NSF International (NSF) and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute® (ACS GCI) have developed an American National Standard that provides a standardized way to define and report the environmental and human health hazards associated with a chemical product and its manufacturing process impacts.
The new standard, officially known as NSF/GCI/ANSI (American National Standards Institute) 355 Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard (NSF/GCI/ANSI 355), establishes standardized criteria for comparing chemicals and processes that help chemical manufacturers and their customers make greener choices.
NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 outlines a framework that chemical manufacturers will use to develop one comprehensive, standardized NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 report to provide information to their customers throughout the supply chain. The report will be used to evaluate chemical products and their associated manufacturing processes in several key categories, including:
- Chemical Characteristics—Physical chemical properties, human health effects and ecological effects
- Chemical Processes (gate to gate)—Chemical efficiency and waste prevention, water, energy, bio-based carbon content, innovative manufacturing processes and technology, and process safety
- Social Responsibility—Child labor, forced and compulsory labor, and compliance with laws and regulations
As a third-party certifier, NSF International will certify reports to this standard, meaning that users of a chemical who receive a certified NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 report from their suppliers can be assured the report data is accurate, complete, and current.
“This standard is an important tool for helping chemical manufacturers and their customers evaluate chemicals and associated manufacturing processes and make greener choices,” said Richard Engler, Ph.D., with the EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
NSF International and ACS GCI gathered a broad and diverse group of stakeholders to help develop the standard. The group consisted of public health/regulatory officials, industry representatives, user/consumer representatives, and other interest groups who worked together to develop a uniform method by which to assess and report attributes for the chemical’s characteristics and manufacturing processes.
“NSF/GCI/ANSI 355: Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard provides suppliers with a framework to provide information about products to downstream manufacturers, processors and formulators,” said Ann M. Mason, American Chemistry Council’s Senior Director. “The standard contains defined metrics that are relevant and measurable.”
ACS Green Chemistry Institute? is a world leader in advocating for green chemistry and engineering, the mission of ACS GCI is to catalyze and enable the implementation of green chemistry and engineering throughout the global chemical enterprise
The American Chemical Society is a non-profit organization chartered by the US Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals, and scientific conferences.
NSF International has been testing and certifying products for safety, health, and the environment since 1944. As an independent public health and safety organization, NSF’s mission is to protect human health and the environment through standards development, auditing, testing, and certification for the food, water, build/construction, retail, consumer products, chemical, and health science industries.
Operating in more than 120 countries, NSF is committed to protecting human health worldwide and is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment.
How to Prepare for OSHA Adoption of the GHS for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals
This means that virtually every product label, material safety data sheet (soon to be called “safety data sheet”), 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 MSDSs.
Environmental Resource Center is offering webcast training courses where you will learn how the new rule differs from current requirements, how to implement the changes, and when the changes must be implemented.
- November 2
- December 12
Register early to ensure your spot in one of the upcoming sessions. You may register online or call 800-537-2372 to register by phone.
How to Author GHS Safety Data Sheets
OSHA is adopting the new Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals. A cornerstone of GHS is the adoption of a completely revised Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
- November 3, 2011
- December 15, 2011
How to Label Hazardous Chemicals Using OSHA’s New GHS Hazcom Standard
Workplace and supplier hazard communication labels are being reinvented as OSHA adopts the new Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for labeling hazardous chemicals.
- November 4, 2011
- December 16, 2011
Williamsburg RCRA and DOT Training
Orlando RCRA and DOT Training
Safety Consultant/Trainer
Environmental Resource Center has a new opening for a safety consultant and auditor. We are looking for a former OSHA CSHO, OSHA trainer, or state inspector for this position in our Cary, North Carolina, office. Applicants should have excellent writing and speaking skills and be willing to travel 7–14 days per month. We are looking for an expert in all of the General Industry and Construction standards who is capable of performing audits of industrial facilities as well as conducting on-site training.
Strong consideration will be given to applicants who also have experience providing HAZWOPER, Hazcom, lockout/tagout, confined spaces, and machine guarding training.
The position includes maintenance of training materials (books and presentations), working on consulting projects, development of classes and computer-based training programs, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
OSHA Appoints Erich J. (Pete) Stafford as Chair of Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health
OSHA has announced that Erich J. (Pete) Stafford has been appointed as the new chair of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). Stafford, who is a current member of the committee, replaces long serving member Frank L. Migliaccio Jr. as the committee chair.
