- If you use fans in your shop, make sure they’re grounded, industrial-grade fans
Download the article: Heat, Fans and Cords – August 2014
by bwadmin
Download the article: Heat, Fans and Cords – August 2014
by bwadmin
Download the article: Detecting Carbon Monoxide – June 2014
by bwadmin
OSHA requires that equipment be guarded or locked out to prevent injuries. Lockout is used to isolate energy sources so that equipment cannot and does not start up. A recent article in OSHA’s bi-weekly newsletter reinforces why this is so important.
Tyson Foods cited for safety violations after worker’s hand severed by unguarded machine at Kansas facility
OSHA has cited Tyson Foods Inc. for four safety violations after a worker’s hand was severed by an unguarded conveyor belt at the Hutchinson, Kan., prepared foods manufacturing plant. OSHA’s investigation revealed that several untrained workers had been cleaning unguarded conveyor equipment that had not been locked out. Proposed fines total $147,000.
“Removing guards and failing to train workers in proper lockout procedures is inexcusable,” said Judy Freeman, OSHA’s area director in Wichita. “Tyson Foods failed to ensure safety procedures, demonstrating a lack of commitment to workplace safety and health and resulting in a tragic injury.”
Included in the citations to the employer was a willful violation for failing to lockout equipment before having workers conduct maintenance and failing to train workers on lockout/tagout procedures. Read the news release for a list of citations and more information.
CHESS can help develop specific procedures for equipment. Procedures must include the energy type, location and how to lock it out, and how to verify the equipment is locked out.
by bwadmin
Download the article: What’s That You Say? – May 2014
by bwadmin
In addition, alerts for both the simulated tornado watches and warnings will be issued over the NOAA Weather Radios in the area which will activate the radio alerts. The afternoon drill will also occur at the same time in Wisconsin and is expected to be broadcast on most radio and TV stations.
For more information, click here.
by bwadmin
There seems to be a winter theme to our blog posts. Not surprising, given the time of year. And remember that March is one of the snowier months.
Choosing a snow shovel, or a shovel for any purpose, may not appear to be a safety related issue, but it is in terms of ergonomics. As with any tool, it is important to pick the right one for the job. When choosing a shovel, consider how you are going to use it, the type of load you need to move (light, fluffy snow or the heavy, wet stuff), and your own height. If you are very tall, a shorter handled (shaft), “ergonomic” shovel (the kind with a bend in the handle), may not work well for you.
Popular Mechanics has a good article explaining the different types of shovels and on what type of snow they will work best.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has an article on things to consider for shovels for any use (for example, digging dirt, which is rumored to lie beneath the snow).
by bwadmin
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a series of short (under 5 minutes) videos on women at NIOSH. As NIOSH writes in their blog:
The Women in Science video series spotlights a few of NIOSH’s many talented female scientists. In these videos, each woman talks about her personal journey into science, challenges and experiences she’s had along the way, work and her profession, and how she balances work duties with her personal life. Also, these talented and dedicated women offer advice to aspiring scientists, encouraging girls and young women to explore the sciences and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). In this way, NIOSH joins with others in the scientific community to address the disproportionately small representation of women in today’s STEM professions, and to encourage women to consider rewarding scientific careers.
To view the videos or read more, go to the Focus on NIOSH Women in Science page here.
by bwadmin
Download the article: Staying Grounded – February 2014
by bwadmin
December holds lots of safety hazards, especially around burning candles, dry Christmas trees and houses sealed up for the winter. NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association offers safety tips, games for children, holiday gift tags and a lot more.
For Project Holiday, with safety tips sheets, holiday gift tags and Christmas tree safety tags, go to the Project Holiday site.
For Christmas Mad Libs, coloring activities, gift cards and more for children, go to the NFPA Parents and Educators page here.
For instructions on making hot chocolate ornaments and other cool stuff, go here.
