OSHA NEWS December 2024

OSHA News for December 2024 Hello, December was busy nonstop until the 22nd. I spent the last 2 weeks working on the certification test guides trying to explain the answers. I trained 3761 people, which is a 10-year high. The goal is 2000, but training was in demand. Top 5 five classes taught in 2024 1) Mental Health 2) OSHA 511 3) OSHA 510 4) OSHA 500 5) Fall Protection This Month's Powerpoint: Most Cited OSHA FY 2024 Construction OSHA is getting Glasses that record video. They are not in, and the field officers say it depends on the budget. Here are the top OSHA positions as of January 3, 2025. The new team will be bringing in their managers. Douglas Parker, Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health o Emily Hargrove, Chief of Staff § Francis Meilinger, Office of Communications § Adrian Corsey, Controlled Correspondence o Natalicia Tracy, Senior Policy Advisor o Vacant, Policy Advisor o James Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary § Andrew Levinson, Directorate of Standards and Guidance § Lee Anne Jillings, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management § John Lewis, Directorate of Administrative Programs (Acting) § Doug Kalinowski, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs § Lee Martin, Directorate of Whistleblower Protection Programs o Scott Ketcham, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting) § Jeff Erskine, Boston Region (Acting) § Richard Mendelson, New York City Region § Michael Rivera, Philadelphia Region § Kurt Petermeyer, Atlanta Region § William Donovan, Chicago Region § Eric Harbin, Dallas Region § Billie Kizer, Kansas City Region § Jennifer Rous, Denver Region § James Wulff, San Francisco Region § Dorinda Hughes, Birmingham Region § Erin Gilmore, Directorate of Enforcement Programs (Acting) § Timothy Irving, Directorate of Construction I am seeing more and more premise liability cases come. I have several successful settlements with $100+ billion companies, so that may be it. All are word-of-mouth referrals from attorneys with whom I have worked. Stay warm, and soon, the month will be over. John OSHA News. 1) OSHA issued new arc flash publication https://lnkd.in/gDs5Nf44 2) Lake Zurich roofing contractor continues to ignore safety regulations, exposing workers to deadly fall hazards in 8 inspections since 2020. Fino Exterior faces $262K more in fines https://www.industryintel.com/housing-and-economy/news/osha-cites-lake-zurich-contractor-fino-exterior-for-13-safety-violations-proposes-us-262-631-in-penalties-company-cited-eight-times-since-2020-for-exposing-workers-to-fall-hazards-166804095216 3) OSHA finalized PPE fit requirements. https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/osha-national-news-release/20241211 4) Mauricio Baiense was sentenced in federal district court to 18 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Baiense was also ordered to pay $2,824,577 in restitution to the U.S. https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/osha-news-brief/20241231 5) Zion contractor again found ignoring protections to prevent workers from suffering disabling, deadly falls from elevation; faces $266K in new fines Twice in 6 months, Corner Construction Corp. exposes employees to serious risks https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/feds-cite-zion-construction-contractor-for-exposing-workers-to-fall-hazards-propose-266k-in-penalties/ar-AA1wP0NI?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1’ 6) Investigators with the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees of Sunrun Installation Services Inc. working without required fall protection while installing solar panels at two residential homes in the Chicago suburbs – one in Oak Park on June 18, 2024, and another in Skokie on Aug. 8, 2024. Falls from elevations are the leading cause of fatal and serious injuries in the construction industry. $288K 7) Bakeware company faces $182K in fines following 2 worker amputations because of unguarded machines. OSHA cites G&S Metal Products Co. Inc. for 1 willful violation, 5 serious violations. https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/gs-metal-products-cleveland-fined-osha-worker-amputations-bakeware-manufacturer/95-5638b4dd-3a82-49d1-b65f-02a85a48a5dd 8) AMZN settles with OSHA on ergonomics. Amazon will incur a penalty of $145,000 — more than 90% of what was originally levied by OSHA in ergonomics-related citations. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-settles-osha-us-worker-121324487.html OTHER NEWS 1) A Naive Attorney expects the Area Director to testify in a civil trial. I got 50+ subpoenas during my time in OSHA and all were quashed. The AD is expected to testify to his education, training and experience, along with his job duties and responsibilities as an area director for OSHA. He is also expected to testify about his investigation of the June xxxx accident, including the bases for any OSHA violations and resulting citations and fines that were issued to AAAAA and any opinions developed as a result of his investigation including, but not limited to, his conclusion that AAAAA violated OSHA regulations as set forth in OSHA’s Citation and Notification of Penalty issued on XXXXX. He is also expected to testify consistent with and in furtherance of the subject matters and opinions that he discusses during his deposition, if taken. 2) 11 children were found working in the meat packing plant. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/investigators-found-11-children-working-dangerous-overnight-cleaning-s-rcna182587?fbclid=IwY2xjawHmPv5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVZJGhDFedRKzt7M-JpUvessYxML1NQ-rvNPBRhnc0mMIT3zkPaHoCdRuA_aem_2wGgn9nXfXZQFLziTQ2Ltg OSHA CITATIONS November 14, 2024 to November 22, 2024 NY 1750995.015 Perry Verrone, LLC CROTON ON HUDSON 11/22/2024 $47,013.00 WA 1755759.015 U HAUL OF WESTERN WASHINGTON SPOKANE 11/22/2024 $231,000.00 MO 1778949.015 California Exteriors LLC O FALLON 11/21/2024 $60,080.00 AR 1749626.015 Waco Mfg., Inc. LITTLE ROCK 11/20/2024 $92,860.00 MN 1777480.015 Berry Pallets Inc WASECA 11/20/2024 $56,000.00 OH 1752706.015 Appalachian Wood Floors, Inc. PORTSMOUTH 11/20/2024 $95,832.00 TX 1753351.015 Lippert Components, Inc. BEEVILLE 11/20/2024 $161,323.00 AL 1749307.015 Motherson Electroplating US LLC NORTHPORT 11/18/2024 $41,484.00 OR 1752250.015 REFA Erection Inc PORTLAND 11/18/2024 $40,289.00 WA 1754657.015 AK CONTRACTING LLC LYNNWOOD 11/18/2024 $261,924.00 Safety Training at Non-Profits (Check Sites for Starting Dates) CSC 7200 Noise Jan 22 NIU 7845 Jan 29 NIU is Northern Illinois University OSHA Education Center http://www.nsec.niu.edu CSC is the Construction Safety Council in Hillside. Www.Buildsafe.org TRMA is Three Rivers Manufacturers Association www.trma.org I usually teach only 10-hour and the 500 series. I have taught 3761 people this year. I teach evenings, weekends, and early mornings, too. I teach in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Indiana. The PowerPoint is posted free at usmwf.org. https://www.usmwf.org/powerpoints-and-safety-information.html I use your feedback to make changes to make corrections. -- John Newquist 815-354-6853