Since 1980, nearly 150 workers have been killed and more than 850 injured in combustible dust explosions. To explore methods for preventing such explosions, OSHA invited outside experts to participate in a Combustible Dust Expert Forum May 13, 2011. OSHA will gather experts’ views on possible regulatory options for addressing combustible dust hazards.
Discussions will include identifying regulatory options that can minimize the costs to small- and medium-sized businesses of reducing or preventing combustible dust hazards, while protecting workers from these hazards. Representatives from various industries, academia, research groups, insurance-underwriter organizations, labor, and government will comprise expert representation.
OSHA’s earlier efforts to address combustible dust hazards included a National Emphasis Program in 2007 that targeted inspection efforts on facilities that create or handle combustible dusts. Results from these inspections indicated that facilities had unusually high numbers of general duty clause violations, indicating a strong need for a combustible dust standard. This effort was followed by publication of an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in 2009, from which the agency received more than 100 comments. Additionally, OSHA held six stakeholders meetings and conducted a Web chat on combustible dust to expand the opportunity for public and stakeholder participation. The agency recognizes the importance of considering options for addressing combustible dust hazards, particularly as they may affect small facilities, in preparation for convening a Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act panel.
Combustible dusts include fine particles, fibers, chips, chunks, or flakes that, under certain conditions, can cause a fire or explosion when suspended in air.
The forum will be held at 9 a.m. at the Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. There will be limited space available for non-participating observers, so OSHA asks that only one representative from interested organizations register as an observer. To register as a non-participating observer, contact Bill Hamilton at 202-693-2077 by May 6, 2011.
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 a 1-hour webcast to help you learn about how the new rule differs from current requirements, how to implement the changes, and when the changes must be implemented.
The $99 webcast will be conducted from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET on the following dates:
- May 16th
- June 2nd
- June 17th
Advertising Opportunities Available
Campaign to Protect Workers from Heat-related Illnesses
Department of Labor Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced a national outreach initiative by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses.
“If you’re working outdoors, you’re at risk for heat-related illnesses that can cause serious medical problems and even death,” said Secretary Solis. “But heat illness can be prevented. This Labor Department campaign will reach across the country with a very simple message—water, rest and shade.”
Each year, thousands of outdoor workers experience heat illness, which often manifests as heat exhaustion. If not quickly addressed, heat exhaustion can become heat stroke, which killed more than 30 workers last year.
“As we move into the summer months, it is very important for workers and employers to take the steps necessary to stay safe in extreme heat,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. “Drinking water often, taking breaks and limiting time in the heat are simple, effective ways to prevent heat illness.”
Heat can be a real danger for workers in jobs ranging from agriculture and landscaping to construction, road repair, airport baggage handling, and even car sales.
OSHA has developed heat illness educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as a curriculum to be used for workplace training. Additionally, a new Web page provides information and resources on heat illness—including how to prevent it and what to do in case of an emergency—for workers and employers
Federal OSHA has worked closely with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adapt materials from that state’s successful outreach campaign on heat illness for use in this national effort. In addition, OSHA is now partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on weather service alerts that will incorporate worker safety precautions when heat alerts are issued across the U.S.
OSHA will leverage relationships with other state and local partners, employers, trade organizations, unions, community groups, educational institutions, and health care professionals to disseminate training materials, and educate workers and employers, on the hazards of working in the heat and how to prevent heat-related illnesses.
AAP Says US Fails to Protect Children from Hazardous Chemicals
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is calling for an overhaul of the nation’s chemical management policy because the current system fails to protect children and pregnant women, who are most vulnerable to hazardous chemical exposures. Over the past few decades, tens of thousands of new chemicals have been introduced into the environment, often in extremely large quantities. But the primary federal law that governs chemical management in the U.S.—the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—has not undergone any meaningful revision since it was first passed in 1976, and since then, the TSCA has been used to regulate only five chemicals or chemical classes.
The AAP recommends any chemicals policy should consider the consequences on children and their families. Among the other recommendations:
- The regulation of chemicals must be based on evidence, but decisions to ban chemicals should be based on reasonable levels of concern rather than demonstrated harm.
- Any testing of chemicals should include the impact on women and children, including potential effects on reproduction and development.
- Chemicals should meet safety standards similar to those met by pharmaceuticals or pesticide residues on food.
- There should be post-marketing surveillance of chemicals, and the EPA must have the authority to remove a chemical if needed.
- Federal funding should be provided for research to prevent, identify and evaluate the effects of chemicals on children’s health.
Other groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association and the American Nurses Association have all independently recommended changes to the TSCA.
OSHA Urges Recovery Workers to Guard Themselves During Storm Cleanup
As residents recover from the damage caused by the recent storms that have occurred throughout the South, OSHA urges workers and members of the public engaged in cleanup activities to be aware of the hazards they can encounter and the necessary steps they should take to protect themselves.
“Emergency response should not put you in the hospital emergency room,” said Cindy Coe, OSHA’s regional administrator in Atlanta. “Storm recovery work encompasses a wide range of safety and health hazards, which can be minimized by knowledge, safe work practices and personal protective equipment.”
