OSHA and Project BEST Establish Alliance to Protect Ohio Workers

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The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently formed an alliance with Project BEST (Building Efficiency by Striving Together) in an effort to protect construction workers in Ohio. Project BEST targets the four major construction hazards: falls, struck-by, caught-in, and electrical.

“This alliance reflects the need to focus on the four major areas of injury in the construction industry and to promote awareness of safe work practices. Education saves lives,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA’s area director in Columbus. “Through this alliance OSHA will work to develop effective training programs, while opening the lines of communication between OSHA, employers and workers about the serious hazards construction workers face daily on the job.”

This is just the latest in a string of OSHA initiatives and alliances designed to protect construction workers from these four dangerous hazards. If you are in this industry, especially in Ohio, it is important to review your current safety and health policies and procedures. If your policies are outdated or nonexistent, it is imperative you update or create new policies. If you are unsure of where to begin in that process, or if you would like the assistance of a qualified third party occupational safety and health auditing firm, you can request a full third party safety audit. This process would involve a complete review of your jobsites, your current training policies, and your current health and safety procedures.

Then, the auditors will help you create effective and efficient policies which emphasize safety while remaining mindful of productivity and workflow.

If you have any questions about third party safety audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about this new partnership or about third party safety audits, please leave a comment.

Establishing New Lockout Tagout Procedures

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When a company needs to first establish lockout tagout procedures or needs to completely scrap and create new lockout tagout procedures for whatever reason, the initial process can be extremely costly and time consuming. The regulations relating to lockout tagout, OSHA Standard 1910.147, are painfully complex at times, and leave a lot of first time readers puzzled. Online quick guides and shortcuts are incomplete and often totally useless, and paying for a third party service can be costly.

So owners are left to make a difficult series of decisions which will impact the company’s bottom line and the health and well being of the staff. Some of the basic considerations to make when determining if the lockout tagout procedures should be created in-house or outsourced to a qualified third party lockout tagout specialty firm are the length of time until the project needs to be completed, the experience of the staff involved, and the scope of the project.

Unfortunately for most business owners, the determination after that evaluation is that a third party is needed. And in the past that meant bringing in auditors from a firm who would review the facility, create the procedures, and either monitor it from afar leaving the business owner hoping it was really being reviewed or leave monitoring up to the same safety team that was unable to create the procedures to begin with.

Now there is a new hybrid option. This new option is our Factory Solutions Software and allows users to create, store, update, and monitor their lockout tagout procedures from anywhere an internet connection is available. The procedures are created under the guidance of a trained lockout tagout professional and are constantly reviewed by the program to ensure compliance and maximum efficiency. When changes are needed, they are guaranteed to be done to code or the system will reject the changes. It is the perfect marriage of the two previous worlds.

If you have any questions about establishing lockout tagout procedures or our Factory Solutions Software, please contact us. If you have something to add about establishing new lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.

OSHA Proposes Over $2.3M in Fines for Olivet Management, LLC

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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Olivet Management, LLC for $2,359,000 for safety violations relating to asbestos and lead hazard exposure. According to OSHA, the company exposed its own employees, as well as employees for 13 contractors, to asbestos and lead during cleanup operations of the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center in the Wingdale section of Dover Plains, NY.

“Olivet knew that asbestos and lead were present at this site, yet the company chose to ignore its responsibility to protect its own workers and contractors,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “The intolerable choice this company made put not only workers, but also their families, in danger.”

In total, Olivet was cited for 45 willful violations and 1 serious violation. Of the 45 willful violations, 24 address instance-by-instance exposure of workers to asbestos and lead hazards.

As you can see, lead and asbestos violations can quickly compound, leading to serious fines. If you work in an industry that involves asbestos, lead, or any other toxic substance like these, it is imperative you have sound procedures in place for the dissemination of policy, employee education, and adequate testing. If you do not have procedures in place, or if you have not reviewed them recently, it might be time to consider updating your safety and health management plan. And if you are going to go through this process, it is usually advisable to consult an occupational safety and health advisory firm.

