By Lani Duke
VOSHA warns town of violations
CASTLETON—Following an August inspection, the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) issued a trio of citations, two serious and one “other-than-serious,” to the town of Castleton, with an official citation date of Oct. 20. To avoid $1,440 in fines, the town must begin to remedy the infractions by requesting an informal conference to discuss issues concerning the citations or submitting a letter of intent to make the changes—or pay the penalties—by Nov. 9.
One of the serious violations was for an eyewash station in the town highway garage on Staso Road, a charge remedied during the inspection itself, with the ordering of a new eyewash station ordered Aug. 25 and installed on the 27th. The garage had escaped inspection since Dec. 2010.
The second serious violation was the lack of a written respiratory protection program for firefighters, a defect that could result in volunteer firefighters wearing the wrong-sized respirator in an emergency. It is yet to be determined whether volunteer firefighters fall under VOSHA inspection, though, since there is no ruling whether there is an employer-employee relationship. If not, no citation can be issued, but the issue should be addressed anyway, according to Fred Satink, loss control supervisor for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.
Town employees not receiving training on new label and safety data sheet format constituted the third concern. Even with immediate fixes for all three citations, Castleton may still have a fine, said J. Stephen Monahan, director of Workers’ Compensation & Safety Division for the state’s Department of Labor, with the comment that there is almost always a penalty associated with a citation.
Of books and education
CASTLETON—Recently retired Castleton educator Sue DeCarolis is helping children understand reading, English and new math concepts Thursday evenings at Castleton Free Library from 5 to 8 p.m. Call 468-5574 to schedule a time slot or drop in for help if a child is stuck on an assignment or needs subject review. Thank you, Sue.
POULTNEY—Poultney Public Library is close to finalizing plans and getting all necessary permits in place for its library expansion. If all comes together well, the project will be ready to go to bid this winter and enjoy groundbreaking in spring 2016.
Tai chi takes hold in Castleton
CASTLETON—Laurie Knauer leads free tai chi classes at Castleton Community Center. They are growing in both variety and number, with classes on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. Interest in the classes has “really taken off,” Knauer said. In addition to the generalized classes, the center now offers classes in both tai chi for arthritis improvement and fall prevention, and also for combating Type 2 diabetes. The class is based on the work of Australian family physician Dr. Paul Lam, who first studied the exercise program to help with his own juvenile arthritis.
Thank you
to Joe and Nancy Mark for bringing the free “Skeptic’s Guide to American History” lectures to the Castleton Community Center.
to the Knitters Network, which recently donated 100 hats and mittens to Fair Haven Concerned. The group meets second and fourth Mondays at 10 a.m. in the Castleton Community Center.
