The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a public board meeting Tuesday during which it determined the probable cause for the fatal March 23, 2018, crash of a Tesla Model X in Mountain View, California.
Based on the findings of its investigation the NTSB issued a total of nine safety recommendations whose recipients include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, OSHA, SAE International, Apple Inc., and other manufacturers of portable electronic devices.
OSHA has cited Jaime Martinez Hernandez – a residential framing contractor based in Phenix City, Alabama – for exposing employees to fall and struck-by hazards at two Alabama worksites. The contractor faces $240,880 in penalties.
The agency conducted the inspections in conjunction with the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction after investigators observed employees working from heights without fall protection at worksites in Auburn and Opelika.
OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER) applies to five distinct groups of employers and their employees. This includes any employees who are exposed or potentially exposed to hazardous substances -- including hazardous waste -- and who are engaged in one of the following operations as specified by 1910.120(a)(1)(i-v) and1926.65(a)(1)(i-v).
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has released data following the first weeks of operation of its Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The clearinghouse has detected and identified nearly 8,000 positive substance abuse tests of commercial drivers since January 6, 2020. The clearinghouse now has more than 650,000 registrants.
OSHA has cited Dana Rail Care for workplace safety and health hazards at the facility in Wilmington, Delaware. OSHA cited the company for electrical and explosion hazards, insufficient means of egress, use of defective powered industrial trucks, lack of medical clearance for respiratory protection use, improper use of respirators and inadequate secondary air supply, and lack of signage in a silica-regulated area.
In most countries, hearing protectors are required by law to be tested and labeled in a specific way. The idea is that by using a standardized measurement method and a straightforward, one-number rating, it should help users decide which hearing protector to choose. However, it turns that one number often doesn’t tell the whole story.
To meet the March 1, 2020, reporting deadline and avoid penalties, facilities that have one or more hazardous chemicals covered under OSHA’s Hazardous Communication Standard must soon submit their Tier II forms to local fire departments, local emergency planning committees, and state emergency response commissions.
OSHA has cited DB Custom Carpentry LLC – based in Aurora, Illinois – for exposing employees to falls. The homebuilder faces penalties of $333,968 for three willful and one repeat safety violations.
In August 2019, OSHA inspectors observed two employees sheeting a residential roof without adequate fall protection in Naperville, Illinois. The agency also cited the company for failing to train employees on fall protection, and to provide and ensure that employees wore safety glasses and hard hats.
OSHA has cited Garick LLC – operating as Smith Garden Products – for exposing employees to safety hazards at the Cumming, Georgia, facility. The manufacturer of specialty mulch products faces $148,867 in penalties.
The agency cited Garick LLC for failing to ensure energy control procedures contained clear and specific steps to limit the release of hazardous energy.
Criminal charges for a crane operator in a co-worker’s jobsite death, legislation to prevent workplace violence in the health care industry and the costs of obesity among the workforce were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.