Wisconsin Home Builder in OSHA's Sights Again

Wisconsin home builder GL Construction of Madison LLC has again been cited by OSHA for exposing its workers to falls from elevation.
According to an agency notice, the contractor has a history of federal safety failures – including violations that led to an employee’s fatal injuries in 2022.
The contractor has been found defying federal safety regulations in inspections in each of the last four years.
In the latest incident, in February, inspectors found workers doing framing work up to 12 feet off the ground without required protective equipment.
Inspectors initiated their inspection under OSHA’s National Emphasis Program for Falls, according to the statement.
Four months earlier, OSHA found employees exposed to falls and other hazards at another worksite and cited the company for one repeat violation and two serious violations.
In the latest action, the company received citations for one willful, two repeat and five serious violations, and proposed $144,505 in penalties.
To date, GL Construction has failed to pay related federal penalties, provide abatement information or comply with terms of a settlement between OSHA and the company.
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New guides for handling products containing nanomaterials are out from CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training.
The group said that Safety Data Sheets “often fail to provide adequate information about the types of nanomaterials used in construction products and their hazards.”
As well, OSHA’s updated hazard communication standard, in effect as of July 19, “should improve” those sheets for nanomaterials “by requiring manufacturers to disclose information about particle characteristics, such as particle size,” CPWR said.
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Nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis has named Joshua Henderson to lead its Workplace Safety and Health group.
The group covers the firm’s work with OSHA, Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and state and local agencies.
Henderson is a principal in the firm’s San Francisco office.
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