OSHA proposes $60K in penalties tied to pile cutting fatality

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Adminstration; CP staff An investigation into how a 47-year-old carpenter was fatally injured in October 2021 at the Pinellas Gateway Express project in Clearwater, Fla., found that employer Archer Western – De Moya JV II violated safety standards by allowing workers to remain in a crane load’s danger zone. 

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NIOSH study reveals inconsistencies in hearing protection use

Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, D.C. A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study published this month in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine suggests that more than half of noise-exposed workers responding to past National Health Interview Surveys didn’t use hearing protection “always” or “usually” when exposed to hazardous occupational noise. Hearing protection device (HPD)…

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Coalition combats industrial heat stress on eight workplace fronts

New National Heat Safety Coalition (NHSC) recommendations span eight areas that participants cite as key to keeping workers in industrial environments safe: heat hygiene and acclimatization; hydration; environmental monitoring; physiological monitoring; body cooling; textiles and personal protective equipment; plus, emergency action plans and implementation.

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Coalition premiers recommendations to combat industrial heat stress

Sources: National Heat Safety Coalition; Magid, Romeoville, Ill. The National Heat Safety Coalition’s (NHSC) industrial heat safety recommendations span eight areas that participants cite as key to keeping workers safe: Heat hygiene; Hydration; Heat acclimatization; Environmental monitoring; Physiological monitoring; Body cooling; Textiles and PPE; and, Emergency action plans and implementation. 

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Court sides with truck driver turned OSHA whistleblower

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has approved the settlement of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration whistleblower investigation revealing how Advance Disposal Services Waste Midwest LLC retaliated against a driver who reported a workplace injury and raised concerns that an unrepaired truck was unsafe to operate. The court…

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OSHA rethinks coronavirus mitigation and prevention guidance

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff As employers approach one year of pandemic response measures, OSHA’s just-issued “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of Covid-19 in the Workplace” provides updated recommendations plus reminders of existing safety and health standards. Among essential prevention program elements, the guidance recommends that employers: 

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Donley’s, Wayne Bros. lead Concrete Contractors’ Safety Awards

Sources: American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis; CP staff The American Society of Concrete Contractors has named Cleveland general contractor Donley’s Inc. and Davidson, N.C. specialty contractor Wayne Brothers Inc. as W. Burr Bennett Award for Safety Excellence recipients, based on 2019 metrics. The ASCC Safety & Risk Management Council presents the honor in partnership with major underwriter CNA,…

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Ready mixed producer safety performance reaches new watermark

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, Va.; CP staff

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association is recognizing 975 of the nearly 1,500 producer member plants entered into the 2019 Excellence in Safety Awards Program. The record number of plants spans Gold (918 recipients), Silver (five) and Bronze (52) categories defined by Occupational Safety and Health Administration and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics incident rate (IR) thresholds. 

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OSHA revises enforcement policies for coronavirus infection cases

Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

As states reopen after more than two months of shelter orders, OSHA has adopted two revised enforcement policies with respect to coronavirus exposure in workplaces, spurred by improved understanding about infection transmission and prevention throughout the course of the pandemic. 

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‘Protecting the Workforce’ campaign guides OSHA to 50th anniversary

Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff

OSHA will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 with a yearlong celebration of past achievements, current efforts and future initiatives to protect the American workforce. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970, the OSH Act was created “to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women,” laying the groundwork for creation of OSHA the following spring. 

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