The SST program is one of OSHA’s main programmed inspection plans for high-hazard, non-construction workplaces that have 20 or more workers. The SST plan is based on data collected from a survey of 80,000 establishments in high-hazard industries.
“By focusing our inspection resources on employers in high hazard industries who endanger their employees, we can prevent injuries and illnesses and save lives,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels.
As part of the SST-14 program, OSHA is conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the program based on 1,260 randomly selected establishments.
Programmed inspections of nursing and personal care establishments will continue under OSHA’s Nursing and Personal Care Facilities National Emphasis Program.
In addition to the SST program, OSHA implements both national and local emphasis inspection programs, which include programmed inspections, to target high-risk hazards and industries.
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?
Did You Miss OSHA’s December 1 GHS Hazard Communication Training Deadline? Use Environmental Resource Center’s GHS OSHA Hazard Communication Training PowerPoint
With OSHA’s adoption of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals, virtually every chemical label, MSDS—now called Safety Data Sheet (SDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard.
OSHA’s December 1, 2013, deadline under the revised Hazard Communication Standard required that all employees at your site who work with, or are exposed to, hazardous chemicals be trained to understand the new classification system, labels, warning statements, precautions, pictograms, and safety data sheets for chemicals at your worksite.
Environmental Resource Center is making available a PDF presentation or a customizable PowerPoint that you can use for on-site worker training. The training program, which is designed to cover your site’s GHS Hazard Communication training requirements, is in a format that is easy to understand.
Price and options:
Multiple PDF copies can be purchased for $99/copy (1–10), $79/copy (11–20), or $69/copy (21+).
Multiple PowerPoint copies can be purchased for $199/copy (1–10), $179/copy (11–20), or $169/copy (21+).
Options*:
1. Customized PowerPoint: Send us your written GHS hazard communication plan and 10–20 safety data sheets. We’ll create a custom training program for your site: $899
2. If you have not updated your hazard communication plan, let Environmental Resource Center update it for you: $799
3. Customized PowerPoint and hazard communication plan: $1600
*Call 800-537-2372 for Spanish pricing
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.
Charleston RCRA, DOT, and IATA/IMO Training
Cary 24-Hour HAZWOPER Training
San Antonio RCRA and DOT Training
OSHA Urges Action to Protect Communication Tower Workers
More communication tower workers were killed in 2013 than in the previous two years combined, and four more tower-related deaths have already occurred in 2014. Every one of those deaths was preventable. This disturbing trend appears to be continuing, and actions must be taken to prevent more deaths.
“We are very concerned about this sharp rise. The fatality rate in this industry is extremely high—and tower workers have a risk of fatal injury perhaps 25 to 30 times higher than the risk for the average American worker. This is clearly unacceptable.
“At OSHA, we are reaching out to educate industry and workers and providing free small businesses consultations. We’ve also increased our enforcement in this industry.
“We’ve told our field staff to pay special attention to investigations of communication tower incidents. And while we are on site, our inspectors will collect more complete data about the job and what happened. This information will help OSHA to more fully understand and prevent these tragedies. Our inspectors will also be paying close attention to contracts and subcontracts to determine who is doing tower work and what their qualifications are. And we will be taking a hard look at the safety requirements that flow down through the contracts and how owners and contractors ensure that everyone involved meets those requirements.
“I sincerely hope that, together, we can turn this tide and get the message out that these tragedies should not be written off as the cost of doing business.”
OSHA Meeting of the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee
OSHA will hold a meeting of the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee March 11, 2014, in Washington, D.C. WPAC work groups will meet March 10.
The tentative agenda includes remarks from Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, discussion of committee and work group reports and administrative business and public comments.
The full committee will meet from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., March 11 in Room N-3437 A-C, US Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210. The 11(c), Transportation Industry, and Best Practices and Corporate Culture work groups will meet from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., March 10 in Room N-3437 A-C.
Domestic Casting Fined $163,240 for Repeat Violations
Domestic Casting Co., LLC, has been cited by OSHA for 26 alleged safety violations found at its Shippensburg foundry. The company faces $163,240 in proposed penalties for seven repeat, 16 serious, and three other-than-serious safety violations. OSHA initiated an inspection in August 2013 in response to a complaint.
“Compromising worker safety will not be tolerated. Domestic Casting continues to put its workers at risk of serious injury or possible death by not addressing and correcting these hazards,” said Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA’s Harrisburg Area Office. “Employers that fail to uphold their responsibility to protect workers and provide a safe and healthful workplace will be held accountable.”
