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Cal/OSHA Issues Confined Space Hazard Alert
California’s Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has issued a confined space hazard alert as part of a year-long statewide special emphasis initiative to focus attention on preventing worker deaths and injuries in confined spaces. The hazard alert is designed to help employers and workers identify confined space situations and take immediate steps to protect workers. Since confined spaces may be encountered in virtually any industry, Cal/OSHA says their identification is the first step...
read moreUCLA Professor and Regents Charged in Death
A University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) chemistry professor and regents at the university have been charged with felony counts of violating occupational safety and health standards in connection to the death of a staff research associate. Prof. Patrick Harran, 42, along with the regents of the University of California, each face three counts of willfully violating California OHS laws, leading to the death of Sheharbano “Sherri” Sangji. The charges state that Harran and the university failed to correct unsafe working conditions in a...
read moreCompany and Supervisor Fined in Worker’s Death
An Ontario company, 2236697 Ontario Inc., carrying on business as Delta Truck Equipment, along with one of its supervisors, has been fined in connection with a work-related death. On June 9, 2010, at the company’s shop in Breslau, ON, supervisor Phillip Hutton was performing maintenance on a hydraulic crane. He had mounted the crane onto a truck and determined that some hydraulic fluid in the crane needed to be drained. As Hutton went to drain the fluid, another worker was monitoring the fluid level. During this procedure, the crane’s boom...
read moreTile Company Facing Stiff Fines
American Marazzi Tile Inc. of Texas is facing stiff fines for alleged safety and health violations. OSHA issued three willful citations for failure to establish and maintain a hearing conservation program for workers exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 dB, failure to provide required machine guards for exposed belts, pulleys, chains and sprockets and failure to establish a lockout/tagout program for energy sources. Twenty-one serious citations allege failure to provide PPE, provide confined space training, provide machine guarding to protect...
read morePennsylvania Manufacturer Issued $93,000 in Fines
Morgan Truck Body,LLC of Pennsylvania was cited for alleged repeat, serious violations at its Georgia plant. One repeat citation alleges failure to provide welding screens for employees performing welding operations and those working in adjacent areas. Seventeen serious citations allege failure to keep exits unobstructed, develop specific lockout/tagout procedures for energy sources, periodically inspect energy control procedures, train workers on the hazardous energy control program and lockout/tagout procedures and provide training on...
read morePoultry Processor Issued $142,150 in Proposed Penalties
Three repeat citations allege failure to install machine guards on equipment where workers could come into contact with moving parts, failure to tightly seal electrical enclosures to prevent severe corrosion, and failure to provide adequate strain relief on electrical components. Four serious citations allege failure to provide an ammonia detector that would warn of gas dispersal into the air, failure to provide training to workers acting in the capacity of hazardous materials technicians when accessing equipment during emergency releases of...
read morePowder Coating Company Cited for 20 Alleged Violations
Acting on a referral about alleged safety hazards, OSHA opened an inspection in August 2011 and cited 18 serious violations and two other-than-serious violations. Among the serious violations alleged by OSHA were failure to ensure that workers used eye, face and hand protection while working with products and cleaners containing phosphoric acid, calcium carbonate and carbon black, not training workers in the use of proper PPE, not provide an eyewash/shower unit for workers exposed to corrosive materials and failure to develop and implement a...
read moreFelt Manufacturer Issued $146,300 in Fines
OSHA conducted an inspection and noted machine guarding and electrical hazards, failure to inspect cranes and lifting devices, remove an unsafe powered industrial truck from service, properly stack materials, monitor noise levels and test and train employees exposed to excessive noise levels. OSHA says the company also failed to provide first-aid supplies, eye and hazard protection, emergency eyewash facilities, ensure appropriate respiratory protection and other safeguards for workers exposed to lead, perform asbestos exposure monitoring,...
read moreLinen Rental Company issued $126,875 in proposed fines
OSHA opened an inspection in response to a referral from New Jersey’s Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health Program. OSHA alleges the company’s failure to provide protection from electrical hazards, develop and implement written respiratory protection, hazard communication and confined space entry programs, provide machine guarding, provide guardrails for stairways and working platforms, conduct a PPE hazard assessment, ensure the safe use of ladders and forklifts and provide lockout/tagout, respirator, hazard communication and...
read moreStore Cited for Locking Emergency Exits
OSHA conducted an inspection and found several instances in which emergency exit doors in the store were padlocked during working hours and emergency exit routes were obstructed by racks of clothing and boxes of stock. In addition, a cardboard baler was observed operating with its door open, thereby exposing workers to crushing hazards, an unsecured compressed gas cylinder was exposed to damage and the store lacked a continuing and effective extermination program for rats and vermin. One willful citation was issued for locked emergency exits,...
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