A March 4 scaffold collapse that left two construction workers suspended 13 stories above a Yonkers street illustrates that knowing and adhering to fall protection safeguards saves lives, notes federal OSHA. Each worker was wearing a personal fall arrest system and attached to a lifeline. These safeguards prevented them from falling and allowed them to be rescued by the Yonkers Fire Department.
“Too many times, we’ve seen workers fall and die, or sustain serious injuries, because they lacked fall protection,” said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York. “It’s clear in this case that fall protection safeguards helped save these workers’ lives. We want employers and workers to take note of this reality. We urge employers to review their fall protection programs and make certain their workers are properly trained and equipped.”
Falls are the number one killer in construction work. According to the latest data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 617 workers in the U.S. died in falls in 2009, including 24 workers in the state of New York. OSHA’s fall protection standards require, among other things, that employers develop fall protection programs, determine the most effective fall protection measures for a job, and provide their workers with effective training and protective equipment.
How to Prepare for OSHA Adoption of the GHS for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals
This means that virtually every chemical label, MSDS (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 SDSs.
Theses dramatic changes will also impact other OSHA standards such as Flammable and Combustible Liquids, Process Safety Management (PSM), Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), Fire Prevention and Protection, Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories, and many of the chemical-specific OSHA standards such as the Lead Standard.
At this live webcast, you will learn:
- GHS standards OSHA is adopting
- How the new standards differ from current requirements
- How to implement the changes
- Expected timetable for GHS implementation
Cary, North Carolina 24-Hr and 40-Hr HAZWOPER Courses
Personnel who are expected to stop, contain, and clean up on-site releases are required to have 24 hours of initial training. Personnel who are involved in cleanups at waste sites—including Superfund sites, RCRA corrective action sites, or even voluntary cleanups involving hazardous substances—must have 40 hours of initial classroom instruction.
Satisfy your training requirements by attending a comprehensive class that provides in-depth instruction on how to perform emergency response activities. Topics include hazard recognition, spill control and containment, worker protection, and waste site activities such as site characterization, waste handling, and decontamination. You will have the opportunity to apply your training during a hands-on simulated incident response.
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™.
New Tool for Measuring Indoor Air Pollutants
A promising new approach for checking the accuracy of measurements of hazardous indoor air pollutants may soon be ready for prime time, report researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Virginia Tech. The measurement tool, a reference sample for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), would be a boon to testers of indoor air quality and to manufacturers of paints, rugs, cleaners, and other building products.
The researchers put their innovation—thin squares of plastic saturated with vapors of a common solvent—through the paces at four testing laboratories. The prototype test material, made at Virginia Tech, yielded measurement results more accurate than those previously achieved in more costly and time-consuming interlaboratory studies using less standardized materials.
The researchers suggest that their method might be used to produce a range of reference materials to validate measurements of VOCs emitted from building materials and products. VOCs are used in paints, adhesives, furniture, and many other indoor products. Indoor levels of some VOCs average two to five times higher than outdoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
VOC emissions from building materials and products have been linked to occupant illness, reduced worker productivity, and increased requirements for ventilation/air cleaning, leading to increased energy consumption. As a result, low VOC emitting products are being used more widely in buildings to help achieve a healthy and sustainable indoor environment.
Several programs for testing VOC emissions from building products exist, and manufacturers often test their products to determine that emissions are below limits set in regulations or voluntary standards. However, results often vary significantly.
Past evaluations of test performance have been based on how much measurements reported by individual laboratories differ from the average value for the entire set of laboratories. “These kinds of inter-laboratory comparisons can take months to conduct,” explains NIST environmental engineer Cynthia Howard-Reed, lead author of the new report, “and, unfortunately, the results are relative because there is no true reference value for determining just how accurate an emission measurement really is.”
Inside the test chamber, the thin-film sample (measuring 6 cm on a side), which has been suffused with vapors of a common VOC, releases gas emissions at a rate similar to a real building material that can be independently determined using a fundamental model.
That’s the gap the researchers are trying to fill. They aim to produce VOC reference materials—standardized test samples that produce known results when analyzed. These benchmark references are commonly used in industry to check the accuracy of important measurement instruments.
