NOTW? OSHA Plays Hardball

This story from OSHA could come under the heading of NOTW – without the photo. Forget the monetary penalties imposed and take a look at the sanctions. How would you like to be required to tell OSHA where you’ll be working. I don’t think that I would want this guy as a sub on my job – you know that OSHA will be showing up regularly.

You may want to pass this little tidbit along to your subs, just in case they think OSHA isn’t serious.

Contempt orders issued against St. Louis employer for ignoring OSHA citations

ST. LOUIS -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced issuance of contempt of court orders against Brian Andre, former owner of Andre Tuckpointing and Brickwork (AT&B), Andre Stone and Mason Work Inc. (AS&MW) and Regina Shaw, owner of AS&MW. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued the contempt orders against the St. Louis-area company and individuals for failing to comply with court orders enforcing citations of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC).

"Companies that expose employees to hazards, and then blatantly ignore citations requiring correction of those hazards, will not be overlooked," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. "Employers must fulfill their responsibility to keep employees safe, as well as satisfy any sanctions levied for failing to do so."

The cases stem from numerous citations OSHA issued to AT&B and its successor, AS&MW, for willful, repeat and serious violations related to fall hazards, scaffolding erection deficiencies, power tool guarding and other hazards in connection with multiple projects in the St. Louis area.

When the companies failed to comply with the court's order enforcing OSHRC's final order, the secretary of labor filed petitions for contempt. As a result, a special master of the Court of Appeals concluded that Brian Andre, AS&MW and Regina Shaw were in contempt of the order, and recommended various sanctions. The Eighth Circuit substantially accepted the master's recommendations, found all three parties in contempt, and imposed sanctions, including: Brian Andre, AS&MW and Regina Shaw must pay outstanding monetary penalties, which continue to accrue interest, and other miscellaneous fees, in the current amount of $258,582.08; AS&MW and Regina Shaw must pay a $100 daily penalty, calculated from the time of default, in early 2008, on the OSHRC final order; AS&MW must provide OSHA weekly notification of all current jobs, and known future jobs, at least 72 hours prior to commencement of work for a period of three years; and, AS&MW must provide "competent person" training to all people currently and subsequently designated as jobsite "competent persons," prior to beginning any work, and provide the secretary records of such training.

Unloading a Backhoe

Okay, so I've been away for awhile. My work life got pretty crazy beginning around Thanksgiving so I was distracted. But, I'm back now.

An old friend sent me the following video. Although my first reaction is to applaud the talent of the backhoe operator - he might want to go on "America's Got Talent" - but if he pulled a stunt like that on a jobsite, he should receive direction from Donald Trump - You're Fired!

Squeeze Bacon? Now I've Heard Everything!

My friend and fellow safety professional sent me a hot-link to a website that sells Squeeze Bacon. Now I'm a pretty good eater - bacon being one of my favorite foods - but Squeeze Bacon? It seems hard to believe.

I guess I am going to have to try it, but I'm a little concerned about the fact that it has a useful shelf life of 12 years and doesn't require refrigeration (even after opening). The ad says that it's made from 100% bacon and each 21 oz. bottle is the equivalent of 64 slices of bacon. Mmmmm!

If you don't believe me, click here.

Here's a Great Sign!

I came across this great sign and thought I'd share. Maybe we can come up with similar signs for our jobsites too.

The Hero

This is worth the 7 minutes it takes to watch.

The Bacon Explosion

I know that some of you are thinking that Safety is the only thing that I do. You would be wrong! I have several hobbies, but they all pale before my love of eating. Yes, eating! If it isn't green, if its meat, if it's batter-dipped-and-deep-fried, it's for me!

So, imagine my delight when I came across a story in the New York Times about a couple of guys who "invented" the "Bacon Explosion."

The Times reports that "this recipe is theBacon Explosion, modestly called by its inventors “the BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes.” The instructions for constructing this massive torpedo-shaped amalgamation of two pounds of bacon woven through and around two pounds of sausage and slathered in barbecue sauce first appeared last month on the Web site of a team of Kansas City competition barbecuers. They say a diverse collection of well over 16,000 Web sites have linked to the recipe, celebrating, or sometimes scolding, its excessiveness. A fresh audience could be ready to discover it on Super Bowl Sunday."

Are you a pork lover? Want to know more? Click here.

Oh, by the way, don't let your cardiologist know about this!

Here's one in the "They Walk Among Us" category

I know that this one doesn't have anything to do with occupational safety, but it's just too good to keep to myself. I ran across an article from a newspaper in Lagos, Nigeria that reported that a car thief had "transformed himself into a goat." No kidding!

According to the newspaper "police implicated a goat in an attempted automobile theft. In a front-page article on Friday, the Vanguard newspaper said that two men tried to steal a Mazda car two days earlier in Kwara State, with one suspect transforming himself into a goat as vigilantes cornered him.

The paper quoted police spokesman Tunde Mohammed as saying that while one suspect escaped, the other transformed into a goat as he was about to be apprehended.

The newspaper reported that police paraded the goat before journalists, and published a picture of the animal.

Police in the state couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Belief in black magic is widespread in Nigeria, particularly in far-flung rural areas."

What Next???