OSHA Fines USPS $357,000 For Safety Violations At Boston, MA Facility
Filed under: APWU, Dept. of Labor, osha, postal, postal news, usps
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.
OSHA Fines USPS Mail Facility in Vermont $420,000
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
US Labor Department’s OSHA proposes $272,000 in Fines Against USPS Capitol Heights MD Mail Processing Facility
Filed under: Dept. of Labor, osha, postal, press releases, usps
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.
Department of Labor Safety Complaint Underscores Widespread, Systemic Violations
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.
OSHA Fines USPS $272,000 For Safety Violations at Southern Maryland Mail Processing Center
APWU News
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited [PDF] the USPS for nine “willful and serious” safety violations at the Southern MD Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), and ordered the Postal Service to pay $272,000 in fines.
Inspectors found employees at the facility working on live machinery with exposed energized parts without wearing appropriate protective equipment, exposing them to the risk of electric shock.
The latest citations bring the Postal Service’s total OSHA fines to nearly $3 million
Dept. Of Labor Files Complaint Against USPS To Correct Safety Violations At 350 Postal Facilities
Complaint requests enterprise-wide remedy, a 1st
WASHINGTON, July 6 — The U.S. Department of Labor’s solicitor today filed a complaint against the U.S. Postal Service for electrical work safety violations. The complaint, which asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order USPS to correct electrical violations at 350 facilities, marks the first time the department has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy.
The request for enterprise-wide relief is 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. These violations increase the risk of injury from electrical shock, including electrocution. While today’s complaint arises from violations discovered in the Providence, R.I., facility, the requested remedy would apply to all 350 USPS processing and distribution centers, all of which contain similar equipment.
“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,” said Solicitor of Labor M. Patricia Smith. “The Department of Labor will seek other opportunities to utilize this remedy.”
OSHA’s inspections have revealed numerous violations of similar worker safety standards at USPS facilities throughout the nation. The complaint alleges that USPS’s actions demonstrate an enterprise-wide policy that resulted in ongoing systemic electrical work safety violations. USPS failed to adequately train workers in recognizing electrical hazards and how to work safely around such hazards, and did not provide workers with the appropriate tools and personal protective equipment to avoid injury or death while working around and on electrical equipment. The complaint also seeks $558,000 for the eight willful and four serious violations discovered in Rhode Island.
“Even though it was aware of the hazards, USPS failed to institute the necessary measures to protect its workers,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “The complaint filed today seeks to put a stop to this irresponsible behavior.”
SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor
APWU: OSHA Slams USPS for Safety Violations
Agency Finds ‘Willful, Serious’ Hazards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has charged the USPS with a series of citations in multiple cities for “willful and serious” safety violations. As of mid-June, OSHA had issued citations to the Postal Service at 12 facilities, and ordered it to pay fines of more than $2 million.
The violations, all related to electrical hazards, were discovered after OSHA inspectors visited the sites as a result of complaints filed by APWU locals. The Postal Service “ignored long-established safety standards and knowingly put its workers in harm’s way,” OSHA said.
The Postal Service exposed workers to the serious and potentially fatal hazards of shock, electrocution and severe burns, OSHA said.
The citations substantiate charges leveled by the APWU regarding the Postal Service’s failure to adhere to OSHA standards for electrical safety. “These sizable fines reflect the severity and ongoing nature of these hazards,” said Dr. David Michaels, OSHA assistant secretary, in a press release.
Inspectors found serious safety violations at the facilities: Untrained or unqualified workers were performing tests on live electrical equipment, and personal protective equipment, work practices, and warning signs were inadequate, OSHA said. Employees were working on live electrical machinery without being provided non-conductive head protection, voltage-rated gloves, flame resistant clothing, or face shields to prevent injury from “electric arcs,” the agency said.
In addition, OSHA cited the Postal Service for failing to instruct workers on the proper procedures for locking out machines’ power sources to prevent unexpected startup during maintenance, and other related hazards.
