Video: Elaine Chao, Bush's Sec. Of Labor get's her nails done for McCain fundraiser, Bill Moyers on OSHA unreported injuries

Elaine Chao’s Labor Department doesn’t see a problem, though. Elaine’s OSHA claims poultry plants are “safer than ever,” pointing to supposedly lower rates of reported injuries. The devil’s in the details, though.- American Rights at Work on Elaine Chao's stance on the poultry industry

2 SUV's and 6 security personal, just a few blocks from her home, wow Elaine must have gotten really gussied up for John McCain and her husband Senator Mitch McConnell.


Kentucky protesters get booted away from across the street of Senator McConnell's, John McCain fund raiser.

According to Shame on Elaine (6/29/08):

Matt Gunterman sums up the problem with this scene:

So, by my rough calculation, it probably cost on the order $450 to get Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao’s nails done.

Workers in Kentucky struggle to fill up their gas tanks because gas is $4/gallon and inflation is rising.

Workers in Kentucky worry that they won’t have a job tomorrow because the second Bush recession promised to be even worse than the first.

Workers in Kentucky wonder if they’ll meet next month’s mortgage, while Wall Street fat cats get bailed out by Washington.

But does any of this worry Elaine Chao, wife of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) and George W. Bush’s Secretary of Labor?

Go read the rest of Matt’s post.

The Bush Legacy Bus - with some great music
"you took our jobs and sent em overseas, now we owe billions to the red Chinese"- Takin My Country Back by The Honky Tonkers For Truth


Elaine Chao

Heres a little about Elaine Chao, from a previous story on Feb.19th. 2008: Carhartt, Red Wing Shoes and more union news you may have missed, ideas, blurbs and dumbed down Americans

Now American Rights at Work has launched a web-based campaign exposing Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao’s dismal record through www.ShameOnElaine.org which according to Talking Union:

Unlike her cohorts in the Bush Administration, Elaine Chao has escaped much-needed public scrutiny of her time on the job. From littering the Labor Department with corporate insiders to dismantling worker safety protections and collaborating with her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, on a blatant anti-union political agenda, Elaine has disgraced her role as Secretary of Labor.

Like most union activists we knew Elaine was a stinker – but until ARAW pulled all the information together at one spot, we had no idea just how bad her record is. We’re sure you’ll share our outrage over what we found out she was up to instead of serving in the interest of workers:

• Hired a former colleague from the Heritage Foundation who actually wrote a report titled “How to close down the Department of Labor.”
• Cut over 100 inspectors at the MSHA and, as a result, hundreds of mines weren’t inspected and tragedies such as Sago and Crandall Canyon might have been prevented.
• Had Chao-themed coins, lanyards, and fleece blankets printed at taxpayers’ expense.
• Failed to issue a rule requiring employers pay for their workers’ safety gear—contributing to 400,000 workers injured and 50 dead.
• Had an auditorium named in her honor – thanks to her husband’s $14.2 million earmark to enhance the Mitch McConnell Center at his alma mater, the University of Louisville. Of course, Elaine never attended the university.

Thats just the tip of the iceberg, my buddy Richie at UnionReview.com has been following her views on the American worker for a while and I pointed out in a comment:

Lets not forget

We are angry and smelly workers, according to the US Secretary of Labor
… In her infinite wisdom, Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao lectures workers on how we can stop losing our jobs to foreign workers: …
…and…
Secretary of Labor on Employee Free Choice Act
… will veto if it gets to his desk. The president and Elaine Chao say that private ballot elections should be preserved because “it is …

At the Shame on Elaine site theres also, among other atrocious misdeeds, an article about the North Carolina poultry industry, which as you may have read about first right here on JoesUnionReview, the newspaper in the local area, the Charlotte Observer has been doing what has become a rarity in todays Main Stream Media, an expose. Shame On Elaine notes:

Elaine Chao’s Labor Department doesn’t see a problem, though. Elaine’s OSHA claims poultry plants are “safer than ever,” pointing to supposedly lower rates of reported injuries. The devil’s in the details, though.

The poultry story has created quite a stir, the AFL-CIO Web Blog is currently engaged in a debate in it's comments section pertaining to a story about the newest employer exploitation here on American soil. Slaves, Sharecroppers, Now Immigrants.

OSHA under the umbrella of Elaine Chao's DOL

BILL MOYERS: Businesses, on the other hand, say the requirements are cumbersome, and have long pressured the agency for weaker standards of regulation.

The pressure's paid off. THE NEW YORK TIMES' Stephen Labaton reported last year that since George W. Bush became president, the agency has left worker safety largely in the hands of industry, and has issued the fewest significant standards in its history.

Video on the production of The Charlotte Observers investigative report "The Cruelest Cuts" and the under reporting of workplace injuries, which has been covered here at Joe's with:U.S. Lawmakers worried about safety after Charlotte Observers expose on the poultry industry

From the narrator in the video:

In North Carolina, the number of OSHA poultry plant inspections fell from 25 in 1997 to nine in 2006. South Carolina poultry plant inspections dropped from 36 in 1999 to 1 in 2006.

Nationwide, OSHA workplace safety inspections at U.S. poultry plants have dropped to their lowest point in 15 years. In fact the government rewards companies that report low injury rates by inspecting them less often. And Washington's regulators rarely check whether companies are reporting accurately.

Please also note that the video features testimony by Bob Whitmore, a long time OSHA employee , who has been placed on Administrative leave to testify in the hearing, Mr.Whitmore was also the 200th. person to sign the petition against OSHA's lack of a standard in combustible dust

"As an OSHA employee, I was ashamed and deeply offended by my Agencies response at Rep Miller's Hearings. Like Rep. Miller said "I again see no sense of urgency from OSHA". The OSHA Watchdog has acted like a Lapdog again." - Bob Whitmore , Maryland

Read More about combustible dust
Read More about MeatPacking industry

OSHA News at Unbossed

• Under-Reporting Workplace Injuries and Illnesses (6/23/08)
• Constructing Unsafe Workplaces (6/26/08)
• More on Construction Industry Injuries (6/26/08)

Government, Industry Play the Numbers Game on Worker Safety in Meatpacking Plants-Labor Notes

Shirah from Unbossed at DailyKOS
More James Pence Video's at Hillbilly Report

Hillbilly chimed in on the comments with this gem, thanks brother

Reminder: Labor on TV tonight, hope the DOL and OSHA take a look

60 Minutes at 7 EST will be featuring a story about Combustible dust, and FX will have a 30 Days with Morgan Spurlock repeat at 11:00 EST, of him trying to make it as a rookie coal miner.

