September 1, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Mississippi sawmill exposes workers to unprotected machinery, combustible dust and other hazards [09/01/2015]

OSHA proposes nearly $80K in fines

Employer name: Tallahatchie Lumber and Mat Co. Inc.

Inspection findings: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the employer one willful, 22 serious and four other-than-serious safety citations. The agency initiated the investigation as part of its National Emphasis Program on Amputations.

August 31, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA renews alliance with Mexican Consulate in El Paso to promote worker safety and health [08/31/2015]

Participants: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's El Paso Area Office and the Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso.

August 31, 2015

OSHA News Release: Idea Nuova again exposes employees to blocked exit and fire hazards [08/31/2015]

NEW YORK — For the second time in two years, a U.S. and international home decor manufacturer and distributor has shown that it lags in employee safety.

A U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection of New York-based Idea Nuova's 302 Fifth Ave. showroom found aisles clogged with merchandise, including beanbag chairs, and an emergency exit blocked by disco balls, desks and lamps, conditions that could prevent a swift workplace exit in an emergency.

August 31, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA renews alliance with Mexican Consulate in Austin to promote worker safety and health [08/31/2015]

Participants: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Austin Area Office and the Consulate General of Mexico in Austin. Signing the agreement were R. Casey Perkins and Carlos Gonzales Gutierrez.

August 27, 2015

OSHA News Release: 54-year-old employee loses 4 fingers at Wahlco recycling plant [08/27/2015]

OSHA also finds combustible dust hazards that could have caused an explosion

August 27, 2015

Battery recycling facility continues to expose workers to dangerous levels of lead, cadmium at Lancaster, Ohio, facility

LANCASTER, Ohio – Two years after agreeing to reduce workers' exposure to lead and cadmium, a Lancaster battery recycling facility continues to expose workers to dangerously high airborne concentrations of the metals – a leading cause of workplace illness – which can cause long-term damage to the central nervous, urinary, blood and reproductive systems.

August 27, 2015

OSHA News Brief: US Court of Appeals holds serial OSHA violator in contempt [08/27/2015]

Stephen Lessard of Maine ordered to correct hazards, pay $405K in penalties

Date of action: Aug. 24, 2015

Type of action: Judgment

Name of defendant: Lessard Roofing and Siding Inc., Lessard Brothers Construction Inc., and their successors and/or alter egos

August 26, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Workers exposed to multiple hazards at farm machinery manufacturer [08/26/2015]

Employer name: H & S Manufacturing Co. Inc., Marshfield, Wisconsin

Citations issued: Aug. 18, 2015

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Madison Area Office issued 13 safety and health violations to the farm machinery and equipment manufacturer. The violations include:

August 25, 2015

OSHA News Brief: US Wisconsin mailing processor will hire 23 job applicants in racial hiring discrimination settlement [08/25/2015]

Employer name: Select Van and Storage doing business as Mayflower/United, 10511 S. Circle, Omaha, Nebraska

Citations issued: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued one serious, and one other-than-serious safety violation to the company by mail on Aug. 14, 2015.

August 25, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Atlanta's American Air Filter Co. continues to expose workers to serious safety hazards [08/25/2015]

OSHA proposes penalties of nearly $120K for employer with history of safety violations

Employer name: American Air Filter Co. Inc., doing business as AAF International

Inspection site: 2624 Weaver Way, Atlanta, Georgia 30340

August 24, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Alabama roofing contractor sentenced for making false statements to OSHA inspectors following an incident that seriously injured 3 workers [08/24/2015]

Date of action: Aug. 6, 2015

Type of action: Sentencing

Name of defendant: Marcus Borden, a steel and roofing contractor, based in Russellville, Alabama

Allegations: On April 6, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Marcus Borden with making false statements and lying to U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors regarding an incident investigation at one of Borden's work sites in Cordova, Alabama, on March 18, 2013.

August 20, 2015

OSHA News Release: 23-year-old worker loses part of finger in machine [08/20/2015]

PAINESVILLE, Ohio — A 23-year-old machine operator making nuts and bolts suffered a partial amputation of his right middle finger when it was caught in a machine at a Painesville manufacturer. He had only three weeks' experience with the equipment when the injury occurred.

August 19, 2015

OSHA News Release: Hannaford Supermarkets acts to prevent musculoskeletal injuries for warehouse employees in Maine and New York [08/19/2015]

BOSTON — Before consumers get to choose products in the supermarket, workers in warehouses nationwide pack bulk quantities of merchandise onto wooden pallets and load them onto delivery trucks. The nature of this work puts the people who do it at risk for serious sprains, strains and other musculoskeletal injuries. One supermarket chain, Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets, has chosen to address the issue.

August 18, 2015

OSHA News Brief: OSHA cites A and W Roofing for exposing workers to fall hazards [08/18/2015]

Employer name: A & W Roofing LLC.8071 Parkman Mespo RoadMiddlefield, Ohio8071 Parkman Mespo RoadMiddlefield, Ohio

Investigation site: 12504 Saddlebrook Strongsville, Ohio

August 18, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Pallet rental company fined nearly $59K by OSHA for fail to protect employees from noise hazards at Hazelton depot [08/18/2015]

Employer name: Peco Pallet Inc., a pallet repair and rental company, located at 1104 North Park Drive in Hazelton, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: On August 14, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued one willful, two serious, and one other-than-serious health citations.

August 18, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Cleveland manufacturer exposes workers to amputation, other hazards [08/18/2015]

Employer name: Voss Industries LLC

Investigation site: 2168 W. 25th Street, Cleveland, Ohio

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Cleveland Office issued 12 serious and one other-than-serious safety violations to Voss Industries LLC, an aircraft component and product manufacturer. The company received those citations, Aug. 7.

The serious violations include:

August 17, 2015

OSHA News Brief: Pipe insulator and staffing agency cited for exposing workers to amputation hazards in Houston [08/17/2015]

OSHA cites Rock Wool Manufacturing Co. and C and C Personnel LLC; fines total $85,950

Employers' names: Rock Wool Manufacturing Co. and C and C Personnel LLC in Houston, Texas

Citations issued: Aug. 17, 2015

August 13, 2015

OSHA News Release: 21-year-old employee loses 4 fingers on his first day [08/13/2015]

ELYRIA, Ohio — The first day on the job for a new employee ended tragically when the 21-year-old man suffered severe burns and the loss of four fingers on his right hand as he tried to clear a jam in a plastic molding machine. The man had been working for a few hours when the incident occurred at an Elyria manufacturer.