Archive for March, 2011
OSHA seeks applications from organizations to offer online worker safety, health training courses
March 29, 2011
Contact: Office of Communications
Phone: 202-693-1999
OSHA seeks applications from organizations to offer
online worker safety, health training courses
WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced today that it is seeking applications from organizations to provide 10- or 30-hour online OSHA Outreach Training Program courses in the construction, general and maritime industries. The program trains workers on their rights, describes employer responsibilities, explains how to file a complaint and describes work-related hazards. Applications must be received by OSHA’s Directorate of Training and Education by June 27, 2011.
OSHA began online outreach training courses in 2002 and has since seen a steady increase in the number of workers trained online. More than 110,000 workers received online training in fiscal 2010.
“As a result of the interest in Outreach Training Programs, we are initiating this competition to ensure that we are providing quality training for all participants,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels.
Applicants will be selected based on their organizational and staff experience and qualifications, course content and design, and technical and administrative capabilities, among other requirements.
Interested parties should submit applications to the attention of Don Guerra, Office of Training and Educational Programs, OSHA Directorate of Training and Education, 2020 S. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005. A proposal conference will be held at the same location, April 19, 2011, to provide potential applicants with information about the training program, OSHA expectations for online trainers, online courses and methods of instruction, and administrative and program requirements for online trainers. See the Federal Register notice for registration information.
General inquiries should be directed to Don Guerra at guerra.don@dol.gov or Jim Barnes at barnes.jim@dol.gov. They can be reached at 847-759-7700.
The Outreach Training Program, a voluntary participation information resource, trains workers about occupational safety and health. More than 2.2 million students have received training through this program during the past three years.
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.
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Weir Oil & Gas Expands Fort Worth Manufacturing, Operations; Invests $65 Million to Meet Industry Demands for Increased Capacity
Weir Oil & Gas Expands Fort Worth Manufacturing, Operations; Invests $65 Million to Meet Industry Demands for Increased Capacity
Fort Worth, TX, March 29, 2011 - Weir Oil & Gas announces an extensive capacity expansion of its Weir SPM business manufacturing and service facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The $65 million investment is part of the company’s aggressive growth strategy that aligns with its increased business in drilling and hydraulic fracturing caused by a rise in horizontal rig counts supported by oil and liquid rich shale in North America.
The expansion includes purchase of 12.7 acres adjacent to the current location for creation of a dedicated Fort Worth Service Center to provide quick response times for major pump overhaul. Construction will also include multiple warehouses, an assembly and engineering office, pipe shop, pump machine shop, a swivel manufacturing facility and service center. New and renovated offices will accommodate recently hired management and engineering staff. The site also includes land for future expansions.
Construction is under way and the impact of the investments is already starting to take effect. Renovations and construction are expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2012.
Steve Noon, Divisional Managing Director of Weir Oil & Gas, said, “We will continue to invest in Weir SPM. Since its acquisition in 2007, Weir SPM has maintained a market-leading position in this niche segment of the oil and gas industry. The expansion in Fort Worth will support our extensive service footprint and will provide additional capacity to meet our customers’ needs.”
The renovations and new space allow Weir SPM to install new machinery for increased pump, fluid end and flow manufacturing capacity. The equipment purchased includes additional machining centers, lathes, and equipment capable of producing swivels completely in house for the first time in the company’s history. Investing in this equipment gives Weir SPM a significant increase in its yearly output capacity.
About Weir
The Weir Group PLC is a global engineering solutions provider, headquartered in the UK, with interests in over 40 countries and products focussed on the minerals, oil & gas and power markets. The group’s global brands include Warman pumps, SPM pump and flow equipment and Hopkinsons valves. Weir’s Oil & Gas division delivers innovative end-to-end solutions for customers around the globe from capital projects to long-term asset management contracts for continuing onshore and offshore operations. It is comprised of four business units: Weir SPM, the market leader in well service pumps and flow control equipment; Weir Gabbioneta, process pump manufacturers; Weir Oil & Gas Services, providers of engineering solutions; and Weir Mesa, provider of oil field products. The Weir Group PLC is listed in the UK’s FTSE 100 index of companies.
