OSHA Official Lauds Work on Protecting Female Federal Firefighters
- The outgoing director of the federal Office of Worker Compensation Programs, Christopher Godfrey, said on Monday that the office has introduced “groundbreaking changes” to the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) workers’ compensation policies for female federal firefighters, especially wildlands firefighters.
- He said that among his final acts, he has issued a new FECA Bulletin expanding the list of presumptive compensation conditions to include breast, uterine and ovarian cancers – conditions not previously covered – due to the toxic exposures female firefighters face in their work.
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Construction Owner Faces Jail Time in Fatal Workplace Incident Probe
- Massachusetts construction company owner Mauricio Baiense has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple tax crimes and making false statements in a federal investigation into a fatal workplace incident.
- The charges resulted from his false testimony during an OSHA hearing when he denied under oath that a worker who died in a March 2021 workplace incident was employed by his company.
- The owner of Medford’s Contract Framing Builders admitted to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, seven counts of failing to collect and pay taxes, one count of aiding in the preparation of a false tax return and one count of making false statements.
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Tampa’s USF Expands OSHA Construction Training Program
- The University of South Florida (USF) has expanded its safety training for construction professionals with the launch of an enhanced 10-hour course in collaboration with the OSHA Education Center.
- The Tampa institution’s virtual program is designed to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of construction safety practices, focusing on how to identify and mitigate common jobsite hazards.Some participants may qualify for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through the course.
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