Posts Tagged ‘osha-compliance’

Workplace Safety News Roundup

by Shannon

Workplace Safety News

OSHA Issues Final Rule to Help Prevent Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

OSHA issued safety citations to a roofing contractor for exposing workers to fall hazards, as well as other hazards on the job site.

The contractor received citations for three repeated and four serious safety violations after OSHA inspections found employees were not using fall protection.

As a result, the contractor faces proposed penalties of $53,900.

 

Worker Loses Part of Finger; Employer, Staffing Agency Cited

A candy manufacturer and a staffing agency were cited by OSHA after a temporary worker’s left index finger was partially amputated by a machine.

After the incident, OSHA conducted an inspection, which revealed the following:

  • The manufacturer failed to guard moving parts of the machine against unintended contact.
  • Neither the manufacturer nor the staffing agency trained the worker adequately about mechanical and noise hazards and safeguards.
  • The manufacturer didn’t certify that it had performed periodic inspections of its energy control procedures to prevent the unintended startup of machinery during servicing and maintenance.
  • The manufacturer didn’t report the amputation to OSH within 24 hours, as required.

The manufacturer faces fines of $46,000, while the staffing agency faces fines of $9,000.

 

OSHA Schedules Safety Meeting

OSHA has scheduled a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health from June 14-15 in Washington, DC.

The meeting is slated to include an update on OSHA initiatives from Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels, comments from Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. John Howard, as well as an update on OSHA’s major regulatory activities, and reports from the NACOSH Emergency Response and Preparedness Subcommittee and NACOSH Injury and Illness Prevention Program Work Group.

 

OSHA Issues Final Rule to Help Prevent Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

by Shannon

OSHA Final Rule

OSHA has issued a final rule that modernizes workplace injury data collection to help more effectively inform workers, employers, the public and OSHA about workplace hazards.

Employers in high-hazard industries will need to now send the injury and illness data that they already collect to OSHA, and that data will be posted on the OSHA website.

OSHA officials feel this public disclosure will motivate employers to focus more on the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses.

This final rule also supports an employee’s right to report injuries and illnesses without worrying about retaliation.

The rule also requires employers with 250 or more employees (in industries that must follow the recordkeeping regulation) to electronically submit injury and illness information from OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301 to OSHA. Companies with 20-249 employees must submit information from only OSHA Form 300A.

The new rule goes into effect on Aug. 10, 2016; phased in data submissions begin in 2017.

Help prevent accidents and injuries in your workplace with Emedco’s full selection of safety products. Call us at 866-748-5963 or visit emedco.com for the safety solutions you need.

GHS The Final Countdown: Common Misconceptions About Compliance

by Julianne Bass

GHSCompliance

It’s been a long road to compliance; the updated Hazard Communication Standard (GHS) process officially started in 2009 and is set to wrap up this June 2016. A fully compliant GHS facility will bring with it improved quality and consistency of hazard information provided throughout the workplace, better comprehension for workers, quicker and more efficient access to SDS for workers, and a ton of money saved across industries.

With that being said some safety managers are still having trouble understanding a couple of areas of GHS that perhaps aren’t as cut and dry.  Read on to get some clarity on these lingering misconceptions in GHS compliance.

Q: The containers within my facility vary in size and some of them are tiny, what is the minimum required information for small bottle GHS labeling?

A: There has been some debate on the minimum required information for small bottles. Initially, OSHA stated that labels must include all the required information. If the container is too small to print everything legibly on the label, then an extended content label would be necessary.

Added cost will not be an acceptable excuse for noncompliance.

There has been recent discussion that the following is the minimum you’re required to print on the small labels.

  • Product identifier • Appropriate pictograms • Manufacturer’s name and phone number • Signal word • A statement indicating the full label information for the chemical

This might mean you can avoid the added cost of an extended content label.

Q: If there are 3 red squares on a label but I only need two pictograms can I keep the third one blank?

A: No. You either need to use a label template with the exact number of pictogram diamonds you’ll need or you’ll need to completely black out the unnecessary pictogram with black ink. If you’re printing your labels on-demand with a Brady Printer, this will not be an issue. Be advised that if a blank red frame is not fully covered and filled in, the label will not be in compliance.

Q: What is the major change between old HazCom Labeling and New GHS labeling?

A: The Old Hazcom standard was not universal and all business had their own system. Under the New GHS Standard all chemical manufacturers and importers are required to provide a universal GHS labels that includes a harmonized signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement for each hazard class and category. Precautionary statements must also be provided.

Q: Are any chemicals exempt from the GHS regulation?

A: No. GHS covers all hazardous chemicals. There are no complete exemptions from the scope of GHS for a particular type of chemical or product. The term “chemical” is used broadly to include substances, products, mixtures, preparations, or any other terms that may be used by existing systems. The goal of the GHS is to identify the intrinsic hazards of chemical substances and mixtures and to convey hazard information about these hazards.

For more information on the GHS regulations, click here.

The Shame and Blame Game: Why So Much Whistleblower Retaliation?

by Julianne Bass

If you see something, say something. That is a popular phrase we hear a lot these days, right? So why is it that this doesn’t openly carry  over into the workplace as well?

If the end game is to make sure that your facility is making its deadlines and that workers are provided a safe environment in which to meet those deadlines, if someone sees something that is impeding that process, they should feel comfortable enough to say something, shouldn’t they?

Many companies are proving that this is not the case, but the logic behind those decisions just isn’t adding up.

Some of those most common reasons employers are feeling the need to retaliate are:

Denial, fear, profit risk, thinking it isn’t a big deal, and forgetting about the long game. Some workplaces feel like they just don’t want to mess up a good thing and if any little change happens it most likely won’t be for the better.

This might be the case in the short term, however any company with longevity under it belt hasn’t made it there by ignoring very real, and serious problems by silencing those who speak out.

 

Read the source article at The Sliding Door Complaint Blog

How Often Should You Be Evaluating Your Facility Safety Programs?

by Julianne Bass

facility safety program

It’s been awhile since the New Year mad rush to get all of your workplace safety compliance updates in order to fit with new regulations, is it time for a checkup? A new study at Texas A&M University says that workplace processes should be evaluated every 3 months to be at its optimum efficiency. The study states that a safety climates assessments ability to predict future safety mishaps has a drop off pattern that by the fourth month has no predictive power— the relationship between the safety assessment and incident rate in the organization expired.

If once every 3 months seems unrealistic for your facility for a full safety evaluation, make note of what areas of work are highest risk and start by checking them as often as possible. Get your workers actively involved in the process. Encourage them to report any concerns or near misses.

The alternatives for ignoring problems and not keeping a safe workplace are sobering. Recently managers were sentenced up to 5 years in prisonfor not providing workers with the proper workplace protections. Another owner was sentence to 15 years after a worker fatality. The consequences are real and could easily be avoided.

Trying to implement any kind of change in the workplace can admittedly be difficult and face resistance but attitude is key. Begin to lead by example and follow through on promises. Create an action plan and set milestone check-ins. As you begin to carry out your initiative, your persistence will pay off. Recognize those achievements and continue down the path of continued safety improvement.