Articles | Cases

OSHA watch


Updated training and educational resources available on fall prevention

OSHA's fall prevention campaign website provides several resources to assist workers and employers in preventing falls from ladders, scaffolds and roofs. These pages have been updated with additional materials from OSHA's campaign partners, including new Spanish-language resources on ladders and other equipment.



OSHA revises exemption for digger derricks in its Cranes and Derricks standard

In a final rule published in the November 9, 2012, Federal Register, OSHA announced that it is broadening the exemption for digger derricks in its Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard to include all digger derricks used in construction work subject to 29 CFR 1926, Subpart V, Power Transmission and Distribution.

The rule will become effective Feb. 7, 2013, unless OSHA receives significant adverse comment by Dec. 10. See the Federal Register notice for more details.



Updated publications

General Industry Digest - a booklet that summarizes General Industry safety and health standards to help employers, supervisors, workers, health and safety committee members, and safety and health personnel learn about OSHA standards in the workplace. There is also a Spanish language version.

Safety and Health Information Bulletin - information on hazards of ATV use in the workplace including the operating conditions and specific activities that most often lead to ATV-related injuries and fatalities, the guidelines and training an employer can use to help protect employees, and the work practices that workers can follow to reduce the potential for ATV-related accidents.



Recent fines and awards

Flight center must reinstate whistle blower pilot - Illinois

The Lake in the Hills, Ill.-based Northern Illinois Flight Center Inc. that employs pilots to fly aircraft for the transportation of passengers and property was ordered to reinstate a whistle-blower pilot and pay him more than $500,000 in back wages, benefits and damages. The pilot charged that he was asked to falsify an FAA pilot certification for a training flight he performed with another pilot.



Saratoga Springs contractor fined $47,000 for exposing workers to falls and other hazards - New York

RCP Services Inc. of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was cited for nine safety violations while performing concrete work at a residential apartment complex on Big Island Drive in Jacksonville. An inspection was initiated in August after an OSHA inspector observed employees working without fall protection.



Syracuse roofing contractor for fall hazards at Liverpool work site - New York

Employees at a Michael C. Graham & Son Construction site in Liverpool were exposed to potentially deadly or disabling falls of up to 17 feet due to a lack of fall protection, resulting in citations for willful, repeat and serious violations. The Syracuse-based roofing contractor faces a total of $61,600 in proposed fines.



Lawn care service company fined following electrocution of employee - Rhode Island

Johnston-based AAA Professional Lawn Care, which faces $49,000 in proposed fine, was cited with seven serious violations in connection with a death of an employee who was electrocuted while performing tree-trimming work.



Detailed descriptions of the citations above and other OSHA citations can be found here.