OSHA is urging employers across the country to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and hazards.

OSHA Focuses on Worker Heat Hazards

With the official start of summer, OSHA is urging employers across the country to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and hazards. While workers in construction, agriculture, and landscaping are often exposed to excessive heat, so are workers in kitchens, foundries, warehouses, and other indoor settings. OSHA offers guidance on how to keep workers cool and healthy whether they are exposed to indoor or outdoor heat hazards.

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OSHA is postponing enforcement of certain requirements of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general industry to August 9

OSHA Postpones Enforcement of Certain Provisions of Beryllium Standard to August 9

OSHA is postponing enforcement of certain requirements of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general industry. Requirements originally scheduled for enforcement on June 25 will not be enforced until Aug. 9. The requirements include beryllium work areas, regulated work areas, methods of compliance, personal protective clothing and equipment, hygiene areas and practices, housekeeping, communication of hazards, and recordkeeping. For more information, read the memorandum.

June 21, 2018

MEMORANDUM FOR:

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS
STATE PLAN DESIGNEES

THROUGH:

GALEN BLANTON
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary

FROM:

THOMAS GALASSI, Director
Directorate of Enforcement Programs

SUBJECT:

Notice of Delay in Enforcement for Certain Provisions of the Beryllium Standards to August 9, 2018

On January 9, 2017, OSHA published its final rule, Occupational Exposure to Beryllium, in the Federal Register (82 FR 2470 – 2757). As discussed in a previous memorandum dated May 9, 2018, OSHA is currently enforcing the Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) in the general industry, construction, and shipyard standards, at §1910.1024(c), §1926.1124(c) and §1915.1024(c), respectively. In addition, OSHA is also enforcing the general industry standard’s ancillary provisions for exposure assessment §1910.1024(d), respiratory protection §1910.1024(g), medical surveillance §1910.1024(k), and medical removal §1910.1024(l).

The May 9, 2018, memorandum also announced a 45-day delay in enforcement of the other requirements of the general industry standard until June 25, 2018, to allow OSHA time to complete a rulemaking in which OSHA would propose to extend the compliance dates of those requirements until December 12, 2018. That rulemaking would provide OSHA with time to complete a planned substantive NPRM proposing minor changes to those provisions before employers must comply with them.

OSHA published the proposed rule to extend certain compliance dates on June 1, 2018, and the comment period closes on July 2, 2018. In order to allow time to complete that rulemaking proceeding, OSHA will continue to enforce the PELs in all three standards and enforce paragraphs (d), (g), (k), and (l) of the general industry standard, but will not enforce any other provisions contained in §1910.1024 until August 9, 2018, without further notice. OSHA also will not enforce any other provisions contained in §1926.1124 or §1915.1024 without further notice.

In the interim, OSHA intends to complete the outstanding rulemaking activity.
If you have any questions, please contact Larry McGowan or Bill Matarazzo in the Office of Health Enforcement at 202-693-2190.

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California Labor Commissioner Cites Farm Labor Contractor, Vista Santa Rosa Inc., Holds Growers Liable for Wage Theft Violations Affecting 1,374 Seasonal Workers

California Labor Commissioner Cites Farm Labor Contractor, Holds Growers Liable for Wage Theft Violations Affecting 1,374 Seasonal Workers

San Bernardino, CA—The Labor Commissioner’s Office has issued wage theft citations to a large farm labor contracting operation for failing to timely provide 1,374 seasonal farmworkers their final pay. Vista Santa Rosa Inc. did not pay discharged workers on the last day of work as required by law, and the company consistently issued final paychecks at least 72 hours late. Both client employers and their labor suppliers are accountable for workplace labor law violations in California.

“Delaying final paychecks is wage theft and in this case, puts significant pressure on seasonal workers to abandon their pay or wait and jeopardize competitive job and lodging openings,” said Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su. “Bringing attention to this issue during the grape harvest should deter farm labor contractors and growers from this wage theft practice and help ensure their workers are paid on time.”

The Labor Commissioner’s Office launched an investigation in August 2016 after workers reported violations of late pay to California Rural Legal Assistance, a nonprofit that provides free legal services. The investigation identified $646,875 in waiting time penalties, of which $323,729 is due to 867 affected workers in 2016, and $323,145 is due to 864 workers in 2017.

Vista Santa Rosa Inc. hires and provides farmworkers to growers in the Coachella Valley region. In 2016, Vista was a sole-proprietorship owned and operated by Jose Luis Gomez Jr. In 2017 Gomez began doing business as Vista Santa Rosa Inc. Both Gomez and his successor company Vista share joint and several liability for the $646,875 in waiting time penalties.

