Safe Workplace and Safety News

In an article for Today's Facility Manager Gary Ganson provides an overview of how to establish a health and safety plan, and have compliance with that plan. He begins by pointing out that:

"Compliance begins with commitment to a health and safety program that’s tailored to fit the company. It must blend with its operations and culture so it can help employers maintain a system that continually addresses a focus on prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses."

He then addresses the need to involve employees in health and safety policy making and he follows this with a discussion of an initial and ongoing workplace safety audit and analysis.

He goes on to talk about continually reviewing workplace health and safety to control or prevent workplace hazards.

The article concludes with a discussion about the need and value of training.

You can read the article at Today's Facility Manager.

Labels: hazard prevention, Industrial Health, Industrial Safety, Safety Training, workplace safety

The following is a press release that was issued today by Factory Mutual.

Insurer FM Global Makes Its Premium Risk Prevention Data Available at No Cost For First Time in 170 Years

Release of unique source of property protection information reflects changing global risk environment

JOHNSTON, R.I., USA—For the first time in its 170-year history, FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial and industrial property insurers, today announced its decision to release thousands of pages of its previously exclusive property loss prevention engineering guidelines at no cost through its Web site www.fmglobaldatasheets.com.

FM Global’s Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets provide large-scale businesses, facility and risk managers, as well as the architects, consultants and contractors who work for them, a valuable tool to help prevent property damage and maintain business continuity due to threats posed by fire, weather conditions, and failure of electrical or mechanical equipment.

The engineering guidelines contain a wealth of risk prevention information on hundreds of topics, ranging from building construction and fire prevention, to industrial equipment maintenance and natural disaster preparedness. Users who download the content also receive automatic notification via e-mail when data sheets are updated. FM Global is the only commercial property insurer in the world that develops and provides this type of premium technical data, all of which is based on scientific research and nearly two centuries of loss prevention experience.

FM Global’s decision to make its loss prevention data available at no cost reflects the changing risk profiles of its clients around the world, especially the increasing interdependence of businesses brought about as a result of globalization and technology.

“Companies are now so intertwined and geographically dispersed, that to help them reduce risk and prevent loss, it is beneficial to make our intellectual property widely accessible,” said Tom Lawson, FM Global’s senior vice president, engineering and research. “FM Global is always developing new ways to prevent risk, and we feel this complete access to our engineering recommendations can be invaluable to helping businesses manage the evolving risk environment in this increasingly interconnected world.”

Subjects covered by FM Global’s data sheets include:

• Construction
• Sprinklers
• Water Supply
• Extinguishing Equipment
• Electrical
• Boilers and Heating Equipment
• Hazards
• Storage
• Human Factors
• System Instrumentation and Control
• Pressure Vessels
• Mechanical
• Welding

Labels: Industrial Safety, Safety Training

An explosion on Monday in a Hilton Hotel under construction in San Diego injured 13 workers, four of whom remained hospitalized on Tuesday. It appears the explosion was caused by a natural gas leak in a mechanical room.

The San Diego Union Tribune reports: "About 400 people, mostly construction workers, were inside the 30-story building when the explosion rocked the hotel at 2 p.m. Monday. The blast tore open the northwest face of the fourth through seventh floors. Fire Department officials estimated damage to the building at $5 million or more."

"Fire officials said the explosion occurred when flames from a water heater or an electrical spark ignited natural gas that had been leaking into the mechanical room on the building's fifth floor."

A city structural engineer has evaluated the building and "observed no apparent damage to the building's main structural concrete frame, or to the steel-braced frame at the area of the blast."

Cal/OSHA is conducting an investigation that is expected to take two to six months to complete.

Cal/OSHA Encourages Employers to Allow Workers to Acclimate During First Exposure to High Heat and Humidity

Allowing employees to acclimate to the heat is one of the best defenses against heat-related illnesses and fatalities, according to the Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DIR/DOSH), also known as Cal/OSHA.

Letting workers to adjust to changes in weather by gradually increasing their exposure and physical activity likely reduces the risk of heat-related issues.