In the initial trial, they prepared two batches of their sample material—thin films of polymethyl pentane, a plastic used in gas-permeable packaging, saturated with toluene, a common VOC found in paint and other products. A mathematical model developed by the research team is used to accurately predict rates of emission from the sample over time. The preliminary multi-laboratory tests showed that the prototype reference material is uniform in composition and sufficiently stable and that rates of VOC emissions within and between production batches are consistent.
The researchers conclude that their prototype could reduce inter-laboratory variability in results to less than 10%—much better than current methods.
The pilot study also identified several opportunities for improvement, which will be incorporated before an international pilot is conducted later this year. With further progress, the project will be expanded by 2013 to include more types of VOC references that will be produced in larger batches for broader distribution.
MIOSHA Announces Initiative to Help Prevent Workplace Electrocutions
One of the most tragic events in the workplace occurs when an employee is killed or seriously injured on the job. MIOSHA has investigated 63 electrocution fatalities in general industry and construction in the 10-year period from 2001 through 2010.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) is launching a Preventing Electrocutions Initiative to eliminate fatalities caused by electrical hazards. The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).
“One worker death is too many. Every worker in Michigan has the right to go home healthy and whole, every day” said MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski. “Electrocutions can be greatly reduced when employers follow MIOSHA rules and apply effective worker safeguards in every worksite where electrical hazards are present.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of electrocutions nationally during 2008-2009 was 360. The leading occupations experiencing electrocutions were: Construction and Extraction Occupations (170); Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (74); Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations (32); and Production Occupations (27).
MIOSHA is launching this proactive initiative to increase awareness about electrocutions in construction and general industry workplaces and to remind employers they are required to provide the appropriate protection and training to employees exposed to electrical hazards.
The MIOSH Act requires employers to provide “a workplace free of recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to the employees.” The purpose of MIOSHA safety and health rules is to set minimum requirements and provide guidelines for identifying and correcting the hazards contributing to injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
As part of the initiative, MIOSHA developed three fact sheets to highlight the information and resources available to help employers protect their workers from electrical hazards:
- Preventing Electrocutions Fact Sheet: provides details on recent electrocutions in Michigan and the most prevalent electrocution violations.
- Electrical Incidents: Contact with Power Lines - Construction Fact Sheet – details the equipment most likely to contact power lines and how to avoid the hazards.
- Electrical Shock Hazards: General Industry Fact Sheet – covers the common causes of electrical shocks and how to prevent them.
MIOSHA urges proactive attention to safety and health diligence in all workplaces to eliminate needless deaths. Effective worker safeguards must be applied at every jobsite.
Fatal accidents can be prevented when employers develop and implement safety and health management systems. A proactive safety and health system includes not only following MIOSHA rules, but emphasizes these five elements:
- Management commitment and planning,
- Employee involvement,
- Workplace analysis,
- Hazard prevention and control, and
- Safety and health training.
The MIOSHA Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division has consultants available to provide employers with assistance in creating safety and health systems, developing accident prevention programs, and implementing long-term safety and health solutions.
The MIOSHA Training Institute (MTI) has several courses scheduled this fiscal year on General Industry Safety Standards Part 39 and Part 40, and the construction electrical safety course, “Electricity, The Invisible Killer.”
“MIOSHA’s goal is to help prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities and to ensure that effective tools and training are available to employers,” said Kalinowski. “We encourage employers to use all available resources, including MIOSHA outreach services, to protect their workers from electrical hazards.”
Equipment Manufacturer Gets Help from OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program
Following recommendations offered by the consultant who visited R-V’s Honey Brook facility, the company made changes to protect workers, such as ensuring the proper use of personal protective equipment and installing engineering controls to eliminate hazards at their source. In 2002, R-V corporate wide had 41 OSHA recordable injuries and 132 reported injuries. Last year eight injuries were reported among the company’s three facilities.
Asbestos Abatement Company Fined $437,300
The Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has cited a Puyallup, Washington asbestos abatement company for several willful violations and fined the firm more than $400,000. The action deals with two abatement projects the company undertook last year at the former Lynnwood High School and a building in Olympia used by the state Department of Transportation (DOT).
At the Lynnwood site, Spenser Abatement Services Inc. was cited for 11 willful violations and three serious violations, with a fine of $256,900. At the DOT building, the company was cited for eight willful and three serious violations, and fined $180,400.
