Reporting Power Press Injuries

In the event an employee is injured while operating a mechanical power press, 29 CFR 1910.217(g) requires an employer to provide information to OSHA regarding the accident within 30 days of the accident. This information includes the employer's and employee's names, workplace address and location, injury sustained, task being performed when the injury occurred, number of operators required for the operation and the number of operators provided with controls and safeguards, cause of the accident, type of clutch, safeguard(s), and feeding method(s) used, and means used to actuate the press stroke.

These reports are a source of up-to-date information on power press machines. Particularly, this information identifies the equipment used and conditions associated with these injuries.

PPE Hazard Assessment: OSHA Information Request

29 CFR 1915.152(b) requires that the employer assess work activities to determine whether there are hazards present, or likely to be present, which necessitate the employee's use of PPE. If such hazards are present, or likely to be present, the employer must: select the type of PPE that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in the occupational hazard assessment, communicate selection decisions to affected employees, select PPE that properly fits each affected employee, and verify that the required occupational hazard assessment has been performed. The verification document must contain the following information: occupation, the date(s) of the hazard assessment, and the name of the person performing the hazard assessment.

29 CFR 1915.152(e)(1) requires that the employer provide training to each employee who is required to use PPE and paragraph (e)(3) requires retraining under certain circumstances. Paragraph (e)(4) requires that the employer verify that each affected employee has received the PPE training. The verification must contain the following information: name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training, and the type of training the employee received.

The standards on PPE protection for the eyes and face (29 CFR 1915.153), head (29 CFR 1915.155), feet (29 CFR 1915.156), hands and body (29 CFR1915.157), lifesaving equipment (29 CFR 1915.158), personal fall arrest systems (29 CFR 1915.159), and positioning device systems (29 CFR 1915.160) do not contain any separate information collection requirements.

Benzene Standard Extension

The Standard protects employees from adverse health effects from occupational exposure to benzene.

The major information collection requirements in the standard include conducting employee exposure monitoring, notifying employees of their benzene exposures, implementing a written compliance program, implementing medical surveillance of employees, providing examining physicians with specific information, ensuring that employees receive a copy of their medical-surveillance results, maintaining employees' exposure-monitoring and medical records for specific periods, and providing access to these records by OSHA, NIOSH, the employee who is the subject of the records, the employee's representative, and other designated parties.

Bengal Enterprises Fined for Repeat Trenching Hazards

OSHA has cited Bengal Enterprises for exposing workers to trenching hazards at an Atlanta construction site. The agency is proposing penalties totaling $41,300.

"Safe trenching practices reduce worker injuries and deaths," said Andre Richards, OSHA's Atlanta-West area director. "Preventing these needless accidents is one of the goals of this agency."

To further this goal, OSHA, Metro Atlanta fire departments, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Utility Contractors Association Inc., and the Hispanic Contractors Association of Georgia formed the SAFE (Safety Awareness Facilitation Education) alliance, which provides safe trenching educational and outreach services for companies engaged in trenching operations.

Richards explained that one of the SAFE alliance members advised Bengal of trenching hazards at a Prior Road and Ashwood Avenue site where they were installing sewer lines. When the company failed to take corrective action, OSHA was notified.

Following an inspection begun Jan. 31, 2006, OSHA issued one willful citation, with a proposed penalty of $35,000, for allowing employees to work in a ten-foot deep trench without proper cave-in protection. OSHA issues a willful citation when an employer has shown intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations.

OSHA issued one repeat citation, with a proposed penalty of $3,500, for failing to provide employees with a safe means of entering and exiting the trench. The company was cited previously for a similar condition, and that citation has become a final order of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Bengal also received two serious citations, with penalties totaling $2,800, for failing to ensure that employees wore hard hats and for failing to use retaining devices or keep excavated material and equipment at least two feet from the edge of trench walls.

OSHA Fines Masonry Contractor $75,000 for Deficiencies Leading to Building Collapse

OSHA has proposed $75,000 in penalties against Illinois Masonry Corp., headquartered in Lake Zurich, Ill., for alleged willful and serious violations of workplace safety and health standards for its and other contractors' employees working on a building undergoing construction in Chicago.

Illinois Masonry Corp. was contracted by general contractor Joseph J. Duffy Company Inc. to complete masonry operations for the seven-story Holiness Homes of Vision senior housing complex. OSHA opened an investigation in December 2005 following a partial collapse of the building, which led to the deaths of an employee who worked for Duffy and an employee of electrical subcontractor Bonus Electric Inc.

The investigation resulted in citations to Illinois Masonry Corp. for one alleged willful and three alleged serious violations of federal workplace safety and health regulations, including the failure to comply with OSHA's general duty clause, wall bracing, employee training and competent person inspection standards.

