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NSC 2018: OSHA Top 10 Violations Announced

At the 2018 National Safety Council Congress & Expo in Houston, Texas, Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the agency’s top 10 violations for fiscal year (FY) 2018 to a standing-room-only crowd of safety professionals. While the list—particularly its top half—is largely familiar from previous years, one standard made an […]

OSHA inspector

General Duty Clause Violations: Proving Is Easier Said than Done

The General Duty Clause (Clause) of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act has been in effect since the Act was passed in 1970 and, therefore, should be an important consideration in employer worker safety and hazard reduction plans. But while most employers that are familiar with the OSH Act and federal and state worker-protection […]

Railway, railroad

Retaliation Against Injury Report Results in $85,000 Penalty

OSHA has ordered Springfield Terminal Railway Inc. to compensate an employee who faced an investigative hearing with possible disciplinary action or termination for reporting an on-the-job injury at its facility in Andover, Massachusetts. OSHA ordered the company to pay the employee $10,000 in compensatory damages, $75,000 in punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.

Carpal tunnel musculoskeletal

Is an Employee’s Claim of a Workplace-Caused Musculoskeletal Disorder Recordable?

Question: I’m attempting to determine if an employee claim of musculoskeletal disorder for both right and left wrists actually was caused by the workplace workstation as claimed by the employee. The condition resulted in medical operations to both wrists. When does this incident become an OSHA recordable injury, and are the days away from work […]

Lockout Tagout sign

Lockout/Tagout Citations: A Regular on OSHA’s Top 10

Failure by employers to develop and use hazardous energy control procedures as required by OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard (29 CFR 1910.147) is one of the Agency’s annual top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations. Perhaps the most demanding compliance obligation is establishment of a written energy control program.

Cooling towers, water cooling

All Challenges to Cooling Water Rule Denied by 2nd Circuit

The EPA’s promulgation of multiple rules since 2001 to protect aquatic species that get swept into (entrainment) and against (impingement) industrial cooling water intake structures (CWISs) has met with legal challenges from both environmental groups and industry.

Molecule

Assess Your PFAS Risk Sooner Rather than Later

Are you holding off on assessing the risk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at your facility? Don’t wait until a regulator (or worse, legal action) forces your hand! A “wait and see” approach could result in a potential damage to your brand and investor relations.