60 minutes story

30 Days story

Reminder: Labor on TV tonight, hope the DOL and OSHA take a look

60 Minutes at 7 EST will be featuring a story about Combustible dust, and FX will have a 30 Days with Morgan Spurlock repeat at 11:00 EST, of him trying to make it as a rookie coal miner.

60 minutes story

30 Days story

E-Mail from the USA shows need for time consuming crane inspections

This is a good example of why tower cranes should be thoroughly examined, and more then just once or twice a year. Tower crane examinations require time and contractors are going to have to get used to it. - anonymous crane operator

A story for Scott

This crane operator, who after the deadly crane collapse in New York on May 30th., decided when he climbed his 450ft. tower crane that the first thing he was going to do was to check out the bolting system, what he found was distressing, heres part of the story, from Vertikal.net (6/2/08):

Don't put off till tomorrow, what you should do today

Before going to work at 5:15am I watched the news on the most recent NY crane accident and it was immediately apparent to me that the Slew-ring assembly had failed.

The first thing I did when I got to the top of the 450ft (136m) of 2003, tower crane was check the slew-ring bolts with a 2lb beater using minimum force. There are two rows of bolts, each row having 59.

With the crane balanced off, I started with the top row (slew bearing) and when I struck the third bolt it moved (loose), I continued checking and when I came to the 28th bolt it broke in two! I then went back to the bolt that had movement and decided to remove it for inspection, which revealed a severe crack at the same location as the one that sheared off.

Because of finding two bolts with a similar failure and the likelihood that there could be many more, I immediately put the crane out of operation. The manufacturer has been contacted and we're trying to arrange for a "Factory Engineer" to come out and thoroughly examine ALL the bolts, and if needed oversee the replacement of ALL slew-ring bolts. Which is the only certain solution!

I will admit that if not for this most recent event, I would not have gone through the extra effort/procedure needed to properly inspect a slew-ring. The typical way it's done by operators and inspectors is either just a "visual" while climbing through the slew-ring, or just a tap with a carpenters hammer, relying on your sense of sound to hear a difference between bolts.

The problem with this is that without balancing off the crane to ensure that the load on the bearing is distributed equally, you can't get a true sense that the bolts are equally tightened and torqued to the proper specifications. And that goes for mast bolts too!

Bottom line, it just doesn't tell the whole story, especially considering the potential for loss of life and property damage. These common, time-saving methods are just not enough for what's at risk. Like the old saying goes,” don’t put off till tomorrow, what you should do today"!

This is a good example of why tower cranes should be thoroughly examined, and more then just once or twice a year. Tower crane examinations require time and contractors are going to have to get used to it.

I was recently talking to a third party tower crane Inspector and he boasted that he can inspect a crane in three hours, easy money! In general a good tower crane thorough inspection should take at "least" six to eight hours (depending on configuration). And with all due respect to OSHA and others, "they are the Jack of all trades and master at none", and cannot be expected to have detailed knowledge of tower cranes.

E-Mail from the USA shows need for time consuming crane inspections

This is a good example of why tower cranes should be thoroughly examined, and more then just once or twice a year. Tower crane examinations require time and contractors are going to have to get used to it. - anonymous crane operator

A story for Scott

This crane operator, who after the deadly crane collapse in New York on May 30th., decided when he climbed his 450ft. tower crane that the first thing he was going to do was to check out the bolting system, what he found was distressing, heres part of the story, from Vertikal.net (6/2/08):

Don't put off till tomorrow, what you should do today

Before going to work at 5:15am I watched the news on the most recent NY crane accident and it was immediately apparent to me that the Slew-ring assembly had failed.

The first thing I did when I got to the top of the 450ft (136m) of 2003, tower crane was check the slew-ring bolts with a 2lb beater using minimum force. There are two rows of bolts, each row having 59.

With the crane balanced off, I started with the top row (slew bearing) and when I struck the third bolt it moved (loose), I continued checking and when I came to the 28th bolt it broke in two! I then went back to the bolt that had movement and decided to remove it for inspection, which revealed a severe crack at the same location as the one that sheared off.

Because of finding two bolts with a similar failure and the likelihood that there could be many more, I immediately put the crane out of operation. The manufacturer has been contacted and we're trying to arrange for a "Factory Engineer" to come out and thoroughly examine ALL the bolts, and if needed oversee the replacement of ALL slew-ring bolts. Which is the only certain solution!

I will admit that if not for this most recent event, I would not have gone through the extra effort/procedure needed to properly inspect a slew-ring. The typical way it's done by operators and inspectors is either just a "visual" while climbing through the slew-ring, or just a tap with a carpenters hammer, relying on your sense of sound to hear a difference between bolts.

The problem with this is that without balancing off the crane to ensure that the load on the bearing is distributed equally, you can't get a true sense that the bolts are equally tightened and torqued to the proper specifications. And that goes for mast bolts too!

Bottom line, it just doesn't tell the whole story, especially considering the potential for loss of life and property damage. These common, time-saving methods are just not enough for what's at risk. Like the old saying goes,” don’t put off till tomorrow, what you should do today"!

This is a good example of why tower cranes should be thoroughly examined, and more then just once or twice a year. Tower crane examinations require time and contractors are going to have to get used to it.

I was recently talking to a third party tower crane Inspector and he boasted that he can inspect a crane in three hours, easy money! In general a good tower crane thorough inspection should take at "least" six to eight hours (depending on configuration). And with all due respect to OSHA and others, "they are the Jack of all trades and master at none", and cannot be expected to have detailed knowledge of tower cranes.

Quick post- 60 minutes on combustable dust this Sunday, Tammy Miser from Weekly Toll will appear

“Shawn’s back was towards the furnace when they were picking up their tools and there was a blast. Some say Shawn got up and started walking towards the door and then there was a second, more intense blast. Shawn didn’t die instantly. He laid on building floor while the aluminum dust burnt through his flesh and muscle tissue. The breaths that he took burnt his internal organs, and the blast took his eyesight. Shawn was still conscious and asking for help… And the two things that I can always remember and that never leave are his last words, ‘I’m in a world of hurt,’ and his last breaths.” Tammy Miser Congressional hearing on combustible dust


Please excuse the commercial, I have no control of that

Tammy Miser has created a tremendous amount of awareness to the senseless deaths that occur due to the absence of OSHA standards with regard to explosive dust, the petition on the right hand side of this site is her idea. She runs the blog Weekly Toll and the USMWF.ORG - United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities and she has testified in front of Congress. Word is that Tammy will be appearing this Sunday night on 60 Minutes lead story, "Is Enough Done To Stop Explosive Dust?", the show will feature Carolyn Merritt, former CSB chair, Ed Foulke (OSHA) and Rep. George Miller

At least 13 people might still be alive today if industry and the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration did more to stop dust explosions in America’s factories, says a former government safety official.

