Category Archives: OSHA News

1 Person Killed & 10 Injured at Arens Controls, Arlington Heights, Illinois Plant

May 22, 2012 By in Environmental, Hazardous Materials, Illinois, News, OSHA Inspection, OSHA Investigation, OSHA News, Workplace Fatality, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Safety Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Police confirmed that the one person killed in an explosion at Arens Controls in Arlington Heights is an Itasca man.

Investigators will be back Wednesday to try to determine what caused the explosion in the company’s electronics testing area Tuesday that also injured 12 other people, including three police officers and two firefighters who responded.

Neil Nicholson of Itasca suffered serious injuries in the explosion and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. None of the other injuries were life-threatening, Arlington Heights Fire Chief Glenn Eriksen said.

The blast happened around 8:30 a.m. inside the two-story building at 3602 N. Kennicott Ave., just north of Dundee Road and east of Route 53.

So far, authorities say the explosion appears to be accidental, but investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, and the Arlington Heights Police Forensics Unit have not made any final ruling.

“There’s a lot of damage inside, so it’s hard to tell right now if it was the chemical itself or the machine,” Arlington Heights Police Cmdr. Ken Galinski said. “There’s a lot of destruction and devastation in there from the equipment that exploded.”

OSHA spokesman Scott Allen said agency investigators will be interviewing employees and witnesses, and their investigation could take up to sx months.

“We’ll try to figure out if there are any OSHA standards that may have been violated and try to figure out what caused this so we can help avoid having something like this happening again,” Allen said.

One thing investigators are looking at is whether potassium hydroxide — a potentially explosive and toxic chemical — was a factor in the explosion.

“It was a very violent explosion. There’s twisted metal, buckled fencing, things like that,” Ericksen said. “The roof kind of buckled up where the explosion occurred.”

The explosion also sparked a small fire, which was quickly extinguished, and released a diluted form of potassium hydroxide into the air, Eriksen said.

The chemical is a skin and respiratory irritant, and reacts with some common metals to produce potentially explosive hydrogen gas, according to the website of Northstar Chemical, a distributor of industrial chemicals.

“At this point in time, we don’t know what role the chemical had in the accident, if it had any role at all,” Ericksen said.

The company’s CEO was quoted in a brief statement the company released Tuesday evening.

“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the Arens Control Company, LLC employees and their families in the aftermath of this morning’s tragic accident at our factory in Arlington Heights,” Kenneth C. Kunin said. “All our efforts will go into supporting them while simultaneously working and cooperating with public safety officials and investigators to ascertain exactly what happened and why.”

Two police officers from Arlington Heights and one from Buffalo Grove were the first to arrive on the scene and didn’t have protective gear to prepare them for the amount of smoke and chemicals from the explosion as they entered the building to search for victims. The officers were treated at the hospital for symptoms including coughing, chest pain and headaches.

“They’re going to be fine. They were released from the hospital. They’re taking a few days off, and hopefully they’ll be back to work soon,” Galinski said.

Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights treated five Arens Controls employees for exposure to potassium hydroxide, according to a hospital spokesman. The hospital also treated two Arlington Heights firefighters for presumed inhalation-related injuries.

After the initial response, officials used fans to ventilate the building and waited several hours before going back inside due to the amount of smoke and possible chemicals in the air.

The early morning blast was a shock to both employees and neighbors who reported hearing a loud boom from the back of the business, which houses both offices and an assembly area where controls are made for heavy equipment such as trucks and planes.

Although most of the damage to the building was interior, the explosion damaged the roof and sent stones from atop the building flying, damaging 20 cars in the parking lot, officials said.

Employee Shawn Kelley, a welder who started his shift at 6 a.m., was sitting in his car eating his breakfast when he heard the explosion. Stones rained down, shattering the window of his Honda Accord LX, he said.

“It was loud. I heard the explosion from the roof and all the way down,” Kelley said. “I saw a lot of rock.”

Resident Bob Lee, who lives nearby, was talking a walk when he heard the boom, which he likened to “a truck exhaust backfiring.”

