Tag Archives: OSHA

Study Indicates That Safety Inspections Don’t Hurt Businesses Monetarily

May 19, 2012 By in News Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Random inspections of U.S. industrial workplaces lower the risk of workers being injured on the job and have no measurable negative effect on the companies inspected, according to a study in the journal Science.

Companies chosen for random inspections by California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recorded 9.4 percent fewer worker injuries than those that were not inspected, the study found.

The study, published today, also found that the companies inspected were no more likely to cut jobs, lose sales, have their credit ratings cut or go out of business than those that were not inspected.

Over its four-decade history, the federal OSHA has come under fire from both organized labor, which worries that it does not do enough to protect workers, and from big business, which argues that it imposes unnecessary costs.

An attorney representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told an April Senate committee hearing into whether OSHA moves too slowly in developing new regulations that employers view the agency as unresponsive to businesses’ suggestions.

“Too often there is a perception that OSHA is determined to pursue a new standard regardless of how it will impact employers or whether it is justified,” said the attorney, David Sarvadi of Keller and Heckman.

That sort of concern sparked the idea for the study, conducted by three professors from the University of California, Harvard Business School and Boston University.

“We went in not really knowing what to expect, because from my perspective the rhetoric on both sides seems in some ways convincing but in some ways extreme,” said Michael Toffel, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and one of the study’s authors. “It seemed like a real puzzle that people had such strong opinions without a whole lot of evidence.”

LOWER INJURY COSTS

When injuries were reported, the worker compensation claims that resulted from them — which account for both the cost of medical treatment and lost wages — were 26 percent lower in facilities than were inspected than those that were not.

The study is based on an analysis of 409 California single-location businesses in industries, including woodworking and metalworking, which had high injury rates and were inspected by that state’s OSHA body from 1996 through 2006. It compared results at those businesses with 409 similar companies that were not inspected in that time period.

The authors focused on California because at the time the state’s safety agency conducted some inspections based on random selection, rather than just focusing on targets of complaints.

An official at the AFL-CIO labor federation said the findings show that OSHA is effective in promoting safe workplaces.

“What the study tells us is that protecting your workers on the job and keeping them safe is good for workers but is also good for business,” said Peg Seminario, director of safety and health at the AFL-CIO. “What’s too costly is not addressing injuries and illnesses. We can’t afford not to protect people.”

An official at the National Association of Manufacturers said the study failed to consider whether the regulations that OSHA enforces — rather than the inspections — hurt companies or protect workers.

“The authors are not asking the right question,” said Joe Trauger, vice president of human resources at the trade group. “The appropriate question is, ‘Do regulations provide a safer workplace?’ Random inspections happen after the fact, so if any job losses were to happen due to regulations, they would have happened before the inspection took place.”

OSHA Investigating Postal Worker’s Illness After Handling Package From Yemen

May 16, 2012 By in News Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency charged with monitoring worker safety, is investigating the illness of a U.S. Postal Service employee who handled a leaking package from Yemen at an Orlando mail-sorting facility.

The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting first reported that Jeffrey A. Lill experienced health problems after handling the parcel, which was leaking a brown viscous substance. Lill, 44, suffers from extreme fatigue, tremors, and liver and neurological problems consistent with toxic exposure.

But USPS has refused to investigate what happened to Lill, stating through lawyers that the incident never occurred. But FCIR, in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California-Berkeley, uncovered related documents and interviewed two whistleblowers who confirmed what happened.

Following FCIR’s report — which was published May 13 in The Ledger, the Miami Herald and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, as well as in more than 250 newspapers worldwide through Associated Press distribution — Michael D’Aquino, a spokesman for OSHA’s southeast regional office, confirmed the agency is looking into what made Lill sick.

D’Aquino said OSHA began its investigation in April, when he said investigators first received a complaint. But records show Lill’s mother, Janet Vieau, filed a complaint in February.

Either way, OSHA’s investigation will likely be toothless, because federal law prohibits the agency from issuing citations for incidents that are more than six months old. Lill and two witnesses said the package came through Orlando on Feb. 4, 2011.

Vieau, 64, a real estate agent in Rochester, N.Y., said she has been calling OSHA for months to encourage them to investigate her son’s illness.