Need a last minute gift idea? Fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide monitors and flameless candles all make great gifts that show you care about someone and their safety.
by bwadmin
Download the article: Is an Exploding Torso Better Than a Dissolving Thumb? Reducing the Risk. – December 2013
by bwadmin
If you’ve ever flown, you know the drill. The flight attendants have to give their safety briefing–seatbelt, electronic devices, oxygen mask, flotation devices, exits, etc. Virgin Air released their “sassy safety video”–fun, interesting and informative. It demonstrates all of the safety information. It is much better than flight attendants standing in the aisles. Check this out!
by bwadmin
Minnesota OSHA has updated the Fatality and Serious Injury Investigation Summary for 2012. You can find it here.
Seventy Minnesota workers never went home last year. According to the US Census on Fatal Occupational Injuries, Minnesota had a preliminary 70 workplace fatalities in 2012. According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, here is additional information on those fatalities, (directly quoted from the site):
by bwadmin
Download the article: Breathe In, Breathe Out – November 2013
by bwadmin
Download the article: Who Regulates What and Why – October 2013
by bwadmin
NIOSH, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, recently released a mobile device application for straight ladder safety (not step ladders). The app includes a measuring device to ensure the angle is correct (not too steep or shallow), keys to choosing a ladder, inspection checklist, guidelines for setting up the ladder and proper use, safety tips on ladder use and information about ladder accessories.
The NIOSH website explains about the app:
This free app is aimed at improving extension ladder safety by providing real-time safety information delivered via the latest technology. Falls are a persistent source of injury in many occupations and in home use. Falls are the number one cause of construction-worker fatalities with falls from ladders a common yet preventable construction injury. Health services and the wholesale and retail industries experience the largest number of non-fatal fall-related injuries. Ladders are also used in home maintenance and repair and to access higher places at home.
Misjudging the ladder angle is a significant risk factor for a fall. If the ladder is set too steeply, it is more likely to fall back or slide away during use, and if it is set too shallow then the bottom can slide out. The NIOSH Ladder Safety phone app has an angle of inclination indicator which uses visual and audible signals making it easier for workers and other users to set an extension ladder at the proper angle of 75.5 degrees. The app can help workers prevent falls and is also a tool for employers who want to ensure a safe workplace. The app is available through the NIOSH website, the Apple App-store, and Android Apps on Google Play.
by bwadmin
We frequently see exits that are blocked. It may be a fan placed there in hot weather, a forklift parked in the exit way, boxes and pallets stacked there or items being readied for shipping.
Exits may be locked (for security reasons, to keep people out). They may not be clearly marked or be hard to find. Does it matter?
There are many other examples, recent and past, in the US and abroad.
What you need to do:
We hope an emergency, such as a fire, never happens. But if it does, employees need to be able to see their way to the exits and get out quickly. How does your facility measure up?
by bwadmin
The following article about a company cited after an employee lost a finger by reaching into a moving machine, is from the July 15 OSHA QuickTakes. Employees should never be reaching into moving machines. We have seen companies where that practice is not discouraged, especially to “quickly clear jams.” Unfortunately, it was often met with dire consequences, with fingers amputated. No matter how quick an employee thinks he is, machines are faster than people.
Glass plant cited for lockout/tag out violations following amputation
OSHA cited Ardagh Glass Inc. for one willful and one serious safety violation after a worker suffered a finger amputation and crushed hand while removing a glass mold from a bottle-shaping machine at the company’s facility in Warner Robins, Ga. OSHA initiated an inspection in response to the incident under its National Emphasis Program on Amputations. Proposed penalties total $77,000.
The willful violation involves failing to develop and utilize lockout/tagout procedures when workers are performing service and setup operations on equipment. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
Read the news release for more information.
by bwadmin
Carol Keyes, CSP, of CHESS will be speaking again the 2013 Workers’ Compensation Outlook Symposium, sponsored by Minnesota Occupational Health, Minnesota Comp Advisor and Summit Orthopedics.