"Failing to ensure that employees are constructing buildings as required by the structural drawings devised for a project can lead to devastating results," said OSHA Area Director Gary Anderson of Calumet City. "Contractors are obligated to provide craftsmanship that not only satisfies expected results in quality, but also expected results regarding employee safety and health."

OSHA is alleging that Illinois Masonry Corp. failed to install the required reinforcing bars and grout as part of the masonry wall construction, ensure walls were properly braced to prevent overturning, properly train employees regarding grouting methods and conduct necessary inspections to ensure masonry walls were properly constructed.

New OSHA Alliance Aims for Safety and Health in Western Colorado Construction Industry

Enhancing safe and healthful working conditions for workers in Colorado's construction industry is the goal of a newly signed alliance between OSHA and the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Western Colorado Chapter.

Under the alliance, OSHA's Denver and Englewood area offices and the ABC will work together to develop and deliver training and education programs for their members, focusing on reducing employees' exposure to construction hazards including falls, electrical and trenching/excavation.

"This alliance will present a resource for ABC Western Colorado members and their employees by providing safety and health information, and knowledge that will help them identify and prevent workplace hazards,” said Greg Baxter, OSHA regional administrator in Denver. "Most importantly, this alliance will provide another tool to reduce injuries and illnesses in the construction industry."

OSHA and ABC will share information regarding chapter members’ best practices and distribute it through outreach activities. The alliance also will encourage participation by ABC members in OSHA's cooperative programs, including compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), the state consultation service and the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

OSHA health and safety alliances are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of workers through cooperative partnerships with employers, trade associations and labor. The ABC Western Colorado chapter of the national Associated Builders and Contractors is a trade association composed of construction contractors and builders throughout Colorado.

OSHA has created more than 350 alliances nationwide with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace. Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees.

Pace Industries Achieves OSHA "Star"

Pace Industries Inc. in Harrison, Ark., has earned membership in OSHA’s "Star" Voluntary Protection Program.

"Pace has demonstrated excellence in effective safety and health management," said OSHA Acting Regional Administrator Frank Strasheim in Dallas. "Their outstanding efforts exemplify the value of working with OSHA to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses."

Pace Industries, owned by Leggett & Platt Aluminum Group, manufactures thin-walled aluminum die cast products. The Harrison facility employs about 540 workers. The company joins some 1,400 worksites nationwide that have earned VPP status. The "Star" designation came after an OSHA team's thorough on-site review of its application and safety and health programs, interviews with employees and a complete tour of the worksite. Corporate headquarters are in Carthage, Mo.

In qualifying for "Star" status, the company verified that it had implemented programs and procedures beyond what's required under OSHA standards with extensive involvement by both management and workers. Its written safety and health management system effectively addresses worksite hazards by identifying and tracking them to ensure their correction and control. Its safety and health training programs ensure that employees and contractors understand occupational hazards and how to control them.

The Voluntary Protection Programs recognize and promote effective workplace safety and health management. Program participants typically achieve injury and illness rates more than 50 percent below their respective industry's average rates.

OSHA Renews Alliance with Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association

Originally signed in February 2004, the alliance will continue the organizations' efforts to provide ILMA members and others, including small businesses, with information on safety and health resources related to industrial hazards associated with metalworking fluids. In addition, the renewal addresses hazard communication issues.

"We hope that the next two years of this productive relationship meets with as much success as the first two," said OSHA Administrator Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "Workers in the manufacturing industry are benefiting from this relationship and we look forward to our continued association with an organization that possesses not only a bottomless well of industrial expertise, but also the firm conviction that workplace safety is a priority."

"Partnering with OSHA for a consecutive alliance proves how high ILMA holds employee health and safety within the workplace and industry," agreed ILMA executive director Celeste Powers. "Through the hard work of the Safety, Health Environmental and Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Association's legal counsel, we have been able to achieve a number of goals these past two years and I look forward to seeing what all involved with the Alliance will accomplish over the next two years."

Through the alliance, OSHA and ILMA have worked together to raise awareness about industrial hazards related to metalworking fluids and OSHA's compliance assistance resources. For example, OSHA staff made a number of presentations at ILMA conferences. 

Founded in 1948, ILMA works to supply its members with information and guidance on current safety, health, and environmental issues in the lubricant industry. Its manufacturing members are independent lubricant companies that together produce over 25 percent of all lubricants sold in the North America. This amount includes approximately 80 percent of metalworking fluids and other specialty industrial lubricants.

OSHA Fines Construction Firm $42,900 for Safety Violations

OSHA has cited Korando Corporation for alleged safety violations at a parking lot excavation site at Guam Community College in Mangilao.

Following a planned inspection at the worksite Oct. 28, 2005, OSHA cited Korando Corporation for a willful violation, with a penalty of $42,000, for failing to provide cave-in protection for an employee working in a 9-foot deep trench. OSHA cited the construction firm eight times for violations of the excavation standard between 1995 and 2004, including four citations for failure to provide cave-in protection. A willful violation is one committed with intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

OSHA also assessed a $900 penalty for a serious violation related to protruding reinforced steel that was not capped or guarded on the top of a concrete vault, exposing employees to possible serious injury or death by impalement if they should slip or trip. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

"These violations occurred because Korando Corporation failed to follow basic safety and health requirements for employees working at the Guam Community College site," said Christopher Lee, acting regional administrator for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in San Francisco. "These violations could have easily resulted in the death or serious injury of one or more of the employees."

OSHA Fines Guam Construction Firm $30,000 for Safety Violations Following Trench Collapse

OSHA has cited Siwoo Corporation for alleged safety violations following the investigation of an Oct. 25 trench collapse that trapped the owner of the company at a relief sewer modification project at the Chaot-Agana construction site near the Chaot River Highway Four Bridge in Sinajana.

"Siwoo's previous OSHA history and the facts surrounding the current inspection indicate the employer willfully violated a regulation," said Christopher Lee, acting regional administrator for federal OSHA in San Francisco. "These violations could have easily resulted in the death of one or more employees."

OSHA cited Siwoo Corporation for a willful violation, with a penalty of $28,000, for failing to provide cave-in protection for employees working in a 6 to 8-foot deep trench. While owner Back Seol Seong was working in the unprotected trench, a wall collapsed, burying him. He was trapped for several hours and sustained minor injuries. Three other employees working in the trench were not injured. A willful violation is one committed with intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

OSHA observed the same hazard along this project route one month prior to the accident and issued citations to Siwoo at that time. Company officials failed to comply despite being warned about the requirements of cave-in protection on numerous occasions by the general contractor, OSHA, and government of Guam officials.

OSHA also assessed a serious citation, with a penalty of $2,000, for failure to provide adequate protection for employees from loose rock or soil that could fall or roll from a trench face. Employees were inside the trench installing sewer pipes while exposed to loose rock, soil and debris falling from an adjacent wall. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm are likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

New NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Rate of Workplace Injuries at Historic Low in Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has released its annual Workplace Safety Report. The report shows Minnesota's rate of workplace injuries and illnesses reached an all-time low in 2004.

Minnesota's total case incident rate of workplace injuries and illnesses for 2004 decreased to 5.3 cases per 100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers. The rate was 5.5 cases in 2003 and 6.0 cases in 2002. The national rate also reached an all-time low.

The report presents data from the annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, administered by DLI and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For fatalities and for injuries and illnesses with days away from work, the report provides statistics about the characteristics of injured workers, their jobs and their injuries. The report also presents statistics about Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) programs.

Each day during 2004, approximately 290 Minnesotans reported being hurt at work or becoming ill from job-related causes. This amounts to 105,500 cases for the year; about 28,700 involved days off the job. In 2004, 80 Minnesotans were fatally injured on the job. Other findings include:

Industry divisions with the highest total injury and illness rates per 100 FTE workers were construction (8.6) and manufacturing (6.9).

Sprains and strains accounted for 43 percent of all days-away-from-work cases.

Among cases with days away from work, the percentage of injured workers who were nonwhite increased from 9 percent in 1994 to 16 percent in 2004.

Workers age 45 and older accounted for 40 percent of the 2004 cases with days away from work, compared to 22 percent in 1994

MNOSHA cited employers for more than 4,900 violations, resulting in the assessment of $4.1 million in penalties.

 Printed copies can be requested by calling (651) 284-5025.

Arctic Cat Inc. Announces Recall of Off-Highway Utility Vehicles

About 2,120 Arctic Cat Prowler XT Off-Highway Utility Vehicles were recalled by the manufacturer because the rear brake caliper used on these units could leak brake fluid, resulting in reduced braking ability at the rear wheels. The front wheel brakes are unaffected by this condition. There have been no reported incidents of loss of braking. No injuries have been reported.

The Prowler XT was produced in three colors: green, Cat Green and red. The vehicles have the words “Arctic Cat” printed on each side of the cargo box and the name “Prowler XT” centered on the front of the hood. The affected units are all 2006 Prowler XT vehicles with VIN range of 4UF06MPVO6T300001 through 4UF06MPV16T302369. The VIN is located on the rear upper-frame tube of the vehicle near the rear of the cargo box and on the registration materials the consumer received at the time of purchase. You need only refer to the last six digits of the VIN to determine if the vehicle is included in this recall. The following model numbers are included in this recall. The model number is contained in the registration materials received with the vehicle at the time of purchase.

