The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has announced that the number of reported nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases that required days away from work to recuperate decreased by 9% to 1,238,490 cases in 2009 for private industry, state government, and local government. Additionally, BLS reported that the total incidence rate decreased by 5% to 117 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. BLS also reported that local and state government workers had much higher rates of injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work than workers in private industry.
In response, Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, issued this statement:
Injuries and illnesses requiring time away from work to recuperate can be costly
to both employers and employees alike, often resulting in lost productivity for
employers and lost wages for workers. All employers, private and government,
can use the data to focus on areas with high incidence rates, and find and fix
hazards to prevent future occurrences. We are continuing our efforts to ensure
that these data are complete and accurate, so that they will assist employers in
that effort.
The BLS report is significant in that, for the first time, it reports incidence rates
for workers in state and local governments, half of whom work in states where
public employees have no OSHA coverage. We find it very troubling to note that
the rate among local and state government workers was 185 cases and 180
cases per 10,000 full-time workers, respectively. That compares with 106 cases
per 10,000 full-time employees in private industry. Specifically, we see a high
occurrence among many public employee occupations, particularly among transit
and intercity bus drivers, law enforcement officers, emergency response workers,
and nursing aides and orderlies. We are also concerned that musculoskeletal
disorders continue for the second year in a row to comprise almost 30% of all
workplace injuries and illnesses requiring time away from work.
Although it is encouraging to see a reduction in the total number of days away
from work for injuries and illnesses suffered by workers in 2009, we know that
economic conditions may have weighed heavily on the decline. Specifically, a
decrease in employment and total hours worked, especially in construction and
manufacturing, has led to fewer workers exposed to safety and health hazards
in the workplace.
As the economy improves, more Americans back on the job could potentially
lead to easily preventable work-related injuries and illnesses. OSHA’s challenge,
and therefore America’s challenge, is to remain vigilant and keep the health
and safety of America’s workers a priority, for no job is a good job unless it’s a
safe job.
OSHA’s Egregious Penalty Policy Upheld
OSHA announced the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has ruled in favor of upholding citations issued to Thomas Industrial Coatings Inc., of Pevely, Missouri, following an investigation into two separate worker deaths at the same worksite.
In its decision, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission affirmed a total of six serious and 12 willful violations, with an assessed penalty of $871,500. One particularly significant result in this case was the judge’s affirmation of OSHA’s egregious or violation–by–violation penalty policy, where eight willful violations were issued to the company accounting for each employee exposed to the same fall hazard.
“We hope the penalties upheld by the review commission send a message to employers everywhere that they can’t disregard vital safety measures at the expense of their workers,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “We’re especially pleased that the judge has affirmed our egregious case penalty policy. We hope employers will be deterred by the potentially higher fines they could face, and will address hazards before OSHA gets there and before workers get hurt.”
In 2006, two of the company’s employees fell 40 feet from the same scaffold platform, on the same worksite, within two months of each other. Those two deaths followed the death of another Thomas Industrial Coatings employee just three months prior who fell from a scaffold in the St. Louis, Missouri, area, and subsequently drowned in the Missouri River.
Following investigations into the deaths of the two employees in 2006, OSHA cited Thomas Industrial Coatings for serious and willful violations, and proposed substantial penalties. The citations specifically addressed the employer’s failure to provide workers with fall protection and/or guarding of scaffold platform openings and training in the use of fall protection.
“Companies that willfully and intentionally violate the Occupational Safety and Health Act will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Missouri. “Employers must fulfill their responsibility to keep employees safe, or face the consequences when they fail to do so.”
IATA Update – What’s New for 2011
Each year, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) updates and revises the regulations for the transportation of dangerous goods (hazardous materials) by air. If you offer dangerous goods for transportation by air, you must follow the new regulations by January 1. A large number of significant changes are being implemented in the 2011 IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR).
At this live webcast, you will learn:
- Changes in the regulations for consumer commodities– new marking and shipping paper entries
- New test authorized to determine classification and packing group of corrosives
- Changes in the classification criteria for magnetized materials
- Revisions to the classification of environmentally hazardous substances, marine pollutants, and aquatic pollutants
- Phase in of new packing instructions for Class 3 flammable liquids, Class 4 flammable solids, Class 5 oxidizers/organic peroxides, Class 8 corrosives, Class 9 miscellaneous, and Division 6
- New entries on the IATA List of Dangerous Goods and new special provisions
- New marking requirements for net quantities, limited quantities, environmentally hazardous substances, and orientation arrows
Advertising Opportunities Available
Environmental Resource Center is making a limited number of advertising positions available in the Safety Tip of the Week™, the Environmental Tip of the Week™, and the Reg of the Day™.
