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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
has cited Best Group, Inc., a Michigan contractor, for numerous alleged willful
and serious violations of the regulation protecting construction workers
against overexposure to lead. The exposures occurred during demolition at a
Trinidad, Tex., power plant. OSHA proposed penalties totaling $742,000.
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and
Health Joseph A. Dear said, "Lead poisoning is a deadly serious matter for
workers and their families. This employer was subjecting its workers to
intolerable risks."
Best Group, headquartered in Bingham Farms, Mich., had 35
employees conducting demolition and salvage operations at a Texas Utilities
Electric Co. steam generating power plant in Trinidad last fall.
Based on information from Best Group employees during an
asbestos investigation, OSHA began investigating blood lead levels of site
employees on Nov. 2, 1995.
The Texas Department of Health confirmed that 25 of 30
employees had blood lead above the level at which OSHA requires medical
attention (40 micrograms per deciliter of blood); and 8 of the 30 had blood
lead above the level at which removal from the worksite is required for medical
reasons (50 micrograms per deciliter). One employee required extensive medical
treatment, including chelation (a procedure for eliminating lead from the
system) from a medical toxicologist.
The Texas Department of Health confirmed that 25 of 30
employees had blood lead above the level at which OSHA requires medical
attention (40 micrograms per deciliter of blood); and 8 of the 30 had blood
lead above the level at which removal from the worksite is required for medical
reasons (50 micrograms per deciliter). One employee required extensive medical
treatment, including chelation (a procedure for eliminating lead from the
system) from a medical toxicologist.
OSHA said the company:
- failed to reduce employees' exposure to lead below the permissible
exposure limit;
- failed to implement a respiratory protection program;
- failed to provide cleaning, laundering or disposal of personal
protective equipment used for lead exposure;
- failed to keep surfaces free of lead accumulation;
- failed to provide change rooms and showers;
- failed to assure employees washed their hands and faces prior to
eating, drinking and/or smoking;
- failed to provide appropriate biological monitoring;
- failed to remove employees from lead exposure when a medical
determination found the employees were at increased health risk;
- failed to provide medical removal benefits; and
- failed to provide a lead-training program.
The company also was cited for six alleged serious
violations of the lead in construction standard, with proposed penalties of
$7,000 (the maximum for a serious violation) for each violation. The company
was cited for failure to conduct initial determinations for employee exposure
to lead, failure to implement interim protective measures, failure to collect
employee personal lead samples, and other violations of the standard.
Willful violations are those committed with an intentional
disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH Act and
regulations.
A serious violation is defined as one in which there is
substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and
the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.
The company has 15 working days to contest the citations
and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health
Review Commission.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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