“Pete’s wealth of knowledge and experience on a wide range of construction health and safety matters makes him an ideal choice to chair this important committee,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “We appreciate his commitment to protect the welfare of our nation’s construction workers and look forward to his leadership.”
Mr. Stafford has nearly 30 years experience in occupational safety and health in the construction industry. He presently serves as safety and health director for the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department, which services 13 national and international construction unions representing more than two million workers. Mr. Stafford also serves as executive director of the Center for Construction Research and Training, where he directs a research and training organization that trains more than 100,000 construction workers annually and produces research reports on construction safety and health issues.
Gerald Ryan will fill Mr. Migliaccio’s vacant seat as one of the committee’s five employee representatives. Mr. Ryan is Director of Training, Health, and Safety for the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association of the United States and Canada (OPCMIA).
ACCSH advises the Secretary of Labor and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health on construction standards and policy matters. The 15-member committee consists of five representatives each of employers and employees, two state government representatives, two public representatives, and one member designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Bridgford Foods Faces $422,600 in Proposed Fines for Exposing Workers to Noise, Energized Machine Hazards
The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Anaheim, California, based Bridgford Foods Corp., for 27 safety and health violations at its food manufacturing facility in Dallas, with proposed penalties totaling $422,600. The violations include, among others, failing to establish and maintain a hearing conservation program for workers exposed to noise hazards beyond the permissible exposure limit, and failing to establish a lockout/tagout program for energy sources to protect workers from machines starting up unexpectedly.
"Bridgford Foods has a history of failing to implement necessary safety and health programs to prevent the unexpected start-up of machines and prevent hearing loss," said OSHA Regional Administrator John Hermanson in Dallas. "Under the law, it is the employer's responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace."
OSHA's investigation of the facility on South Good Latimer Expressway found 20 serious violations carrying $129,000 in penalties. They include failing to provide guardrails on mixers, ovens and ice machines; provide machine guarding to prevent workers from coming into contact with rotating parts; develop energy control procedures for machinery with more than one energy source; and ensure that employees were trained on the use of energy control procedures. 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.
Six repeat violations, with penalties of $292,500, include failing to provide training on the hazards of electrical equipment, ensure that workers operating powered industrial trucks are evaluated at least every three years, establish and maintain an audiometric testing program, and train employees on hearing protection who are exposed to noise levels at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels. 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. OSHA cited the company for similar violations in February 2008 with penalties of $8,000, in September 2008 with penalties of $33,900, and again in January 2010 with penalties of $106,000.
One other-than-serious violation, with a penalty of $1,100, was cited for failing to post a copy of the hearing conservation standard in the workplace. 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.
OSHA has placed Bridgford in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law. Initiated in June 2010, the program focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat or failure-to-abate violations.
Bridgford Foods employs about 84 workers who produce frozen bread dough products at the Dallas location. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's Dallas Area Office, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Formation Plastics Facing $217,000 in Penalties after Workplace Fatality
OSHA has cited Formation Plastics, Inc., a custom plastic parts manufacturer in Quinter, Kansas, with one serious and three willful safety and health violations. OSHA initiated an inspection after a worker was fatally crushed between a press mold and the machine’s outer structure in May. Proposed penalties for the willful and serious citations total $217,000.
“It is unthinkable that an employer would allow employees to work in and around dangerous equipment that lacked machine guarding as well as appropriate lockout/tagout procedures to control the energy source,” said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Missouri. “All employers must take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace.”
The willful violations, carrying $210,000 in proposed fines, address hazards associated with failing to develop and utilize energy control procedures, failing to train workers in energy control, and exposing workers to moving equipment parts. 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.
The serious violation, with a $7,000 fine, was cited for failing to provide point-of-operation guarding on a punch press.
OSHA Fines Wegmans Food Market Corporate Bakery and Distribution Center over $195,000
OSHA has cited Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., for alleged repeat and serious violations of workplace safety standards at the company’s corporate bakery and distribution center in Rochester, New York. The retail grocery chain faces a total of $195,200 in proposed fines, chiefly for inadequate safeguards to prevent the unintended startup of machinery during maintenance.
