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OSHA
Administrator Addresses American Health Care Association
Assistant
Secretary of Labor John Henshaw told a San Diego audience
Oct. 13 that OSHA's national emphasis program in nursing
homes has proven successful and resulted in nearly 1,000
inspections since its inception in July 2002. Henshaw
made the announcement
during his address at the American Health Care Association's
54th Annual Convention and Exposition. He said that while
OSHA would not renew the program, the agency will inspect
about 400 long-term care facilities during Fiscal Year
2004 under the Site-Specific Targeting Program. Henshaw's
speech focused on the agency's comprehensive approach
to addressing musculoskeletal injuries in long-term care
facilities.
Revised
Recordkeeping Forms Available Online
Beginning
Jan. 1, 2004, employers must use OSHA's revised Form 300
(Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). To aid in
that transition process, the agency has made the form
available online.
The revised form includes various changes, including the
addition of an occupational hearing loss column and more
clear-cut formulas for calculating incidence rates. And,
remember-while there is no separate column for work-related
injuries associated with ergonomic factors, employers
must still record those injuries in either the injury
or "all other illness" columns.
OSHA Develops
Matrix for Possible Terrorist-Related Workplace Emergencies
A
new homeland security matrix
tool is now available on OSHA's website to help employers
with the planning and preparation for possible workplace
emergencies caused by a terrorist's explosive device or
act of arson. The Fire and Explosion Planning Matrix
covers general aspects of fire prevention planning and
suggests preparedness measures appropriate for workplaces
in each of three risk zones. On-line resources are also
included in the matrix.
OSHA
Solicits Abstracts on Ergonomic Research
OSHA's
fourth meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics
(NACE) is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2004, in Washington,
and will include a symposium on the state of research
on musculoskeletal and neurovascular disorders from ergonomic
experts. In order to select speakers for that symposium,
OSHA is seeking
abstracts from published researchers that focus on data-driven
scientific research concerning the relationship between
the workplace and musculoskeletal and neurovascular disorders.
NACE plans to use proceedings from the symposium to make
recommendations that will advance OSHA's goal to reduce
ergonomic-related injuries in the workplace.
New
Safety Bulletin for Young Forklift Operators
Working
with the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division, OSHA
has developed a safety and health information bulletin
that reminds employers of regulations which prohibit workers
less than 18 years of age from operating specific hazardous
machines and equipment, including forklift trucks in non-agricultural
operations. The bulletin reminds employers of existing
standards and laws that protect working teens from being
seriously injured, focusing on the Fair Labor Standards
Act and OSHA's Powered Industrial Truck Standard. Case
histories of two fatal forklift accidents involving underage
operators in Massachusetts and Georgia are included in
the bulletin.
Work-Related
Traffic Safety, Commercial Diving Highlight Recent Alliances
OSHA
formed Alliances recently with two organizations that
will focus on reducing work-related traffic injuries and
fatalities, and improve the health and safety of commercial
divers. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS)
joined with OSHA Oct. 6 to help raise awareness of safe
driving practices and traffic safety programs on the job.
The Association of Diving Contractors International (ADC)
also signed an Alliance with the agency on Oct. 9 to focus
on safer working conditions for commercial divers, particularly
in the areas of increased barometric pressure.
OSHA
Updates Outreach Training Program
OSHA's
primary means to train workers in the basics of occupational
safety and health is through the agency's Outreach
Training Program. Through the program, those who complete
a one-week OSHA trainer course are then authorized to
teach 10- and 30-hour courses in construction or general
industry safety and health standards and receive OSHA
completion cards for their students. In Fiscal Year 2003,
OSHA-trained trainers held an average of 366 classes per
week. Over the past four years, almost one million students
were trained. The steady expansion of the program has
resulted in one change-outreach trainers must send requests
for student cards to the organization responsible for
their most recent trainer course, whether that is the
OSHA Training Institute or an OTI Education Center.
Personal
Fall Protection Systems Subject of New Safety and Health
Bulletin
There's
little debate when it comes to the fact that fall
protection systems save lives. OSHA documents those
cases on a recurring basis. Further, OSHA's standard on
personal fall arrest systems is concise. Nonetheless,
the agency has published a new safety and health information
bulletin that discusses the compatibility of personal
fall protection system components, particularly snap hooks.
OSHA wants to remind both employers and workers that personal
fall protection components made by different manufacturers
may not be compatible. Moreover, some components made
by the same manufacturer may not be compatible if not
sized properly. OSHA reminds employers to evaluate the
compatibility of all personal fall arrest systems used
on the job site before employee use.
Protecting
Workers against Mold Exposure
OSHA
has published a new safety and health information bulletin
to provide employers and workers with essential information
on how to prevent, control and remove mold
in buildings. Geared specifically for building managers,
custodians and others responsible for building maintenance,
the bulletin offers recommendations on preventing mold
growth, proper use of personal protective equipment, and
safe cleanup methods. Mold can have negative effects on
human health including allergic reactions, asthma and
other respiratory problems.
New Alliances
in Atlanta, New York Regions
OSHA's
Atlanta Region formed an Alliance
last month with labor unions and worker associations in
the southeast to focus on reducing worker exposure to
electrical hazards. Joining with OSHA in the Alliance
was the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
(fifth and tenth districts), the Southeastern Line Constructors
Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association,
and the Southeastern Line Constructors Apprenticeship
and Training Council. Preventing falls in elevated work
environments such as construction, steel erection, and
bridge painting is the subject of an Alliance signed between
OSHA's Manhattan area office and the Hi-Rope Corporation
(HRC)
of New York. The Alliance will focus on how to prevent
falls using industrial rope access and tensioned netting
systems.
AIHA Hosting
Virtual Seminar for Safety and Health Professionals
The
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is hosting
a TeleWeb Virtual Seminar highlighting leadership, communication,
and management skills for health, safety and environmental
professionals. The seminar will be held Oct. 21 from 2-4:30
p.m. Interested parties can register online
or call (800) 651-7916.
Voluntary
Protection Program Activity
The
following companies were approved this month for new or
continued participation in OSHA's Voluntary Protection
Program (VPP):
Georgia Pacific, Lawrenceville Distribution Center, Lawrenceville,
GA (Merit to Star); General Electric Plastics, Bay St.
Louis, MS (Cont. Star); Pactiv Corp., Covington Plant,
Covington, GA (Cont. Star); Raytheon Co. @ NASA Sonny
Carter, Houston, TX (New Star); Koch Business Holdings,
LLC, Aviation Dept, Wichita, KS (New Star); Monsanto Co.,
Soda Springs, ID (Cont. Star); International Paper, Folkston
Lumber Mill, Folkston, GA (Merit to Star); Clariant LSM,
Inc., Springfield, MO (New Star); Honeywell Aircraft Landing
Systems, Kansas City, MO (New Star); ConAgra Foods, Longmont
Facility, Longmont, CO (New Merit); and Schering-Plough
Animal Health Corp., Baton Rouge, LA (New Star).
OSHA Facts
OSHA's mission is to ensure safe and healthful workplaces
in America. Since the agency was created in 1971, workplace
fatalities have been cut in half and occupational injury
and illness rates have declined 40 percent. read
more
