The agency says the company repeatedly exposed workers to chemical hazards and proposes $311K in penalties.
Federal workplace safety inspectors determined that TAV Holdings Inc., an Atlanta recycling company, exposed workers to hazardous chemicals without warning them of the risks. This is the third time since 2019 that the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the company for similar violations.
An OSHA inspection in 2021 found that TAV failed to provide workers the safety data sheets for all chemicals used in the Atlanta facility and did not list the chemicals in the company’s hazard communication program. Earlier in 2021, the agency issued citations for similar violations at the company’s Greenville, South Carolina, site and in 2019 at the Atlanta facility.
OSHA proposed $311,934 in penalties after identifying three repeats and 28 safety and health violations in a recent investigation. OSHA says TAV Holdings failed to:
install a fall protection system around unprotected sides of a pit;
keep exit routes unobstructed, and post signs along obscured exits to show the correct routes;
specify techniques to isolate energy sources on machines within the energy control procedures;
train employees on hazardous energy sources for equipment;
provide guarding on rotating parts and ingoing nip and pinch points on a drill press and conveyer;
mark electrical panel circuits to indicate their purpose and enclose an electrical control panel;
provide audiometric testing or annual training on hazards associated with high noise levels and provide hearing protection to some employees; and,
conduct annual training on the use of respirators and fit tests for employees.
"TAV Holdings Inc.'s repeated disregard for workers' safety is inexcusable, especially after our previous investigations identified the serious risks involved," says OSHA Area Office Director Jeffery Stawowy in Atlanta-West. "They have a legal obligation to provide their employees with a safe and healthy workplace."
During the Atlanta on-site visit, OSHA inspectors found that Atlanta's XL MachineWorks LLC, a metal fabrication contractor employed at TAV Holdings, failed to train its employees on how to safely operate forklifts and properly anchor a bench grinder. The contractor also failed to guard a lathe machine and improperly used extension cords to power equipment. For these violations, the agency proposed $11,188 in penalties to XL MachineWorks.
The current investigation was initiated after receiving a referral from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. OSHA says the companies have 15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Recycling Today has reached out to TAV Holdings and the U.S. Department of Labor for further comment.
The funding is available through Susan Harwood Training grants.
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced $11.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support training and education for workers and employers. The goal is to help identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.
Administered by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the grants will target disadvantaged, underserved, low-income and other hard-to-reach, at-risk workers and employers. The grants are available to nonprofit organizations, including community-based, faith-based, grassroots organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes and public colleges and universities.
Applicants may apply in the following categories:
Targeted Topic Training: support educational programs that identify and prevent workplace hazards and require applicants to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards;
Training and Educational Materials Development: support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that identify and prevent workplace hazards; and,
Capacity Building: allow organizations to develop a new training program to assess needs and formulate a plan for moving forward to a full-scale safety and health education program, expanding their capacity to provide occupational safety and health training, education and related assistance to workers and employers.
Those interested should submit applications by August 1. Applicants must register at www.grants.gov and the System of Award Management to apply.
The department says the grants honor the legacy and work of Dr. Susan Harwood who developed workplace safety guidelines for benzene, formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens and lead in the construction industry. Harwood was also the primary author of OSHA's cotton dust standard, which virtually eliminated byssinosis, a lung disease that causes asthma-like symptoms among textile workers.
Entries for association’s waste and recycling safety awards must be received by July 1.
The deadline for 2022 Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Safety Award nominations is Friday, July 1.
The Silver Springs, Maryland-based association says categories include Biggest Safety Improvement, Best Safety Innovation and COVID-19 Pandemic Resiliency.
SWANA says, “Your organization has done a great job protecting workers and the public. Now get recognized for your accomplishments by the largest member-based solid waste association in the world.”
The association says its COVID-19 Resiliency award was created to recognize organizations that have adapted to working during the pandemic “with a focus on utilizing the hierarchy of controls to protect employees, contractors and customers.” Efforts to increase worker vaccination and to ensure continuity of service also will be considered, says SWANA
The Best Safety Innovation category offers an award for “an exemplary safety innovation undertaken by the solid waste industry during the previous year to reduce hazards and accidents, develop company regulations and best practices or improve worker safety.”
