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Safety/Health

Use chemicals at work? Heed new OSHA standards

06/13/2012
OSHA has updated its hazard communication standard to harmonize it with international standards. Com­­panies that manufacture, transport or have chemicals in the workplace must begin complying with the new standard by June 26.

Twin Davie firms share 17 OSHA citations

06/11/2012
OSHA has cited Merlin Industries Inc. and Thermal Concepts Inc.—two Davie businesses owned by the same family and sharing the same address—for 17 safety violations, worth $59,100 in fines.

Amputation leads to OSHA sanctions in Botkins

06/04/2012
OSHA has cited Boomerang Rubber Inc. with 31 health and safety violations after a worker’s arm was amputated while he was performing maintenance on a rubber processing machine at a truck mat and mud flap manufacturing plant in Botkins.

Dust explosion leads to injuries, OSHA sanctions

05/16/2012
OSHA has cited Steeleville-based Gilster-Mary Lee Corp. for safety violations after a dust ex­­plosion severely burned two employees.

Play ball! But limit your liability at summer social events

05/12/2012
Say your marketing director breaks his leg during an after-hours employee softball game against a crosstown company. Who’s responsible? You might be surprised.

Delta agrees to OSHA’s baggage-cart seat belt plan

05/10/2012
Delta Airlines has entered into a two-year settlement agreement with OSHA to install seat belts on all company baggage-handling vehicles. An OSHA inspection following an em­­ployee death led to the agreement.

Not a matter of style: Factor safety, liability into dress code

04/30/2012

A recent HR Specialist poll found that casual attire is the norm in 88% of our readers’ workplaces. But a culture of dressing down doesn’t mean organizations don’t need a dress code. What people wear to work is more than a matter of personal preference. One area of primary concern is safety.

Hear me now? OSHA slams firm for noise hazards–again

04/30/2012
Apparently, Piping Technology & Products (PTP) is a noisy place—so noisy that management failed to hear OSHA the first time it cited the company a year ago. Now it must pay OSHA fines totaling $118,000 after inspectors discovered conditions leading to one willful and nine serious health and safety violations.

Worker gas deaths lead to hefty fines from Cal/OSHA

04/19/2012
Cal/OSHA has cited Lamont-based Community Recycling and Resources Recovery for 16 workplace safety violations after two brothers died from hydrogen sulfide gas exposure while working in a storm drain.

Safety trumps bias claim in case of ‘no skirts’ rule

04/16/2012
One of the few times you can overrule an employee’s religious accommodation requests is when safety is involved, as the following case shows.