Trenching deaths continued to rise
- OSHA is boosting its enforcement and oversight after an “alarming rise” in trenching fatalities.
- The agency hopes to draw attention to construction worker safety and present issues and solutions.
- OSHA currently requires inspectors to open an inspection every time they see an open trench or excavation, regardless of whether a hazard is apparent.
- The first half of 2022 saw trench fatalities increase to 35 construction workers, exceeding the 15 fatalities in 2021, so OSHA has redoubled its enforcement efforts to prevent trenching accidents this year.
Wichita contractor fined after worker dies
- OSHA cited Utility Contractors Inc. in Wichita following the death of a construction worker at the city’s new water treatment plant.
- Manuel Esparza, a 55-year-old project manager for the firm, was killed while trying to move a large iron pipe at the Northwest Water Treatment Facility.
- UCI violated a federal law when the firm allowed workers to misuse and overload a hoist instead of ordering the proper tools for the job, according to OSHA.
- UCI was initially fined UCI $20,717 for two serious violations but OSHA decreased the penalty to $13,880 for a serious violation and a less severe violation after an informal settlement.
Dangerous chemicals in workplace
- Goodyear uses ortho-toluidine to make its tires pliable, but the chemical might cause bladder cancer, according to a report by NPR.
- OSHA is having trouble setting more stringent rules for ortho-toluidine and thousands of other chemicals.
- The agency has only updated standards for three chemicals in the past 25 years.
- Former OSHA director David Michaels said that legal challenges have created roadblocks to new guidelines and the agency put a disclaimer on its website saying that “the government’s limits were essentially useless.”
Many schools lack carbon monoxide detectors
- Less than a quarter of states have laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors in school buildings, according to the Environmental Law Institute.
- In addition, there are no organizations that record how many carbon monoxide leaks happen in schools.
- Carbon monoxide, often described as the “silent killer,” could leak from worn or poorly maintained boilers or furnaces, or a malfunctioning flue
- Jerry Roseman, the director of environmental science and occupational safety and health for a Philadelphia teachers union, said that even though there is not much death, this hazard needs to be addressed.