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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. 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. 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. 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 providing guidance on the selection and use of PPE, it is critical for occupational safety and health experts to understand not only the technical issues surrounding the use of PPE as an exposure control method, but also the regulatory compliance burden placed on the employer. I recognize that “just” complying with OSHA standards is not equivalent to meeting industry best practices, but is important to understand the what might be considered the ‘back-bone’ of PPE programs in the US. This blog lists who buys what and which standards the required PPE is to meet. 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! Have you ever driven by a crew constructing a new house or installing a new roof? Have you noticed a guardrail system in place to keep workers from falling when working on the upper levels? Or have you seen a personal fall arrest systemsthat will lock and hold a falling worker like a seatbelt in your car? Most likely you have not seen either of these fall protection systems in place for residential projects! Nearly one residential construction worker dies each workday as a result of falls. OSHA believes that no job is worth a life. For workers employed by a mid-sized contracting group or a small crew engaged in house painting or outside repairs, OSHA has published a new directive which mandates the use of fall protection for all residential construction workers at heights of 6 feet off of the ground. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Fall Protection Policy for Residential Construction went into effect on June 16, 2011. |
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