Rewards for safety questioned
- OSHA has hedged its stance on the legality of safety incentive programs
- The agency previously listed policies and practices the agency considered potentially discriminatory against employees who reported injuries.
- An employer might enter all employees who have not been injured in the previous year in a drawing to win a prize, or a team of employees might be awarded a bonus for a similar milestone.
- These programs might be well-intentioned efforts by employers to encourage their workers to use safe practices.
Disturbing trend with blocked exits
- OSHA has found that Dollar Tree, one of the nation’s largest retail discount chains, has blocked exit routes and boxes to be stacked unsafely at various stores.
- Since 2017, federal and state OSHA programs identified more than 300 violations in more than 500 inspections at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores operated by Dollar Tree Inc..
- Blocked exit routes, unsafe working areas, and unsafely stacked boxes and merchandise are all-too-commonly found by workplace safety inspectors.
- The agency issued citations for three repeat violations and proposed $171,886 in penalties for the company’s latest workplace safety failures.
Jersey Shore amusement park disputes fine
- Gillian’s Wonderland in Ocean City, New Jersey, is contesting a $10,151 fine from OSHA following the death of a worker.
- Robert Sanger suffered fatal injuries in a fall from a lift while working on the Ferris wheel in preparation for the season.
- The fall reportedly took place when the concrete beneath the lift collapsed.
- OSHA released the citations against Cargo Tech International, where Sanger worked, and against Gilamco, owner of Gillian’s Wonderland Piers.
OSHA issues penalties after welder killed
- OSHA determined that the employer of a 25-year-old welder who suffered fatal injuries in an explosion at a Flora, Mississippi, could have prevented this by following federal workplace safety standards.
- The explosion occurred during welding operations while crews employed by W.S. Red Hancock replaced old metal tanks with fiberglass ones at a saltwater disposal site for oil and gas fields.
- The explosion sent seven of the company’s employees to local hospitals, including the welder who died as a result of his injuries six days later.
- OSHA has proposed $196,886 in penalties to address the safety violations found in the investigation.