"Our studies of heat-related illnesses and deaths indicate that acclimatization is an important factor in the prevention of heat illness," said Cal/OSHA Chief Len Welsh. "It is especially critical to be vigilant with new workers, and during our first exposure to the high temperatures such as those we are currently experiencing."

The risk of dying from heat illness appears to be highest for employees who just begin working in extreme heat as the body needs to adapt gradually to exertions in the heat and humidity. Most people adjust to the weather or acclimate within four-to-14 days of regular work levels, according to Cal/OSHA heat illness prevention data.

"It is imperative to monitor your employees at all times during hot weather and allow those who are new to working in hot weather to gradually adapt to the daily routine," said Welsh.

Raising awareness is also an important key in preventing heat illness. California Heat Illness Prevention Standards require mandatory training for employees and supervisors. Information on acclimatization, encouraging employees to continuously drink water throughout the day, and taking frequent cool-down breaks or preventative recovery periods in the shade, among other actions are included in the mandatory training.

In addition to the requirements outlined in the heat illness prevention regulations (section 3395 of Title 8), employers may consider starting the work day early and pacing work activities for their workers. Other prevention techniques include increasing the number of water and rest breaks or preventative recovery periods on hot days and encouraging the use of a "buddy system" to monitor employees in the field.

Employees who work indoors should take the same precautions as those who work outdoors in extreme heat, and follow similar measures under (section 3203 of Title 8) their employers' Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

Employers with workers near sources of heat or inside buildings with limited cooling capabilities must ensure that their Injury and Illness Prevention Program is effective and in writing. Cal/OSHA studies show effective reduction of heat illness depends on written procedures, access to water, access to cooler areas, acclimatization and weather monitoring, emergency response and employee and supervisor training.

California became the first state in the nation to develop a safety and health regulation addressing heat illness in 2005 and Cal/OSHA issued permanent heat illness prevention regulations to protect outdoor workers in 2006.

For more information on free heat illness workshops and training materials visit the Cal/OSHA Web site at http://www.dir.ca.gov/heatillness.

Labels: Industrial Health

NewsDay Today reports that New Jersey will be "mandating regular reviews for safety upgrades at the 89 most dangerous chemical plants, oil refineries, water treatment plants and industrial facilities in the state."

The article states: "'The only way to make plants safer is to deal with the operations themselves, instead of more guards, gates and guns,' said Rick Engler, executive director of the state Work Environment Council. Engler has led a coalition of labor unions, environmental groups and community organizations pushing for the new DEP rules that went into effect last week. Plants have 120 days to prepare their reviews, if they have not already.

For example, a Schweitzer-Mauduit paper mill four miles east of the New Jersey Turnpike in Spotswood was the sixth most dangerous facility in the state a year ago. The poisonous chlorine gas used at the plant had to be shipped in 90-ton rail cars through town, and the plant's worst-case catastrophe could have endangered more than a million people within 14 miles.

In advance of the new rules, though, the paper mill switched to a chlorine dioxide bleach that can be generated on site as needed. In June last year, the company stopped all shipment and storage of chlorine at the site. "

Labels: hazard identifcation, hazardous materials, Industrial Safety

The Sunday edition of the Las Vegas Sun continues that newspaper's look at OSHA and construction safety. This article states that OSHA uses directives, which are interpretations of safety requirements, to weaken or abolish the established safety requirements. The article states that in this way, although a safety requirement is on the books, it will not be enforced.

The Las Vegas Sun article states: "OSHA in recent years has issued interpretations of long-standing safety requirements that, in some cases, effectively change or abolish those requirements without public review, critics argue. For nearly three decades after OSHA was created by a Democratic Congress and signed into law in 1972 by a Republican president, the agency issued what are known as compliance directives to instruct field officers in enforcement of OSHA laws.

But in the past decade, OSHA’s construction standards division began using compliance directives more broadly. They were used to interpret safety standards and to tell employers which standards could lead to safety violations."

But labor advocates say the use of directives to interpret or change the meaning of construction safety standards is improper. The directives do not go through the same public review as the standards themselves did.