Presenters include:
WHEN:
Thursday, September 26th , 2013
Presenters from 9:00am‐3:00pm
*registration begins at 8:30am*
WHERE:
Summit Orthopedics
710 Commerce Dr.
Woodbury, MN 55125
HOW TO REGISTER
To register call Kim Johnson @ 651‐968‐5510 or kajohnson@summitortho.com.
Please include your name, title, company, phone and intended method
of payment.
by bwadmin
As of July 1, 2013, there are new Hours-of-Service regulations for commercial motor vehicle drivers.
According to USDOT, the new rules apply if the vehicle (commercial motor vehicle or CMV) is used for business, is used for interstate commerce and if any of the following:
For specific information on the new regulations, including a comparison with the prior rule, see the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin website here.
by bwadmin
The Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia has developed an interactive online tool to recognize some common musculoskeletal hazards (ergonomic problems) and find the best solution. It only takes about two minutes to run through the six scenarios. To give it a try, go to the Nova Scotia WCB Prevention Tools.
by bwadmin
Summer brings lots of hazards–weather, heat, faster food spoilage, insect bites, poisonous plants, more work zones, and the list goes on.
A recent article in the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s Health and Safety Report highlighted some of these hazards. Here are a few quick tips:
To keep foods safer in summer, think Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. To reduce the chance of spreading bacteria, wash you hands frequently while preparing food (frequent hand washing is a good tip anytime), and rinse raw fruits and vegetables. Keep meats and their juices separated and clean surfaces used to prepare them. Make sure you cook food thoroughly. And, keep food chilled, even when it is out for a short time.
Summer storms can pop up very quickly. Watch weather reports and at the first grumblings of the sky, seek shelter. Stay out of water during lightning storms.
Stay hydrated in the heat. Water or electrolyte-enriched drinks are the best options.
When spending time outdoors, wear light clothing, sunscreen and insect repellent. Check for ticks. If you have one, remove it carefully with a tweezers. Eliminate mosquito breeding grounds–any place there is standing water.
You can read the full article here.
by bwadmin
Download the article: Getting High: Ladders and Scaffolds – August 2013
by bwadmin
Download the article: Managing Injuries Before They Occur – July 2013
by bwadmin
I was in Las Vegas at the end of June for the American Society of Safety Engineers conference (that’s another blog). On the day I left the temperature was supposed to get to 115 degrees F. Walking outside was like standing directly under a heater going full blast. Sure, it is a dry heat, but it is still hot! While it felt good, a contrast from the cold conference rooms, I was not having to work in the heat. Here are some heat reminders:
We want you to stay safe. Be careful out there.
by bwadmin
For those of you who are dealing with traffic work zones, the following article in a recent OSHA Quicktakes has some useful information:
New OSHA directive details procedures for safe inspection of work zones on and near highways
OSHA has published a new instruction for field staff entitled Inspection and Citation Guidance for Roadway and Highway Construction Work Zones. The document provides instructions designed to keep OSHA field staff safe while they are inspecting these dangerous work zones, including the correct personal protective equipment to wear, use of flashing lights on vehicles, and safe work practices. The instruction also provides guidance to field staff on the correct OSHA standards to cite when they observe specific safety issues.
by bwadmin
Spring has arrived and with it construction season, and home repair season. Ladders and falls from height do not discriminate between work activities and home activities, or what season it is. When you think of it, how many people do you know who have been injured, or killed, from a ladder fall? A friend of mine was painting his two story foyer, went to step off the ladder, missed the last two steps and broke his shoulder. Unfortunately, I have also known two people who died from ladder falls.
OSHA has a Fall Prevention in Construction website with educational materials. Remind employees, whether at work or at home, to practice good ladder safety. Some pointers:
by bwadmin
Download the article: 1306_occ_health_clinics
by bwadmin
The January issue of Minnesota OSHA’s Safety Lines newsletter is available online.
