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OSHA Fines Missouri Manufacturer $511,000 Following Worker Fatality

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:19:00 EST

OSHA has cited Loren Cook Co., a manufacturer in of Springfield, Mo., with seven alleged willful and three alleged serious violations after a worker was killed by an ejected machine part on May 13, 2009.

CSB Stresses Pressure Vessel Safeguards in New Safety Message

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:09:00 EST

On Nov. 9, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Chairman John Bresland released a new video safety message asking jurisdictions across the country to adopt the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Pressure Vessel Code to reduce the number of accidents involving catastrophic pressure vessel failures in process industries.

OSHA Offers Workplace H1N1 Fact Sheets

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:04:00 EST

OSHA has issued fact sheets and a Web site providing influenza precaution and protection information to help employers and workers promote safety during the current H1N1 influenza outbreak.

ASSE Announces Revised Workplace Fall Protection Standard

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:38:00 EST

In an effort to provide the most current information on slip, trip and fall prevention, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently announced the approval of a newly revised American National Standards Institute (ANSI) /ASSE Z359.0-2009 “Definitions and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest” voluntary consensus standard.

OSHA’s Barab Testifies about State-Plan States Before Congress

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:35:00 EST

Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary for OSHA, told a Congressional committee that the serious shortcomings discovered during his agency's evaluation of the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration's safety program raised concerns about federal OSHA's monitoring of all state plan states.

National Hearing Conservation Association Petitions OSHA to Lower Permissible Exposure Limits for Noise

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:28:00 EST

Citing the fact that nearly 22 million American workers are exposed to hazardous noise on a daily basis and that occupational hearing loss continues to plague industry, the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) has made a request to OSHA to reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for noise exposures.

BP Texas City Refinery Contests OSHA Citations

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:43:00 EST

BP Products North America Inc. is contesting all citations proposed by OSHA on Oct. 30, including alleged violations and proposed penalties, abatement actions and abatement dates, and stressed that the company has taken significant steps to improve process safety performance.

House Hearing: State Plans Need Greater Oversight

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:37:00 EST

At an Oct. 29 U.S. House Education and Labor Committee hearing, witnesses stressed that stronger federal oversight is needed for state-run health and safety programs to ensure that states provide workers with basic on-the-job protections.

OSHA Proposes Record $87 Million in Fines Against BP

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:03:00 EST

More than 4 years after the deadly BP Texas City refinery blast killed 15 workers and injured more than 170, OSHA has proposed a record-breaking $87,430,000 in fines against BP Products North America Inc. for the failure to correct potential hazards faced by employees. This is the largest fine proposed in OSHA’s history.

NSC: OSHA’s Top 10 Most Cited Violations

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

The top 10 most cited OSHA violations were unveiled Oct. 27 at 97th annual National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo in Orlando, Fla., with scaffolding and fall protection violations once again topping the list.

NSC: Occupational Safety and Health Under the Obama Administration

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:13:00 EST

In a panel discussion at the National Safety Council (NSC) 2009 Congress and Expo in Orlando, Fla., Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, former OSHA Administrator John Henshaw, MPH, CIH, and NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D., JD, MPH, came together to discuss what the agency has accomplished so far and what critical areas it must focus on under the Obama administration.

OSHA Issues Report on Nevada’s Program, Plans to Review All State Programs

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:49:00 EST

OSHA released a report on Nevada’s occupational safety and health program that reveals a number of serious concerns with the program’s operation, including failure to issue appropriate willful and repeat citations, poorly trained inspectors and lack of follow-up to determine whether hazards were abated. The comprehensive evaluation of the Nevada OSHA plan points to an urgent need for corrections in oversight and changes in all phases of its workplace safety and health program.

OSHA Proposes Rulemaking for Combustible Dust Standard

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:35:00 EST

OSHA published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) in the Oct. 21 edition of the Federal Register as an initial step in development of a standard to address the hazards of combustible dust.

MSHA Notifies 10 Operators for Potential Pattern of Violations

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:23:00 EST

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently announced that 10 mine operators from around the country have received letters putting them on notice that each has a potential pattern of violations of mandatory health or safety standards under Section 104(e) of the federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act).

OSHA Prepares to Release Compliance Directive for H1N1-Related Inspections

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:50:00 EST

To ensure the protection of frontline health care and emergency medical workers at high risk of infection with H1N1 virus, OSHA soon will issue a compliance directive to ensure uniform procedures when conducting inspections to identify and minimize or eliminate high to very high risk occupational exposures to the H1N1 influenza virus.