“I’ve spoken to OSHA a number of times, and each time, they just flipped me off,” Vieau said. An OSHA representative had told Vieau that the agency would not investigate because the incident had occurred more than six months ago.

This is the first time Vieau has heard of an active OSHA investigation, which she attributes to the media attention her son’s case has received.

“I’m beginning to think that as a result of what you’ve done, there will be an exception to the rule,” she said. “Before now, OSHA told me quite frankly that six months was up and sorry.

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.

Do Employee Safety Incentives Discourage Workers from Reporting Injuries? Download GAO Report Below!

May 14, 2012 By in News, OSHA Headlines, Safety Awards, Workplace Safety Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Many employers are in the dark over whether their safety incentive programs encourage or discourage the reporting of injuries and illnesses by their employees, or if they have no effect.

But a new report says employers, and the federal officials who oversee workplace safety, should care what effects the incentives are having.

In March 2005, 15 workers died and 180 others were injured in an explosion at the BP Texas City refinery. A safety incentive program at the refinery rewarded workers with bonuses for achieving low rates of injuries and illnesses. A 2007 study after the explosion found that workers feared reprisals for reporting potentially risky conditions at the refinery.

That accident also prompted members of Congress to ask the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into safety programs. In 2009, GAO issued a report that found that safety incentive programs “can provide disincentives for workers to report injuries and illnesses to their employers.”

The GAO has again visited the issue of injury reporting and in its latest study out this week is recommending that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) do more to shed light on the effects of incentives and other programs on reporting.

Knowing the effects is important not only for employers, but also for OSHA, which relies heavily on workers to report injuries and illnesses to their employers, and on employers to accurately report this information to OSHA.

Since it does not currently address incentive programs in its guidance and field operations manual, OSHA could be recognizing some employers as having exemplary safety systems without realizing the negative effects on reporting of some of their incentive programs, GAO warned.

“Without accurate data, employers engaged in hazardous activities can avoid inspections and may be allowed to participate in voluntary programs that reward employers with exemplary safety and health management systems by exempting them from routine inspections,” GAO said.

Insurers are also interested in knowing if injuries are being accurately reported since they use employers’ illness and injury rates among other factors in setting workers’ compensation premiums.

Although OSHA is not required to regulate safety incentive programs, GAO urged OSHA to address the potential effects of such programs and other workplace safety policies on injury and illness reporting.

In response to GAO’s inquiries, OSHA recently issued a memo, warning employers that some programs that discourage employees from reporting their injuries are problematic because an employer may not “in any manner discriminate” against an employee because the employee exercises a protected right, such as the right to report an injury.

In addition, OSHA warns, “if the incentive is great enough that its loss dissuades reasonable workers from reporting injuries,” the program could result in an employer being in violation of recordkeeping responsibilities.

OSHA issued this memo to regional and whistleblower program officials in March and published it on its website but it has not yet incorporated it into its field operations manual. OSHA also has guidance under its whistleblower section on retaliation by employers against employers who report injuries.

OSHA said it has received reports of disciplinary action against employees who are injured on the job, such as where an employee does not report an injury or illness in a timely manner. OSHA said employers have a legitimate interest in establishing reporting procedures but they may “not unduly burden the employee’s right and ability to report.” For example, the rules cannot penalize workers who do not realize immediately that their injuries are serious enough to report, or even that they are injured at all. Nor may enforcement of such rules be used as a pretext for discrimination.

OSHA acknowledges that some employers establish programs that “unintentionally or intentionally provide employees an incentive to not report injuries.” For example, an employer might enter all employees who have not been injured in the previous year in a drawing to win a prize, or a team of employees might be given a bonus if no one from the team is injured over a period of time.

“Such programs might be well-intentioned efforts by employers to encourage their workers to use safe practices. However, there are better ways to encourage safe work practices, such as incentives that promote worker participation in safety-related activities, such as identifying hazards or participating in investigations of injuries, incidents or ‘near misses,’” OSHA says.

OSHA’s guidance for its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) cite various positive incentives, including providing t-shirts to workers serving on safety and health committees; offering modest rewards for suggesting ways to strengthen safety and health; or throwing a recognition party at the successful completion of company-wide safety and health training.

 Types of Incentives

There are basically two types of safety incentive programs. Experts distinguish between rate-based safety incentive programs and behavior-based programs.

