OSHA cited an Illinois warehousing employer after one employee died from COVID-19 and 23 others tested positive for the virus following a luncheon in the facility’s breakroom. Inspectors allegedly found the company failed to take immediate steps to identify, inform, isolate and quarantine all of the potentially exposed employees. Further, the inspection revealed the company […]
Three out of the top 10 largest OSHA fines in 2020 were above $1 million. All ten were above $470,000. Retailers accounted for four of the top 10. Here are the 10 largest OSHA fines in 2020: BB Frame, Cliffside Park, NJ, $2,004,225. OSHA fined this New Jersey framing contractor for exposing workers to multiple […]
The operator of a New Jersey transitional housing facility was cited by OSHA after 11 employees and 28 residents tested positive for COVID-19. Infected residents weren’t isolated and mask and social distancing mandates weren’t enforced at the facility leading to employee exposure to the coronavirus. The operator had requirements for infected residents to be isolated […]
OSHA fined a water utilities construction company $1.3 million following the deaths of two workers at a Boston dig site. Workers Jordy Alexander Castaneda Romero and Juan Carlos Figueroa Gutierrez died when a dump truck struck them both, pushing them into a nine-foot deep trench at a sewer repair site in Boston. OSHA is accusing […]
A New Jersey medical facility and its temporary staffing agency have been accused by OSHA of exposing nurses to COVID-19 hazards by failing to ensure the safe use of respirators. Nurses were giving flu shots and administering COVID-19 tests to potentially infectious patients despite not having had medical evaluations to determine their ability to wear […]
Twelve months ago, we were just beginning to hear about a new, deadly virus in China. A lot has changed in safety in 2020. Here’s a look back: Jan. 20: Maximum OSHA fines increase due to annual inflation adjustment. The top fine for a willful violation is now almost $135,000. March 4: Coronavirus outbreak causing […]
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) announced March 1 that its American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AHIce) has converted to an entirely virtual format for 2021. Originally announced as a hybrid in person/virtual event, the AIHA announced on its website and through emails to in-person registrants that it will be going entirely virtual once […]
The American Industrial Hygiene Association unveiled its new brand today at the start of the Virtual AIHce EXP 2020. The organization says the new brand reflects its diverse membership and looks toward the future of the profession. “AIHA” is now the new name of the occupational safety group, with its main slogan, “Healthier Workplaces. A […]
Is six feet really the limit for person-to-person COVID-19 transmission? Unfortunately for businesses, the answer to that question seems to depend on who you ask. Recently, it may also have depended on when you ask. On Sept. 18, the CDC posted on its website that the coronavirus is transmitted mainly through the air. This would […]
Amazon reached a settlement with California over claims the company concealed the numbers of COVID-19 cases at facilities within the state from workers and local health officials. The state accused Amazon of violating right-to-know laws regarding the coronavirus that require companies to keep workers informed about the spread of COVID-19 and prevention methods used to […]
A Georgia poultry processing plant that had a fatal liquid nitrogen release in January 2021 was cited by OSHA after the plant experienced another chemical release March 11. Less than two months after the nitrogen leak killed six workers, leading to $1 million in fines for four companies, the plant experienced an ammonia leak. Inspectors found […]
The family of a railroad worker who was crushed to death in a train coupling incident can’t move forward with its lawsuit since the worker failed to follow safety rules, an appeals court determined. Because the worker failed to follow safety protocols for walking between rail cars and there was no evidence of liability on […]
The American Society of Safety Professionals’ (ASSP) Safety 2021 Conference and Expo will now take place in September as a hybrid in-person and virtual event. Safety 2021 will take place Sept. 13-15 in Austin, TX, and online. This framework replaces ASSP’s original plan to hold Safety 2021 in Denver in June. ASSP says it’s working […]
The Biden administration has told OSHA to look into an emergency COVID-19 regulation for businesses but doesn’t mandate one as part of its overall plan. In a 200-page document, National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness, a section on protecting workers says: “The President issued Executive Order Protecting Worker Health and Safety which […]
It’s official. OSHA missed the March 15 deadline President Joe Biden set for the agency to come up with an emergency temporary standard (ETS) regarding COVID-19. But the administration is giving OSHA time to get it right. Only days after taking office, President Biden asked OSHA to have an ETS ready by March 15, but […]
An injured Washington worker has to pay back more than $41,000 to the state for theft of workers’ compensation benefits. Gary Miller pleaded guilty to third-degree theft for stealing cash benefits from the state’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Investigators found Miller held five jobs while signing official forms declaring he wasn’t working because […]