The Biggest Safety Improvement award, meanwhile, honors “exemplary safety improvement undertaken by the solid waste industry during the previous year.”
There is no entry fee for nominees, but the applicant must be a SWANA member. Winners will be announced Tuesday, Sept. 6, with the awards ceremony taking place in December at Wastecon in San Diego.
The launch includes new AI-driven solutions and greater automation.
AMCS, a technology provider for the environmental, waste, recycling and resource management industry based in Limerick, Ireland, has announced the AMCS Platform Summer 22 release. This is the second of three feature releases planned this year.
“In our current inflationary times our customers require agility and automation,” says Elaine Treacy, global product director at AMCS. “This release delivers much-needed visibility and control by automating key finance functions such as invoicing and price change management. Our investment in AI technology provides actionable insights, helping our customers improve the quality of their resource management to drive both efficiency and sustainability.”
This release includes AMCS Vision AI, a solution using the latest advances in AI technology to automatically analyze material streams to detect contamination and overfilled containers at the curbside.
The invoicing and pricing capabilities of the AMCS Platform have been improved to streamline processes to deliver agility, higher performance and improved user experience.
In the Digital Engagement suite, the platform now includes a mobile shopping cart with multichannel payment options. Users can easily deploy multimedia presentations of their service offerings and interactive self-service options on their websites. New digital payment options include Apple Pay, Google Pay and Bank Bill Presentment.
For post collection activities, AMCS releases new recycling features like Finished Goods Inventory Tagging and LEED reporting to digitize processes. A solution has also been introduced for unattended scale operations with a mobile scale (weighbridge) capability that allows authorized drivers to access unattended scale sites. This release also integrates a larger range of hardware devices to control scale access like barriers and traffic lights. It also facilitates faster payments with point-of-sale terminal integration.
AMCS Smart Dispatch solution now supports high-density residential route progress monitoring and enhanced route optimization features for automated churn management and order visit amcsgroup.com
Lawmakers are pushing for an increase in sustainability amid reports stating the U.S has a national recycling rate of only 32 percent.
Congressmen Joe Neguse of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennesee and Bill Foster of Illinois have introduced legislation to identify national composting infrastructure challenges and improve recycling data measurement and reporting. Called the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCAA), the bill is designed to fill information gaps in America’s recycling and composting systems.
“To support American sustainability and ensure that we are doing all we can as a nation to help protect our environment, we must promote recycling and waste reduction in our communities, empowering individuals to make conscious decisions that have a real, cumulative impact on our environment,” says Neguse. “This bill will ensure that Americans have the resources and information needed to support recycling efforts. It also increases government support for these processes, moving our nation toward sustainability.”
The RCAA would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collect and publish data on recycling and composting rates across the country to provide an accurate reflection of performance nationwide and at the state level.
identify national composting infrastructure challenges by requiring the EPA to work with state, local and Tribal governments to assess the capability of the United States to implement a national residential composting strategy.
improve recycling data measurement and reporting by creating a comprehensive baseline of data on the U.S. recycling system.
assess end markets and diversion by directing the EPA to prepare a report on the end market sale of all recyclable materials and compostable materials collected from households and publicly available drop-off centers.
evaluate federal recycling practices by asking the Government Accountability Office to examine the recycling practices across the federal government and issue a report that documents the annual recycling rates of federal agencies.
establish recycling and composting best practices by using improved data collection and reporting. The RCAA would establish voluntary guidelines for state, local and Tribal governments to enhance recycling and composting efforts.
“It’s important to understand how successful the different recycling programs are before making policy decisions,” says Billy Johnson, ISRI’s chief lobbyist, in a statement on ISRI’s website. “Collecting data on recycling and composting programs around the country will help legislators get the information they need to make good policy decisions.”
In March, a similar bill was introduced in the Senate. The Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act would establish a pilot rural recycling program at the EPA. The goal is to fund eligible projects that significantly improve access to recycling systems in underserved communities through a hub-and-spoke model for recycling infrastructure development.
ISRI says it intends to help the RCAA move forward as well as its counterpart legislation in the U.S. Senate. The House Energy & Commerce Committee intends to hold a hearing June 30 to discuss recycling and the RCAA bill. ISRI says it will keep members updated on any changes.