Rate-based programs provide rewards such as bonuses and prizes for having no or a low number of work-related injuries and illnesses during a specified period. For example, an employer may reward workers with $100 bonuses for having no reported work-related injuries or illnesses in a given year.

Behavior-based programs provide rewards for demonstrating safe behaviors but are not tied to low injury and illness rates. For example, an employer may reward workers with gift cards for identifying hazardous conditions and suggesting safety improvements. These systems may also include demerit systems that discipline workers for failing to follow safety procedures.

In 2010, from its survey, GAO estimated that 25 percent of U.S. manufacturers had safety incentive programs, and most had other workplace safety policies that, according to experts and industry officials, may affect injury and illness reporting. Safety programs and policies are more common among larger manufacturers.

GAO found that there is little definitive research on the effects of safety incentive programs and other workplace safety policies on workers’ reporting of injuries and illnesses, but some of the 50 experts and industry officials GAO interviewed suggested that rate-based programs may discourage reporting.

Several experts told GAO that there may be an unintended consequence of rate-based programs. For example, when workers’ injuries are relatively minor or easy to hide, and if the rewards provided under the program are relatively large, workers may not report their injuries to preserve their rewards.

They also warmed of potential underreporting of injuries and illnesses when an incentive creates peer pressure on workers to not report injuries. “When all workers on a team get a reward only if no one on the team has an injury, there may be pressure on all team members to not report injuries,” the report says.

The experts also suggested that that certain polices, such as post-incident drug and alcohol testing, as well as demerit programs that are used to discipline unsafe workers, may discourage workers from reporting.

But how safety is managed in the workplace, including employer practices such as fostering open communication about safety issues, may encourage reporting of injuries and illnesses.

Quantifying the effects safety incentive programs may have on injury and illness reporting is difficult because researchers do not have access to workers’ medical records, according to GAO.

The GAO report may be downloaded here:  GAO-on-OSHA-Safety-Incentives

Foundry Safety & The American Foundry Society (AFS)

May 7, 2012 By in Foundries & Steel Mills, News, Workplace Fatality, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Safety Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Safety & Health Hazards Common to Foundries : http://www.pfaweb.org/manuals/Manual-safety/safety_V.pdf

NAOSH 2012 AFETY, WHAT EVERY BUSINESS NEEDS NAOSH WEEK 2012
MAY 6-12; 2012
Safety, What Every Business Needs

Through the Alliance, OSHA and AFS will encourage AFS members and others, including small businesses, in the metalcasting industry to increase employee access to safety and health information and training resources on workplace issues. In particular, the Alliance will address personal protective equipment (PPE), heat stress and reducing and preventing exposure to silica. The Alliance’s goals include:

Training and education:

  • Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop workplace safety and health curricula on the foundry workplace issues including, PPE, heat stress and silica.

Outreach and communication:

  • Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA’s and AFS’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
  • Share information among OSHA personnel, including Compliance Safety and Health Officers, and industry safety and health professionals regarding AFS’s best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by AFS and through OSHA- or AFS-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
  • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects regarding PPE, ventilation and silica issues that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
  • Encourage AFS chapters’ or worksites’ to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including PPE, heat stress and silica.

Promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:

  • Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and publicize their results.

Milestones and Successes

Related Documents

Alliance Agreements

Alliance Annual Reports

Alliance News Releases

Activities and Events (Archive)

