OSHA mandates helmets for its workers

• OSHA announced that its employees would now be using safety helmets in place of traditional hard hats when inspecting employer establishments.
• These safety helmets incorporate newer designs and are an improvement over hard hats.
• OSHA’s announcement is consistent with its ongoing efforts to update personal protective equipment requirements. In a recent Safety and Health Information Bulletin, OSHA highlighted that newer safety helmets may be lighter in weight, more comfortable, and less likely to fall off or slip.
• OSHA also noted that the Bureau of Labor Statistics found in 2020 that 6% of “non-fatal occupational injuries” involving time off work stemmed from head injuries.
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Alabama brick layer cited by OSHA

• OSHA investigators found a Selma brick manufacturer exposed workers to silica crystalline respiratory hazards that have the potential to lead to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease.
• The agency cited Henry Brick Co. Inc. – a clay brick manufacturer – with 11 serious citations and proposed $124,212 in penalties. Specifically, the agency found the employer:
• The firm exposed workers to airborne concentrations of respirable crystalline silica of up to six-and-a-half times the permissible exposure level.
• In addition, the company failed to evaluate and implement engineering controls and work practices to reduce and maintain employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica to or below the permissible exposure.
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Georgia auto parts firm faces penalties

• Aludyne Columbus LLC, a global manufacturer in the auto parts industry based in Georgia, faces proposed penalties amounting to $182,344 after investigators uncovered 22 serious violations.
• The investigation was triggered by a complaint, and just days later, a 41-year-old maintenance technician suffered severe injuries while attempting to replace a fuse due to an electrical transformer explosion.
• This incident led to a second, more in-depth OSHA investigation by OSHA.
• OSHA’s findings included the company’s failure to provide protective gear and enforce safety protocols. Employees were found working dangerously close to energized power lines without insulated tools and were exposed to airborne silica at levels up to 15 times higher than the permissible limit.
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Michigan die setter struck by a falling cart

• A 63-year-old die setter who was killed in a Macomb County workplace accident became the fifth worker death in Michigan so far this year, according to the Michigan OSHA.
• MIOSHA said the incident took place on Jan. 24 when the die setter was standing on a semi-truck flatbed trailer, moving a rolling cart loaded with a die fixture to the side of the flatbed.
• The cart and die fixture fell off the flatbed and onto the victim who sustained multiple injuries. He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. The employer was notified the victim died on Feb. 22.
• State officials did not release the worker’s name or the name of the business involved in the incident.
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