A willful violation involves instances with the same probability of serious injury or death and the employer knowingly violates a rule or is plainly indifferent to correcting it. A serious violation involves cases where there is a substantial probability of serious injury or death.
Asbestos is an extremely hazardous material that can lead to asbestosis, a potentially fatal lung disease, as well as mesothelioma and lung cancer.
A number of safety measures are required for the safe removal of asbestos-containing materials. L&I inspections determined that Spenser Abatement ignored basic safety measures, exposing workers to unsafe levels of asbestos. The heavy dust at the Lynnwood site drove one Spenser employee to seek medical care for breathing difficulties.
“We do not issue willful violations lightly, but this was an employer who knew the laws, knew how to protect his workers, and deliberately chose not to do so,” said Michael Silverstein, Assistant Director of L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “Worker safety should never be placed at risk just to improve a company’s bottom line.”
The company was hired to prepare the former Lynnwood High School for demolition. In August, L&I began an inspection of the site and found significant problems, including:
- Open removal of dry asbestos with no containment.
- Piles of bags containing chunks of dry asbestos materials.
- A lack of available water to wet asbestos-containing materials.
- No decontamination area for workers to shower or change their clothes.
L&I inspectors found similar violations at the DOT worksite in Olympia. Together, the fines from both citations total $437,300. The company has 15 days to appeal.
Fatal Injury at Notre Dame Results in Knowing Safety Violation
Sullivan, 20 years old at the time of his death, was killed while he was videotaping a Notre Dame football practice from a scissor lift that was toppled in high winds on October 27, 2010.
“We’ve issued a knowing citation, which indicates the most serious safety violation,” said Department of Labor Commissioner Lori Torres during a morning news briefing at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. “The evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated that the university made a decision to utilize its scissor lifts in known adverse weather conditions.”
The agency also cited Notre Dame with five other serious safety violations, including failure to properly train the student employees in how to operate a scissor lift. In all, fines amounting to $77,500 were levied against the university.
“Scissor and other lifts are used by many athletic and band programs nationwide to videotape practices and broadcast events. We want to ensure that they are only being used by trained operators in safe conditions.”
The Indiana Department of Labor issued a letter to a number of associations around the state to urge high schools, colleges, and universities to review their use of scissor lifts in athletic and band events.
The university will have 15 business days, by Indiana law, to pay the fines and correct the violations cited in the investigation report, or to contest them to the Indiana Board of Safety Review.
US Labor Department Launches Website for Public Feedback on Regulations
The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of a new online tool to collect public feedback on ways to improve regulations and the department’s regulatory review process.
The online tool is part of the department’s compliance with Executive Order 13563, which calls for federal agencies to detail how they will review existing significant regulations to identify whether regulations may be made more effective or less burdensome.
Portland Event to Bring Regional Safety Leaders Together
Innovative workplace safety and health information and industry best practices will be showcased at the Region X VPPPA Conference, scheduled for May 17-19, 2011, at the Red Lion Hotel on the River at Jantzen Beach in Portland.
The Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPPPA) is the leading organization dedicated to cooperative occupational safety, health, and environmental management systems through partnerships with employees, management, and government.
The VPPPA is a member-based association, providing a network of more than 1,900 companies and work sites that are involved in or are in the process of applying to OSHA’s or the Department of Energy’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), and government agencies that are developing or implementing cooperative recognition programs.
Dan Clark, best-selling author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Clark will present “Forgotten Fundamentals—The Answers Are in the Box” on May 19. He has spoken to more than 3.5 million people at more than 4,000 events, in all 50 states and 35 countries, and to U.S. combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clark was also inducted into the National Speakers Hall of Fame in 2005.
Session tracks featured at this year’s conference include:
- VPP basics – fundamentals, application process
- Technical – hazard recognition, OSHA standards
- Continuous improvement – leadership, performance, employee involvement
- General topics – wellness, vehicle safety
Registration for the event is $225 for members ($275 for nonmembers).
California Adds 3 Chemicals to Proposition 65 List
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) within the California Environmental Protection Agency is adding MON 4660 (dichloroacetyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro(4,5)-decane) (CAS No. 71526-07-3), MON 13900 (furilazole) (CAS No. 121776-33-8) and pymetrozine (CAS No. 123312-89-0) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65). The listing of the three chemicals is effective March 22, 2011.