This edition has information on OSHA inspections, MNOSHA’s five year strategic plan, important safety alerts and product recalls, the updated AWAIR, housekeeping chemicals and more.
If you haven’t read it, the October Safety Lines newsletter is worth looking at.
This newsletter discusses the hazards with grain bins and how to avoid them, an update on the Hazard Communication standard (along with Globally Harmonized system and Employee Right to Know), how to report serious injuries and fatalities, the importance of injury care to prevent infections, fatality statistics and more.
by bwadmin
The threat of MRSA, a very nasty resilient infection (which led to the amputation of our father’s leg) is very real. The cost of having an employee seen by a physician (preferably an occupational health physician) is miniscule compared to potential consequences from an infection.
The following article was in a recent newsletter (Safety Lines, October 2012) put out by Minnesota OSHA. It was written by Terry Osterbauer, Senior Industrial Hygienist.
A few months ago, Minnesota OSHA received a telephone inquiry from a construction contractor who wondered whether he had to record a first-aid type of injury that had become infected, on his OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-related Injuries and Illnesses. One of his employees had incurred a first-aid type of cut, but the wound would not heal. The worker did not go to the doctor until his arm swelled; at that point, the worker’s arm had to be amputated to save his life because a methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection had developed in the small cut.
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that has resistance to methicillin and other related antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Quite often, humans carry the MRSA bug in the nasal passages and, as long as it stays in the nasal passages, it is not a problem. However, if MRSA gets into even a minor wound, the microorganism can be life threatening.If a wound won’t heal – especially if the wound holds pus – see a doctor immediately.
Strong antibiotics can stop a MRSA infection.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has a very informative Web page about MRSA in the workplace. The Minnesota Department of Health also has MRSA information.
by bwadmin
If you have a contractor working at your site, and they are found to have safety violations, OSHA can hold you responsible as the company that hired the contractor. It does not matter whether or not the contractor’s work puts your employees at risk. You still retain liability.
Screen contractors before hiring. Set up a process (like a check list or form) to gather all contractor data before signing the contract. That may include information about their work comp experience rating, a copy of their safety program, knowing who is responsible for overseeing safety on a daily basis, and insurance certificates.
by bwadmin
Look for new requirements for keeping the area around electrical equipment (panels, shut offs, etc) clear. This is from a recent National Electrical Code update:
A proposed requirement for the 2014 edition of the National Electrical Code® (NEC®) addresses the ongoing need to maintain clear working space around electrical equipment that is likely to be worked on while energized. Energized tasks on electrical equipment are inherently dangerous, and the new requirement is based on the need to give qualified workers the necessary space so that their safe access to the energized parts is not compromised or impeded. An additional benefit of clear working space is that it provides the required ready access to overcurrent protective devices.
by bwadmin
Download the article: All Sorts of Chemical Labels (and a note on AWAIR) – April 2013
by bwadmin
Fontarome Chemical, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company located in St Francis, WI (just outside of Milwaukee), received 17 citations from OSHA after an investigation following a fire at their facility last year. Most of the citations and accompanying proposed fines of $51,800 had to do with process safety management.
Several of the citations involved lockout/tagout, arc flash assessment, and ensuring employees have the proper personal protective equipment when working on electrical. That means fire rated clothing, the proper eye protection, face shield and hearing protection.
What’s important for companies to learn from this:
For more information on the Fontarome Chemical citation see OSHA’s press release.
by bwadmin
I was surprised to read how many workers die from being backed over.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 70 workers died from backover incidents in 2011. A backover incident occurs when a backing vehicle strikes a worker who is standing, walking, or kneeling behind the vehicle. These incidents can be prevented. OSHA has published a new Preventing Backovers webpage that provides information about the hazards of backovers; solutions that can reduce the risk or frequency of these incidents; articles and resources; and references to existing regulations and letters of interpretation.
