Safety professionals know that workplace examinations are important so hazards can be identified and corrected before employees start working. Regular workplace safety exams can catch hazards that may otherwise be missed. And when those hazards are found they need to be corrected as soon as possible. Why? Because the longer the hazard is present the […]
OSHA isn’t the only U.S. Department of Labor agency that’s worried about workers being affected by extreme heat this summer as the Wage and Hour Division just launched its own heat awareness campaign. “Operation Beat the Heat” is the division’s effort to reduce heat safety violations and heat-related injuries and illnesses in the agricultural industry. […]
Safety professionals know why lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures need to be specific to individual pieces of equipment: because there can be big differences from one machine to the next. Beside being an OSHA requirement, it’s important to have specific LOTO procedures in place for individual machines since general rules that apply to all the equipment could […]
A 28-year-old haul truck driver was killed when his haul truck, which was parked on a grade, rolled downhill and pinned him against his personal pickup truck, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). MSHA investigators found Frontera Materials Inc., operator of the Mobile Crusher #3 mine in Hidalgo County, Texas, failed […]
A federal investigation into a worker’s death in a belt conveyor revealed an employer’s inadequate machine guarding, lockout/tagout and inspection procedures, all of which contributed to the fatal incident. The worker, who had 27 years of experience, didn’t lock out the conveyor system before attempting to clear debris from the belt, failed to ensure a […]
A fatal explosion in a Massachusetts auto shop was caused by a failure to provide a proper hot work procedure and a general safety program. On Sept. 25, 2019, a 64-year-old auto mechanic was injured while welding on top of a nearly empty steel drum of flammable washer fluid. As he began to weld, the […]
A fatal weather-related incident at a remote mine in Utah may not be likely to happen at most worksites, but the tragic event serves as a reminder that emergency plans need to include dangerous weather. Because the mine operator failed to provide an emergency plan that included hazardous weather events, a pair of flash floods […]
Katherine Lemos, the chairperson of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), has resigned from her position. Shauna Lawhorne, a spokesperson for the CSB, confirmed Lemos’ departure, according to The Hill. Lemos was the only member of the CSB appointed by the Trump administration and once she departs the only remaining members will be two Biden […]
A new enforcement initiative to protect miners from overexposure to respirable crystalline silica was announced June 8 by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The enforcement initiative will serve as a form of protection for miners while the agency continues the rulemaking process toward developing an improved mandatory health standard addressing respirable crystalline […]
