REI’s NYC Ski Shop Workers Strike After PPE Pullled

• Workers at outdoors retailer REI’s SoHo ski shop in New York City continue a health and safety strike called in early December after the company said PPE are not necessary when conducting ski repairs and tune-ups.
• Ski shop workers are required to melt plastic and wax to repair skis, more than a dozen pairs a day at the peak of ski season, according to their union. This work has typically been done with the use of respirators in past years. 
• The company put into effect a new “voluntary respirator policy” nationwide in early October.
• Earlier in June, workers in REI’s below-ground ski and bike repair shop complained about the health risks of inhaling vapors from chemicals used in their work, particularly from melted plastic and wax used in ski repairs.
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GE-Brand Appliance Plant Hit With Maximum Fine in Machine Failure

• Haier US Appliance Solutions faces $193,585 in proposed penalties, the maximum that OSHA can legally recommend, after OSHA investigators found the maker of  GE-brand appliances failed to follow required machine standards that could have prevented a 58-year-old front-line supervisor’s fatal injuries while trying to service a door molding machine.
• OSHA cited the company, which operates as GE Appliances, for one willful violation for failing to follow lockout/tagout procedures to de-energize the machine before allowing service or maintenance. 
• The agency said this incident continues a history of 40 safety inspections dating back to 2016 at two Haier US Appliance Solutions’ manufacturing facilities in Louisville, Kentucky, and in Decatur, Illinois.
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