OSHA on Scene After Train Derailments

March 9, 2023

OSHA helping with cleanup of toxic chemicals

  • A train derailment has left residents and workers in East Palestine, Ohio, scrambling to clean up toxic chemicals from the area.
  • OSHA has arrived on the scene to help expedite the remediation of those toxic chemicals.
  • As more than 2,000,000 gallons of toxic liquid and more than 700 tons of contaminated soil have been collected from the Norfolk Southern train derailment.
  • First Responders are also monitoring their health after working right against the fire, or those who inhaled the burning chemicals in clouds of smoke while assisting areas farther out from the incident.
    Read more

Glass company fined $64,000

  • Anchor Glass Container Corp. agreed to pay about $64,000 after it was cited for serious workforce hazards in its Elmira Heights, New York, plant.
  • The company previously paid about $52,000 in penalties for four serious violations found after an employee was trapped and killed in a silo in late January 2022.
  • OSHA cited Anchor Glass on Jan. 19 with 15 serious violations and proposed $107,148 in penalties,
  • The agency and Anchor Glass reached a settlement and the company agreed to pay the $64,289 penalty.
    Read more

Workplace death increased in North Carolina

  • The number of deaths in 2022 is up compared to 2021, rising from 49 to 63, according to the state’s Department of Labor.
  • The Labor Department reported the construction industry had 15 deaths in the workplace — the highest among all workers.
  • The service industry had 11, which ranked second among all industries.
  • As a result, the Labor Department workplace is now pushing for more effective safety training.
    Read more 

OSHA could have more challenges in Georgia

  • OSHA might face changes to its regulations in Georgia if a federal lawsuit supported by the National Association of Home Builders is successful.
  • The lawsuit, pending in the US Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, asks the court to find that Congress delegated unconstitutional powers to OSHA to decide which safety hazards to regulate and penalties to determine.
  • Allstates Refractory Contractors LLC of Waterville, Ohio, a general contractor specializing in industrial projects in glass, metals, and petrochemical plants, filed the case.
  • It asks the court to prevent OSHA from enforcing safety rules not adopted by industry consensus standards in the early 1970s and to propose fines.
    Read more