Region 6 News Release: DOL-OSHA-10-941-DAL
Monday, July 19, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth Todd
Phone: 972-850-4710
Email: todd.elizabeth@dol.gov

US Department of Labor’s OSHA cites Jarden Home Brands
in Greenville, Texas, for alleged safety violations

GREENVILLE, Texas – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Jarden Home Brands with two alleged willful and 12 alleged serious violations following a safety inspection at the company’s worksite in Greenville. Penalties total $197,500.

“This employer jeopardized the safety of its workers by exposing them to the possible release of electrical energy, which could result in electrocution or other hazards,” said Stephen Boyd, OSHA’s area director in Dallas, Texas. “OSHA’s regulations must be followed to avoid injuries and fatalities.”

OSHA’s Dallas Area Office began its inspection Jan. 27 at the company’s facility on Industrial Boulevard after receiving a referral alleging workers were being exposed to safety hazards. Willful violations were issued for failing to develop specific procedures to protect workers from the unexpected release of electrical energy, and for failing to provide adequate machine guarding for employees working around rotating shafts. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.

The serious violations included failing to provide fall protection equipment, training in lockout/tagout procedures of energy sources, training in the use of forklift trucks, and ensuring electrical equipment was approved for use in hazardous locations. A serious violation is one in which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Employers and employees with questions regarding workplace safety and health standards can call OSHA’s Dallas Area Office at 214-320-2400 or OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742 to report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers.

Jarden Home Brands has 15 business days from receipt of citations to comply, request an informal conference with the OSHA area director in Dallas, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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.

###

Region 5 News Release: 10-982-CHI
July 16, 2010
Contact: Scott Allen
Phone: 312-353-6976
E-mail: allen.scott@dol.gov

US Labor Department’s OSHA fines Kenton Iron Products
$214,500 in penalties for 29 safety and health violations

KENTON, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Kenton Iron Products LLC with $214,500 in proposed penalties for 29 alleged serious, willful, and repeat safety and health violations for unsafe working conditions at the company’s iron casting facility in Kenton.

As a result of a January 2010 inspection, OSHA has issued three alleged willful citations with proposed penalties of $156,000 for failing to ensure that some equipment was de-energized and shut down properly, and lockout/tagout procedures were in place before workers conducted maintenance on the equipment to prevent accidental start-up of machinery. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirement, or plain indifference to employee safety and health.

Twenty-two serious citations with proposed penalties of $50,700 also have been issued. These include excess amounts of flammable liquids stored in a fire area; lack of or improper capacity labeling on equipment; malfunctioning back up alarms and hydraulic leaks on equipment; failure to have and enforce electrical lockout/tagout procedures; lack of employee fall protections; lack of proper personal protective gear for workers, and unlabeled containers of hazardous chemicals. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm can result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists.

Additionally, OSHA has issued $7,800 in proposed fines for three repeat violations, including failing to provide proper grounding and bonding of flammable liquids, failing to provide safety latches on material handling hooks, and using compressed air over the 30 pounds per square inch limit. OSHA issues repeat violations if that employer previously was cited for the same or similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last three years.

The company also has received one other-than-serious citation for using damaged electrical testing equipment. Other-than-serious citations are given when the violation would not directly cause a death or serious physical harm, but would affect the safety and health of employees.

“There is no excuse for a company to disregard the safety and welfare of its workers by not following OSHA safety standards,” said OSHA Area Director Jule Hovi in Toledo, Ohio. “Those who ignore safe practices and OSHA regulations are inviting tragedy into the lives of their workers.”

Kenton Iron Products manufactures iron castings at its two foundries located in Kenton and has more than 80 employees. The company has been inspected by OSHA 10 times since 1981 and has received 49 previous citations.

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. To report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742.

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.

“Officials probe accident where worker was burned
By JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent
Saturday, Jul. 3, 2010

CHESTER – Federal safety inspectors have begun investigating the circumstances surrounding Thursday’s accident that severely burned a man while he was working at a utility substation.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to spend the next several weeks reviewing the accident at a New Hampshire Electric Co-op substation on Old Sandown Road.

Authorities said the victim, an employee of I.C. Reed and Sons Inc. of Raymond, was working from a bucket truck when he received a jolt of 7,200 volts of electricity to his shoulder. Fire Chief Richard Antoine said the worker’s shoulder “touched something that obviously it shouldn’t have” while he was working in the bucket and that the electricity entered through his shoulder and exited through his arm.

The shock left the victim with third-degree burns to his upper body, officials said. He was flown to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

While the victim’s condition wasn’t known yesterday, Antoine said he was told that he’s “doing very well.” Authorities have not identified the worker, citing privacy laws.

I.C. Reed and Sons, which has not returned calls, was subcontracted by New Hampshire Electric Co-op to perform work at the substation.

OSHA spokesman Ted Fitzgerald said the federal agency was immediately notified about the accident on Thursday and inspectors quickly arrived to begin their review.

“We need to determine which safety standards would apply and whether or not they were complied with,” Fitzgerald said.

OSHA inspectors have up to six months to complete their review, but Fitzgerald said they should done before then, adding that the investigation will likely take several weeks.

