To reach the next level of safety, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently issued a final rule that requires most US commercial airlines to have Safety Management Systems (SMS) in place by 2018. The rule builds on the programs many airlines already use to identify and reduce aviation risk.
SMS is the formal, top-down, organization-wide approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of safety risk controls. SMS gives airlines a set of business processes and management tools to examine data gathered from everyday operations, isolate trends that may be precursors to incidents or accidents, take steps to mitigate the risk, and verify the effectiveness of the program. SMS requires compliance with technical standards but also promotes a safety culture to improve the overall performance of the organization. It uses four key components—safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion.
“Aviation is incredibly safe, but continued growth means that we must be proactive and smart about how we use safety data to detect and mitigate risk,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “SMS gives airlines the tools they need to further reduce risk in commercial aviation.”
The rule requires airlines to implement a safety management system within three years. They must submit their implementation plans to the FAA within six months. The rule also requires a single accountable executive to oversee SMS. An SMS defines “what” is expected rather than “how” the requirement is to be met. This allows each air carrier to design an SMS to match the size, complexity, and business model of its organization. An SMS does not take the place of regular FAA oversight, inspection, and audits to ensure compliance with regulations.
“Our commercial aviation industry is a world-leader and model for risk mitigation and I’m proud that so many airlines have embraced the SMS culture voluntarily. Now the FAA and the air carrier industry are taking the next step,” said FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta. “The FAA’s workforce also is transitioning to a proactive, risk-based culture so we can effectively target our resources.”
The aviation industry and federal government reduced the fatality risk in US commercial air travel by 83% between 1998 and 2008. The industry and government now share a goal to reduce the US commercial fatality risk by 50% from 2010 to 2025.
“Our members are fierce competitors, but we do not compete on safety because we know it is our most important job, and there is nothing more important than the safe arrival of our passengers, crew and cargo,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “That is why our members adopted this approach long before it became a rule; our work is a driving force as to why the US industry is the model for the world in aviation safety.”
The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 mandated that the FAA develop a rule requiring all Part 121 operators to implement SMS. The rule is consistent with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s standards and responds to National Transportation Safety Board recommendations.
The FAA estimates the rule will cost the airlines $224.3 million over 10 years ($135.1 million present value). The agency estimates the benefits will range from $205 million to $472.3 million over 10 years ($104.9 to $241.9 million present value). The FAA is offering a federally developed and funded software system to help airlines implement SMS. The system will cost the FAA $2.6 million per year to maintain.
How to Implement OSHA’s Globally Harmonized Hazard Communication Standard (GHS)
OSHA has issued a final rule revising its Hazard Communication Standard, aligning it with the United Nations’ globally harmonized system (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals. This means that virtually every product label, safety data sheet (formerly called “material safety data sheet” or MSDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard. Worker training must be updated so that workers can recognize and understand the symbols and pictograms on the new labels as well as the new hazard statements and precautions on safety data sheets.
Columbia RCRA and DOT Training
Cary HAZWOPER 8-Hour Refresher and DOT/IATA Training
Indianapolis RCRA, DOT, and IATA/IMO Training
Assessment of Emergency Responders after a Vinyl Chloride Release from a Train Derailment
A survey of 93 emergency responders found that 26% experienced headache and upper respiratory symptoms during the response. Only 22% reported using respiratory protection during the incident, and 23% sought medical evaluation. Most respondents reported having received some emergency responder training and felt they had sufficient instruction, indicating a possible gap in perception of risk.
Study Notes Deficiencies in Respirator Use Among Health Care Workers
CS Metals Exposes Scrapyard Workers to Dangerous Levels of Lead, Copper, and Arsenic Fumes, Fined $378,070
“CS Metals failed its workers by not providing personal protective equipment and monitoring exposure levels to metal dust, which can cause severe, long-term health effects to the central nervous system and vital organs,” said Kim Nelson, OSHA’s area director in Toledo. “OSHA’s investigation found deficiencies with CS Metals’ compliance programs for lead exposure, arsenic and other hazardous air contaminants. These violations must stop.”
