PostalReporter News Blog

The U.S. Postal Service faces roughly $8,000 in proposed fines after an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation in June found several “serious” safety violations at the Henry Street postal facility, according to the OSHA report.

The report states:
* Exit routes were not free and unobstructed but blocked by wire cages, a pallet tilt machine and other materials and/or equipment.

* Sufficient access and working space in front of some circuit breaker panels were not provided to permit ready and safe operation and maintenance of the equipment.

* Employees performing troubleshooting on or near live energized circuits were not provided with proper protective equipment.

full story: PressConnects.com

APWU Web News

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the Postal Service $210,000 for willfully exposing employees to electrical safety hazards at the Cincinnati Bulk Mail Center (BMC).

OSHA issued the USPS three citations after inspectors found that the Postal Service failed to provide employees working on electrically energized equipment with adequate training and protective equipment, exposing them to the risk of electric shock.

The latest citations in Ohio bring the Postal Service’s total OSHA fines to more than $4.6 million.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service Bulk Mail Center in Kansas City, Kan., for numerous serious and repeat safety violations endangering the health and safety of its employees. OSHA has proposed $191,000 in penalties against the facility.

An OSHA inspection revealed seven alleged repeat and 21 alleged serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. OSHA’s inspection was initiated under its site-specific targeting program which targets employers with high injury and illness rates.

“There is no excuse for the lack of attention to the work environment that resulted in a multitude of violations, including seven repeat violations,” said Charles Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. “It is imperative that employers take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards and provide a safe working environment for all of their employees to prevent accidents from occurring.”

The serious violations stem from overall deficiencies in walking/working surfaces, fall protection, sling use, machine guarding, welding and electrical equipment. OSHA issues a serious violation when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard that an employer knew or should have known about.

The repeat violations address hazards associated with exit routes, eye wash facilities, electrical equipment and hazard communication. OSHA issues a repeat violation when an employer has been previously cited for the same, or a substantially similar, violation within three years of the final order date.

The Labor Department has filed an enterprise-wide complaint against the U.S. Postal Service for electrical work safety violations. The complaint asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the USPS to correct electrical violations at all of its facilities nationwide. This complaint marks the first time OSHA has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy. Within the past five years, OSHA has conducted more than 900 inspections at USPS facilities across the country and has issued more than 600 citations.

The USPS Bulk Mail Center has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Wichita, Kan., or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. To report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov

CONCORD, N.H. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service for five alleged willful violations of safety standards following an inspection at the Portsmouth, N.H., Processing and Distribution Center. The Postal Service faces a total of $350,000 in fines, chiefly for exposing workers to electrical hazards.

OSHA’s inspection, conducted in response to employee complaints, found untrained or inadequately trained employees at the Portsmouth distribution center performing troubleshooting and voltage testing on or near live electrical equipment and wiring that had not first been de-energized. The workers also lacked personal protective equipment and were not instructed on proper electrical lockout/tagout procedures.

As a result of its inspection, OSHA has issued five willful citations to the Postal Service for the conditions at the Portsmouth facility. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

“These citations and the sizable fines proposed here reflect the Postal Service’s ongoing knowledge of and failure to address conditions that exposed its workers to the severe and potentially deadly hazards of electric shock, arc flashes and arc blasts,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels.

The Postal Service has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with the OSHA area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by OSHA’s area office in Concord; telephone 603-225-1629. To report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742.

The Labor Department has filed an enterprise-wide complaint against the U.S. Postal Service for electrical work safety violations. The complaint asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the USPS to correct electrical violations at all of its facilities nationwide. This complaint marks the first time OSHA has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

“OSHA records state the postal facility was previously cited for that same infraction three years ago.”

DAYTON, Ohio. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service with three alleged willful and six alleged serious violations at its Dayton, Ohio, processing center. The Postal Service faces a total of $225,000 in fines for electrical and equipment hazards following an OSHA inspection conducted in response to employee complaints.

OSHA’s inspection, which began in April 2010, found that the Postal Service failed to provide adequate electrical safety training, ensure that workers followed safety-related work practices while working on electrical equipment, provide workers with appropriate personal protective equipment while working on energized electrical equipment, address machine lockout procedures and hazards, and provide proper lockout/tagout training.

