OSHA has published the final rule updating the Hazard Communications Standard as of today 3/20/12.
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OSHA has published the final rule updating the Hazard Communications Standard as of today 3/20/12. Bringing in the New Year is always an exciting time for everyone. People enjoy setting new goals, looking forward to the journey that the New Year brings and starting that resolution they promise they are going to keep. While the New Year brings many things to look forward to, it also is a time where we look back at the year that has passed and take a moment to reflect on what has happened. 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. At Emilcott, we frequently run into job sites with high potential for poison ivy exposure…think about the uncleared, overgrown or unkempt places that surveyers, highway workers, laborers, HazWOPER workers, engineers, inspectors, construction workers, and landscapers, often find themselves! Outdoor workers who can be exposed to poison ivy must know how to recognize, prevent and administer first aid. 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! Maybe this daily air monitoring process looks familiar to you? Collecting samples at the end of the day from every instrument, downloading the data and then studying the data to see what had happened. Snow, rain, ice, cold…the daily routine didn’t vary much! After accepting the learning curve, the ease of operation and the effectiveness of the new technologies of the Greenlight System have allowed me to provide more effective support to the site construction team. March 25, 2011 marks the centennial of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire — just 45 minutes from the Emilcott office in Morristown. It was the type of workplace that women my own age worked… I could have been trapped in the shop! That realization makes me think how lucky I am — and how far workers’ rights have come in the U.S. I am familiar with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”), and its mandate that every one of us has the right to a workplace free of recognized hazards. So, where did all this policy begin…? 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! 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. when I am asked for my thoughts on whether to attend an on-line or instructor-led HazWOPER training class, my immediate response is clear! It is CRITICAL to actually learn what is taught in these classes not just fulfill the OSHA requirement. Why? These workers will be working on a HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE, and the knowledge learned in a HazWOPER class allows them to appropriately protect themselves. Learn more about Instructor Led HazWOPER training! |
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