Tag: #workplaceexposures

OSHA QuickTakes: Indifference to Safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

Department of Labor finds LaFayette insulation manufacturer ignoredsafety standards after investigation of worker’s serious head injury

Bonded Logic Inc. exposed workers to hazardous energy, lack of machine guarding

LAFAYETTE, GA – A 21-year-old line operator at a LaFayette, Georgia, insulation manufacturer suffered severe head trauma after being caught in a machine’s roller. A U.S. Department of Labor investigation determined that the employer willfully ignored federal workplace safety standards.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Bonded Logic Inc. for two willful, two repeat and 10 serious violations after its investigation of the Aug. 24, 2022, incident. OSHA inspectors found the employer willfully failed to develop and use lockout/tagout procedures to prevent machines from sudden starts or movements during maintenance, and did not control the release of stored energy while machines were serviced.

OSHA has proposed $423,432 in penalties.

Additionally, OSHA identified repeat violations for not installing safety guards on machines and failing to certify forklift operators. The agency also cited the company for failing to:

  • Conduct an evaluation to identify permit-required confined spaces and develop and implement a permit-required confined space program.
  • Train employees on the hazards associated with permit-required confined spaces and complete entry permits prior to entering those spaces.
  • Ensure energy control devices were applied to all energy sources during maintenance or servicing.
  • Maintain proper guarding of chains and sprockets on machinery.

“Bonded Logic put profits before safety and now a young worker must cope with the aftermath of a horrible and preventable injury,” said OSHA Area Office Director Jeffery Stawowy in Atlanta-West. “The employer’s failure to develop and ensure the use of lockout procedures for employees who work near and perform maintenance on dangerous machinery is hard to comprehend.”

OSHA inspected Bonded Logic in 2018 and 2021, issuing three serious and five other-than-serious violations for hazards associated with eye protection, machine guarding, housekeeping, powered industrial trucks and confined space.

Bonded Logic Inc. markets and manufactures several thermal and acoustical insulation products for multiple industries.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Miners and lung disease: Which states have the worst death rates?

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Chicago — Coal miners in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia may be more than eight times more likely than the general public to die from black lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

That’s according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago and NIOSH. The researchers reviewed cause-of-death data from the National Death Index on nearly 236,000 coal miners who died between 1979 and 2017 and had participated in either the NIOSH Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program or the Department of Labor’s Federal Black Lung Program.

A NIOSH blog post states that although all coal miners have “significantly increased odds of death” from black lung – also known as coal worker’s pneumoconiosis – as well as COPD and lung cancer, another recent study of regulatory dust monitoring data shows that respirable dust containing silica “was significantly higher” in central Appalachia than the rest of the country.

The researchers note that coal miners also face potential exposure to known carcinogens including diesel exhaust, silica, asbestos and radon. Further, the researchers found that progressive massive fibrosis – the most severe form of black lung disease and which is caused by dust inhalation – is more common among younger miners.

“These findings underscore the importance of preventing chronic lower respiratory diseases like COPD caused by respirable coal mine dust and other factors in coal miners,” NIOSH says.

Issued in January, the Department of Labor’s Fall 2022 regulatory agenda includes a long-awaited Mine Safety and Health Administration proposed rule on respirable crystalline silica. The agenda lists April as a target date for publication of the proposed rule.

Responding to the study findings in a press release, United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts urges MSHA to swiftly respond once the proposed rule is introduced.

“Time is of the essence here,” Roberts said. “Every day that goes by without action is another day our nation’s coal miners are exposed to deadly silica dust.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

In new video, workers with hearing loss promote protection

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
NHCA-video.jpg
Photo: National Hearing Conservation Association

Aurora, CO — A new video from the National Hearing Conservation Association aims to raise awareness of on-the-job hearing loss and tinnitus.

During the four-minute video, workers in various industries share testimonials, and NHCA reminds viewers that hearing loss is permanent. The video also encourages workers to:

  • Notice when it’s loud.
  • Move away from the noise.
  • Protect your hearing.

