Category: OSHA Violations

“Number Of OSHA Workplace Safety Inspectors Declines Under Trump” #OSHA

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The number of federal workplace safety inspectors has fallen under the Trump administration, according to new data obtained by NBC News, raising questions about the government's efforts to protect workers and the long-term impact of the White House's move to slow hiring. In the months after President Donald Trump took office, the Occupational Safety and … Continue reading “Number Of OSHA Workplace Safety Inspectors Declines Under Trump” #OSHA

“DOL Increases Maximum Penalty Amounts for OSHA Violations” #OSHA #Safety

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On Jan. 2, 2018 the U.S. Department of Labor issued a Federal Register notice announcing an increase in the maximum penalty amounts for violations of federal Occupational Safety and Health standards and regulations. Under the new penalty structure, the maximum penalty allowed for “serious” and “other-than-serious” violations is $12,934. In addition, the maximum penalty allowed for “failure-to-abate” violations is … Continue reading “DOL Increases Maximum Penalty Amounts for OSHA Violations” #OSHA #Safety

“OSHA Publishes “Small Entity Compliance” Guides for the Crystalline Silica Standards”

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OSHA has recently published “Small Entity Compliance” Guides for the new Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction and General Industry. (Be sure to download the Small Entity Guides below for both Construction and General Industry) OSHA recently released small entity compliance guides for both construction and general industry.  See Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Respirable Crystalline … Continue reading “OSHA Publishes “Small Entity Compliance” Guides for the Crystalline Silica Standards”

“OSHA’s Final Rule to Protect Workers from Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica”

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OSHA will delay enforcement of the respirable crystalline silica standard for construction until September 23, 2017, to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers. See the memorandum. Rule requires engineering controls to keep workers from breathing silica dust The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a final rule to curb … Continue reading “OSHA’s Final Rule to Protect Workers from Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica”

“Contractor Buried In Trench In Belton, Kansas – Arrow Plumbing Fined $700,000 By OSHA For Continued Violations”

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Theresa O’Hare raged last December at the owner of the Blue Springs plumbing company that employed her son, “D.J.” Relatives held her back from Arrow Plumbing LLC. owner Ricky Smith as firefighters worked for hours to retrieve the body of 33-year-old Donald J. Meyer from the bottom of a 12-foot trench that lacked the required shoring to … Continue reading “Contractor Buried In Trench In Belton, Kansas – Arrow Plumbing Fined $700,000 By OSHA For Continued Violations”

“Farmworker Safety Concerns Raised After Manure Pond Deaths”

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  Video Above: Manure pit deadly to 3 on farm in Maryland in 2012 "Farmworker Safety Concerns Raised After Manure Pond Deaths in Idaho" It was still dark the morning Ruperto Vazquez-Carrera began his shift at Sunrise Organic Dairy in Boise, Idaho. It was mid-February 2016. A winter heat wave had melted snow and ice … Continue reading “Farmworker Safety Concerns Raised After Manure Pond Deaths”

“The Government Is Paying Billions To Shipbuilders With Histories Of Continual Safety Violations”

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The U.S. shipbuilding industry continues to win billions of dollars in contracts to build Navy and Coast Guard vessels, despite serious safety lapses that have endangered and killed workers. From Reveal at the Center for Investigative Reporting, special correspondent Aubrey Aden-Buie reports. By Jennifer Gollan  A Mississippi shipbuilder continues to reap lucrative federal contracts despite objections … Continue reading “The Government Is Paying Billions To Shipbuilders With Histories Of Continual Safety Violations”

“Weekly Toll: Memorial Day Edition” – #WorkplaceFatalities

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Owner killed in explosion PHILIPPI, WV — After further investigation of an explosion in Barbour County on Wednesday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports that one of the two individuals killed was the owner of the gas company. An explosion at Midland Resource Recovery Inc., a gas company located on Barbour County Highway in … Continue reading “Weekly Toll: Memorial Day Edition” – #WorkplaceFatalities

Employer In Fatal Boston Trench Collapse Did Not Provide Safety Training & Basic Safeguards For Employees, OSHA Finds

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Atlantic Drain Service Co. Inc. cited for 18 violations BOSTON – Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks died on Oct. 21, 2016, in Boston, when the approximately 12-foot deep trench in which they were working collapsed, breaking an adjacent fire hydrant supply line and filling the trench with water in a matter of seconds. An investigation … Continue reading Employer In Fatal Boston Trench Collapse Did Not Provide Safety Training & Basic Safeguards For Employees, OSHA Finds

“The OSHA Information Void: Former Official Steps Up”

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Why is the former second in command at OSHA publishing news about serious OSHA enforcement cases? Keep reading to learn more. Jordan Barab, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA from 2009 to 2017, has rekindled Confined Space, A Newsletter of Workplace Safety and Labor Issues, which he started in the early 2000s. In an … Continue reading “The OSHA Information Void: Former Official Steps Up”

“Top 10 OSHA Citations of 2016: A Starting Point for Workplace Safety”

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Every October the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration releases a preliminary list of the 10 most frequently cited safety and health violations for the fiscal year, compiled from nearly 32,000 inspections of workplaces by federal OSHA staff. One remarkable thing about the list is that it rarely changes. Year after year, our … Continue reading “Top 10 OSHA Citations of 2016: A Starting Point for Workplace Safety”

“What Should You Do When OSHA Shows Up At Your Door” #OSHA #Inspection

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1/27/2017 by Krista Sterken  | Foley & Lardner LLP You arrive at work bright and early, only to find that someone beat you there — OSHA is waiting to perform an inspection. Now what? Many employers think they have little say in what happens next. Actually, employers have many choices to make, starting as soon as OSHA arrives. The … Continue reading “What Should You Do When OSHA Shows Up At Your Door” #OSHA #Inspection