'A party can challenge a standard within 60 days when it’s issued, but with compliance directives you don’t have the right as a worker or union to challenge it, and it becomes a way of changing the rule,' said Peg Seminario, AFL-CIO’s director of safety and health."

You can read the entire article at the Las Vegas Sun

Labels: Construction Safety, OSHA, politics

Developing a way to reward safe behavior, without rewarding underreporting of accidents and injuries, is a goal may strive for. The U.S. Navy South East Region has developed the Safety Buck program. Here is how is it described in the Kings Bay Periscope:

The purpose of the program is to increase safety awareness throughout Navy Region Southeast installations by rewarding safe acts that go beyond normal day-to-day operations. It uses an immediate reward as the incentive to good safety deeds.

All base employees should apply safe work practices in their daily operations. Recognition should be given to individuals and departments for attaining an excellent safety record and providing and supporting the Voluntary Protection Program.

Behaviors that are acceptable for an award of an MWR Safety Buck include: identification of unknown hazards in the workplace, providing additional safety guards that enhance a job, taking initiatives to correct a known hazard such as a broken guard or any other good deed is determined by the Safety Buck distributors.

You can read the entire article at: Safety Bucks Program Kicks Off

Labels: safety, Safety Training, workplace safety

National Safety Council of South Florida, The Safety Center and CertiLearn unveil state-of-the-art online training program

On Wednesday the National Safety Council of South Florida and The Safety Center announced the availability of a new an e-learning site developed in coordination with CertiLearn. SafetyCouncilAcademy.com is a leading-edge educational site dedicated to meeting the learning needs of health and safety professionals.

"We're excited to introduce a site that leverages the true potential of the Internet as an educational medium," said Ron Dearing, Jr, President for the National Safety Council South Florida and Executive Administrator of The Safety Center. The Safety Council Academy offers arange of courses that allow active members of the health and safety community to easily, affordably and conveniently get the continuing education they need to stay at the forefront of their profession.

Courses are aimed at those involved with medical, public health, emergency response and related professions, and cover topics from paramedic response to workplace safety and beyond. Content has been developed by online learning experts who designed the courses to appeal to a variety of learning styles and abilities. Each course leverages an engaging, multi-media environment that makes even challenging material readily comprehensible, significantly improving retention. "One of the main things that differentiates this on-line educational platform from others is blended learning", stated Dr. Chad Brocato, one of the developers of SafetyCouncilAcademy.com. Blended Learning is defined as the process of taking a portion of the training/education on-line and a portion in the classroom. As Brocato states, "There are just some learning components that are best performed in the classroom today."

The National Safety Council of South Florida and The Safety Center have together filled an important need in the local community for quality training and public education. The NSC is a nonprofit charitable organization that is largely known for its driver's education courses and related community-based initiatives centered on the goal of delivering "Programs for Safer Living." The Safety Center is a complementary organization that seeks to serve as a single source for workplace-related training, education, products and advisory services.

The Safety Academy site provides users a great degree of flexibility when it comes to program selection, purchase and delivery options, bandwidth requirements and other key features. Most of the courses are priced at $39.95 and $19.95, however some cost as much as $190.00.

Most of the courses focus on paramedic training. The following is a list of the non-parametic courses as well as a few of the paramedic courses:

HIV-AIDS Education for Healthcare Providers
Electrical Personal Protective Equipment
Electrical Saftey
Working Safely with Electricity
Back Care/Ergonomics
Basic First Aid
Driver Safety
Forklift Operator Safety - Fundamentals
Forklift Operator Safety - Safedriving
Air Medical Crew Course (40 Hour Curriculum)
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Domestic Violence
HIPAA Privacy and Security Training for Medical Records Staff
HIPPA Basic Health Information Security Training
Preventing Medication Errors
Basic Respiratory Protection
Confined Space - Entry Level
Confined Spaces
Equipo de protección personal (PPE) Personal Protective Equipment - Spanish
Personal Protective Equipment
AIDS in the Workplace
Bloodborne Pathogens
Comunicación de Riesgo Hazardous Communications - Spanish
DOT Hazardous Materials General Awareness
Fall Protection
Fire Safety
Flammable Liquid Safety
Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
Ladder Safety
Violence in the Workplace
Paramedic - Abdominal Trauma
Paramedic - Acute Coronary Syndromes
Paramedic - Airway Management and Ventilation
Paramedic - Allergies and Anaphylaxis
Paramedic - Behavioral Emergencies
Paramedic - Crime Scene Awareness

More information about CertiLearn is available online at www.CertiLearn.com. More information about the National Safety Council of South Florida and The Safety Center is available at www.SafetyCouncil.com.

