June 2, 2010
BREAKING NEWS
Federal Gulf oil response: OSHA maintains strong presence ensuring safety of oil spill cleanup workers
Since the week of April 26, OSHA staff and senior leadership have been on the scene of cleanup operations along the Gulf Coast in response to BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. OSHA, working through the Unified Command, is ensuring cleanup workers are being provided the required training (in a language workers can understand) and that their safety and health are being protected by BP and its contractors. Hazards related to oil spill cleanup include heat, falls, drowning, fatigue, animal bites, and exposure to oil and chemicals being used in the cleanup process.
OSHA is deploying between 20 and 25 compliance officers daily to affected areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to monitor the safety and health of more than 13,000 oil spill cleanup workers. OSHA personnel have made more than 700 site visits throughout the area, including monitoring the safety of workers on vessels that are performing cleanup operations.
“We’re on the beach, we’re in the marshes, we’re on the boats,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary David Michaels in an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek. In the past two weeks Dr. Michaels, OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Jordan Barab, and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis visited worksites and discussed safety issues with workers performing oil spill cleanup operations along the beaches and on the Vessels of Opportunity. OSHA participated in briefings at Unified Command centers in Louisiana as part of a team involving the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Environmental Protection Agency to maximize their combined efforts to safeguard workers. OSHA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Coast Guard, the federal agency coordinating the oil spill response, to establish specific procedures for sharing information and ensuring that BP and its contractors are complying with safety and health standards.
Heat stress is a serious health concern for cleanup workers. There have been more than 100 incidents of heat related illnesses. Many workers are working 12-hour days, seven days a week, in full protective gear–which has increased the risk to workers. OSHA has worked with BP to institute a program that includes, among other items, a matrix that sets out specific work/rest requirements based on the heat and relative humidity, and guidelines for determining if wearing protective clothing and equipment will increase hazards to workers.
As part of its comprehensive oversight of worker safety, a team of OSHA industrial hygienists is conducting independent air monitoring on shore and on cleanup vessels. OSHA is monitoring hazards from exposure to oil and any other toxic chemicals that may threaten worker health. OSHA posted this data on its Web site, and will continue to post all new data. “We must be vigilant” because “conditions can change,” Michaels told BusinessWeek. For more information about OSHA’s activities in the Gulf and to get worker safety guides and factsheets in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, visit the oil spill cleanup response Web page.
Barab testifies before Senate on protection of oil refinery workers
OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Jordan Barab testified June 10 before the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety about the need to better protect workers in the nation’s energy production industries. Barab addressed recent tragedies such as the explosion on BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers, and injured 17 others and the explosion at a Tesoro oil refinery in Washington State that left seven workers dead. Barab explained that OSHA’s nationwide inspections of oil refineries found the same violations committed by multiple refineries, including refineries with common ownership and different units in the same refinery. Barab said, “This cycle of workers being hurt or killed because their employers failed to implement well-known safety measures points out major deficiencies in chemical process safety management in the nation’s refineries and, quite possibly, to systemic safety and health problems in the entire petrochemical industry.” Barab stressed the urgent need for petrochemical companies to instill an organization-wide culture of safety among workers and supervisors; reform management systems that routinely fail to address safety violations until catastrophic events occur; and develop a more accurate method for determining risks of fires, explosions, or other catastrophic accidents. See OSHA’s Web site for Barab’s full testimony and information on oil refinery Process Safety Management.
OSHA improves its online database of chemical exposures by adding a search engine
As reported in the May 4, 2010, QuickTakes, OSHA posted 26 years of data on a Web page detailing workplace exposures to toxic chemicals such as asbestos, benzene, beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, and silica. This Web page has since been enhanced by the addition of a search engine to make the data more accessible and expand its usefulness as a research tool. The page’s online form now allows users to search and sort records of OSHA samplings for toxic chemical exposure by categories such as establishment, industry, state, year range, substance and OSHA inspection number. Users can also download sampling data from 1984 to 2009, either in one full set or by individual year.
