Monday, September 14, 2009
OSHA cites Nelson Pipeline Constructors Inc.
Whistleblower Suit
Personal Protective Equipment Standards
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today published in the Federal Register a final rule revising the personal protective equipment (PPE) sections of its general industry, shipyard employment, longshoring and marine terminals standards concerning requirements for eye- and face-protective devices, and head and foot protection.OSHA is updating the references in its regulations to reflect more recent editions of the applicable national consensus standards that incorporate advances in technology. OSHA requires that PPE be safely designed and constructed for the tasks performed."Workers exposed to occupational hazards requiring head, foot, or eye and face protection will now be provided protection based on a standard that reflects state-of-the-art technology and materials," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "This final rule is another step in OSHA's efforts to update or remove references to outdated national consensus and industry standards."Amendments to the PPE standards include a requirement that filter lenses and plates in eye-protective equipment meet a test for transmission of radiant energy such as light or infrared.The final rule will become effective on Oct. 9. For technical inquiries, contact Ted Twardowski, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, at 202-693-2070.
OSHA cites Guam general contractor, 5 subcontractors
SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed penalties totaling $116,600 against a general contractor and five subcontractors for 61 alleged safety violations found during a March inspection at the Charthouse Condominium Project in Tumon, Guam.OSHA cited general contractor Paxia Builders Inc. and five subcontractors with 53 serious, seven repeat and one other-than serious violations for failing to provide eye and head protection, lack of fall protection, unprotected exposed rebar, various equipment safety concerns, lack of required safety training and fire prevention measures, failure to maintain safety and health programs or conduct regular safety inspections at the jobsite, and a variety of sanitation-related violations.“The workers at this construction site were exposed to multiple serious safety and health violations,” said Ken Atha, OSHA’s regional administrator in San Francisco. “With construction projects expected to increase in Guam with the military buildup, OSHA wants employers to take safety and health seriously to ensure each of their workers is properly trained and working safely each day.”Paxia has been cited for 24 serious violations with proposed penalties of $31,500 and seven repeat violations with proposed penalties of $49,100. OSHA has inspected Paxia on 15 previous occasions, with violations found during 11 of those inspections.The five subcontractors included in the inspection and cited by OSHA include the following Guam-based contractors:
Equatorial Manufactory Inc.: three serious violations with proposed penalties of $5,400.
Island Roofing Co: four serious violations and one other-than-serious violation with proposed penalties of $4,000.
JBL General Builders: 12 serious violations with proposed penalties of $14,400.
M Electric Corp.: seven serious violations with proposed penalties of $10,200.
UMS Equipment Rental: three serious violations with proposed penalties of $2,000.
A serious citation is issued 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. A repeat violation is one where the employer previously was cited and upon re-inspection a substantially similar violation is found.The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Employers and employees with questions about workplace safety can call OSHA’s San Francisco Regional Office at 800-475-4019 or OSHA’s toll-free number at 800-321-6742 to report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Connecticut manufacturer faces $225,500
HARTFORD, Conn. - International Bridge & Iron Co., a manufacturer of structural steel bridge parts, faces a total of $225,500 in proposed fines from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for new and recurring safety hazards at its Newington, Conn., manufacturing plant.OSHA opened an inspection in February in response to a complaint and found several hazards similar to those cited in a 2007 OSHA inspection. These included unguarded stairs; lack of eye protection; incomplete and uncertified employee training to prevent the unintended startup of machinery during maintenance; cranes lacking bridge bumpers; unguarded moving machine parts; uninspected ropes and lifting hooks; slings not marked with their lifting capacity; unguarded grinders and pulleys; and ungrounded, uninspected or damaged electrical equipment or wiring.These conditions resulted in the issuance of 17 repeat citations, carrying $150,000 in proposed fines. OSHA issues repeat citations when an employer has previously been cited for substantially similar hazards and those citations have become final."The sizable fines proposed here reflect both the breadth of hazards found in this workplace and this employer's failure to prevent the recurrence of hazardous conditions that can, if left unaddressed, lead to falls, lacerations, electrocution and crushing injuries," said C. William Freeman III, OSHA's area director in Hartford.An additional $75,500 in fines have been proposed for 16 serious citations encompassing uninspected overhead cranes; uninspected lifting hooks; defective and unmarked lifting slings; unguarded live electrical parts; damaged electrode holders and insulation; incorrectly stored compressed gas cylinders; unmarked and unchecked fire extinguishers; and slipping hazards from an oil spill in a work area. A serious citation is issued 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 company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA or contest the items before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA's Hartford Area Office; telephone 860-240-3152.