October 1, 2005 · Volume 4, Issue 19
A bi-weekly e-news memo with information, updates, and results from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces.

In This Issue Disaster Recovery and Response Included in FY 05 Harwood Training Grants OSHA's Hurricane Response Extends to Texas in Wake of "Rita" Orlando, Fla., Audiences Hear from OSHA Acting Administrator, Deputy Administrator OSHA Issues Record-Setting Fine against BP Products North America Missouri, New York Worksites Achieve OSHA Recognition New Partnerships Formed with OSHA OSHA Education Center Offers Disaster Site Worker Training Program Updated eTool for Maritime Industry Helps Workers Avoid Injuries OSHA to Showcase Exhibit at Brownfields National Conference in Denver Emergency Preparedness Conference Moved to Larger Venue Voluntary Protection Programs Activity OSHA Certifies Newest "SHARP" Companies Disaster Recovery and Response Included in FY 05 Harwood Training Grants     A total of $5 million targeted to U.S. Gulf Coast clean up and recovery worker training is part of the $10.3 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants awarded to nonprofit organizations for safety and health training and educational programs announced by OSHA, Sept. 30. Twenty-one new grants were awarded, including eight for disaster recovery and response. Funding was renewed for 17 Institutional Competency Building grantees for an additional sixth year. OSHA's Hurricane Response Extends to Texas in Wake of "Rita"     Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced Sept. 23 that OSHA's Region VI Response Team from Dallas was dispatched to South Texas to provide technical assistance to the petrochemical industry on shutdown-related safety and health issues prior to Hurricane Rita making landfall on the southeastern Texas coast. That action came on the heels of OSHA's earlier deployment of approximately 75 personnel from throughout the United States to help respond to safety and health issues facing recovery workers as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The agency has developed a Hurricane Recovery page encompassing a variety of informational materials focusing on safety and health hazards that may impact employers and workers involved in the continuing clean up and recovery operations from the two storms. Orlando, Fla., Audiences Hear from OSHA Acting Administrator, Deputy Administrator     Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jonathan L. Snare told Orlando audiences last month that OSHA continues to make positive strides in reducing injuries, illnesses and deaths on the job. Snare spoke to hundreds of safety and health professionals at the National Safety Council's (NSC) 93rd Congress and Exposition and the XVIIth World Congress on Safety and Health at Work and focused on OSHA's role in hurricane recovery efforts along the U.S. Gulf Coast, targeted enforcement initiatives, and compliance and outreach assistance programs. Snare also renewed the agency's alliance with NSC. Deputy OSHA Administrator Steven Witt also delivered remarks at the Fourth US/EU Joint Conference on Occupational Safety and Health, Sept. 14. OSHA Issues Record-Setting Fine against BP Products North America    An explosion at a Texas refinery last March that claimed the lives of 15 workers and injured more than 170 others has resulted in a penalty of more than $21 million against BP Products North America Inc. In a settlement agreement announced Sept. 22, the company announced it would pay the fine, abate hazards, and make necessary safety and health upgrades throughout its Texas City refinery, BP's largest oil refinery covering more than 1,200 acres and employing 1,600 permanent workers. (The $21 million penalty is the largest ever assessed by OSHA, surpassing an $11.2 million fine levied against IMC Fertilizer Inc. in 1991 as a result of an explosion that killed eight workers at its Sterlington, La., plant.) Missouri, New York Worksites Achieve OSHA Recognition    OSHA's Kansas City Region recognized BlueLinx Corporation as a Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) "Star" site during a Sept. 28 ceremony. Charles E. Adkins, regional administrator, presented the award and praised BlueLinx Corporation for its "excellence in effective safety and health management at its Kansas City, Mo., distribution center." OSHA's Syracuse, N.Y., Area Office Director Chris Adams recently recognized Presbyterian Home for Central New York in New Hartford as a VPP "Merit" site. The company was applauded for its safety and health management plan in reducing the potential for violence from residents against staff. The