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May 28, 2010

Contact: Office of Communications

Phone: 202-693-1999

Amended Steel Erection standard improves highway construction worker safety

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has added a note to its Steel Erection standard informing employers of certain Federal Highway Administration requirements, to better protect workers and motorists during highway bridge construction.

This added information will help prevent tragedies like the 2004 incident in which a 100-foot-long, 40-ton steel bridge girder fell from an overpass under construction in Golden, Colo., crushing an SUV passing underneath and killing the family of three inside. The falling girder could just as easily have struck and killed the construction workers who were building the bridge had they been there at the time; therefore, OSHA is amending its Steel Erection standard to notify employers of FHWA regulations that could save the lives of workers constructing highway bridges.

In many cases, the FHWA requires that a Registered Engineer prepare plans for any temporary braces or supports used to stabilize structures such as bridges during highway construction. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the company erecting the bridge contributed to the fatal 2004 incident by failing to follow this requirement.

Adding notification of FHWA requirements to the Steel Erection standard is considered a technical amendment because it does not impose any additional compliance burden on employers and therefore does not require a public comment period before going into effect. For additional information see the notice in the Federal Register.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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U.S. Labor Department news releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this release will be made available in alternative format upon request (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the Central Office for Assistive Services and Technology. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

OSHA News Release: 10-699-NAT

May 27, 2010

Contact Name: Diana Petterson    Jason Surbey

Phone Number: 202-693-1898    202-693-4668

E-mail: petterson.diana@dol.gov    surbey.jason@dol.gov

US Department of Labor’s OSHA seeks applications for $8 million in new
Susan Harwood Safety and Health Capacity Building Training Grants

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is soliciting applications for $8 million in Susan Harwood Safety and Health Capacity Building Training Grants. The grants are available to nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations to provide safety and health training educational programs for workers and employers.

“These grants will provide workers and employers with the tools they need to build the capacity to ensure safe workplaces,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “These grants will enable workers to gain the knowledge and tools they need to save lives and protect their health.”

This grant program seeks to fund longer term programs that build safety and health competency within organizations. Capacity building safety and health training grants will focus on training workers to recognize hazards and appropriate control measures, and to understand their rights under OSHA regulations and standards.

Two types of grant awards may be made for capacity building grants: 1) pilot grants and 2) developmental grants. Pilot grants are intended to assist organizations that need time to assess needs and formulate a plan before moving forward with a full scale safety and health education program. Developmental grants are for organizations that already have established the capability to provide occupational safety and health training, education and related assistance to their constituents and are seeking to expand and develop their capacity.

The complete solicitation for grant applications is available at www.grants.gov. Applicants can complete the mandatory online registration at any time; however, registration must take place before beginning the application process. Applicants are encouraged to complete registration as soon as possible, as the process takes multiple days to complete.

Capacity grant applications must be submitted and received electronically no later than 4:30 p.m. EDT on July 2, 2010. No extensions of the deadline will be granted.

OSHA also will announce, in the near future, a second Susan Harwood Training Grant Program solicitation for one-year Targeted Topic Training Grants that will focus on short-term training programs and the development of training materials.

Further information on the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is available on OSHA’s website at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html. Questions from the public regarding this announcement should be directed to Cynthia Bencheck at bencheck.cindy@dol.gov or Jim Barnes at barnes.jim@dol.gov and telephone 847-759-7700.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance.

Region 1 News Release: 10-716-BOS/BOS 2010-221

Wed., May 26, 2010

Contact: Ted Fitzgerald

Phone: 617-565-2074

Email: fitzgerald.edmund@dol.gov

US Labor Department’s OSHA proposes more than $61,000 in fines against
Weymouth, Mass., contractor after worker falls 30 feet at Brookline, Mass., site

BRAINTREE, Mass. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Misdea Enterprises LLC, a Weymouth, Mass., masonry contractor, for alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards after an employee fell 30 feet while climbing a scaffold at a jobsite located on Summit Street in Brookline, Mass. The company faces a total of $61,600 in proposed fines.

OSHA’s inspection found that the scaffold lacked a ladder or other safe means of accessing its upper levels and the workers were not supplied with fall protection while working on the scaffold. Employers must provide fall protection for each employee on a scaffold more than 10 feet above a lower level.

These conditions resulted in OSHA issuing two willful citations, with $56,000 in proposed fines, against the masonry company. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

“Falls are the leading cause of death in construction work, and employers must take all required steps to prevent and minimize this potentially deadly hazard,” said Brenda Gordon, OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. “Safe working conditions must not and can never be a matter of luck.”

In addition, OSHA determined that the scaffold was not fully planked, which created an additional fall hazard. Furthermore, the agency found that workers were threatened by electrocution, since the scaffold was located less than 18 inches from uninsulated and energized power lines. These conditions resulted in two serious citations with $5,600 in fines. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.

Detailed information on construction fall and scaffolding hazards and safeguards is available online at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/index.html and http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/scaffolding/construction.html.

Misdea Enterprises has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with the OSHA area director or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by OSHA’s Braintree Area Office; telephone 617-565-6924.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance.