Items Tagged with 'OSHA enforcement'

Washington — OSHA has altered its enforcement weighting system, the agency announced in a Sept. 27 press release.

San Diego — The cases of a worker being killed and another suffering serious injuries while painting a mural on the side of high-rise building, an apprentice suffering injuries while working near power lines, a fatal trench collapse that resulted in another worker being injured, and an abrasive blasting incident in which a worker was fatally blasted with a hose were discussed Monday during OSHA’s “Most Interesting” Technical Session at the National Safety Council 2019 Congress & Expo.

Washington — OSHA conducted its highest number of fatality/catastrophe investigations in more than a decade in fiscal year 2018, while overall inspections decreased 1.2% from FY 2017, the agency’s latest enforcement summary shows.

New York — OSHA enforcement activity “continues to decline” under the Trump administration, according to the National Employment Law Project, citing the agency’s own metrics. The advocacy group also claims that OSHA’s fatality/catastrophe investigations climbed to their highest level in a decade in fiscal year 2018.

Washington — Employers who make “good faith efforts” to document their evaluations of crane operators have an additional 60 days to comply with OSHA’s Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Certification Extension, according to a Feb. 7 enforcement memorandum from the agency.

Washington — OSHA area offices must apply a four-part test before issuing General Duty Clause citations for respiratory hazards that do not have a permissible exposure limit, the agency states in a memorandum sent to regional administrators.

Houston — The cases of an employee sustaining a third-degree burn on his foot after slipping on a tank, a temporary worker having a mixture of butane and propane injected in his finger and arm, and a platform system failure high above one of Miami’s busiest streets were highlighted Monday during OSHA’s “Most Interesting” Technical Session at the 2018 National Safety Council Congress & Expo.

Washington — A leading House Democrat has sent a letter to Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta regarding OSHA’s reported decline in enforcement activities and its current inspector staffing level, among other subjects.

OSHA needs to improve its “attitude and relationship” with stakeholders, an attorney representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told members of the House, while former agency administrator David Michaels said the assertion that OSHA doesn’t partner with industry is “really discrediting the agency and is not based in fact.”

Which violation is making its first appearance on OSHA’s list of most-cited violations? Safety+Health presents the data on OSHA’s “Top 10” for fiscal year 2017. Also: A Q&A with Patrick Kapust, deputy director of the agency’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs.