Safety/Health

Lesson of Hurricane Sandy: It’s time to update your crisis-management plan

10/30/2012

Hurricane Sandy is a powerful reminder: Natural (and man-made) disasters can threaten at any time. Smart employers make contingency plans so they can stay up and running even when normal work operations are disrupted. Here are eight key pieces to a crisis-management plan, which you can coordinate with the appropriate departments.

OSHA won’t let Illinois whistle-blowers be railroaded

08/21/2012

Three whistle-blowers will collect more than $650,000 after two different railroads fired them following workplace accidents. OSHA concluded the three men were wrongfully accused of safety violations to divert blame for workplace hazards.

OSHA sanctions SeaWorld after orca trainer death

08/14/2012

OSHA has ordered Orlando’s SeaWorld marine park to change the ways in which trainers and orcas interact following the death of orca trainer Dawn Brancheau.

Control employee cellphone use–an accident waiting to happen

08/13/2012

More and more employees use cellphones and smartphones to get their work done, something many employers encourage in the name of greater efficiency. But there’s a downside: significant safety and financial risks created by employees who use mobile devices while driving. Here’s some common-sense perspective on protecting your employees … and your bottom line.

Brighton Beach condo collapse draws OSHA fines

08/03/2012

OSHA has cited SP&K Construction, a Brooklyn contractor, for safety violations in connection with a fatal structural collapse in Brighton Beach. The accident, which killed one worker and injured four others, occurred Nov. 8, 2011.

Republic Steel reaches safety accord with OSHA

07/12/2012

Canton-based Republic Steel has agreed to settle outstanding training and safety issues discovered in the aftermath of a worker’s fall in 2010.

Say what?! OSHA fines Kamps for hearing hazards

07/12/2012

Presumably, Kamps Pallets heard from OSHA via nonverbal means. The company’s plant in Versailles faces fines for 10 OSHA violations after inspectors discovered conditions so noisy that workers’ hearing was endangered.

Buffalo cheese maker melts under OSHA heat

07/05/2012

Buffalo-area cheese manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis faces $241,000 in fines following an OSHA inspection that revealed numerous hazards at its plant.

OSHA inspector’s drive-by results in six-figure fine

06/28/2012

A random coincidence has resulted in a costly fine for a Lancaster County construction firm. OSHA cited Quality Stone Veneers for eight safety violations after an OSHA inspector noticed substandard scaffolding when he drove by a residential construction site.

Football-themed safety incentives cut accidents