Arctic Cat recommends that you stop using these vehicles immediately. Contact your local Arctic Cat ATV dealer to schedule a free repair. For more information, contact Arctic Cat at (800) 279-6851 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday

Update on NIOSH End-of-Service-Life Indicator Project

According to Jay Snyder, physical scientist at NIOSH, a respirator cartridge simulator that accommodates a low power, low cost sensor has been constructed and successfully evaluated against NIOSH certification criteria.

Testing will be conducted over the next several months to put the sensors in a cartridge simulator and evaluate them to determine if they function as NIOSH expects them to in a carbon bed. Once the agency has demonstrated the concept, 80 sensors will be distributed to the manufacturers who volunteered through the Federal Register notice published in August 2004. This notice resulted in eight manufacturers volunteering to collaborate with NIOSH NPPTL to integrate sensor systems into respirators. It is anticipated that these systems will be distributed to manufacturers later this year.

Washington Extends Heat Stress Rule to Outdoor Workers

 The rule will be effective June 1, 2006. The changes were adopted May 23 and will be effective on June 1.

NIOSH Recognizes 2006 Award Winners for Their Excellence in Science, Service, and Research to Practice

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently presented the annual Alice Hamilton Awards, James P. Keogh Awards, and Bullard-Sherwood Research-to-Practice Awards. These awards are given to recognize the scientific excellence of technical and instructional materials by NIOSH scientists and engineers, to honor exceptional service by an individual in the occupational safety and health field, and to highlight outstanding efforts by NIOSH scientists and their partners in applying occupational safety and health research to preventing workplace fatalities, illnesses, or injuries.

The awards are:

• The Alice Hamilton Award for 2006, named for pioneering research and occupational physician Dr. Alice Hamilton, is presented to four NIOSH technical products of superior scientific merit from 2005. It is given on the basis of rigorous reviews by panels of scientific experts, including peers from both outside and inside NIOSH, for outstanding NIOSH contributions in the areas of biological sciences, engineering and physical sciences, human studies, and educational materials.
• The 2006 James P. Keogh Award for Outstanding Service in Occupational Safety and Health is presented to Marilyn A. Fingerhut, Ph.D. in recognition of her distinguished career of scholarship and leadership at NIOSH. During her career she has conducted innovative research on dioxin, established herself as a champion and expert for women's occupational health issues, and has moved forward global occupational health risk assessment.
• The Bullard-Sherwood Research-to-Practice Award is presented for excellence in applying research to occupational illness and injury prevention. The award, presented by NIOSH for the first time in 2005, is named for Edward W. Bullard, inventor of the hard hat, and R. Jeremy Sherwood, inventor of the personal industrial hygiene sampling pump. The recipients of the award were selected after close reviews for outstanding contributions in three categories: knowledge, for research resulting in developing and transferring new knowledge into practice; interventions, for research resulting in interventions put into practice; and technology, for research resulting in new technologies put into practice.

"NIOSH is proud to once again recognize the great work accomplished by our researchers and partners in furthering the prevention of work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "These awards reflect NIOSH's core values of conducting exemplary science to meet important needs, moving that research into practice, and developing partnerships nationally and globally."

Drugs and Lactation Database

 Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the database includes maternal and infant levels of drugs, possible effects on breastfed infants and on lactation, and alternate drugs to consider.

OSHA and Hispanic Resource Center Renew Safety Alliance

OSHA and the Hispanic Resource Center of Larchmont-Mamaroneck have renewed their alliance to enhance safety and health awareness among Hispanic workers in Westchester County, N.Y.

Begun in April 2004, the alliance seeks to reduce and prevent common construction and general industry hazards by providing information, guidance and training to workers, particularly non-English or limited English-speaking employees. The Hispanic Resource Center (HRC), a community-based organization, serves Larchmont and Mamaroneck, N.Y. and the greater Westchester County area.

"The results of our alliance have been encouraging," said Patricia K. Clark, OSHA's regional administrator. "In its first two years, over 2,000 Hispanic workers received information and training through the alliance, while OSHA's 10 hour construction safety course was presented in Spanish to 65 workers."

"These workers have been equipped with the most valuable tool of all, knowledge," said Diana Cortez, OSHA's regional Hispanic coordinator and Tarrytown area director. "They can take this vital information back to their workplaces and use it to identify and eliminate hazards before they hurt workers."

Under the renewed alliance, OSHA and HRC will continue to work with the area's Hispanic community, faith-based and community organizations by encouraging bilingual individuals to take OSHA's Train-the-Trainer courses so they can qualify to present OSHA's 10-hour general industry and construction safety courses in Spanish, and promote participation by HRC members in OSHA's cooperative programs.

The renewal was signed May 12 in Mamaroneck by Clark and Cortez of OSHA and Mariana Boneo and John Gitlitz, co-presidents, Hispanic Resource Center. More information about this and other Hispanic alliances in New York may be obtained by calling Diana Cortez at (914) 524-7510.

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