OSHA Launches Local Emphasis Program to Focus on Grain Handling Industry in Kansas
Under the program, OSHA’s Wichita Area Office will target establishments such as grain elevators and storage bins, rail car, milling, fertilizer, feed, chemical and farm machinery operations, and equipment repair and maintenance.
“The hazards associated with grain handling operations are well recognized, and allowing workers to enter grain storage facilities without proper equipment, precautions and training can cost workers their lives,” said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Missouri. “OSHA’s Wichita Area Office will devote resources to outreach and enforcement activities in an effort to prevent workplace hazards and save lives.”
Inspections will include hazard evaluations on grain handling including fall protection, engulfment and fire, explosions from combustible dust, noise, confined space, and machine guarding.
All employers, and especially those in high-hazard industries such as the grain industry, must recognize as well as prevent workplace hazards.
Hearing Scheduled on Proposed Walking-Working Surfaces and PPE Standards
OSHA will hold an informal public hearing beginning on January 18, 2011, regarding the proposed rule to revise the Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standards to improve worker protection from slip, trip, and fall hazards.
“These public hearings will provide an important opportunity for stakeholders who will be impacted by the rule to share their concerns and provide input on the proposal,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels.
. “Injuries and fatalities from fall hazards are a leading cause of work-related injuries and we need to have the best rule possible to ensure that we effectively address this serious hazard,” said Michaels.
Proposed revisions will include specific criteria for personal fall protection equipment that are consistent with industry voluntary consensus standards. Revisions will also better align OSHA’s general industry walking-working surfaces standards with the Agency’s construction and shipyard industry standards.
The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m., at the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210. If necessary, the hearing will continue on subsequent days at the same time and location.
Individuals interested in testifying at the hearing must submit a notice of intent to appear by November 30. Only those persons submitting notices will be permitted to present testimony, question witnesses and OSHA, and participate in the post-hearing comment period. Individuals who request to testify for more than 10 minutes or who intend to submit documentary evidence at the hearing must submit the full text of their testimony and evidence by December 21.
Technical questions and public hearing inquiries should be directed to Virginia Fitzner, Office of Safety Systems, at 202-693-2052. Individuals requesting special accommodations to attend or testify at the hearing should contact Veneta Chatmon, Office of Communications, at 202-693-1999.
Interstate Brands Corp. Fined $274,500 for Failing to Train Workers and Protect Them from Safety Hazards
OSHA has cited Interstate Brands Corp., (IBC), a manufacturer of bakery products based in Schiller Park, Illinois, with 20 alleged safety violations for failing to properly train workers who operate powered industrial trucks, and protect workers from electrical shock hazards and dangerous high-speed rotating equipment. Proposed penalties, from two OSHA inspections at the company’s plant, total $274,500.
“Employers have a responsibility to train workers on the proper use of equipment and to protect them from workplace hazards,” said Diane M. Turek, OSHA’s area director in Des Plaines, Illinois. “OSHA is committed to ensuring workers have a safe and healthy workplace, and failing to train, monitor and evaluate employees’ skills puts workers at unnecessary risk.”
IBC has been cited with three alleged willful violations for failing to properly lock out/tag out electrical equipment for maintenance and sanitation, failing to ensure all persons operating powered industrial trucks were properly trained and evaluated, and failing to ensure machinery guards were in place at points of operation. The violations carry proposed fines of $210,000. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or plain indifference to employee safety and health.
The company also was cited with 17 serious violations including failing to keep all aisles and passageways in good repair and maintain proper exit routes, failing to annually inspect energy control procedures, failing to ensure all powered industrial trucks were examined for defects prior to the start or end of each work shift, failing to ensure guards were in place on all equipment points of operation, failing to provide employees with hardware to isolate and secure equipment from energy sources, and failing to ensure fans less than 7 feet above work level were provided with guards. Proposed penalties are $64,500. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists.
Republic Engineered Products Fined $143,000 for Fall Hazards and Lack of Protective Gear
OSHA has cited Republic Engineered Products Inc., a steel manufacturing company in Lorain, Ohio, with one alleged willful, four repeat, and eight serious safety violations for exposing its workers to fall hazards, failing to provide protective equipment, and failing to maintain equipment at its Lorain facility. The company faces penalties totaling $143,000.