OSHA found CS Metals’ workers were not required to shower at the end of shifts to prevent metal particles from being transported. The company also failed to implement engineering controls that would have limited exposure; provide separate containers to dispose of lead-contaminated clothing; and ensure that workers required to wear respirators were clean-shaven. OSHA cited CS Metals for these five willful violations.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirement, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.
OSHA issued citations for overexposure to iron oxide, lack of hygiene and housekeeping practices. In 2010, CS Metals was cited for these same violations at its Birmingham, Alabama, facility. OSHA issues repeated violations when a company was cited for the same or a similar violation at any facility in federal enforcement states within the past five years.
Additionally, CS Metals did not implement an arsenic compliance program, which allowed workers to be overexposed; did not provide properly fitted respirators; and failed to train workers in respiratory protection use and storage. OSHA cited the company for nine serious violations.
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 inspection was expanded to include investigations of the host employer, OmniSource St. Marys, who was cited for three serious violations that carry proposed penalties of $21,000. Nicholas D. Starr, Inc., operating as Master Maintenance, was cited for two serious violations, with proposed penalties of $9,000. Master Maintenance is a subcontractor hired by OmniSource St. Marys. All of the violations involved employee lead exposure.
CS Metals is based in Houston and operates numerous facilities throughout Texas, Indiana, and Ohio that employ about 80 workers. Three workers were employed at the St. Marys’ site.
Hagerty Brothers Co. Exposes Workers to Dangerous Lead and Copper Dust, Fined $171,600
Workers at Hagerty Brothers Co., were exposed to dangerous levels of lead and copper dust during brass finishing and grinding work at its Peoria, Illinois, facility, OSHA has found.
“Lead exposure can cause long-term damage to the central nervous, urinary, blood and reproductive systems and is a leading cause of workplace illness,” said Thomas Bielema, OSHA’s area director in Peoria. “Hagerty Brothers failed to protect employees from known dangers and needs to implement basic safety precautions, such as workers wearing protective clothing and using proper ventilation, hygiene and training.”
OSHA found Hagerty Brothers failed to determine if employees were exposed to lead above permissible limits; lacked hygiene and housekeeping practices to prevent lead contamination; and failed to monitor employee exposure through biological sampling.
Workers also were exposed to copper and lead dust in excess of levels allowed over an eight-hour period. OSHA identified the company’s failure to implement engineering controls that would have limited exposure and to train employees about exposure hazards. Additionally, Hagerty Brothers failed to post warning signs in overexposure areas.
Domestic Casting Fined $152,912 for Continuing to Endanger Workers
In August 2013, the company was placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program after an inspection discovered it again failed to protect workers from electrical hazards and properly guard pits.
“This company continues to ignore its employees’ safety by exposing them to dangers, including falls and hazards associated with lifting heavy loads. Domestic Casting must take immediate action to remove these hazards to protect workers from the risk of serious injury and possible death,” said Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA’s Harrisburg Area Office.
The company also failed to mark chain slings used for lifting heavy loads to identify size, grade, capacity, and reach. Two willful violations with a $52,350 penalty were cited for these violations.
Domestic Casting was previously cited for these same violations in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
OSHA proposed a $23,870 penalty for eight serious violations involving unguarded machinery, forklift, struck-by, and electrical hazards, and fire extinguishers not maintained.
Five additional other-than-serious safety and health violations were cited but carried no monetary penalty.
Four Florida Construction Companies Cited after Fatality at Florida State University Construction Site
A 25-year-old employee of Miller’s Plumbing and Mechanical, Inc., died after being struck and crushed by a material/personnel elevator carriage not enclosed on all four sides. The employee was working on a six-story residential project at Florida State University.
After an investigation of the July 28, 2014, fatality, OSHA found the employer allowed a window-frame opening in a building under construction to be uncovered, which exposed workers to the hazard of being struck and crushed by the elevator carriage as it passed within inches of the opening.
“Culpepper and Miller’s management acknowledged workers were exposed to a serious safety hazard, but failed to ensure all four sides adjacent to the material hoist structure were protected adequately,” said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA’s area director in Jacksonville. “The employers’ inaction and lack of commitment to a safe workplace has caused this tragic loss.”
