Rise in trench-related fatalities prompts action
- In 2022’s first six months, 22 workers have fallen victim to the deadly hazards present in trenching and excavation work – surpassing 15 in all of 2021,
- As a result, OSHA launched enhanced enforcement initiatives to protect workers from known industry hazards.
- OSHA will place additional emphasis on how agency officials evaluate penalties for trenching and excavation-related incidents.
- These incidents include criminal referrals for federal or state prosecution to hold employers accountable when their actions or inactions kill workers or put lives at risk.
Connecticut wants more OSHA funding
- Safety advocates in Connecticut are asking federal lawmakers to increase funding for workplace safety in the next fiscal year.
- The Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety and Health wants more money to be allocated to federal safety agencies, including OSHA and NIOSH.
- Leaders are concerned about low agency staffing, preventable workplace deaths, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The subcommittee recommended a $100 million increase in OSHA funding.
Proposal for more record-keeping rules
- OSHA is proposing new rules across numerous industries that would require employers to keep additional recordkeeping and reporting obligations.
- OSHA proposed an amendment to its injury and illness tracking rule that requires employers to file illness and injury data with the agency each year.
- The tracking rule was first implemented in 2016 and required reporting of fatalities, hospitalizations, and other serious injuries.
- The requirement is for all covered employers with 250 or more workers, and for employers with 20-249 employees in certain “high hazard industries.”
Pennsylvania Dollar Store faces penalties
- A Dollar General store in Greencastle, Pa., was cited for a second time for endangering its workers’ safety.
- OSHA found conditions similar to those for which the company has received numerous violations at locations throughout the country.
- OSHA found the Greencastle store staged excessive amounts of merchandise in aisleways and in the stockroom.
- The agency cited the store with two repeat violations for blocked and constricted exit routes and proposed $136,741 in penalties.