NACOSH establishes oil spill response workgroup to advise OSHA
The National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health established an oil spill response workgroup at its June 8 meeting, which will advise OSHA on a range of issues, including necessary personal protective equipment for workers involved in oil spill cleanup and conducting long-term health evaluations of workers exposed to oil and other chemicals during cleanup operations. Minutes from the meeting, including resolutions passed by the oil spill response workgroup, will be published on the NACOSH page. NACOSH advises the secretaries of labor and health and human services on worker safety issues such as Latino outreach, hazard communication, the whistleblower program, and overall occupational safety and health programs and policies.
Mail processing plants fined nearly $800,000 for electrical and other hazards
OSHA fined three U.S. Postal Service mail processing and distribution centers in Pennsylvania $796,500 for electrical hazards that could have seriously injured or killed workers. Inspectors found that employers at one facility in Pittsburgh and two in Philadelphia willfully violated the law by exposing workers to potentially deadly hazards, including shocks, burns, and electrocution. For more information, see the separate news releases on citations against the Pittsburgh facility ($299,500) and the two Philadelphia facilities ($497,000). These citations follow recent OSHA fines totaling $985,000 against USPS processing and distribution centers in Providence, R.I., Denver, and Bedford Park, Ill., reported in the May 15 QuickTakes.
Elevator manufacturer fined more than $346,000 for ignoring worker safety and health hazards
OSHA issued 18 citations against the CEC Elevator Cab Corp. for potentially life-threatening worker safety and health hazards, many of which had been discovered during a previous inspection. OSHA fined the Bronx, N.Y., company $346,500 after inspectors found that several violations the company was cited for in October 2009 had not been corrected. See the news release for more information.
Seafood plant fined $214,500 for exposing workers to potential ammonia leak
OSHA issued High Liner Foods Inc. $214,500 in fines for willfully violating the law by failing to properly inspect and maintain the ammonia piping system used to freeze seafood at its Portsmouth, N.H., processing plant. The piping, which was corroded and encased in ice in many locations, could have led to a potentially deadly ammonia leak or similar catastrophic incident. See the news release for more information.
Contractor fined more than $125,000 after partial building collapse
OSHA cited New York Plank Services LLC for disregarding worker safety after inspectors found that the partial collapse of a Brooklyn building under construction was caused by the company’s failure to properly stabilize concrete stairs during installation. The $125,800 fine against the company also resulted in part from the company’s failure to provide workers with fall protection when it sent them to remove damaged pieces of concrete from the stairwell 40 feet above the ground. See the news release for more information.
UPS must compensate driver fired for refusing to drive unsafe truck
OSHA ordered United Parcel Service to pay an Earth City, Mo., truck driver who was fired after raising safety concerns $111,008 in back wages, benefits, damages and attorney’s fees. OSHA investigated the worker’s claim that UPS terminated his employment in retaliation for his refusal to drive a truck because lights on the trailer and tractor didn’t work. The evidence showed the driver had a reasonable concern of serious injury to himself and the public. See the news release for more information and OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program Web page for detailed information on worker whistleblower rights.
OSHA schedules first virtual stakeholder meeting
In an effort to provide more opportunity for public participation in the rulemaking process, OSHA is holding its first virtual stakeholder meeting June 28 to seek input about combustible dust workplace hazards. The live chat will be held for one hour, beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, but individuals can continue the dialog with OSHA on this site through July 7, 2010. This is the agency’s first virtual meeting where stakeholders will have the ability to continue the dialog according to their time preferences. The format provides quick and easy access to a broader audience such as small businesses who would otherwise not be able to participate.
This virtual stakeholder meeting is the fourth in a series of stakeholder meetings addressing combustible dust hazards. Go to the OSHA Web site to participate in the online meeting. Further details are available in the Federal Register notice.
