May 2 - CHICAGO -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $215,500 in fines against United Airlines Inc. in Chicago for alleged multiple serious and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards.

OSHA selected United Airlines for inspection after reviewing occupational injury and illness data, which included ramp services, customer service areas, air freight, aircraft and ground equipment maintenance, building/facility maintenance, business operations, strategic procurement, medical facilities and flight attendant operations. As a result of its inspection, OSHA issued 43 serious violations and four repeat violations.

The serious violations address hazards associated with fall protection, hazardous energy control procedures and training, storage of oxygen and fuel-gas cylinders, platform load ratings and electrical hazards. The four repeat violations, based on citations issued and affirmed in 2006 and 2007, cover machine guarding and electrical issues. Proposed penalties for the repeat violations alone total $57,500.

"Falls, electrical hazards and machine guarding issues, as well as energy lockout/tagout procedures, which are intended to prevent accidental start-up of machinery during maintenance, are problems that should not exist at any worksite," said Diane Turek, director of OSHA's Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines, Ill. "They are problems that can be avoided if an employer is dedicated to protecting employees. Employers must remain dedicated to keeping the workplace safe and healthful, or face close scrutiny by this agency."

Since 2004, OSHA has inspected United Airlines 22 times at various locations nationwide. United Airlines operations at O'Hare International Airport have been inspected eight times since 2000 with only three of those inspections resulting in citations.

OSHA operates a vigorous enforcement program, conducting more than 39,000 inspections in fiscal year 2007 and exceeding its inspection goals in each of the last eight years. In fiscal year 2007, OSHA found nearly 89,000 violations of its standards and regulations.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

TORONTO, May 6 /CNW/ - The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) today pleaded
guilty in connection with the death of a subway tunnel worker in 2007 and was
fined $200,000 in the Ontario Court of Justice.

Justice Robert Bigelow, presiding in court at Toronto's Old City Hall, heard that a subway tunnel asbestos removal crew set up a work zone on the Yonge line between Eglinton and Lawrence stations at approximately 2:30 a.m.,
April 23, 2007. The crew used a system of work platforms on a flatbed work car. The platforms could be extended on both sides of the flatbed from their stowed positions.

Work was completed at approximately 4:35 a.m. and the crew was to fully retract the work platforms prior to departing down the line on the train. However, one unit remained extended about 59 centimetres to the side. As the train rolled down the track, the extended platform first caught on a bundle of cables on the wall and then hit the block wall of an electrical room enclosure at the Lytton Boulevard emergency exit. On impact, the module rose out of its mounting holes. It then struck the steel liner of the subway tunnel and was forced backwards, flipping into the front of a second car where the work train operator was stationed. The operator suffered fatal injuries. Two other
workers were injured.

The TTC pleaded guilty to failing, as an employer, to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker at a workplace, contrary to section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety
Act, specifically failing to take the reasonable precaution of ensuring that the work platforms on the modules were fully retracted and secured prior to leaving the work location.

In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge on the total, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist
victims of crime.

May 8 - TOLEDO, Ohio -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $330,000 in fines against Sunoco Inc., an oil refinery in Oregon, Ohio, for alleged willful and serious violations of federal workplace safety standards.

OSHA initiated a safety inspection at the facility in November 2007 as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program for petroleum refineries. OSHA found 27 serious violations and three willful violations during the inspection. The most critical citations issued are for hazards related to the size and design of pressure relief systems, failing to implement a mechanical integrity program for pressure relief devices and fixed equipment, and failing to correct deficiencies associated with vessel and piping wall thicknesses.

"Injuries and fatalities from incidents at refineries are preventable," said Jule Hovi, OSHA's area director in Toledo. "OSHA will not tolerate employers who ignore safety hazards that threaten the lives and well-being of their employees."

Sunoco Inc. has about 500 employees at its Oregon refinery and 13,500 employees company-wide. OSHA has inspected the site five times since 1974. The agency has inspected Sunoco-owned and operated refinery complexes, petrochemical plants and bulk terminals 34 times since 1970. The inspections have resulted in more than 100 citations.

Sunoco Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to request and participate in an informal conference with OSHA or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

OSHA operates a vigorous enforcement program, conducting more than 39,000 inspections in fiscal year 2007 and exceeding its inspection goals in each of the last eight years. In fiscal year 2007, OSHA found nearly 89,000 violations of its standards and regulations.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

May 13 - SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Clyde, N.Y., electronic components manufacturer has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 29 alleged willful, serious and other-than-serious violations of safety standards. Thomas Electronics of New York Inc. faces a total of $151,100 in proposed fines following OSHA inspections begun in November 2007 in response to an employee complaint.

"The citations address a variety of hazards which, left uncorrected, expose employees to chemical burns, fire, electrocution, lacerations, amputation, falls and crushing injuries, and impede their ability to exit the workplace swiftly in the event of a fire or other emergency," said Christopher Adams, OSHA's area director in Syracuse. "The sizable proposed fines reflect the breadth and seriousness of the cited conditions and emphasize the need for this employer to take prompt and effective corrective action."

Specifically, two willful citations, accounting for $100,000 in fines, have been issued for lack of eye and face protection for employees working with hydrofluoric acid and the lack of a hazard communication program to provide employees with the knowledge to identify and protect themselves against the hazardous chemicals with which they work.

OSHA has issued 24 serious citations, with $49,700 in fines, for unmarked exit doors and routes blocked by equipment and snow; improper storage of combustible materials; inadequate paint spray booth safeguards; lack of specific training and equipment to lock out machines' power sources to prevent their unintended startup; lack of personal protective equipment and training; adequate first aid supplies not readily available; unguarded moving machine parts; a variety of electrical and electrical-related hazards; excess air pressure for a cleaning hose; and no initial lead exposure determination.

The agency also has issued three other-than-serious citations, with $1,400 in fines, for not maintaining a log of injuries and illnesses for 2006 and 2007; failure to provide respirator information; and not conducting regular and periodic inspections of mechanical power presses.

OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. An other-than-serious violation is a hazardous condition that would probably not cause death or serious physical harm but would have an immediate relationship to the safety and health of employees.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by OSHA's Syracuse Area Office; telephone 315-451-0808.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.