Then he watched as ambulances from five towns attended to people outside the building.

“There were women who were pretty shook up. They were holding on to each other,” Lee said.

The 50 employees in the building at the time were evacuated, but officials said surrounding businesses in the mainly industrial area were never in any danger. Arens employees huddled in the parking lot and lawn until midmorning when they were sent home for the day.

Kunin called Tuesday’s explosion “a horrible accident.”

“Right now, our primary concern is with the employees and the family of the deceased,” he said.

OSHA QuickTakes – May 16, 2012

May 16, 2012 By in News, OSHA News, OSHA Quick Takes, Workplace Safety Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

In this issue

OSHA kicks off summer campaign to prevent heat-related illnesses and fatalities among outdoor workers: Educational materials and mobile application available

Heat Illness Prevention Campaign ad

OSHA has kicked off a national outreach initiative to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses. OSHA’s 2012 Heat Illness Prevention Campaign builds on last year’s successful summer campaign as well as CAL/OSHA’s successful initiative in 2010. Nationwide last summer, OSHA participated in 500 national and local conferences, training sessions, and media events, and distributed more than 180,000 heat hazard materials in English and Spanish.

For outdoor workers, ‘water, rest and shade’ are three words that can make the difference between life and death,” Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said. “If employers take reasonable precautions, and look out for their workers, we can beat the heat.”

The OSHA heat app
The OSHA heat app.

Each year, thousands of outdoor workers experience serious illnesses such as heat exhaustion. For 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 4,190 workers suffered from heat illness and 40 died from heat stroke and related causes on the job. Although outdoor workers in a variety of industries are susceptible to heat illness, those in construction and agriculture are the most vulnerable.

For information and resources on heat illness, visit OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention page. To order quantities of OSHA’s heat illness educational materials in English or Spanish, call OSHA’s Office of Communications at (202) 693-1999 or email Meilinger.Francis2@dol.gov. More details are also available in the press release (y en Español).

OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign: New OSHA and stakeholder educational materials on fatal falls

NORA fatality map
OSHA stakeholder NORA maps fatal falls for CY 2011

As part of OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign to prevent deadly falls in the construction industry, OSHA is working closely with NIOSH, the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) program and scores of stakeholders to get resources out to employers and workers – especially vulnerable workers with limited English proficiency.

To raise awareness of the hazards of the construction industry, the NORA program has developed interactive maps which illustrate construction workers killed on the job, including in fatal falls. If you are aware of a construction worksite fatality that has occurred since January 2012, you can email NORA at fatalitymap@cpwr.com with the date, location, cause of the fatality, and your contact information.

Fatal falls among Massachusetts construction workers
Fatal falls among construction workers in Massachusetts over the last five years.

In addition, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is working to inform construction employers, workers and other stakeholders about numbers and causes of fatal falls in the state (PDF*). In Massachusetts over the last five years, 44 construction workers fell to their deaths.

Across the U.S. in 2010, more than 10,000 construction workers were injured as a result of falling while working from heights, and another 255 workers were killed. For more information, visit OSHA’s new Fall Prevention page.

OSHA also has new educational materials available. A new poster and factsheet—offered in both English and Spanish—provide employers and workers with life-saving information about working safely from ladders, scaffolds and roofs. To get copies of OSHA’s new Fall Prevention poster or fact sheet in English or in Spanish, please call 202-693-1999 or visit OSHA’s Publications page to order online.

 

Fall Prevention poster
Fall Prevention Poster
English: HTML | PDF* — en Español: HTML | PDF*
Fall Prevention Fact Sheet
Fall Prevention Fact Sheet
English: HTML | PDF* — en Español: HTML | PDF*

NIOSH researchers find respirable crystalline silica hazard for workers engaged in hydraulic fracturing operations

On April 30, NIOSH researchers presented preliminary data (PDF*) which suggest that gas and oil workers may be exposed to dangerously high levels of respirable crystalline silica while performing hydraulic fracturing operations. The researchers found that nearly half (47%) of the workers sampled were exposed to levels of silica above OSHA’s permissible exposure limits with almost 80% of those sampled exposed above NIOSH’s recommended exposure limits.