New Introduction to OSHA instruction required in Outreach Training Program 10- and 30-hour courses
OSHA’s Training Institute now requires instructors to include a newly revised Introduction to OSHA presentation in all Outreach Training Program classes. The revised two-hour Introduction to OSHA focuses on workers’ rights, including the right to be informed of hazardous chemicals, review workplace injury and illness information, request and participate in an OSHA inspection, and be protected from retaliation for exercising these and other safety and health rights. For more information see the news release. The Introduction to OSHA materials can be viewed online.
OSHA and the Philadelphia School District promote teen worker safety
The Department of Labor recently concluded its third annual YouthRules! Ambassador Program, a collaborative effort between the Philadelphia School District, OSHA, and DOL’s Wage and Hour Division and Office of Public Affairs. This year DOL partnered with Philadelphia’s Mastbaum Technical High School to train teen workers about workplace protections so that they can, in turn, teach their peers. Visit the YouthRules! Web site for more information on DOL’s efforts to prepare the 21st century workforce.
Job openings
Are you interested in a career with the Department of Labor? The department has job opportunities throughout the country, such as openings in OSHA for Safety and Occupational Health Specialists and Program Analysts.
- Mail processing plants fined nearly $1 million for electrical hazards
OSHA fined three U.S. Postal Service mail processing and distribution centers $985,000 for electrical hazards that could have seriously injured or killed workers. Inspectors found that employers at postal facilities in Providence, R.I., Denver, and Bedford Park, Ill., showed disregard for the safety and health of their workers by exposing them to potentially deadly hazards, including shocks, burns, and electrocution. Inspectors responding to worker complaints found numerous violations including failures to provide workers with required electrical safety training, maintain control of power to equipment during maintenance, and provide personal protective equipment. For more information, see the separate news releases on the citations for the Providence ($558,000), Denver ($217,000), and Bedford Park ($210,000) facilities. “These sizable fines reflect the severity and ongoing nature of these hazards,” said Assistant Secretary Michaels. “The Postal Service ignored long-established safety standards and knowingly put its workers in harm’s way.”
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OSHA monitors worker safety and health along the Gulf Coast during oil spill cleanup
OSHA personnel are in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida working with the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal agencies to ensure that the safety and health of workers taking part in BP’s oil spill cleanup operations are being properly protected. OSHA continues to monitor the situation to ensure that BP is providing workers with necessary protection from hazards. OSHA is also ensuring that workers are being given safety training in languages they can understand. OSHA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have developed a safety and health guide–available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese–that is being distributed as an easy reference for cleanup workers. The guide explains the potential hazards involved in oil cleanup and the responsibilities of employers to provide workers with appropriate protection. For more information, visit OSHA’s oil spill cleanup response Web page.
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Federal OSHA’s new Las Vegas office coordinates worker safety efforts with Nevada OSHA
Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels announced May 4 the opening of an OSHA office in Las Vegas. The announcement followed the release of an OSHA report last year that pointed out significant problems with Nevada’s OSHA program. According to Michaels, “The new office will provide a federal presence and oversight in Nevada to improve coordination and share resources, make direct oversight easier and more effective, and provide technical assistance to the state as needed to ultimately ensure workers are better protected.” There are 22 states and territories whose OSHA programs cover private sector and local government workers and five whose programs cover public workers only. A state’s occupational safety and health program must provide worker protections at least as effective as federal OSHA’s. See OSHA’s Web site for more information on State Plan States.
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OSHA schedules stakeholder meetings on modernizing injury and illness recordkeeping
OSHA is holding two meetings to gather information from stakeholders that will help the agency modify its current injury and illness recordkeeping regulation and develop a modernized recordkeeping system that will help OSHA, employers, workers, and researchers improve occupational safety and health. Advancements in OSHA’s recordkeeping system will ensure the agency meets a priority of President Obama’s Open Government Initiative to make it easier for the public to find and use data generated by the federal government. The meetings will take place May 25 in Washington, D.C., and June 3 in Chicago. Those wishing to participate in the meetings can register online. For further information, including how to register by mail or fax, see the Federal Register notice.