Seth Wheeler, spokesman for New Hampshire Electric Co-op, said he didn’t know the status of the work that was being done and whether it had been completed. He said the accident didn’t cause any prolonged outages for electric customers.”

According to the article this was probably an arc flash and they WERE wearing flame resistant (arc-rated) clothing.  Most likely these folks will live will little long terms effects.  When clothing doesn’t ignite workers are typically not hurt badly.  The NESC and OSHA 1910.269 apply here so they should be wearing arc-rated clothing and the [...]

A 2009 change to NFPA 70E

NFPA 70E has long waived the necessity of an energized work permit for such tasks as testing (voltage, current, phasing, infrared and system tuning), circuit identification, and troubleshooting. In 2009, a fourth exemption was added allowing persons to cross the Limited Approach Boundary for visual inspection (130.1(B)(3)).

This newly added exemption allows a qualified person to approach energized equipment for the singular purpose of visually inspecting equipment condition as long as that person does not cross the Restricted Approach Boundary or perform any task. He or she must also wear the appropriate arc flash PPE and follow all required safe work practices.

This eliminates any need for unnecessary paperwork in many areas. Companies may still choose to use a “hot work permit” or an energized electrical permit where conditions indicate. A common example of tasks that may be exempt from permit would be the need to look at a component to obtain a part number, but the most common is infrared inspection of parts for system reliability. Whether an equipment door is opened to verify a component setting, a fuse size or other common work task, a qualified, properly outfitted person may be exempt from a management signature permit for these common tasks under certain conditions.

Anytime such inspections or any work is performed on energized equipment, whether a permit or written approval from management is required or not, persons performing the task must be qualified and must understand the hazards involved. Therefore, the items listed in 130.1(B)(2) must be addressed for all tasks. These items include the equipment and circuits involved in a task; necessary safe work practices; mandatory PPE; the exposed energy sources; knowledge of and proper guarding/marking of the distance of the electrical boundaries (arc flash or shock boundaries); and a job briefing.

Permit required or not, the person who performs such tasks must be fully aware of the increased hazards inherent to energized work and be qualified to work safely around those hazards.

By Vickie Frost, Hugh Hoagland & Bill Shinn

Vickie, Hugh and Bill are Sr. Partners in eHazard the leading electrical safety and arc flash training company.

Vickie Frost is a technical writer and has been involved in electrical safety for over 20 years.

Hugh Hoagland & Bill Shinn, are members of ASTM F18 and Hugh is taskforce chair of many arc test methods. Bill has over 40 years electrical safety experience and is a Professional Electrical Engineer, retired from Alcoa.

Hugh does most of the world´s electric arc flash testing on clothing and PPE and does regular research at the Kinectrics lab in Toronto. Hugh is owner of ArcWear.com his testing company

They may be contacted at:

e-Hazard.com

13113 Eastpoint Park Blvd.

STE E

Louisville, KY 40223

Office: 502-716-7073

www.e-hazard.com

Wearing the right PPE is critical but other provisions to prevent arc flashes and lower incident energies in incidents are part of CSA Z462 and NFPA 70E.  These provisions prevent many of the incidents in the workplace.
Click here to read the story of the arc flash fine in Canada at OH&S Insider.

Share and Enjoy:

Schneider Electric (a top NFPA 70E compliance company) cited for electrical hazards after an employee electrocution.  It is tough to change the electrical culture.  Companies with leading edge technologies and safety programs have a tough time getting the word down to the lower level workers.  Electricity can kill you. I’m sure Square-D made changes to prevent this [...]

HVAC system kills one, injures one. One worker dead another with 3rd Degree burns on hands. LO/TO not followed?  HVAC workers among the most likely to die of electrocution. 
Click here to read the story.

Share and Enjoy:

“CHANNELVIEW, Texas – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Sneed Shipbuilding Inc. for alleged serious, repeat and other-than-serious violations for exposing employees to electrical and other safety hazards at the company’s facility on Market Street in Channelview. Proposed penalties total $59,300.

“Welders were using damaged welding leads, and the company failed to repair damaged electrical junction boxes,” said David Doucet, director of OSHA’s Houston North Area Office. “Electrical hazards like these can cause electrocution.”

OSHA’s Houston North Area Office began its investigation on April 27, finding structural deficiencies on one of the crawler cranes Sneed Shipbuilding maintained and operated, as well as electrical hazards throughout the shipyard. OSHA has issued 19 serious citations, including failing to provide employees with fall protection, guards on grinders, covers over open manholes in decks, and fire extinguishers in areas where flammable paint and solvents are used. A serious violation is one that could cause death or serious physical harm to employees when the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.

A repeat violation has been issued for failing to provide employees operating crawler cranes with load rating charts. A repeat violation is issued when an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last three years.”

This is an excellent site I have used for years for my own medical info BUT I give it a B- on arc flash.  The electrical shock info is up-to-date and accurate but the arc flash has deficiencies.
Click here to visit WebMD’s Electrical Injuries Article.
WebMD says, “Electrical arcs: Current sparks are formed between objects of [...]