Carolyn Merritt, former head of the government's Chemical Safety Board, talks to 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley about the deadly problem of combustible dust this Sunday, June 8, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

On 4/30/08, the House , with a lot of support by Education and Labor Chairman George Miller and many others, passed the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Act, H.R. 5522 by a vote of 247-165

From The Gavel

This bill would require the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue rules regulating combustible industrial dusts, like sugar dust, that can build up to hazardous levels and explode. In early February the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, exploded, killing 13 workers and severely injuring many more. OSHA and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which have launched a major investigation into the Imperial Sugar explosion, have concluded that the explosion was caused by combustible sugar dust. In 2006, following a series of fatal combustible dust explosions, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board conducted a major study of combustible dust hazards. It identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that killed 119 workers, injured 718 others, and extensively damaged industrial facilities. OSHA has known about these dangers for years, but has failed to act. Even after the Chemical Safety Board urged OSHA in 2006 to issue rules controlling dust hazards, OSHA has never offered any indication that it is planning to issue such rules without being required to do so by law.

Learn more in our current legislation section >>

The Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on March 12 with testimony from Tammy Miser, sister of a victim of a 2003 combustible dust explosion in Huntington, IN:

Take a look at the other stories I have done on this (I know for a fact that OSHA, The Dept. Of Labor, Senate and Congress have read them), a lot of sites and bloggers have helped spread the word and raise awareness. Please forgive me for not mentioning them all right now, I need sleep too.

Tammy Miser is helping workers, I admire her commitment and it shows the power of bloggers to change the world.

You can help, sign the petition on the right.

Quick post- 60 minutes on combustable dust this Sunday, Tammy Miser from Weekly Toll will appear

“Shawn’s back was towards the furnace when they were picking up their tools and there was a blast. Some say Shawn got up and started walking towards the door and then there was a second, more intense blast. Shawn didn’t die instantly. He laid on building floor while the aluminum dust burnt through his flesh and muscle tissue. The breaths that he took burnt his internal organs, and the blast took his eyesight. Shawn was still conscious and asking for help… And the two things that I can always remember and that never leave are his last words, ‘I’m in a world of hurt,’ and his last breaths.” Tammy Miser Congressional hearing on combustible dust


Please excuse the commercial, I have no control of that

Tammy Miser has created a tremendous amount of awareness to the senseless deaths that occur due to the absence of OSHA standards with regard to explosive dust, the petition on the right hand side of this site is her idea. She runs the blog Weekly Toll and the USMWF.ORG - United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities and she has testified in front of Congress. Word is that Tammy will be appearing this Sunday night on 60 Minutes lead story, "Is Enough Done To Stop Explosive Dust?", the show will feature Carolyn Merritt, former CSB chair, Ed Foulke (OSHA) and Rep. George Miller

At least 13 people might still be alive today if industry and the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration did more to stop dust explosions in America’s factories, says a former government safety official.

Carolyn Merritt, former head of the government's Chemical Safety Board, talks to 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley about the deadly problem of combustible dust this Sunday, June 8, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

On 4/30/08, the House , with a lot of support by Education and Labor Chairman George Miller and many others, passed the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Act, H.R. 5522 by a vote of 247-165

From The Gavel

This bill would require the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue rules regulating combustible industrial dusts, like sugar dust, that can build up to hazardous levels and explode. In early February the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, exploded, killing 13 workers and severely injuring many more. OSHA and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which have launched a major investigation into the Imperial Sugar explosion, have concluded that the explosion was caused by combustible sugar dust. In 2006, following a series of fatal combustible dust explosions, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board conducted a major study of combustible dust hazards. It identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that killed 119 workers, injured 718 others, and extensively damaged industrial facilities. OSHA has known about these dangers for years, but has failed to act. Even after the Chemical Safety Board urged OSHA in 2006 to issue rules controlling dust hazards, OSHA has never offered any indication that it is planning to issue such rules without being required to do so by law.

Learn more in our current legislation section >>

The Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on March 12 with testimony from Tammy Miser, sister of a victim of a 2003 combustible dust explosion in Huntington, IN:

Take a look at the other stories I have done on this (I know for a fact that OSHA, The Dept. Of Labor, Senate and Congress have read them), a lot of sites and bloggers have helped spread the word and raise awareness. Please forgive me for not mentioning them all right now, I need sleep too.

Tammy Miser is helping workers, I admire her commitment and it shows the power of bloggers to change the world.

You can help, sign the petition on the right.

The story of Gary Puleio: OSHA accepted this implausible story

Corporations routinely “negotiate” with OSHA to downgrade fines through a process called “abatement"

From the Gary Puleio Blog:

Gary Puleio Family

Gary, Linda, Donald and Gary, Jr.

Gary was killed on the job at a concrete plant on August 15, 2001. He had been employed there only 3 months as a non-union cement truck driver and fell 25 feet to his death, from a cement tower, while shoveling gravel off the hopper to clean it. The company claimed Gary just wandered up there on his own, without wearing any safety equipment, at the end of his driving shift rather than being assigned this dangerous task because he was the “new man”.

OSHA accepted this implausible story and after admitting no wrong doing, the company paid a $6000 fine for REPEAT violations for not posting danger signs at a confined space and not implementing measures to prevent unauthorized entry. This company had multiple serious violations issued only months before Gary was killed which were informally settled with reduced fines.

Corporations routinely “negotiate” with OSHA to downgrade fines through a process called “abatement. ” Aggrieved families of dead workers have no such access to OSHA, face hurdles in obtaining information under the Freedom of Information Act, have their concerns condescendingly dismissed and ultimately are told that no further action can be taken once 6 months have passed since the “alleged violation”. .