Labels: Safety Training

The following is an announcement from the NIOSH blog:

Hearing protectors only work if they fit your ears and you wear them properly. An earplug that doesn't quite fill your ear canal or an earmuff with a small crack in the padding will let lots of noise into the ears through any gaps, even tiny ones.

To help you get the most from your hearing protectors, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Research Laboratory developed QuickFitWeb, an online tool to check your hearing protection in a minute or less.

Studies of hearing protector users have repeatedly shown that the average protection values in the real world are much lower than the labeled Noise Reduction Ratings (NRR) determined in laboratories with trained and motivated subjects. Even worse, many hearing protector users get virtually no protection at all because of poor fit. It's hard to tell if hearing protectors are working well just by looking at them. A more accurate approach is to check how much they block or "attenuate" noise. Hearing protectors vary in their attenuation characteristics, with most providing a maximum of 20 to 35 decibels of noise reduction when worn correctly. Any hearing protector that's suitable for use in noisy settings will attenuate noise by at least 15 decibels.

The NIOSH QuickFitWeb test first calibrates itself to your environment and then can be used to determine whether the ear protection you are using is adequate.

Labels: Industrial Health, NIOSH

Yesterday's Las Vegas Sun newspaper had a substantial article about construction accidents in Las Vegas and the plans of a U.S. House of Representatives panel to "hold a hearing to review construction safety standards and the conduct of government agencies responsible for overseeing workplace safety."

The article reports that "California Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey said the workforce protections subcommittee she leads plans to hold a hearing this summer to investigate the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regulations of the construction industry."

The article also reports on what the U.S. Senate committee led by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has been doing. It then goes on to describe a bill that has been introduced in both the House and the Senate: "Kennedy and Woolsey have introduced identical bills to increase penalties on employers for workplace safety violations. The bills have been introduced in past congressional sessions but had little traction until Democrats rose to power in 2007."

In covering the other side of this issue the article reports that "Construction industry groups and key Republican lawmakers think any legislation to bolster fines moves the agency in a wrong direction, toward penalizing violators rather than working with contractors to prevent accidents from happening."

Overall this article provides a good summary of what has been happening in congress. You can read the entire article at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/11/keeping-heat-osha/

Labels: Construction Safety, safety politics

The Globe and Mail (Canada) reports on the death of Jeff Thompson in last Saturday's edition. Mr. Thompson was injured in a workplace accident in 2004. He died from a bleeding ulcer on February 10th of this year. The article reports that his family claims the stress resulting from what was needed to be done to keep his disability benefits resulted in the ulcers that led to his death. The article gives the following background:

"While working for a cable installation company, Mr. Thompson injured his right knee in 2004 when he slipped and fell. He never fully recovered, and spent the few remaining years of his life nearly completely bound to his North Middlesex County home, arguing his workers compensation claim with the board."

The article goes on to describe what happened:

"As the pain in Mr. Thompson's knee persisted, and he was unable to stand, sit or sleep comfortably, his WSIB adjudicator threatened to stop his benefits."

"The adjudicator threatened to end his benefits when Mr. Thompson didn't comply with the "labour market re-entry plan," which required him to attend classes in London, 120 kilometres from his home. Mr. Thompson was taking morphine daily, and found that driving aggravated his pain."

You can read the entire article in the Globe and Mail.

Labels: Workers' Comp

The Toledo Blade reports in last Saturday's edition that Sunoco Inc.'s Woodville Road facility (Oregon, Ohio) was "hit with $330,000 in fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration this week allegedly didn't maintain paperwork and failed to fix things it knew needed attention up to six years ago, according to OSHA documents reviewed by The Blade."