General contractor Culpepper Construction Co., and Miller’s Plumbing each were issued a willful citation for exposing workers to crushing hazards. Additionally, Benchmark Erectors and Fleck Exterior Systems were each cited with one serious violation for the same safety hazard.
Proposed penalties for the four companies total $149,800.
Culpepper Construction Co., provides constructing management design-and-build services. Miller’s Plumbing installs and services commercial plumbing and mechanical systems. Benchmark Erectors specializes in historical, commercial and security window sales and installation. Fleck Exterior Systems installs insulation finish systems and stucco.
Pilot Illegally Fired for Refusing to Fly Unsafe Helicopter
Faced one night with a trip over mountainous terrain in a medical transport helicopter with a faulty emergency locator transmitter, a pilot refused to fly the unsafe aircraft and was later terminated in retaliation for doing so. An investigation by OSHA followed. In addition, the company must provide whistleblower rights information to all employees.
Coal Mining Deaths at Historic Low
The previous record low was 18 in 2009.
While the numbers of coal mines and miners have recently declined, the number of deaths in 2014 is about half what the industry experienced in the early 2000’s, when the numbers of working coal miners were at comparable levels.
The most common causes of mining accidents in 2014 involved powered haulage and machinery; five powered haulage and five machinery related deaths occurred in coal mines, and powered haulage accounted for eight deaths in metal and nonmetal mining. Powered haulage accidents involve equipment used to transport people, materials, or supplies, and machinery accidents are associated with the action or motion of machinery or failure of component parts.
During the last quarter of 2014, nine mining deaths occurred, compared to 15 during the same period in 2013. Four of those deaths occurred in coal mines and five in metal and nonmetal mines, compared to six and nine in the previous year, respectively.
“While MSHA and the mining industry have made a number of improvements and have been moving mine safety in the right direction, these deaths, particularly those in the metal and nonmetal industry, makes clear the need to do more to protect our nation’s miners.”
“Advancements in health and safety demand the cooperation of the entire mining community,” he added. “Miners deserve the reassurance that they will return home safe and healthy after every shift.”
Ten coal mining deaths occurred underground and six occurred at surface operations. In metal/nonmetal mining, six deaths occurred underground, and 18 occurred at surface operations.
Main stressed that, to prevent deaths, mine operators must maintain effective safety and health management programs that are constantly evaluated, continue find-and-fix programs to identify and eliminate mine hazards, and provide training for all mining personnel.
“These actions by MSHA, along with the efforts of the mining industry, are leading to safer and healthier mines,” Main said.
Saehaesung Alabama Faces $102K in Fines For Exposing Workers to Amputation, Electrical, and Struck-by Hazards
“Employers cannot wait for an OSHA inspection to identify the hazards that expose their employees to serious injury or death,” said Joseph Roesler, OSHA’s area director in Mobile. “Implementing preventive programs and systems to ensure such hazards are identified and corrected as part of the company’s day-to-day operations is imperative and makes good business sense.”
Three serious citations were issued to each facility for storage of material on steel racks with damaged support columns and no floor anchor, which exposed employees to struck-by hazards. OSHA issued four other citations for a damaged electrical cord, breaker panel and emergency stop switch, and for failure to train employees working with chemical hazards.
In 2010 and 2011, OSHA conducted inspections at the Andalusia plant and issued citations for machine guarding, industrial trucks, and failure to protect employees from moving machine parts during service or maintenance work.
Headquartered in Daegu, Korea, Saehaesung Alabama manufactures automotive chassis and body parts for Hyundai Motor Co., and Kia Motors Corp. The Andalusia and LaFayette facilities employ 365 workers.
OSHA Cites MFG Chemical Inc. for Repeated Safety Hazards after 2 Workers Injured, 1 Fatally
An MFG Chemical, Inc., worker died after hazardous chemical vapors released from an overpressurized reactor burned his respiratory system. A second employee was treated at a hospital and released. A July 2014 inspection by OSHA resulted in citations for MFG for 17 safety and health violations. OSHA initiated the inspection after a media referral alleged that a chemical release at the manufacturing facility had occurred.
