The tool allows you to virtually explore how to identify common workplace hazards in the manufacturing and construction industries. Users will learn not only hazard identification skills but also learn about hazard abatement and control.
“Hazard identification is a critical part of creating an injury and illness prevention program that will keep workers safe and healthy on the job,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “This new tool not only educates employers about how to take control of their workplaces and protect workers, it also demonstrates that following well-established safety practices is also good for the bottom line.” Assistant Secretary Michaels announced the new tool recently at the American Society of Safety Engineers conference in Orlando, Florida.
Through the hazard identification tool, users can play from the perspective of either a business owner or an employee as they learn to identify realistic, common hazards and address them with practical and effective solutions. The tool explains the key components of the hazard identification process, which include information collection, observation of the workplace, investigation of incidents, employee participation and prioritizing hazards.
EPA’s New Solvent Wipe, Shop Towel Rule Demystified
- Does the rule apply to both cloth and paper wipes and rags?
- What solvents can be on the towels, and which are prohibited?
- Does the rule also apply to towels that contain characteristic hazardous waste?
- Can P or U-listed wastes be on the towels?
- How must the towels be stored on-site?
- Do they need to be tested for anything?
- How long can they be stored?
- How must the containers be marked or labeled?
- How must they be prepared for transportation?
- Where can you ship them and what are the disposal and recycling options?
- What are the documentation requirements?
- How is the new rule impacted by current state regulations?
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.
Dayton RCRA and DOT Training
Raleigh RCRA, DOT, and EHS Training
Macon RCRA and DOT Training
Construction Worker Suffers Severe Injuries after Fall into Trench
OSHA has cited the company for 11 safety violations, including one willful and 10 serious, for failing to protect workers from struck-by and trench cave-in hazards. Proposed penalties total $110,400.
“Failing to protect workers from struck-by hazards and allowing employees to work in a trench without protective systems is inexcusable and will not be tolerated,” said Larry Davidson, OSHA’s acting area director in St. Louis. “Being struck-by vehicles and other objects is a leading cause of construction-related injuries and deaths. Gershenson Construction has a responsibility to protect workers from known hazards in the construction industry.”
The employee was struck-by one end of a 12-foot-long section of sewer pipe being maneuvered by an excavator. The impact caused him to fall to the bottom of the 13-foot-deep trench. Two other workers were actively working inside the unprotected trench to install a new sewer system at the Riverside & Yarnell Sanitary Relief Sewer construction project, near the intersection of Henderson and Larkin Williams Roads in Fenton. The trench lacked required safeguards to prevent the walls from caving in and seriously injuring workers.
OSHA issued one willful violation to Gershenson Construction Co., for failing to ensure workers were protected from cave-in hazards while working in a trench that exceeded a depth of 5 feet. OSHA standards mandate that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse. Detailed information on trenching and excavation hazards is available.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
Ten serious violations were issued for exposing workers to the hazards of being struck-by a partially suspended load; lack of adequate and frequent inspections of the work site for hazards; inadequate training of employees; lack of head protection; use of damaged rigging equipment; lack of permanently affixed legible identification markings on rigging equipment; and allowing an excavator to operate within 10 feet of energized, overhead power lines.
Other violations involved trenching standards, such as allowing exposed and unprotected gas and water lines in a trench, and failing to remove workers from a trench until necessary precautions were taken to ensure their safety. 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.
Bioiberica Nebraska Exposes Workers to Amputation, other Serious Hazards, Fined $101,200
“OSHA’s investigation found multiple violations that exposed workers to serious amputation risks. Workers servicing or maintaining machines or equipment may be seriously injured or killed if basic protections on machines are not provided,” said Bonita Winingham, OSHA’s area director in Omaha. “Manufacturers, such as Bioiberica Nebraska, must recognize the hazards their employees face and take precautions to keep them safe on the job.”
The three willful violations were cited for exposing workers to injuries, such as electrocution, burns, crushing, lacerating, amputating, or fracturing body parts. These violations included failure to develop written procedures, provide training, and implement a program with locks, tags, or other hardware to prevent machines from starting up while employees performed service and maintenance of machinery.
OSHA cited Bioiberica Nebraska with seven serious violations for failing to provide workers training to recognize, evaluate, and control exposure to hazardous chemicals. Silica exposure can cause silicosis, an irreversible lung disease, and other health hazards.
Bioiberica Nebraska is a subsidiary of Bioiberica S.A. based in Barcelona, Spain. The company, which produces products for the pharmaceutical, food supplement, and functional foods industries, employs 322 workers worldwide and 11 at the Geneva site. This was the first OSHA inspection at the plant.
Ohio Worker’s Hand Crushed while Operating Mechanical Power Press
Following the crushing of a worker’s hand in a 150-ton mechanical power press on November 14, 2013, Superior Roll Forming Co., has been cited for four serious safety violations by OSHA. OSHA proposes $89,500 in penalties for failing to protect workers from lacerations, caught-in, and amputation hazards.
This is completely inexcusable,” said Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director in Cleveland. “Safety precautions are vital when operating power presses because injuries involving this machinery and equipment often result in death or permanent disability, as it tragically did in this incident.”
The repeat violations involved the plant’s power presses, which assemble metal or other materials for the automotive and other industries. The injured worker was removing a metal piece from the power press and was exposed to the point of operation of the power press because necessary safeguards had been disabled and the company had failed to install barrier guards. The company also failed to use lockout/tagout procedures to prevent operation of the power press while the worker was removing the part.
Superior Roll Forming was previously cited for machine guarding and lockout/tagout violations on its power presses in 2013. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
Two serious violations also involved safe operation of mechanical power presses, including inadequate clutch brake controls and failing to conduct periodic inspections of lockout/tagout procedures.