“Don’t take it for granted, because if you lose your hearing, you’re not going to be able to replace it,” Gary, a former tree trimmer, says in the video. “You can maybe help it, but you will never have good ears again.”

Adele, a one-time radio disc jockey who also worked security at music concerts, acknowledges that her hearing loss put her in “denial,” prompting her to turn up the volume on her car radio and TV and think little of it.

“We don’t think about our own health, but it is critical. It really is,” she says. “Look at your hearing protection as just as much a vital part of your PPE as a hard hat or your steel-toed boots. Because if you lose that sense, it is going to impact all areas of your life, from hearing announcements on a plane to hearing somebody whispering sweet nothings in your ear at night, you know. It really can have a profound impact.”

NIOSH notes that all industries carry the risk of hearing loss and estimates that 22 million U.S. workers face exposure to hazardous noise levels at work each year.

“Hearing is a critical, often undervalued part of quality of life,” NHCA says. “Once it is lost or degraded, communication and relationships can be impacted. There can also be a loss of enjoyment of simple activities such as listening to music, enjoying dinner with friends, watching movies and experiencing nature. A loss of hearing can also affect career progression and safety at home and on the job.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

OSHA QuickTakes: Preventable Amputation

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

US Department of Labor investigation of Del Monte cannery worker’samputation injury finds company violated federal safety standards

20-year-old seasonal worker suffers preventable injury at Plover, Wisconsin facility

PLOVER, WI ‒ At a Plover, Wisconsin, Del Monte Foods cannery, a 20-year-old seasonal worker suffered a partial amputation of their finger after attempting to unjam an unguarded palletizer machine, a federal workplace safety investigation found.

Responding to the employer’s report of the amputation injury, investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined the cannery’s lack of machine guarding and safety procedures exposed employees to machine hazards. In 2019, the agency cited the company for similar violations at another Wisconsin facility in Markesan.

Investigators learned workers routinely used their hands to redirect pallets stuck in the palletizer’s dispenser. A pallet dispenser will automatically dispense pallets to the palletizing line so that canned products can be stacked and wrapped for transportation. Investigators found that employees clearing jams had not been trained to recognize or safely control hazardous energy sources during the unjamming process.

OSHA issued a citation to Del Monte Foods Inc. for two repeated and six serious safety violations of machine safety and fall protection standards. The company faces proposed penalties of $222,779. The company informed OSHA of the amputation injury within 24 hours, as required.

“Del Monte Foods Inc. is aware of the importance of training their seasonal workers on machine safety procedures and making sure required machine safeguards are in place,” explained OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton, Wisconsin. “If the company had followed OSHA safety standards, they could have prevented this young worker from needlessly suffering a lifelong disabling injury.”

In addition to the machine guarding and hazardous energy control procedure deficiencies, OSHA noted a lack of handrails and anti-slip coatings exposed cannery workers to fall hazards on ladderways and stairs.

Based in Walnut Creek, California, Del Monte Foods Inc. is one of the nation’s largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded retail food products. The Plover facility produces 14 million cases of canned vegetables annually. The company sells products under the Del Monte, Contadina, College Inn, Joyba, Kitchen Basics and S&W brands.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA and preventing worker amputations from unguarded machines and the Local Emphasis Program for the Food Manufacturing Industry.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

OSHA QuickTakes: Toxic Workplace

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

Mercury poisoning: Long Island thermometer maker’s workers sickenedby unsafe exposures to toxic metal, faces nearly $200K in penalties

West Babylon company cited for 21 violations; failed to protect workers, report illnesses

WESTBURY, NY – Federal workplace safety inspectors have cited a thermometer manufacturer for overexposing their employees to mercury at its West Babylon facility.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors determined Kessler Thermometer Corp. overexposed employees to airborne elemental mercury in August 2022 while they worked to distill and purify elemental mercury, fill thermometers, blow glass and during calibration and engraving of thermometers and hydrometers.

