A bit of history was made yesterday when President Obama became the first president to issue a proclamation in recognition of Workers Memorial Day (April 28th).
May is Oregon’s Transportation Safety Month and May 5 is Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) day, according to a press release issued by the American Society of Safety Engineers. Local corporate, state, trucking and safety officials will discuss the numbers - how motor vehicle crashes cost employers 60 billion dollars every year in medical care, legal expenses, property damages, lost productivity and more. Overall, transportation crashes cost the country $170 billion a year. As transportation crashes continue to be the number one cause of on-the-job deaths, officials will discuss the tangible and intangible costs resulting from crashes, and what can and is being done to prevent them.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is seeking public comment on the design of a Congressionally mandated study on the use of methyl isocyanate (MIC) in the manufacturing of certain pesticides, and the feasibility of implementing safer alternatives to protect workers and the public from a potential release.
OSHA has cited Antorino Sewer & Drain, an Islandia, N.Y., contractor, for seven alleged serious violations of workplace safety standards following a Dec. 8, 2009, incident in which a worker became trapped in a 16-foot hole while installing a cesspool at an East Hills, N.Y., residential worksite, according to an agency press release. The contractor faces a total of $11,700 in proposed fines.
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis has announced seven new members to the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH), according to an OSHA press release. The new appointees will serve two-year terms.
In an April 22, 2010 memorandum to OSHA regional administrators, Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels outlined "Administrative Enhancements to OSHA's Penalty Policies,” as explained in an analysis posted on the ORC Worldwide web site. ORC Worldwide’s Washington, DC office is a global environmental health and safety consultancy. ORC Worldwide consultant Scott Madar authored the following analysis.
OSHA, in an effort to address urgent safety and health problems facing Americans in the workplace, is implementing a new Severe Violator Enforcement Program and increasing civil penalty amounts, according to an agency press release.