Tag: worker safety

Sunpro Solar Facing $160,000 OSHA Fine

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Nov 30, 2021 Enforcement and Inspection

Updated: Nov 30, 2021

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that solar panel installation contractor, Marc Jones Construction LLC, operating as Sunpro Solar, is facing $160,913 in penalties for a repeat violation of the fall protection standard, along with other violations.  The agency cited Sunpro Solar with a repeat, serious violation of the fall protection standard and serious violations of the ladders and fall protection training standards.  Agency inspectors found workers at […]

Labor Department Reminds Retailers to Ensure Worker Safety

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Nov 29, 2021 Personnel Safety

Updated: Nov 29, 2021

The Department of Labor (DOL) November 22 reminded retailers to both properly pay workers and ensure their health and safety during the holiday shopping season. Federal wage regulations are administered by the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates worker health and safety. OSHA urged retail employers to […]

OSHA Floats Heat Standard Proposal

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Nov 1, 2021 Heat illness

Updated: Nov 1, 2021

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) October 27 issued an advance notice of proposal rulemaking on heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings—the first step in developing a federal heat stress standard (86 FR 59309). The document contains 114 questions about a potential standard but no proposed regulatory text. The […]

Cal/OSHA Getting New Enforcement Powers in 2022

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Oct 11, 2021 Enforcement and Inspection

Updated: Oct 11, 2021

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) will have expanded enforcement authority starting January 1, 2022, with the creation of two new classes of violations: enterprisewide and egregious. Governor Gavin Newsom (D) recently signed S.B. 606 into law, authorizing the new citation and penalty authority. If a cited employer has multiple worksites, there […]

Biden Orders Emergency OSHA Vaccination Rule

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Sep 13, 2021 COVID-19

Updated: Sep 13, 2021

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will soon issue an emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide weekly negative tests. The rule will be issued as part of President Joe Biden’s six-point national strategy, announced September 9, to combat the […]

NIOSH Releases New Respirator Fact Sheets

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Sep 10, 2021 Personnel Safety

Updated: Sep 10, 2021

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) September 7 released fact sheets covering counterfeit N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) and the institute’s filtration efficiency testing and employer FFR fit testing. Last year, NIOSH and personal protective equipment manufacturers reported a rise in counterfeit FFRs following respirator shortages at the beginning of the COVID-19 […]

Farmworkers Face Heat Risk Despite Regulations

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Sep 9, 2021 Enforcement and Inspection

Updated: Sep 9, 2021

Farmworkers in California remain at risk for heat-related illness despite farms’ compliance with the state’s heat illness prevention program standard, according to research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  Around 7% of farmworkers studied were at risk for heat-related illness despite compliance with California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) […]

OSHA Cites Republic Steel for Repeat Violation

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Sep 8, 2021 Enforcement and Inspection

Updated: Sep 8, 2021

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Republic Steel for one repeat, seven serious, and three other-than-serious safety violations, seeking a proposed $220,399 in penalties. According to the agency, Republic’s Canton, Ohio, automotive steel mill did not install adequate machine guarding, implement lockout/tagout measures, or train workers on safety procedures, exposing its employees to […]

OSHA Task Force Sponsors Suicide Prevention Week

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Sep 1, 2021 Health and Wellness

Updated: Sep 1, 2021

An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) task force announced a weeklong Suicide Prevention Safety Stand-Down, planned for September 6-10, to raise awareness about the unique challenges construction workers face. A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study found that men working in construction have one of the highest suicide rates compared with […]

MA Contractor Facing $1.3 Million Fine After Trench Fatalities

By Guy Burdick, EHS Daily Advisor Aug 25, 2021 Enforcement and Inspection

Updated: Aug 25, 2021

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Wayland, Massachusetts, contractor and his processor and successor companies with 28 willful, repeat, serious, and other-than-serious safety and health violations following two trenching fatalities. The agency seeks a total of $1,350,884 in penalties. Atlantic Coast Utilities LLC/Advanced Utilities Inc.; its predecessor company Shannon Construction Corp.; their […]