OSHA cites Florida facility operator for safety infractions

• OSHA is investigating a Florida correctional and rehabilitation facility that failed to follow recognized safety practices, leaving employees vulnerable to violent attacks and injuries, including one worker whom a patient reportedly struck in the face with a rock.
• Investigators are looking into the incident after the GEO Group Inc., which operates as South Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility, reported the worker’s hospitalization, two days after the incident occurred, which is a violation of OSHA’s rules.
• Agency investigators learned an inmate violently attacked a nurse with a rock enclosed in their fist as the nurse held the medical waiting room door open for a wheelchair-bound inmate. As a result of the attack, the nurse suffered a broken nasal bone and cuts on their forehead.
• OSHA assessed $26,787 in proposed penalties for the facility’s operator.
  Read more

Ohio firm cited for repeated violations

• OSHA proposed penalties totaling $277,904 to Ohio meat processing plant Sugar Creek Packing Co after an employee suffered severe leg burns and other injuries after falling into a machine containing corrosive chemicals.
• OSHA’s investigation revealed the plant failed to implement safety measures, such as lockout/tagout procedures.
• The company’s negligence in providing chemically resistant clothing and adequate training for handling hazardous chemicals, also contributed to the injuries the worker sustained while performing maintenance work.
• Sugar Creek Packing Co. previously faced OSHA violations dating back to 2014. Similar hazards arose in 2019 and 2022 at the Ohio facilities in Washington Court House and Fairfield.
  Read more

OSHA urges safety during holiday season

• OSHA offers resources to help keep workers safe year-round as they carry out an array of holiday-related jobs.
• These tasks include working with lighted decorations, serving customers in packed retail stores, and making rush deliveries to picking and packing orders in warehouses.
• The agency has a dedicated holiday workplace safety website, as well as information about special restrictions for young workers.
• OSHA’s Stop Falls website also offers safety information to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures.
  Read more

Air Force base receives two awards for safety improvements

• The 66th Air Base Group Safety Team in Massachusetts received Air Force Materiel Command level awards, including the AFMC Chief of Safety Outstanding Achievement Award and the AFMC Safety Civilian Professional of the Year Award.
• The group partnered with OSHA, the Region 1 OSHA Training Institute, and the base Education Center which resulted in 142 personnel earning 172 continuing education units and 1,720 hours of safety training through 21 safety courses, eight of which were hosted here on Hanscom AFB.
• The partnerships helped create opportunities to provide training, share best practices, provide mentorship, and allow for networking opportunities
• The safety training is available for everyone, not just for safety officials.
  Read more