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Sept Issue No. 1 – Protect Your Employees to Prevent Fines
Multiple Safety Regulations Violated in Tianjin
The Tianjin explosion that killed more than 100 people and left more than 1000 homeless is still under investigation. As the investigation continues, more facts are uncovered. Area news stated that more than 70 times the legal amount of sodium cyanide was found to be stored within the site of the deadly blasts. Sodium cyanide is extremely toxic to humans, raising questions about why so much was being stored and who allowed the storage.
Investigators found that Ruihai Logistics received their permit to handle hazardous chemicals just two months prior to the explosion. Between October 2014 and June 2015, the company did not have legal permission to handle such dangerous materials, but did so regardless of not having a permit. Authorities have detained 10 Ruihai Logistics employees, including…FULL ARTICLE
Accurate Recordkeeping Prevents Repeat Incidents
On July 29, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) proposed changes to their Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements. This amendment, if adopted, will clarify “employers continuing obligation to make and maintain accurate records of each recordable injury and illness.” It states that every recordable case must be entered into the organization’s injury log, including cases not previously recorded. Under the rule, records of injuries and illnesses are to be maintained for five years. The proposed rule does not add any new compliance obligations, instead emphasizing the obligation of accurate record keeping.
Keeping a log of injuries and illnesses encompasses more than filing paperwork or data entry. This comprehensive log of moments when workplace safety was compromised allows employers to learn from past mistakes. Accidents happen, but allowing a dangerous situation to re-occur should never be acceptable. For this reason, of the many types of OSHA violations, the Willful Violation and the Repeated Violation are associated with the heaviest fines – reaching up to $70,000/violation.
According to Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, “Accurate records are not simply paperwork, but have an important, in fact, life-saving purpose. They will enable employers, employees, researchers and the government to identify and eliminate the most serious workplace hazards – ones that have already caused injuries and illnesses to occur.” FULL ARTICLE
First-Day Worker Seriously Harmed Due to Lack of Training
At the Quality Blow Molding plant in Elyria, Ohio, an employee was seriously harmed while attempting to fix a jam in one of the company’s plastic molding machines on his first day of work. The 21 year old, whose name was not released by OSHA, lost four fingers on one hand and received serious burns. OSHA cited Quality Blow Molding for several violations; some of which were classified “willful” and others under “repeated” or in non-serious categories.
The company, which produces plastics items in its 24,000 square foot factory, failed initiallySafety First yellow diamond to report this incident to OSHA and now faces over $170,000 in fines as of early August 2015.
To prevent tragedies like this, companies need to enforce training protocols. New workers must be fully supervised according to present OSHA standards, so that they are not left alone to make mistakes as dangerous as this unfortunate employee’s. Young workers are statistically the most likely to have accidents resulting in illness or injury, and so they require additional attention…FULL ARTICLE
Lifefleet Company Faces Health Violation Charges
The Lifefleet Company in North Lima, Ohio is facing serious charges from OSHA because of its negligence in preparing its workers for encounters with hazardous materials. The company provides ambulance services, thereby exposing its employees to disease and/or harm. The company did not provide adequate protections from things like bloodborne pathogens and other communicable diseases, and so was issued 14 separate citations.
The company handles both emergency and non-emergency ambulance rides, meaning that employees could be exposed to any number of diseases…FULL ARTICLE
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