For More Information Contact
Jackie Wilkerson
Weir Oil & Gas
T- 281-820-7807
C- 832-289-9702
jackie.wilkerson@weiroilandgas.com
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US Department of Labor’s OSHA applauds decision upholding citation against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in crowd management fatality case
National News Release: NAT-11-308
March 25, 2011
Contact: Diana Petterson Enrique Chaurand
Phone: 202-693-1898 202-693-4679
E-mail: petterson.diana@dol.gov chaurand.enrique@dol.gov
US Department of Labor’s OSHA applauds decision upholding citation against
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in crowd management fatality case
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today applauded a ruling by Chief Administrative Law Judge Covette Rooney of the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission upholding the citation and full penalty issued to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for inadequate crowd management following a November 2008 trampling death of a worker at one of the company’s retail locations in New York.
“This is a win for both workers and consumers. It’s only fitting that today the 100th anniversary of the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City where 146 workers lost their lives that a judge affirmed OSHA’s right to protect the safety and health of workers from clearly recognized hazards,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, Dr. David Michaels. “Today’s ruling supports OSHA’s position that, even in the absence of a specific rule or standard, employers are still legally responsible for providing a place of employment free of recognized hazards that are likely to cause serious injury or death. If not properly managed by retailers, a large crowd poses a significant threat to the lives of workers and customers.”
In May 2009, OSHA cited Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for inadequate crowd management, concluding an investigation launched after a worker was trampled to death on Nov. 28, 2008, at a Wal-Mart store in Valley Stream, N.Y. The worker was knocked to the ground and crushed by a crowd of about 2,000 shoppers surging into the store for its annual “Blitz Friday” holiday sales event. OSHA’s inspection found that the store’s workers were at risk of being crushed by the crowd due to the store’s failure to implement reasonable and effective crowd management practices. Those practices would have provided the store’s workers with the necessary training and tools to safely manage a large crowd of shoppers.
Under its General Duty Clause, OSHA issued Wal-Mart Stores Inc. one serious citation for exposing workers to the recognized hazards of asphyxiation or being crushed by a crowd. The citation carried a proposed fine of $7,000, the maximum penalty amount for a serious violation allowed under the law. A violation is serious when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
“During the course of OSHA’s investigation, the company implemented crowd control measures storewide, and the National Retail Federation also promoted those practices to its members,” said Michaels. “We praise that action, and urge all retailers to implement crowd management practices ahead of future sales events likely to draw large crowds.”
To read a letter from Assistant Secretary Michaels to retailers on crowd control, please visit http://www.osha.gov/ooc/blackfridayletter.pdf. Additionally, an OSHA fact sheet on crowd management measures is available online at http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/Crowd_Control.html.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. disputed the May 2009 OSHA citation before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC). OSHRC is an independent Federal agency created to decide contests of citations or penalties resulting from inspections of American workplaces by OSHA. An employer who is cited by OSHA for an alleged workplace health or safety violation(s) can contest the citation(s) and have the case heard by a Commission Administrative Law Judge, who ultimately issues a decision. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has 20 days from the date Judge Rooney’s decision is docketed with OSHRC to appeal to its commissioners, whose members are Presidential appointees. For more information, please visit http://www.oshrc.gov/.
OSHA’s safety inspection was conducted by the agency’s Long Island Area Office. The case was litigated for OSHA by Jeffrey Rogoff, Darren Cohen, Kathryn L. Stewart and Sudwiti Chanda of the Labor Department’s Regional Office of the Solicitor in New York.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA’s role is to promote safe and healthful working conditions for America’s men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
Solis v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
OSHRC Docket number: 09-1013
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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audiotape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.
* Accessibility Assistance Contact OSHA’s Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 for assistance accessing PDF or Webinar materials.
