The Minnesota State Fair is over so it must be time for return to school and return to focusing on work. We hope you’ve had a safe, joyful summer.
OSHA Updates
Recordkeeping: Starting in 2024, if you have 100 or more employees, you’ll need to submit specific information on any work-related injuries in the past year. Federal OSHA recently changed the recordkeeping standard to require that, and MNOSHA will be adopting those changes. But unlike the federal standard, Minnesota will make no exception for low hazard industries. What that means: any company or city with 100 or more employees at any time during the year will need to submit additional information on recordable injuries to the federal OSHA Injury Tracking Application (ITA) system. That information will likely include the employee’s date of birth, date hired, sex, date of injury, the time the employee started work, the time of the event, and some additional information about what happened. This is all information found on First Reports of Injury. This rule is supposed to be adopted January 1, 2024, which means 2023 data will need to be reported by March 2, 2024. We’ll provide more information as it becomes available.
CHESS will be asking for your First Reports of Injury (if we don’t have them already), if we think you will fall under this requirement.
MNOSHA had a bump in their federal funding, so they have been hiring additional staff (up to an additional ten full-time equivalent positions).
MNOSHA will be adopting the National Emphasis Program for warehousing, which encompasses a number of different industries. OSHA inspectors will be looking at issues such as heat, fire protection, means of egress, forklifts, ergonomics, and walking – working surfaces.
Federal OSHA is working on a new heat standard and is looking for input from small businesses. For more information on getting involved, check OSHA’s website on heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings.
Are all of your employees the same size and shape? OSHA requires employers to select personal protective equipment that properly fits employees. Safety glasses that don’t stay in place aren’t worn. A high visibility vest that doesn’t fit correctly can be tangled in equipment or in tree limbs fed into a chipper. Fall protection rated for 250 pounds may not save an employee who weighs 295 pounds. Ill-fitting PPE has particularly been a concern for women. Fortunately, manufacturers are finally starting to offer a wider variety of PPE. If you have concerns about fitting your employees, contact us.
Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Updates
While we always want employees to be safe, injuries do happen. As of August 1, an employee whose medical team recommends surgery for a work-related injury will no longer need to notify the work comp insurer, but only has to notify their employer. That means it falls to the employer to notify the work comp claims rep ASAP. The insurer only has seven days in which to request a second opinion or deny the surgery.
October is Fire Prevention Month
According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), “In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country.” This is a good time to plan your fire safety drill or arrange for fire extinguisher training for your employees. We have certainly heard about (and smelled) the wildfires burning out west and in Canada, and the tragic news from some fires, such as the fire that destroyed Lahaina, Maui. We’ve had a hot, dry summer, a reminder that fire safety is important year round.
For ideas and resources, check:
- NFPA’s site on fire prevention week
- Short fire safety videos from NFPA
- Video on the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 (spoiler: it probably wasn’t Mrs. O’Leary’s cow), which burned for three days in October 1871.
This and That
Respirator medicals should be done every two to three years, unless the health care provider recommends it more frequently. If you have not had employees complete their respirator medicals in the last couple years, it is time to repeat them. We will be reminding clients about this as we set up respirator fit testing and training.
Salud Systems, which offered online respirator evaluations, will be closing. The last date they will accept new individuals for respiratory medical screening is September 30, 2023. Employers will be able to get their records from the site until late next year.
Hazardous waste has become more difficult to dispose of recently. Haulers are often slow to respond and it may seem they want more paperwork than they used to require. Very small quantity generators must ship their waste within 180 days of filling a drum. Small quantity generators must ship within 180 days of when they first put waste into a drum.
- The less waste you generate, the more money you save. If you manage your waste, such as separating waterborne paint wastes from solvent paint wastes, your costs will go down and you will ship less often.
- If you change your wastes in any way (such as changing the type of paints or other product you use), you will need to re-profile and likely retest your waste before shipping it.
- Contact us if you need assistance with managing your waste, whether it is looking at ways to reduce it, getting waste tested and profiled, or finding a new hauler.
Legalized recreational marijuana
The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety Minnesota (NETS) has fact sheets and other resources on legalized marijuana. As with alcohol, just because marijuana is legal does not allow you to be impaired at work. If employees are in safety-sensitive positions, use of marijuana even off the job may be prohibited. CHESS can help companies determine which jobs might be safety-sensitive positions. Contact Carol for more information.
Fun Fair Facts
- Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar can produce 3 million cookies in one day.
- Ye Olde Mill is the oldest amusement park on the fairgrounds, opening in 1915.
- The first Minnesota State Fair was held in 1859, one year after Minnesota became a state.
The best safety display seen at the Fair this year was by the Sleepy Eye chapter of Future Farmers of America, focusing on farm safety, amputations, lack of labels on containers, and grain bin hazards.
CHESS is 30!
CHESS turned 30! Hard to believe it has been 30 years since we incorporated the company. We continue to be grateful for the clients we work with and appreciate all of the employees and interns who have been part of our history.
Back in 1993…
The Sony Walkman was a thing
Few companies had websites
Intel introduced the original Pentium 32 bit microprocessor
Jay Leno was the host of Late Night
Women were finally allowed to wear pants on the floor of Congress
Jurassic Park (the original movie) was released
Advertising was done in the Yellow Pages
Watch for information on our celebration lunch with games and giveaways on Oct 20.