OSHA watch

Deadline for electronic injury, illness reports now Dec. 15

OSHA has delayed until Dec. 15 the compliance date for employers to electronically submit injury and illness data. See first article, OSHA news, for details.

Crane operator certification requirements delayed until 2018

As expected, the crane operator certification requirements were delayed by one year, when a final rule was published in the Nov. 9 Federal Register - just one day before the regulation was set to go into effect. "The agency intends to propose removing the capacity component of certification," according to the Federal Register notice.

New fact sheets available on protecting workers in the shipyard and maritime industries

Four new fact sheets on protecting workers from common hazards found in the shipyard and maritime industries are available:

• Pedestal crane safety
• Housekeeping safety
• Fire and rescue in shipyard employment
• Baggage handling

Enforcement notes

California

• Six employers cited over $240,000 for exposing workers to Valley Fever on a solar project construction site in Monterey County. General contractor and subcontractors McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., Papich Construction Co. Inc., Granite Construction Co. Inc., Sachs Electric Co., Dudek, and Althouse and Meade Inc. were cited.

Florida

• Tampa Electric Co. faces over $28,000 in fines for exposing workers to a hazardous release of a chemical refrigerant. Citations were also issued to Largo-based security services provider Critical Intervention Services, for not developing or implementing a written hazard communication program and failing to provide information and training on hazardous chemicals in the workplace. The company faces $25,350 in proposed penalties.

Georgia

• Buford-based auto parts manufacturer, Elringklinger USA Inc., was cited for exposing workers to electrical, fall, and noise hazards and faces fines of $308,906. The investigation followed two incidents, one involving an amputation of an index finger. Citations included failing to install machine guarding, preventing unauthorized employees from performing tasks that require the control of electrical hazards, and protecting workers from excessive noise exposure.

Indiana

• A 59-year-old worker was killed at the Amazon warehouse in Plainfield, when his head was crushed by a forklift. In its four-charge complaint, the Indiana DOL cited failure to train employees on lock-out tag-out procedures, as well as failure to follow those procedures and fined Amazon $28,000.

Massachusetts

• Lynnway Auto Auction Inc. faces fines of $267,081 for electrical, struck-by, and other hazards at its auto auction facility in Billerica. Five people were struck by a sport utility vehicle and died as a result of their injuries. Inspectors also conducted a joint employer inspection, and determined that temporary workers from TrueBlue Inc. - doing business as PeopleReady - were also exposed to struck-by hazards. The agency cited the Dover, New Hampshire, staffing firm for one serious violation for a struck-by hazard, and proposed a penalty totaling $12,675.

Mississippi

• New Albany-based Custom Nonwoven Inc., a subsidiary of Korea Synthetic Fiber, faces penalties of $220,544 for willfully exposing its workers to unguarded machines, electrocution, and burns from exposed electrical wires and control cabinets, and falls from walkways that were not equipped with guardrails.

Missouri

• Anderson Foot and Ankle Clinic, a Rolla-based podiatry clinic, was cited for potentially exposing employees to infectious materials, and for violations of the hazard communication standard and faces penalties totaling $93,074.

Nebraska

• A Dorchester-based Farmers Cooperative faces $373,911 in proposed penalties for failing to protect workers from grain bin entrapment and engulfment hazards. The cooperative was cited for two willful, one repeat, and four serious safety violations of the agency's grain handling standards.
• Bimbo Bakeries USA faces $122,625 in proposed penalties for exposing workers to multiple hazards at its Bellevue commercial bakery. Investigators cited the bakery for three repeat and three serious violations including lack of machine guarding, failing to provide fall protection, and using a damaged electrical panel box.

New York

• Trade Fair Supermarkets faces $505,929 in proposed penalties for exposing employees to safety and health hazards at three of its locations in Queens. Inspectors found blocked exit routes, saw blades without safety guards, and a lack of eyewash stations needed in the event of exposure to corrosive substances. The company also failed to train employees on, and provide safety data sheets for, hazardous chemicals used in the stores.

Wisconsin

• Didion Milling Inc., a corn milling facility faces over $1.8 million in penalties following a fatal grain dust explosion that killed five workers and injured 12 others. Inspectors found that the explosion likely resulted from Didion's failures to correct the leakage and accumulation of highly combustible grain dust throughout the facility and to properly maintain equipment to control ignition sources. Cited for 14 willful violations, the company was placed in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.