OSHA News for Decmeber 2014

This month’s draft powerpoint is Top 2015 issues for contractors. Most sites are excellent for safety and have no accidents. The sites do have hazards though. I am surprised how many of these same hazards occur on these $100 million dollar projects. 

This is not a ppt that I presented rather an informational guide for a large contractor that I worked with in December.

http://www.slideshare.net/johnanewquist/construction-safety-issues-for-2015

This year, I am tracking the Illinois worker fatalities. I can find 64 for 2014. 

It was busy month of training with 153 people trained. My original goal for 2014 was 2500 people trained. I ended the year with 2170 people trained.

Here is the news for December 2014

1) FREE SPANISH FALL PROTECTION CLASS

The “Latino Worker Resource Center” also known as the “El Obrero Latino” presents

the following safety compliance class in Spanish, for a limited time at no cost:

*The class includes books, class certificates and/or class completion identification card.

Call for class schedules and accommodations:

(888) 595-5972

2) The Confined Space in Construction Final Rule has been proposed for April 2015.

http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201410&RIN=1218-AB47

3) Key findings from the BLS 2013 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

• The total recordable cases (TRC) incidence rate of injury and illness reported by private industry employers declined in 2013 from a year earlier, as did the rate for cases of a more serious nature involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction—commonly referred to as DART— marking the first decline in the DART rate since 2009.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf

4) OSHA to get slight increase in funding for 2015.

http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/11531-budget-agreement-would-give-slight-bump-to-osha

5) IL Trenching contractor A Lamp cited again by OSHA. "The company, cited multiple times since 2008 for similar violations, has already paid more than $170,000 in fines."

"It's absurd to think that a company would put a worker in harm's way to save time or money," Allen said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-worker-safety-1210-biz--20141209-story.html

6) Jake Frisella, a 21-year-old machine operator, was fatally crushed at Ventra Belvidere LLC while reaching into a machine to align parts made for Chrysler vehicles on June 10, 2014.

“This tragic death was preventable if Ventra Belvidere ensured proper machine guarding,” said Jacob Scott, OSHA’s area director in Aurora, Illinois. “Failure to protect employees from dangerous machinery often leads to catastrophic injury or death.

http://rockrivertimes.com/2014/12/11/ventra-belvidere-cited-by-osha-could-face-fines-of-up-to-93400-for-june-2014-death/

7) Seven willful citations in ILconfined space death.

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=27087

8) Former Asbestos Removal Trainer Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Hundreds of Certifications

Lachele Rene Thrower, who worked for an approved asbestos removal training provider, with willfully making materially false statements to the Environmental Protection Agency over the course of four years. Thrower admitted to falsely certifying between 100 and 150 workers from May 2010 to August 2014 

Thrower could face up to five years in prison and a fine of more than $250,000.

Sentencing in Feb 2014

http://www.fbi.gov/sandiego/press-releases/2014/asbestos-removal-trainer-pleads-guilty-to-sale-of-false-certificates

9) New Osha reporting requirements take effect January 1, 2015. Dr. Michaels noted that when employers call in to report a reportable event (fatality, amputation, in-patient hospitalization, or eye-loss) that OSHA will engage in a conversation with the employer. According to Dr. Michaels this is a new approach for the agency, however, he claimed that the agency’s objective is to help employers. When OSHA is notified of a reportable event the agency will inquire as to how the event occurred and what type of investigation the employer is or will do to determine the cause. Additionally, Dr. Michaels stated that OSHA will have a new website up by January 1st which will allow employers to report online.

http://www.oshalawblog.com/2014/12/articles/dr-michaels-addresses-accsh-and-talks-temporary-workers-cell-towers-and-reporting-requirements/?utm_source=Jackson+Lewis%2C+P.C.+-+OSHA+Law+Blog&utm_campaign=a7eb71bd1c-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fd6a79170f-a7eb71bd1c-70486261

10) Former Peoria OSHA discrimination investigator Jim Lucera passed away at the age of 70 in Pekin on December 4, 2014. Jim was always a nice guy to be around and loved the Peoria area.

11) OSHA’s Dr. Michaels “OSHA is exploring a variety of other actions to improve the safety of chemical facilities. These include considering changes to our emergency response standards, considering regulatory changes to improve ammonium nitrate safety, and modernizing and updating the PSM standard and policies, as well as developing targeted outreach and guidance products as appropriate.”

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=TESTIMONIES&p_id=1665

12) Historic fine for retaliation. Metro-North Commuter Railroad Co. In fining the railroad $260,000 plus legal fees, the U.S. Department of Labor said it found a culture of intimidation, in which supervisors actively tried to discourage workers from filing injury reports and punished workers who did.

http://www.ctnow.com/news/hc-metro-north-penalties-1217-20141216,0,6539726.story

13) Marthe Kent, Former Regional Administrator of Region 1, passed away on December 9th. Marthe was a strong advocate for the worker and will be missed.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?pid=173463795

14) Marsha Drumm was named the Kansas City Regional Administrator. Congrats, she was Deputy RA for years.

15) It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of a fellow safety professional Hiliary H. Holloway on December 21, 2014. I worked with Hillary over the years and he was always a positive force for change and had the best smile.

http://www.phillytrib.com/obituaries/article_3562622f-2286-5d97-8b4c-48b90a5d3cb1.html

OSHA Citations in December

Penalty State Major Issues Business

1) $41,600 TX Machine Guarding, Respirators, Valve Manufacturing.