“Steel mills are very dangerous working environments, and Republic Engineered Products Inc., has repeatedly demonstrated a blatant disregard for its employees’ safety by continually failing to provide fall protection in the plant,” said OSHA Area Director Jule Hovi in Toledo, Ohio. “Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in the workplace, and failing to correct these issues is not acceptable. OSHA is committed to seeing that the workers at this facility are provided a safe and healthy workplace.”
As a result of a May inspection by OSHA, the company was issued one willful citation with a proposed fine of $70,000 for exposing workers to fall hazards when changing out blades and removing debris from overhead saws.
The company also was issued four repeat violations with fines of $47,500 for not having functioning safety latches on hoist hooks, using cranes and hook lifting devices that were not marked with their rated capacity, and failing to maintain dry floors in front of electrical panels. OSHA issues a repeat citation if an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility within the last five years.
Republic Engineered Products Inc., received eight serious citations with proposed penalties of $25,500. Alleged violations include operating overhead cranes without functioning brakes, operating a malfunctioning hoist controller, using damaged voltage testing equipment and extension cords, and failing to provide insulated gloves and electrical protective equipment.
The company’s Lorain location, which employs about 250 people, has been inspected 25 times and received 59 safety violations since 1999.
Republic Engineered Products Inc., which is headquartered in Canton, Ohio, also operates manufacturing facilities in Canton and Massillon, Ohio; as well as Blasdell, New York; Gary, Indiana; and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It employs more than 1,000 workers company-wide and its facilities have been inspected a combined 52 times since 1999, resulting in 139 total violations.
OSHA Cites Fortune Plastic and Metal Texas for Exposing Workers to Lead
OSHA has cited Fortune Plastic and Metal Texas LLC, with six alleged serious and six alleged repeat violations following a safety and health inspection at the company’s worksite in Dallas. Proposed penalties total $125,000.
“This company should have implemented engineering and work practice controls to prevent workers from being exposed to lead poisoning,” said Stephen Boyd, OSHA’s area director in Dallas. “OSHA’s standards must be followed to prevent injuries and fatalities.”
OSHA began its inspection on May 12 at the company’s worksite on East Kiest Boulevard in Dallas after receiving a complaint alleging workers were being exposed to lead while cutting lead cable that was to be recycled.
The serious violations include failing to ensure open-sided floors and platforms were guarded, failing to monitor employee exposure to lead at required frequencies, and failing to notify employees of their exposure monitoring results.
Repeat violations include failing to develop, document, and utilize procedures to control potentially hazardous energy; failing to use of flexible cords and/or cables as a substitute for fixed wiring; failing to prevent exposure to lead at concentration greater than 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air over an eight-hour period; and failing to implement engineering and work practice controls to reduce and maintain employee exposure to lead.
OSHA Penalizes U.S. Minerals Facility More than $110,000 for Multiple Violations
OSHA has cited Dyer, Indiana-based U.S. Minerals LLC with 30 safety violations for exposing workers to multiple safety and health hazards at the company’s facility in Harvey, Louisiana. Proposed penalties total $110,400.
“This is not the first time this company has jeopardized the safety of its employees,” said Dorinda Folse, OSHA’s area director in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “OSHA’s safety and health standards must be followed to prevent injuries and accidents.”
OSHA’s Baton Rouge Area Office began its inspection June 8 at the company’s facility on Peters Road, where some workers were repairing a bagging machine that was not locked out in a manner to prevent exposure to potentially hazardous energies, and other workers were filling large bags with processed coal slag without protective eye wear.
Twenty serious violations were found, including failing to protect employees from hazardous noise levels that could cause hearing damage, failing to enforce the use of seat belts for employees operating fork lifts, failing to provide training on the use of fork lifts, failing to enforce the use of safety glasses for eye protection, and failing to provide machine guarding where employees could be caught by chains or pulleys.
Eight repeat violations were cited for failing to provide adequate lockout-tagout training and develop machine specific lockout-tagout procedures, failing to protect workers from exposed electrical hazards, failing to protect propane tanks from damage, failing to develop and implement a confined space entry program, and failing to inform workers of the hazards of entering a confined space.
Two other-than-serious violations were cited for failing to provide sanitary washing facilities and warm or hot water in lavatories. 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.