plan includes pre-admission assessment and evaluation of residents; ongoing evaluation of communication, staff education and training; evaluation of residents' behaviors, interventions and care planning; coping strategies to minimize incidents; and post-incident follow up. New Partnerships Formed with OSHA     Three new partnerships under OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program were recently formed that focus on reducing fatality, injury and illness rates in the workplace. The Nebraska Concrete Industry partnered with OSHA to target efforts on confined spaces, silica dust, noise, falls between working surfaces, slips, trips and falls to the same surface, and electrical hazards. Identifying and abating home construction site hazards and preventing hazards by educating workers on proper safety procedures is the goal of a partnership with the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver. Key to the new program is the Home Safe Ten-Point List: A Guide to Safe Work Practices booklet in both English and Spanish that will be used by all members to meet or exceed OSHA construction standards and protect their workers. A partnership between OSHA, the state of Wisconsin, six foundries and four unions aims to reduce the incidence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders at participating facilities. The agreement calls for analyzing workstations and work processes for ergonomic hazards, and documenting ergonomic control measures and best practices. OSHA Education Center Offers Disaster Site Worker Training Program    As clean up and recovery crews work along the U.S. Gulf Coast, they are faced with numerous workplace hazards. The OSHA 5600 Disaster Site Worker Train-the-Trainer Course prepares experienced occupational safety and health professionals to teach the introductory OSHA 7600 Disaster Site Worker Course. The 7600 course is designed to raise awareness about the safety and health hazards these workers will face, including the use of respiratory and other personal protective equipment and proper decontamination procedures used to mitigate disaster site hazards. Working to meet this need, WESTEC and its Nevada-based partners, Community College of Southern Nevada (CCSN) and Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), are offering an OSHA 5600 course Oct. 24-27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at TMCC's Technical Institute, 475 Edison Way, Reno, Nev. Prerequisites for the OSHA 5600 course include a current OSHA 500 trainer card and 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations (HAZWOPER) training. CCSN and TMCC are affiliates with WESTEC, one of two designated Region IX OSHA Training Institute Education Centers. Information on all courses offered through OSHA's education centers is available on the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers Web site. Updated eTool for Maritime Industry Helps Workers Avoid Injuries     Workers in the maritime industry will benefit from information featured in the updated version of OSHA's Shipyard Employment eTool. OSHA originally developed the eTool with a ship repair module to describe common hazards and possible solutions for tasks performed during the ship repair processes including altering, converting, installing, cleaning, painting and maintaining vessels. New modules added to the eTool focus on safety and health in shipbuilding, shipbreaking and barge cleaning. OSHA to Showcase Exhibit at Brownfields National Conference in Denver     OSHA will host an exhibit with compliance assistance and informative materials for attendees at the Brownfields National Conference and Expo at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Nov. 2-4. This forum, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and International City/County Management Association, features interactive discussions, educational presentations, mobile workshops, and networking opportunities with business, government and nonprofit organizations working at the enterprising edge of brownfields redevelopment. Emergency Preparedness Conference Moved to Larger Venue     Recent events related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have put emergency preparedness at the forefront for most health care facilities. The aftermath of the storms has underscored the necessity for health care organizations to attain a higher level of emergency preparedness than ever before. Heightened awareness of this issue has resulted in an overwhelming demand for the Oct. 6-7 National Conference for Hospital-Based First Receivers sponsored by OSHA and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. To