Summary: a large box retailer has a trash compactor. Workers were found to enter the trash chute that feeds the compactor. The interlock on the compactor door was defeated, and thus, the compactor would run with the door open. Workers use a 2X4 to push down material inside the compactor. Employees did not lock out the compactor when they entered it or the chute. OSHA cited the employer under 1910.212...

PHMSA is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations to maintain alignment with international standards by incorporating various amendments, including changes to proper shipping names, hazard classes, packing groups, special provisions, packaging authorizations, air transport limited quantities, and vessel stowage requirements. These revisions are necessary to harmonize the Hazardous Materials Regulations...

The State of West Virginia now requires that propane technicians be trained, certified, and licensed. The Chemical Safety Board issued the recommendation following the CSB investigation of a propane explosion at the Little General Store in Ghent, WV, that occurred on Jan. 30, 2007. The blast killed four people and seriously injured five others. The CSB found that a junior propane service technician...

OSHA has announced that it will NOT abandon its system for ensuring that electrical products used in the workplace are safe. The European Union requested that OSHA explore the possibility of adopting its system, known as Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (“SDoC”). … HomeRead More »

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced the arrest of Brian Andre, former owner of Andre Tuckpointing and Brickwork, and Regina Shaw, owner of Andre Stone & Mason Work Inc., the successor company to Andre Tuckpointing and Brickwork. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ordered their arrest and incarceration for repeatedly failing...

OSHA announced late last week that it is withdrawing its proposed interpretation titled “Interpretation of OSHA’s Provisions for Feasible Administrative or Engineering Controls of Occupational Noise.” The interpretation would have clarified the term “feasible administrative or engineering controls” as used in OSHA’s noise standard. The proposed interpretation was...

Cites Need for Emergency Drills, Following Pressure Vessel Codes … HomeRead More »

Here are a few tips that will improve not only your compliance but also the overall efficiency of your emergency action plan. 1) ALWAYS have two muster/assembly areas (e.g., a primary and a secondary) on opposite ends of the facility 2) MARK/LABEL these areas accordingly so that it is noticeable to contractors, truck drivers, visitors who have been separated from their hosts, etc. 3) Try to pick an...

Yes, there is a safety program called the car-seal program. In most chemical processing plants, a car-seal program is a CRITICAL program in their PSM/RMP program; however, this program has uses in almost any type of facility with relief valves, cooling water systems, eyewash/safety showers, etc. This program is designed as an administrative control technique to maintain safety-critical valves in their...

In July 2004, the AWS Safety and Health Committee engaged an outside independent expert, Woodhall Stopford MD, MSPH, of the Duke University Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, to review the literature of published articles related to the neurotoxicology of manganese, particularly including manganese found in welding fume. … HomeRead More »

OSHA has announced that it has temporarily withdrawn from review by the Office of Management and Budget its proposal to restore a column for work-related musculoskeletal disorders on employer injury and illness logs. … HomeRead More »

Marking its 11th year, the annual Workplace Safety Index combines information from Liberty Mutual, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the National Academy of Social Insurance to identify the top causes of serious workplace injuries. … HomeRead More »