Cleanup work can involve restoring electricity, communications, water and sewer services; demolition work; removal of floodwater from structures; entry into flooded areas; cleaning up debris; tree-trimming; structural repair; roadway and bridge repair; use of cranes, aerial lifts, and other heavy equipment; hazardous waste operations and emergency response activities; and repair of dams and levees.
Inherent hazards may include illness from exposure to contaminated water or food; exposure or heat stress; downed electrical wires; carbon monoxide and electrical hazards from portable generators; fall and struck-by hazards from tree-trimming or working at heights; being caught in unprotected excavations or confined spaces; burns; lacerations; musculoskeletal injuries; being struck by traffic or heavy equipment; and drowning from being caught in moving water or while removing water from flooded structures.
Protective measures should involve evaluating the work area for all hazards; task-specific hazard exposure monitoring; utilizing engineering or work practice controls to mitigate hazards; using personal protective equipment; assuming all power lines are live; following proper hygiene procedures; using portable generators, saws, ladders, vehicles, and other equipment correctly; and utilizing traffic work zones.
It contains fact sheets, concise Quick Cards, frequently asked questions, safety and health guides and information, public service announcements in English and Spanish, and links to information from other sources.
Webb-Stiles Cited for Repeat Violations
Gadsden-based Webb-Stiles of Alabama Inc., has been cited for 21 safety and health violations by OSHA. The citations, carrying fines of $69,300, were issued after OSHA conducted an inspection under its Site-Specific Targeting Program focused on industries with high injury and illness rates.
OSHA issued Webb-Stiles of Alabama citations for two repeat safety violations with $16,200 in fines. The violations are failing to conduct periodic inspections of the energy control procedures for employees performing servicing and maintenance on equipment, and machine guarding hazards. 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. In November 2009, the company’s corporate office in Valley City, Ohio, was cited for similar violations.
The agency also issued the company citations for 14 serious violations with $53,100 in fines. Some of the safety-related violations include exposing employees to slip, trip, and fall hazards; electrical deficiencies; not having handrails on stairs; and failing to provide workers with flameproof screens and shields. Health-related violations include an insufficient eyewash station and not offering the Hepatitis B vaccination series to designated first aid responders. 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 company received citations for three other-than-serious safety violations: damaged electrical cords, unprotected work lamps, and a missing electrical cover. In addition, two other-than-serious health violations were cited: not providing a medical evaluation to an employee performing spray painting operations wearing a half-mask respirator, and the employee not being fit-tested to wear a half-mask respirator. No monetary penalties were proposed for these violations. 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.
“This company continues to put its workers’ safety and health at risk by exposing them to a variety of hazardous conditions,” said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA’s area director in Birmingham. “OSHA’s standards must be followed to avoid injuries and fatalities.”
Recycler Fined $60,000 Following Worker Injury
OSHA cited Buffalo Recycling Enterprises LLC for 15 alleged violations of workplace health and safety standards following an October 7, 2010, incident in which an employee’s arm was severely lacerated when it became caught in a conveyor belt that activated while he was trying to clear a paper jam.
The recycling facility located at 266 Hopkins St. in Buffalo, New York was cited for hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) and bloodborne pathogen hazards, among others.
“These citations illustrate two primary workplace safety and health concerns: traumatic injury from being caught in machinery that wasn’t properly shut down and locked out, and potential exposure to disease from inadequate precautions against blood and sharps,” said Arthur Dube, OSHA’s area director in Buffalo. “Both of these hazards can be addressed by equipping employees with knowledge and tools to minimize work-related hazards and help them do their jobs safely.”
OSHA’s inspection determined that the conveyor had not been de-energized and had its power source locked out before the employee attempted to clear the jam, and that the area supervisor had not ensured that the employee was clear of the hazard before activating the machine.
The inspection also found that neither the employees who cleaned up the worker’s blood after the accident nor those whose duties involve the sorting and disposal of needles and other potentially infectious sharps had received training in bloodborne hazards. In addition, the facility’s bloodborne pathogen program had not been reviewed and updated, annual refresher training had not been provided to workers, the hepatitis B vaccine was not made available, and sharps were disposed of improperly.
Finally, the facility did not develop and implement a monitoring program for noise exposure when required.
These conditions resulted in the issuance of 10 serious citations with $60,000 in fines. Five other-than-serious violations, with $1,000 in fines, were cited for incomplete illness and injury logs.
“One means of preventing hazards such as these is for employers to establish an injury and illness prevention program through which workers and management continually work to identify and eliminate hazardous conditions,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York.
Buffalo Recycling Enterprises has elected to contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Employee Seriously Injured When Engulfed by Soil in Unprotected Trench
OSHA fined Southern Allied Contractors, Inc., $60,720 for five safety violations after an employee was seriously injured during a trench wall collapse in Valdosta, Georgia. The utility contracting company was installing a new sanitation line at a work site located at Kings Way and Highway 41 when soil engulfed the employee.