2) $84,000 WI Lockout fatality, Ready mix plant

3) $120,300 NJ PSM, Chemical plant

4) $68,600 PA Falls, Lockout, machine guarding. Pressure Vessel Manufacturing

5) $140,000 NE Willful falls, Residential roofer

6) $241,680 IL Willful machine guarding, Pet food manufacturer

7) $68,000 AL Machine guarding, Metal Stamping co.

8) $181,800 TX Machine guarding, lockout, Metal Stamping co

9) $69,300 IL Willful trenching, Concrete Company

10) $161,000 FL Willful trench fatal, Design Build contractor

11) $52,500 OH Repeat Punch press, tube mfr

12) $44,660 OH Willful fall protection, Flat Roofing contractor.

13) $45,500 CO Repeat machine guarding, Conveyor death, Meat packer

14) $169,000 FL Willful trench, Sewer Contractor

15) $93,400 IL Willful machine guarding death, Bumper Manufacturer

16) $126,000 TX Repeat Lockout, Steel mfr

17) $139,500 NJ PSM, Nail polish Mfr

18) $109,400 WI Heat Stress, Hex chrome, Frozen food mfr

19) $121,000 NJ Willful forklift training, Beer Distributor

20) $52,000 TX PSM, Meatpacker

21) $103,000 DE Willing box storage, Retailer

22) $140,000 OH Willful Machine guarding, Auto Parts mfr

23) $42,000 NY Willful forklift death, Supermarket

24) $42,800 OH Lead, Copper overexposures, Lead and Tin Alloys

25) $58,410 OH Electrical shock accident, machine guarding, Rice cake mfr

26) $53,900 FL Willful falls on roof, Siding and framing contractor

27) $49,000 PA Machine guarding, Chimney supply mfr.

28) $44,730 MO Crane death, Bridge Construction

29) $127,000 LA Machine guarding, confined space, slings, Packaging plant

30) $68,200 OH Repeat roof falls, Framing contractor

31) $70,000 Willful utility vehicle death, Tree Trimmer

32) $66,400 TX Electrical, Machine guarding, Die Caster

33) $132,040 IL Asbestos, Six contractors

34) $230,400 NH Falls, slings, machine guarding, Concrete plant.

35) $283,600 TX Repeat lockout, machine guarding, Tube mfr

Large Work Payouts

1) $62 Million for Zeng Guang Lin, 26, who plunged 20 feet off a NY roof while working for Hutch Realty in 2008. He wasn’t provided a safety harness.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/chinese-immigrant-wins-62m-payout-construction-accident-article-1.2049638

2) Severed Leg. Rome GA Jury Awards Plaintiff $8.6M

Read more: http://www.dailyreportonline.com/id=1202703761306/Rejecting-2M-for-Severed-Leg-Pays-Off-Rome-Jury-Awards-Plaintiff-86M#ixzz3MOy7yxhS

3) $50 million in Indiana stage collapse settlement.

http://www.channel3000.com/news/50-million-indiana-stage-collapse-settlement/30323716

Major New Stories

1) Three HVAC workers killed in Dallas fire. This is the 35th multiple death in 2014.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/12/12/dallas-high-rise-fire-victims-identified/

2) WV river spill exec charged. “Shortly after the leak and discharge of MCHM into the Elk River was discovered on January 9, 2014, Southern engaged in a pattern of deceitful behavior, which included numerous false and/or fraudulent statements about his role at Freedom, his role in the sale of Freedom to Chemstream, and his knowledge about conditions at the Etowah Facility,” the affidavit read.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/09/3601157/gary-southern-arrested-west-virginia-freedom-industries/

3) Two officials of a Massachusetts drug maker blamed for a fungal meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people in 2012 were charged Wednesday with a range of counts including second-degree murder, the U.S. attorney's office said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/17/meningitis-outbreak-arrests/20524441/

4) Fraud in Chicago construction bidding. Person who blew the whistle gets over a million dollars. Nearly 31/2 years after charges were first brought, the female owner of a suburban construction business was formally indicted Friday on federal fraud charges alleging she acted as an illegal front so another company could secure a lucrative city airport contract.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-woman-owned-business-indictment-met-20141219-story.html

5) Two NYC police shot dead in their squad car. This is the 36th multiple death in 2014.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/20/new-york-city-police-officers-shot/20698679/

 

2015 Safety Training at Non-Profits

           

CSC 30 Hour construction                             Jan 6, 8, 13, 15

CSC OSHA 500                                             January 12-16

CSC Excavation Safety                                  Jan 14 

TRMA Scaffold Safety                                  Upon Request

CSC Incident Investigation/                           Jan 22

OSHA recordkeeping                                     Jan 19, 22

CSC Confined Space                                      upon request   

CSC Scaffold Safety                                      upon request

CSC Crane Signal and Rigging                      Jan 9

CSC GHS update                                           Jan 19

                       

NIU is Northern Illinois University OSHA Education Center http://www.nsec.niu.edu/nsec/

CSC is the Construction Safety Council in Hillside. Www.Buildsafe.org

WDCC is the Western Dupage Chamber of Commerce http://www.westerndupagechamber.com/

TRMA is Three Rivers Manufacturers Association    www.trma.org

I usually teach only part of the 30 hour and the 500 series.