The findings were reported by Eric Esswein during a meeting of the Institute of Medicine on The Health Impact Assessment of New Energy Sources: Shale Gas Extraction. The researchers identified seven primary dust generation points, which include refilling/hot loading and release from top hatches, T-belt operations, and the “dragon’s tail.” Esswein also discussed possible means of prevention through design.

Inhalation of respirable crystalline silica particles has long been known to cause silicosis, a disabling and sometimes fatal lung disease. For more information, visit OSHA’s Safety and Health Topics page on Crystalline Silica.

Assistant Secretary speaks on OSHA outreach at Kentucky Governor’s Safety and Health Conference

On May 9, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels addressed participants at the 28th Annual Governor’s Safety and Health Conference and Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Michaels spoke about OSHA’s Workers’ Memorial Day events in honor of fallen workers, and discussed recent OSHA initiatives to protect workers from hazardous chemicals, falls in construction, and heat illness. He also invited those in attendance to join OSHA in making the Fall Prevention in Construction and Heat Illness Prevention campaigns a success.

The Governor’s Safety and Health Conference features courses, keynote speakers, and concurrent workshops focused on state-of-the-art techniques, current issues, and trends in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit the Kentucky Conference Web site.

OSHA posts new application materials to bring transparency to the variance approval process

To make the process of applying for a variance more transparent and straightforward, OSHA has posted new application forms and checklists to its Variances page. A variance is a regulatory action that permits an employer to deviate from the requirements of an OSHA standard under specified conditions. OSHA may grant a variance to employers who can prove their alternative method, condition, practice, operation, or process provides workers as safe or healthful a workplace as the applicable OSHA standard requires.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, OSHA has worked with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to create these new materials, which significantly reduce the burden of preparing a complete and appropriate application. For more information and to access the new materials, visit OSHA’s page on How to apply for a variance.

DeMoulas Super Markets agrees to correct hazards, enhance employee safety at all Market Basket stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

The Department of Labor has reached a settlement with DeMoulas Super Markets Inc. in which the Tewksbury grocery chain has agreed to correct all hazards and take substantive steps to enhance safety and health measures for employees at all of the chain’s more than 60 Market Basket stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

“This enterprisewide settlement is significant because DeMoulas has agreed not only to correct the hazards cited during OSHA’s inspections but also to enact effective and ongoing systemic changes that will benefit all its employees,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels.

These changes will include a full-time safety and health director, written safety and health programs, and formal safety and health training for all workers, in addition to a number of other improvements. The company has also paid $400,000 in fines. The settlement resolves litigation that followed citations carrying $589,200 in OSHA fines in October 2011 after OSHA’s inspections identified widespread fall and laceration hazards at the stores. For more information see the press release.

OSHA orders Tennessee trucking company to reinstate whistleblower, pay more than $180,000 in back wages and damages

OSHA has ordered Brush Creek-based Mark Alvis Inc., a commercial motor carrier, to reinstate a former employee and pay him more than $180,000 in back pay, interest, and compensatory and punitive damages.

The order follows OSHA’s determination that the company violated the worker’s rights under the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act by terminating him for his refusal to drive while fatigued and ill or violate the hours-of-service requirements outlined in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The order issued by OSHA also requires the trucking company to expunge any adverse references relating to the discharge from the complainant’s personnel records, and to post a notice for employees and provide a fact sheet to them with notification of their rights under the STAA. For more details, read the news release.

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the STAA and of Section 11(c) of the OSH Act, as well as 19 other whistleblower statutes. Detailed information on workers’ whistleblower rights is available on OSHA’s Whistleblower page.