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Synergy Resources Corporation Completes Sale of Oil and Gas Leases
Synergy Resources Corporation Completes Sale of Oil and Gas Leases
Denver, CO, March 28, 2011 - Synergy Resources Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: SYRG), a domestic oil and gas exploration and production company focused in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, announced that it has received payment of $4,679,078 from the sale of approximately 2,384 net acres to an independent oil and gas company. The agreement was originally announced on January 14th, and in conjunction with the down payment of $565,439 represents a purchase price of $5,244,517. The 2,384 undeveloped net acres are in Weld and Morgan Counties in Colorado and Laramie County in Wyoming.
Ed Holloway, CEO of Synergy Resources Corporation, stated, “We are pleased to announce the closing of this transaction. The added additional working capital from this transaction will be invested in our core area of the Wattenberg Field.”
About Synergy Resources Corporation
Synergy Resources Corporation is a domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Synergy’s core area of operations is in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, which encompasses Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska. The Wattenberg field in the D-J Basin ranks as the 7th largest field in the U.S. in terms of proved gas reserves and 9th in production. Synergy continues to increase its acreage position in the Denver – Julesburg Basin with 119,331 gross acres and 110,616 net acres under lease. Synergy’s corporate offices are located in Platteville, Colorado. More company news and information is available at www.SYRGinfo.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. The actual results could differ materially from a conclusion, forecast or projection in the forward-looking information. Certain material factors or assumptions were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection as reflected in the forward-looking information.
For More Information Contact
William Scaff
Vice President
Synergy Resources Corporation
+1-970-737-1073
www.SYRGinfo.com
wescaff@syrginfo.com
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US Labor Department’s OSHA urges employers to guard against fall hazards after citing employer at Danvers, Mass., jobsite
Region 1 News Release: 11-408-BOS/BOS 2011-107
March 24, 2011
Contact: Ted Fitzgerald
Phone: 617-565-2074
E-mail: fitzgerald.edmund@dol.gov
US Labor Department’s OSHA urges employers to guard against
fall hazards after citing employer at Danvers, Mass., jobsite
A.C. Castle Construction faces nearly $61,000 in fines for 21 citation
ANDOVER, Mass. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited A.C. Castle Construction Co. Inc. of Danvers for allegedly exposing employees to fall and electrocution hazards at a residential worksite located at 5 Collins St., in the same town. The roofing contractor faces a total of $60,800 in proposed fines for 21 repeat and serious violations of workplace safety standards. OSHA is calling upon employers in Essex and Middlesex counties to be cognizant of fall hazards and safeguards, and to take proper precautions.
“These citations address basic construction safety hazards that should not have existed in the first place. They should be of vital concern to all employers whose workers labor at heights and near power lines,” said Jeffrey A. Erskine, OSHA’s area director for Essex and Middlesex counties. “Employers should take the time to perform a spring tuneup, including reviewing their safety programs, equipment, employee training and applicable OSHA regulations to ensure that their workers are effectively protected against falls and other hazards.”
OSHA opened its inspection of A.C. Castle Construction upon observing employees working without fall protection on the building’s roof and on a ladder jack scaffold, exposing them to falls of nearly 19 feet. Additional fall hazards stemmed from employees using or working on damaged, unsecured, misused or inadequate ladders.
Electrocution and electric shock hazards stemmed from employees working within 3 feet of an energized power line, using ladders that lacked nonconductive siderails and from ungrounded or frayed power cords. Employees also lacked head, eye and foot protection, and the worksite was not inspected by a competent person who would have identified and corrected such hazardous conditions.
As a result of its inspection, OSHA issued A.C. Castle Construction three repeat citations with $15,200 in fines for the rooftop and unsecured ladder fall hazards, and the lack of head protection. Eighteen serious citations with $45,600 in fines were issued for the remaining hazards. The repeat citations were based on OSHA having cited the employer in December 2009 for similar hazards at a Hamilton worksite. OSHA issues a repeat citation 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. 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.
Detailed information on hazards and safeguards associated with construction work and scaffold use is available online at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/construction.html and http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/scaffolding/index.html.
The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA’s Andover Area Office; telephone 978-837-4460. To report workplace incidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call the agency’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 ensure 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 news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.
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