If you have any questions about establishing procedures for asbestos or lead management, please contact us. If you have anything to add about these citations or about asbestos and lead exposure, please leave a comment.

Benefits of a Preventive Maintenance Plan

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Preventive maintenance plans are simply plans put in place to ensure all recommended and required preventive maintenance is performed on the tools and equipment in your facility. This can include everything for personal protective equipment to power tools to massive generators. Basically, everything within your facility will wear, and preventive maintenance is designed to prolong the life your equipment while maintaining the efficacy of the safety protocols of the devices.

Unfortunately, if you do not already have a well structured preventive maintenance plan in place, establishing one can be difficult. You need to inventory your entire facility down to the serial number in an effort to determine both the minimum manufacturer recommended maintenance and the industry standards for the equipment. Next, you need to design a system which requires daily checks and procedure verifications to ensure everything is running smoothly and properly maintained. Finally, you need to create a program designed to allow you to introduce new equipment into the preventive maintenance plan and remove old equipment.

The hassle of creating a preventive maintenance plan is, however, far outweighed by the benefits. You reduce your bottom line, help ensure employee health and safety, and increase the life of your equipment. Further, a well designed and implemented preventive maintenance plan will help you comply with just in time and six sigma standards.

If you have any questions about establishing a preventive maintenance plan or replacing outdated placards, please contact us. If you have anything to add in relation to the benefits of a preventive maintenance plan, please leave a comment.

Happy 4th of July

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We at PF Safety hope that all of our readers and customers have a happy, healthy, and safe 4th of July. It is a holiday that should be enjoyed, but done so with caution. We will be back next week with more OSHA safety tips and information.

We’d love to hear what all of our readers are doing for the holiday, so please leave a comment and share your plans for the 4th.

OSHA Warns Fireworks Industry in Advance of July 4 Celebrations

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July 4th is this Friday, which means the season of fireworks and summer festivities is about to begin. Unfortunately, too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing, and when it comes to fireworks, you need to remain careful. the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a statement urging increased safety awareness in the fireworks industry. This includes manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, pyrotechnic companies, and any others who are involved in the making, shipping, or using of fireworks.

There was an explosion in a fireworks facility last week, which resulted in the death of one and injury of two employees. In response, OSHA has already audited the facility and cited the company for more than $45,000 in fines. This haste shows the emphasis OSHA is placing on this industry right now, and is a sign it is time to review your health and safety standards, if you have not done so recently.

If you have any concerns relating to your health and safety standards, particularly relating to the manufacture, transfer, or use of fireworks or other explosives relating to the holiday, please contact a qualified third party occupational health and safety auditing firm to help you evaluate your facility.

If you have any questions about how your business could be impacted by the heightened focus on the fireworks industry or about third party safety audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the warning issued by OSHA, please leave a comment.

OSHA Proposes $145,200 in Fines for Buchman Lumber Co.

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Following an investigation in December of 2013, the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Buchman Lumber Co. for 17 citations. These citations come with proposed penalties totaling $145,200. The investigation was initiated after a complaint was made relating to excessive noise and amputation hazards.

“OSHA’s inspection found multiple violations of procedures that protect workers from the serious hazards of exposure to excessive noise in the workplace and numerous amputation hazards. Employee exposure to excessive noise can lead to permanent, disabling injury,” said Mark Hysell, OSHA’s area director for Eau Claire. “In addition, injuries related to machinery and equipment often result in death or permanent disability. Employers have a responsibility to conduct hazard assessments of their workplaces, to implement proper procedures for equipment use, provide the necessary protective equipment and train workers in safe operation.”

The investigation uncovered 4 willful and 13 serious violations. The willful violations were for failing to administer a hearing conservation program; to provide eye and face protection to workers exposed to flying wood chips and boards; and to implement lockout/tagout procedures to prevent machines from turning on during maintenance and servicing.

As you can see, an injury is not always a precursor to an OSHA investigation. If your health and safety procedures are not properly updated and periodically reviewed, you are exposing yourself to a potential OSHA investigation. To help combat this, many business owners establish an auditing schedule with a qualified third party occupational safety and health auditing firm.