While inspecting the site, OSHA found that two trenches—including the one in which the injured employee was working—lacked cave-in protection, as neither had a trench box or shield system. One willful violation was cited for failing to provide adequate protection to employees working in trenches. 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.
“This employer understood OSHA’s rules on using protective systems when trenching and excavating but chose to ignore them,” said Robert Vazzi, OSHA’s area director in Savannah, Georgia. “The Labor Department is committed to keeping workers safe by ensuring that employers take responsibility for safety and health.”
OSHA Inspecting Outpatient Care Centers to Reduce Needlestick Hazards
OSHA announced a new emphasis program focused on reducing the number of needlestick and sharps injuries in Georgia at ambulatory surgical care centers, freestanding emergency care clinics and primary care medical clinics that provide acute, chronic, and emergency care on an as-needed or walk-in basis.
“Needlestick and other sharps-related injuries that expose workers to bloodborne pathogens continue to be an important public health concern,” said Cindy Coe, OSHA’s regional administrator in Atlanta. “Employers must take seriously their responsibility to protect workers from these health risks.”
In addition to Georgia, OSHA will be visiting a sample of health-related facilities in other southeastern states, including Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi, to review each establishment’s processes and programs designed to protect workers from bloodborne hazards. Those inspections will focus on bloodborne pathogen hazards associated with exposure to contaminated sharps devices. Establishments of all sizes with varying numbers of workers will be inspected. OSHA area offices also will continue to open inspections in response to complaints that include allegations of sharps/needlestick hazard exposures.
The regional emphasis program begins April 25 and will continue until September 30, 2012, unless it is extended. Additional information is available by contacting Benjamin Ross at 678-237-0424.
OSHA Fines LM Wind Power Blades $136,500 Following Investigation
OSHA has cited wind turbine blade manufacturer LM Wind Power Blades, Inc., in Grand Forks, North Dakota formerly LM Glasfiber Inc., with 11 alleged health and safety violations for exposing workers to unsafe conditions following an OSHA inspection that began in October 2010. The agency has proposed $136,500 in penalties.
“The employer is well aware of OSHA requirements and has continued a pattern of failing to comply with them,” said Tom Deutscher, OSHA’s area office director in Bismarck. “Despite having been cited for similar infractions in the past, the company continues to place workers in harm’s way by allowing hazards to exist.”
Two willful violations are failing to ensure that entry supervisors canceled the confined space permit and terminated the entry operation when prohibited conditions were found, and to ensure entry attendants immediately ordered the evacuation of a confined space upon discovery of conditions dangerous to life or health.
Five repeat violations address failing to provide adequate respirators for conditions immediately dangerous to life or health; purge or ventilate the atmospheric hazards within a confined space; prevent employee overexposure to styrene levels exceeding the time, weighted average and ceilings limits; and implement effective engineering controls regarding ventilation of the confined space.
Four serious violations are failing to provide appropriate personal protective equipment, conduct effective confined space monitoring, perform retraining of employees when required, and maintain an accurate count of entrants in permit-required confined spaces.
Sheet Metal Fabricator Cited for 42 Safety and Health Violations Following Fatality
OSHA cited Don Park USA, LP, in Conley, Georgia for 42 safety and health violations. OSHA began an inspection in October 2010 after an employee died when he was crushed by a large steel frame weighing approximately 1,550 lb.
The agency has cited Don Park USA for one serious safety violation related to the fatality: failing to exercise caution or planning when moving heavy, unstable loads in a vertical position.
“Exposing workers to life-threatening safety and health hazards is unpardonable. Many of these hazards can easily be corrected,” said William Fulcher, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office. “No worker should have to risk his or her life for a paycheck.”
The company has received citations for 29 other serious safety violations, including hazards associated with forklifts lacking seatbelts, machinery lacking guards to protect workers from amputations, lifting equipment not designed or tested for the loads being moved, numerous electrical deficiencies exposing workers to possible shocks, and a lack of training for employees in lockout/tagout procedures and the control of hazardous energy. Additionally, an emergency exit was locked, exit routes were obstructed and inadequately lighted, and employees lacked training in the use of forklifts.
One serious health violation was cited for allowing employees to operate plasma cutting equipment without adequate personal protection equipment.
Seven other-than-serious violations include failing to notify the agency of a fatality within eight hours of the event, properly store gasoline and a gasoline-oil mix, visually inspect fire extinguishers at least monthly, subject fire extinguishers to an annual maintenance check, conduct daily inspections of forklifts, label liquefied propane gas cylinders to identify the chemical content and label same cylinders to identify the hazardous nature of the chemicals.
Four other-than-serious health violations include failing to complete OSHA logs in sufficient detail, train employees in a hazard communication program, establish a respiratory protection program and provide employees who voluntarily wear respirators with sufficient information about the respirators as required by OSHA regulations.
Don Park is engaged in sheet metal work for custom fabrication of air conditioning ducts and air distribution systems. Proposed penalties total $127,200.
Safety News Links