The refinery was inspected last November as a part of OSHA's National Emphasis Program for petroleum refineries that resulted from the 2005 explosion at BP's refinery in Texas City, Texas.

Read the Toledo Blade story.

The OSHA press release states:

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $330,000 in fines against Sunoco Inc., an oil refinery in Oregon, Ohio, for alleged willful and serious violations of federal workplace safety standards.

OSHA initiated a safety inspection at the facility in November 2007 as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program for petroleum refineries. OSHA found 27 serious violations and three willful violations during the inspection. The most critical citations issued are for hazards related to the size and design of pressure relief systems, failing to implement a mechanical integrity program for pressure relief devices and fixed equipment, and failing to correct deficiencies associated with vessel and piping wall thicknesses.

"Injuries and fatalities from incidents at refineries are preventable," said Jule Hovi, OSHA's area director in Toledo. "OSHA will not tolerate employers who ignore safety hazards that threaten the lives and well-being of their employees."

Sunoco Inc. has about 500 employees at its Oregon refinery and 13,500 employees company-wide. OSHA has inspected the site five times since 1974. The agency has inspected Sunoco-owned and operated refinery complexes, petrochemical plants and bulk terminals 34 times since 1970. The inspections have resulted in more than 100 citations.

Labels: OSHA Citations, OSHA Fines, OSHA Inspections

The Chicago Tribume reports that A. W. Oaks & Sons, reached a $13,300 settlement with OSHA last week for three safety violations resulting from a December 2007 trench collapse that killed one worker. The settlement is $3,500 less than the amount of the original citation.

Read the article at the Chicago Tribune web site.

Labels: Construction Safety

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports today that the family of a victim of a trench collapse has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Followell Construction. Yankey Eickelman and Walter T. Eickelman were killed March 10 when an eight to ten foot deep trench and crushed them. They had been hired as subcontractors by Followell Construction.

The article reports that:

"The suit accuses Followell Construction of negligence in operation of the construction site, where workers were building a new sewage treatment plant. It alleges the company relaxed safety standards that directly caused the death of Ron Yankey, a plumber working in a ditch at the site."

"'At the time the sides of the ditch were not shored nor secured, and no cage was within the ditch to allow Ronnie to work,'" the suit said, for the first time publicly accusing the company of not using a safety mechanism."

OSHA is currently investigating the incident.

The article is available at: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf

Labels: Construction Safety

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted 247-165 to require OSHA to adopt rules to control explosive dust in factories (HR 5522). There was also a vote that would have delay the requirement for new OSHA rules until the investigation into an explosion at a Georgia sugar refiner is finished, That was defeated by a vote of 178-237.

If passed into law the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), based on information provided by OSHA and other safety analysts, estimates that implementing H.R. 5522 would cost $1 million in fiscal year 2009 and $41 million over the 2009-2013 period. These costs consist of $1 million in 2009 for economic and feasibility studies to support the development of the final standard, and $10 million a year—about a five percent increase in OSHA's enforcement workload—beginning in 2010 for enforcement of the final standard. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues or direct spending.

This estimate does not includes state or private industry costs.

The bill will now go to the Senate. U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP Committee), last week urged Members of the Committee to "think outside the box" to establish effective, innovative strategies to enhance workplace safety and prevent on-the-job injuries and fatalities. "No penalty can make up for the loss of a loved one," Enzi said.

Enzi noted several workplace safety programs that have been proven to be effective, including the Voluntary Protection Programs, workplace drug-testing, and Workplace Compensation Insurance strategies, which vary from state to state.

"These programs have been able to make workplaces safer and even save money," Enzi said. "Let's take a look at the best practices out there and determine how these programs can be translated to the federal level."

Labels: osha information, safety politics

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $215,500 in fines against United Airlines Inc. in Chicago for alleged multiple serious and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards.

OSHA selected United Airlines for inspection after reviewing occupational injury and illness data, which included ramp services, customer service areas, air freight, aircraft and ground equipment maintenance, building/facility maintenance, business operations, strategic procurement, medical facilities and flight attendant operations. As a result of its inspection, OSHA issued 43 serious violations and four repeat violations.

