“In early August OSHA proposed citations and penalties to 17 employers involved in the explosion at the Kleen Energy plant that killed six workers. The deadly blast was caused by ignition of natural gas being used to clean out debris from pipes, a process called a "gas blow." OSHA Assistant Secretary David Michaels said the practice of using highly flammable methane gas for "gas blows" is inherently dangerous. He stopped short of saying that OSHA would (or could) ban it, a recommendation made earlier this summer to OSHA by the Chemical Safety Board. Instead, Dr. Michaels promised swift non-regulatory action in the form of a letter to power plant operators warning them of the risks associated with the practice. That letter, dated August 27, 2010, has now been sent to employers involved in the building or renovation of gas-powered electric generation plants.
“Nine years ago, Vito Friscia was just one of the thousands of first responders who were heroes when he rushed to the scene of the Twin Towers collapsing on Sept. 11, 2001. A Brooklyn homicide detective, he was only a block away when the second of the Twin Towers fell. Engulfed in a perilous cloud, he put his life on the line to try to find survivors. Now, Friscia and thousands of other heroes of that tragic day are facing their own tragedy of serious illness.
From a post on the web site of Mercer ORC Consulting Networks: “OSHA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Sept. 3 to revise regulations covering the agency's On-site Consultation Program. The changes will give the agency greater ability to inspect worksites that are undergoing an on-site consultation visit as well as those that are granted Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) status.”
Goodman Manufacturing, a Houston heating and cooling products manufacturer, deliberately failed to record 72 percent of work-related injuries and illnesses that occurred from January 2008 to March 2010, according to a statement released by OSHA Sept. 1. Proposed penalties total $1,215,000.
Despite the known dangers of tobacco use, 1 in 5 American adults continues to smoke cigarettes, and 4 in 10 nonsmokers were exposed to cigarette smoke during 2007-2008, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to a gaggle of reporters yesterday aboard Air Force One: “Well, look, obviously we’re looking at the report and there’s an active, ongoing investigation as to what went wrong that day in April. Our focus is on finding out -- and again, I talked about this yesterday -- we’ve got -- the blowout preventer is now -- we have the ability to look at it, add that to part of the investigation. And our job is to find out what went wrong and hold those responsible accountable for the damage that’s been done, and that’s what the administration will do.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood yesterday released updated 2009 fatality and injury data showing that highway deaths fell to 33,808 for the year, the lowest number since 1950.
OSHA has cited U.S. Minerals LLC of Dyer, Ind., for willfully exposing its workers to dangerously high levels of hazardous dust and not providing adequate breathing protection at its Baldwin facility. The company, which manufactures abrasive blasting and roofing materials from slag produced at coal-fired power plants, has been issued a total of 35 health and safety citations with proposed penalties of $466,400.
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