Black News Digest 1991-01-21

9 Pages·2.1 MB·English

a NEWS from the
c news UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Information
and Public Affairs
Washington, D.C.
20210
Week of January 21, 1991
IN THIS ISSUE:
EMPLOYERS REMINDED TO POST INJURY
AND ILLNESS SUMMARIES DURING FEBRUARY
MINING FATALITIES ON UPWARD SWING
FILLERS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ’( +
REGIONAL INFORMATION OFFICES
The U.S. Department of Labor operates through 10 regional offices
located in major cities across the country. If you want a local angle ona
news or feature story provided through this service--or have a direct news
inquiry--you may contact one of the offices listed below. This listing
includes the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the Regional Directors
for Public Affairs and the States in their regions:
Region I John M, Chavez Region VI. .Sherrie Moran
“11 FI Room 724
Connecticut. IL Congress St. Arkansas 555 Griffin St.
Maine Boston, MA 02114 Louisiana » 1X 75202
Massachusetts 617-565-2072 New Mexico 214-767-4776
New Hampshire Oklahoma
Rhode Island Texas
Vermont
Region II Chester Fultz Region VII .Patrick A. Hand
201 Varick St. Room 2509
New Jersey Room 605 A Iowa Federal Office Bldg.
New York New York, NY 10014 Kansas 911 Walnut St.
Puerto Rico 212-337-2319 Missouri K ity, MO 64106
Virgin Islands Nebraska 816-374-5481
Region III John P. Hord . Region VIII..Ernest &. Sanchez
Room 14120 Room 1468
Delaware 3535 Market St. Colorado Federal Bldg.
District of Philadelphia, PA 19104 Montana 1961 Stout St.
Columbia 215-596-1139 North Dakota Denver, CO 80294
Maryland South Dakota 303-844-4235
Pennsylvania Utah
Virginia Wyoming
Region IV Dan Fuqua Region IX....Joe B. Kirkbride
Room 317 Suite 1035
Alabama 1371 Peachtree St., N.E. Arizona 71 Stevenson St.
Florida Atlanta, GA 30357 California San Francisco, CA 94105
404-347-4495
Georgia Hawaii 415-744-6673
Mississippi Nevada
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
Region V John D. Mellott Region X Mike Shimizu
Room 3192 Room 805
Illinois 230 S. Dearborn St. Alaska 1111 Third Ave. Bldg
Indiana Chicago, IL 60604 Idaho Seattle, WA 98101
Michigan 312-353-6976 Oregon 206-442-7620
Minnesota Washington
Ohio
Wisconsin
Week of Janaury 21, 1990
EMPLOYERS REMINDED TO POST INJURY
AND ILLNESS SUMMARIES DURING FEBRUARY
WASHINGTON -- Employers with 11 or more employees must post
during the month of February a summary of the total number of
job-related injuries and illnesses which occurred during 1990,
according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA). The summary must remain posted from
Feb. 1 to March 1, 1991.
Since 1972, employers have been required to post the last page
or right-hand portion of the OSHA Form 200, "Log and Summary of
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses." The form is to be displayed
wherever notices to employees are usually posted.
The OSHA Form 200 includes information on type of injury and
illness, extent and outcome. This information helps employers
identify workplace hazards which need correction, alerts employees
to possible hazards and assists OSHA in identifying high-hazard
worksites and industries.
Companies with no injuries and illnesses in 1990 must post the
form with zeros on the total line. The person who prepares the
annual summary must certify that the totals are correct and sign
the form.
Employers must make a copy of the summary available to
employees who move from worksite to worksite, such as construction
workers, and employees who do not report to any fixed establishment
on a regular basis.
Employers with 10 or fewer employees are exempt from federal
OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements.
Since Jan. 1, 1983, employers in certain statistically safe
industry groups are also exempt, unless they are specifically
notified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Exempted
industries are designated by their Standard Industrial
Classification Codes (SIC) as follows: retail trades (SIC's 55-59;
finance, insurance and real estate (SIC's 60-67); and service
industries (SIC's 71-89, except 75, 76, 79 and 80).
Exempted employers may still be chosen by BLS to participate
in its annual statistical survey of injuries and illnesses.
Further, all employers must report within 48 hours to the nearest
OSHA office any accident which results in one or more fatalities or
in the hospitalization of five or more employees. Whether required
to keep records or not, every employer covered by OSHA must comply
with pertinent safety and health standards.
-more-
BLACK NEWS DIGEST - 1/21/91
OSHA P.2
Copies of the OSHA Form 200 can be obtained by sending
self-addressed labels to the closest OSHA field office or to the
OSHA Publications Office, Room N3101, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20210, telephone: (202) 523-9667.