More citations are expected in the coming months. Safety citations were issued at the Portland, OR Processing and Distribution Center; Baton Rouge Processing and Distribution Center; Pittsburgh, PA mail processing facility; Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center; the Philadelphia Bulk Mail Center; Bedford Park, IL; Des Moines, IA; Las Vegas, NV; Bell, CA; Anaheim, CA; Denver, CO; and Providence, RI.
Assistance from Locals
OSHA inspections have been conducted at numerous postal facilities as the result of locally filed complaints. The locals acted in response to a request from the Industrial Relations Department to report the Postal Service’s failure to comply with OSHA’s electrical regulations.
APWU has made many attempts to discuss and correct known electrical risks and hazards: In 2007 and 2008, OSHA conducted inspections of postal facilities and found violations of various electrical safety standards. The Postal Service agreed that the hazards existed and entered into informal settlements, but has so far failed to correct the problems.
To combat the USPS intransigence, the national union developed guidelines and urged locals across the country to file OSHA complaints.
We encourage locals to continue to report hazardous working conditions to OSHA.
OSHA Fines USPS $210,000 At Eagan Facility
According to the Star Tribune
The U.S. Postal Service “knowingly put its workers in harm’s way” at its Eagan processing center by exposing employees to the potential for electrical shock, prompting federal officials to levy $210,000 in fines, U.S. officials announced Tuesday.
The allegations from the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) contend that the Postal Service (USPS):
• Failed to provide required safety training for its workers.
• Did not ensure employees used proper safety-related practices while operating electrical equipment.
• Did not provide workers with the proper safety equipment
According to APWU up until today the recent citations bring the Postal Service’s total fines to nearly $2.5 million. Now with the $210,000 in fines announced today the total stands at $2.7 Million
OSHA Proposes $430,000 in fines against USPS At Scarborough, Maine Mail Facility
AUGUSTA, Maine — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service for alleged willful and repeat violations of safety standards following an inspection at the Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center in Scarborough, Maine. The Postal Service faces a total of $430,000 in fines, chiefly for exposing workers to electrical hazards.
“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’s inspection, which began Dec. 29, 2009, in response to a complaint from workers at the Scarborough facility, found employees working with or near live electrical equipment without adequate training or qualifications, personal protective equipment, safety-related work practices and warning signs.
These conditions exposed the workers to electric shock, arc flashes and arc blasts and resulted in OSHA issuing six willful citations, with $420,000 in proposed fines, to the Postal Service. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
In addition, OSHA found that access to electrical panels was blocked in several instances by materials being stored adjacent to them. This situation resulted in one repeat citation, with a $10,000 fine, since the Postal Service had been cited in November 2007 for the same type of hazard at a Toledo, Ohio, postal facility.
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 Augusta Area Office; telephone 207-626-9160. 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.
USPS Fined $77,500 For Electrical Hazards At Portland, OR Mail Facility
SEATTLE – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service for alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards at the Portland, Ore., Processing and Distribution Center, located at 715 N.W. Hoyt St. An OSHA inspection conducted in response to employee complaints resulted in a total of $77,500 in fines for electrical hazards and a failure to adequately lock out machines’ power sources to prevent unexpected startups.
“The Postal Service disregarded basic electrical safety practices, which left workers at this facility exposed to unnecessary risk of serious injury,” said Richard S. Terrill, OSHA regional administrator in Seattle.
OSHA’s inspection found workers were performing tests on live electrical equipment and doing so without adequate personal protective equipment, safety-related work practices and warning signs, as well as working on equipment that had not first been de-energized.
As a result of these conditions, OSHA has issued the Postal Service one willful citation with a proposed fine of $70,000. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
In addition, two serious citations with $7,500 in fines have been issued for failure to adequately lock out machines’ power sources to prevent unexpected startup during servicing and for inadequate insulation on electric cables. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which an employer knew or should have known.
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 Portland Area Office; telephone 503-326-2251. 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.