Category Archives: OSHA

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 If your policies are outdated or nonexistent, it is imperative you update or create new policies.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.

More than 1 Million Participated in National Fall Safety Stand-Down

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Last week, the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration partnered with over 25,000 businesses to bring awareness to measures which can prevent fall hazards in construction. These businesses provided fall safety information throughout the week to over 1 million employees in an effort to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities caused by falls. Falls are the most common cause of death in the construction industry, and OSHA is taking a hard stance against inadequate fall protection and ineffective training.

“This is an unprecedented event. Tens of thousands of employers and hundreds of thousands of workers across the country have joined our campaign to save lives and prevent fatal falls in the construction industry,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “The economy is on the rebound, housing starts are on the rise and the summer construction season is getting underway. Now is the time to focus on this vital safety issue and make sure all construction workers come home at the end of every workday.”

The magnitude of this movement, coupled with the words of Perez show that fall safety is at the forefront of what OSHA will be focusing on. So if you are in the construction industry, it is imperative that you have iron-clad fall safety procedures and training in place. If you have not recently reviewed your plans, or if they are not firmly set in writing, it is time to review, update, and finalize them. If you are worried that your plans are not up to par, it is advisable you contact a qualified third party occupational safety and health auditing firm to help you update your plans.

If you should have any questions about your fall protection policies, or any other health and safety policies, please contact us and we will help you bring your company up to code. If you have anything to add about the National Fall Safety Stand-Down, please leave a comment.

OSHA Forms Alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals

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OSHA has announced an alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals in an attempt to reduce chemical hazards in the beauty industry. The alliance was signed on Mach 31, 2014. The primary result of this alliance will be more rigorous investigation into the air quality at hair salons, specifically as it relates to formaldehyde in the air.

“OSHA and other federal, state and non-U.S. government agencies have taken action to address the emerging problem of formaldehyde exposure to hair smoothing products,” said Teresa Harrison, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Atlanta. “This alliance demonstrates OSHA’s commitment to the safety and health of workers in this industry.”

And while this obviously means it is time for salon owners to ensure they have adequate planning in place surrounding air quality and formaldehyde exposure, it is also important for manufacturers, importers, and distributors of products containing formaldehyde to ensure their labels and material safety data sheets are accurate. OSHA has been testing hair straightening and related products to determine if the listed formaldehyde levels are accurate. So far, the investigation has found several products have inaccurate labeling.

If you are involved in any products which utilize formaldehyde, it is imperative you create a process to test and affirm the labels on your products. And while an internal process has been sufficient for most companies to date, it might be time to verify your results through a full third party audit of your facility and processes.

If you have any questions about formaldehyde testing or third party audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of accurate formaldehyde labeling, please leave a comment.

OSHA Forms Alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals

Posted on by
Twitt

OSHA has announced an alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals in an attempt to reduce chemical hazards in the beauty industry. The alliance was signed on Mach 31, 2014. The primary result of this alliance will be more rigorous investigation into the air quality at hair salons, specifically as it relates to formaldehyde in the air.

“OSHA and other federal, state and non-U.S. government agencies have taken action to address the emerging problem of formaldehyde exposure to hair smoothing products,” said Teresa Harrison, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Atlanta. “This alliance demonstrates OSHA’s commitment to the safety and health of workers in this industry.”

And while this obviously means it is time for salon owners to ensure they have adequate planning in place surrounding air quality and formaldehyde exposure, it is also important for manufacturers, importers, and distributors of products containing formaldehyde to ensure their labels and material safety data sheets are accurate. OSHA has been testing hair straightening and related products to determine if the listed formaldehyde levels are accurate. So far, the investigation has found several products have inaccurate labeling.

If you are involved in any products which utilize formaldehyde, it is imperative you create a process to test and affirm the labels on your products. And while an internal process has been sufficient for most companies to date, it might be time to verify your results through a full third party audit of your facility and processes.

If you have any questions about formaldehyde testing or third party audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of accurate formaldehyde labeling, please leave a comment.

OSHA Compliant Lockout Tagout Procedures

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Creating OSHA compliant lockout tagout procedures can be more difficult than it originally seems. We have worked with many clients who initially planned on creating their own lockout tagout procedures, only to get halfway through the project and need to reach out for help.

So whenever we are advising a client who needs new lockout tagout procedures, we make several recommendations. Number one, let a qualified lockout tagout expert create the procedures, but make sure you are involved in the process. This way, you will understand how lockout tagout works, why your procedures are created in the way they are, and you will be more able to properly enforce the procedures.

