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OSHA this week proposed $16.6 million in fines for 371 alleged safety violations related to the deadly Kleen Energy Systems LLC power plant explosion earlier this year.
Six workers were killed in the Feb. 7 blast at the Middletown, CT, facility during an operation in which natural gas was pumped through lines to clear out debris. The Chemical Safety Board has urged the energy industry to stop the use of “gas blows” and similar operations, calling them “inherently unsafe.”
The proposed OSHA penalty – assessed to three different companies and 14 site contractors – is the second-largest amount the agency has issued this fiscal year.
OSHA on May 24 issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would revise its walking-working surfaces and personal protective equipment standards.
Current regulations require employers to provide lanyards and body belts, which OSHA called “outdated and dangerous fall protection equipment” in an agency press release.
The proposed rule would extend requirements for effective fall protection, such as self-retracting lanyards and ladder safety and rope descent systems, to general industry workers. Currently, only maritime and construction workers are required to have them. The changes also would allow OSHA to fine employees for allowing workers to climb certain ladders without fall protection.
OSHA estimates the revisions will help prevent 20 workplace fatalities and more than 3,500 serious injuries each year.
Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted by Aug. 23.
A newly introduced bill in Wyoming would increase penalties for workplace violations under the state’s occupational safety and health program.
House Bill 0093, introduced earlier this month, would increase fines and civil penalties to the same amount currently proposed at the federal level as part of the Protecting America’s Workers Act (S. 1580).
Among the proposed changes:
Any willful violation that results in the death of a worker would receive a penalty amount of no more than $250,000 and no less than $50,000.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration announced four public meetings in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky during the next two weeks to discuss the agency’s strategy to reduce black lung disease among coal miners.
Scheduled attendees include MSHA administrator Joseph A. Main, Deputy Assistant Secretary Gregory R. Wagner, NIOSH representatives and medical experts.
Abuse of prescription drugs by Americans 12 and older dropped significantly in 2008 from the previous year, according to results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey also indicated declines in the usage rates of methamphetamines and cocaine. Despite these declines, the overall rate of illicit drug use remained steady at approximately 8 percent.
The report said that although the rate of marijuana use among 12- to 17-year-olds has remained stable at about 6.7 percent for the past several years, results indicated the rate of alcohol, tobacco and prescription drug abuse has dropped. The rate of binge drinking among full-time college students also decreased to 16.3 percent in 2008 from 19.5 percent in 2007.
However, the survey also indicated that LSD and Ecstasy use among young adults rose in 2008, although use still remained below the peak levels recorded in 2002.
Preliminary figures for 2008 show a nearly 9 percent decline in the number of worker fatalities from the previous year, but Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said even one death is one too many.
A total of 5,057 worker deaths occurred in 2008, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the lowest total since such data collection began in 1992; in 2007, 5,657 worker deaths were recorded.
In a statement, Solis said the decline “represents change in the right direction.” But she stressed the Department of Labor would “not be satisfied until there are no workplace deaths due to failure to comply with safety rules.”
Key findings in the BLS report included workplace suicides increasing 28 percent, Hispanic worker deaths down 17 percent, and deaths from workplace falls dropping 20 percent after a record high in 2007.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed limiting the amount of radioactive material allowed in generally licensed devices.
The move would affect about 1,800 devices and offer stronger oversight of radioactive materials by requiring an estimated 1,400 general license holders to apply for specific licenses for the devices, according to an NRC press release. The agency claims increased regulation and monitoring of the specific licenses would increase safety, security and control. In turn, this would make it harder for someone to obtain a device or accumulate a “risk-significant” amount of material for subterfuge.
The proposed rule was published in the Aug. 3 Federal Register.
The United Steelworkers have pulled out of talks with the oil industry on the development of two new ANSI standards.
In the aftermath of the deadly 2005 Texas City BP refinery explosion, the Chemical Safety Board recommended both USW and the American Petroleum Institute work with ANSI to develop standards on process safety performance indicators and fatigue.
Pittsburgh-based USW withdrew from the talks this week, citing a process “too severely weighted toward the oil companies.” Conversely, API blamed USW for “attempting to undermine” the development process by silencing other stakeholders.
In a statement, Washington-based API said work would continue on the standards, which are expected to be issued later this year.
The ANSI A10 Accredited Standards Committee’s new standard, “Sanitation in Construction” (ANSI/ASSE A10.25-2009), seeks to improve sanitation on worksites. The A10.25 standard applies to all construction jobsites and ensures that workers are provided with adequate potable water as well as with sanitary hand-washing and waste disposal facilities. The standard outlines requirements for:
A10.25 does not apply to hazardous chemical(s) handling.
For more information on the A10.25 standard, visit
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