OSHA is proposing a $128,500 fine against MillerCoors, citing 10 alleged safety violations after the death of an employee and another accident that injured two more at the company’s plant in Golden, Colorado.
William Leahy, a 54 year old packaging electrician died last February 2. His body was found at around 9:30pm at the Golden, Colorado plant of MillerCoors. The second accident occurred last April 9 where two employees suffered burn injuries from an electrical arc flash while working on an electrical-distribution system.
OSHA Area Administrator John Healy said that the plant did not have a good program to protect their maintenance people from electrical hazards and that they lacked proper safety procedures and proper protective equipment. Greg Baxter, OSHA’s Regional Administrator in Denver said “At the time of both accidents, the company’s procedures for dealing with the electrical hazards were inadequate. MillerCoors need to take the necessary steps to eliminate the electrical hazards in its workplaces.”
MillerCoors was cited with one alleged willful violation for failing to provide proper electrical protective equipment to employees who work on, or near energized electrical parts. Nine serious violations were also cited due to inadequate safe work practices and failure to ensure that adequate personal protective equipment was both available and used by employees working on, or near energized equipment.
Make sure that you have OSHA approved PPE to avoid these kinds of accidents. Always wear them when you are working on or near energized equipment. Some of the electrical protective equipment that you need include:
- Voltage-rated gloves
- Voltage-rated hard hats
Arc-rated PPE
- Arc flash hood or Arc-rated face shield
- Arc-rated sock hood
Never wear or keep anything that conducts electricity on or close to your body while working on or near energized equipment. If your employer doesn’t provide these PPE inform your immediate supervisor.
OSHA updating Personal Protective Equipment Standards Based on National Consensus Standards
ACTION: Final rule for 29 CFR Parts 1910, 1915, 1917, and 1918
BACKGROUND: While OSHA has updated some of its Section 6(a) standards through notice and comment rulemaking, the vast majority have not been updated since they were originally adopted. Some of the consensus standards “incorporated by reference” were issued over 60 years ago. Most of the referenced consensus documents have been either superseded by later versions or withdrawn by the issuing Standards Development Organization (SDO). Many are no longer in print or available to the public through the issuing SDO. These outdated standards do not reflect advances in technologies that have changed workplace safety over the last 30 years. The OSHA versions also have not been updated to address new equipment and machinery that have become available since they were originally promulgated.
SUMMARY: OSHA is issuing this final rule to revise the personal protective equipment (PPE) sections of its general industry, shipyard employment, longshoring, and marine terminals standards regarding requirements for eye- and face-protective devices, head protection, and foot protection. OSHA is updating the references in its regulations to recognize more recent editions of the applicable national consensus standards, and is deleting editions of the national consensus standards that PPE must meet if purchased before a specified date. In addition, OSHA is amending its provision that requires safety shoes to comply with a specific American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard, and a provision that requires filter lenses and plates in eye-protective equipment to meet a test for transmission of radiant energy specified by another ANSI standard. In amending these paragraphs, OSHA will require this safety equipment to comply with the applicable PPE design provisions. These revisions are a continuation of OSHA’s effort to update or remove references to specific consensus and industry standards located throughout its standards.
DATES: This final rule will become effective on October 9, 2009.
FEDERAL REGISTER RULE Vol. 74, No. 173 September 9, 2009 pp. 46350-46361 came from http://www.CyberRegs.com