U.S. Minerals, a privately held company that manufactures abrasive blasting and roofing materials, employs about 60 workers and operates two plants in Illinois as well as one in Galveston, Texas, in addition to the one in Harvey, Louisiana. In September, OSHA fined the company’s Baldwin, Illinois, facility $466,400 and cited 35 health and safety violations for willfully exposing its workers to dangerously high levels of hazardous dust and failing to provide adequate breathing protection. As a result of the Baldwin inspection, which took place on March 11, OSHA opened inspections of additional U.S. Minerals facilities in Coffeen, Illinois; Galveston, Texas; and this one in Harvey, Louisiana.
OSHA had cited the Baldwin facility in October 2007 for 14 serious and three other-than-serious violations with penalties totaling $15,150.
USA Demolition Inc Faces Nearly $87,000 in OSHA Fines for Jobsite Fall Hazards
OSHA has cited USA Demolition Inc., for alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards at a Burlington, Massachusetts, worksite. The Woburn, Massachusetts, contractor faces a total of $86,950 in proposed fines, primarily for fall hazards identified during OSHA’s inspection of a site where USA Demolition was removing a building facade.
OSHA’s inspection found USA Demolition employees exposed to falls from 10 to 20 feet while working without fall protection on the building’s roof. This situation resulted in the issuance of one willful citation with a proposed fine of $70,000.
Other fall hazards stemmed from workers entering and exiting elevated aerial lifts without fall protection, standing on the railing of a scissors lift, working from an aerial lift without being tied off to the boom or basket, and standing atop an unopened stepladder. In addition, workers were not provided adequate training in fall protection and ladder use, and a competent person did not conduct inspections that would have identified and corrected these conditions. Employees also lacked head, eye, and face protection and were exposed to a potential crushing hazard from a damaged lifting sling. These conditions resulted in the issuance of 11 serious citations with $16,950 in proposed fines.
“Basic fall protection safeguards were disregarded at this worksite, thus exposing workers to potentially serious or deadly injuries,” said Jeffrey A. Erskine, OSHA’s area director for Middlesex and Essex counties in Massachusetts. “This danger was intensified by the employer’s failure to train its workers to recognize and avoid such hazards, and by its failure to conduct a competent inspection that would have spotted and eliminated these hazards.”
Roofing Contractor Facing $70,000 OSHA Fine Following Worker Fall
OSHA has cited Miranda Roofing Inc., a Fall River, Massachusetts, roofing and siding contractor, for an alleged willful violation of safety standards after a worker was injured when he fell 15 feet from a ladder at a Portsmouth, Rhode Island, jobsite.
Miranda Roofing faces the maximum proposed fine of $70,000 for failing to provide fall protection for employees working atop a roof at 3001 E. Main Road in Portsmouth.
“We found employees working without any form of fall protection at heights up to 15 feet, even though this employer well knows the requirement for fall protection whenever employees work at heights of 6 feet or above,” said Patrick Griffin, OSHA’s area director for Rhode Island. “We’ve proposed the maximum fine because of the severity of this hazard and this employer’s repeated history of failing to ensure fall protection for workers at other jobsites.”
Prior to this inspection, OSHA has cited the company five times since 2005 for roofing fall protection hazards at worksites in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.
Printing Company Cited More than $53,000 for Potential Amputation and Other Hazards
OSHA has cited Litho Press Inc., with 19 alleged serious violations at the company’s worksite in San Antonio, Texas, including leaving workers vulnerable to amputations from improper machine guarding. Proposed penalties total of $53,550.
“Employers must properly apply OSHA’s standards for machine guarding techniques and adequately control associated energy hazards to avoid amputations,” said Jeff Funke, OSHA’s area director in the San Antonio office. “In this case, it is fortunate that no one was injured.”
OSHA began an inspection on October 6 under its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on Amputations at Litho Press’s facility where workers manufacture books, magazines, directories, and brochures. Violations include inadequate machine guarding (including for belts, pulleys, and horizontal shafts) and a lack of specific procedures to control hazardous energy while workers conduct cleaning and servicing operations on printing equipment. The NEP on amputations is a program designed to more effectively reduce amputation injuries by properly applying machine guarding techniques and adequately controlling associated energy hazards.
Employees were exposed to falling nearly 9 feet due to a 16-inch gap in a guardrail system on an elevated working surface. Other violations include failing to provide guardrails on elevated working areas to protect employees from falls, ensure electrical deficiencies were repaired and maintained, and provide training on the use of hazardous chemicals and methods to control hazardous energy.