  • May 6-12, 2012: 2012 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants support 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by ASSE and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. 2012 Theme: “Safety, What Every Business Needs.”
  • April 2009 to October 2011: OSHA and AFS Alliance “AFS Foundry Best Practices Seminars.” Through the OSHA and AFS Alliance, AFS representatives conducted training seminars for OSHA, State Plan, and On-site Consultation staff. AFS representatives provided information on the safety and health hazards that might exist in a foundry and control measures that could be used to address these hazards. [More…]
  • May 2-8, 2010: 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week, “Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces.” Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
  • October 19-25, 2009: 2009 “Drug-Free Work Week.” AFS and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2009 Drug-Free Work Week. Sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Working Partners for an Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Program”, the Week focuses on educating employers, employees and the public about the importance of being drug-free as an essential component of a safe and healthful workplace.
  • August 16-19, 2009: 21st AFS Environmental Health and Safety Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana.
    • August 17, 2009: Ken Gilbert, Area Director, Indianapolis, Indiana Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, staffed the Alliance Program exhibit booth.
  • May 3-9, 2009: 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. The American Foundry Society and more than 55 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was “Safety Means Always Coming Home.”
  • April 7-10, 2009: 113th Metalcasting Congress, Las Vegas, Nevada.
    • April 7-10, 2009: Representatives from OSHA Region IX and Nevada OSHA staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.
  • August 24-27, 2008: 20th AFS Environmental Health and Safety Conference, St. Louis, Missouri.
    • August 24-27, 2008: Representatives from OSHA staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.
  • May 17-20, 2008: Cast Expo 2008, Atlanta, Georgia.
    • May 17-20, 2008: Marilyn Velez, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; Anita Fountain, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Region IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; and Patricia Morris, Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Region IV, Atlanta-West, Georgia Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; staffed the Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.
  • May 4-10, 2008: 2008 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2008 NAOSH Week, “Safety is Good Business.” Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
  • April 9-11, 2008: AFS Government Affairs Conference, Washington, DC.
    • April 11, 2008: Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., former-Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA, made a presentation during the conference’s General Session and discussed OSHA’s outreach efforts. Following his speech, Mr. Foulke signed the OSHA and AFS Alliance renewal agreement.
    • April 11, 2008: Richard Fairfax, Director, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA; and Jim Maddux, then-Acting Director, Office of Biological Hazards, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA; made presentations during a panel discussion “OSHA Enforcement and New PPE Rule.”
  • March 18, 2008: Safety in the Foundry XX Safety Seminar, Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. Sandy Bennett, Manager of Training, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, presented “OSHA Recordkeeping” during the seminar.
  • March 11, 2008: AFS Keystone Chapter Meeting, Allentown, Pennsylvania. John McFee, Regional Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Region III, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation on “OSHA Update…New PPE Payment Rule, Silica, Citations Found in Foundries.”
  • October 8, 2007: AFS 19th Environmental, Health and Safety Conference, Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. Jan Cothron, Industrial Hygiene Manager, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, participated on a panel “AFS/OSHA Alliance Update . . . Top Compliance Issues Found in Foundries” during the conference.
  • October 8, 2007: Central Indiana Chapter Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana. Scott Frosch, Senior Industrial Hygienist, Indiana Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, made a presentation on safety and health issues that impact the foundry industry during the meeting.

Products and Resources

Alliance Program Participant Developed Products

  • Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities [PDF* - 101 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed “Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities.” This Fact Sheet provides metalcasting employers and workers with an overview of how to manage noise exposure in metalcasting facilities. (2010, April)
  • White Paper: Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management Program [PDF* - 427 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed, “White Paper: Establishing a Foundry Heat Stress Management Program.” The White Paper is designed to provide foundry industry employers and employees with information that can help control the potential hazards of heat stress. (2008, December)
  • Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries [PDF* - 3 MB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed “Control of Silica Exposure in Foundries.” The document is designed to provide foundry industry employers and employees with information that can help control the potential hazards of respirable crystalline silica. (2008, April)
  • Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment & Special Clothing for Foundry Operations [PDF* - 916 KB]. Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society (AFS) Alliance, AFS developed “Guide for the Selection & Use of Personal Protective Equipment & Special Clothing for Foundry Operations.” The Guide describes special considerations for the selection and use of personal protective equipment and special clothing in the foundry industry. (2005, September)

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

OSHA eTools

Case Studies

Success Stories

Publications and Newsletters

  • AFS eConnections, August 15, 2006. This edition of AFS’s weekly e-newsletter includes an article, “Phone Scams Threaten OSHA Fines” that describes an alleged phone scam in which people claiming to be OSHA employees threaten companies with fines unless they purchase materials that will supposedly put them into compliance with OSHA requirements.

Additional Resources

  • AFS/OSHA Alliance page

+Alliance Implementation Team members participated in the development of this resource.

Areas of Emphasis

OSHA QuickTakes – May 1, 2012

May 4, 2012 By in Jack Benton, News, OSHA Quick Takes Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

In this issue

President Obama proclaims April 28, 2012 Workers’ Memorial Day

In an official proclamation, President Barack Obama declared April 28, 2012 to be Workers’ Memorial Day. The President called upon all Americans to participate in ceremonies and activities in memory of those killed or injured due to unsafe working conditions.

