Here are highlights of remarks by OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels speaking last week at the Sixth EU-US Joint Conference on Health and Safety at Work in Boston:
The Justice Department has decided not to revoke probation that the government had imposed on BP as part of an agreement to address safety violations at the company's Texas City refinery, site of a deadly 2005 explosion. The decision comes despite a government warning earlier this year that it might revoke the company's probation if BP failed to address OSHA’s continuing concerns about safety at the refinery.
EPA and the U.S. Justice Department announced that Murphy Oil USA has agreed to pay a $1.25 million civil penalty to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act at its petroleum refineries in Meraux, La. and Superior, Wis. As part of the settlement, the company will spend more than $142 million to install new and upgraded pollution reduction equipment at the refineries and also spend an additional $1.5 million on a supplemental environmental project.
The Obama administration has put forward what it calls an “aggressive” restoration plan, including a call for dedicated funds, to help strengthen the gulf region’s environment, economy, and health following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to the White House.
BP announced today it will create a new safety division with “sweeping powers to oversee and audit the company’s operations around the world,” according to a press statement.
OSHA announced in a press release that it has concluded a special evaluation of state-run occupational safety and health programs under its jurisdiction. Enhanced Federal Annual Monitoring and Evaluation reports provide detailed findings and recommendations on the operations of state-run OSHA programs in 25 states and territories. The enhanced review was initiated after a 2009 special OSHA report on Nevada's program, prompted by numerous construction-related fatalities in Las Vegas, identified serious operational deficiencies in that state.
Protect the public’s health by letting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) move ahead with urgently needed new rules to curb global warming pollution. That’s the message of a new joint letter from 120 of America’s top public health organizations and experts, including the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Lung Association (ALA), according to APHA press release.
Nearly two-thirds of home fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms or with smoke alarms that do not function properly. With that in mind, Domino’s Pizza®, a world leader in pizza delivery, has announced its fall fire safety campaign to encourage customers to focus on home smoke alarms for safety. Fire Prevention Week is October 3 through October 9, and participating markets will deliver the message of “Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with!” on pizza boxes during that week, says an NFPA press release.
The Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced in a recent press release new screening criteria for the “pattern of violations” (POV) enforcement program, which gives the agency additional enforcement tools to use at mines with a history of violating safety standards. This is a critical first step in reforming the current pattern of violations enforcement program. The agency announced plans to draft new regulations governing the program in the spring, and the new criteria follow calls by Congress and the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General to fix serious flaws in the current system. MSHA will implement new screening criteria and a new review process for determining whether a mine has exhibited a potential pattern of violations for its 2010 review of mine safety records.
OSHA has cited Miskeen Originals LLC for workplace safety and health violations, including employee exposure to methylene chloride. Proposed penalties total $43,150. Miskeen Originals LLC is a clothing manufacturer with 12 employees at the Camden location.
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