General Contractor Facing $46,500 in OSHA Fines for Fall and Other Hazards
OSHA has cited James J. Welch & Co. Inc., a Salem, Massachusetts contractor, for alleged repeat and serious violations of safety standards following OSHA’s inspection of a building under construction in Holliston, Massachusetts. James J. Welch & Co., who was general contractor for the project, faces a total of $46,500 in proposed fines, primarily for fall and tripping hazards identified during OSHA’s inspection.
OSHA found employees at the worksite exposed to fall hazards while working without fall protection due to missing or inadequate protective railings on work surfaces and window openings. These conditions resulted in the issuance of six serious citations, with $22,500 in proposed fines. A serious citation is issued 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.
“When fall protection is absent, workers are just seconds away from a deadly or disabling fall,” said Jeffrey A. Erskine, OSHA’s area director for Middlesex and Essex counties in Massachusetts. “The fact that no fall has occurred in no way minimizes this potentially deadly hazard, nor does it relieve the company of its responsibility to ensure that effective fall protection is in use at all worksites at all times.”
The inspection also identified several hazards at the Holliston worksite similar to those cited by OSHA in 2009, following its inspection of a Welch worksite in Boston, Massachusetts. These included tripping and fall hazards from uncovered, unsecured or unlabeled floor holes, as well as the employer’s failure to have a competent person inspect the jobsite in order to identify and correct hazardous conditions. Due to their recurring nature, OSHA issued the company four repeat citations with $24,000 in proposed fines for these latest hazards.
Contractor Facing More than $32,000 in Fines for Excavation Hazards
A Dracut, Massachusetts contractor, Albanese D&S Inc., has been cited for alleged repeat and serious violations of safety standards following OSHA’s inspection of a worksite located at Winn’s Brook in Belmont, Massachusetts. The company faces a total of $32,400 in proposed fines for excavation hazards identified during OSHA’s inspection.
OSHA found Albanese workers installing concrete culverts in an excavation deeper than 5 feet that lacked protection against a possible collapse of its sidewalls. The excavation also lacked a ladder or other safe means for the workers to enter and exit. OSHA had cited the company in 2009 for similar hazards at worksites in Lowell and Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Due to the recurring nature of these hazards, OSHA issued Albanese two repeat citations, with $29,400 in proposed fines. A repeat violation is issued 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.
“The walls of an excavation can collapse suddenly and without warning, burying workers beneath soil and debris before they have a chance to react or escape,” said Jeffrey A. Erskine, OSHA’s area director for Middlesex and Essex counties in Massachusetts. “The fact that no collapse occurred in no way minimizes the gravity of this hazard, nor does it relieve the company of its responsibility to ensure that excavations are effectively protected before workers enter them.”
Albanese D&S Inc., was also issued one serious citation with a proposed fine of $3,000 for not removing a defective ladder from service.
OSHA Renews Partnership with Electrical Contractor Groups
As part of continuing efforts to improve safety and health for electrical workers, OSHA has renewed a strategic partnership with the National Electrical Contractors Association Central Ohio Chapter, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 683 of Columbus, and Union 1105 of Newark, Ohio.
“This partnership reflects our mutual recognition of the importance of electrical workers’ safety and health, and our cooperative goal to develop effective safety programs while improving communications,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA’s Columbus area director. “We will take an aggressive and positive approach to place workplace safety and health at the forefront every day.”
The goals of the partnership are to decrease participating employees’ injury and illness rates, increase accessibility to quality safety training and education, and raise safety awareness. The partnership members also will work in conjunction with the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee to develop improved, effective, and meaningful safety training programs for the electrical trade and construction industry.
Partners have agreed to adopt and require use of an industry standard checklist designed to exceed OSHA requirements when working on energized circuits, require mandatory OSHA safety courses for all field employees and supervisors as well as site-specific safety training for new hires, and conduct regular third-party safety audits and quarterly meetings to discuss industry best practices. The partnership will be evaluated annually.
The OSHA Strategic Partnership Program provides the opportunity for OSHA to partner with employers, workers, professional and trade associations, labor organizations, and other interested stakeholders. OSHA strategic partnerships are formalized through unique agreements designed to encourage, assist and recognize partner efforts to eliminate serious hazards, and achieve model workplace safety and health practices. Each OSHA strategic partnership establishes specific goals, strategies, and performance measures to improve worker safety and health. OSHA strategic partnership models include those focused on improving safety and health in major corporations and government agencies, for at large construction projects and for entire industries. The program is available to private sector industries and government agencies in locales where OSHA has jurisdiction.
