Scaffolding ) was the most frequently cited standard in fiscal year 2008. It is also the standard for which OSHA proposed the second highest penalties.
OSHA has resources to help employers and employees identify scaffolding hazards and solutions to those hazards.
Brian Karnofsky Jailed for Muscular Dystrophy
Brian has been arrested and will be put in jail for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) lock-up. We need to collect $2,000 for the MDA to help bail him out. Your tax deductible donation will help MDA continue research into the causes and cures for 43 neuromuscular diseases.
If you enjoy reading the Safety Tip of the Week, now is the time to help us give hope to kids and families that need our help.
Brian is the President of Environmental Resource Center. Many of you helped bail him out in 2007 and 2008, but he’s on his way back to jail this year. Don’t bother asking what crimes he’s committed—just know that we need your help bailing him out.
Did You Replace Smoke and CO Alarm Batteries When You Changed Your Clocks
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that you replace your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm batteries when clocks are turned ahead for Daylight Saving Time. An estimated annual average of 378,700 fires, 2,740 deaths, 13,090 injuries, and $5.6 billion in property losses associated with residential fires were reported by fire departments from 2003 through 2005. There was an annual average of 171 unintentional non-fire CO poisoning deaths associated with consumer products from 2003 through 2005.
CPSC recommends that you replace the batteries in your smoke and CO alarms annually and test the alarms monthly. Smoke alarms should be on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas, and inside each bedroom. CO alarms should be installed on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas. CO alarms should not be installed in attics or basements unless they include a sleeping area. Combination smoke and CO alarms are available to consumers.
Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: The Quiet Killer
Each year unintentional CO poisoning, not linked to fires, both kills and poisons people. You can prevent CO poisoning by having your fuel-burning appliances serviced annually and by installing a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector.
Protect your family and prevent CO poisoning by taking just a few simple steps:
- Have your heating system, water heater, and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
- Install a battery-operated CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall. If the detector sounds, leave your home immediately and call 911.
- Don’t burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn’t vented.
- Don’t run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your house, even if you leave the door open.
- Don’t heat your house with a gas oven.
- Never use a generator, charcoal grill, camp stove, or other gasoline or charcoal-burning device inside your home, basement, or garage or near a window.
- Seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseated.
Meetings on Proposed Rule for Closed Circuit Escape Respirators
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will hold public meetings concerning the proposed rule for Approval Tests and Standards for Closed-Circuit Escape Respirators that was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 . The information contained in this message will be repeated in a Federal Register Notice.
The public meetings on the proposed rule will be held at the following times and locations:
- March 16, 2009, in Denver, Colorado
- March 23, 2009, in Adelphi, Maryland
Protect Workers from Skid Steer Loader Hazards
New Process Safety Management Resources
New Pandemic Flu Resources
The page is a central repository for OSHA information and resources on helping workplaces prepare for a pandemic.
OSHA Forum will Examine National Emphasis Program
National Emphasis Programs and their effect on small businesses are the topics of OSHA’s next forum which will be March 24 at the U.S. Labor Department in Washington.
Process Safety Management Training in Illinois
The seminar will offer comprehensive instruction on process safety management relating to OSHA standards and best practices.
OSHA Combustible Dust Explosion Seminar
The seminar will offer instructions on OSHA standards relating to combustible dust and best practices to protect employees against dust explosions.
OSHA VPP Programs Continue to Reduce Workplace Injuries
Prior to attaining VPP recognition in 2007, UCI had high recordable incident rates because of employees experiencing musculoskeletal injuries.
Southwest Airlines Fined $7.5 Million and Agrees to Further Improve Safety
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reached a settlement agreement with Southwest Airlines to resolve outstanding enforcement actions. Under the agreement, Southwest Airlines will pay a $7.5 million civil penalty that could double to $15 million if the airline does not accomplish specific safety improvements outlined in the settlement agreement.
The agreement stems from a $10.2 million civil penalty proposed on March 6 against Southwest Airlines for operating 46 airplanes on 59,791 flights without performing mandatory inspections for fuselage fatigue cracking.
“This agreement furthers aviation safety by requiring important improvements to the airline’s safety program. Some of those safety measures exceed FAA regulations,” said FAA Acting Administrator Lynne A. Osmus.
The $7.5 million civil penalty will be paid in three installments of $2.5 million. The first payment is due within 10 business days of signing the agreement. Two additional payments will be made no later than January 15, 2010, and then by January 15, 2011.