A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirement, or plain indifference to employee safety and health. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm can result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists.

“These sizable fines reflect the severity and ongoing nature of these hazards,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “The Postal Service ignored long-established safety standards and knowingly put its workers in harm’s way.”

The U.S. Postal Service has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by OSHA’s area office in Cincinnati, Ohio; telephone 715-832-1147. To report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742.

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed an enterprise-wide complaint against the U.S. Postal Service for electrical work safety violations. The complaint asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the USPS to correct electrical violations at all its facilities nationwide. This complaint marks the first time OSHA has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy.

APWU Web News Article 081-2010, Aug. 6, 2010

The Department of Labor (DOL) is seeking to consolidate complaints regarding the Postal Service’s ongoing and systemic violations of safe electrical work practices, and has initiated settlement discussions with the Postal Service in an attempt to correct the hazards. The DOL has invited the APWU to participate in the discussions.

Responding to APWU safety complaints, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued fines of more than $3.7 million for “willful and serious” electrical safety violations at 17 USPS facilities since January. Inspectors found that the Postal Service failed to provide employees working on electrically energized machinery with adequate training and protective equipment. The violations expose workers to the risk of severe electric shock, burns, or death, OSHA concluded.

In a motion filed Aug. 3 [PDF], the Secretary of Labor said that the Postal Service has approximately 260 Mail Processing & Distribution Centers and Network Distribution Centers across the country with similar hazards. In a cover letter accompanying the motion, the DOL Solicitor’s Office wrote, “Inspections continue with more citations expected.”

“Given the common issues and parties, and the number of citations to be issued in total, which may exceed 30-40, a consolidation of all these cases would conserve judicial and litigation resources,” the letter said.

On July 6 the DOL filed a complaint requesting “enterprise-wide” relief for the safety violations. The complaint asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the Postal Service to correct the violations; uphold the fines and penalties; conduct training on safe electrical work practices; provide personal protective equipment to affected employees, and withdraw flawed management orders and instructions regarding safe electrical work practices.

“The Department of Labor motion to consolidate the cases would merge these similar complaints so that the result of any litigation or settlement discussions would be applied to every postal facility where APWU members are exposed to electrical hazards,” said Greg Bell, APWU Director of Industrial Relations. “It would provide a uniform remedy and prevent the Postal Service and OSHA from negotiating separate, individual settlements at different locations.” Bell noted that the DOL’s motion mentioned 260 facilities and said, “The APWU is adamant that any settlement must be applied to all postal facilities that have deficient electrical safety work practices.”

The motion also requests a 90-day “stay,” which would hold proceedings in abeyance to allow the parties to pursue negotiations at the national level without being hampered by discovery issues or mandatory settlement proceedings. The stay would not prevent OSHA from conducting inspections or filing additional complaints.

The APWU has intervened as a party to the proceedings, which will ensure that the union is notified of developments in the case and given the opportunity to present the union’s position.

The APWU attended a preliminary meeting with representatives of the DOL, OSHA, and the USPS on July 27 to begin discussions of a possible remedy for the safety violations. “Throughout this process, the APWU will continue to insist that these outrageous hazards are corrected and that union members are protected,” Bell said.

APWU Web News Article 076-2010, Aug. 3, 2010

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the Postal Service nine “willful and serious” safety violations for exposing employees to electrical hazards at a Boston, MA postal facility. The USPS has been ordered to pay $357,000 in fines.

OSHA issued the Postal Service citations [PDF] after inspectors found untrained employees working on live machinery without proper protective equipment, exposing them to the risk of electric shock and burns.

The latest citations bring the Postal Service’s total OSHA fines to over $3.7 million.

see full list

OSHA Fines USPS Mail Facility in Vermont $420,000

Federal labor officials say they’ve cited a Vermont postal facility for a half-dozen safety violations and will seek $420,000 in fines.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says worker complaints at the U.S. Postal Service’s processing center in White River Junction led to an inspection in January that found employees were exposed to deadly electrical hazards.