Carrying a $90,860 penalty, the repeat violations included open-sided floors and platforms that were not guarded with standard railings and other safety features; permanent, durable identification was not affixed to alloy steel slings; pulleys were not properly guarded; sprocket wheels and chains were not enclosed; electrical hazards; and pull and junction boxes and fittings were not provided with approved covers. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
The serious violations, with a $72,380 penalty, include:
- Workers exposed to struck-by, fall, amputation, electrical, and tripping hazards
- Employees operating unrepaired cranes
- Lack of frequent and periodic inspections performed on cranes, and lacking certification records of inspections
- Platforms without standard railings and flights of stairs unequipped with at least one handrail
- Employees accessing different structure levels without fixed stairs and ladders
- Failing to ensure that loads transported by forklifts were secure
- Rated load not plainly marked on each side of a crane, and pendant control boxes not clearly marked with identification of functions
- No preventive maintenance program based on the crane manufacturer’s recommendation
- Fixed ladders were not installed with appropriate clearance space in the path of travel
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 other-than-serious violations, with no penalty, were due to stair rails without an immediate rail and damaged equipment parts. 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.
Nichiha USA Inc. Fined Nearly $140,000 for Safety Violations
OSHA initiated the inspection in response to a complaint. The proposed penalties total $138,600.
“Nichiha is not taking the necessary steps to protect its workers by ensuring machinery is properly locked out and deenergized before employees perform maintenance and cleaning,” said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office. “Workers are exposed to the risk of serious injury or death just to earn a paycheck. Changes must be made immediately.”
The repeat violations, with $117,810 in penalties, include failing to provide workers with training to understand the purpose and function of the energy control program when performing servicing and maintenance on equipment, and not using a group lockout procedure for each worker to prevent equipment startup. Additionally, the employer did not include all confined spaces in its workplace evaluation and failed to utilize a specific written energy control procedure for an area where employees were required to clean debris. The company received citations for the same violations, with $20,790 in penalties, at this same facility in 2009.
This employer has been inspected six times by OSHA since 2009, receiving citations in five of the six inspections.
The serious violations involve the employer failing to conduct annual inspections of the energy control procedures, exposing workers to caught-in hazards by not locking out all of the energy sources on equipment, and not accounting for all workers before removing locks and energizing equipment that was undergoing maintenance and servicing.
E.R. Wagner Manufacturing Fined $106,000 for Willful, Serious, and Other Safety Violations
OSHA initiated an inspection of the Milwaukee plant in August 2013 under the Site-Specific Targeting Program, which focuses on facilities with a higher than average illness and injury rate.
“We found multiple machines in use at E. R. Wagner Manufacturing Co., that lacked machine guarding, which protects workers from amputation and other severe injuries,” said Christine Zortman, OSHA’s area director in Milwaukee. “Workers have a right to a safe workplace when carrying out their daily duties. No company should ignore safety precautions in favor of productivity.”
One willful violation was cited for lack of machine guarding on a metalworking machine, which exposed workers to amputation hazards. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing, or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirement, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.
Seven serious safety citations were issued to the company. Four of those violations also involve lack of machine guarding. The remaining three violations include inadequate lockout/tagout procedures, training, and failing to certify periodic inspections of energy control procedures.
Additionally, six other-than-serious violations involve failing to inspect slings prior to use; lack of employee training on bloodborne pathogens initially and annually; failing to certify powered industrial truck training records; and failing to perform pre-shift inspections of forklifts. Additionally, forklift nameplates were not legible.
E.R. Wagner designs, develops, and supplies quality casters and wheels, hinges, and stampings, and tubular products to manufacturers and distributors worldwide. The company employs approximately 250 workers.
Beck Aluminum Alloys Exposes Workers to Chlorine Gas at Smelting Plant
Beck Aluminum Alloys Ltd., which operates Beck Aluminum Racine, has been cited by OSHA for 13 serious violations, carrying proposed penalties of $77,472. OSHA initiated an inspection of the Racine aluminum plant in September 2013 after receiving a referral that a worker was sickened by exposure to hazardous chlorine gas while changing cylinders. The inspection also found that company officials did not remove other workers from the area after exposure to the gas was known and failed to evaluate the danger to life and health.
“Employers have a responsibility to provide workers with proper training and to implement procedures that protect employees from chemical hazards in the workplace,” said Christine Zortman, OSHA’s area director in Milwaukee. “It’s unacceptable that Beck Aluminum Racine failed to develop safety procedures to prevent the release of chlorine gas during maintenance. When a release of chlorine gas occurred, the company failed to remove employees immediately from potential exposure. This can cause severe health issues related to the skin and the respiratory and central nervous systems. Exposure to high concentrations can result in death.”
