Government Safety Regulations - Articles - Page 104

Two companies earn massive fines for OSHA violations

April 1, 2019

Despite a drop in enforcement and staffing under the Trump administration, OSHA has issued some massive fines in recent violations cases. Dowa THT America Inc., a metal heat treatment company based in Bowling Green, Ohio faces $1,326,367 in penalties for exposing its employees to atmospheric, thermal, electrical, and mechanical hazards as they performed maintenance inside heat-treating furnaces.

Confined spaces demand caution

First conduct an assessment, then consider three primary options when selecting a confined space rescue service

Pat Furr

April 1, 2019

A permit-required confined space has the potential to present inherent risks to worker health and safety and should be entered only when necessary and always with extreme caution. Unfortunately, there are times employees need to enter these work areas.

Worker crushed by a stack of plywood; company cited by Cal/OSHA

March 28, 2019

Cal/OSHA has cited a Bay Area contractor for serious safety violations after a worker was fatally crushed at a San Rafael construction site on September 18, 2018. Investigators determined that West Coast Land and Development, Inc. did not follow regulations when it stacked plywood vertically without securing it. The accident occurred when two employees of the Concord company were framing and installing a shear wall on the third floor of a house under construction.

Does Obamacare make injured workers wait longer for treatment?

March 28, 2019

A recent survey of 30 metropolitan areas showed a 30% increase from 2014 to 2017 in the average wait time for a new patient to be seen by a doctor. Did the subset of workers seeking treatment for workers comp (WC) injuries experience the same delays? A recent study by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) yielded some surprising results. The NCCI research was designed to answer the question: “Did the Affordable Care Act (ACA) stress the healthcare delivery system and make it more difficult for workers compensation claimants to get medical care?”

No way out for workers in Georgia trench

OSHA: A trench can collapse "in a matter of seconds"

March 28, 2019

Employees of a Georgia contractor who were installing water and sewer lines had no safe means to enter and exit the excavation in which they were working, nor did the trench have a protective cave-in system. Those were among the excavation hazards OSHA investigators found at a Corley Contractors, Inc. worksite in Acworth, Georgia. The Dallas, Georgia-based company faces $106,078 in penalties.

Dust explosion control

Choose the dust explosion protection option that will best protect your systems

Brian Richardson

March 27, 2019

The potential for a combustible dust explosion is a reality in many manufacturing and processing operations, even within a dust collection system itself. An explosion in an unprotected dust collector can fragment the housing and send heat, flames and dangerous projectiles into the workplace.

Here’s how public policy could change an unhealthy habit

"These sweetened drinks pose real – and preventable - risks to our children’s health"

March 26, 2019

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have put together a list of public health measures they say will reduce kids’ consumption of sugary drinks – a habit strongly linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay. The recommendations in a joint policy statement issued by the two organizations, “Public Policies to Reduce Sugary Drink Consumption in Children and Adolescents,” include excise taxes, limits on marketing to children, and financial incentives for purchasing healthier beverages.

Explosion kills 2 at Fla. ammo maker; company cited

March 25, 2019

OSHA has cited ammunition manufacturer AMTEC Less Lethal Systems Inc. for exposing employees to explosive hazards after an explosion fatally injured two workers at the company’s Perry, Florida, facility. The company faces $188,290 in penalties for multiple serious violations, and a willful violation that carries the maximum penalty allowed.

Nevada considers health care workplace violence prevention bill

March 25, 2019

A bill intended to protect employees in Nevada’s health care industry from workplace violence is getting its first hearing today. The state’s Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee will hear testimony from experts and stakeholders on A.B. 348, which would require health care employers to create comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans and track violent incidents in hospitals and other medical facilities.

Tragedy that gave rise to modern workplace safety happened 108 years ago today

March 25, 2019

One of the deadliest industrial disasters in the history of the country – the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire - occurred in New York City on this day in 1911. The fire claimed the lives off 146 garment workers – many of whom jumped to their deaths from the 7th, 8th and 9th floors of the building in order to avoid the smoke and flames sweeping through their workplace.