Deep dive into OSHA’s process
- The OSHA Multi-Employer Citation Policy, which was developed to find accountability for hazards or investigated incidents, outlines four types of employers.
- These firms are characterized as: creating (an employer who caused the hazardous condition); exposing (an employer whose employees are exposed to the hazards); correcting (an employer engaged in a common undertaking, on the same worksite); and, controlling (an employer who has general supervisory authority over the worksite.)
- The agency follows a two-step process in its policy and takes “reasonable care” on the part of the employer or employers into account.
- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld OSHA’s multi-employer policy in November 2018.
More penalties for Dollar General
- Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC – operator of more than 18,000 Dollar General discount stores in 47 states – has again ignored federal workplace safety standards, federal regulators allege.
- OSHA’s violations were found during inspections at four locations in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
- The company faces $1,682,302 in proposed penalties after these inspections, a portion of the more than $9.6 million in total initial penalties the company has received since 2017.
- The OSHA citations included those for exposing workers to fire and entrapment hazards by failing to keep exit routes and electrical panels clear and unobstructed.
Funds for disaster-related support
- The U.S. Department of Labor announced an initial award of $15 million to support disaster-relief employment, and employment and training services in Florida as the state continues its recovery from Hurricane Ian.
- The National Dislocated Worker Grant of up to $30 million allows the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to provide individuals with temporary employment focused on debris removal and water damage cleanup.
- The funds can be used for career and training services for workers affected by the storm.
- The grant will also provide funds for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in areas struck by the storm.
Real estate developer faces penalties
- A New Jersey real estate developer and two contractors face $518,037 in fines after allegedly exposing workers to dangerously energized power lines at a worksite in Paterson, N.J.
- A local power utility alerted the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration about workers constructing a five-story apartment building too close to nearby power lines.
- After arriving at the site, OSHA inspectors found employees at risk of electrocution as they worked from a metal scaffold erected within five feet of high-voltage power lines.
- OSHA informed the project’s developer, Litana Development Inc. and two subcontractors of the dangers and told them work must not continue.