OSHA says untrained or unqualified workers did work on live electrical equipment without proper safety measures

see full story

for exposing workers to electrical hazards at Capitol Heights, Md., facility

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service for workplace safety violations related to electrical hazards found at the Capitol Heights Processing and Distribution Center. Proposed penalties total $272,000.

“These citations and sizable fines reflect the Postal Service’s failure to equip its workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to safely work with live electrical parts,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “The Postal Service knew that proper and effective training was needed for the safety of its workers but did not provide it.”

OSHA initiated an inspection in January 2010 in response to a complaint alleging the hazards. Inspectors cited the Postal Service with four willful violations carrying a penalty of $265,000 and one serious violation with a penalty of $7,000.

The willful violations include inadequate training for workers exposed to electrical hazards, failing to provide electrical protective equipment to protect workers from arc-flash hazards and electrical current, and failing to use appropriate safety signs, safety symbols or accident prevention tags to warn employees about electrical hazards. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

The serious violation includes the facility’s failure to provide voltage-rated tools. OSHA issues a serious citation when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.

The Postal Service has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, meet with the OSHA area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by OSHA’s Baltimore/Washington Area Office, which can be reached at 410-865-2055. To report workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742.

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed an enterprise-wide complaint against the U.S. Postal Service for electrical work safety violations. The complaint asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the USPS to correct electrical violations at all its facilities nationwide. This complaint marks the first time OSHA has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy.

note: This is just a press release from OSHA. APWU reported safety violations at the Maryland facility last week.

APWU Web

The Department of Labor filed a complaint [PDF] against the Postal Service on July 6 for ongoing and systemic violations of safe electrical work practices, marking the first time the department has sought an “enterprise-wide” remedy.

“When the same safety violation is discovered in multiple locations of an organization, we need an enterprise-wide remedy to protect workers from the hazard,” Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith said.

The request for enterprise-wide reliefis based upon the discovery of numerous, similar electrical work safety violations in the course of investigations conducted by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration of USPS mail processing and distribution facilities across the country,” an OSHA press release said.

“There was a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from the conditions that existed,” the complaint asserted, and USPS knew of the violations, or with the exercise of reasonable diligence, could have known of them.

APWU Director of Industrial Relations Greg Bell said, “We are pleased that the Department of Labor has recognized the serious and widespread nature of the Postal Service’s failure to adhere to electrical safety standards. We will continue to monitor the progress in addressing this issue.”

“The union made many attempts over many years to persuade postal management to correct these deficiencies,” Bell noted. “The USPS stubbornly refused to address the problems. As a result, we advised locals to file formal complaints with OSHA.”

The Department of Labor complaint asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the USPS to correct the violations; uphold fines and penalties; conduct training on safe electrical work practices; provide personal protective equipment to affected employees, and withdraw flawed management orders and instructions regarding safe electrical work practices.

“For many years USPS has known of its enterprise-wide failure to comply with OSHA’s electrical safety-related work practices standards,” the complaint says. “Between 2004 and late 2009, USPS failed to institute necessary protective measures for its employees, even though it was aware of ongoing electrical safety problems.” OSHA issued new electrical safety standards in 2004.

The USPS prepared a Management Maintenance Order (MMO) and Management Instruction (MI) regarding safe electrical work practices in 2004, but did not release or implement the MI until Dec. 24, 2009, and did not release or implement the MMO until Feb. 1, 2010.

In the interim the APWU pointed out deficiencies in the policies and procedures outlined in the documents, and urged the Postal Service to correct them. Instead, on March 6, 2006, the USPS issued a memorandum informing managers that it was working to revise its policies. The memo failed to provide information on interim protective measures and instructed managers not to “expend funds on any NFPA [National Fire Protection Association] 70E training or consulting activities.”

The MMO and MI “fail in significant respects to ensure compliance with the requirements of the electrical safety-related work practices standards,” the complaint notes.

Beginning in October 2009, OSHA undertook several dozen inspections — some of which are ongoing — at USPS facilities across the country, and has issued fines and citations at 15 locations.

The Postal Service has 20 business days to answer the complaint.