OSHA never ceases to amaze. After weeks of controversy around their unwillingness to protect workers from combustible dust, late last week they announced that they had finally done something on the matter.
What had they done, exactly? Put up a Web page!
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has posted a new Combustible Dust Safety and Health Topics Web page at www.osha.gov/dsg/combustibledust/index.html to help employers address hazardous combustible dust and provide recommendations to prevent and control these hazards.
"Fires and explosions resulting from combustible dust can pose a significant danger at the workplace," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "This new safety and health topics page is part of a long-term, ongoing program in OSHA to address these hazards and assure safe and healthful working conditions."
Yes! I'm sure America's corporate executives were racing to their computers the moment this page was announced, urgently searching for how they could refit their operations to prevent combustible dust explosions. That's the magic of voluntary health and safety enforcement, right?
Sigh.
Oh yeah, one more thing. When your subject is explosions that kill workers and ignite fires that blaze for days...
... calling a section of your new page "Hot Topics" is probably not the wisest decision.
UPDATE (March 12): The House hearing on combustible dust is scheduled for today at 10:30 AM Eastern time. Here's a link to the live webcast of the hearing (link won't work until the hearing starts) if you want to watch the fireworks.
Comments (1)
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I am a union member I am fighting to get my job back and I am not getting the help that i feel i should be getting from the union I was termanatia on 11-07 and still fighing I been on my job for 12yr.I would like to know what more can I do to get my job back can you help.
Posted by Teresa Anderson on March 17, 2008 at 2:49 PM
Posted on March 17, 2008 at 2:49 PM