Double Trench Fatality Leads to 7-Figure Fine, Criminal Charges
OSHA says the deaths of two employees in a tragic trench accident could have been prevented if a drain cleaning company had provided basic safeguards and training.
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Q&A: Power Strips for Office Electronics
Recently, a subscriber asked the following question: According to OSHA, are we allowed to use power strips to permanently power electronics like office computers?
April Is Distracted Driving Month
April is Distracted Driving Month, and the National Safety Council (NSC) is urging Americans to #justdrive. More than a hashtag, it’s a strategy for saving lives.
Open the Pod Bay Doors, HAL: Can Automation Be Made Safe for Humans?
In November 2016, a Chinese firm was showing off its educational toy robot, “Little Chubby,” at the China International Hi-Tech Fair in Shenzhen, China. Without warning, the robot rolled out of control, smashed a glass booth, and injured the man inside. Social media had a field day: the robots were rising at last!
How to Tell ‘Other Recordable Cases’ from Simple First Aid
Federal OSHA does not require employers to record injuries that only require first aid on OSHA injury and illness forms (OSHA Form 300 and 301 Incident Reports). At most workplaces, injuries or illnesses requiring only first aid are commonplace.
Danger, Will Robinson! The Hazards of the Robotic Workplace
On June 18, 2016, bride-to-be Regina Elsea showed up for her shift as a temporary employee at the Ajin plant in Cusseta, Alabama. The plant, which makes metal parts for Hyundai and Kia vehicles, was built in 2008 and is heavily automated. When a sensor fault shut down a robotic production line, Elsea and three […]
EHS and the Procurement Connection
By Adam Levesque, MBA, CSP Safety Management Consultant, MEMIC What types of chemicals or raw materials should you ensure receive adequate hazard controls prior to arriving at your facility? How would you respond if you were asked by senior leadership why employees were not protected adequately, why a hazard which caused an injury was not […]
Pennsylvania to Perry: Save the WAP
The heads of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) have written to Energy Secretary Rick Perry, urging the Trump administration to preserve federal funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and State Energy Program (SEP).
FR Announces Reviews of GHG Rules
With announcements of three rule reviews in the April 4, 2017, Federal Register (FR), EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has begun to formally implement President Donald Trump’s March 28, 2017, Executive Order (EO), Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth. In the EO, the president directed the EPA to review two Clean Air Act (CAA) rules affecting […]
D.C. Circuit Asked to Deny EPA Motion to Freeze CPP Cases
States, state attorneys general, cities (state intervenors) in one document, and environmental groups (nongovernmental organization (NGO) intervenors) in another have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to deny a motion from the EPA to hold cases challenging EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) in abeyance while the Agency reviews the CPP in […]