OSHA’s hazardous energy control, or lockout/tagout, standard, mandates that machines be shut down and the power sources locked out before workers perform maintenance. The standard also requires proper procedures, training, and equipment to ensure that machines cannot be unintentionally activated and seriously injure workers performing maintenance on machines.
Inspections by OSHA’s Buffalo Area Office found that Wegmans failed to develop, utilize, and follow lockout/tagout procedures and to adequately train workers on hazards and procedures related to lockout/tagout hazards at this facility. OSHA had cited Wegmans in 2007 and 2010 for similar hazards at Wegmans locations in Rochester, New York, so these recurring hazards resulted in citations for four repeat violations with $140,000 in proposed fines.
“The fines proposed for these violations are significant because this employer previously has been cited for similar hazards,” said Arthur Dube, OSHA’s area director for western New York. “For the safety and health of its workers, Wegmans must take effective action to ensure that proper lockout/tagout safeguards are in place and in use at all of its locations.”
OSHA also identified electrical, machine guarding, mechanical, and ventilation hazards related to ovens in the bakery, and a fall hazard in the distribution center. These conditions resulted in citations for nine serious violations with $55,200 in fines.
Cave-in Hazards at Walsh Corp. Jobsite Lead to OSHA Fines of $161,000
OSHA has cited Walsh Corp., a contractor based in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, for alleged willful and serious violations of workplace safety standards for failing to protect an employee at a Hanover, Massachusetts, work site against cave-in and “struck-by” hazards. The contractor faces a total of $161,000 in proposed fines.
Walsh Corp., was installing a water main at 58 Rockland St. when an OSHA inspector observed an employee working in an unprotected straight-walled trench more than 5 feet deep that lacked protection to keep its walls from caving in. The pavement around the trench was undermined and not removed or supported to prevent it from falling into the trench; the trench lacked a ladder or other safe means of exit; the worker lacked head protection against falling debris; and the competent person on-site, who had the knowledge to identify and the authority to correct these hazards, did not remove the employee from the unprotected trench.
“These conditions could have been a precursor to death or severe injury for this worker,” said Brenda Gordon, OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. “The walls of this trench could have collapsed in seconds and engulfed him in tons of soil and debris. In recognition of the severity of these hazards, as well as this employer’s knowledge and failure to correct them, we are proposing the maximum allowable fine for each cited condition.”
Two willful violations with $140,000 in proposed fines were cited for the cave-in and missing ladder hazards, and three serious violations with $21,000 in fines were cited for the remaining hazards.
OSHA standards require that trenches or excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse through shoring, sloping of the soil, or use of a protective trench box.
Commission Upholds OSHA Citations and Fines Over $137,000 for Sand Cut Properties
The independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has upheld willful and serious citations and $137,200 in fines issued by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Commission to Sand Cut Properties, LLC, a Danbury, Connecticut, contractor.
OSHA cited Sand Cut Properties in November 2008 after inspectors at a Brookfield, Connecticut, worksite found an employee working in a collapsing 6- to 9-foot-deep excavation that lacked cave-in protection and had piles of excavated materials overhanging its edge as well as water seeping into its bottom. The employee was exposed to an additional crushing hazard when he exited the excavation by riding in the bucket of an excavator. The citations and fines reflected the seriousness of the violations and the employer’s knowledge of and failure to prevent the cave-in hazards.
The company contested the willful violations cited and accompanying fines to the review commission in December 2008. A hearing was held before Administrative Law Judge Dennis L. Phillips on June 28, 2011. On September 22, Judge Phillips issued a decision affirming the citations and ordering Sand Cut Properties to pay $137,200 in fines. The decision will become a final order on November 10, if Sand Cut does not appeal to the commission.
OSHA Fines Central Transport International $114,000 for Repeat Safety Violations, Including Unsafe Forklifts
OSHA has cited Central Transport International, Inc., for two repeat safety violations at the company’s Omaha, Nebraska, facility, including allowing workers to operate unsafe forklifts and failing to provide proper eyewash facilities for workers exposed to corrosive chemicals. Proposed penalties total $114,000.
