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I have seen no less than 20 emails inviting me to webinars that will help me get my house in order for all the changes coming with the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard this year. From the tone of these emails, it would seem like the sky is falling! You know what? The sky is not falling … although there is work to be done to implement the changes. OSHA has published the final rule updating the Hazard Communications Standard as of today 3/20/12. It’s leap day!! If you are born on a February 29th, then you will really only celebrate your birthday once every four years. What if you took a 40-hr HazWOPER course that ended on February 29th or an 8-hour HazWOPER refresher training on leap day? Does this mean that you only have to ‘celebrate’ your refresher training once every leap year? The Office of Management and Budget received the final rule update for the Hazard Communication Standard (1910.1200) on 10/25/11. The 90 day review period is over but the review period has been recently extended. Here is a handy table we recently created for our clients — a gentle reminder to get organized! Even if you miss a deadline, it’s better to start playing catchup as soon as you find out that you are not in compliance. If you work at a site with corrosive materials present, how available are emergency flushing stations? Can these stations be accessed within 10 seconds? Has anyone ever showed you how to use it…blindfolded? Like a fire extinguisher on the wall, you hope you never need an emergency eyewash station, but you’d better be able to get to it and it had better work when there is a need. It’s important to know that chemical burns and damage start immediately upon contact. The sooner the rinsing starts, the less damage will occur. If you have a giant stack of the best personal protective equipment (PPE), but don’t use it, or just as important, don’t use it properly, are you trying to become an OSHA statistic? Knowing how to protect yourself from occupational hazards is a critical part of your job. When are hard hats required to be worn? The Simple Answer: If you are working where ANYTHING MIGHT fall, drop, fly, splash, or land on your head OR your head could come into contact with ANYTHING that MIGHT injure you, like moving equipment, chemicals or electricity, you need to be correctly wearing a properly fitting, ANSI-approved hardhat. Learn more about hard hats and the rules that protect your head on the job! A construction and renovation project within any facility creates a range of situations which can release debris, pollutants and contaminants that can impact the indoor air quality. These contaminants may be transported to other areas via HVAC systems, personnel coming and going through encapsulation barriers, and other factors that can subsequently affect people beyond the project area. Consideration of the effect upon indoor air quality is particularly important in healthcare settings when performing construction or renovation projects. What is the plan? |
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