Florida Legislator Cites Non-Existent State OSHA to Support Bill
- The sponsor of Florida legislation that would repeal a law governing the day labor industry said that the state’s own version of OSHA protects those workers.
- However, the state’s OSHA statutes, referenced by Rep. Shane Abbott (R) in support of the proposal (HB 6033), were repealed 24 years ago.
- Florida’s old worker safety division was modeled after federal OSHA but dismantled when former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush repealed state OSHA statutes.
- “There is no state OSHA,” Rich Templin of the Florida AFL-CIO said, referencing the situation in 2021 when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called upon the Legislature to set up a state-run agency to supersede the federal OSHA because of COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Joe Biden administration.
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British Columbia Launches Surprise Construction Inspections
- British Columbia’s WorkSafeBC is conducting unannounced inspections of construction sites across the province after the industry logged more than 1,000 injuries from falls in 2024.
- Last year, the agency issued 152 administrative penalties for failures in fall protection, totaling $1.07 million (Canadian) in fines.
- Under WorkSafeBC’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, employers must implement fall-protection systems when workers are exposed to risks of falling three meters or more, or at any height where a fall could result in injury.
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UK Safety Agency Fines Firm Over Vibration Syndrome
- The U.K.’s Health and Safety Executive has fined a social housing provider 140,000 British pounds ($186,352) after two workers were diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
- The extensive use of lawn mowers, leaf blowers, strimmers and hedge cutters exposed both men to vibration.
- One of the workers employed by Stonewater Limited estimated he used vibrating equipment for 90% of his working day.
- An investigation by the agency found that Stonewater had failed to undertake a risk assessment in relation to vibration.
- The company did not ensure that vibration exposure was regularly and accurately recorded to reduce the risks from vibration to as low as practicable.
- There was also no information, instruction or training provided to the employees on vibration, nor had the company implemented a suitable system of health surveillance.
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