The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) intends to list Aloe vera, whole leave extract and Goldenseal root powder as known to the state to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65). This action is being proposed pursuant to the Labor Code listing mechanism. OEHHA has determined that these chemicals meet the criteria for listing by this mechanism.
Aloe vera, also known as Aloe barbadensis Miller, is one of approximately 420 species of Aloe plants. Other common names of Aloe vera are Barbados aloe, Mediterranean aloe, True aloe, and Curaçao aloe. Whole leaf extract of Aloe vera is commonly referred to as whole leaf Aloe vera juice or Aloe juice. Whole leaf extract of Aloe vera is the liquid portion of the Aloe vera leaf (e.g., what remains after removal of fibrous material, such as lignified plant fibers), and is a natural constituent of the Aloe barbadensis Millerplant. Aloe vera whole leaf extract is not the same as Aloe vera decolorized whole leaf extract, Aloe vera gel, Aloe vera gel extract, or Aloe vera latex, which would not be covered by this proposed listing.
Goldenseal is also known as Hydrastis canadensis, orangeroot, Indian turmeric, and curcuma, but it should not be confused with turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.). Goldenseal root powder is the powdered dried roots and underground stems of goldenseal plants. Goldenseal root powder is a natural constituent of the goldenseal plant.
IARC concludes that Aloe vera, whole leaf extract, and goldenseal root powder are each classified in Group 2B (the agent is “possibly carcinogenic to humans”), and that there is “sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals” for each ). Therefore, both substances qualify for listing via Labor Code section 6382(b)(1).
How to Implement OSHA’s Globally Harmonized Hazard Communication Standard (GHS)
OSHA has issued a final rule revising its Hazard Communication Standard, aligning it with the United Nations’ globally harmonized system (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals. This means that virtually every product label, safety data sheet (formerly called “material safety data sheet” or MSDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard. Worker training must be updated so that workers can recognize and understand the symbols and pictograms on the new labels as well as the new hazard statements and precautions on safety data sheets.
Tampa DOT/IATA Training
St. Louis RCRA and DOT Training
Hilton Head RCRA and DOT Training
CSB Board Votes on Status of Sixteen Safety Recommendations
A recommendation is a specific course of action issued to a specific party, based on the findings of CSB investigations, safety studies, and other products."
The recommendation was to incorporate standards set forth by the National Fire Protection Association into the state's fire regulations and was the result of a powerful explosion and fire that took place at the CAI/Arnel ink and paint products manufacturing facility in Danvers, Massachusetts, on November 22, 2006. On January 1, 2015, Massachusetts adopted a revised fire safety code that incorporates the CSB's recommendations. Dr. Anenberg said, "We are very pleased that Massachusetts' revised fire code includes our recommended safety improvements. Their action ensures that the Board's accident investigation has a lasting impact on safety in the state."
In response to the CSB recommendation, OSHA launched a "Petroleum Refinery Process Safety Management National Emphasis Program," which led to enhanced inspections of over seventy refineries nationwide. Dr. Anenberg said, "Actions taken by CSB recommendations recipients trigger important safety changes that can prevent accidents and save lives. Our goal is for all CSB safety recommendations to be successfully adopted and we look forward to sharing our progress with the public through our new website feature."
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
Worker Safety in Grain Facilities
Following last week’s injury of four employees in a LaPorte County grain elevator explosion, the Indiana Department of Labor reminds employers and employees about grain handling facility hazards and how to prevent occupational injuries and fatalities.
The grain handling industry is a high hazard industry where workers can be exposed to serious and life threatening hazards including fires and explosions from grain dust accumulation, suffocation from engulfment and entrapment in grain bins, falls from heights and crushing injuries, and amputations from grain handling equipment.
Grain bins across the US have killed more than 180 people and injured more than 675 since 1980. Grain dust is highly flammable and is the number one cause of grain bin explosions.
“The safety of our farm workers is of paramount importance to our Indiana agriculture industry,” said Commissioner Rick J. Ruble. “Grain handling facilities can be dangerous, and workers must recognize the dangers and take all necessary precautions.”
Employees working in or near grain handling facilities should never work alone. Working with a partner ensures help is always near.
- Reduce the likelihood of worker injury, illness, or death by taking the following precautions:
- Prevent dust explosions – Prior to entry, test the air within a bin or silo for the presence of combustible and toxic gases. Make sure there is sufficient oxygen for safe entry.
- Prevent falls – Provide all employees with a body harness and lifeline or boatswains chair. Ensure these items are properly secured before entering a grain bin.
- Prevent electrocution and auger entanglement – Before grain bin or silo entry, shut down and lock out all equipment power sources. Station an observer outside the bin or silo to monitor and track continuously the employee inside the bin.
- Prevent engulfment – Prohibit employees from walking-down the grain or using similar practices to make the grain flow. Prohibit entry into bins or silos underneath a bridging condition or where grain product has built up on side walls. This grain could shift and bury a worker.
Fallen Oregon Workers to be Remembered April 28
Not all Oregon families experience the safe return of their loved one following a day at work. Oregon workers who died on the job will be honored with a ceremony Tuesday, April 28, at noon in Salem. Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA), a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, invites all Oregonians to attend the Workers Memorial Day observance.