The serious violations address hazards associated with fall protection, hazardous energy control procedures and training, storage of oxygen and fuel-gas cylinders, platform load ratings and electrical hazards. The four repeat violations, based on citations issued and affirmed in 2006 and 2007, cover machine guarding and electrical issues. Proposed penalties for the repeat violations alone total $57,500.

"Falls, electrical hazards and machine guarding issues, as well as energy lockout/tagout procedures, which are intended to prevent accidental start-up of machinery during maintenance, are problems that should not exist at any worksite," said Diane Turek, director of OSHA's Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines, Ill. "They are problems that can be avoided if an employer is dedicated to protecting employees. Employers must remain dedicated to keeping the workplace safe and healthful, or face close scrutiny by this agency."

Since 2004, OSHA has inspected United Airlines 22 times at various locations nationwide. United Airlines operations at O'Hare International Airport have been inspected eight times since 2000 with only three of those inspections resulting in citations.

Labels: OSHA Citations, OSHA Fines, OSHA Inspections

Yesterday was the beginning of the North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. The following was adapted from an announcement from the American Society of Safety Engineers.

Due to the efforts of many, millions of people go to and return home safely from work every day. However, in the U.S. alone, 5,840 workers died from on-the-job injuries in 2006 and millions more suffered workplace injuries and illnesses. These can be prevented.

During the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) this May 4 – 10th, the American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) along with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and 72 corporations and associations representing all industries, plus 150,000+ businesses and millions of people will provide tools, best practices and solutions on how accidents can be prevented and illustrate how safety is good business.

The 32,000 ASSE SH&E professionals work day in and day out identifying hazards and implanting safety and health advances in all industries and at all workplaces, aimed at eliminating workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Businesses who have adopted safety into their core business strategy continue to see how safety contributes positively not only to their bottom line, but to the company's brand and reputation and employee and vendor morale. Workplace safety also contributes to a reduction in health insurance and workers compensation costs and provides a safe working environment for employees and for the community they do business in. Society as a whole benefits when there are fewer accidents and on-the-job injuries increasing everyone's quality of life.

Poor Workplace Safety Costs...

· businesses spend about $170 billion a year on costs associated with occupational injuries and illnesses – it is estimated that U.S. employers pay almost $1 billion every week to injured employees and their medical care providers;

· each year families, friends, and co-workers of victims of on-the-job accidents suffer intangible losses and grief, especially when proper safety measures could have prevented worker injury or death;

· ASSE has recognized that a safe and healthy workplace positively impacts employee morale, health, and productivity; and

· a recent study done by Goldman Sachs JBWere showed valuation links between workplace safety and health factors and investment performance – they found companies who did not adequately manage workplace safety and health issues underperformed those who did -- suggesting that workplace safety and health factors have potentially greater effectiveness at identifying underperforming stocks.

Labels: Industrial Health, Industrial Safety, workplace safety

A Conklin, N.Y., manufacturer faces additional $75,000 in OSHA fines for failing to correct machine guarding hazards.

Samscreen Inc. was cited by OSHA in June 2007 for inadequate guarding of moving machine parts and other hazards at its 216 Broome Corporate Parkway manufacturing plant. The company agreed to correct all cited hazards and paid a fine of $4,725. However, an OSHA follow-up inspection begun in February 2008 found that three press brakes and eight revolving rollers remained unprotected, leaving employees exposed to potential laceration, amputation and crushing injuries.

"The purpose of machine guarding is to prevent any part of an employee's body from coming in contact with a machine's moving parts," said Christopher Adams, OSHA's area director in Syracuse. "The sizable fine proposed here reflects the seriousness of this employer's ongoing failure to effectively safeguard its employees against this potentially deadly hazard."

As a result, OSHA issued Samscreen two failure to abate citations, with $75,000 in proposed fines. OSHA issues a failure to abate citation when an employer does not correct a cited violation by an established date. OSHA may impose a penalty of up to $7,000 per day for each violation.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by OSHA's Syracuse Area Office; telephone 315-451-0808.

Labels: OSHA Citations, OSHA Fines