A 4-1 vote Monday night at a public meeting of the board in Portland, Conn., adopted 18 urgent recommendations, including prohibiting the practices that resulted in the explosion at Kleen Energy's plant.
The biggest society of occupational hygienists in Europe now offers a news scroller and more resources online.
The revision currently on the drafting board represents a major departure from all previous pump test standards, according to the Hydraulic Institute, because it requires that the submersible pump be guaranteed and tested as a complete unit.
An inspection found that machine guarding was inadequate for dumpers or packing machines and that, in general, mechanical integrity throughout the plant’s refrigeration system was not sufficient to prevent equipment malfunctions.
"Employees exposed to methylene chloride are at increased risk of developing cancer, adverse effects on the heart, central nervous system, and liver, and skin or eye irritation,” said OSHA’s Arthur Dube. “Effective safeguards are vital to the health and well-being of the workers."
Following a safety and health complaint, an investigation uncovered 13 serious and repeat violations that OSHA said "put workers at risk for potential injury or possible death."
"This employer had no business conducting work inside the grain bins without taking protective measures to ensure that its employees were working in a safe environment," said OSHA Regional Administrator Charles Adkins.
“NPDES permits are an integral part of the nation’s system to protect rivers and lakes from pollution, and mercury is a dangerous pollutant, especially for children and pregnant women,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Region 4 acting regional administrator.
“It’s an unfortunate fact that monetary penalties just aren’t enough,” said OSHA chief David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH. “We believe that nothing focuses the mind like the threat of doing time in prison, which is why we need criminal penalties for employers who are determined to gamble with their workers’ lives and consider it merely a cost of doing business when a worker dies on the job.”
According to DOJ, on some of their asbestos projects, the hazardous material was removed in violation of EPA and OSHA regulations and then illegally dumped on unwitting landowners’ properties in Poland, N.Y.
"Pollution prevention acts were put in place to protect our natural resources," said George E. B. Holding, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. "It is disheartening when we see companies and individuals knowingly and purposely dumping oil-contaminated waste into those resources."
"This partnership speaks volumes about the direction the plumbing industry seeks to go and how each of our memberships holds the other's expertise in high regard," said Jay Peters, ICC PMG Group's executive director.
The series of half-day seminars will discuss ergonomics, pandemic influenza, indoor air quality, fire protection, and other potential workplace hazards.
As temperatures rise, humidity and moisture increase underground, making it easier for a mine roof or rib to fall.
An inspection of the company's petroleum additives manufacturing plant in Linden, N.J., led to citations for violations related to a deficient process safety management system.
Baltimore is known as a "City of Firsts" for good reason. In 1743, its Maryland Jockey Club became the first professional sports organization in the United States; in 1774, the city opened the first post office system in the country; in 1816, it became the first city to illuminate streets with hydrogen gas; and in 1920, its Rustless Iron & Steel Co. became the first factory to manufacture stainless steel. And that's just scratching the surface.
"The company's intentional disregard for its safety and health responsibilities put its workers at risk, and more egregiously, led to an unnecessary loss of life,” said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.
"The employer knowingly operated high-pressure vessels even after being warned of the potential for a catastrophic failure due to material design and fabrication defects," said OSHA's Dr. David Michaels. "This simply is unacceptable, and OSHA will use the full extent of the law to ensure the company is held accountable for its actions."
“OSHA needs to bring more attention to the worst actors among employers, but not at the expense of encouraging employers to be as good as they can be in managing occupational safety and health,” said ASSE President C. Christopher Patton, in a letter to Congress on Friday expressing concern over the proposed cutting of OSHA’s VPP and MSHA’s Small Mines Office.
The event will include subcommittee and taskforce meetings on government, education, and construction industry performance, as well as an exclusive reception at Cincinnati's Newport Aquarium.