Standards News Archive
EPA's Brownfields Grants Help Revitalize Communities
In DeKalb County, Ga., plans are underway to clean up and redevelop major industrial areas served by transit and infrastructure in community areas. Toledo, Ohio, will expand an urban agriculture growing area and make way for an expansion of a hospital and high school. These efforts and more are made possible by EPA's $69.3 million in Brownfields grants to help communities clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and create jobs while protecting public health...
OSHA to Create Federal Whistleblower Advisory Committee
On May 17, OSHA announced it would create a federal advisory committee to strengthen its whistleblower protections...
EPA: QEP Field Services Agrees to Pay $4 Million and Install Pollution Controls to Resolve Alleged Violations of the Clean Air Act
EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached a settlement with QEP Field Services Co., formerly Questar Gas Management Co., to settle claims that QEPFS's compressor stations – which remove water and compress natural gas for transportation through gas pipelines – are sources of air pollution. According to EPA, the compressor stations emit hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which can increase the risk of asthma attacks and are significant contributors to the formation of ozone. ...
New Government Safety Data Initiative Promises Insight into Nation's Public Safety Activities
The White House Office of Science and Technology has launched Safety.Data.Gov, a new government initiative that aims to provide better access to federal safety data and foster innovative ideas that could impact public safety...
OSHA Cites Cleveland Cement Contractors for Safety Violations Following Casino Parking Garage Collapse
An eager crowd stood in line for hours on May 14, waiting their turn to enter Ohio’s first casino, Horseshoe Casino Cleveland. Thousands of gamblers translate to thousands of needed parking space, so could the rush to provide parking for all those people have led to safety shortcuts? On May 9, OSHA cited Cleveland Cement Contractors Inc. for six serious safety violations, including not following design and construction standards, following an investigation into the partial collapse on Dec. 16, 2011 of the casino's second floor parking garage. ...
DeMoulas Super Markets Reach Agreement with OSHA to Correct Workplace Hazards, Enhance Employee Safety
OSHA has reached a settlement with Massachussets-based grocery store chain DeMoulas Super Markets Inc., in which the company agrees to correct all hazards and take steps to enhance safety and health for workers at all of the chain's 60-plus Market Basket stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. OSHA issued $589,200 in fines to the grocery store chain in October 2011 after OSHA inspectors identified fall and laceration hazards at the stores. ...
HazCom Gets a Facelift
Ten things you need to know about OSHA’s new hazard communication standard....
MSHA: Ten U.S. Miners Died In First Quarter of 2012
In the first 3 months of 2012, a total of 10 miners died in work-related accidents, according to MSHA...
OSHA Launches New Construction Fall Prevention Campaign
At the April 26 Action Summit for Worker Safety and Health, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis honored Workers' Memorial Day and revealed a new OSHA campaign focusing on fall prevention in the construction industry...
OSHA's Michaels Commemorates Workers' Memorial Day in Audio Message
Every year on April 28, the nation recognizes Workers' Memorial Day to remember and honor the workers who lost their lives while on the job. This year, in advance of Workers' Memorial Day, OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels recorded an audio message about worker safety and rights...
OSHA Alliance Waves Safety Through the Construction Zone
Roadway construction zones can be a particularly dangerous place to work, with hazards including construction vehicle backovers or runovers and more. In an effort to better protect these construction workers, OSHA announced that it has renewed its alliance with the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners...
GAO Chief: We Don’t Know Why OSHA Standards Take So Long
Experts agree there are several factors contributing to the slowdown in the standards-setting process at OSHA: procedural requirements, the shifting priorities of the agency and the administration based on the political climate and the fact that OSHA is one of only three government agencies that must meet a higher standard of judicial review. And all of those factors appear to have helped create an environment at OSHA where administrators and managers are afraid to pull the trigger on standards they have been working on for years. And it appears to be getting worse....
OSHA Directive: Communicating with Families of Victims of Workplace Fatalities
When someone suddenly dies in an accident, families want answers to questions: What happened? Who’s at fault? Will someone be punished for creating the situation or causing the accident? This also is true of the families of victims of workplace fatalities, and a new directive from OSHA guides OSHA representatives in communicating investigation procedures with family members following a workplace fatality. ...
Buckle Up: Delta Air Lines, OSHA Sign Seatbelt Compliance Agreement for Baggage Vehicles
Delta Air Lines' baggage handling vehicles soon will be equipped with seat belts to better protect workers, according to the settlement agreement OSHA announced on April 16. OSHA also is urging others within the airline industry to comply with seatbelt requirements...
New OSHA NEP Aims to Reduce Injuries among Workers in Nursing, Residential Care Facilities
In 2010, nursing and residential care facilities recorded one of the highest rates of lost workdays due to injuries and illnesses of all major American industries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In an effort to help reduce worker injuries and illnesses in these facilities, OSHA has announced a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities...
Volks Constructors Wins OSHA Recordkeeping Case
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April 6 unanimously ruled in favor of Volks Constructors in its appeal of OSHA citations alleging the company failed to record some workplace injuries between January 2002 and April 2006....
AIHA Urges Government to Maintain NIOSH Funding in 2013 Federal Budget
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has submitted official comments regarding the FY 2013 federal budget to the House Committee on Appropriations – Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. Specifically, AIHA is concerned about a proposed budget decrease for the NIOSH Education and Research Centers (ERCs) and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AFF) sector of the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)....
Not So Sweet: OSHA Cites Pittsburgh Chocolate Company for 16 Safety Violations
OSHA cited Tsudis Chocolate Co. for two repeat and 14 serious safety violations at its Pittsburgh candy manufacturing facility and proposed more than $84,150 in fines. OSHA investigators determined a worker was injured because proper energy control procedures were not in place....
Big Branch Mine Supervisor Gary May Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charges
Gary May, the former senior supervisor at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch (UBB) Mine in West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges and has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators....
A Guide to OSHA's New GHS Chemical Labeling Requirements
How and when will OSHA's updated Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), which will now be aligned with the Globally Harmonized System of Chemical Labeling (GHS), impact chemical labeling? Read on for a guide to the new labeling requirements...
OSHA Cites Texas Company Again Following Amputation Injury to Worker
Hobbs Bonded Fibers Inc. of Waco, Texas, has had several run-ins with OSHA because of its alleged failure to provide machine guarding, create specific lockout/tagout procedures and provide training for employees in those procedures. Most recently, OSHA alleges the company’s safety shortcomings have resulted in the amputation of a worker’s arm at its Waco, Texas, facility....
Water Is Worth It: EPA Celebrates 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, EPA has an important message: Water is worth it...
EPA Proposes Significant New Use Rules for Certain Chemicals under TSCA
On March 20, EPA announced proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to compel companies to report all new uses of five groups of chemicals: polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), benzidine dyes, a short chain chlorinated paraffin, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and phthalate di-n-pentyl phthalate (DnPP)...
ASSE: Don't Delay on Addressing GHS Compliance
Now that OSHA has announced its revised hazard communication standard to align it with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) urges EHS professionals to start working on GHS compliance as soon as possible...
OSHA Announces Alignment of Haz Comm Standard with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels held a teleconference March 20 to announce the final rule for the long-awaited update to OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard that aligns it with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). ...
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