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OSHA (U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has cited a shipbuilder company named VT Halter Marine Inc., and proposed penalty $1,322,000. The company experienced an explosion in November 2009 that killed two workers and seriously injured two other workers. Hilda L. Solis, the Secretary of Labor said,"This was a horrific and preventable situation. The employer was aware of the hazards and knowingly and willfully sent workers into a confined space with an explosive and toxic atmosphere. Loss of life can never be something considered acceptable or as a course of doing business." The company has been cited for 17 willful and 11 serious violations. The willful citations are due to the companies negligence in inspecting and testing the confined space before entry. It is a very hazardous point not to prevent entry into confined spaces where concentration of flammable vapors exceed the prescribed limits. More over the company exposed the work...

Safety Regulator in US believes that BP has a systemic safety problem at the refineries and they are discussing for further legal action against the energy company in UK with the Department of Justice. BP is considered not to have sufficiently improved safety despite being warned repeatedly. This was told by Jordan Barab, who is a senior official at OSHA. As we can recall, OSHA had fined BP with an astounding amount of $87.4m back in 2009 for its failure to correct the potential hazards that are faced by their employees. A fine of $21m was issued to them in 2005. It seems BP is no stranger when it comes to paying heavy fines. According to the agency, BP executives was enthusiastic about improving safety but they have never translated it. They do still have a serious systemic safety problem. BP has always maintain that they do continue to co-operate with OSHA but OSHA believes they have not done enough.

The proximate causes of the BP oil disaster seem not on any technical or mechanical failures but on their recklessness and arrogance. Recent reports show a pretty good idea of the exact causes of the oil disaster. The arrogance of the industry’s effort to achieve voluntary self regulation which blocks authorizations for better technology and oversight, which might have well prevented the disaster. Now, it is clear that their self regulation has not worked at all. The lack of oversight is also a prime reason in terms of death and injuries in major oil producing countries. Another cause is the recklessness from BP’s part. According to NYT, BP has a history of oils spills and blasts and when it comes to safety they continue to lag behind other oil companies. According to OSHA, BP has got some “systemic safety” problems which they have tried to wave off. Lastly, BP’s overbearing hubris seems the root cause of the whole thing. BP calls the recent blowout disaster as unprecedented, ...

Employees have all the right to a workplace that is free of any health and safety hazards. OSHA is a federal agency that seeks to assure the health and safety of America’s worker by setting and enforcing workplace safety and standards. Currently there are many OSHA training programs held in America which trains people thoroughly for workplace safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970 created Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) within the department of Labor, to implement safety and health programs to reduce the hazards at a workplace. OSHA gives many rights and responsibilities to employees which also includes right to; Review the copies of appropriate rules, regulations, requirements and standards that the employer should have at the workplace. Have access to relevant medical records and employee exposure. Employees on request to OSHA, have their names withheld from their employer if they sign and file a written complaint. Employees can request to ...