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Slips, trips, and falls aren’t at the top of anyone’s “most glamorous” EHS topics list. Many people perceive slips, trips, and falls as minor incidents resulting solely from either carelessness or clumsiness. Quite the opposite — slips, trips, and falls are a very costly and serious worker safety issue. In 2008, these incidents cost American businesses a staggering $13.67 billion in direct workers compensation costs. That’s more than any other cause and more than the combined cost of the third through sixth ranked causes.
OSHA has been busy throughout May 2011! The following is a summary of highlights of interest to Emilcott clients. In a nutshell, instead of putting the onus on employers to become more aware of OSHA, OSHA is streamlining existing rules to match other government agencies (radical!), listening to employers before leaping into new regulations, and looking at alternative messaging techniques to market segments that frequently fall in the cracks.
We have some news on this year’s TSCA IUR Form U submission: this year’s Form U submission period will not be June 1 to September 30. It will most likely be pushed back to later this year. The EPA is delaying the submission period because the proposed IUR modifications rule has not yet been finalized. EPA expects to have the final version of the changes to the IUR reporting requirements in the near future. The revised 2011 submission period will be announced with the publication of the final IUR modification rule.
In the August 13, 2010 TSCA Inventory Update Reporting Modifications – Proposed Rule, the EPA anticipated the promulgation of the final rule by the Spring of 2011. Spring arrived 3 weeks ago, and the final IUR Reporting Modification rule has not been published. As such, the reporting modifications and specific reporting period have not been finalized. In addition, the Agency has not released a test version of the revised Form U electronic reporting software. It is possible that the Agency will change the proposed 2011 submission period (June 1 – September 30) to another 4–month period later in 2011.
In 2010, 782,000 students nationwide attended OSHA Outreach Training courses with an 11% increase in students attending the 10-hr Construction Industry Training — the highest attendance of all courses offered. What is the driving force for the high and rising class attendance? Bids for construction projects with both public and private funding now require that employees of contracting companies complete and pass the OSHA Outreach in Construction courses to reduce project liability and cost.
On April 15, OSHA announced revisions to the Outreach Training Programs as part of a continuous improvement program. Effective immediately, these new requirements apply to both the trainers and training materials.
For a project health and safety administrator, it is vital to be able to communicate with your team members and with outside resources. How do you keep tabs on who is where and what is happening? How do you find if something has gone wrong or someone needs help? As the Field Safety Manager for a 300-mile electric power transmission power line construction project, one of my first tasks was to address the question “How do you make communication possible across 275 miles of relatively unpopulated, harsh mountainous territory”? Specifically, I had to meet OSHA’s requirements for communication: 29 CFR 1926.35 “Employee Emergency Action Plans” and 29 CFR 1926.50 “Medical Services and First Aid”. In fact, these are the reasons that OSHA implemented the Standards listed above – life and death situations may depend upon it!
For the company, job site or RPP administrator who does not understand why a qualified and empowered Respiratory Protection Program Administrator is a big deal, this blog highlights a triple-play of Top 5 facts that illustrate the importance of qualified training for Respiratory Protection Program Administrators: Top 5 OSHA violations, Top 5 reasons to be qualified, and Top 5 OSHA compliance indicators!
As a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) I often make recommendations to our “General Industry” clients in an effort to lift their game with dealing with hazardous waste. There are multiple layers of compliance issues related to hazardous waste handling, and, as with most regulations, a little education (TRAINING!!) goes a long way in understanding the game plan! The intention of this blog is to provide a brief discussion of the key regulations and their associated training requirements.
When it comes to training, OSHA takes it seriously because training keeps workers safe and reduces incidents. “General Industry” is defined by OSHA as any industry not directly involved with agriculture, construction, and maritime industries. As a result of the broad “General Industry” definition, one of the most popular OSHA Outreach courses is the 10-hr General Industry Training which teaches safety and health hazard recognition and prevention. What is the importance of effective health and safety training for General Industry? Martha Hernandez focuses on the importance of the 10 hour General Industry Outreach course.
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