House passes Combustible Dust protections

With work from the labor federations, bloggers and the unfortunate accident at the Imperial Sugar facility, The US House has passed the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Act, H.R. 5522 by a vote of 247-165. 165 Republicans voted against American workers.

According to The Gavel ( 4/30/08) :

This bill would require the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue rules regulating combustible industrial dusts, like sugar dust, that can build up to hazardous levels and explode. In early February the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, exploded, killing 13 workers and severely injuring many more. OSHA and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which have launched a major investigation into the Imperial Sugar explosion, have concluded that the explosion was caused by combustible sugar dust. In 2006, following a series of fatal combustible dust explosions, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board conducted a major study of combustible dust hazards. It identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that killed 119 workers, injured 718 others, and extensively damaged industrial facilities. OSHA has known about these dangers for years, but has failed to act. Even after the Chemical Safety Board urged OSHA in 2006 to issue rules controlling dust hazards, OSHA has never offered any indication that it is planning to issue such rules without being required to do so by law.

Learn more in our current legislation section >>

The Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on March 12 with testimony from Tammy Miser, sister of a victim of a 2003 combustible dust explosion in Huntington, IN:

Tammy Miser: “Shawn’s back was towards the furnace when they were picking up their tools and there was a blast. Some say Shawn got up and started walking towards the door and then there was a second, more intense blast. Shawn didn’t die instantly. He laid on building floor while the aluminum dust burnt through his flesh and muscle tissue. The breaths that he took burnt his internal organs, and the blast took his eyesight. Shawn was still conscious and asking for help… And the two things that I can always remember and that never leave are his last words, ‘I’m in a world of hurt,’ and his last breaths.”

Thank you Tammy, for your hard work to memorialize workers who die on the job. I watched with great adoration your courage to speak in front of congress on behalf of workers.

Shawn did not die in vain. Through your persistence you have helped to change the world for the next worker, for that we are all grateful.

Thanks to Jesse Lee for posting this at The Gavel


To read more about Tammy Miser and her contributions, as well as those of Rep. George Miller, please take a look at the article "Our Memorial Day" by Esther Kaplan published this week at the Nation

Please sign the Combustible Dust Petition

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From the pages of USMWF.ORG - United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities, a petition now being sponsored by the Change to Win Federation, please sign it, end the massacre that is the lackadaisical OSHA voluntary standard. Enough is enough, please sign the petition.

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H.R. 5522: Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act of 2008>>> You can view the entire hearing here: Click here to watch archived hearing webcast » It is long about a little over 2 hours but if your really interested in how the system works, what some of our congress men think about OSHA as of lately or combustible dust it is a must see. You can also see individual parts here

<<<Give Us Combustible Dust Standards Between 1980 and 2005, 119 workers were killed and more than 700 injured in combustible dust explosions. These explosions were preventable -- but even though the U.S. Chemical Safety Board recommended in 2006 that regulations needed to be put in place to protect workers from death or injury from combustible dust accidents, OSHA chose instead to maintain its program of voluntary corporate compliance. But as Former CSB Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt put it, "the problem with voluntary standards is not everyone volunteers." This petition calls on OSHA and the Department of Labor to stop relying on voluntary compliance and issue a general industry standard for preventing combustible dust accidents in the workplace. Tell me more

To read more about the plight to change the way OSHA deals with industries that explosive dust is a factor, and the multi-tiered campaigning by labor and social advocacy groups who would like to see this changed, please check out Imperial Sugar explosion death toll rises to 13, OSHA backs lack of standard before Congress, Ga. creates own standard, and we need more signatures from 3/16/08

The 200th. signature on the petition to change OSHA's useless explosive dust rules is none other than an OSHA employee.

#200 "As an OSHA employee, I was ashamed and deeply offended by my Agencies response at Rep Miller's Hearings. Like Rep. Miller said "I again see no sense of urgency from OSHA". The OSHA Watchdog has acted like a Lapdog again." - Bob Whitmore , Maryland

This is the petition that many web activists have supported, by linking and adding to their sites. It was created in the wake of the Imperial Sugar explosion, which now has a death toll of 13, there are still many victims in critical and severe condition. The petition in a nutshell asks OSHA to adopt a "Standard" for explosive dust, instead of the current "Voluntary" method. If there was a OSHA "Standard" in effect and it was adhered to, there most likely wouldn't be a need for this petition.

Please take a moment of you life to read my last article from March 16th. on how desperately this is needed and how OSHA is defending the current rule:
Imperial Sugar explosion death toll rises to 13, OSHA backs lack of standard before Congress, Ga. creates own standard, and we need more signatures

Once you have read the stories, click the pictures below, I'm sure your name will wind up on the list, you can even sign anonymously.

In Solidarity with the American worker,
Joe

Imperial Sugar explosion death toll rises to 13, OSHA backs lack of standard before Congress, Ga. creates own standard, and we need more signatures

Regina Habersham , Georgia
"please do something my only child was killed please change the laws"- signature from petition

The Petition

OSHA has been twiddling it's thumbs about this matter for over a month, they have even read my site with all the stories urging readers to sign the petition

The petition which was started a few days after the Imperial Sugar, formerly Dixie Crystal, Refinery explosion. It was created by Tammy from the Weekly Toll Blog (the sister site of the USMWF-United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities)

Do something, you laxidasical*...

Now it has been over a month since it has been created and has been at the top of my site and while I have help to spread the petition to other sites and have gotten quite a few visitors here, there are only a small few who are taking the minute or 2 to sign it.

It seems that most of you do not really care to honor those who died and make sure that this doesn't happen again on American soil. Take a stand with Regina Habersham, who lost her only child to this blatant neglect of having a STANDARD RULE!

The petition is simple, it states that the undersigned want OSHA to adopt RULES on explosive dust, not just recommendations that companies can choose to abide by on a voluntary basis. From the petition:

We want OSHA to issue comprehensive combustible dust standards and we fully back the Committee on Education and Labor in their request to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao for answers and action based on the CBS investigations and recommendations.

The Big Labor Federations Agree "Something must be done"

On March 4th Joe's Union Review reported in the article "2 out of 2 giant labor federations agree, OSHA must adopt explosive dust standard, you can help, please sign the petition.":

All labor, both the AFL-CIO and Change To Win have been writing and acting to assure that OSHA will enact a STANDARD that all companies must follow in regards to explosive dust.