“MFG continues to violate OSHA standards, exposing workers to serious hazards associated with process safety management,” said Christi Griffin, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office. “Allowing repeated violations demonstrates the company’s lack of commitment to worker safety and health.”
OSHA issued repeated citations for MFG’s failure to ensure that the reactor system alarm provided early warning for worker evacuation; not training workers on the hazards of permit-required confined spaces; and failure to ensure equipment used for manufacturing had an adequate pressure-relief design. MFG was cited previously for similar violations in 2012 at this facility.
Serious citations were issued for the company’s failure to ensure guarded floor openings and pits; establish and implement written changes to the chemical manufacturing process; and identify previous workplace incidents that had the potential for catastrophic results. Other violations included failure to provide medical examinations for workers required to use respirators and not conducting fit tests for respirators.
MFG manufactures a range of specialty chemicals for the water treatment, agriculture and pulp, and paper industries. Proposed penalties total $87,780.
Temporary Worker Suffers Permanent Disability in Packing Machine Accident
A 50-year-old temporary worker was permanently disabled after a machine used to package cases of bottled water onto a pallet for shipment started up while he cleared a jam in the machine. The worker had been on the job for 12 days at the Ice River Springs plant in High Springs.
An investigation by OSHA in July 2014 found that the employer allowed workers to enter the palletizer’s safety cage area and bypass two photo-eye safety sensors that served as machine safeguards. When the employee freed the pallet from its jammed position, he unknowingly activated the palletizer elevator’s photo-eye sensor and became entrapped between the elevator and the palletizer conveyor. OSHA cited the water-bottle manufacturer for three safety violations. Proposed penalties total $84,000.
TempForce of Gainesville, a franchised affiliate of Randstad, provided Ice River Springs with temporary workers, while Ice River Springs provided daily supervision, training and direction for the temporary workers employed at the facility. OSHA concluded an inspection with TempForce and did not issue citations to the staffing agency.
“OSHA has received far too many reports of temporary workers injured or killed on the job, with some of these incidents occurring in the employee’s first few days at work,” said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA’s area director in Jacksonville. “It is critical that Ice River Springs and TempForce understand OSHA’s newest initiatives to protect temporary workers, which must include shared responsibility by the host employer and the temporary staffing agency. These initiatives include taking effective steps to ensure that each temporary worker is sufficiently trained and monitored to safeguard them from the hazards of their new work environment.”
OSHA issued a willful citation to Ice River Springs for failure to ensure workers were protected from moving machine parts during service or maintenance. The 41 full-time and temporary employees who work onsite were exposed to serious injury or death due to this violation.
Two serious violations were cited for failure to conduct an annual inspection of lockout/tagout procedures and for not training workers to recognize hazardous machinery or implement proper maintenance controls.
The initiative includes outreach, training and enforcement to ensure that temporary workers are protected on the job.
Ice River Springs operates 11 facilities in North America. The company manufactures plastic bottles that are filled with water from a neighboring spring and packaged for grocery operators with the company’s label.
Dedicated TCS Employees Not Provided Safety Gear, Exposed to Dangerous Hazards
Responding to a complaint, OSHA inspectors found seven repeated and two serious violations at Dedicated TCS, LLC’s, Channahon, Illinois, site. OSHA has proposed penalties of $79,464.
“Once again, Dedicated TCS has failed to protect its workers and expects them to work with hazardous materials such as hydroxide and nitrogen chemical residue in dangerous spaces without safety equipment,” said Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director in Calumet City. “The company’s failure to safeguard its employees is a consistent and unacceptable habit. It must stop now.”
During a July 28, 2014, inspection, OSHA found that Dedicated TCS gas meters were not in working condition, and neither rescue and retrieval devices nor appropriate lighting for use in permit-required confined spaces were provided. A confined space is one large enough for workers to enter and perform certain jobs, such as a tank wagon, but it has limited or restricted means for entry or exit and is not designed for continuous occupancy.
The company also failed to train workers about the hazards they faced and how to use personal protective equipment when working with chemical residue. Inspectors also found that the entry supervisor did not verify that all safety requirements were met before allowing workers to enter the tank wagons.
