it slapped British Giant BP with an $87 million penalty for workplace violations in connection with the 2005 Texas City blast in which 15 people were killed and 170 people were injured according to the reports on 30th October’09. According to reports, a person who is close to the company said it was considering an appeal to the decision according to the reports. The fine marks to be the latest in a series of big legal cost in connection with the explosion. BP (BP58.43, -0.10, -0.17%) two years ago moved to pay a $50 million criminal fine. It was the biggest charged under Clean Air Act. Then the new fine comes on top of a $21 million OSHA payment in year 2005. It also settled thousands of civil claims which were related to the blast. BP said that it was disappointed with OSHA’s citation. According to published reports OSHA said, “We believe our efforts to improve the process of safety performanc...

Around 1985, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency were empowered with tough new laws that enabled them to crack down on the impact of asbestos of the health of the people. It was at this time the use of asbestos in construction and its production came to a complete halt. However, both the organizations continue to seek more specific laws for restricting the use of asbestos so that the possibility of more asbestos related diseases can be eliminated. We can blame industry and American business for not being mindful of the health of their workers, when it was well known that the exposure to airborne asbestos fibers would result in serious lung diseases. The business community conveniently chose not to regard the danger in favor of using these asbestos for the business profits is one of the dark stories of the development of business and industry in this country. It was a matter of shame that the government turned blind eye to an inc...

You can be a busy manager but you would never like to get into trouble for not implementing for OSHA rules and regulations. You may not have sufficient time to read and understand each and every page of guidelines and regulations but it is important for you to create some time for OSHA first responder training. Implementation of OSHA regulations is to ensure highest safety standards at the workplace. This is of utmost importance to both employers and employees. There have been guidelines issued for preventive measures of any kind of illness, accidents and death of the employees. Though there are separate guidelines for different industries like construction, medical, agricultural etc. There are many private and government agencies that provide OSHA first responder training. You can enroll for any of these safety training courses. They value for you precious time and money. OSHA First Responder Training is available in two levels, first is awareness level and second is operations leve...

Construction workers cover about 6% of the country’s workforce but it accounts for more than 20% of all job related fatalities each year. Construction is considered to be one of the most hazardous industries in America. Each year there has been increase in the number of construction workers who lose their lives and are injured. The Focus Four Hazards continue to account for the greatest number of preventable fatalities that occur in the construction industry. More important is the information in the causes of these accidents than the total number of construction fatalities. These fatalities and injuries which are associated with the Focus Four hazards are preventable. It occurs when the guidance for the standards are not followed. It is essential that additional safety emphasis is to be placed on the Focus Four hazards in construction. It is of importance that safety and health programs contain provisions to protect the workers from the Focus Four hazards on the job. OSHA Focus Four an...

Every workplace should include these four major components of First-aid that should include; first-aid room, first-aid box, first-aider, first-aid equipment and first-aider. When deciding the number of first-aid box, first-aid rooms, first-aiders following factors should be considered; the type of industry, total number of workers and location of the company to the nearest hospital. If the company has shift work schedule then there should be enough first-aiders for each shift. Employer of the company should maintain safe systems of work at workplace and they should also give safety training courses to prepare the workers to act according to the situation which is required at the time of any accident or injury. In a workplace it is the duty of the employer to display the notice, in a prominent place at work-site which should include the names and location of first-aiders. An employer should send his workers to get first-aid training. Here are some of the important steps which first-aide...

Falls are considered to be one common accident which occurs in workplaces. It is becomes problematic because you cannot avoid injury then. OSHA after sensing the increasing number of injury has increased the regulations to avoid workplace falls and workplace safety. If you are working as an employee of the workplace where it has the potential of causing fall injuries, it is your responsibility then to be aware of what OSHA requires of your employer. The prime duty of an employer is to provide safe work environment to its workers, which is very important for OSHA. The responsibility to safety extends beyond the falls and it includes other facets of the work environment as well. On failing to keep the workplace safe and clean can cause fines and litigation. If you fall and get injured due to your employer’s negligence then it is within your legal rights to seek financial compensation as lawsuit. Having all being said, it is still important to be careful and avoid the necessity of filing ...

It has been noted that OSHA’s ANPR (Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) on combustible dust will be published shortly in the Federal Register. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is under the review of Office of Management and Budget which is a final step in the process of the intergovernmental review. Workers handling combustible dust hazards in the worksites are recommended and encouraged to participate in the rulemaking process. Combustible dusts have been known to cause explosion or a fire. These dusts are solids which have ground into fine particles and when suspended in air, it becomes highly flammable. The force from this kind of explosive is so strong that it can cause death, injuries and destruction of the entire structure. Some of the combustible dusts include rubber, sugar, coal, flour, paper and metal to name a few. OSHA has acknowledged various industries with combustible dust hazards which include agriculture, plastics, chemicals, food, grain, tire and rubber man...