OSHA’s Omaha Area Office initiated its inspection as part of a local emphasis program on the handling of motorized equipment, such as powered industrial trucks, skid steers, cranes, man lifts, front-end loaders, and aerial lifts in general industry and in construction.
The first violation was cited for exposing workers to hazards by allowing them to operate forklifts that remained in service even after deficiencies were noted. The second violation was cited for exposing workers’ eyes, faces, and hands to corrosive chemicals without providing suitable eyewash facilities. The company was cited for the same violations at numerous facilities between 2006 and 2010.
“Employers who are cited for repeat violations demonstrate a lack of commitment to workplace safety and health standards. Deficient forklifts and improperly handled chemicals can lead to serious injuries and death,” said Charles E. Adkins, the agency’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Missouri. “All employers, especially those in high-hazard sectors, must take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace.”
Central Transport International, Inc., is a national freight company based in Warren, Michigan.
$113,000 in Proposed Fines Issued to Grenada Stamping and Assembly Inc. for Amputation and Other Safety Violations
OSHA has cited Grenada Stamping and Assembly, Inc., doing business as Ice Industries Grenada, for 26 safety violations carrying proposed fines of $113,400. In April, OSHA officials opened an inspection at the facility in Grenada, Mississippi, under the agency’s national emphasis program on amputations after learning of a work-related amputation.
Twenty-four serious violations involve failing to properly install guards on machinery to prevent workers from becoming injured by the equipment, as well as electrical hazards, defective slings in use, a defective powered industrial truck that had not been removed from operation, fall hazards, and improperly installed exit doors lacking signage.
Two other-than-serious violations with no monetary penalties involve failing to securely anchor a grinding machine and failing to conduct frequent inspections of overhead cranes.
“The machines used by this employer are extremely dangerous when not equipped with appropriate safeguards,” said Clyde Payne, director of OSHA’s area office in Jackson, Mississippi. “Employers need to be proactive in addressing amputation hazards rather than waiting for OSHA inspectors to identify them after a needless injury occurs.”
The intent of the national emphasis program on amputations is to reduce amputation injuries while maximizing OSHA’s inspection resources by targeting workplaces with machinery and equipment that cause, or are capable of causing, amputations, as well as workplaces where amputations have occurred.
Ice Industries Grenada, formerly known as Grenada Stamping and Assembly, is a division of Ice Industries. The Grenada plant stamps, forms, and assembles heavy metal parts for a variety of industries.
OSHA Cites Canton Drop Forge for Safety Violations after Worker Dies in Machinery Accident
OSHA has cited Canton Drop Forge in Canton, Ohio, for one serious and three repeat safety violations after a 31-year-old worker died when he was struck by a loader bucket at the company’s Canton facility on April 22.
The worker was removing a wooden pallet from a shot blast tumbler barrel when the wire rope cable on the loader bucket broke, causing the bucket to fall and strike the worker. The company was cited for two repeat violations related to the fatality: failing to provide machine guarding; and operating equipment with a damaged control panel, a non-working limit switch, and a push button that was stuck in the “on” position on the loader bucket.
“Canton Drop Forge has a responsibility to ensure its equipment is operationally safe and that workers are properly trained,” said Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director in Cleveland. “Workers should never be required to use faulty equipment and risk their lives to earn a paycheck. This terrible incident should have been prevented.”
The third repeat violation was cited for allowing workers to walk and work on surfaces made slippery from steel shot blast pellets and cluttered by wood and tools. Canton Drop Forge was cited for these violations in 2006 and 2008 at its Canton facility.
The serious violation related to a fixed ladder on an elevated platform that was damaged, bent, and slippery.
OSHA has proposed fines totaling $89,000 as a result of its investigation. Canton Drop Forge manufactures closed die forgings for high-performance applications.
OSHA Cites Western Municipal Construction for Trench Cave-in Hazards, $73,920 in Fines Proposed
OSHA has cited Western Municipal Construction, Inc., in Billings, Montana, for one willful and five serious violations following two separate inspections of work sites in Billings and Great Falls, at which workers were exposed to possible trench cave-ins. Proposed fines for both inspections total $73,920.
“A trench can quickly turn into a grave when employers fail to address hazards that could lead to a collapse,” said Christine A. Webb, OSHA’s area director in Billings. “It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe work environment.”