Dedicated TCS was cited for the same violations at the Channahon facility in September 2012 and the company’s Lansing facility in November 2012.
The July 2014 inspection also found slip, trip, and fall hazards on floors and stairs and used, damaged extension cords, resulting in two serious violations.
Diaz Roofing LLC Fined $73,080 for Exposing Workers to Falls
Diaz Roofing, LLC, allowed four employees to reshingle a residential rooftop without required fall protection, OSHA has found. As a result, OSHA cited the roofing company for one willful and one serious safety violation with proposed penalties of $73,080. The company has been cited previously 11 times for lack of fall protection.
“Diaz Roofing has a history of breaking OSHA fall standards-the leading cause of industry deaths,” said Kim Stille, OSHA’s area director in Madison. “Last year, hundreds of workers failed to return home as a result of falls.”
OSHA initiated an inspection on August 11, 2014, after it received a complaint about unsafe working conditions. Investigators observed workers who performed sheathing and felt paper installation on a pitched roof more than 15 feet high. The workers did not use fall protection, such as guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems, which resulted in a citation for one willful violation.
Diaz Roofing also was cited for one serious violation for failure to train workers in fall protection requirements.
The page offers fact sheets, posters, and videos that vividly illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures. OSHA standards require that an effective form of fall protection be in use when workers perform construction activities 6 feet or more above the next lower level.
Mid-State Construction & Roofing Inc.’s Failure to Provide Fall Protection Leads to Worker Fatality
A 33-year-old worker fell to his death because his employer, Mid-State Construction & Roofing, Inc., failed to provide fall protection. The employee was installing roofing materials at Southwest High School in Piasa, Illinois, on August 4, 2014, when he fell 27 feet to the ground and suffered blunt force trauma. OSHA cited the roofing company for one willful and four serious safety violations.
“This tragedy illustrates how quickly a worker can lose his life when fall protection is not provided, and why OSHA requires it each time an employee works at heights greater than 6 feet,” said Aaron Priddy, OSHA’s area director in Fairview Heights. “Falls remain the leading cause of deaths in the construction industry. Hundreds of workers, including this one, won’t return home as a result of falls like this.”
OSHA’s investigation found the employee, who had been with the Beecher City-based company for 14 years, was installing wood blocking to create a finished roof edge on the perimeter of the high school gymnasium. While using a battery-powered, hand-held impact driver, the bit broke and the employee lost his balance and fell over the edge. The employer failed to provide and ensure the employee was using fall protection when the incident occurred.
OSHA cited Mid-State Construction for four serious violations for failure to provide adequate fall protection, train workers in its use, and conduct regular inspections of the work site and equipment.
Mid-State Construction also was cited for one willful violation for not properly maintaining a warning-line system as a means of fall protection for the five employees working on the roof.
The page offers fact sheets, posters, and videos that vividly illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures. OSHA standards require that an effective form of fall protection be in use when workers perform construction activities 6 feet or more above the next lower level.
OSHA, Laser Institute of America Renew Alliance to Protect Workers from Laser Hazards
“Workers unprotected from laser exposure can suffer serious eye and skin injuries including permanent blindness and tissue damage,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “We will continue to work together to produce valuable safety and health information and training to protect workers using laser technology.”
During the five-year alliance, participants will provide annual training on the Best Practices Seminar on Laser Safety and develop a Webinar training program based on the seminar, and distribute laser safety guidance products at safety conferences and exhibits. OSHA and LIA previously developed fact sheets on the effects of lasers on the eye and skin, hazards associated with using high-power welders and cutters, and materials for use during hazard analysis of workplaces with lasers. The alliance also developed a guidance document outlining 10 steps necessary to begin a laser safety program in the health industry, and conducted 18 Laser Safety Best Practices seminars that trained more than 500 OSHA compliance personnel on what to look for and ask when entering facilities that use lasers.
LIA, founded in 1968, is a professional society for laser applications and safety that provides information to industrial, medical, research, and government communities. The organization includes more than 1,600 corporate and individual members.