OSHA Cites Duce Construction for Failing to Protect Employees from Trench Dangers
OSHA has cited Duce Construction Co., with four safety violations, including three serious and one willful, for failing to protect workers from trenching hazards at a job site on East Airport Road in Savoy. Proposed penalties total $59,500.
“It is unacceptable for Duce Construction to allow workers into an unprotected trench. Each year, trench collapses result in numerous deaths and serious injuries,” said Thomas Bielema, OSHA’s area director in Peoria. “Employers that specialize in this type of work must take all necessary precautions to ensure their employees have safe working conditions.”
There were two trench boxes used in the excavation. Workers were exposed to soil avalanching and cave-in hazards because the company failed to ensure that the boxes were used correctly. A willful violation was cited for failing to ensure workers were protected from these hazards.
OSHA standards mandate that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse.
Three serious violations were issued for storing piles of soil within 2 feet of the edge of the excavation; failing to provide a means of exit or escape, such as a ladder, from the trench; and exposing workers to vehicular traffic without warning vests or other garments to alert drivers to their presence.
Duce Construction Co., based in Champaign, was previously inspected by OSHA in 2006 and 2008 and cited for trenching violations.
Massachusetts Seafood Processor Cited for Serious Safety Violations Following Worker’s Death
A 35-year-old sanitation supervisor at a New Bedford fish processing plant died on January 16, 2014, after he was caught in the rotating parts of the shucking machine he was cleaning. Following an investigation by OSHA, his employer, Sea Watch International Ltd., was cited for seven serious safety violations, including failure to implement basic safety procedures to protect workers who service or maintain machines.
“This worker should not have died. This death was preventable if the company had implemented the required safety practices,” said Brenda Gordon, OSHA’s area director for southeastern Massachusetts. “It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that all requirements are met and to take effective action to ensure that these hazards, and the dangers they pose to workers, do not occur again.”
The violations include failure to provide a lockout device; incomplete lockout/tagout procedures; not conducting periodic inspections of these procedures to ensure that all requirements were being met; and failure to train all affected sanitation employees in lockout/tagout procedures.
Workforce Unlimited, Inc., was cited as a joint employer because it had a supervisor on-site with knowledge of the working conditions.
Sea Watch employs 15 full-time workers at its New Bedford plant; 185 of the workers at the plant were temporary employees supplied by Workforce Unlimited.
In every inspection, OSHA inspectors determine if every temporary worker at a work site has received the safety training and protections required by law for the job. If not, the employment agency and host employer may both be cited for violations.
“Host employers need to treat temporary workers as they treat existing employees. Temporary staffing agencies and host employers share joint responsibility for temporary employees’ safety and health. It is essential that both employers and staffing agencies comply with all relevant OSHA requirements,” said Robert B. Hooper, OSHA’s acting regional administrator for New England.
Proposed fines against Sea Watch total $35,410, while fines against Workforce Unlimited total $9,000.
Liberty Tire Exposes Workers to Falls, Explosion, Dangerous Equipment Hazards
Liberty Tire Recycling, LLC, has been cited by OSHA for repeat and serious safety violations for exposing workers to falls, fire/explosion, and dangerous, unguarded equipment.
“This employer repeatedly failed to address previously cited fall and unguarded machinery violations, which were brought to management’s attention two months ago,” said Condell Eastmond, OSHA’s area director in Fort Lauderdale. “These hazards need to be eliminated from the workplace immediately to ensure workers are protected from serious injury or death.”
Two repeat citations, carrying penalties of $30,000, were issued for exposing workers to fall hazards while working on platforms that lacked guardrails or had incomplete guardrails, and for exposing workers to caught-in hazards while they worked near unguarded shaft and conveyor belts. In November 2013, the company was cited for these same violations at its facility in Saltillo, Mississippi.
Three serious violations, with $15,000 in penalties, were cited for exposing workers to safety hazards while a powered industrial truck was operating with no functioning backup alarm or front lights. Additionally, employees were exposed to fire/explosion hazards from the accumulation of rubber dust and hazards from unguarded dangerous machinery on conveyors.
According to the company’s website, Liberty Tire collects and recycles about one-third of the nation’s scrap tires.
The page offers fact sheets, posters and videos that vividly illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures.
OSHA Fines Seat Belt and Air Bag Manufacturer $102,600 for Exposing Workers to Serious Noise and Machine Hazards
OSHA began its inspection of the vehicular seat belt and automotive air bag components manufacturer in December 2013 after receiving a worker complaint. Proposed penalties total $102,600.
“By failing to provide required safety procedures for workers who operate machinery, such as the stamping presses used at Higuchi Manufacturing, the company put these workers in harm’s way. This indifference to worker safety will not be tolerated,” said Kelly C. Knighton, OSHA’s area director in San Antonio. “The history of injuries and fatalities with these types of machines has proven that employer attention and action keeps workers safe.”
A willful violation, with a penalty of $63,000, was cited for failing to establish safety procedures for workers who service and maintain machinery that uses locks, tags and training to protect workers from moving machine parts. The employer knew of these hazards, but failed to implement proper safety procedures to protect workers. Bodily injuries, amputations, and death can result from uncontrolled machines and unexpected machine activation.
The eight serious violations, with a penalty of $39,600, were cited for failing to provide and ensure the use of adequate personal protective equipment for employees working with hazardous and corrosive chemicals, which led to an employee being injured. Other violations cited included failure to ensure the use of safety blocks on mechanical power presses and covered or guarded open floor holes in employee work areas.
Citations were issued for failing to conduct regular baseline hearing tests and train employees who were exposed to hazardous noise levels above the OSHA-required limits. Additionally, the company failed to provide workers with a suitable selection of hearing protection.
Safety News Links