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OSHA requests information on infectious disease hazards in the workplace
In the last 10 years, the number of healthcare workers in the United States has increased from 8.4 million to approximately 11 million and healthcare is increasingly being provided in nonhospital settings such as nursing homes, surgical and outpatient centers, and emergency care clinics. To ensure that healthcare workers’ own health remains protected on the job, OSHA is seeking input from the public on how to prevent occupational exposure to infectious diseases in healthcare facilities including hospitals and clinics, and other workplaces such as biomedical laboratories, medical examiners’ offices, and mortuaries. OSHA would like to know what strategies these facilities are using to reduce the risk of workplace-acquired infectious diseases. OSHA will use responses to its request for information to determine what action, if any, the agency may take to further limit the spread of occupationally-acquired infectious diseases in these settings. See the notice in the Federal Register for more information, including how to submit comments by the Aug. 4 deadline.
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Methylene chloride standard successful in saving workers’ lives
Methylene chloride is a volatile, cancer-causing liquid used in different industries including metal cleaning and degreasing and in the manufacture of products including pharmaceuticals and paint remover. OSHA recently reviewed its Methylene Chloride standard, as required within 10 years of enactment, to determine how well it was fulfilling its purpose of safeguarding the health of America’s workers. The review clearly showed that the standard has been effective in saving lives. The study estimates that each year the standard protects as many as 30,000 to 54,000 workers from damage to their respiratory and nervous systems and prevents approximately 34 deaths from cancer and other illnesses caused by methylene chloride exposure. This standard’s success reflects the overall importance of OSHA standards in protecting workers’ safety and health. See the Federal Register notice for more information on this review and OSHA’s Safety and Health Topics page on methylene chloride to learn more about reducing the risk of worker exposure to this hazardous chemical.
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OSHA seeks information on effectiveness of Bloodborne Pathogens standard in protecting workers
OSHA is also requesting public comments during a review of its Bloodborne Pathogens standard intended to protect workers such as healthcare and emergency personnel who are regularly at risk of contracting diseases from exposures to bloodborne pathogens including hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency viruses. The review will determine the standard’s effectiveness in minimizing or eliminating these workers’ exposure to bloodborne infections and diseases and whether advancements in technology or other factors have eliminated the need for continuing the rule. Comments may be submitted online. For further information, including how to submit comments by mail or fax by the Aug. 12 deadline, see the Federal Register notice.
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Equipment approved by certified testing labs helps protect workers from injury, death
OSHA’s new Safety and Health Information Bulletin warns that workers may be exposed to serious hazards such as electrocution, burns, fires and explosions when using products that have not been tested or approved by an OSHA-certified testing laboratory. “Certification of Workplace Products by Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories” informs employers about the harm they can cause workers by having them use non-NRTL-tested products and employers’ obligation not to let that happen. OSHA established the NRTL Program in 1988 to oversee OSHA’s procedures for approving organizations as qualified testing laboratories. Examples of products certified by NRTLs include electrical equipment, automatic sprinkler systems, portable fire extinguishers and alarm systems. NRTLs authorize manufacturers to place registered certification marks on products after they have met OSHA’s safety standards. Visit OSHA’s Safety and Health Information Bulletins page for information on other safety and health topics.
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Volkswagen’s “2010″ training contract awarded to Safety Alliance.
