custom signs

Region 5 News Release: 10-1691-CHI
Dec. 22, 2010
Contact: Rhonda Burke       Scott Allen
Phone: 312-353-6976       312-353-6976
E-mail: burke.rhonda@dol.gov       allen.scott@dol.gov

US Labor Department’s OSHA cites Peoria Siding & Window Co.
for failing to provide roofers with fall protection

WASHINGTON, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Peoria Siding & Window Co. Inc. of Washington, Ill., with one willful safety violation for failing to provide fall protection for employees working on residential roofing projects. The company faces penalties totaling $48,400.

The citation follows an investigation OSHA conducted in November at a jobsite in Pekin, Ill. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements or plain indifference to employee safety and health.

“Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in the workplace,” said Thomas Bielema, OSHA’s area director in Peoria, Ill. “Failing to provide fall protection is unacceptable, and OSHA is committed to ensuring employers abide by this agency’s safety and health regulations.”

Peoria Siding & Window, an exterior home improvement company, also was cited for failing to provide fall protection for workers in July 2008 and July 2010.

OSHA standards require that an effective form of fall protection, such as guardrails, safety nets or personal fall arrest systems, be in use when workers perform residential construction activities 6 feet or more above the next lower level. Detailed information on fall protection hazards and safeguards is available online at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/index.html.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Employers and employees with questions regarding workplace safety and health standards can call OSHA’s Peoria, Ill., office at 309-589-7033. To report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742).

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.

###

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.

Release Number: 10-1753-NAT
Dec. 22, 2010
Contact: Jason Surbey       Diana Petterson
Phone: 202-693-4668       202-693-1898
E-mail: surbey.jason@dol.gov       diana.petterson@dol.gov

US Labor Department’s OSHA acts to protect residential roofing workers
Agency rescinds Clinton-era directive and gives workers more safeguards against falls

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a new directive withdrawing a former one that allowed residential builders to bypass fall protection requirements. The directive being replaced, issued in 1995, initially was intended as a temporary policy and was the result of concerns about the feasibility of fall protection in residential building construction. However, there continues to be a high number of fall-related deaths in construction, and industry experts now feel that feasibility is no longer an issue or concern.

“Fatalities from falls are the number one cause of workplace deaths in construction. We cannot tolerate workers getting killed in residential construction when effective means are readily available to prevent those deaths,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Almost every week, we see a worker killed from falling off a residential roof. We can stop these fatalities, and we must.”

The National Association of Home Builders recommended rescinding the 1995 directive, as did OSHA’s labor-management Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health; the AFL-CIO; and the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association, which represents the 27 states and territories that run their own occupational safety and health programs.

According to data from the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of 40 workers are killed each year as a result of falls from residential roofs. One-third of those deaths represent Latino workers, who often lack sufficient access to safety information and protections. Latino workers comprise more than one-third of all construction employees.

OSHA’s action today rescinds the Interim Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction, Standard 03-00-001. Prior to the issuance of this new directive, Standard 03-00-001 allowed employers engaged in certain residential construction activities to use specified alternative methods of fall protection rather than the conventional fall protection required by the residential construction fall protection standard. With the issuance of today’s new directive, all residential construction employers must comply with 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1926.501(b)(13). Where residential builders find that traditional fall protection is not feasible in residential environments, 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13) still allows for alternative means of providing protection.

Construction and roofing companies will have up to six months to comply with the new directive. OSHA has developed training and compliance assistance materials for small employers and will host a webinar for parties interested in learning more about complying with the standard. To view the directive and for more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/doc/residential_fall_protection.html.

Read today’s Federal Register notice at http://s.dol.gov/C9.

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.

###

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.

Constellation Energy Partners Acquires Mid-Continent Oil Assets

Houston, TX, December 22, 2010 - Constellation Energy Partners LLC (NYSE Arca: CEP) announced on December 21 that it has acquired from a private seller, effective Nov. 1, 2010, non-operated oil properties in northern Kansas and southern Nebraska for a purchase price of approximately $5.9 million. The properties currently produce approximately 126 barrels of oil equivalent per day from 36 wells. Proved reserves are estimated to be 170,000 barrels of oil equivalent, of which approximately 81% are classified as proved developed producing. The transaction closed Dec. 21, 2010 and was funded with cash on hand.

“This transaction expands our Mid-Continent asset base while at the same time adding oil to our production mix,” said Stephen R. Brunner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Constellation Energy Partners. “We’ll continue to look for opportunities to acquire assets with similar characteristics in transactions that are accretive to our unitholders.”  

Additional information about the company’s assets and production can be found in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and on the company’s Web site (http://www.constellationenergypartners.com).  

About the Company  

Constellation Energy Partners LLC is a limited liability company focused on the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas properties, as well as related midstream assets.  