If you have any questions about how these findings can impact your business or how a third party audit could help protect your business, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about this investigation or the importance of a third party audit, please leave a comment.

Monitoring and Updating Lockout Tagout Procedures

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Monitoring and updating lockout tagout procedures can become a nightmare for even the most seasoned safety teams. These procedures are cumbersome to create, hard to maintain, and can be confusing when changes happen within a facility. OSHA attempted to make the job of creating lockout tagout procedures a little easier by created Standard 1910.147. Due to the complexity of lockout tagout, however, the procedure has become largely enigmatic to many readers.

So for this reason, most companies are left to either hope their original plan will suffice after changes are made, hope they can tweak their plans just enough to compensate for change, or hire a qualified third party lockout tagout specialty firm to assist in monitoring and updating the lockout tagout procedures as needed. Unfortunately, none of these options are usually particularly appealing to a company’s ownership. They are left to either “guess” and “hope,” which does not make most business owners comfortable, or they must leave their fate in the hands of a third party, and pay for the services, as well.

Fortunately, we have created a web based program which allows you to create your lockout tagout procedures for your facility within an environment which will guarantee the procedures are compliant with all applicable laws and standards. In addition, the software, called Factor Solutions, is fully scalable, fully customizable, monitors your lockout tagout procedures for changes in your facility or regulatory changes, and allows you to modify your procedures at any time. You get the backing of a leading lockout tagout specialty firm with the control to handle the changes in-house.If you have any questions about our Factory Solutions Software, or lockout tagout in general, please contact us. If you have anything else to add about monitoring and updating lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.

 

 

Lockout Tagout Policies and Procedures

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If you are looking to create new lockout tagout policies and procedures or to update your existing plan, it is important to first review OSHA Standard 1910.147. This standard, created by OSHA, sets the minimum guidelines for lockout tagout policies to ensure employee safety. Unfortunately, if you have never looked at this standard before, it can be quite complicated and has been known to give even seasoned safety and health professionals a difficult time.

Which leaves business owners with two options: hire a third party lockout tagout specialty firm to assist in the process, which will cost a lot of money and take ownership of the maintenance out of the hands of the business, or try to do it in-house and hope for the best. For most, neither option is very desirable.

Fortunately, we have released our Factory Solutions Software. This software assists you in creating and maintaining your lockout tagout procedures, while leaving you in control of them. The program is monitored and maintained by our professional lockout tagout specialists, and ensures your procedures are in accordance with Standard 1910.147, while also monitoring them for changes in the regulations. Additionally, should something at your facility change, you can simply update your procedures on the program and make sure your facility grows in a compliant manner.

If you have any questions about establishing lockout tagout policies and procedures or about our Factory Solutions Software, please contact us. If you have anything else to add about lockout tagout policies and procedures, please leave a comment.

OSHA Announces Summer ‘Construction Incident Prevention Initiative’

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If your business is in the construction industry, it is time to evaluate your occupational safety and health procedures. The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced a “Construction Incident Prevention Initiative,” which will be focused around ensuring employer and employee knowledge around the four major causes of fatalities in the construction industry: falls, crushing events, electrocutions, and caught-in-between events.

“Construction is a high-hazard industry, and when employers do not employ an effective safety and health program, workers are left vulnerable to serious injury and possible death,” said MaryAnn Garrahan, OSHA’s regional administrator in Philadelphia. “The increased presence of our compliance officers and the immediate inspections conducted in response to unsafe scaffolds, fall risks, trenches and other construction hazards should help to prevent work site fatalities.”

OSHA investigators will be offering informational materials and focusing on any potentially unsafe work sites. This initiative is primarily focusing upon the areas covered by OSHA’s Wilmington, Delaware Area Office; this includes Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Should you own a construction company in that region, or anywhere nationally, and are unsure if your policies relating to these four high-hazard areas are up to code, it is important to bring a qualified third party occupational safety and health auditing firm in to evaluate. Doing this now can, and will, save you from having to do it after OSHA stops by.

If you have any questions about this initiative or about third party safety audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about this initiative or the importance of a third party safety audit, please leave a comment.