People who smoke certain U.S. cigarette brands are exposed to higher levels of cancer-causing tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), the major carcinogens and cancer-causing agents in tobacco products, than people who smoke some foreign cigarette brands, according to a press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
OSHA announced in a press release that the agency has scheduled a three-day OSHA training event for federal agency staff responsible for workplace safety and health issues that is designed to enhance their knowledge and skills for keeping federal workers safe and healthy on the job.
OSHA investigated the employee's allegation that Atlanta, Ga.-based UPS terminated his employment in retaliation for his refusal to drive after raising safety concerns, according to an agency press release. OSHA's investigation found the driver was terminated after refusing to drive the vehicle because of inoperable lights on the trailer and tractor. The evidence showed the driver had a reasonable apprehension of serious injury to himself and the public. Although the driver notified UPS management of the unsafe conditions, the employer continued to order the unsafe operation of the vehicle.
OSHA has fined the South Dakota Wheat Growers Association of Aberdeen, S.D., more than $1.6 million following the Dec. 22, 2009, death of a worker at the company's McLaughlin, S.D., grain handling operation, according to an agency press release. The worker suffocated after being engulfed by grain in one of the facility's bins. OSHA's investigation found that five additional workers were also at risk of being engulfed when they were sent into the bin to dig the victim out.
OSHA has cited New York Plank Services LLC, a precast concrete installation contractor, for alleged willful, serious and other-than-serious violations of safety standards following a partial building collapse in Brooklyn, according to an agency press release. The contractor, also in Brooklyn, faces a total of $125,800 in proposed fines.
OSHA has proposed a total of $214,500 in fines against High Liner Foods Inc. for 17 alleged violations of workplace health and safety standards at the company's Portsmouth, N.H., seafood processing plant, according to an agency press release. The company is mainly cited for a failure to address deficiencies in its anhydrous ammonia piping system used for freezing.
OSHA has added a note to its Steel Erection standard informing employers of certain Federal Highway Administration requirements, to better protect workers and motorists during highway bridge construction, according to an OSHA press release.
At the direction of the President, Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco will return to the Gulf region next week as they continue their work, aggressively responding to the BP oil spill, according to an EPA press release.
OSHA is accepting membership nominations to the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) to further the agency's efforts to protect the safety and health of America’s workers, according to an agency press release.
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) generally supported the Administration’s FY 2011 budget for OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), but recently urged Congressional leaders to ensure the funds are used to fulfill OSHA’s mission by restoring funding for OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program and MSHA’s Educational Policy and Development, according to an ASSE press release.