The above was from OSHA QuickTakes. While this article, and a new page on OSHA’s website, focuses on construction, the safety practices apply to Public Works Departments or any company that operates forklifts or trucks.
by bwadmin
It looks like our blog works, but our website was hacked and is in for repairs. What happens when the unexpected happens? Usually, you deal with it. Fortunately, we have a web designer who we could turn to for assistance and the necessary upgrades.
In any business, the unexpected is expected. That is one reason for having emergency plans. If you think about how to handle an emergency when there isn’t one, when one does happen, you have an idea of what to do and resources already listed. I always think back to a talk I heard about the bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995. The city had recently undergone emergency planning and drills. While there is no question that was a tragic event, it could have been worse without that planning.
And, just like our computers and website need updating, so do safety plans. An annual review will pick up changes that have occurred in business practices and in personnel. Keeping up with annual reviews of programs means the process is often fairly quick and not cumbersome.
We hope to have the website up again in just a few days. Thanks for your patience.
by bwadmin
Lockout/tagout refers to securing tools and equipment when they are being repaired to reduce or eliminate the chance of accidental release of energy. What that means is that if you are working on equipment that could accidentally start up, or that someone could start or engage without you knowing, it needs to be locked out.
Failure to lock out equipment results in fatalities every year.
Review before acting:
It may be your life on the line. Lock it out to stay safe.
by bwadmin
I was reading a recent OSHA QuickTakes newsletter and the press releases about companies that received six figure OSHA citations. What struck me was the seemingly complete ignoring of regulations. Four contractors in New Jersey were cited for failing to protect workers from fall hazards. Employees were working on a fourth floor of a building with no fall protection. Employees did have have personal protective equipment.
Another company was cited for 18 violations after an employee died. Employees were expected to clean plant equipment but were not trained on lockout/tagout. The employee was caught in between two augers–the equipment was not locked out for cleaning.
We can never guarantee no citations if you have an OSHA visit, but paying attention to the regulations and providing protection from hazards for your employees will certainly significantly reduce your exposure–to a worker fatality, to huge workers’ compensation claims and to OSHA citations.
by bwadmin
OSHA 300 logs must be completed and the summaries posted by Feb 1. Here are a few pointers:
The forms can be found on OSHA’s website under recordkeeping forms:
by bwadmin
Minnesota has a requirement that certain industries must have “A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction”(AWAIR) program. This program serves as the basis for a good safety programs. The program spells out:
When working with companies, CHESS makes it a standard policy to develop an AWAIR program as part of a greater health and safety program.
The AWAIR program is being used as one possible model for the national I2P2: Injury and Illness Prevention Program, a program being considered for federal standards.
For more information, see MNOSHA’s website or contact us.
by bwadmin
The CDC advises three actions to prevent or reduce flu:
Everyday actions are simple steps:
Employers can help by promoting the flu vaccine, even offering at your workplace, reminding people about the importance of hand washing, and providing hand sanitizers.
by bwadmin
Winter showed up with a vengeance in Minnesota. A little bit of snow, slightly warmer temperatures and then freezing cold all make for a dangerous mix. Whether you are driving or walking, be aware of the potential for unseen icy conditions. On the roads it might be icy patches or black ice.
Walking, even getting in and out of cars, present hazards that will be with us for months. Slips and falls increase this time of year. They can result in minor sprains and strains, to broken bones and very serious head trauma. We don’t usually think about a slip on the ice causing a fatality, but it happens. I know someone who was widowed with two young children when her husband fell on the ice, hitting his head.
Thanks to SFM for some winter walking tips, at home and at work:
by bwadmin
Some employers I speak with have a hard time understanding the concerns relating to OSHA recordkeeping. All injuries, other than those only requiring first aid, must be recorded on the OSHA log, if you have more than ten employees at any time during the year. That log must be posted from Feb 1 through April 30 for the prior year. Sounds simple enough.