Number two, learn OSHA Standard 1910.147. Whether a client ultimately decides to work with us or try it alone, it is important they understand the standard, at least superficially. But the more you understand the standard, the more effectively you can monitor your procedures and enforce they are being followed.

And number three, have a plan in place to monitor and update the procedures. If there is nothing in place to help you prepare for the future, there could be issues down the line if regulations or your business change. One of the easiest ways to monitor and update your system is with software which is designed to survey and audit your lockout tagout procedures. This type of software allows you to make changes or updates to your existing procedures while maintaining your compliance.

If you have any questions about creating or maintaining lockout tagout procedures, please contact us. If you have anything to add about OSHA compliant lockout tagout procedures, please leave a comment.

OSHA Increasing Focus on Tower Safety

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Last week, OSHA issued a statement regarding the surge in cell tower fatalities. In 2013, there were 13 fatalities related to cell towers; that number is more than the two prior years combined. In the first five weeks of 2014, there have already been 4 fatalities. As a result of this increase in fatalities, OSHA is collaborating with the National Association of Tower Erectors to make certain all employers in the industry understand their role in employee safety for those employees who work on cell towers.

“Tower worker deaths cannot be the price we pay for increased wireless communication,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “Employers and cell tower owners and operators must do everything possible to stop these senseless, preventable tragedies.”

The majority of fatalities over the last two years have come from falls. In order to help ensure employees are aware of current best practices and industry standards, they have created a new website, which will feature all information including regulatory changes. Many of the fatalities were preventable, but due to poor safety procedures and a lack of training, these individuals died.

If your business works with cell phone towers in any capacity, it is critical that you continue to follow the news regarding these updates. It might also be a prudent time to have your safety and health management system audited, to ensure you are in compliance.

If you have any questions about this release from OSHA or about third party safety audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about OSHA’s increased focus on tower safety, please leave a comment.

OSHA Accident Prevention Signs and Tags

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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration places a heavy value on accident preventions signs and tags. All signs and tags must be properly created, have appropriate lettering and colors, and follow standard hazard definitions. In order to assist business owners in creating proper signage, OSHA created Standard 1910.145.

Standard 1910.145 defines what a sign is; when a sign is needed; which signs are needed in which circumstances; what design must be present on the sign; how to apply the signs; and any parameters of the sign, including size, shape, and corner type. OSHA further defines specific sign types, such as “danger” signs, “caution” signs, “biohazard” signs, etc. OSHA also defines several emblems and figures within the standard.

Because OSHA takes such a narrow view to signs and their design, it is important to make sure all of your signs are up to code, and to have a plan in place for the constant review of existing signs, and replacement of signs as they get old, as they can fall out of compliance with age. To help in the review process, it is usually advisable to have regular third party audits of your safety signs, to ensure slowly aging signs have not gone unnoticed by employees who see these signs multiple times a day.

To help with the replacement of outdated or damaged signs, it is advisable to purchase new signs from a qualified OSHA expert. We have a store where you can buy any sign you need, and rest assured knowing we guarantee it is OSHA compliant.

If you have any further questions about OSHA accident prevention signs and tags, or if you need to have your facility audited, please contact us. If you have anything to add about these signs and tags, please leave a comment.

OSHA Considering Extending Crane Operator Certification Requirements

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On August 9, 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a final standard in relation to cranes and derricks used in construction work. This standard established new requirements for crane operators working on construction sites. In order to meet these new requirements, crane operators would be required to meet one of four certification or qualification requirements by Nov. 10, 2014. OSHA is now looking to extend that date by 3 years to Nov. 10, 2017.

OSHA has proposed this rule change in order to appropriately and effectively respond to inquiries and complaints lodged by several parties. OSHA does not want a rule change to go in effect while the rule change is still being discussed and does not want to create a negative impact upon the construction industry. There have already been three stakeholder meetings on this issue, and the final date to submit comments on the rule change is March 12, 2014.

What this means for you, is that if your company uses cranes or derricks, you need to keep a close eye on this situation. If you have not already scheduled your crane operators for certification, it is still a good idea to get that process started, as this rule change has not yet been approved. And even if the extension is passed, these operators will still need to be certified in 2017.

If you would like more information on how this rule specifically impacts you and your business, please contact us. And if you have anything to add about the new crane operator certification requirements, please leave a comment.