OSHA issues temporary enforcement policy for confined spaces in construction

July 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced a 60-day temporary enforcement policy of its Confined Spaces in Construction standard, which becomes effective Aug. 3, 2015. 

The agency is postponing full enforcement of the new standard to Oct. 2, 2015, in response to requests for additional time to train and acquire the equipment necessary to comply with the new standard.

During this 60-day temporary enforcement period, OSHA will not issue citations to employers who make good faith efforts to comply with the new standard. 

Employers must be in compliance with either the training requirements of the new standard* or the previous standard. Employers who fail to train their employees consistent with either of these two standards will be cited.

Factors that indicate employers are making good faith efforts to comply include: 
scheduling training for employees as required by the new standard; ordering the equipment necessary to comply with the new standard; and taking alternative measures to educate and protect employees from confined space hazards.

OSHA issued the Confined Spaces in Construction final rule on May 4, 2015. The rule provides construction workers with protections similar to those 
manufacturing and general industry workers have, with some differences tailored to the construction industry. 

These include requirements to ensure that multiple employers share vital safety information and to continuously monitor hazards – a safety option made possible by technological advances after the manufacturing and general industry standards were created.

OSHA estimates the confined spaces rule could protect nearly 800 construction workers a year from serious injuries and reduce life-threatening hazards.

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 ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

More than 20 cars covered in Yellow striping paint after hose or valve on IDOT truck malfunctions

Posted 10:20 PM, July 11, 2015, by Alexis McAdams, Updated at 01:16am, July 12, 2015

Indianapolis, Indiana (July 11, 2015) – Around 25 cars are now covered in Yellow striping paint after a hose on the back of a construction truck contracted by the Indiana Department of Transportation burst Friday night. Sending several gallons of Yellow paint onto Interstate 65.

“It looked like either a hose or a valve up to the rear base of the truck, where I assume it dispenses paint was not connected or ruptured because it was not a small leak. I mean you could see the paint moving, there was a current,” says driver Joe Cavanaugh.

 Several drivers traveling between mile marker 100 and 99, just South of Indianapolis drove their cars through the large puddle of paint in the Right lane.

“Once we got to the exit and committed to the exit, it was clear something bad had happened. So, we drove through a river of paint and that was that,” says Cavanaugh.

 

This spill created a big mess, caused headaches for drivers, and potentially damaged over 20 vehicles. Now, the big question is who is responsible for repairs to the cars covered in the Yellow striping paint? Nate Riggs of INDOT says owners will have to fill out a tort claim with the state. Supplying pictures of the damage and information about the incident. That claim is sent to the Attorney General’s office.

“I know that it was an accident. But, I hope that INDOT takes care of their responsibilities,” says driver Tonya Murphy.

For information on how to file your claim, follow the link below.

http://www.in.gov/indot/files/tort_claim.pdf

4 people have been injured after their 53½-foot sport fishing boat, Get Sum III, ran aground Saturday near Story Island in the Manahawkin Bay.

4 injured in boating accident

Erik Larsen, @Erik_Larsen 9:45 p.m. EDT July 11, 2015

(Photo: Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ

Four people have been injured after their 53½-foot sport fishing boat ran aground Saturday near Story Island in the Manahawkin Bay. 

At least one person was transported to the Regional Trauma Center at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City. The other three were taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford, State Police Sgt. Jeff Flynn said.

"Boats don't have brakes," said Chief Petty Officer Nick Ameen of the U.S. Coast Guard, when asked what caused the injuries. The Coast Guard and the New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau both responded to the scene.

Ameen, a spokesman for the Coast Guard in Atlantic City, said the exact speed of the vessel had not been determined.

Story Island is located off the coast of Little Egg Harbor Township in the Manahawkin Bay. (Photo: Google Maps)

The vessel, identified as Get Sum III, has a home port in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township, Ameen said.

In total, there were 13 people aboard the vessel. The injured included two men, ages 72 and 55, with head injuries; and two women, ages 61 and 20, the latter with a broken arm, according to authorities.

The circumstances surrounding the crash were under investigation Saturday evening, Flynn said.

 

The accident was first reported about 2 p.m. Saturday.

Story Island is located just off the coast of the Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Management Area and is part of Little Egg Harbor Township.

Video: Coast Guard Rescues Man, Dog After Sailboat Catches Fire 69 Miles West of Hudson, Fla.

 JULY 11, 2015

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida, rescue a man and his dog 69 miles west of Hudson, Florida, Friday, July 10, 2015. 

The man and his dog abandoned his 30-foot sailboat after it caught fire. 

U.S. Coast Guard video

Video: Five Rescued After Being Stranded at Sea for Four Days Near Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean

Coast Guard crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point drop emergency supplies out of an HC-130 Hercules airplane to five men who were stranded in the water in a 14-foot skiff since July 8, 2015, 184 miles east northeast of Teraina Island, Kiribati. The men were rescued by the crew of the motor vessel, Shourong Harmony. Also available in high definition. U.S. Coast Guard video.

Kiribati (/ˌkɪrɪˈbæs/; KEER-ə-bahss or /ˌkɪrɪˈbɑːti/; KEER-ə-BAH-tee), officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation in the central Pacific Ocean. The nation comprises 33 atolls and reef islands and one raised coral island, Banaba.

Crew members from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, smile after assisting in the rescue five men who were stranded at sea for four days near Kiribati, July 11, 2015. The men were rescued by the crew of the motor vessel, Shourong Harmony after an HC-130 Hercules air crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point spotted the 14-foot aluminum skiff while searching and dropped emergency supplies, 184 miles east northeast of Teraina Island, Kiribati. U.S. Coast Guard photo

Five men in a 14-foot aluminum skiff signal to the crew of an HC-130 from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point to be rescued 184 miles east northeast of Teraina Island, Kiribati, July 11, 2015. The men were rescued after being at sea since July 8, 2015, by the crew of the motor vessel, Shourong Harmony after the Coast Guard spotted them while searching. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)