Facility Safety - Articles - Page 172

Severe injury at Texas manufacturing co. was only the latest

OSHA charges company with creating a “dangerous work environment”

March 6, 2014

An OSHA inspection into an incident in which a worker’s arms being crushed while he was operating an unguarded machine uncovered information about two other incidents at the same facility; both of them involving severe injuries to employees while operating similar machinery.

Wisc. worker made ill by chlorine gas exposure

After danger was known, company didn’t move other workers out of area

March 4, 2014

An aluminum plant worker sickened by hazardous chlorine gas while changing cylinders brought OSHA inspectors to Beck Aluminum Alloys Ltd., which operates Beck Aluminum Racine, for a close look at the company’s Racine, Wisc. plant.

Calculating the cost: is housekeeping the best way to reduce combustible dust risks?

Brad Carr P.E.

March 4, 2014

There’s no way around it, combustible dust is costly. The highest cost comes when combustible dust is ignored: people die.

Can't stand it? Anti-fatigue mats reduce pain and stress; increase productivity

Robert Kravitz

March 4, 2014

Most facility managers — whether they work in schools, offices, or industrial locations — are well aware of the benefits of entry mats

Lighten Up: Industrial lighting can save energy, elevate moods & boost productivity

Jack Rubinger

March 3, 2014

Workers surveyed by the Kensington Technology Group listed eyestrain as a leading cause of physical stress in the workplace.

California moves ahead on refinery safety improvements

February 28, 2014

California’s initiative to improve refinery safety is getting a big thumb’s up from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB). A report recently released by the California Interagency Working Group on Refinery Safety “is an important milestone for improving refinery safety across the State of California,” said CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso.

Tesoro blocks feds from investigating refinery accident

Two workers severely burned in chemical spill

February 27, 2014

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is demanding access to the Tesoro refinery in Martinez, California, in order to investigate a Feb. 12 chemical spill that resulted in first- and second-degree burns to two workers.

The Kleen Energy plant tragedy-

4 years after deadly plant explosion: no ban on gas blows, fines slashed

Dave Altimari Matthew Kauffman

February 20, 2014

After six workers were killed in a massive gas explosion at the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown, Connecticut four years ago, federal investigators tallied hundreds of violations at the site and issued $16.6 million in penalties against more than a dozen companies — the third-largest workplace-safety fine in the nation's history.

Conn. reproductions manufacturer reproduces hazards as well

Artbeats Inc. faces citations, fines for repeat violations

February 19, 2014

OSHA has cited Artbeats Inc. for repeat and serious violations of workplace safety standards at its Cheshire facility. The company, which manufactures reproductions of prints and paintings, faces $56,430 in proposed fines following an inspection by OSHA's Bridgeport Area Office begun Dec. 3, 2013, in response to a worker complaint.

A lesson from tragedy:

How to avoid a fire caused by heating equipment

February 17, 2014

In the wake of a house fire that killed a mother and eight children in Kentucky January 30, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) is offering tips on how other can avoid similar fire tragedies. Police said the fire in the Kentucky incident started when a combustible material fell against an electric heater in a bedroom as a family slept.