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OH&S Editor Sydny Shepard sits down with Wesco’s Ines Sira to discuss how safety professionals can stay current with new technologies and innovations.
Workers were exposed to machine hazards, struck-by hazards and others, OSHA says..
An Ohio company was recently cited for exposing workers to hazards and faces over $480,000 in proposed penalties. According to the press release, OSHA found hazards at a facility in Wapakoneta, Ohio, in February 2022. Workers were exposed to machine hazards from a lack of machine guarding and “amputation, caught-in and struck-by hazards” from a lack of training on lockout/tagout. OSHA cited General Aluminum Mfg. Co. for fall hazards, burn hazards and improper PPE. Citations included one repeat, two willful and 10 serious violations. OSHA proposed penalties of $480,240. Similar violations were noted at other facilities, one just 36 days prior. In January 2022, OSHA inspected the Conneaut facility and cited the location for eight violations and proposed $315,952 in penalties. The company was also cited for other citations in 2021 that lead to proposed penalties of $1,671,738. After a worker was fatally injured at a Ravenna, Ohio, facility in March 2021, OSHA cited the company for 18 willful and 16 serious violations, according to a press release, and placed the company in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program. “General Aluminum’s continued failure to protect its workers is a prime example of why OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program allows the agency to inspect any facility operated by a company cited for exposing workers to egregious hazards,” said OSHA Regional Administrator William Donovan in Chicago in the press release. “This company repeatedly ignored OSHA and a third-party auditor’s recommendations to improve safety procedures and training, and immediately comply with industry and federal safety standards to demonstrate a commitment to protect workers.”
NSC and Safetytech Accelerator will work to help reduce the number of musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs.
A new partnership will work to help reduce musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the workplace. According to a press release, the National Safety Council (NSC) MSD Solutions Lab has teamed up with Safetytech Accelerator, a nonprofit, to focus on MSD prevention through “design[ing], build[ing] and run[ing] an open innovation lab to help facilitate the development of next generation MSD prevention technology and create safer workplaces.” Findings will be shared at the 2022 NSC Safety Congress and Expo from September 19-21 in San Diego. MSDs occur when a person performs repetitive motions or overexerts parts of the body. These injuries affect thousands of workers every year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018, 272,780 cases of MSD caused people to miss work in the private sector. In June 2022, National Safety Month, NSC and other organizations pledged to reduce MSD injuries by 25 percent by 2025. Employers can still sign up for the MSD pledge. To learn more about MSDs, visit our resources or podcast.
The proposed penalties for both stores total over $1,200,000.
The two stores, one in Maple Heights and another in Columbus, were recently inspected and cited by OSHA, according to a press release. At the Maple Heights location, an employee reported “unsafe conditions,” and at the Columbus location, an employee filed a complaint about “water leaking through the ceiling causing wet floors and ceiling tiles on the floor,” which lead to the OSHA inspections. The Maple Heights store was cited for one repeat and four willful violations and faces proposed penalties of $685,777. The Columbus store faces one serious, one repeat and four willful violations and proposed penalties of $547,587. The citations at both stores included unclean areas, obstructed exit routes, no “sufficient access and working space…about all electrical equipment,” and lack of easy access to fire extinguishers, according to citations. Family Dollar is owned by Dollar Tree Inc. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores across the U.S. employ more than 193,000 workers. Since 2017, violations for Family Dollar and Dollar Tree locations have totaled more than 300. “Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores have a long and disturbing history of putting profits above employee safety,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in the press release. “Time and time again, we find the same violations – blocked or obstructed emergency exits and aisles, boxes of merchandise stacked high or in front of electrical panels and fire extinguishers. Each hazard can lead to a tragedy.”
Hand protection has come a long way since the first workers used their hands to operate.
There are many tools that have become invaluable to employees in a variety of industries across the decades, but one could argue that the most important tool to a worker is their hands. It is with these appendages that we are able to push, pick and pull items as well as hold other tools that can help get the job done. It is not surprising that laborers and employees through history took time to create ways to protect and guard hands in an effort to lengthen the amount of time a worker would be viable in the industry. In this issue’s special coverage for our 90th anniversary, OH&S will discuss common injury types, how much hand injuries cost workplaces and the history of hand protection, including the evolution of protective equipment and the advanced technology through the years. It doesn’t matter what your job is, you are most likely at risk of suffering a hand injury. You may be an electrician at risk of flame or shock hazards. Perhaps you are a construction worker at risk of crushing injuries or lacerations. You could even be an office employee who is at risk of carpel tunnel. Despite how common hand injuries can be, workplaces often find they are overlooking hand protection in their safety programs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one million workers arrive at an emergency department with injuries to the hands each year. What’s more is that seventy percent of workers who experienced a hand injury were not wearing gloves and the other 30 percent had gloves on, but they were damaged or inadequate for the work task. These injuries and oversights are costing both the employee and the employer. Severe injuries like severed fingers and nerve damage could make it nearly impossible for a person to get back to work or even engage in recreational activities that they once loved. For employers, the average hand injury claim exceeds over $25,000 in lost wages and medical costs, according to the National Safety Council.
The proposed penalties for both stores total over $1,200,000.
The two stores, one in Maple Heights and another in Columbus, were recently inspected and cited by OSHA, according to a press release. At the Maple Heights location, an employee reported “unsafe conditions,” and at the Columbus location, an employee filed a complaint about “water leaking through the ceiling causing wet floors and ceiling tiles on the floor,” which lead to the OSHA inspections. The Maple Heights store was cited for one repeat and four willful violations and faces proposed penalties of $685,777. The Columbus store faces one serious, one repeat and four willful violations and proposed penalties of $547,587. The citations at both stores included unclean areas, obstructed exit routes, no “sufficient access and working space…about all electrical equipment,” and lack of easy access to fire extinguishers, according to citations. Family Dollar is owned by Dollar Tree Inc. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores across the U.S. employ more than 193,000 workers. Since 2017, violations for Family Dollar and Dollar Tree locations have totaled more than 300. “Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores have a long and disturbing history of putting profits above employee safety,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in the press release. “Time and time again, we find the same violations – blocked or obstructed emergency exits and aisles, boxes of merchandise stacked high or in front of electrical panels and fire extinguishers. Each hazard can lead to a tragedy.”
Onward Energy has two other locations in the Voluntary Protections Program.
A Colorado site was recently recognized for its excellence in worker health and safety. OSHA designated Onward Energy, SWG Arapahoe LLC’s Denver, Colorado site a “star” location, according to the press release. This status falls under the Voluntary Protections Program (VPP). Onward Energy has two other sites under the VPP. “Employee engagement is a fundamental requirement of the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program, and the Onward Energy employee safety and health training program and plant safety expert program are excellent examples of the value of employee involvement, empowerment, and ownership. We are happy to recognize another Onward Energy site with a VPP Star,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Jennifer Rous in Denver in the press release. The “star” status is the highest level of recognition under the VPP, which recognizes employers for their work on “safety and health management systems” and few injury and illness reports.
OSHAS offers different qualifications of safety, health and lowering incident rates for workers.