Agency inspectors found the company willfully exposed and severely sickened workers by allowing the airborne concentration of the toxic metal to exceed the 8-hour, time-weighted average based on biological exposure indices. OSHA inspectors identified 18 serious violations, one willful violation and two other-than-serious violations by Kessler Thermometer Corp. and proposed $195,988 in penalties.

“Kessler Thermometer Corp. knowingly endangered the lives and health of their employees by ignoring basic safeguards to control hazardous mercury in the workplace and failed to acknowledge its employees were being sickened by mercury exposure,” said OSHA Area Director Kevin Sullivan in Westbury, New York. “This company has been operating for about 20 years and knows the dangers their workers face.”

Specifically, the company failed to provide:

  • Engineering controls to reduce mercury exposure.
  • Complete and effective respiratory protection and chemical hazard communication programs.
  • Appropriate personal protective equipment and clothing.
  • An emergency response plan to handle cleanup of spilled mercury.
  • Eating and food storage areas free of mercury exposure.
  • An emergency shower and appropriate first aid.
  • Proper labeling for all hazardous chemical containers.
  • Recording of all recordable work-related injuries and illnesses.
  • Report a work-related incident resulting in in-patient hospitalization due to mercury poisoning.

View the citations.

Kessler Thermometer Corp. operates an 8,000-square-foot laboratory and manufacturing facility in West Babylon. Its current ownership has operated the company since 2002.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Hazardous Chemicals Health & Safety Alert

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by MSHA
PDF Version:
Recent train derailments and chemical spills, including several incidents on mine sites, have increased the importance of maintaining awareness about hazardous chemicals used in mining. Miners working with and around chemicals can be exposed to hazards that result in injuries or illnesses from exposure to chemicals.  Safe handling of chemicals can prevent accidents, injuries, and illnesses.
Accident scene store hazardous, flammable, and combustible materials in a manner that minimizes dangers to miners.
Photo property of MSHA
Best Practices

Operators should:

  • Store hazardous, flammable, and combustible materials in a manner that minimizes dangers to miners.
  • Warn against potential hazards; caution against unsafe practices; and provide instructions on the proper use of personal protective equipment.
  • Provide miners personal protective equipment to use, such as gloves, safety glasses or goggles, and NIOSH-approved respirators, as applicable.
  • Train miners on the task to be performed; on working with or near chemical hazards; and performing appropriate emergency response procedures.
  • Provide miners a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical they may be exposed to during each work shift.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Generator Safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

As winter surges, OSHA reminds employers of carbon monoxiderisks when using portable generators, other equipment indoors

WASHINGTON – As frigid temperatures and sleet, ice and snow blanket states from the south to the northeast, millions of Americans are facing power outages. As many turn to portable generators and other fuel-burning equipment for electricity and warmth, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges employers to take appropriate precautions to protect workers from carbon monoxide exposures in enclosed spaces.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and toxic gas that – during prolonged or high exposures – can cause headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting or tightness across the chest. Severe overexposure can lead to neurological damage, coma and even death.

Employers and workers who use fuel-burning equipment indoors or in semi-enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation must be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, and the risks increase during winter months in indoor areas tightly sealed to block out cold temperatures and wind.

In addition to portable generators and similar equipment, carbon monoxide is produced when fuel combusts in powered tools, compressors, pumps, welding equipment, furnaces, forklifts and motorized vehicles.

To reduce the risk of workplace carbon monoxide exposure, employers should install an effective ventilation system, avoid the use of fuel-burning equipment and vehicles in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, and use carbon monoxide detectors with alarms in areas where the hazard may exist. Employers should also take other precautions as outlined in OSHA’s Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet. Additional OSHA resources include videos (in English and Spanish), QuickCards (in English and Spanish) and a fact sheet on portable generator safety.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Don’t Be “Lead” Astray From Safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by NIOSH

February 7th is National Periodic Table Day!

 

Photo by ©Getty images

On this day, we pay tribute to the table that helps us understand the properties and characteristics of chemical elements. One particular element, lead, also known as Pb on the periodic table, has been used by humans for thousands of years. Despite its many positive uses, lead continues to be a hazardous exposure in many jobs and industries.

