Articles Posted in Workplace Hazards

A Brighton-based contractor has been cited by OSHA for alleged excavation hazards. A combination of willful, serious, and other-than-serious violations of safety standards led to a total of $S61,650 in proposed fines.

During an inspection conducted by OSHA’s area office in Braintree, Massachusetts, investigators found employees working in a trench more than eight feet deep without cave-in protection and a safe means of exit. The company had also piled excavated spoils at the edge of the edge, exposing workers to potential crushing or struck-by hazards.

The inspection resulted in one willful citation with a proposed fine of $49,500 for storing materials of the edge of the trench. In addition, the company received two serious citations for failing to provide collapse protection and an exit ladder. Those citations carry $8,500 in fines. Lastly, OSHA gave the company four other-than-serious citations for incomplete injury and illness records, a violation which adds $3,600 in fines.

Source: Contractor Cited for Cave-in Hazards, Other Trenching Violations, OHSonline.com, May 12, 2010 Continue reading

Authorities are investigating complaints that about 10 people were exposed to asbestos at the Boston University School of Medicine. A renovation project in the locker room of the Robinson Building revealed asbestos, according to a spokesman from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

None of the people exposed to the asbestos have shown any adverse effects, but construction on the building has been shut down indefinitely.

Though it was once used for insulation and fire resistance, asbestos is considered a hazard by the Environmental Protection Agency because it has been shown to lead to cancers and lung problems. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating for safety violations.

Source: Ten people exposed to asbestos at BU Medical Campus, Boston University Daily Free Press, April 13, 2010 Continue reading

Inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration discovered impalement and cave-in hazards at a construction site in Newton, Massachusetts. The Newton-based general contractor and its concrete subcontractor were working on a synagogue under construction and OSHA found workers in excavations up to 14 feet deep that lacked protection against a cave-in. These cave-in hazards were made even worse by the fact that there was no safe means of exiting the excavation. Warmer weather could also cause the soil to thaw.

As a result of these unsafe working conditions, OSHA has issues both companies four willful citations with $84,000 in proposed fines for each company. In addition, the general contractor faced four serious citations with $7,200 in proposed fines for a total of $91,200 in proposed fines. The subcontractor was issued two serious citations on top of the four willful citations for a total of $87,600 in fines.

Both companies have fifteen business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with the OSHA area director, or contest the findings.

Source: Builders Cited for Impalement, Cave-In Hazards at Synagogue Site, OHSonline.com, March 13, 2010 Continue reading

An East Boston-based contractor has been cited by OSHA for over two dozen alleged violations of workplace safety regulations. OSHA inspectors twice discovered workers exposed to fall hazards while working on a building at the intersection of Saratoga and Meridian Streets in East Boston.

The first inspection took place on August 21, 2009, when OSHA observed workers exposed to 26-foot falls from a makeshift work platform. Inspectors visited the work site again on September 9, 2009 and watched as workers were subjected to similar hazards. According to OSHA’s area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts, the workers could have needlessly died or been seriously injured as a result of these safety violations.

The proposed fines total $54,250.

Source: Makeshift Scaffold, Other Dangers Add up to $54K Fine for Contractor, OHSOnline.com, January 26, 2010 Continue reading

Last month, a forklift accident landed an employee at a medical manufacturing factory in a Boston hospital. The unidentified worker was injured while operating the forklift, which tipped over and spilled hazardous materials, including hydraulic fluid and sulfuric battery acid.

The worker reportedly came in contact with the hazardous chemicals, but most of the injuries were from the forklift tipping. The Mansfield Fire Chief said the worker sustained serious injuries to the ribs, hips, and legs.

Emergency responders apparently halted the company’s operations while they cleaned up the spill. Fire crews from Foxboro assisted Mansfield fire crews.

Source: Mansfield worker injured in accident, The Sun Chronicle, December 17, 2009 Continue reading

A new study of work-related injuries presented at a recent American Public Health Association meeting found that overall, female hotel workers are 1.5 times more likely to suffer injuries than their male counterparts. However, Hispanic women working in hotels were almost twice as prone to injury compared to white women. The study also found that Hispanic and Asian male employees were 1.5 times more likely to be injured than whites.

The study examined data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on close to 3,000 worker injuries at 50 unionized hotels. The injuries occurred between 2003 and 2005. The most common areas of injury were to the upper extremity, followed by back and lower extremities.

Among the first to look at injury incidence, rate, and risk ratios by gender, employer, ethnicity, and race in the United States hotel industry, the study does not pinpoint possible causes for the disparities in injury rates. Future studies might examine injury prevention strategies for this group of workers.

Source: Women Hotel Workers Suffer High Injury Rates, NewAmericaMedia.org, December 6, 2009 Continue reading

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently revealed their list of top 10 safety violations for 2009. The agency says the number of top 10 violations increased almost 30 percent compared to the same period last year.

Topping the list were scaffolding and fall protection violations. Scaffolding accidents generally result when planning or support gives way, according to OSHA. So far in 2009, OSHA reports more than nine thousand scaffolding violations and more than six thousand fall protection violations. OSHA guidelines require that workers at a height of four feet in general industry must have fall protection.

Further down on the list were violations such as hazard communication, respiratory protection, and lockout/tagout. The list underscores the important role that employers play in preventing construction accidents or other work injuries.

Source: Scaffolding, fall protection top safety violations for 2009, RiskandInsurance.com, December 17, 2009 Continue reading