The company was cited for the willful violation based on the first inspection, conducted at the Billings work site, for failing to provide cave-in protection for its workers. Additionally, three serious violations involve exposing workers to being struck by a 12-inch water line that was lowered into the trench from above, failing to prevent excavated materials from falling back into the trench, and failing to provide workers with a safe means of egress from the trench.
The second inspection, based on a referral about hazards at the Great Falls work site, resulted in citations for two serious violations. One involved the company’s failure to ensure air monitoring was completed prior to entry of a permit-required confined space in which there was the potential for an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. The other citation was for failing to ensure a trench box was placed no more than 2 feet from the bottom of the trench.
American Engineering and Development Corp. Cited for Trench Hazards, Proposed Fines Exceed $69,000
American Engineering and Development Corp., has been cited for six safety violations after OSHA inspected the company’s jobsite located at 5900 72nd Ave. NW in Miami, Florida. OSHA opened its inspection after receiving a referral about hazards at the site. Proposed penalties total $69,300.
One repeat violation with a $34,650 proposed fine was cited for allowing an employee to work in a trench approximately 10 feet deep that lacked cave-in protection. OSHA cited the company for a similar violation in January 2010 at a different site in Miami.
Five serious violations with proposed fines of $34,650 involve allowing an employee to work in a trench where water had accumulated; permitting an employee to work in a trench while heavy equipment was used to dig at the edge of the trench, exposing the worker to dangers of the equipment falling or rolling into the trench; failing to remove workers from the trench when hazardous conditions existed; using a ladder at the site that extended less than 3 feet above the edge of the trench; and not adequately training employees to recognize the hazards related to the ladder.
“Excavation cave-ins cause serious and often fatal injuries, and OSHA will not allow employers to take chances with workers’ lives,” said Darlene Fossum, director of OSHA’s area office in Fort Lauderdale.
OSHA Cites Dacorp Inc. for 17 Safety Violations; Proposed Penalties Total Almost $47,000
Dacorp, Inc., has been cited by OSHA for 17 safety violations at its sewing plant in Morganton, Georgia, after an inspection identified a number of deficiencies, including obstructed exit routes and electrical hazards. The inspection began following OSHA’s receipt of a complaint alleging hazards at the plant. Proposed penalties total $46,900.
“Our inspection found serious hazards that reflect management’s neglect of maintenance and safety procedures. Employees have the right to expect a workplace free of hazards that could endanger their lives,” said William Fulcher, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office.
Sixteen serious violations included an insufficient number of exit routes, an obstructed exit route, and exits not properly marked; allowing a portable liquefied petroleum gas container to be stored improperly; a number of potential fire hazards stemming from damaged electrical equipment; electrical hazards that exposed employees to shock dangers; not training employees in the proper use of powered industrial trucks; an exhaust fan that lacked safeguards; not providing employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work areas; and the lack of material safety data sheets for all chemicals found at the plant; no assessment to determine the need for personal protective equipment; and not supplying workers with eye protection.
One other-than-serious violation with no monetary penalty was cited for use of flexible cords instead of fixed wiring.
OSHA Cites Campbell Road Sawmill after Worker Killed while Felling Trees
OSHA has cited Campbell Road Sawmill for nine safety and health violations after a 51-year-old worker died when he was struck on the head by a tree while performing logging operations on August 4 in Archbold, Ohio. Proposed fines total $27,500.
“Campbell Road Sawmill has a responsibility to plan for safe logging operations and protect workers on the job site,” said Kim Nelson, OSHA’s area director in Toledo. “Employers must know the hazards that exist in their industries and follow the relevant OSHA standards. This sad incident shows what happens when they do not.”
Four serious violations relate to the fatality, including failing to provide leg protection and enforcing the use of eye protection, trees being felled in a manner that created a hazard for workers, failing to evaluate hazardous conditions, and failing to establish a clear retreat path during logging operations. Three additional violations involved failing to train workers on how to establish and use retreat paths, train workers on how to safely fell trees, and provide CPR and first-aid training.
Two other-than-serious violations were cited for failing to report the fatality to OSHA within eight hours and failing to record the incident on the OSHA 300 log.
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