OSHA issues willful citations to Wisconsin pump service, Rhode Island contractor, and Ohio excavation company for exposing workers to trenching hazards

OSHA has cited River Falls, Wisconsin-based Gordy’s Pump Service with five safety – including two willful – violations as the result of an inspection conducted after a 19-year-old worker died when an unprotected trench collapsed at a Spring Valley job site on Nov. 3, 2011. The teenager had just finished locating an existing waterline in the 220 feet long, 6 feet deep and 2 feet wide trench using a hand-held shovel when a sidewall caved in. Proposed fines total $137,000. Due to the willful violations, OSHA has placed Gordy’s Pump Service in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which focuses on recalcitrant employers and mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law. For further details, see the news release.

In Rhode Island, OSHA has proposed fines totaling $117,740 against Newport-based Raymond J. Cawley Contracting Inc. for allowing cave-in and other hazards while workers were excavating at 28 W. Main Road in Middletown to replace a sewer line. OSHA’s inspection found workers in an unsafe 8-foot-deep trench who were working without means of safe egress, protective helmets, or adequate training. For more information about the willful, repeat, and serious citations, see the news release.

OSHA has also cited Perrysburg, Ohio-based Stillion Brothers Excavation Inc. with five safety – including two willful – violations for failing to protect workers from trench cave-ins at a job site in Columbus Grove. OSHA initiated an inspection on Dec. 15, 2011, under the agency’s National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation. Six workers were installing 20-foot-long steel plates into a 12-foot-deep trench using a hydraulic excavator with a swivel hook that was not equipped with a safety latch. Proposed penalties total $72,820. Read the news release for additional information.

Detailed information on trenching and excavation hazards and related OSHA standards is available on OSHA’s Trenching and Excavation page.

OSHA’s Free On-Site Consultation Program helps NC wood pallet manufacturer to protect workers

Edwards Wood Products
John Bogner (NC Project Mgr.), Jeff Edwards (CEO), Lynne Greene (Director Admin. Services), David Poole (Safety Consult.), Scott Hammond (Health Consult.) Howard Walters (Consult. Supervisor)

In an industry where workers are at risk for hazards from amputation to combustible dust, Edwards Wood Products, Inc. (EWPI) of Marshville, NC decided to reach out to the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL), Consultative Services Bureau, for help in strengthening its safety and health management system.

J. Lynn Greene, EWPI’s Human Resources and Safety Director, first contacted OSHA for help in 1995. Since then, OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program, which offers free and confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses, has helped Greene to implement engineering and administrative controls to eliminate and reduce hazards. Some of EWPI’s improvements have included redesigning the dust collection system around the pole mill and making changes to the facility’s vibrating conveyer system. Since becoming the first small business in the wood industry to achieve SHARP status in North Carolina in 2003, EWPI has worked to continually improve its safety and health management system.

On April 20, Greene reported that savings from lower injuries, incidences, and frequency rates have enabled the company to purchase new equipment, improve the workplace environment, and hire more workers. “We could not have put 35 new people to work if we did not have a strong safety and health management system helping the bottom line profit and loss statements,” he said. More information about the company is available on OSHA’s Small Business Success Stories page.

I have rights

OSHA poster on young workers’ safety and health rights now available for high schools and colleges

OSHA’s “I have rights” poster for young workers is available for order. The poster is directed at workers aged 16-24 to provide information and educational resources about rights to a safe and healthful workplace under the OSH Act.

To request copies, call 202-693-1999 or visit OSHA’s Publications page to order online. Additional information for young workers, employers, parents and educators, can be found on OSHA’s Young Worker page.

OSHA and the Laser Institute of America renew Alliance to protect workers from laser hazards

On May 9, OSHA renewed its Alliance with the Laser Institute of America (LIA) to reduce and prevent worker exposure to laser beam and non-beam hazards in industrial, research and medical workplaces. The Alliance will also share information on laser regulations and standards, effects lasers have on the eyes and skin, laser control measures and laser safety program administration.

“Worker exposure to laser beams can result in eye and skin damage, and in more serious cases, blindness and skin cancer,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels. “This renewed Alliance will help broaden outreach efforts to workers and employers and share critical education and information to reduce preventable injuries.”