Forward-Looking Statements

We make statements in this news release that are considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are largely based on our expectations, which reflect estimates and assumptions made by our management. These estimates and assumptions reflect our best judgment based on currently known market conditions and other factors. Although we believe such estimates and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently uncertain and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control. In addition, management’s assumptions about future events may prove to be inaccurate. Management cautions all readers that the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are not guarantees of future performance, and we cannot assure you that such statements will be realized or the forward-looking events and circumstances will occur. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements due to factors listed in the “Risk Factors” section in our SEC filings and elsewhere in those filings. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. We do not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.

For More Information Contact
Charles C. Ward
Constellation Energy Partners LLC
877-847-0009
—————————————-

See all news in General

Region 3 News Release: 10-1735-PHI (osha 10-230)
Dec. 21, 2010
Contact: Joanna Hawkins       Leni Fortson
Phone: 215-861-5101       215-861-5102
E-mail: hawkins.joanna@dol.gov      uddyback-fortson.lenore@dol.gov

US Labor Department’s OSHA cites Houston, Texas, contractor
for not protecting workers against falls at Wal-Mart jobsite in Hamburg, Pa.

HAMBURG, Pa. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued Destin Drywall and Paint Inc. of Houston, Texas, five serious citations and one repeat citation for fall hazards and other safety violations. The company was cited while installing wallboard to the exterior of a Wal-Mart store in Hamburg. Proposed penalties total $20,100.

“Destin Drywall has a recent history of not providing proper fall protection to employees at its jobsites,” said Kevin Kilp, OSHA’s area director in Harrisburg, Pa., whose office conducted the inspection. “This protection is critical given that falls are the leading cause of injuries and fatalities in the construction industry.”

Serious citations allege a failure to provide fall protection for employees working on aerial lifts, training for employees on fall protection requirements while working on aerial lifts and roofs, and required personal protective equipment. They also allege that the company permitted workers to operate a rough terrain forklift without required training and allowed misuse of a stepladder. A serious citation is issued 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. Penalties for the serious citations total $11,700.

The repeat citation alleges that the company permitted its employees to work on a surface greater than 6 feet above the ground without an approved method of fall protection. A repeat citation is issued when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. The proposed penalty for this repeat citation is $8,400.

Destin Drywall was issued a separate serious citation with a $1,500 penalty earlier this year for not providing proper fall protection while performing work at a Wal-Mart location in Benbrook, Texas. The company also was issued two additional serious citations and $3,375 in penalties for similar hazards while performing work at a Wal-Mart site in North East, Md.

For information on OSHA’s fall protection standards, visit http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/index.html.

The company has 15 working days from receipt of the latest citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director in Harrisburg or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. OSHA’s Harrisburg Area Office can be reached by telephone at 717-782-3902. To report workplace incidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742).

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.

###

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.

EXCO Resources, Inc. Announces Acquisition of Marcellus Shale Properties from Chief Oil & Gas

Dallas, TX, December 22, 2010 - EXCO Resources, Inc. (NYSE:XCO) (“EXCO”) announced on December 21 the acquisition of properties prospective for the Marcellus shale from Chief Oil & Gas LLC and related parties (“Chief”) for approximately $459.4 million, after preliminary purchase price adjustments at the closing. The parties agreed to close the transaction into an escrow account pending receipt of a waiver from a third party, which is expected to be obtained by January 14, 2011. The transaction has an effective date of July 1, 2010.  

The assets are located within the area of mutual interest established by the existing Appalachian joint venture with BG Group, plc (LSE: BG.L) (“BG Group”). BG Group has the right to purchase 50% of this acquisition. Assuming BG Group elects to participate, the development of these assets would be governed by our Appalachian joint venture. The purchase price was financed with borrowings under EXCO’s credit agreement.  

The assets include producing properties with current gross production of approximately 40 Mmcf per day (16 Mmcf per day net) from 15 producing wells, 11 wells currently awaiting completion and over 50,000 net acres prospective for the Marcellus shale located primarily in Lycoming and Sullivan Counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  

EXCO Resources, Inc. is an oil and natural gas exploration, exploitation, development and production company headquartered in Dallas, Texas with principal operations in East Texas, North Louisiana, Appalachia, and West Texas.  

Additional information about EXCO Resources, Inc. may be obtained by contacting EXCO’s Chairman, Douglas H. Miller, or its President, Stephen F. Smith, at EXCO’s headquarters, 12377 Merit Drive, Suite 1700, Dallas, TX 75251, telephone number (214) 368-2084, or by visiting EXCO’s website at www.excoresources.com. EXCO’s SEC filings and press releases can be found under the Investor Relations tab.  

This release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future financial results, business expectations and business transactions. Business plans may change as circumstances warrant. Actual results may differ materially from those predicted as a result of factors over which EXCO has no control. Such factors include, but are not limited to: estimates of reserves, commodity price changes, regulatory changes and general economic conditions. These risk factors and additional information are included in EXCO’s reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. EXCO undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

For More Information Contact
Douglas H. Miller
Chairman
EXCO Resources, Inc.
214-368-2084
—————————————-

See all news in General