In the wake of the Imperial Sugar (formerly Dixie Crystal) dust explosion which killed 12 and has 11 more in critical condition. There has been a lot of awakening to the fact that OSHA can only recommend the strategy to defend against explosions in plants where there is a high possibility of an explosion due to combustible dust particles.

The Weekly Toll blog, which is the sister site of the USMWF- United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities, started a petition 2 days after the explosion, that states:

We want OSHA to issue comprehensive combustible dust standards and we fully back the Committee on Education and Labor in their request to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao for answers and action based on the CBS investigations and recommendations.

That petition can be found here also, at the top left hand side. It can also be found on the Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires blog, which was created by Watermon, who is the same man who created the Combustible dust accident Google map and is a contributer of the OSHA Underground blog.

A byproduct is that this is the first case in which I have noticed both labor federations as a united front. Both blogs are fighting for this. Both are spreading awareness with some of their top writers. While it would be nice if they mentioned Weekly Toll and the petition, I guess we'll take what we can get.

The E-Action I wish I knew about

On March 12th. of 2008, American Rights at Work, through their sister-site, ShameOnElaine.org, which highlights the misdeeds of Secretary Of Labor Elaine Chao, was asking us to send an E-Mail to our Congressmen (CC to Elaine herself) which would urge them to support H.R.5522 Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act of 2008, which would require the Secretary of Labor to issue interim and final occupational safety and health standards regarding worker exposure to combustible dust, and for other purposes which can be read about above.

OSHA, what a waste of our hard earned

OSHA has become an impudent, understaffed and underfunded Governmental agency which is supposed to be there before an accident happens, but which according to various sources is so understaffed that it would take 108 years, as of 2005 data*, to inspect every workplace in the United States just once and that doesn't take into the the budget cuts our wonderful administration has imposed on the agency since '05, $1 million was just taken away from the agency with the passage of the omnibus bill.

OSHA defends current standard, or lack thereof

OSHA sat through the hearing defending the current voluntary methods that are on the books already. According to Occupational Hazzards (3/13), during the hearing in front of Congress on the 12th., OSHA Administrator Edwin Foulke Jr. stated:

the agency would consider rulemaking on combustible dust a “strong option,” but only if its investigation of the Feb. 7 Imperial Sugar refinery explosion and an inspection of existing standards – identified in OSHA's National Emphasis Program (NEP) – reveal that the standards don't adequately mitigate the potential for the hazards associated with combustible dust.

“We have 17 different standards that are applicable to combustible dust,” Foulke told members of the House Education and Labor Committee, noting that existing standards on ventilation and factory housekeeping can be used to address combustible dust hazards. “After the NEP has been in effect and we have conducted enough inspections we will evaluate and review the inspection data to determine if the standards we currently have are adequate to address combustible dust hazards.”

William Wright, board member and interim executive of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), argued that the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion was the deadliest industrial explosion in the United States since 1980 – killing 12 worker and critically injuring 11 others, and therefore, confirms the immediate need for OSHA to issue a mandatory measure for employers.

Not only that, but he affirmed that a regulatory standard would make employers highly aware of the engineering and safety practices needed to prevent dust explosions.

However, the OSHA chief remained adamant that a new standard may not be the solution to prevent more tragedies. He insisted that the agency's multi-pronged approach, which includes enforcement of standards, combined with education for employers and employees, should be effective enough to fight combustible dust hazards.

“The effectiveness of a standard always depends on how well employers implement the requirements, and many tragic accidents in the last decade could have been avoided or minimized if employers had complied with existing OSHA standards,” Foulke said.

Are you kidding me? For one second do we, the American public buy the idea that what is the rule is good enough? Rep. G.Miller (D-Ca.) had strong words for Mr.Foulke, which you can read in full at the Occupational Hazard story entitled "OSHA Not Issuing Combustible Dust Standard Anytime Soon" (3/13)

While OSHA fiddles, Ga. death toll rises to 13

Here's OSHA Underground, in their story entitled "While OSHA Fiddles..." (3/14):

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Another burn patient has died of injuries suffered in an explosion at a Georgia sugar refinery, bringing the death toll to 13.

Six patients remain in critical condition a little more than a month after the blast at the Imperial Sugar plant in Port Wentworth. Four are in serious condition.

Investigators have said the explosion was fueled by airborne sugar dust at the refinery, near Savannah. They have not yet determined what ignited it.

Standards an uphill battle, let's do it together

Unfortunately this is an uphill battle, the only way to enforce change is to let them know you are knowledgeable and willing to put your name to it, signing the petition is the first step, all the other sites that are taking action keeping each other informed is another, American Rights at Work should have sent myself, the AFL-CIO, WIN Radio, CTW, OSHA Underground and all other interested parties an E-Mail before the 12th. regarding the E-Mail to congress, It could have gotten a lot more response. I have a lot of Labor links on the left hand side of my site, I'm sure more than one would have ran a story. So in the future, lets keep one another posted of these events.

Georgia leading by example

There was however one step in the right direction which has come in this mess, the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John W. Oxendine issued new regulations for industries in the state of Georgia that produce inflammable dust. According to Occupational Hazards story "Georgia Issues Combustible Dust Regulations" (3/13)

“These regulations will set new standards for safety in industries that produce flammable dust in their manufacturing processes,” Oxendine said.

He said the new rules will require all industries in Georgia that produce combustible dust to draw up emergency plans, practice implementing the plans and train employees in evacuation techniques.

At Oxendine’s request, the International Fire Code Committee has approved for their final action hearings, requirements for factory fire emergency evacuation procedures and drills for the 2009 edition of the International Fire Code.

All manufacturers in Georgia will be required to have a designated safety officer. Monthly reporting will ensure that emergency plans are in place and drills are conducted, according to the rule. Additionally, the rule will require facilities making, processing or handling combustible particulate solids that create combustible dust to comply with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E-2004, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, as well as numerous other NFPA standards.

“The explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar plant was the most devastating loss of life in Georgia in 16 years,” Oxendine said. “I want to make sure this type of accident never happens again.”

Rep. John Barrow (D-GA.) spoke to the Congressional hearing on HR 5222, he stated "Georgia isn't waiting," and continued “[Oxendine] has exercised his authority under Georgia law to adopt the voluntary standards promulgated by the people who know best how to prevent these disasters from happening – the NFPA – and made them mandatory in Georgia.

Barrow further noted “We now have to worry about Americans losing their jobs to other Americans, just because they happen to live in states where they haven't learned the lessons of Imperial Sugar yet,” he said. “Unsafe competition is unfair competition.”

Get E-Active! It's easy.

This is an uphill fight, Get E-Active, sign the petition, left hand top of this site or any of the buttons below:

*laxidasical - (Slang) A state of sloth and apathy. An attitude of laziness. To be slack.
Example in use (1)"He lay in the hammock in a laxidasical manner, while his house fell down around him for want of maintenance" (2)"She laxidaically handed in her project assignment having done the least amount of research she could get away with."
*NOTE: Not sure the exact figures, but I know it's somewhere around that, may have been 137 years, or 108 inspectors in NYS, but I'm close. Yeah of course I'm right, according to The Hill in a 2005 article entitled To make American workers safer, strengthen OSHA

NY: Another construction tragedy, crane accident kills at least 4, 3 in critical condition

A few hours ago at the building being constructed at 301 East 51st. street, while workers were preforming a tower crane jump, something went terribly wrong. My heart goes out to the families affected by this tragic event.

From The New York Times (3/15/08):

Crane Topples in Manhattan, Killing at Least 4 People
By Carla Baranauckas

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the top of a construction crane detached and fell onto a four-story town house at 305 East 50th Street, destroying the building. More Photos >

A large crane at a construction site on Manhattan’s East Side collapsed Saturday afternoon, killing at least four people, officials at the scene said

The big, white crane, which looked to be about 20 stories tall, appeared to have toppled across a street and crashed into other nearby buildings.

The accident happened at 303 East 51st Street, near Second Avenue about 2:20 p.m., the authorities said.

Aides to the Manhattan borough president, Scott Stringer, said they had been told by the Office of Emergency Management that the crane fell on two buildings, destroying one at 305 East 50th Street and partly collapsing 301 East 50th Street.

People were believed to be trapped in the rubble.

“This is an absolute disgrace,” Mr. Stringer said. “We need better inspection and more resources.”

There are at least nine open violations on the construction site for a 44-story condominium building that are “quite serious,” he said.

Ismael Garcia, who was working on the 15th floor of the building under construction, said that just before the crane collapsed, it was lifting material that apparently fell and struck a girder that connected the crane to the building.

“Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a piece falling,” he said.

There was a loud crash, and he rushed to the edge of the building to peer out over the street below. “I saw a guy laying on the roof there,” he said, looking down on a building below. “His head was under the debris.”

Stephen Kaplan, an owner of the Reliance Construction Group, which manages the condominium construction site told The Associated Press. said the crane had been scheduled to be raised on Saturday so work could begin on higher stories of the building.

He said a piece of steel fell, shearing one of the ties holding the crane to the building. “It was an absolute freak accident,” Mr. Kaplan told The A.P. “All the piece of steel had to do was fall slightly left or right, and nothing would have happened.”

Mr. Kaplan said his company had subcontracted the work to different companies and was not in charge of the crane.

Bartle Bull, who has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, said he was not surprised that the crane had fallen. “What I’ve seen for the last two months is reckless construction and lack of enforcement,” he said. “We have said this crane is going to come down.”

Mr. Bull said he deliberately avoided walking along 51st Street “because this thing looks so dangerous.”

He said he had been watching the Yankees game in a restaurant when the accident happened. “We heard this incredible explosion, someone opened the door and the dust came in,” he said.

John PlaGreco, who owns Fubar, located in the building that was crushed, told The A.P. that be believed one of his employees was in the rubble.

“Our bar is done,” he said. “The crane crashed the whole building. If I wasn’t watching a Yankees game, I would’ve come to work early and gotten killed.”

The streets around the collapse site were filled with dirt and debris, with at least one car turned over by the force of the structure’s fall.

Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesman for Con Edison, said the company had turned off the gas to at least six buildings in the area as a precaution.

“As a precaution we do that often when something like this happens in cooperation with the fire department and the police department to make the area safe,” Mr. Quiroz said.

Colin Moynihan and Christine Hauser contributed reporting.

Associated Press (3/15) 6:47 PM EST

4 Dead in Manhattan Crane Collapse
NEW YORK, Sat Mar 15, 06:47 PM

A crane mounted to the side of a skyscraper under construction toppled with a roar Saturday, smashing into a block of apartment buildings, killing at least four people and setting off a scramble for survivors in the rubble.

The crane split into pieces as it fell, pulverizing a four-story brownstone and demolishing parts of three other buildings.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at least four people, believed to be construction workers, have died and at least 10 people were injured in one of the city's worst construction accidents in recent memory.

"It is a tragic event," Bloomberg said.

The collapse created a virtual war zone on an affluent block on Manhattan's East Side: Cars were overturned and crushed. A huge dust cloud rose over the neighborhood. Rubble was piled several stories high.

An intensive rescue operation was under way to find anyone possibly trapped. One man was pulled from a collapsed townhouse 3 1/2 hours after the building was crushed.

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the rescue was "a painstaking hand operation, as we try to remove the rubble so we don't cause further collpase or injure anyone who may still be in that building." He said the operation would continue all night if necessary, including the use of search dogs and thermal-imaging and listening devices.

John PlaGreco, who owns Fu Bar in the crushed building, said he feared one of his employees was dead inside.

"Our bar is done," he said. "The crane crashed the whole building. If I wasn't watching a Yankees game, I would've come to work early and gotten killed."

About 19 of the planned 44-story condominium had been erected, and the crane was scheduled to be extended Saturday so workers could start work on a fresh story, said an owner of the company that manages the construction site.

A piece of steel fell and sheared off one of the ties holding it to the building, causing it to detach and topple, said Stephen Kaplan, an owner of the Reliance Construction Group.

"It was an absolute freak accident," Kaplan said. "All the piece of steel had to do was fall slightly left or right, and nothing would have happened."

Kaplan said the company had subcontracted the work to different companies and was not in charge of the crane. He wasn't sure whether any workers at the site were among those killed.

Neighborhood residents said they had complained to the city several times about the construction at the site, saying crews worked illegal hours and the building was going up too fast.

City Building Department records showed that on March 4, a caller told officials that the upper portions of the crane appeared to lack the proper number of safety ties attaching it to the building.

A city inspector visited the site and determined on March 6 that no violation was warranted.

Another call questioning the crane's safety was dismissed as unwarranted by another inspector in February.

On Saturday, nearby residents reported hearing a terrible roar as the structure detached from the condominium.

