Workplace Dangers Found at Allentown Bottling Factory

A bottling plant in Allentown has been cited by federal safety officials for more than a dozen dangers to workers – including electrical hazards and blocked exit doors.

And this is not the first time unsafe work conditions have been uncovered at A-Treat Bottling Company. Similar violations were found in 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Because of this alarming pattern, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hit the company with nearly $130,000 in fines.

“By continuing to disregard OSHA standards, A-Treat Bottling continues to put its workers at risk of serious injuries,” said Jean Kulp, director of OSHA’s Allentown Area Office in a news release. “OSHA will not tolerate employers jeopardizing the safety and health of workers.”

There were 88,973 work illness and injury cases in Pennsylvania in 2009, according to the state’s Bureau of Workers Compensation Information. […]

PA Bridge-Painting Company Fined for Jobsite Dangers

Federal inspectors have uncovered dozens of dangers to workers – including unsafe equipment and exposure to lead – at bridge-painting sites across Pennsylvania.

As a result, the employer – Carbonsburg-based Panthera Painting – has been placed in a “Severe Violator Enforcement Program” by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Inspectors cited Panthera for 38 alleged violations – including 14 willful and 11 repeat offenses – and fined the company $459,844.

Workers at Panthera job sites in Slatington, Harrisburg and Slatedale were exposed to lead and other workplace safety hazards while performing abrasive blasting and repainting.

According to OSHA:

“The employer’s refusal to correct the hazards, along with its history of failing to correct hazards, demonstrates a clear resistance to worker safety and health and leaves workers vulnerable to potential illnesses and injuries from overexposure to lead and other hazards,” said MaryAnn Garrahan, […]

PA Pledges $20 Million to Help Intellectual Disabilities

The Pennsylvania state budget for 2013-14 will include nearly $20 million to help approximately 1,200 adults with intellectual disabilities.

The goal is to shrink the waiting list for home- and community-based services that are needed by these individuals. Among the covered conditions: Down syndrome, autism, and learning disabilities.

In announcing the budget set-aside, Governor Tom Corbett said, “We need to do a better job of looking after these citizens, who, through no failing of their own, cannot look after themselves.”

People in Pennsylvania with disabilities might be eligible for state or federal financial assistance.

Social Security Disability benefits are available to individuals who have earned wages and paid into the Social Security system in at least 20 of the last 40 quarters. In order to qualify for Social Security Disability, a person must be totally disabled – meaning incapable of performing any job due to the disability. […]

Social Security Adds to List of Disability Conditions

The Social Security Administration has added 35 medical conditions – including adult non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Dravet’s syndrome – to its list of conditions that qualify for expedited disability claims processing for Pennsylvania residents who suffer from them.

The new additions push the total number of so-called “Compassionate Allowances” to 200.

Compassionate Allowances are a way to quickly identify diseases and medical conditions that meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits. The program fast-tracks cases to ensure that people with the most serious disabilities receive benefit decisions within days instead of months or years.

Among the current allowable conditions: certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare child disorders.

If an injury or illness prevents you from returning to your job, you may qualify for monthly Social Security Disability payments. A qualified Pennsylvania Social Security Disability attorney can guide you through the process. […]

Nitro Gas Facility Cited After Worker Death

A nitrogen gas facility located next door to Pennsylvania has been cited for numerous federal workplace safety violations.

AC&S Inc. was slapped by inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with 12 serious violations at its Nitro, West Virginia, manufacturing plant.

Among the dangerous conditions at the facility:

• Defective air hoods for workers
• Inadequate worker training
• Unsafe handrails on stairs.

OSHA launched the investigation in July 2012 following the death of a worker doing sandblasting.

During the sandblasting, the air line for a supplied air hood was mistakenly hooked up to a nitrogen gas line and the worker became unconscious. OSHA cited AC&S for failing to label nitrogen lines at connection points and not ensuring that breathing air couplings were incompatible with other gas systems.

Other serious violations found at the Nitro plant:

• Failing to provide training on hazardous chemicals
• Failing to ensure stairways wider than 44 inches had handrails on each side
• Failing to use approved electrical chain hoists
• Failing to develop a mechanical integrity program. […]