California Labor Code section 2810.3 holds client employers – those that obtain or are provided workers from a subcontractor – responsible for their subcontractor’s workplace violations. Client employers also liable for Vista’s violations include:

·   Brighton Distributing, Inc.	·   Alexandra Dates, Inc.
·   Coachella Valley Ranch Development, Inc.	·   MICA, LLC ·   The Wildwood Group, Inc.
·   East-West Unlimited, LLC ·   Anthony Vineyards, Inc.	·   Sun World International, LLC

Final pay laws require all wages due to be paid on the last day at the time of separation. If a worker quits, final wages are due within 72 hours of the notice. Waiting time penalties are imposed when the employer intentionally fails to pay all wages due to the employee at the time of separation. This penalty is calculated by taking the employee’s daily rate of pay and multiplying it by the number of days the employee was not paid, up to a maximum of 30 days.

Enforcement investigations typically include a payroll audit of the previous three years to determine minimum wage, overtime and other labor law violations, and any payments owed and penalties due are calculated.

The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, or the Labor Commissioner’s Office, is the division within the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) with wide-ranging enforcement responsibilities including adjudicating wage claims, inspecting workplaces for wage and hour violations, investigating retaliation complaints and educating the public on labor laws.

In 2014, Labor Commissioner Su launched the Wage Theft is a Crime multilingual public awareness campaign. The campaign defines wage theft and informs workers of their rights and the resources available to them to recover unpaid wages or report other labor law violations.

Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact DIR’s Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734).

Vista Santa Rosa, Inc. is a California Domestic Corporation filed on March 18, 2016 . The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is C3886284.

The Registered Agent on file for this company is Jose L. Gomez, Jr. and is located at 62610 Monroe Street, Thermal, CA 92274. The company's mailing address is P.O. Box 875, Thermal, CA 92274.

The company has 1 principal on record. The principal is Jose L. Gomez from Thermal CA.

We also found this company registered at the same location to do farm labor business:

Gomez Farm Labor Contracting, Inc

62610 Monroe Street
Thermal, CA 92274
Phone:  (760) 399-1994

Gomez Farm Labor Contracting, Inc is a privately held company in Thermal, CA and is a Single Location business.

Categorized under Farm Labor Contractors. Our records show it was established in 1991 and incorporated in CA. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of 5352461 and employs a staff of approximately 100.

Nigeria is one of the most dangerous countries for driving. At least nine people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded on a highway in Lagos, Nigeria, burning 54 vehicles

Oil tanker explodes during rush hour on Nigerian highway, burning 54 cars

by Siobhán O'Grady

 June 29, 2018



At least nine people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded on a highway in Lagos, Nigeria, on June 28. (Rapid Response Squad)

The footage looks like a scene from a horror movie: A massive cloud of smoke envelops a Nigerian roadway as bright red and orange flames engulf a line of passenger cars. Emergency workers trudge down an oil-slicked road, carrying body bags.

On Thursday evening, an oil tanker exploded in Lagos, Nigeria, setting more than 50 cars on fire during rush hour in the megacity. At least nine people died.

“Petrol started leaking. A bus ran into it. The fire hadn't started, then a car ran into the bus, which caused the fuel to ignite,” a witness, Oludare Adodo, told CNN. “Suddenly, I heard a loud 'blam!' ”

“Some folks were abandoning their cars and running, and those closest to the tanker were simply merged into a wall of red,” he added.


Around 180 million people live in Nigeria, making it Africa's most populous nation. And the country has a massive oil industry but imports much of its fuel because of a lack of functioning refineries. Nigeria's already crowded roadways, many of which are poorly paved, are made even more dangerous by oil tankers. Thursday's explosion occurred on the Lagos-Ibadan highway, one of the busiest entry and exit points for the commercial capital that is home to more than 22 million people.

A car is lifted onto a truck after a fire accident involving an oil tanker along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in the Ojodu axis of Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday. (Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)

Such explosions are not uncommon in Nigeria.

In 2012, nearly 100 people were killed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria's oil hub, after an oil tanker tipped over the side of the road. Some people approached the tanker in an effort to collect the fuel for themselves, then found themselves trapped in a massive fire when it exploded. According to Nigerian news outlet the Premium Times, Lagos State recorded 115 petroleum tanker accidents in 2016 alone.

The World Health Organization has labeled Nigeria one of the most dangerous countries for driving.