For more information about the OSHA-LIA Alliance, see the news release. To learn more about laser hazards and laser safety, visit OSHA’s Safety and Health Topics pages on Laser Hazards, Laser/Electrosurgery Plume, and Radiation.

Updated Workers’ Memorial Day page covers events held to honor fallen workers around the country

OSHA has updated its Workers’ Memorial Day page to include photographs and descriptions of memorial events from across the United States. In honor of Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28) OSHA’s National, Regional, and Area Offices co-sponsored and attended events to honor those workers who have died on the job, to acknowledge the grievous suffering experienced by families and communities, and to recommit ourselves to the fight for safe and healthful workplaces for all workers.

Workers' Memorial Day Web spage

OSHA welcomes Alliance members and families to kick off 2012 NAOSH Week

ASSE Safety on the Job poster contest winner
Eleven-year-old Abigail Helser of Madison, Ala., was one of the 2012 winners of the ASSE Safety on the Job poster contest.

On May 7, Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels, along with Terrie Norris, President of the American Society of Safety Engineers and Jim Hopkins, Secretary of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering marked the start of this year’s North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week.

The Assistant Secretary highlighted OSHA’s initiatives to prevent falls and heat injuries and the agency’s recent release of the hazard communication standard. This year’s NAOSH week theme, “Safety, What Every Business Needs,” was highlighted by the winners of ASSE’s 10th Annual “Safety-on-the-Job” poster contest in which children create illustrated posters with safety messages to their parents and other workers. Contest winners and runners up can be viewed here.

“These posters are vivid representations of an ideal work environment in the eyes of the next generation of workers.” said Dr. Michaels. Visit the NAOSH Week Web site for more information, or contact Morgan Seuberling at seuberling.morgan@dol.gov.

Job openings

Are you interested in a career with the Department of Labor? DOL has job opportunities throughout the country, including openings in OSHA.

OSHA Kicks Off Summer Campaign to Prevent Heat-Related Illnesses and Fatalities Among Outdoor Workers

May 15, 2012 By in Heat Stress & Heat Exhaustion, News, OSHA News, OSHA Training, Personal Safety, Stress & Safety, Warehouse Safety, Workplace Fatality, Workplace Safety Tags: , , Leave a comment

 

 

Release Number: 12-912-NAT
May 7, 2012
Contact: Adriano Llosa      Jesse Lawder
Phone: 202-693-4686      202-693-4659
Email: llosa.adriano@dol.gov      lawder.jesse@dol.gov

US Labor Department kicks off summer campaign to prevent
heat-related illnesses and fatalities among outdoor workers
Educational materials and mobile application available

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor‘s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has kicked off a national outreach initiative to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in hot weather. The outreach effort builds on last year’s successful summer campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of too much sun and heat.

“For outdoor workers, ‘water, rest and shade’ are three words that can make the difference between life and death,” Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said. “If employers take reasonable precautions, and look out for their workers, we can beat the heat.”

Every year, thousands of workers across the country suffer from serious heat-related illnesses. If not quickly addressed, heat exhaustion can become heat stroke, which has killed – on average – more than 30 workers annually since 2003. Labor-intensive activities in hot weather can raise body temperatures beyond the level that normally can be cooled by sweating. Heat illness initially may manifest as heat rash or heat cramps, but quickly can become heat exhaustion and then heat stroke if simple prevention steps are not followed.

“It is essential for workers and employers to take proactive steps to stay safe in extreme heat, and become aware of symptoms of heat exhaustion before they get worse,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “Agriculture workers; building, road and other construction workers; utility workers; baggage handlers; roofers; landscapers; and others who work outside are all at risk. Drinking plenty of water and taking frequent breaks in cool, shaded areas are incredibly important in the hot summer months.”

In preparation for the summer season, OSHA has developed heat illness educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as a curriculum to be used for workplace training. Additionally, a Web page provides information and resources on heat illness – including how to prevent it and what to do in case of an emergency – for workers and employers. The page is available at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/index.html.