Here are some things to keep in mind about lead exposure:

Your body absorbs lead when you inhale contaminated air at work.
If you eat, drink, or smoke in areas where lead is processed or stored, you could swallow lead dust without knowing.
You can expose anybody who lives or works in your home. If you work with or near lead, you can take home lead dust. Lead dust on your clothes, shoes, or hair is hard to notice.
To keep workers and their families safe, NIOSH provides information and recommendations on the NIOSH lead webpage. The page offers information to reduce lead exposure in the workplace for both workers and employers:

  • Workers: If you work with or near products or materials that contain lead, it can get inside your body. In addition to being exposed at work, taking lead home is a concern. Learn ways workers can protect themselves and their families from lead exposure.
  • Employers: Workplace exposure limits are meant to protect workers from hazardous exposures in the workplace, including lead. Employers must ensure exposure limits are not exceeded. The page offers ways employers can use the hierarchy of controls to keep their workers safe. Read More»

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

OSHA updates emphasis program on combustible dust

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
OSHA has revised its National Emphasis Program on combustible dust

chemical-safety.jpg

Photo: Chemical Safety Board

Washington —The updated NEP, which went into effect Jan. 30, reflects combustible dust incident reports and enforcement history. According to OSHA, wood and food products accounted for 70% of materials in combustible dust explosions and fires in 2018.

“Incident reports indicate that the majority of the industries involved in combustible dust hazards are wood processing, agricultural and food production, and lumber production, but others are susceptible as well,” the agency says in a Jan. 27 press release.

OSHA has added the following industries to the NEP, by the North American Industry Classification System:

  • 311812 – Commercial bakeries
  • 325910 – Printing ink manufacturing
  • 321912 – Cut stock, resawing lumber and planing
  • 316110 – Leather and hide tanning and finishing
  • 321214 – Truss manufacturing
  • 424510 – Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers

The NEP, which replaces a March 2008 directive, will remain in effect until a cancellation notice is issued. OSHA notes that the revised directive doesn’t replace a similar one for grain handling facilities, “but it may cover operations involving grain processing that are outside the scope of the grain handling directive.”

OSHA initially launched its NEP on combustible dust in October 2007 after a number of incidents that resulted in fatalities and serious injuries. The agency reissued the emphasis program in 2008 after an explosion at the Imperial Sugar Co.’s refinery in Port Wentworth, GA. Fourteen people were killed and 36 others were injured as a result of the incident.

“The combustible dust NEP is one of the agency’s important programs for proactively inspecting the nation’s most hazardous facilities before a catastrophic incident occurs,” OSHA administrator Doug Parker said in the release. “The results of a combustible dust fire or explosion can be catastrophic to workers and the facilities that they work.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

OSHA and MSHA partner on poster and infographic on preventing heat illness

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
mining-workers.jpg

Photo: OSHA

Washington — A new poster and infographic from OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration offer best practices to help mine operators and workers prevent heat illness and heat-related hazards.

To start, the agencies recommend easing into work to build tolerance to heat. Almost 3 out of 4 fatalities related to heat illness occur during the first week of work, the poster states.

Other guidance:

  • Provide workers with heat stress training.
  • Implement mine planning, ventilation and air conditioning to reduce heat, when possible.
  • Promote reasonably short work periods and provide frequent rest breaks in cool areas.
  • Wear a hat and light-colored, loose-fitting, breathable clothing, when possible.
  • Drink at least 1 cup of cool water every 20 minutes, even if you aren’t thirsty.

Signs of heat illness include headache, nausea, dizziness, heavy sweating and elevated body temperature. Workers experiencing these symptoms shouldn’t be left alone and should be provided with water in a cool rest area.

If a worker exhibits abnormal thinking or behavior, slurred speech, seizures, or loss of consciousness, call 911 right away and use water or ice to cool the worker immediately. Remain with the worker until help arrives.

The agencies encourage mine operators and workers to use and distribute the poster and infographic.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.