Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Friday provided a broad outline of mine safety improvements he’s seeking in response to the April 5 explosion at West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch coal mine that killed 29 workers.
In ongoing contract negotiations, the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) are demanding pay for on-call time and the enforcement of legally mandated rest periods, among other things.
Already in the cross-hairs of federal and congressional investigators — as well as dozens of plaintiff’s attorneys — for its role in the Gulf oil rig explosion and the spreading oil spill, BP was recently hit with some more bad news. The oil giant’s Cherry Point refinery in Washington State, the largest one in the state, was slapped with 13 serious safety violations and $69,200 in fines by the Washington Division of Occupational Safety and Health last week.
OSHA’s recent review of the agency’s methylene chloride standard indicates the standard is succeeding in protecting workers from the effects of methylene chloride exposure such as respiratory and central nervous system failure and cancer.
It’s not everyday that a regular Joe – or Michael Powell in this case – takes on a huge corporation and wins.
OSHA has notified officials at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center that a recent inspection has found 32 serious, four repeat, and one other-than-serious violation of federal workplace safety and health standards. Because the medical center is a federal employer, no fines are being assessed.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited FAST-Houston with one alleged willful, two alleged serious and two alleged other-than-serious violations for failing to protect workers from energized machinery hazards at its facility in Humble. Proposed penalties total $72,900.
An Ada, Ohio, sporting goods firm noted for making the special football used in the National Football League’s Super Bowl has been fined $37,800 by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for alleged safety violations found during an inspection late last year.
The Bedford Park, Ill., U.S. Postal Service processing center has been fined $210,000 for work-safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration representatives came to Carmel High School in Indiana to investigate the accident in which a school maintenance worker died. Rick Schoolcraft, 52, was burned when a riding lawnmower suddenly caught fire while he stood near it.