accommodate all who are interested in attending this conference on medical management of mass casualty incidents, the event's venue has changed and registration has been reopened. The conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20001. The hotel can be reached by calling 202-898-9000. To register or obtain more information, call 877-223-6866. Voluntary Protection Programs Activity     The following companies were approved last month for new or continued participation in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP): Region I: Solutia Inc., Indian Orchard Plant, Springfield, Mass. (Cont. Star) Region III: Multi-Flow, Huntington Valley, Pa. (New Star) Region V: Weyerhaeuser, Customer Service Center, Cleveland (Cont. Star); Plastics Suppliers Inc., Columbus, Ohio (Merit to Star) Region VI: MWH Constructors, Northeast Water Purification Plant Expansion Plant, Humble, Texas (New Star); Exxon Mobil Chemical Co., Baytown Olefins Plant, Baytown, Texas (Cont. Star) Region VII: E&K Omaha, Omaha, Neb. (Cont. Star Demo) and Region X: U.S. Postal Service, Boise Processing & Distribution Center, Boise, Idaho (New Star). OSHA Certifies Newest "SHARP" Companies      OSHA recently certified the following companies as Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) sites: Region VI: Anthony Forest Products, Plain Dealing, La.; Billhorn Board and Paper, West Monroe, La.; C-Port Ii, Golden Meadow, La.; Deep South Chemical, Broussard, La.; Groth Equipment Corp., Geismar, La.; Groth Equipment Corp., Sulphur, La.; Seapac, Bastrop, La.; Antelope Oil and Tool, Mineral, Texas; Anthony Forest Products Chip Mill, Troup, Texas; Anthony Forest Products Inc., Atlanta, Texas; Arlington Funeral Home, Arlington, Texas; Bolner's Fiesta Products Inc., San Antonio; Bunker Industries Inc., Commerce, Texas; Denison Industries Buildings 804, 3908 and 3904, Denison, Texas; Dewied International, San Antonio; Dunn Heat Exchangers Inc., Texas City, Texas; Elm Controls Inc., Missouri City, Texas; Essner Manufacturing Inc., Fort Worth, Texas; Ghx Inc., Corpus Christi, Texas; Halbert Mill Company, Jacksonville, Texas; Herb's Paint and Body Shop, Plano, Texas; Houston Foam Plastics, Houston; Imperial Woodworks Inc., Waco, Texas; Industrial Insulation Inc., Odessa, Texas; Metal Specialties Inc., Odessa, Texas; Metco Supply Inc., Junction, Texas; Mount Olivet Funeral Home, Fort Worth, Texas; New Process Steel, Houston; Parts Channel Inc., Dallas; Plastic Supplies Inc., Dallas; Psi Main Plant, Temple, Texas; Superior Welding Inc., Andrews, Texas; Westech Seal Inc., Valley View, Texas; Ancira 281 Chrysler-Jeep, San Antonio; Bunker Industries Inc., Commerce, Texas; Merit Millwork, Tomball, Texas; Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc., Junction, Texas; Algonquin Industries - Osceola Plant, Osceola, Ark.; Bennett Steel Inc. (Industrial Blvd.), Sapulpa, Okla.; Bennett Steel Inc. (Ridgeway), Sapulpa, Okla.; FMRI Inc., Muskogee, Okla.; Precision Parts & Remanufacturing Plant, Oklahoma City; Region VII: Beachner Grain Elevator, Erie, Kan.; Friendly Aces, Newton, Kan.; Lee Aerospace, Wichita, Kan.; Lutheran Nursing Home, Concordia, Mo.; MOCAP Inc., Park Hills, Mo.; Ridewell Corp., Springfield, Mo.; K & S Wire Products Inc., Neosho, Mo.; Henningsen Foods Inc., Ravenna, Neb.; Nebraska Turkey Growers, Gibbon, Neb.; Norfolk Iron & Metal, Norfolk, Neb.; Aurora Cooperative Elevator (GI), Grand Island, Neb.; Aurora Cooperative Elevator (Phillips), Phillips, Neb.; Region VIII: Specialty Products, Longmont, Colo.; Stillwater Mining Co. (Analytical Lab.), Columbus, Mont.; Sweet Candy Company, Salt Lake City; Superior Air Handling, Clearfield, Utah; Jennmar Corporation, Clearfield, Utah; Cookies Tree Bakeries, Murray, Utah; Green Bit & Tool Inc., Casper, Wyo.; L & H Industrial, Gillette, Wyo.; Lewis & Lewis, Rock Springs, Wyo.; Schroll Distributing, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Sivalls, Casper, Wyo.; Teton Outpatient Services, Jackson, Wyo.; Tube Alloy Corp., Casper, Wyo.; Teton Orthopedics, Riverton, Wyo.; Foreman's Quality Machine & Repair Inc., Casper, Wyo.; Region IX: Weyerhauser Corp., Anaheim, Calif.; Weyerhauser Corp., Fontana, Calif.; Bell Products Inc., Napa, Calif.; K. Hovanian, Coastal Inc., Irvine, Calif.; E. Noa Corporation, Honolulu; Neil C. Nunokawa, D.D.S., Inc., Wailuku, Hawaii; Region X: Theodore Barton, M.D., Soldotna, Alaska; R.C. Bigelow Inc., Boise, Idaho. (See the Sept. 15, 2005, issue of QuickTakes for the most recent SHARP-certified companies from Regions I-V.) Editor: Elaine Fraser, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999