OSHA secures federal court order and injunction to protect workers from fall hazards at N.J. construction site: Contractor repeatedly placed workers i

OSHA secured a consent order and injunction requiring Sousa Contractors Inc. to comply with OSHA regulations at a West Windsor, N.J., construction site by providing fall protection equipment to employees working from heights of 6 feet or greater as well as proper scaffolding for employees who are installing roof trusses. OSHA cited the framing contractor in June for exposing employees to fall hazards and proposed $107,900 in penalties. Subsequently, inspectors repeatedly observed workers placed in imminent danger--one that could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm--while installing roof trusses approximately 35 feet above the ground without any fall protection.

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OSHA fines three contractors at U.S. Marine Corps base nearly $190,000 for crane and trenching violations

OSHA cited Piedmont Mechanical Inc., Jim Boyd Construction Inc. and Chevron Energy Solutions Inc. for safety hazards after a worker received burns from an electrical shock during the installation of a new landfill gas processing and compression facility at the U.S. Marine Corps Logistic Base in Albany, Ga. OSHA cited the contractors for a total of 11 safety violations and fined them $189,700 following an inspection begun in March after the incident, in which the boom tip of a crane contacted an overhead power line with a carrying capacity of more than 12,000 volts. Electricity traveled down the crane through a line that was connected to the load being moved by the crane and shocked the employee on the ground, who was holding the line. OSHA cited all three companies for safety violations involving trenching and excavation at the site.

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Grain cooperative fined nearly $230,000 for exposing workers to combustible dust, fall and other hazards

OSHA fined Cenex Harvest States Inc., doing business as Central Montana Co-Op., $229,000 for willfully disregarding OSHA requirements by failing to test for hazardous atmospheres in permit-required spaces at its Columbus, Mont., facility. The company was also cited for repeat violations involving unguarded pit and floor holes, and dangerous accumulations of potentially explosive dust. OSHA investigated the facility as part of its regional emphasis program targeting grain handling establishments. The company was cited in August 2010 and February 2011 for similar violations at two of its other facilities.

OSHA sent a notification letter in August 2010 and another in February 2011 to a total of more than 13,000 grain elevator operators, warning them of proper safety precautions outlined in the Grain Handling Facilities standard. These include prohibiting entry in grain storage facilities while grain is being emptied out or flowing in or out of the bin, prohibiting employees from "walking down the grain" and ensuring that employees enter the bin with the proper safety equipment.

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Adhesive company fined $917,000 after explosion injures workers

OSHA fined Bostik Inc. $917,000 for violating safety standards that led to a March 13explosion at the company's Middleton, Mass., plant in which four workers were injured. Bostik was cited for 50 violations of workplace safety and health standards, including nine willful violations for serious deficiencies in the company's process safety management (PSM) program--a detailed set of requirements and procedures employers must follow to proactively address hazards associated with processes and equipment that involve large amounts of hazardous chemicals.

OSHA issued Bostik nine citations for willfully committing violations with disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health. These violations included failing to address previous incidents with a potential for catastrophic results, as well as human factors such as operator error, communication between shift changes and employee fatigue from excessive overtime. The agency also issued 41 citations for serious violations that the company knew or should have known had a substantial probability of resulting in serious physical harm or death to its workers. These violations included an incomplete and deficient emergency response plan, inadequate training for employees required to fight fires, obstructed exit access, electrical and respirator hazards, and additional PSM deficiencies.

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Texas truck washing company fined $160,000 after worker is killed in confined space

OSHA fined Enterprise Products Transportation Co. $160,000 and cited the company for 32 safety and health violations following a worker fatality at the facility's Freeport, Texas, tank wash operation. OSHA initiated an inspection after receiving a report that a worker had been found, unresponsive, inside a tank trailer that was being prepared to be washed. The employee was removed from the tank trailer by a coworker, but later died. Inspectors cited the company for serious violations for failing to provide the required respiratory protection in a confined space and for not ensuring that chemicals were safely stored.

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OSHA inspection following worker complaint leads to $170,000 in fines for New Jersey printer that exposed workers to machine guarding and other hazard

OSHA fined AFL Quality Inc., doing business as AFL Web Printing, $170,000 and cited the company for 26 safety and health violations following an inspection in response to an employee complaint about hazards at its Voorhees, N.J., facility. AFL was cited for willfully violating OSHA's machine guarding standard. The company was also cited for repeat violations for failing to use listed or labeled equipment, and failing to conduct a periodic inspection of lockout/tagout procedures for energy sources to safeguard workers from the unexpected startup of machinery during servicing or maintenance. Additional serious violations included failing to properly store gas containers; failing to provide employees with chemical-resistant gloves, safety goggles and face shields; and failing to remove damaged or defective items.

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Colorado food company and subcontractor fined $300,000 for chemical and other hazards

OSHA cited Meadow Gold Dairies of Englewood, Colo., with 43 violations and subcontractor Tolin Mechanical of Denver with four violations following an inspection conducted under OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting for high hazard work sites, as well as its National Emphasis Program on facilities with hazardous chemicals. Meadow Gold was fined $300,300 for violations that included willfully exposing employees to a potential hazardous release of anhydrous ammonia due to a failure to implement a required mechanical integrity program. The company was also cited with a repeat violation for hazards associated with inadequate procedures for de-energizing equipment (lockout/tagout) prior to performing maintenance activity. Tolin Mechanical was fined $26,000 and cited for failing to properly train employees on emergency procedures and failing to ensure employees had adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

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