OSHA and NIOSH to Host New York City Latino/Immigrant Worker Safety and Health Summit
OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will co-sponsor the New York City Action Summit for Latino/Immigrant Worker Safety and Health on Tuesday, November 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST, at Lehman College’s Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Park Blvd. W., Bronx, NY, 10468.
Building on the success of a national summit held earlier this year in Houston, the New York event will bring together workers, labor groups, community organizations, consulates, educators, government officials, safety and health professionals, employers and other partners to share the most effective strategies in reaching Latino workers, expand outreach, and form new partnerships.
“Our focus will be on strengthening existing efforts and building new partnerships to make Latino workers in the greater New York City area aware of their right to a safe and healthful workplace, provide them with vital information and assistance, and ensure they have a voice in the workplace when it comes to safety and health,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York.
The summit’s panels will feature Latino workers speaking out about job safety and health, an overview of successful collaborative efforts to protect at-risk workers, and a discussion among government and union representatives on making a difference for workers. Breakout sessions will focus on identifying safety and health hazards and exercising workers’ rights.
Admission is free, but advance registration is required.
Participants will include representatives from OSHA and other agencies of the U.S. Department of Labor; NIOSH; the New York State Department of Labor; the New York City Comptroller’s Office; the Consulate General of Guatemala in New York; the Consulate General of Mexico in New York; the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health; Make the Road New York; El Centro de Hospitalidad; the Laborers International Union of North America; and the New York State AFL-CIO.
CONN-OSHA Honors Two Connecticut Companies for Safety and Health Practices
Companies throughout the New England region, including two Connecticut companies, were honored during the 8th Annual Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) event held October 13 at the New England Laborers’ Training Academy in Pomfret. Connecticut companies honored for their SHARP status included Sanford and Hawley, which has three SHARP certified sites in the state, and Smurfit Stone of Uncasville. Sanford and Hawley was also presented with a renewal for their SHARP status. Representatives from CAS Medical Systems in Branford, a current SHARP candidate, also attended.
Hosted by the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CONN-OSHA), the event was attended by representatives of local safety and health organizations from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. SHARP, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s federal government, is operated on the state level by agencies such as CONN-OSHA. Companies participating in the voluntary program work with their state’s safety and health divisions to establish and maintain a specific standard of health and safety guidelines geared toward protecting its employees.
“We were pleased to host this prestigious event which recognizes those small businesses from throughout New England’s Region 1 that have worked hard to establish and adhere to an effective and individualized safety and health plan,” notes Connecticut Department of Labor Acting Commissioner Linda Agnew. “A safe workplace is a win-win situation for both employees and employers and our CONN-OSHA Division is proud of the success our Connecticut companies have achieved.”
James Mulligan, Acting Assistant Regional Administrator of OSHA’s Region 1 in Boston, and Dennis Golden, CEO of IM-Safe, LLC, served as the keynote speakers, while John Deveau of Smurfit Stone of Uncasville provided a testimonial presentation depicting his company’s commitment to the SHARP Program. SHARP program managers taking part included Kenneth Tucker and James Pierce of CONN-OSHA, as well as their counterparts in other New England states: Kathy Flannery of Massachusetts, Steve Beyer of New Hampshire, James Bruckshaw of Rhode Island, and Scott Meyer of Vermont.
“In Connecticut, participating companies taking advantage of SHARP are eligible for participation in CONN-OSHA’s free safety consultation program,” Tucker explains. “CONN-OSHA personnel inspect the facility at no charge and working with the company and its employees, make recommendations and suggestions toward correcting any onsite safety and health issues they may encounter.”
According to Tucker, under the SHARP program, no fines or citations are levied as a result of the inspection. Instead, the proactive program has CONN-OSHA staff work with the company to make any upgrades or improvements and handle the paperwork associated with obtaining SHARP designation. In addition to receiving the SHARP designation, SHARP certified companies are also exempted from all programmed OSHA inspections for the period of their eligibility.
Honored from Massachusetts were Worcester Envelope of Auburn (the company was also presented with a SHARP renewal), Prot-Pac Engineering of Wilmington, and Shaker Workshops of Gardner. Recognized from New Hampshire were Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital of Lebanon and HP Hood for SHARP sites in both Hew Hampshire and Maine. Recognized from Rhode Island were TACO of Cranston, LFI, Inc., of Smithfield, and Wolverine Joining Technologies of Warwick.
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