OSHA also has released a free application for mobile devices that enables workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites. The app displays a risk level for workers based on the heat index, as well as reminders about protective measures that should be taken at that risk level. Available for Android-based platforms and the iPhone, the app can be downloaded in both English and Spanish by visiting http://s.dol.gov/RI.

In developing last year’s inaugural national campaign, federal OSHA worked closely with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration and adapted materials from that state’s successful campaign. Additionally, OSHA is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the second year to incorporate worker safety precautions when heat alerts are issued across the nation. NOAA also will include pertinent worker safety information on its heat watch Web page at http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/heat.php.

You'll Last Longer After A Little Rest.

Photos by: CAL-OSHA

Welcome to OSHA’s Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers

HEAT ILLNESS CAN BE DEADLY. Every year, thousands of workers become sick from exposure to heat, and some even die. These illnesses and deaths are preventable.

This webpage is part of OSHA’s nationwide outreach campaign to raise awareness among workers and employers about the hazards of working outdoors in hot weather. The educational resources on this website give workers and employers information about heat illnesses and how to prevent them. There are also training tools for employers to use and posters to display at their worksites. Many of the new resources target vulnerable workers with limited English proficiency. OSHA will continue to add information and tools to this page throughout the summer.

OSHA is also partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on weather service alerts. NOAA’s Heat Watch page now includes worker safety precautions when extreme heat alerts are issued.

We invite you to join in this effort by helping to reach workers and employers in your community with the resources you will find on this site.

Who is affected? Workers exposed to hot and humid conditions are at risk of heat illness, especially those doing heavy work tasks or using bulky protective clothing and equipment. Some workers might be at greater risk than others if they have not built up a tolerance to hot conditions.

What is heat illness? The body normally cools itself by sweating. During hot weather, especially with high humidity, sweating isn’t enough. Body temperature can rise to dangerous levels if precautions are not taken. Heat illnesses range from heat rash and heat cramps to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat stroke can result in death and requires immediate medical attention.

How can heat illness be prevented? Remember three simple words: water, rest, shade. Drinking water often, taking breaks, and limiting time in the heat can help prevent heat illness. Employers should include these prevention steps in worksite training and plans. Gradually build up to heavy work in hot conditions. This helps you build tolerance to the heat – or become acclimated. Employers should take steps that help workers become acclimated, especially workers who are new to working outdoors in the heat or have been away from work for a week or more. Gradually increase workloads and allow more frequent breaks during the first week of work. Also, it’s important to know and look out for the symptoms of heat illness in yourself and others during hot weather. Plan for an emergency and know what to do — acting quickly can save lives!

Training Resources

Training Guide for Employers to Train Workers: Provides Tailgate or Toolbox Talks
Available in English [7 MB PDF*, 43 pages] and en Español [9 MB PDF*, 43 pages]

Cal/OSHA Heat Safety Training Kit for Employers*

Cal/OSHA DVD: Water, Rest, Shade: The Work Can’t Get Done Without Them*

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Training Materials for Employers*

Labor Occupational Health Program’s (University of California, Berkeley) guide for tailgate training: Heat Hazards in Agriculture (2008). Also available en Español [1 MB PDF, 44 pages].

Farm Safety Association, Inc. Script for Instructors: Dangers of Heat Stress. Also available en Español. (2000, March).

Ohio State University Extension Training Module: Heat Stress. Also available en Español.

Texas Department of Insurance Fact Sheet: Heat Stress [169 KB PDF, 2 pages]. Also available en Español [169 KB PDF, 2 pages].

*NOTE: California and Washington state have their own heat illness prevention standards; these materials reflect the requirements in those standards.

