An Ohio commercial bakery faces $394,849 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines after a federal inspection found the employer had exposed workers to unsafe working conditions, including chemical, caught-between and caught-in, pinch-point, and struck-by hazards, the agency announced December 16.
OSHA cited New Horizons Baking Co. for three repeat violations, nine serious violations, and one other-than-serious violation. Specifically, the three repeat violations included violations for failing to train workers on lockout/tagout procedures, failing to lock out and tag out machines, and failing to guard dangerous machines, exposing employees to pinch-point, struck-by, and caught-in hazards.
OSHA’s control of hazardous energy, or lockout/tagout, standard (29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1910.147) was the agency’s fourth most cited standard last year. The agency cited 2,177 violations in fiscal year (FY) 2025.
OSHA, Harvey Construction form strategic partnership
OSHA has signed a strategic partnership with Harvey Construction Corp. to promote worker safety and health during the construction of the Mark Stebbins Community Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, the agency announced December 17.
The partnership with the Bedford-based commercial construction company seeks to prevent worker injuries and exposure to hazards by developing a contractor-government approach to safety and health, according to OSHA. The initiative will assist contractors in developing and implementing safety and health management systems and providing training to employees, employers, and supervisors.
Participants will focus on identifying and preventing common hazards on large-scale construction projects, such as falls and being struck by or caught in materials or equipment. Falls, caught-in or -between, and struck-by hazards, along with electrocution, are known as the construction industry’s “fatal four” safety hazards.
The Mark Stebbins Community Center project will include the Community Center for the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester, with a multipurpose gym, and the Amoskeag Health Medical Clinic, which will offer outpatient services in Manchester.
OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program works with employers, employees, professional and trade associations, labor organizations, and other interested stakeholders to establish specific goals, strategies, and performance measures to improve worker safety and health.
OSHA introduces assistant secretary Keeling
OSHA profiled David Keeling, the agency’s new assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health who was confirmed October 3, in its December 15 “Quick Takes” newsletter.
Keeling spent more than 30 years in the workplace health and safety field before joining OSHA and managed global health and safety at UPS before overseeing global transportation safety at Amazon. He has also been a long-standing member of the National Safety Council (NSC) and the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), which applauded his confirmation in October, pointing to his decades of safety experience.
“OSHA’s leadership is more important than ever given today’s workplace safety challenges and the continuing evolution of how work is performed,” ASSP President Linda Tapp said in an October 3 statement. “We know David is a strong proponent of protecting workers, and his extensive knowledge and skills as a safety professional will certainly help the agency.”