The listing of the three chemicals is based on formal identification by EPA that the chemicals cause cancer. The criteria used by OEHHA for the listing of chemicals under the “authoritative bodies” mechanism can be found in Title 27, California Code of Regulations, Section 25306.
The documentation supporting OEHHA’s determination that the criteria for administrative listing have been satisfied for these chemicals is included in the Notice of Intent to List MON 4660 (dichloroacetyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro(4,5)-decane), MON 13900 (furilazole), and Pymetrozine published in the January 21, 2011 issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register (Register 2011, No. 3-Z).
NIEHS Wants Input on Strategic Plan
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is seeking input from the public as well as researchers for its new strategic plan. To get involved, submit an idea for research or nominate a workshop participant.
“We are looking for visionary ideas to help define the institute’s future directions, research goals, and resource priorities,” said NIEHS Deputy Director Richard Woychik, Ph.D., who is leading the strategic planning effort.
The NIEHS is the nation’s leading federal biomedical agency supporting research to discover how the environment influences health. It’s part of the National Institutes of Health.
All submitted ideas will be posted to the Internet site, and anyone can comment on the ideas or give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating. The site also integrates with Facebook and Twitter. Submissions will be accepted through April 30, 2011.
Additionally, NIEHS is seeking nominations for a stakeholder community workshop in mid-July in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. You can nominate yourself, a colleague, or anyone who is passionate about research on our environment, and improving public health and preventing disease.
“This is an opportunity for everyone who cares about environmental health to have a voice in shaping the direction of our research,” said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., NIEHS and National Toxicology Program director.
The public will have many opportunities to provide input and review throughout the 15-month strategic planning process.
OSHA Cites Gavilon Grain for 46 Violations at 3 Facilities Following Fatality
OSHA cited Gavilon Grain, LLC, in Morral, Ohio following the September 2010 death of a 20-year-old worker who was caught in a discharge auger while cleaning out a grain bin.
“This tragic death could have been prevented had the grain bin owner and operators followed occupational safety standards and learned from the tragedies that have occurred at other grain bins,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “Grain elevator owners and operators must implement well-known safety practices to prevent workers from being hurt or killed in a grain bin.”
At least 25 U.S. workers were killed in grain entrapments last year, and the numbers of entrapments are increasing, according to researchers at Purdue University. There were more grain entrapments in 2010 than in any year since the university started collecting data on entrapments in 1978.
Following inspections at its Morral, West Jefferson, and Harpster grain bin facilities, the company is being cited for 46 safety and health violations with penalties totaling $465,500.
Gavilon Grain’s Morral facility was issued a total of eight safety citations with proposed penalties of $175,000, including two willful citations for failing to lock out the discharge and sweep auger, and to provide an appropriate grain bin entry permit to perform work.
Five serious citations were issued for failing to train employees in safety precautions and bin entry procedures, not having an observer during bin entry, failing to have rescue equipment, failing to test the atmosphere in the space to be entered, and failing to have deflagration controls for combustible dust.
One other-than-serious citation was issued for not having combustible dust warning signs in place. 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.
As a result of violations discovered at the Morral facility, OSHA initiated inspections at the company’s West Jefferson and Harpster facilities. The West Jefferson facility was fined $171,000 and cited with a total of 22 health and safety violations, including two repeat safety violations for allowing employees to walk working surfaces without proper guarding in place, and failing to safeguard employees from electrical hazards such as broken electrical conduits. 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.
Thirteen serious safety citations were issued for allowing employees to walk working surfaces without ladderway gates and mid-rails, and exposing workers to electrical and machine guarding hazards. Four serious health citations were issued for a lack of safe grain handling and electrical procedures. Three other-than-serious health citations were issued for lack of signage and hazard communication procedures.
The company’s facility in Harpster was fined $119,500 and cited with a total of 16 safety violations, including one willful violation for failing to evaluate work spaces to determine if any required confined space entry permits. Fourteen serious citations were issued for failing to implement a confined space program, not having a non-entry retrieval system, a lack of personal protective equipment for employees, a lack of electrical training, a lack of combustible dust controls, and failing to train employees in combustible grain dust hazards. One other-than-serious citation was issued for a lack of combustible dust warning signs.