Educational Resources for Workers and Employers

Illustrated, low-literacy fact sheets for workers
Available in English [1 MB PDF*, 4 pages] and en Español [1 MB PDF*, 4 pages]**

Worksites poster for employers that illustrate heat illness
Available in English [2 MB PDF*, 2 pages] and en Español [2 MB PDF*, 2 pages]**

Community posters that list heat prevention tips and provide OSHA
contact information
Available in English [2 MB PDF*, 1 page] and en Español [293 KB PDF*, 1 page]**

OSHA Heat Prevention Lesson Plan
Available in English [7 MB PDF*, 43 pages] and en Español [9 MB PDF*, 43 pages]

Use OSHA’s Heat Smartphone App
Check the heat index for your worksite and see reminders about the protective
measures for the specified risk level.

Additional Resources for Workers and Employers

OSHA Quick Card: Protecting Workers from Heat Stress [3 MB PDF*, 2 pages]

OSHA Fact Sheet: Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat Fact Sheet [180 KB PDF*, 2 pages]

OSHA-NIOSH Heat Illness Info Sheet: Protecting Workers from Heat Illness [132 KB PDF*, 3 pages].

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page: Occupational Heat Exposure

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fast Facts: Protecting Yourself from Heat Stress [375 KB PDF, 2 pages] (2010, April)

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic: Heat Stress

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Extreme Heat

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Heat Index

Cal/OSHA Webpage: California Campaign to Protect Outdoor Workers From Heat Illness***

Cal/OSHA, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Webpage: Heat Illness Prevention***

Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention eTool and Action Kit***

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Webpage: Outdoor Heat Exposure (Heat Stress)***

**These resources were adapted from California OSHA’s heat campaign materials.
***NOTE: California and Washington state have their own heat illness prevention standards; these materials reflect the requirements in those standards.

Media Resources

Press Release [en Español]

Press Teleconference on Launch of 2012 Heat Illness Prevention Campaign featuring Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels [Recording]

Labor Secretary’s Public Service Announcement
Available as Audio or Video in English and en Español

Drop-In Articles

Short Version [MS Word] | En Español [MS Word]

Long Version [MS Word] | En Español [MS Word]

Drop-In Art for Publications (all high resolution)

English

Quarter Size Quarter Size (Color)
[717 KB PDF*, 1 page]		 Full Size
Full Size (Color)
[1 MB PDF*, 1 page]
Quarter Size (Black and White)
[624 KB PDF*, 1 page]		 Full Size (Black and White)
[1 MB PDF*, 1 page]

En Español

Quarter Size
Quarter Size (Color)
[1 MB PDF*, 1 page]		 Full Size
Full Size (Color)
[3 MB PDF*, 1 page]
Quarter Size (Black and White)
[1 MB PDF*, 1 page]		 Full Size (Black and White)
[5 MB PDF*, 1 page]

2012 Death on the Job Report

May 6, 2012 By in News, OSHA News, Workplace Fatality, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Safety Tags: , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Since Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, workplace safety and health conditions have improved. But too many workers remain at serious risk of injury, illness or death.

In 2010, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4,690 workers were killed on the job—an average of 13 workers every day—and an estimated 50,000 died from occupational diseases. Workers suffer an additional 7.6 million to 11.4 million job injuries and illnesses each year. The cost of job injuries and illnesses is enormous—estimated at $250 billion to $300 billion a year.

The risk of job fatalities and injuries varies widely from state to state—from 13.1 fatalities per 100,000 workers in West Virginia to 0.9 fatalities per 100,000 in New Hampshire. Latino workers continue to be at increased risk of job fatalities, with a fatality rate of 3.9 per 100,000 workers in 2010.

This year’s edition of “Death on the Job” details not only the data about workplace death, injuries and illnesses, but also the reasons behind them and what must be done to save lives.

Download the full 2012 “Death on the Job” report.

Download sections of the 2012 “Death on the Job” report:

OSHA Fall Protection in Residential Construction Resources & Training

April 27, 2012 By in Fall Protection, News, OSHA News, OSHA Training, PPE, Safety, Workers Compensation, Workplace Fatality, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Safety Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Regulation

Directive

Presentations

Compliance Aids

Fall Protection in Residential Construction. OSHA Fact Sheet. [PDF - 259 KB]

Fall Protection in Residential Construction [Spanish]. OSHA Guidance Document. [PDF - 1 MB]

Other Resources

How can OSHA Help?