I am often challenged to come up with examples of consequences for employers who don’t comply with this. OSHA has provided that example of a Tennessee Valley Authority contractor who was recently convicted of falsifying OSHA logs and injury records in order to collect safety bonuses (from OSHA November 15 QuickTakes):
Last week, a federal jury in Chattanooga convicted the former safety manager of Stone & Webster Construction on eight counts of major fraud for falsifying safety records at three Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear power plants in order to collect more than $2.5 million in safety bonuses.
The jury found that the bonuses were paid for meeting certain performance goals, including one tied to worker safety, which was determined by workplace injury rates as well as the total number of injuries at each of the three nuclear facilities. When workers’ injuries—which included broken bones, torn ligaments, hernias, lacerations, and shoulder, back, and knee injuries—jeopardized the bonuses, the safety manager fraudulently misclassified them as nonrecordable, non-lost-time, and non-work-related incidents. OSHA cited the company, made a referral to the Department of Justice, and provided key witness testimony in the DOJ case.
by bwadmin
Some companies put a lot of emphasis on personal injury rates, as if few injuries is a critical measure of success of a safety program. There are a lot of arguments against that thinking – few or no personal injuries are just one indicator and do not tell the whole story.
A press release from the Chemical Safety Board regarding BP practices sheds some light on this (the highlights in the release are ours):
Houston, Texas, July 24, 2012 – In preliminary findings to be released today at a public hearing in Houston, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) investigators examining the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf report that companies like Transocean and BP, trade associations, and U.S. regulators largely judged the safety of offshore facilities by focusing on personal injury and fatality data (such as dropped objects and slips, trips, and falls), that overshadowed the use of leading indicators more focused on managing the potential for catastrophic accidents.
Expanded use of process safety indicators was first recommended by the CSB in its 2007 report on the March 2005 BP Texas City refinery disaster. In the offshore arena, potential indicators – such as timely checks on safety critical equipment and response to well control events – would provide an assessment of the health of their safety management systems. These type of indicators may be precursors to the kind of tragedy that took eleven lives on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig following the Macondo well blowout on April 20, 2010.
The preliminary findings were presented during the second day of a two-day hearing called by the CSB to examine the need for the U.S. offshore drilling and production industry – and the agencies that regulate it – to develop process safety indicators that will result in safety improvements and reduce the likelihood of major accidents.
CSB Chairperson Dr. Rafael Moure-Eraso said, “A number of past CSB investigations have found companies focusing on personal injury rates while virtually overlooking looming process safety issues – like the effectiveness of barriers against hazardous releases, automatic shutoff system failures, activation of pressure relief devices, and loss of containment of liquids and gases. Furthermore, we have found failures by companies to implement their own recommendations from previous accidents involving, for example, leaks of flammable materials.”
In its investigation of the Macondo disaster, the CSB found that BP and its contracted drilling rig operator, Transocean, were focused on personal safety issues such as worker injury rates, rather than broader safety issues involving the process of drilling for oil using a complex rig.
Noting the lack of sustained focus on process safety, CSB Investigator Cheryl MacKenzie described an “eerie resemblance” between the 2005 explosion at the BP Texas City refinery and the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon.
At the BP Texas City refinery on March 23, 2005, contract workers had just returned to temporary trailers at the plant after attending a celebratory lunch commending an excellent personal injury accident record. Shortly after lunch, an explosion occurred during process startup, killing 15 and injuring 180 others. At Macondo, BP and Transocean officials were in the process of lauding operators and workers for a low rate of personal injuries on the very day of that tragedy. Company VIP’s had flown to the rig in part to commend the workforce for zero lost-time incidents.
