Tuesday
Jun242008
Safety comes last in construction industry
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 12:41PM
Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.) said that with an average of four construction workers dying on the every day, construction is one of the most dangerous industries for workers. The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on “Is Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) failing to adequately enforce construction safety rules?”
Edwin Foulke, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, defended the administration’s accomplishments in maintaining the lowest levels of injury, illness and fatality rates in the nation’s history. Foulke also pointed out that the overall fatality rate in construction has declined by 18 percent since 2001.
George Cole, ironworker and the brother-in-law of Harold “Rusty” Billingsley who was killed in a recent Las Vegas construction accident, was seated next to Foulke. Cole testified that OSHA had failed to enforce safety standards for steel erection and misused Compliance Directives that removed safety provisions for ironworkers at construction sites. According to Cole, Foulke had left Las Vegas without taking any action on the Compliance Directive which contributed to the death of Billingsley.
Compounded to that, Cole said that OSHA had withdrawn all citations and fines. When Miller asked Foulke why the fines had been removed, Foulke said that it was the Nevada OSHA’s responsibility, not his, because they have full jurisdiction over their own safety programs.
Edwin Foulke, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, defended the administration’s accomplishments in maintaining the lowest levels of injury, illness and fatality rates in the nation’s history. Foulke also pointed out that the overall fatality rate in construction has declined by 18 percent since 2001.
George Cole, ironworker and the brother-in-law of Harold “Rusty” Billingsley who was killed in a recent Las Vegas construction accident, was seated next to Foulke. Cole testified that OSHA had failed to enforce safety standards for steel erection and misused Compliance Directives that removed safety provisions for ironworkers at construction sites. According to Cole, Foulke had left Las Vegas without taking any action on the Compliance Directive which contributed to the death of Billingsley.
Compounded to that, Cole said that OSHA had withdrawn all citations and fines. When Miller asked Foulke why the fines had been removed, Foulke said that it was the Nevada OSHA’s responsibility, not his, because they have full jurisdiction over their own safety programs.
SeaWorld Fined $75K, Plans To Challenge Citations
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently fined SeaWorld Orlando $75,000 for three safety violations, one of which has been classified as “willful” negligence of trainers’ safety.
The fine comes in response to a February 2010 tragedy, when a 12,000 pound killer whale pulled trainer, Dawn Brancheau, 40, by her ponytail drowning and killing her as a horrified audience watched.
In a statement released today, OSHA regional administrator Cindy Coe said “SeaWorld recognized the inherent risk of allowing trainers to interact with potentially dangerous animals.”
“OSHA has issued one willful citation to SeaWorld for exposing its employees to struck-by and drowning hazards when interacting with killer whales,” according to the statement. “The agency defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.”
SeaWorld subsequently released their own statement refuting allegations by OSHA.
“SeaWorld disagrees with the unfounded allegations made by OSHA today and have already informed the agency that we will contest this citation,” read the statement. “OSHA’s allegations in this citation are unsupported by any evidence or precedent and reflect a fundamental lack of understanding of the safety requirements associated with marine mammal care.”
OSHA said that upon receipt, SeaWorld will have 15 days to either comply or contest the citations they are being accused of. SeaWorld plans to contest the fines brought against them and are “confident they will prevail.”