OSHA
OSHA Proposes $55,600 in Fines Following Fall at Pembroke, Mass., Worksite
OSHA has cited a Marshfield, Mass., steel erection contractor for a total of 14 alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards after an employee fell 20 feet at a Pembroke, Mass., job site on June 12. Brian Barnes, doing business as Barco Metal Fabrication, faces a total of $55,600 in proposed fines following an OSHA inspection opened the day of the accident....
OSHA, Konover Construction Corp. and ConnOSHA Form Partnership to Enhance Safety on Construction Project
Equipping contractors and employees who will be constructing the new Sierra Hotel in Shelton, Conn., with the tools to help them identify hazards and prevent on-the-job injuries is the goal of a new site safety partnership among the Bridgeport Area Office of OSHA, the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety (ConnOSHA) and Konover Construction Corp....
Delta Air Lines Joins OSHA VPP Corporate Pilot Program
Delta Air Lines recently became the eighth participant in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Corporate Pilot program. VPP Corporate Pilot was initiated in May 2004 to streamline the application and onsite evaluation processes for organizations committed to VPP at the corporate level....
AIHA Survey Names Top Health and Safety Issues
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) recently announced the results of its biennial membership survey, projecting that permissible exposure limits, MSDS/GHS and nanotechnology are among the top public policy issues of concern to AIHA members and the EHS profession over the next 2 years....
OSHA Names Thomas M. Stohler Acting Administrator
OSHA announced that Thomas M. Stohler has been named the acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA effective Nov.10, 2008. He replaces Edwin G. Foulke Jr., who left the agency Nov. 7....
Foulke Joins Atlanta Law Firm
Fisher & Phillips LLP, a national labor and employment law firm, announced that former OSHA Administrator Edwin G. Foulke Jr. has joined the firm as a partner in the Atlanta-based Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group....
Parsons Corp. Becomes Newest Member of OSHA's VPP Corporate Pilot
Parsons Corp. recently became the newest participant in the OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Corporate Pilot. Launched in May 2004, the primary goal of the program is to streamline the application and onsite evaluation processes for organizations that are committed to VPP....
U.S. Department of Labor Orders Amtrak To Pay Damages to Fired Worker
The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Amtrak to pay back pay, interest and punitive damages to an employee who was suspended in violation of the whistleblower provision of the Federal Rail Safety Act of 2007....
OSHA Administrator Edwin Foulke Resigns
Edwin Foulke Jr., nominated on Sept. 15, 2005 by President George W. Bush to head OSHA, has resigned. According to sources, his final day is Nov. 7....
What Does Obama’s Win Mean for Workplace Safety?
Sen. Barack Obama’s historic win in the Nov. 4 election was met with cries of “Yes, we did!” Obama built his campaign on the promise of change – but what does that mean for the future of workplace safety?...
OSHA Forum Addresses Small Business Regulation Compliance Challenges
Electronic tools helping small businesses evaluate workplace safety and health management programs were among the topics presented at a recent OSHA forum, "Challenges Small Businesses Face in Complying with Regulations." ...
OSHA Fines Utica, N.Y., Contractor $111,000 for Scaffold, Fall Hazards
OSHA cited Precision Plaster Paint & Contracting LLC, a Utica, N.Y., contractor, for alleged willful, repeat and serious violations of safety standards at a Utica worksite. Precision faces a total of $111,000 in proposed fines, chiefly for an improperly erected and maintained scaffold and lack of fall protection for employees....
OSHA, AIHA Renew Alliance
Employers and employees will receive valuable workplace safety and health information and training resources on general industry, construction and emergency response issues through a renewed alliance signed Oct. 27 between OSHA and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)....
OSHA Asks VPP Partners to Voluntarily Inspect Cranes
The New York Regional Office of OSHA is asking the 151 worksites in its jurisdiction participating in Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) to conduct voluntary inspections of any crane activity occurring at their worksites during the week of October 15. ...
Hazards at Milford, Conn., Construction Site Result in $215,000 in OSHA Fines
OSHA has cited Homeland Builders Inc., a Fall River, Mass.-based construction contractor, for alleged willful, repeat and serious safety hazards at a Milford, Conn., construction site. ...
OSHA: Falls, Electrical, Scaffold and Rigging Violations Top Cited Hazards in NYC
Fall hazards were the most frequently cited violation found at New York City construction sites by OSHA during a two-week enhanced enforcement effort this past summer....
OSHA Launches National Initiative on Cranes and Derricks
To coincide with the proposed rule on Cranes and Derricks in Construction published in the Federal Register, OSHA has initiated a National Crane Safety Initiative to address safety hazards during construction crane operation....
Pepsi-Cola, National Brand Beverage Ltd. Face $195,000 in OSHA Penalties
OSHA cited Pepsi-Cola and National Brand Beverage Ltd. of Pennsauken, N.J., with $195,000 in proposed penalties for alleged workplace safety and health violations, including exposing employees to machine hazards. ...
Seven Decades of Safety
The magazine's first publisher, Irving Hexter, noted in the first issue of Occupational Hazards and Safety, Each stride of modern industry towards faster,...
Seven Decades of Safety: Asbestos Becomes a Menace
Dr. Irving J. Selikoff told more than 400 scientists at the Conference on the Biological Effects of Asbestos in October 1964 that asbestos was killing...
Seven Decades of Safety: The Birth of OSHA
The end of the 1960s was a rare mixture of rage and hope in the United States. While the Vietnam War continued to drag on and divide the nation, Lyndon...
Seven Decades of Safety: Bhopal's Legacy: New Vigilance in the Chemical Industry
Chemical industry experts consider the tragic events of 14-years ago in Bhopal to be the biggest wake-up call of all time. Chemical companies undertook...
Seven Decades of Safety: Reform and Reinvention
The November 1994 congressional election marked a dramatic turning point in the political fortunes of OSHA. For years, powerful Democratic committee chairmen...
NSC: OSHA Issues Top 10 Most Cited Violations
OSHA revealed its list of top 10 most cited violations on the expo floor during the National Safety Council’s (NSC) 96th Annual Congress and Expo in Anaheim, Calif., with scaffolding, hazard communication and fall protection violations topping the list....
Report: When the Going Gets Tough, OSHA Reduces Fines
A new report from ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest, proves that the old adage "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again," works just as well for reducing OSHA fines as anything else in life....