Gavilon Grain, LLC, which operates as Peavey Co., in Ohio, is a subsidiary of Omaha, Nebraska-based Gavilon Group LLC. Prior to these inspections, Gavilon Group facilities in Nebraska and Delaware were issued citations in 2010 and 2009, respectively, including citations for the grain handling standard.
Since 2009, OSHA has fined grain operators in Illinois, Colorado, South Dakota, and Wisconsin following similar preventable fatalities and injuries. In addition to enforcement actions and training, OSHA sent a notification letter in August 2010 to grain elevator operators warning them not to allow workers to enter grain storage facilities without proper equipment. “OSHA will not tolerate noncompliance with the Grain Handling Facilities standard,” said Michaels in the letter. “We will continue to use our enforcement authority to the fullest extent possible.”
OSHA’s Region V, which includes Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin, initiated a Grain Safety Local Emphasis Program in August 2010, and has since conducted 61 inspections and issued 163 citations to grain operators/facilities. The violations cover hazards associated with grain engulfment, machine guarding, lockout/tagout of dangerous equipment to prevent accidental energization start-up, electricity, falls, employee training, and combustible dust hazards.
Initiated in the spring of 2010, the program is intended to focus on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat or failure-to-abate violations in one or more of the following circumstances: a fatality or catastrophe, industry operations or processes that expose workers to severe occupational hazards, exposure to hazards related to the potential releases of highly hazardous chemicals, and all per-instance citation (egregious) enforcement actions.
Paper Mill Fined $212,000 for Recurring Hazards Following Worker Injury
OSHA cited Lincoln Paper & Tissue, LLC, for alleged repeat and serious violations of safety standards at its Lincoln, Maine, paper mill and proposed a total of $212,000 in fines, chiefly for recurring hazards. OSHA’s enforcement action follows a September 2010 incident in which a mill employee was burned when hot steam and condensate burst out of the end of a high-pressure steam line during the mill’s annual maintenance shutdown.
“The sizable fines proposed reflect not only the severity of the hazards found here but also the fact that several of these conditions are similar to hazards cited and corrected following our 2008 inspection of the mill,” said William Coffin, OSHA’s area director for Maine. “Abating a hazard but allowing it to recur puts employees at risk anew from conditions that should not have existed in the first place. They must be corrected promptly, fully and permanently for the safety of the mill’s workers.”
Regarding the injury, OSHA found that the company failed to block the steam line to prevent any potential release of steam or hot condensate. OSHA had cited the mill in March 2008 for a similar hazard. Other recurring conditions include not covering hot condensate lines with insulating materials; unguarded open-sided work platforms; not verifying that electrical equipment parts had been de-energized before employees worked on them; unguarded rotating paper spool ends, fan blades, and floor holes; and failure to clean up wood debris and wood dust. Left uncorrected, these conditions expose employees to serious injury from potential burns, falls, fires, electrocution, lacerations, amputations, or being caught in moving machinery. OSHA issued the company eight repeat citations, with $196,500 in fines, for these conditions.
OSHA also issued the company three serious citations with $15,500 in fines for inadequate energy isolation devices, not maintaining flame resistant clothing in a safe and reliable condition, and employees’ unfamiliarity with safety-related electrical work practices.
$170,000 Fine for Mechanical and Electrical Hazards
PEP Direct, LLC, of Wilton, New Hampshire has been cited by OSHA for 17 willful and serious violations at its Stoney Brook Road printing and distribution plant. The company, a strategic direct mail/marketing and printing operation, faces a total of $170,000 in proposed fines.
“These conditions, left uncorrected, expose workers to potential death or serious injury from being caught in operating machinery, struck by powered industrial trucks and electrocuted. The employer must comprehensively address all these hazards to eliminate them and keep workers safe,” said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA’s New Hampshire area director. “The sizable fines proposed here reflect the breadth and gravity of the hazards found at this plant as well as the employer’s knowledge of and failure to correct some of these conditions.”
OSHA’s inspection found that three of the four printing presses in use at the plant lacked machine guarding to protect operators and other workers against being caught in the presses’ points of operation. The presses remained unguarded despite the company’s knowledge of the hazard and injuries sustained by workers.