"First I heard a rumble, and it increased, and then it increased," said Bill Reilly, who lives a block away. "It continued building in strength until there was a final vroom! It shook the six-story brick building that I live in."

Witnesses reported a strong smell of gas in the area on 51st Street near 2nd Avenue. Gas utility Consolidated Edison said it shut off service to area buildings.

Ben Galati, 54, said he was in the basement of a high-rise apartment building across the street where he is a doorman.

"I heard a rumble outside. I said 'Let's get out of here!' And then the crane came down. A split second later, I heard an explosion," he said.

Most recent news from Google

You can keep up to date with the Huffington Post also, click the link below

LIUNA backs confined space standard

From Occupational Safety and Health Online 3-10-08

The Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), a big labor union of construction workers, filed comments on Feb. 28 largely supporting OSHA's proposed standard governing confined space entries in construction. Many safety organizations, including ASSE, had done the opposite, saying the standard is unnecessarily complex, ignores important consensus standards, and would not improve safety in the construction sector.

LIUNA General President Terence M. O'Sullivan expressed his support in an article published in the union's LifeLines Online magazine. "In general, we think the proposed standard, though long overdue, is a good one," said O'Sullivan. He submitted comments after a review of the proposal by the Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America, a venerable safety organization. "We especially highlight one of its unique provisions: Not only workers who are directly involved with the confined space, but also anyone else who may be in the area (other workers, subcontractors, etc.) must receive confined space training. This is because about 60 percent of all confined space fatalities are 'would-be rescuers' -- heroic people, usually co-workers, who enter confined spaces in attempts to save those who have been overtaken by the hazards. In the process, they are overcome as well,' O'Sullivan said.

He did not offer unqualified support, however, urging OSHA to include fire and crush hazards along with engulfment among the physical hazards defined by the standard and agreeing with other critics that the standard diverged from the simpler classification scheme of the confined space standard for general industry. "I believe the proposed rule will be confusing and not feasible in the construction industry. The general industry standard, with two classifications, either permit-required or non-permit-required, is sufficient. Adding two additional classifications may cause more harm than good, leading contractors to ignore a rule they find to be too complex." And O'Sullivan asked OSHA to clarify who has the responsibility for summoning rescuers. "Rescue and emergency procedures should be part of a required written program. All workers should be trained in proper rescue and emergency procedures." He also said the standard should require contractors to designate competent persons.

NY: Million dollar condo construction halted by "structural deficiency" and "questionable construction practices"

NY Daily News 3-09-08

Troubles hit Chelsea building slated to carry autos up to condos
BY BRIAN KATES DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

High rollers who pony up millions for an ultraluxe Chelsea condo will be
able to drive into an elevator and be lifted, car and all, to their apartment door.

But they'd better hit the brakes on the Rolls.

The 19-story building rising at 200 11thAve. with a first-of-its-kind "sky garage" is so plagued with problems that the Buildings Department has halted all work there, citing "questionable construction practices."

"The pillars forming the exterior walls are misaligned," Buildings Department spokeswoman Kate Lindquist said after a stop-work order was issued Wednesday. "This could be characterized as a structural deficiency."

The building is truly unique. While car elevators have long been used in commercial buildings, this is touted as a first in the U.S. for individual apartments.

Fourteen of the 16 condos, designed by high-profile architect Annabelle Selldorf, feature the 300-square-foot elevator garages. They sell for $6 million to $17.5 million.Owners drive into the elevator and are lifted virtually to their apartment doors.

From the start, the building has raised concerns of community leaders, the FDNY and union activists, who are picketing to protest what they say is shoddy workmanship at the nonunion site.

"The building leans, it is out of plumb," said Tom Costello, an organizer for the New York City District Council of Carpenters.

Costello said he fears that when the condo is complete, its sculpted stainless steel exterior will mask structural deficiencies. "It's like bad plastic surgery," he said. "The skin will look great, but the skeleton is rotten."

Neil Wexler, a prominent structural engineer who examined the building for the Daily News, said the building appears to be structurally intact, but that the crooked pillars raise concerns that "the [exterior] skin might not fit properly, causing some leaks or other architectural problems."

Lee Compton of Community Board 4, which opposed the elevator garage promised to "raise a ruckus" with the city to make sure the building is safe. (continued)

The developer, Gaia House, an offshoot of Young Woo & Associates, paid lobbyist James Capalino $22,500 last year to schmooze the Planning Commission, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Community Board 4.

The developer did not return calls for comment. Quinn's spokesman said the speaker did not meet with the lobbyist and that unanimous Council approval followed a vote by the City Planning Commission and two public hearings.

Setbacks have delayed occupancy, originally set for 2008, to early 2009, said Leonard Steinberg of Prudential Douglas Elliman, the building's broker. Four of the units have yet to be sold, including the $17.5 million penthouse, said Steinberg, who bought one of them for himself. Steinberg said three major union contractors declined to bid on the job "because it was too small."

Last summer, the developer applied for a hefty tax break for the millionaire buyers under the city's 421-A abatement program. The application has not been ruled on, city officials said.

Since August, the Buildings Department has slapped the site with 19 serious violations. Wednesday's order marked the second time work had been halted at the site.

In January, a stop-work order was issued after inspectors found an inoperable fire safety standpipe and lack of required safety netting.That same month the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined contractor, Seven Star Construction and Development, $2,250 for blocking access to firefighting equipment and problems with guardrails.

Wednesday's stop-work order came only hours after a union worker on the picket line was struck by two 3-inch long, arrow-shaped metal pins that apparently blew off the building."I was just standing there and I turned and it hit me in the chest," said Danielle Leggette, 45. "It was really scary."

Contractor Seven Star did not respond to a call for comment.
bkates@nydailynews.com

Big thanks to Local 157 Blogspot for spotting this.

2 out of 2 giant labor federations agree, OSHA must adopt explosive dust standard, you can help, please sign the petition.

All labor, both the AFL-CIO and Change To Win have been writing and acting to assure that OSHA will enact a STANDARD that all companies must follow in regards to explosive dust.

In the wake of the Imperial Sugar (formerly Dixie Crystal) dust explosion which killed 12 and has 11 more in critical condition. There has been a lot of awakening to the fact that OSHA can only recommend the strategy to defend against explosions in plants where there is a high possibility of an explosion due to combustible dust particles.

The Weekly Toll blog, which is the sister site of the USMWF- United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities, started a petition 2 days after the explosion, that states:

We want OSHA to issue comprehensive combustible dust standards and we fully back the Committee on Education and Labor in their request to Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao for answers and action based on the CBS investigations and recommendations.