October 5, 2009 - – Safety Alliance has been awarded a safety training contract for Volkswagen’s new $1 billion Chattanooga Plant . Safety Alliance Jeff Whitaker and Safety Engineer Tamara McCanty have been working with Chattanooga State and Safety Solutions to finalize this project. Congratulations! The Chattanooga plant will employ 2,000 people and begin production of a mid-size sedan in early 2011. Officials hope to have the plant ready by the end of 2010. Volkswagen Group of America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, the world’s fourth largest automaker and the largest carmaker in Europe. This will be Volkswagen’s first in the U.S. since the late 1980s. Source: Chattanooga.com
- OSHA record fines of $87 million against BP Texas
October 30, 2009 – New York Times article referencing the record $87 million dollars in OSHA fines issued against British Petroleum. OSHA cited BP with 271 citations for failure to correct violation back in 2005. OSHA also issued 439 willful violations totaling $30.7 million. These violations and fines are related to the Texas City BP refinery explosion in 2005.
- High-Visibility Warning Garments New Interpretation
In 2004, OSHA issued a letter of interpretation about the use of high-visibility apparel in highway construction. The letter emphasized that section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act requires workers in highway work zones to wear high-visibility apparel.
However, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ruled that OSHA’s letter indicated a more limited position: high-visibility garments are only required where the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) mandates their use.
Therefore, OSHA is issuing a new letter stating that all highway and road construction workers must wear high-visibility apparel regardless of whether the MUTCD requires them. OSHA considers road and construction traffic a well-recognized hazard to highway/road construction workers. Bureau of Labor Statistics reinforced the need for using safety apparel when data from 2003 to 2007 showed there were 425 road construction work zone fatalities. – OSHA
- OSHA’s new emphasis program:
We just had our First Area Directors meeting of the new year. Here are some key areas that we will be focusing on in Region V.
Key Areas for Enforcement; H1N1, Serious Violators Enforcement Program, Lead, Noise, Ergonomics, Hex Chrome, Whistleblower, Penalties consistency, PSM, Combustible Dust, “Return to IH”, Recordkeeping.
I think recordkeeping will be the most major change. We plan on conducting 5 RK inspections under the new emphasis program. John Newquist-OSHA
- Safety Video’s for Temporary Workers – Free
Temporary workers could benefit from a new video that provides occupational safety and health training. The video includes a general safety orientation and six modules focusing on indentifying hazards at construction, landscaping, manufacturing and food distribution sites, warehouses and offices. It is a product of an alliance among OSHA’s Columbus, Ohio, Area Office, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, OSHA On-site Consultation, Staffmart, and the Ohio Staffing and Search Association. http://www.ohiobwc.com/basics/videos/SafetyVideoArchive.asp
- Hazard Communication - Globally Harmonized System
OSHA published a proposed rule Sept. 30 to align the Hazard Communication Standard with provisions of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. See the fact sheet and Sept. 30 Federal Register notice for details.
- Whitaker Joins Safety Alliance
Jeff has been in the industrial, construction and municipality safety arena for over 20 years. He has assisted construction companies, tower climbers, steel erectors, bridge builders, roofers, municipalities, factories, and utilities around the country with basic safety awareness training. Jeff’s first assignment- Honda plant in Indiana for fall protection training.
Tim & Jeff , I appreciate the informative way you both brought the recent safety training to us at VW in chattanooga,Tn. .Many things will I remember of those three days ,but the one that stands out above all else is, the sincere desire you both showed our team the importance of “going home the way you came to work”.You reminded me of the realization that it’s not just about me, but my family,my co-worker and their family as well.
Thanks
Dan Moses
I went through a 30 hour OSHA class Tim had given about 3 years ago for general construction. Its really amazing how that class has not only changed the way I preform on the job, but literally everywhere I go. Home, work, vacation, out to eat literally anywhere, the things I learned in class stick out in my mind making me a safer person. I see things every day that are a safety hazard that I would have never seen before. Thanks Safety Alliance, and Thank you Tim.
Tim & Jeff , I appreciate the informative way you both brought the recent safety training to us at VW in chattanooga,Tn. .Many things will I remember of those three days ,but the one that stands out above all else is, the sincere desire you both showed our team the importance of “going home the way you came to work”.You reminded me of the realization that it’s not just about me, but my family,my co-worker and their family as well.
Thanks
Dan Moses