The inspection also identified numerous electrical and mechanical hazards, including allowing unqualified and untrained employees to work on and test live electrical equipment, not de-energizing and locking out the power sources for electrical equipment, a lack of personal protective equipment for employees working with electricity, not removing damaged electrical equipment from service, a lack of hazardous energy control procedures to prevent the unexpected startup of machinery during maintenance, untrained powered industrial truck operators, and additional machine guarding hazards.
OSHA issued the company one willful citation with a fine of $70,000 for the unguarded printing presses and 16 serious citations with $100,000 in fines for the remaining hazards.
OSHA Cites Ace Iron and Metal Following Worker Injury
OSHA issued Ace Iron and Metal Co., of Columbus, Ohio 14 alleged safety violations for failing to provide workers’ machine guards and personal protective equipment, and to train them in safety procedures. The investigation was initiated in September 2010 after a worker was pinned under a scrap hauler, resulting in permanent damage to his left leg.
“Employers have a responsibility to ensure workers have safe working environments, which includes ensuring machine guards are in place and personal protective equipment is provided and used by workers,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA’s area director in Columbus. “Failing to train employees in electrical safety related work practices is unacceptable, and OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so.”
OSHA issued Ace Iron and Metal one repeat citation for failing to provide machine guarding in place on three shear machines, exposing employees to an amputation hazard. The company received a second repeat citation for missing tongue guards on a Ryobi bench grinder.
Twelve serious citations were issued for failing to install rear view mirrors on both sides of scrap handlers; conduct periodic inspections of energy control procedures; provide training in energy control procedures; ensure electrical safety related work practices were followed during troubleshooting, voltage testing, and maintenance of electrical circuits; provide training on the safe operation of powered industrial trucks; properly use electrical equipment; and provide electrical protective equipment for employees.
The company faces penalties totaling $63,000. Prior to the inspection detailed above, Ace Iron and Metal had been inspected by OSHA 10 times since 1987, resulting in 69 prior citations, including a fatal accident that resulted in significant OSHA enforcement actions and penalties of $368,000.
OSHA Cites Holly Refining and Marketing for Process Safety Management
OSHA has cited Holly Refining and Marketing-Tulsa, LLC, with 14 alleged serious violations following an inspection at the company’s crude oil refinery in Tulsa. Proposed penalties total $62,500.
OSHA’s Oklahoma City Area Office began its investigation September 14, 2010, at the company’s facility on South Union Avenue as part of the agency’s National Emphasis Program for Petroleum Refineries, which mandates inspections for refineries across the nation. OSHA’s standard emphasizes the management of hazards associated with highly hazardous chemicals and establishes a comprehensive management program that integrates technologies, procedures, and management practices.
“Failure to effectively implement OSHA’s process safety management regulations to protect employees from potential hazards at high risk facilities, such as petrochemical refineries, will not be tolerated,” said David Bates, OSHA’s area director in Oklahoma City.
Violations include failing to address hazards associated with process safety management, provide adequate emergency response and evacuation procedures, maintain required ventilation in the control building, and eliminate potential ignition sources such as static electricity while employees are handling flammable liquids.
OSHA Cites W Construction for Trench Cave-in Hazards
OSHA cited W Construction in Belgrade, Montana with one willful and three serious violations following two separate inspections for exposing workers to a potential trench cave-in. Proposed penalties for both inspections total $36,400.
“It only takes seconds for a trench to become a grave, and OSHA will not tolerate an employer’s disregard for worker safety,” said Christine A. Webb, OSHA area office director in Billings. “The hazards discovered during these inspections are well recognized in the construction industry.”
Both inspections took place during September 2010. Based on the first, the company has been cited with two alleged serious violations for failing to remove workers and to provide cave-in protection from an unsafe trench when hazardous conditions were recognized. Based on the second, the company has been cited with one alleged willful violation for failing to provide cave-in protection and another serious violation for failing to remove workers from an unsafe trench when hazardous conditions were recognized.
New OSHA Brochure Explains Workers’ Rights to a Safe and Healthful Workplace
The brochure covers topics including: employer responsibilities, who OSHA covers, OSHA safety and health standards, the right of workers to request an OSHA inspection of their workplace, and the right of workers not to be punished or discriminated against for using their OSHA rights.
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