“Today, we reflect on their sacrifice,” said President Obama, “and we rededicate ourselves to protecting the health, safety, and dignity of every worker.” Read more in the Presidential Proclamation.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis observes Workers’ Memorial Day at Action Summit for Worker Safety and Health, announces Fall Prevention Campaign

On April 26, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced a new OSHA campaign to prevent deadly falls in the construction industry. The awareness campaign will provide employers and workers with life-saving information and educational materials about working safely from ladders, scaffolds and roofs. 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 details of the Los Angeles Action Summit, see the news release and read the Secretary’s remarks.

OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign was developed in partnership with NIOSH and the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) program. OSHA and NIOSH will work with trade associations, labor unions, employers, universities, community and faith-based organizations, and consulates to reach employers and workers – especially vulnerable, low-literacy workers – with educational materials and training on common-sense fall prevention equipment and strategies that save lives. For more information, visit www.osha.gov/stopfalls. To order 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.

OSHA memorializes fallen workers in events around the country

At the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Memorial Mass in NYC, hard hats on empty chairs are a powerful reminder of lives lost.

Last week, in Workers’ Memorial Day events around the country, OSHA honored the memories of those killed, disabled, injured or made sick by their jobs. Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28, also marked the 41st anniversary of OSHA and the dramatic improvements in workplace safety and health over OSHA’s first 40 years.

“In the 41 years since the Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted, we have made tremendous progress,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, “but our steadfast mission to make every job in America a safe job must continue. One workplace death is too many. Making a living shouldn’t include dying.”

To learn more, listen to Dr. Michaels’ audio message, read Secretary Solis’ statement, view the Presidential Proclamation. To read about local Workers’ Memorial Day ceremonies and see pictures of the events, visit OSHA’s Workers’ Memorial Day page.

New OSHA directive focuses on communications with victims’ families following a workplace fatality

A new OSHA directive guides OSHA representatives in communicating investigation procedures with family members following a workplace fatality. The guidance ensures that OSHA representatives speak to the victim’s family early in the inspection process, establish a point of contact, and maintain a working relationship with the family..

“This directive,” explained Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, “ensures that OSHA receives the necessary information from the family and keeps the family informed throughout the investigation and settlement processes.”

Under the new directive, OSHA representatives will contact the victim’s family to explain the investigation process, timeline, and provide the family with updates throughout the investigation. Once the investigation is closed, OSHA will explain findings to the family and address any questions. If an employer has been issued citations, OSHA will provide a copy of the citation(s) to the family. For more information, see the news release and visit OSHA’s directive page (PDF*).

OSHA issues alert on CSE Corporation’s SR-100 Self-Contained Self-Rescuer: Defective respirators can result in life-threatening hazards

OSHA issued an alert (PDF*) to employers and workers using the CSE Corporation’s SR-100 Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR). Some of these devices have a critical defect that may cause the release of insufficient oxygen during start-up, a defect that could immediately result in a life-threatening situation for workers using the respirator.

“When workers need to escape from a dangerous situation, effective and reliable respiratory protection is essential,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. “Employers should immediately take steps to replace these respirators with a different NIOSH-approved self-rescuer or other respirator suitable for emergency escape protection.” Employers must remove CSE SR-100′s from service no later than May 31, 2012.

Under OSHA’s respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134), employers must provide training to ensure that workers know what to do should their SCSR fail to activate. Employers and workers should immediately obtain another SCSR if they encounter any difficulty with the operation of an SCSR. For more information, see the news release.

New OSHA web page on protecting nail salon workers from on-the-job hazards

A new OSHA web page provides information and educational resources on protecting nail salon workers from chemical, biological, and other hazards on the job.

The more than 375,000 nail technicians working in salons across the United States face possible health hazards every day. The hazards include exposure to chemicals from glues, polishes, removers, and other salon products; muscle strains from awkward positions or repetitive motions; and risk of infection from contact with client skin, nails, or blood. OSHA’s new Safety and Health topics page on Health Hazards in Nail Salons gives important information about these hazards and the steps that nail salon workers and employers can take to prevent injuries and illnesses.

OSHA finds Florida canvas manufacturer and Louisiana riverboat company retaliated against whistleblowers

OSHA investigations have determined that a canvas manufacturer and a riverboat company violated the whistleblower protections of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Seaman’s Protection Acts.