# # #
Week of January 21, 1990
MINING FATALITIES ON UPWARD SWING
WASHINGTON -- Sixty-seven coal miners and 56 metal and
nonmetal miners lost their lives in accidents during 1990 according
to preliminary figures, William J. Tattersall, assistant secretary
of labor for mine safety and health, has announced.
The total of 123 mining fatalities is an increase over the 116
mining fatalities (68 coal mining deaths and 48 metal and nonmetal
mining deaths) in 1989.
"I am profoundly disturbed by the increasing trend I see in
mining deaths," Tattersall said. "There is no level of fatal or
other serious accidents that is acceptable as a cost of mining coal
or any other mineral. ;
"Back in 1988, 52 coal miners were killed in accidents,"
Tattersall said. "In 1989, that figure increased to 68 coal mine
deaths, including 10 fatalities in one accident, the Pyro mine
disaster. Last year, with no major disasters, there were still 67
coal miners killed. I am deeply concerned by the increase I see in
mine accidents that are claiming lives by ones and twos. We in
the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) are focusing
serious efforts on achieving zero fatalities in the mining industry
by the year 2000. I urge the leaders of the mining industry to
join us in these efforts."
The single most frequent type of fatal accident in coal mines
during 1990 involved falling roof in underground mines, accounting
for 21 of the 67 coal miner deaths. Several of these accidents
involved miners who entered areas without roof supports, contrary
to safe practice, Tattersall said.
In the metal and nonmetal mining industry, the single most
common type of fatality involved powered haulage equipment used on
the surface, accounting for 20 out of the 56 metal and nonmetal
mining deaths.
MSHA has undertaken several new programs to reduce fatalities
in the past year, Tattersall said. These include an initiative to
encourage adoption of Job Safety Analysis (JSA) techniques at
mining operations, increased civil monetary penalties at mines with
an “excessive history" of violations, further sanctions at mines
found to have a "pattern of violations," and cooperative
state-federal initiatives to reduce accidents in four states that
have historically accounted for the greatest number of fatal coal
mining accidents, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsyvania and
Virginia.
BLACK NEWS DIGEST - 1/21/91
MINING P.2
Tattersall said MSHA also is pursuing vigorous efforts to
prosecute illegal mine operations that evade safety and health
inspections and to combat substance abuse problems in the mining
industry.
"Most of these programs are new and obviously require time to
take hold," Tattersall said. "I am encouraged by the enthusiastic
cooperation of state mine agencies as well as many mine operators.
At the same time, we are cracking down on that minority of mine
operators who still haven't got the message.
"The tools and techniques of accident-free mining are all out
there. All that is needed to eliminate most of the remaining fatal
accidents in this industry is the conviction that we can do it,
better training in the techniques, and the will to make it happen,"
Tattersall said.
"Mine operators, miners, government inspectors--all of us have
to take responsibility for turning the trend around. I am calling
on my district managers from all over the nation to reexamine what
more we can do. But MSHA cannot do this job alone. I call on all
mine operators, labor representatives and other leaders in the
mining industry to join in a similar commitment to the
zero-fatality goal," Tattersall said.
Tattersall placed particular emphasis on the need for more and
better miner training. "It is obvious that basic training
functions are not being effectively carried out," Tattersall said,
"or many of these accidents simply could not occur. fThis is one
area where I will definitely direct my district managers to focus
added attention."
In 1990, Kentucky accounted for the greatest number of fatal
coal mine accidents, 24. West Virginia was second with 13 coal
mining fatalities. Pennsylvania and Virginia had 5 coal mining
deaths each, according to preliminary MSHA figures. MThese four
states historically have accounted for some 70 percent of all coal
mining fatalities and are currently working with MSHA in the
cooperative accident-reduction program.
Despite concerns about the short-term trend, long-term
improvements in mining fatalities remain, Tattersall noted. For
comparison, in 1970, 260 coal miners and 165 metal and nonmetal
miners were killed in accidents. In 1980, accidents claimed the
lives of 133 coal miners and 103 metal and nonmetal miners.
# # #
Week of January 21, 1991
OR DEPARTMENT
Laws providing fines and imprisonment for strikers
preventing other persons from working were passed in 1863 in
Illinois and Minnesota, according to "Important Events in
American Labor History," a U.S. Labor Department publication.
# # #
The first federal eight-hour-day law was passed by Congress
in 1868, according to "Important Events in American Labor
History," a U.S. Labor Department publication. The law applied
only to laborers, workmen and mechanics employed by or on behalf
of the U.S. government.
The first state labor bureau was established in 1868 in
Massachusetts, according to "Important Events in American Labor
History," a U.S. Labor Department publication.
# # #