Lake Country Power employee Drew Schwarz, 33, was electrocuted to death while working to restore an outage near Orr, Minnesota

Lake Country Power employee Drew Schwarz, 33, was electrocuted to death while working to restore an outage near Orr, Minnesota

Authorities ID utility worker who died near Orr, Minnesota

By Tom Olsen on Jul 1, 2018

Authorities have identified a Lake Country Power employee who died Friday while working to restore an outage near Orr.


The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office reported that Drew Schwarz, 33, of Cook, was pronounced dead at the scene southwest of Orr. The incident was reported as a possible electrocution just before 6 p.m.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate, and an autopsy is pending at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.

Lake Country spokeswoman Tami Zaun said the utility responded to more than 7,500 outages after severe thunderstorms blew through the region early Friday morning. She said the lineworker collapsed at the scene but it was not immediately clear whether it was due to electrocution or another cause.

"Despite the loss of a fellow employee, friend, and co-op family member, crews will continue working today and tomorrow until power is restored for members," Zaun said.

3:30 p.m. Update for Saturday, June 30: Lake Country Power line crews continue making progress on outage restoration efforts near Ely, Cook and Orr while mourning the loss of a friend and fellow employee. An LCP lineworker collapsed and died Friday evening while crews were restoring electrical service following a severe summer storm.

“We’re piecing together the information to determine what happened,” said Greg Randa, LCP general manager. “Our entire co-op family mourns. Our hearts, our thoughts, and our prayers are with the family of a fallen friend, co-op family member and colleague.”

“We don’t have a clear picture of what happened yet,” he said. “We expect the investigation will help answer questions and help determine the cause. We need to complete all fact-finding, including the autopsy.”

LCP crews have been working to restore outages since early Friday morning when a severe storm knocked down trees, power lines and broke dozens of poles. Another severe storm blew in early Saturday morning and knocked power out for another 1,500 members in the region. More than 4,000 LCP members are without electric service as crews continue to work.

Members may visit the Outage Center online at www.lakecountrypower.coop or http://mi.lcp.coop:82/ for a real-time outage status.

To report an outage, please call 800-421-9959, press 1. Or use SmartHub, which can be found at www.lakecountrypower.com.

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Northern Minnesota Electric Company Worker Dies While Restoring Power

June 30, 2018 12:26 PM

An employee of a northern Minnesota electric company died Friday while working to restore power to areas affected by severe thunderstorms.

Lake Country Power said the lineworker collapsed around 6 p.m. and an investigation is underway.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office identified the deceased worker as a 33-year-old man from Cook. While the cause of death is uncertain, the sheriff's office said he was reportedly electrocuted.  

"Despite the loss of a fellow employee, friend, and co-op family member, crews will continue working today and tomorrow until power is restored for members," the company wrote in a Facebook post.

Line crews responded to more than 7,500 outages near Ely, Orr, Cook, Lake Vermilion, Babbitt and other parts of northern Minnesota Friday, according to Lake Country Power.

The 33-year-old worker working on an outage in Orr, according to the sheriff's office. 
The company provides electric services to 43,000 people in rural northern Minnesota, according to their Facebook page. 

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8:30 p.m. Sunday Update: Lake Country Power line crews made progress Sunday as they worked to restore service for co-op members affected by a couple severe summer storms since Friday morning. There are currently 525 members without power.

Since Friday morning, crews have restored service for nearly 7,000 members.

Line crews remain working throughout the northern locations of the co-op’s service area to restore service. The Eagles Nest area near Ely took a large amount of damages from the storm. Other hard hit remote areas include Babbitt, Ely, Lake Vermilion, Orr and additional areas south of Eveleth.


Crews will work until 9:00 p.m. tonight, and then will be called in for mandatory rest and safety. They’ll resume work early Monday morning. Lake Country Power anticipates any remaining outages after 9:00 p.m. Sunday night will be restored on Monday, which includes the remotest areas and individual outages.

All available Lake Country Power crews, including those from the Grand Rapids and Kettle River Service Centers, worked Sunday to restore power, including assistance from Lake States Construction and Highline Construction.

Crews continue working as they mourn an LCP lineworker who collapsed and died Friday evening while restoring electrical service. The cause of death is not clear and an investigation is underway. An autopsy will be performed to help determine the cause.

Members may call the cooperative at 1-800-421-9959 for more information, or visit the Outage Center online at www.lakecountrypower.coop or http://mi.lcp.coop:82 for a real-time outage status.