OSHA currently has the lowest number of health and safety inspectors in the agency’s 48-year history, according to an analysis of recent government data by the National Employment Law Project.
Conversely, the number of OSHA investigations following work-related fatalities reached a 10-year high, climbing to 929 inspections in FY 2018, up almost 100 from the previous year. This is the single-largest increase in such investigations in a decade.
OSHA is asking a lot of questions about powered industrial trucks – in an effort to gather information that may useful in a possible updating of standards for the vehicles. The standards became effective in 1971, and were based on industry consensus standards from 1969. Since then, national consensus standards have been updated several times.
A Pennsylvania hair salon has been ordered to pay thousands of dollars to a stylist who was fired after her husband reported workplace safety and health hazards to OSHA.
After an investigation by the agency, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has entered a consent judgment ordering Blown Away Dry Bar and Salon – based in Kennett Square – to pay a $40,000 settlement to the terminated stylist. The legal action resolves a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor.
In a landmark case, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) has ruled that Integra Health Management, a social service employer, is accountable for failing to protect workers from workplace violence.
Integra was cited for safety violations following the tragic death of an employee who was stabbed nine times, then left bleeding on a front lawn after a December 2012 home visit to an agency client with a history of mental illness and violent criminal behavior.
In Ohio:
Musical instrument maker exposed workers to copper dust
An Ohio musical instrument manufacturer has been cited by OSHA for exposing workers to copper dust and machine hazards. Conn-Selmer, Inc., is facing penalties of $200,230 for two repeated and seven serious safety and health violations. OSHA inspectors determined that the company exposed workers to copper dust in excess of the recommended permissible exposure levels and machine hazards that included failure to provide machine guarding and adequate controls to minimize exposure.
OSHA has cited Crown Roofing LLC for allegedly exposing employees to fall hazards at two separate residential worksites in Port St. Lucie and Naples, Florida. The Sarasota, Florida-based contractor faces penalties of $265,196.
OSHA initiated the inspections in August and October of 2018, as part of the agency's Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction, after inspectors observed the company's employees working on roofs without fall protection.
A New Jersey man is facing fraud charges after surveillance video captured him appearing to fake a "slip and fall" at his former workplace.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office released the footage of Alexander Goldinsky dumping a cup of ice onto the floor of his workplace break room. After dumping the ice and then throwing the cup in the trash, the 57-year-old turns and walks over to an ice cube, steps on it and "falls" to the floor.
According to OSHA, one in five deaths in 2017 were in construction with what it calls the “Fatal Four.” These are accidents in construction caused by falls, being struck by objects, electrocution, and caught-in/between.
The first overlooked worksite safety practice is awareness. If employees are not made aware of the dangers they face in the workplace, the burden falls on management to ensure they do.
When working in freezing temperatures, it always pays to be prepared. Whether you’re working in a year-round cold environment such as cold storage or you’re working construction in the dead of winter, knowing a few cold weather safety tips can help you remain both functional and comfortable on the job.
A bill intended to reduce workplace violence in the healthcare industry is getting strong support from the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and nursing organizations, but a labor lawyer says it prevents stakeholders from having a say in the rulemaking process.
Recently re-introduced by Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT), H.R. 1309 is entitled, "Caring for Our Caregivers: Protecting Health Care and Social Service Workers from Workplace Violence.”