OSHA has developed this webpage to provide workers and employers useful, up-to-date information on residential fall protection. For other valuable worker protection information, such as Workers’ Rights, Employer Responsibilities and other services OSHA offers, read OSHA’s Workers page.

OSHA Hit for Taking Too Long to Adopt Workplace Safety Rules

April 23, 2012 By in News, OSHA Headlines, OSHA News Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

By Sam Hananel | April 23, 2012

The nation’s premier worker safety agency takes nearly eight years on average to adopt new safety regulations, government auditors said in a report.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration takes far too long compared to other agencies, safety experts said during a Senate hearing on the report by the Government Accountability Office.

Critics claim the agency has become overly cautious in setting new rules on dangerous chemicals and other on-the-job hazards, hamstrung by procedural and political roadblocks.

The process for approving new regulations at OSHA averages about 50 percent longer than the Environmental Protection Agency and at least twice as long as the Transportation Department, auditors said.

“We have created barriers based on false alarms, and the need now is to lower them so that worker protection can proceed again without delay,” Michael Silverstein, former director of the Washington state OSHA program, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “It is no exaggeration to say that lives are at stake.”

Senate Democrats say the delays at OSHA are unacceptable while workers are being injured or killed. It took nearly a decade, for example, for OSHA to issue safety rules on construction cranes. In the meantime, several cranes toppled in accidents, and people were killed.

“It is simply unconscionable that workers must suffer while an OSHA rule is mired in bureaucracy,” said committee chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

OSHA officials blame lengthy waits on greater procedural requirements, shifting priorities and a higher standard of judicial review than most federal agencies face. Heavy pressure and litigation from business groups are also factors.

Revae Moran, the GAO’s director of education, workforce and income security, said sometimes OSHA will begin work on a set of regulations — construction scaffolding, for example — and then put it aside for years while focusing on other issues.

“Why it would take 19 years to set a scaffold standard doesn’t necessarily make sense,” Moran said, citing a 1996 rule.

Business groups claim OSHA creates problems for itself by ignoring employer concerns when it develops new standards. OSHA officials often don’t seek out industry guidance until after they make a risk assessment, said David Sarvadi, a lawyer representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“OSHA needs to talk to people before they sit down and start writing the rule,” Sarvadi said.

But saying the government needs more regulations is fraught with political risk in an election year. GOP presidential hopefuls and Republican lawmakers have made an issue of what they say is over-regulation by the Obama administration. President Barack Obama signed an executive order last year requiring federal agencies to target and eliminate burdensome rules, even as they issue new ones.

A quarter of OSHA safety rules approved since 1981 have taken more than a decade each to complete, with some being delayed nearly 20 years, according to the GAO report. The agency has studied the dangers of workplace exposure to silica dust — known to cause crippling lung disease and cancer — since 1974, but has yet to publish even a proposed regulation.

After putting out 47 new safety rules in the 1980s and 1990s, OSHA has slowed, approving just 11 new rules since then.

The GAO report recommended that OSHA officials collaborate more with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a federal research agency that makes workplace health and safety recommendations.

Randy Rabinowitz, director of regulatory policy at OMB Watch, a nonprofit advocacy group that monitors federal regulations, said OSHA should pick a few hazards and see those priorities through without shifting gears so often. She suggested the agency could also rely more on scientific evaluations prepared by other agencies to avoid duplicating work and get the industry to share more data during consultations.

Other ideas would require congressional action, such as amending federal law to change the tough judicial standards OSHA rules must meet.

Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi, the committee’s top Republican, said OSHA can pursue safety by other means, not just with more regulations and stiffer enforcement. Enzi cited a voluntary program that encourages companies to improve safety to avoid costly litigation.

“Voluntary programs involving employees and management such as the Voluntary Protection Programs have been shown to make workplaces considerably safer and save money,” Enzi said. “Yet under the current administration, VPP has been threatened and undermined.”

Source: Associated Press