OSHA is suing LOTO Services LLC and its owner, Allan R. Lochhead, for allegedly terminating an employee at Aquatech’s facility in Stuart, Fla. The worker filed a health complaint with OSHA after repeatedly reporting serious concerns to management regarding rodents and rodent droppings in the office to no avail. One day after the company was notified of the health complaint by OSHA officials; the employee was terminated. The employee filed a timely whistleblower complaint with OSHA, which concluded that the company and Lochhead had unlawfully and intentionally terminated the worker for engaging in activity protected by the OSH Act. The suit seeks to have the worker reinstated and paid back wages, interest, and compensatory and punitive damages. More details are available in the news release.

In addition, OSHA has entered into a settlement agreement with St. James Stevedoring Partners LLC New Orleans, which OSHA found also terminated a riverboat barge captain who twice reported an inoperable starboard vessel engine to the U.S. Coast Guard. The parties resolved their difference through a settlement agreement under which St. James Stevedoring Partners will pay a total of $245,000, including $23,451 in back pay, $70,352 in front pay, $133,106 in compensatory damages and $18,091 in attorney’s fees, representing the most significant financial settlement under the Seaman’s Protection Act (SPA) since OSHA assumed jurisdiction of the whistleblower provisions of that law in October 2010. Further details of the settlement are available in the news release.

 

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the SPA 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 fines Lakeview Specialty Hospital for inadequate workplace violence safeguards at Waterford, Wis., center

OSHA has cited Lakeview Neurorehab Center Midwest, which operates as Lakeview Specialty Hospital in Waterford, for exposing employees to workplace violence at the health care facility and treatment center, among other violations. OSHA has proposed penalties of $12,000.

OSHA initiated an investigation following a complaint that a worker had been severely beaten and threatened by a client at the facility on Sept. 28, 2011, as well as filed a police report with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department.

As a result of its investigation, which revealed that staff members at the facility had been assaulted numerous times, OSHA has cited the employer for a serious violation of the agency’s “general duty clause” for failing to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause serious injury or death. A second serious violation has been cited due to the lack of a lockout/tagout program for equipment with multiple energy sources. For further details, read the news release.

OSHA cites Connecticut contractor and Georgia framing company for exposing workers to fall hazards

OSHA has cited American Building LLC, a Trumbull-based steel erection contractor, for alleged violations – one willful and one serious – of workplace safety standards following the Oct. 25, 2011, death of a worker at a site in Stamford, Conn. American Building employees were installing metal roofing onto a prefabricated steel building at the former Clairol campus at 1 Blachley Road when one of the workers fell 35 feet to the ground and sustained fatal injuries. An investigation by OSHA’s Bridgeport Area Office found that employees lacked proper fall protection and were not adequately trained to recognize and avoid fall hazards. The safety harnesses of three of the four employees working on the roof, including the victim, were not tied off to anchorage points to prevent falls, and the fourth employee’s safety lanyard was too long to protect him against a fall. For information is available in the news release.

OSHA has also cited Norcross, Georgia-based construction company LRG Framing Inc. for six safety violations at a residential work site in Cumming. OSHA received a referral, and an inspector observed employees working at heights of up to 30 feet without fall protection, among other hazards. Proposed penalties total $66,660. LRG is being cited with one willful violation, with a $46,200 penalty, for allowing employees to work without fall protection. The same violation has been cited at the company’s construction sites three times since 2006, including in connection with a construction site fatality in East Point in 2007. See the news release for additional details.

Detailed information on fall protection is available on OSHA’s Safety and Health Topics Page.

OSHA reaches out with extensive compliance assistance following Dallas tornadoes

Following the tornadoes that devastated the Dallas area on April 3, OSHA has been on the ground helping workers and members of the public engaged in cleanup and repair activities. OSHA safety officers are distributing OSHA fact sheets and QuickCards™ with important safety information, providing safety briefs and conducting interventions to ensure that contractors and their workers have the right equipment and observe safety rules.

After a natural disaster, OSHA’s role is to help protect workers and volunteers from potential hazards caused by the storm so they are not injured during recovery and rebuilding efforts. Workers and employers involved in such efforts can call 800-321-OSHA [6742] to reach an OSHA representative in their area who can provide on-site assistance. OSHA also provides fact sheets, QuickCards™, and other educational materials on safe work practices and personal protective equipment on its Tornado Recovery page.

