Sonny Steel Erectors faces OSHA penalties

• Despite an extensive history of serious and repeat violations dating back more than a decade, a Houston steel erection company is accused of again failing to correct fall protection hazards.
• Investigators with OSHA discovered employees of Sonny Steel Erectors Inc. lacked required fall protection as they worked on erecting a building in Cypress in February 2023.
• OSHA cited the company for one serious violation for not securing a ladder at its top to a rigid support, one willful violation for allowing workers to erect buildings taller than 15 feet without fall protection, and one repeat violation for failing to ensure employees using an aerial lift stood firmly on the basket’s floor and that a body belt or a lanyard was attached to the boom or basket.
• The agency has proposed $266,416 in penalties.
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Appeals process after crane mishap

• OSHA cited the de Moya Group following a fatal Florida highway crane accident for violating several standards, including a cardinal rule of crane safety: assuring that the ground on which a crane sits provides a stable base for its operation.
• The accident led to the death of a 47-year-old carpenter, Joseph Bienaime, and a severe leg injury for another carpenter, with OSHA proposing a $58,000 penalty that the contractor is contesting.
• With cases piling up each year for the OSHA Review Commission, an appeal is a strategy often chosen by contractors with resources to pay attorneys.
• The commission hears appeals in the 23 states that are under Fed-OSHA jurisdiction.
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Employers honored by OSHA

• The Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Awards, a program to recognize worksites, honored 29 New Jersey employers that have demonstrated effective safety and health programs resulting in the prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses.
• The awards are sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, OSHA, and the New Jersey State Industrial Safety Committee.
• The 94th Annual Governor’s Occupational Safety and Health Awards were presented during OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week Kickoff Lunch & Learn Webinar. The event highlighted the roles of management and employees in finding and fixing hazards to ensure workplaces remain healthy and safe.
• A national event held each August, Safe + Sound Week is a time to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offer information and ideas on how to keep workers safe.
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New safety support for volunteer fire departments

• The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Administrator John Logue recently announced that local volunteer fire departments are now eligible to receive up to $15,000 in grants to pay for firefighting safety gear.
• BWC has now broadened eligibility for its Firefighter Exposure to Environmental Elements Grants to include emergency response “turnout” gear for local volunteer fire departments.
• With this change to eligibility, volunteer fire departments can now apply for up to $15,000 every three years for firefighting gear such as trousers, boots, suspenders, and jackets.
• The task force issued a 31-page report in February (PDF) with several recommendations surrounding various topics including volunteer recruitment, retention, and training.
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