On Labor Day 2014, we reflect on the ways in which work sustains us as individuals, strengthens our families and communities, and enables our society to function smoothly and productively. We see this in our daily lives.
The California agency that’s supposed to help protect workers from on the job hazards and investigate working condition safety issues is doing a lackluster job, the U.S. Department of Labor says.
Millions of people worldwide die each year as a result of work-related accidents and illnesses. But experts at a congress in Frankfurt think that number can be reduced to zero.
“Telltale signs” of microbial activity were found by investigators in a storage tank that exploded earlier this year, killing a contract worker and severely injuring another. The July 28 incident at the the Omega Protein facility in Moss Point, Mississippi involved hot work being done on or near a tank containing eight inches of a slurry of water and fish matter known as “stickwater,” which was thought to be nonhazardous.
OSHA has cited an Illinois sewer and water contractor for one willful and two serious safety violations after two employees were observed working in a 25 foot-deep trench without adequate cave-in protection while installing storm sewers.
This list is by no means expansive of all the great qualities a successful safety professional possesses. However, it is a good start and it will point you in the right direction. They Won’t Act Like A Cop. It is fair to say that this is number one on the list.
By ISHN Editor Dave Johnson, reporting from the annual VPPPA conference: Mistakes will happen, it’s human error, people are people working within the context of systems, so GE takes people out of the equation and focuses on risk, the risks of the systems that employees work within, said Ann R. Klee, the VP for Environment, Health and Safety at GE, speaking at the opening session of the 30th annual meeting of the Voluntary Protection Program Participants’ Association (VPPPA), in National Harbor, MD, outside of Washington DC.
Perry Fiberglass Products Inc. has been cited for four repeat and nine serious safety and health violations after OSHA received a complaint alleging unsafe handling of hazardous chemicals at the company's Avon Lake facility.
Lead exposure, fall potential get Preservation Society cited, fined
August 25, 2014
Employees of The Preservation Society of Newport County were exposed to lead and potentially fatal falls while scraping and abrasively removing lead-based paint from an outbuilding at the Newport mansion known as Chateau-sur-Mer, reports the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Asphalt Specialists, Inc. ordered to pay $1 mill+ in damages
August 22, 2014
Asphalt Specialists Inc. has been found in violation of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act for wrongfully terminating a foreman and two truck drivers who had raised safety concerns after being directed to violate U.S. Department of Transportation mandated hours of service for commercial truck drivers.