That petition can be found here also, at the top left hand side. It can also be found on the Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires blog, which was created by Watermon, who is the same man who created the Combustible dust accident Google map and is a contributer of the OSHA Underground blog.

A byproduct is that this is the first case in which I have noticed both labor federations as a united front. Both blogs are fighting for this. Both are spreading awareness with some of their top writers. While it would be nice if they mentioned Weekly Toll and the petition, I guess we'll take what we can get.

Heres the most recent stories from both, and they have both covered this in depth previously:

Change To Win 3-04-08

by Jason Lefkowitz, March 4,

OSHA to Workers: All Right, All Right, We'll Check if Your Workplace is About to Explode. But Just This Once!

On February 20, I wrote in this space about OSHA's inaction on the problem of "combustible dust" -- invisible particles that build up in some workplaces, creating a dangerous risk of explosions -- and how that inaction led to the deaths of twelve workers and injuries to many more when the Imperial Sugar plant at Port Wentworth, Georgia exploded on February 8, along with many other deaths and injuries in other accidents over the years.

Since then, there has been a steadily growing call for OSHA to (belatedly) do something about combustible dust. On February 20, several Change to Win unions presented Labor Secretary Elaine Chao with a petition demanding action, and op-ed pages in Georgia have taken up the call as well.

Yesterday, Congressional leaders Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and Rep. John Barrow (D-GA) introduced legislation to force OSHA to act and scheduled hearings for March 12 to investigate why the agency dragged its feet. And also yesterday -- nearly a month after the Imperial Sugar explosion, and just days before those hearings -- OSHA chief Edwin Foulke, Jr. announced that his agency would finally be doing something:

Federal inspections will be carried out at hundreds of plants where combustible dust is a workplace hazard, a top safety official said Monday at a sugar refinery where dust is suspected of causing a deadly explosion.

Ed Foulke Jr., head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, announced the inspections while visiting the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, where a blast on Feb. 7 killed 12 workers injured dozens more.

OSHA has not completed its investigation of that explosion but is sending letters to 30,000 companies that deal with combustible dust to discuss the dangers, Foulke said in a telephone interview.

But the question isn't whether or not OSHA will do a one-time inspection or send an "FYI" letter to corporations and hope they will voluntarily clean up their workplaces. The question is whether OSHA will enact a permanent, standing rule that will ensure now and in the future that buildups of combustible dust are prevented. And the AP report on OSHA's new statement makes it clear that OSHA is in no hurry to make that rule:

Foulke said Monday that more work must be done to determine whether existing standards on ventilation and factory housekeeping can be used to address existing concerns, and to determine how a standard can be crafted so it makes sense for different industries with different types of dust.

So OSHA's position is that we need more research to determine if there's any need to do anything about these factories that keep blowing up. Never mind that the Chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said in November 2006 that "new federal standards are necessary to prevent further loss of life" from combustible dust accidents.

These hearings ought to be pretty lively, don't you think?

(By the way, if you want to follow this issue, a great resource is the new Dust Explosions blog. It's a product of the same person who created that Google Map of combustible dust explosions I cited in my earlier post on combustible dust. The OSHA Underground blog is useful as well.)

UPDATE (12:20PM): From UFCW -- Chao and OSHA: Too Little Too Late:

The explosions could have been prevented had OSHA heeded the recommendations made by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board made in November 2006. That year, the CSB conducted a major study of combustible dust hazards following three worksite catastrophic dust explosions that killed 14 workers in 2003. The CSB report noted that a quarter of the explosions that occurred between 1980 and 2005 that were identified, occurred at food industry facilities, including sugar plants.

OSHA’s Katrina-like inaction on this workplace risk follows a pattern of the agency ignoring scientific evidence and its own rule-making guidelines. By law, OSHA was supposed to respond to the CSB’s recommendations within six months.

AFL-CIO 3-04-08

House Democrats Call for Strong Standards to Prevent Dust Explosions

by Mike Hall, Mar 4, 2008

Memorial to the 12 workers killed in the Imperial Sugar Co. blast.

The Feb. 7 sugar dust explosion in Port Wentworth, Ga., that killed 12 Imperial Sugar Co., workers and seriously injured another 11 who are still in the hospital, has resulted in renewed calls for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create combustible dust level standards to prevent such explosions.

Yesterday, Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.), House Education and Labor Committee chairman, and John Barrow (D-Ga.) introduced legislation requiring OSHA to move quickly on a dust standard.

Without a congressional mandate, however, it doesn’t appear as though OSHA will move any more quickly than it has in the past when safety experts determined a standard was needed. OSHA Administrator Edwin Foulke told reporters Monday that before OSHA would act:

We need to have the documentation, we have to have the research, we need to have the evidence.

Here’s a question for Foulke. Aren’t the 281 dust explosions that have killed 119 workers and seriously injured another 781 since 1980 evidence enough that it’s time to put rules in place to prevent such deadly blasts and keep workers alive? Says Miller:

The tragedy at Imperial Sugar shows that the threat of dust explosions is very real at industrial worksites across America and needs to be addressed immediately. It’s unfortunate that it takes the Congress of the United States to tell OSHA how to do its job. The agency has known about these dangers for a long time and should have acted years ago to prevent explosions like this one. Workers cannot be asked to wait any longer for these basic protections.

In 2006, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board issued a report calling for mandatory regulations to prevent such explosions. But OSHA has ignored the board’s calls for dust level standards and instead is relying on corporations to voluntarily regulate themselves. Foulke said OSHA’s next step is sending letters to some 30,000 businesses about the dangers of combustible dust.

When dust builds up to dangerous levels in industrial worksites, it can become fuel for fires and explosions. Combustible dust can come from many sources, such as sugar, flour, feed, plastics, wood, rubber, furniture, textiles, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, coa and metals, and so poses a risk across a number of different industries.

About a quarter of the dust explosions have occurred in the food industry and last week, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), along with the Teamsters (IBT), petitioned OSHA to issue an emergency combustible dust standard.

The day after the Port Wentworth explosion, Miller and Rep. Lynn Woolsley (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Workforce Protections subcommittee, sent a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao urging her to take immediate steps to move OSHA to issue mandatory rules on combustible dust. She has yet to respond.

Sign the petition, you can do it here or just go directly to the Petition Site