Southwest Airlines will pay an additional $7.5 million if it does not accomplish 13 additional safety-related requirements related to personnel, manuals and procedures, company organization, and training. FAA inspectors will monitor Southwest Airlines’ progress on a variety of improvements for which the longest compliance time is one year. Examples include:
- Within 30 days, Southwest Airlines will increase the number of on-site technical representatives for heavy maintenance vendors from 27 to 35 people
- Within 60 days, Southwest Airlines will allow FAA inspectors improved access to information used for tracking maintenance and engineering activities
- Within 90 days, Southwest Airlines will designate a management head of Quality Assurance who does not have air carrier certification responsibilities
- Within 180 days, Southwest Airlines will review its Required Inspection Item (RII) procedures to ensure compliance with FAA rules related to maintenance and identify more clearly all RII items on its maintenance work instructions, engineering authorizations, and task cards
- Within 365 days, Southwest Airlines will rewrite all FAA-approved manuals
- The agreement does not prevent the FAA from taking action against Southwest Airlines on safety issues unrelated to this settlement agreement
Refinery Fined for Process Safety Management Violations
OSHA has cited Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc. for safety and health violations and is proposing $130,500 in penalties. The petroleum refinery in Commerce City, Colorado, has 384 employees.
OSHA began its investigation September 8, 2008, as part of a National Emphasis Program focusing on petroleum refinery process safety management. As a result, the company has been issued 26 serious violations with combined proposed penalties of $81,000 and one willful violation with a proposed penalty of $49,500.
“Failure to follow OSHA’s process safety management standard can lead to a catastrophic failure in a refinery,” said Herb Gibson, the agency’s area office director in Denver, Colorado. “It is imperative that Suncor Energy abate these hazards to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for its employees.”
The willful violation is due to the company’s failure to appropriately test gas monitors for hydrogen sulfide and combustible gas in the HVAC systems for the control rooms. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
The serious violations include numerous instances of the company’s failure to follow the process safety management standard for the processing of hazardous chemicals, address safe distances and refuge for the emergency response plan, provide industrial trucks which are rated for hazardous locations, and guard ladder way openings. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
OSHA Fines Shawnlee Construction $70,000 for Fall Hazards at Massachusetts Construction Site
OSHA has cited Shawnlee Construction Inc., a Plainville, Massachusetts, wood framing contractor, for an alleged willful violation of fall protection safety standards and has proposed a $70,000 fine.
The citation and proposed penalty follow an OSHA inspection at a building under construction in Chelsea, Massachusetts. OSHA’s inspection found that a Shawnlee employee was exposed to a 50-foot fall while working without fall protection on the building’s roof.
“The dangers of fall hazards cannot be understated, as falls are the number one cause of death in construction work,” said Paul Mangiafico, area director for OSHA’s Boston North office. “While no fall occurred in this case, the potential for a fatal 50-foot plunge was present. This reality underscores why fall protection measures must be in place, in use and effective at all times.”
OSHA standards require an effective form of fall protection whenever employees work at heights of six feet or greater.
March is National Poison Prevention Month
Household pesticides and chemicals should be locked up in a high cabinet out of the reach of children. Go to the National Poison Prevention website for additional information.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Colon cancer is unique in the medical world. It is one cancer that can actually be prevented if detected early, before cancerous polyps have a chance to grow and spread. Colon cancer can strike at any age, but 9 out of 10 new cases are in people age 50 or older. While the rates of diagnosis in men and women are similar, men are at a significantly higher risk of dying of the disease than women. Death data from 2003 to 2007 also show that compared to whites, African-Americans are disproportionately affected by the disease.
Nationally, more than 145,000 new cases of colon cancer are diagnosed and over 55,000 die of the disease each year. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for men and women combined, second only to lung cancer. While screening rates are increasing nationwide, studies show screening rates are lower among racial and ethnic minorities compared to whites, and among those without health insurance, with low income, and with less than a high school education.
There is good news—the American Cancer Society reports a nationwide drop in colon cancer deaths due to the increase in screening and early detection. The National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, co-founded by national news anchorwoman Katie Couric, has promoted colonoscopy tests since 2000 and part of the rise in awareness can be attributed to those efforts. The ads, “Are you the picture of health,” featuring Couric, are being used extensively during March 2009 to raise awareness of colon cancer.