Safety is a matter of getting the details right. A personal injury rate number is not a detail – it is a summary. Don’t get too obsessed with it.
by bwadmin
According to the Ramsey County Hazardous Waste program: Xcel Energy is discontinuing their self-service fluorescent lamp collection, PCB services and their Very Small Quantity Generator (VSQG) Collection site. The vendor list has been updated and is now available here.
by bwadmin
Whether it is for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, or a birthday, we have some safety related gift suggestions that show you care:
Stay safe out there and have a great holiday.
by bwadmin
Download the article: AWAIR Again – December 2012
by bwadmin
As we post this, the Twin Cities are getting their first serious dose of snow so it is not hard to think about snow removal from rooftops. This is a serious hazard. Here is an OSHA Hazard Alert on the subject.
OSHA Alerts Workers to Falls and Other Hazards When Removing Snow From Rooftops
A new OSHA hazard alert warns workers of falls and other hazards that every year result in deaths and serious injuries during snow or ice removal from rooftops and elevated surfaces. Workers are at risk for falling off roof edges, through skylights, and from ladders and aerial lifts. Workers may also be injured or killed by a roof collapse. The alert provides methods for preventing these hazards, such as using snow removal methods that do not involve workers going on roofs, evaluating the maximum weight a roof or structure can bear, requiring that workers use fall protection equipment, and ensuring that workers use ladders and aerial lifts safely. Other hazards include injuries associated with the use of snow blowers and other mechanized equipment, entrapment and suffocation under falling snow drifts or snow piles, shock/electrocution hazards from contacting power lines or damaged extension cords, frostbite or hypothermia from cold and windy conditions and musculoskeletal injuries from overexertion.
OSHA also has created a Winter Storms Web page to provide information on protecting workers from hazards during winter storm response and recovery operations.
by bwadmin
OSHA and the Department of Labor are looking for help in building tools to educate the public about workplace hazards and safety at work. The panel of judges is an interesting and diverse group–
The challenge is:
…to use publicly available government information (i.e., DOL/OSHA data, NIOSH data, and other online government resources) to educate young workers on the safety and health risks in real work scenarios. Each submission should achieve both the following goals:
1. Provide tools that demonstrate the importance of knowing about workplace safety and health hazards and
2. To provide tools to understand their rights in the workplace.
For more information see this link.
The challenge ends this month, so hurry with your submissions!!
by bwadmin
According to an article in the CCOHS Health and Safety Report (Volume 10, Issue 6), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), determining that exposure to diesel exhaust emissions increases the risk for lung cancer and possibly bladder cancer.
If exposure cannot be eliminated by using safer alternative fuels (e.g. natural gas or electricity), using a combination of control measures will reduce risk:
by bwadmin
OSHA has made it clear that they do not like incentive programs that would discourage employees from reporting injuries. For example, rewarding a department for a certain number of days without a recordable injury. You don’t want to be the employee who makes it so no one gets free pizza for lunch.
You also cannot punish an employee for reporting an injury. That can become very expensive, as the article below from OSHA points out:
OSHA orders Union Pacific Railroad Co. to reinstate and pay more than $300,000 to terminated whistleblowerOSHA ordered Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific Railroad Co. to immediately reinstate an employee in Idaho who was terminated after reporting a work-related injury. OSHA also has ordered the company to pay the employee more than $300,000 in back wages, compensatory damages, attorney’s fees and punitive damages. The employee filed a whistleblower complaint with OSHA, alleging suspension without pay and then termination 23 days after notifying the company of an on-the-job injury. OSHA’s investigation found reasonable cause to believe that the disciplinary charges and termination were not based on the complainant breaking a work rule but on the complainant reporting an injury to the railroad, which violates the whistleblower protection provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA). In addition to reinstatement and monetary compensation, OSHA has ordered the railroad to refrain from retaliating against the employee for exercising rights guaranteed under the FRSA.
See the news release for more information.
33 Wentworth Ave E Suite 320
West St. Paul, MN 55118-3432
PH: (651) 481-9787
Toll Free: (877) 48-CHESS