On July 31, Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) which is a division of OSHA filed a proposal to amend the state’s heat illness prevention regulations with the Occupational Safety and Health of California. The request followed the proposal of Governor Schwarzenegger to improve and strengthen the standards to protect outdoor workers from the scorching sun. Besides, the state budget which recently signed has authorized the spending of $1.5 million to expand on the efforts to educate employers and workers about the necessity of prevention from heat illness. This was the expanding outreach to train employers and workers, and will help to expand successful partnership of OSHA in California with labor, industry and community groups. Under the leadership of the governor, California was the very first state of nation to develop safety and health regulation which addressed heat illness in year 2005. Later in year 2006 OSHA in California issued permanent heat illness prevention regulations t...

OSHA has announced that they will issue a compliance directive that will implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Interim Guidance on Infection Control Measures for the H1N1 2009 Influenza in healthcare settings. This is a first move from the offer a requirement posture for dealing H1N1. OSHA Directives will prescribe a uniform procedure that governs OSHA inspections of the healthcare institutions for the occupational exposure to the swine flu. The covered healthcare set by OSHA includes acute care nursing homes, hospitals, physicians’ offices, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, home healthcare agencies and urgent care centers. Based on the employee complaints, OSHA will conduct a thorough inspection. Though it is not clear of how much CDC guidance will be included into the OSHA’s directive and the level of compliance will be required, healthcare employers are advised to make reasonable efforts ensuring their postings conform, procedures, policies and for...

Have you ever got messages, threatening notices or telephone calls from people requiring you to buy OSHA documents from them? They might have added that they would help you to be in compliance with OSHA rules and regulations. Well, in that case you are only helping them to fill up their pockets. The OSHA Workplace poster is one of the most popular documents that are being offered for sale by many companies. There are also some cases where some people falsely identify themselves as employees of OSHA or from the Department of Labor contacting employers to purchase the OSHA workplace posters and threatening them with fines if they don’t purchase the materials. The fact is all those employers have been a victim of some imposters. Another big fact is that those OSHA workplace posters are available free of cost. Yes, it’s free and you don’t have to pay a dime for that. You can visit the official website of OSHA and order through the publications office or download from the website. It’s as e...

OSHA has been working to uphold the safety of the workers in US. When the Congress created OSHA and passed the OSH Act of 1970, some groups were exempted from the coverage. Find out if you are among them or not. Federal Government employees – This group includes people with high hazard jobs like people in armed services, press operators at federal mint, rangers at national park and FBI agents. This group of people is exempt from the OSHA coverage. The federal OSHA compliance officers that come to inspect companies are not subject to the OSHA coverage even though that’s their job. Employees of State, City and Country – Public employees are exempt from OSHA coverage as they are some prohibitions against unfunded mandate. Workers hired by private companies are regulated by OSHA standards but the city crew is not. Some employees covered by other federal agencies – there are certain workers who are covered by some other administrations like the workers in a mine will be covered by Mine ...

Most states in the US have opted to develop the OSHA program of their own. For those states who have their own state OSHA program, the employees there will not be inspected by the officers of the OSHA compliance. Instead they will be subjected to their state OSHA compliance officers. However, an important point to be taken is that most employers of the state plan areas receive a citation because instead of the state OSHA workplace poster, they display the federal OSHA workplace poster. You may think what’s the big deal? But the point is if your state has its own state OSHA program, then you must have your state OSHA's posting. OSHA will inspect if you as an employer adheres to the Department of Labor's safety and health regulations. OSHA workplace poster is one of thing they look for while inspecting the workplace. The OSHA workplace poster has to be displayed in a workplace. If you are unsure which poster you should display in your workplace then, you must research which poste...

Have you ever wondered what will happen when you disregard any of OSHA’s standards? You can face a penalty of $112,000. Right! This happened with a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, consulting company who are into maintenance and management of nursing homes for alleged violation of OSHA asbestos standards in the construction industry. Two Baton Rouge companies are also included in the citations. The two companies own and manage residential and commercial properties. The citations resulted from the work that was performed at the State National Life Building. OSHA found some violations that included failure to provide the necessary respiratory equipment, failure to provide an experienced person to administer while removing a ceiling that contained asbestos, failure to inform employees that the work place contained asbestos, failure to operate engineering controls in order to resolve and minimize the exposure of workers to asbestos, failure to supervise for asbestos materials, failure to train wor...

OSHA has been making great efforts to check on fraudulent trainers that are on a rise these days. They have taken a step to continue the strong integrity of its Outreach Training Program of 36 years by publishing an Outreach Trainer Watch List of the trainers whose trainer authorizations are either suspended or revoked. As a part to heighten its effort to address deceptive activity by trainers, OSHA has recently conducted an undercover investigation. The investigation was for a 10 hour training which reveals numerous examples of failure to fulfill with program guidelines. The infraction of the training includes submitting falsified information concerning the instructional time spent on the topics, improperly advising participants not to contact OSHA to report hazards and failing to gather and keep required documentation. The trainer failed to appeal the decision after being revoked by OSHA and his name where listed on the Watch List on OSHA’s website. ...