OSHA watch
Final rule on crane operator certifications issued
As anticipated, the final rule clarifying certification requirements for crane operators, requires certification by type of crane or type of crane and lifting capacity. "Certification/licensing" must be accomplished via an accredited testing service, an independently audited employer program, military training, or compliance with qualifying state or local licensing requirements. Employers also are required to "train operators as needed to perform assigned crane activities" and provide training when it is necessary to operate new equipment.
Most requirements in the final rule became effective on Dec. 9, 2018. The evaluation and documentation requirements will become effective on Feb. 7, 2019. Employers who have evaluated operators prior to Dec. 9, 2018 will not have to conduct those evaluations again, but have to document when those evaluations were completed.
New publication on lockout/tagout and temporary workers
A new bulletin on lockout/tagout explains the joint responsibility of host employers and staffing agencies to ensure that temporary employees are properly protected against the sudden release of stored energy. Prior to beginning work, both employers should review the task assignments and job hazards to identify, eliminate, and control the release of hazardous energy before workers perform service or maintenance on machinery.
Regional Emphasis Program (REP) in Pacific Northwest for fall protection in construction
Enforcement of the REP, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, will begin after a period of outreach and education. Enforcement activities will include "onsite inspections and evaluations of construction operations, working conditions, recordkeeping, and safety and health programs to ensure compliance."
Cal/OSHA emergency regulations approved for electronic submission form 300A by December 31, 2018
The Office of Administrative Law approved the emergency regulations that businesses required to submit the Cal/OSHA Form 300A online include all establishments with 250 or more employees, unless specifically exempted by section 14300.2 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, and establishments with 20 to 249 employees in the specific industries listed on page 8 of the emergency regulation's proposed text (including common industries such as manufacturing, grocery stores, department stores, and warehousing and storage).
Enforcement notes
California
- Oakland-based general contractor, Bay Construction, Inc., was cited for dismantling a trench box while an employee was still working inside and later killed by a loosened support rail. The company was issued nine citations with $141,075 in proposed penalties, including five classified as general, two serious, one serious accident-related and one willful-serious accident-related.
- Amazon Landscaping Co. faces six citations and $54,750 in penalties after a worker was fatally injured when a rope he had around his body became entangled in the stump grinder and he was pulled into the cutting wheel.
- After a series of appeals relating to citations issued to Pinnacle Telecommunications Inc. after an employee suffered serious head injuries from a 7-foot fall from a telecommunications structure, the Alameda County Superior Court affirmed that fall-protection safety orders apply to elevated indoor telecommunications structures and the penalty of $25,560.
Florida
- PGT Industries Inc., operating as CGI Windows and Doors Inc. in Hialeah, was cited for machine guarding hazards after an employee suffered a partial finger amputation while working on an unguarded punch press. The window and door manufacturer faces $398,545 in penalties, including the maximum amount allowed by law for the violations that can cause life-altering injury.
- Inspected under the REP on falls, Crown Roofing, LLC, was cited for exposing employees to fall hazards, including installing roofing materials without the use of a fall protection system. The roofing contractor was issued the maximum allowable penalty of $129,336.
- Inspected under the REP on falls, Panama City Framing LLC was cited for exposing employees to fall hazards at a worksite in Panama City. The company faces $113,816 in proposed penalties.
- Tom Krips Construction Inc. and Etherna Services Inc. were cited after a lattice boom section of a crane fell onto an employee during disassembly, crushing his foot and ankle at a Fort Lauderdale worksite. Tom Krips Construction Inc. faces $29,877 in penalties, and Etherna Services Inc. penalties total $5,174.
Georgia
- Dollar Tree Distribution Center, Inc., and U.S. Xpress, Inc., were cited for exposing workers to hazards after an employee was fatally struck by a forklift and face penalties of $130,112 and $12,934 respectively. Both companies were cited for failing to ensure that employees wore high-visibility vests while working at night inside the center and Dollar Tree Distribution Center Inc. was also cited for using a vehicle with a non-functioning headlight, failing to guard a nip point on a conveyor discharge belt, and storing unstable materials on racks.
Massachusetts
- Northeast Framing Inc., based in Lunenberg, was cited for exposing workers to falls and other hazards following an employee's fatal fall at an East Boston worksite. The company faces $311,330 in penalties, the maximum allowed by law.
Nebraska
- Rivera Agri Inc., a provider of temporary agricultural labor, was cited for failing to protect employees working in excessive heat after a farmworker succumbed to apparent heat-related symptoms while working in a cornfield near Grand Island. The company was cited for a serious violation of the General Duty Clause, and faces proposed penalties totaling $11,641.