Thirteen serious violations were issued. The company was cited for failing to establish lockout/tagout procedures to prevent the inadvertent release of chemical energy; an inability to estimate employee exposure during a chlorine release; failing to provide training to employees performing emergency response procedures; lack of annual inspections of energy control procedures; and stacking large totes of crushed aluminum casts in an unstable manner.
Beck Aluminum Alloys Ltd. has headquarters in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, and employs about 115 workers nationwide. Beck Aluminum Racine employs about 40 workers.
Serious Violations Found at County Materials Corp after Worker’s Foot is Severed
County Materials Corp., which manufactures precast concrete products, has been cited by OSHA for 18 serious safety violations. The citations arose after a truck driver had his foot severed and femur crushed at an Elderon job site on September 19, 2013. OSHA’s investigation determined the incident occurred when a cable on a trolley boom crane broke, pinning the driver against a concrete riser.
“Struck-by hazards are one of the leading causes of injuries for construction and transportation workers. Each day, County Materials has a responsibility to train and protect its workers from hazards that they will encounter,” said Robert Bonack, OSHA’s area director in Appleton. “Workers have a right to a safe workplace-one that is free from hazards that can cause serious injury.”
Eighteen serious safety citations involve failing to establish safe work practices when placing precast concrete material; inspect trolley boom cranes and wire ropes; equip trolley boom cranes with a crane level indicator, boom angle, or radius indicator; ensure materials are rigged by a qualified rigger; and ensure employees are trained in the safe operation of trolley boom cranes to prevent inadvertent disconnection of the load. The company was also cited for placing employees close to suspended loads.
OSHA has proposed fines of $56,700. The Plover-based company employs approximately 1,250 workers at multiple Wisconsin locations. OSHA has inspected County Materials eight times since 2001 and has issued multiple citations.
Spa and Fitness Center Agrees to Correct Hazardous Conditions after Worker Fatality
Super King Sauna NJ, LLC, has agreed to correct all hazards found through a July 2013 investigation conducted by OSHA after a 68-year-old employee died while working in a Bulhanjeungmok, a Korean-style sauna known for extremely high temperatures. The fatality occurred at the company’s Palisades Park spa and fitness facility. Employed at the facility for 10 years, the worker was responsible for setting up and maintaining the sauna.
“Although there are only a handful of these types of saunas in the United States, they are gaining popularity. “To ensure the future safety of its employees and the workplace, Super King Sauna NJ agreed to correct the cited hazards and cooperated fully with our investigation.”
OSHA’s investigation, opened in response to the fatality, found eight serious and one other-than-serious health and safety violation, including the company’s failure to:
- Implement a heat stress illness prevention program
- Provide personal protective equipment to employees who work in excessive heat
- Develop, implement, and maintain a written hazard communication program
- Provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area
- Use danger tags to warn against thermal burn hazards and carbon monoxide exposure
- Provide training for an employee expected to use a fire extinguisher
- Evaluate the workplace to determine if any spaces are permit-required confined spaces
“Establishing an employee rotation schedule to prevent prolonged exposure to heat, developing specific emergency and first aid procedures, and maintaining an awareness of certain medications and medical conditions that increase the risk of heat-related illness are a few measures employers can implement to prepare for and handle heat-related incidents,” added Levy.
OSHA to Co-Sponsor Illinois Workplace Safety and Health Conference
Construction safety, combustible dust, fall protection, crane safety, organizational change management, and developing a safety culture will be featured topics at the workshops and breakout sessions of this year’s Downstate Illinois Occupational Safety and Health Day. The event will be held Wednesday, March 5, at the Peoria Civic Center located at 201 Jefferson St. SW.
“The conference will offer safety professionals in downstate Illinois the chance to gain important information, learn about valuable resources and network with hundreds of their peers,” said Thomas Bielema, director of OSHA’s Peoria office. “Numerous exhibitors will join governmental and nonprofit organizations in demonstrating products designed to make the workplace safe and healthful.”
Sponsors for the 23rd annual DIOSH Day include the US Department of Labor’s Peoria Area Office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the American Society of Safety Engineers, Central Illinois Chapter; the American Industrial Hygiene Association, Prairie Section; the Greater Peoria Contractors and Suppliers Association Inc.; the Illinois Department of Labor, Division of Safety Inspection and Education; the AAIM Employers’ Association; and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center.
Sessions on health hazards, video image fire detection, defining safety roles, community CPR, posture, roadway safety, and global harmonization are designed to help employers keep their workers safe and healthy while improving the bottom line for their businesses. This DIOSH Day will also feature a health fair with free screenings provided by OSF Saint Francis Wellness Services and the Methodist Wellness Center.
The workshops and breakout sessions will run from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Exhibit area hours will be from 7 a.m. until 2:35 p.m., and the health fair will be open from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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