Worker advocate Tony Mazzocchi to be inducted into Labor Hall of Honor

In recognition of his contributions to the modern occupational safety and health movement, the US Department of Labor will induct Tony Mazzocchi into its Labor Hall of Honor on June 5.

“Tony Mazzocchi’s extraordinary efforts and leadership helped pave the way for vital reforms like the OSH Act, and it’s time he takes his rightful place in the Labor Hall of Honor,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels. “The Labor Department is pleased to recognize Tony for his tireless commitment to the safety, health and welfare of America’s workers.”

Mazzocchi, who served as vice president and secretary treasurer of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic workers, spearheaded the “Right to Know” and “Right to Act” campaigns to give workers the right to know what toxic chemicals they were exposed to at work and the right to act on their knowledge.

 

The June 5 induction will take place at the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) 33rd Anniversary Awards Celebration at the United Federation of Teachers, 52 Broadway in lower Manhattan from 6-8 p.m. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.nycosh.org or call 212-227-6440. 

OSHA, NIOSH, Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners renew Alliance to help protect workers in roadway construction work zones

On April 19, OSHA renewed an Alliance with the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners to protect workers while working in roadway construction work zones. The Alliance will focus on preventing worker injuries and deaths from construction vehicle runovers and backovers, and focuses on increased outreach to non-English-speaking or limited-English-speaking workers.

Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA (first row, center) with members of the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners after the signing the national Alliance renewal agreement on April 19, 2012.

“Most fatalities that occur in road construction work zones involve a worker being struck by a piece of construction equipment or other vehicle,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels. “This renewed Alliance with the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Partners will help reach workers and employers with critical education and information to reduce preventable injuries and deaths.”

During the two-year agreement, the Alliance will develop fact sheets for paramedics, police officers, truck drivers, and other work zone visitors. Read more details about the Alliance in the news release.

OSHA emphasizes protecting workers from struck-by hazards with new Midwest outreach campaign and safety stand-downs in Georgia

To help protect workers at risk for struck-by hazards, OSHA has recently launched a Midwest outreach campaign and co-sponsored safety stand-downs at Georgia construction sites. “Struck by” injuries and fatalities are caused by conventional traffic/passenger vehicles, forklifts and other moving powered industrial equipment such as cranes and yard trucks.

OSHA launched the regional outreach initiative in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska to educate workers and their employers about preventing “struck by” vehicle accidents in the workplace. OSHA has developed educational materials called “Evaluate Your Entire Surroundings” (E.Y.E.S.) that are available in both English and Spanish. Materials and additional information regarding the initiative can be obtained in the news release and by contacting OSHA’s offices in St. Louis at 314-425-4249; Wichita, Kan., at 316-269-6644; Kansas City, Mo., at 816-483-9531; Omaha, Neb., at 402-553-0171; or Des Moines, Iowa, at 515-284-4794.

In the South, OSHA also partnered with construction contractors, the Federal Highway Administration, the state of Georgia and local government organizations to sponsor a safety stand-down hour at construction sites across Georgia during National Highway Work Zone Awareness Week, April 23-27. Workers voluntarily stopped work at construction sites from 7 to 8 a.m. EDT to conduct work zone safety training focused on the prevention of distracted driving, such as texting while driving, and worker injuries from traffic objects and vehicles. To learn more about the Awareness Week stand-downs, see the news release or contact OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office at 678-903-7301, Atlanta-East Area Office at 770-493-6644 or Savannah Area Office at 912-652-4393.

OSHA on the radio: Spanish radio show on workplace safety and health for the Latino community

In an effort to reach Latino workers and employers, OSHA Senior Safety and Health Specialist Danezza Quintero will be co-hosting a popular radio show, La Voz Del Pueblo. Along with fellow host Rafael Ramirez of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters, Quintero will discuss worker safety and health issues and offer information and educational resources.

La Voz del Pueblo airs every Friday on La Caliente Radio, La Jefa 700 AM with 85,000 listeners in the Northeast.  To listen to OSHA’s segment, tune in on the first Friday of every month at 3PM EST, or find the show online at http://www.radiolajefa.com.