The event will take place at the Fallen Workers Memorial outside the Labor and Industries Building on the Capitol Mall. The memorial service, coordinated by the Oregon AFL-CIO, will feature remarks from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.
"Achieving prosperity in Oregon should include all workers returning home safely at the end of their shifts," said Gov. Brown. "This is not just a safety issue, it is an economic development issue that is as important as job creation is to ensuring Oregon's families can thrive."
The ceremony will include the reading of the names of Oregon workers who died on the job in 2014. Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood and Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain will also be among the event speakers.
"The Oregon AFL-CIO is committed to advocating for the safety and well-being of every worker in the state of Oregon," said Chamberlain. "On April 28, we mourn the fallen. Through that mourning, we will reinvigorate our commitment to fight as hard as we can for the living by making sure Oregon's workers are getting the right gear, the right training, and the right precautions to do their jobs as safely as possible."
Through a partnership of labor, business, and government working together to improve workplace safety and health conditions in Oregon, the number of fatal workplace incidents eligible for workers' compensation benefits has been cut by about 75% since the Oregon Safe Employment Act was enacted in 1973.
"As the rate appears to level off after decreasing for decades, we need to avoid the dangerous belief that we have done all we can do," said Wood. "We have not. We can—and must—do more."
The annual Workers Memorial Day serves as a nationwide day of remembrance. It recognizes the thousands of US workers who die each year on the job and the more than 1 million people in the US who are injured each year at work. The observance is traditionally held on April 28 because Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act on that date in 1970.
California Department of Industrial Relations Reports 2013 Fatal Occupational Injuries
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) reports the number of Californians who died on the job increased slightly in 2013. A review of the past ten years indicates that workplace fatalities remain below the average rate of fatalities prior to 2008, when the last recession began. The uptick corresponds to California’s higher employment rates and its broad-based economic recovery.
“DIR considers that all worker deaths should be preventable, and this data is a clear reminder that we still have some work to do in the area of prevention,” said DIR Director Christine Baker. “Even one workplace death is too many.”
There were 396 fatal injuries on the job in California last year, compared to 375 in 2012. Figures for 2013 are the latest numbers available.
First Capital Insulation Fined $490,000 for Exposing Workers to Asbestos
Fibers in the air can be inhaled unknowingly and trapped in the lungs. Regular exposure to asbestos can cause serious respiratory illness and several forms of cancer.
Three workers removing thermal pipe insulation at an unoccupied residence on North Second Street in Harrisburg were exposed to these serious risks because their employer failed to protect them properly.
OSHA inspectors found that First Capital Insulation, Inc., of York, Pennsylvania, regularly exposed employees to asbestos hazards.
"Asbestos exposure can cause chronic lung disease and cancer. With the right safeguards, employees can be protected from these deadly hazards," said Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA's area office in Harrisburg. "We found employees removing insulation containing asbestos without first wetting the material, which reduces the danger of exposure. A little water could have made all the difference and the company knew this."
A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirement, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
The clothing of workers who handle asbestos creates a significant risk for secondary exposure. Its microscopic particles can easily attach to hair, skin, and clothes. If the worker and his clothing are not properly cleaned before leaving the work site, others with whom the worker has contact risk secondary exposure. A worker who fails to change out of asbestos-contaminated clothing before returning home can leave fibers embedded in couches, chairs, carpets, beds, and other furniture.
OSHA requires employers to treat thermal system insulation and surfacing material found in buildings constructed before and in 1980 as asbestos, unless they can prove that the material is free of asbestos. In this inspection, the building was built in 1928, and the company made no attempt to test the removed materials.
Scaffold Collapse is Fatal for Two Tower Workers
Florjan Nilaj and Gazmend Vukaj left their Michigan homes and traveled 260 miles south to Oxford, Ohio, for a commercial painting job never thinking that October 24, 2014, might be the last day of their lives.
The two men, 25-year-old Nilaj and 40-year-old Vukaj, were seven stories above ground on an electric two-point scaffold. They were painting a 123-foot-tall water tower when the scaffold's hoist failed, and a nylon suspension rope broke. As the scaffold collapsed, the two men fell to their deaths.
An investigation of the tragedy found that if their employer, V & T Painting, LLC, had provided the painters with required equipment to stop their falls, they might have survived.
"Two families are devastated by this preventable tragedy. No one should have to suffer such a painful loss. Making sure protective equipment is in use and working properly is a common-sense way to save lives and prevent injuries," said Ken Montgomery, OSHA's area director in Cincinnati. "Companies that put their workers dangerously high above the ground must provide protection to stop their falls. We are seeing a disturbing trend in deaths and injuries among workers on communications and other types of towers that could have been prevented."
OSHA inspectors also found that the scaffolds used by V & T Painting were not designed by a competent person; U-bolts were not installed correctly; and damaged wire ropes, slings, electrical cords, and other faulty equipment were in use. The company also did not inspect rigging equipment and scaffolds before use or do site inspections, and it did not train workers about fall protection equipment and standards. Inspectors also discovered that vertical lifelines, support lines and suspension points were attached to the same anchor point, and the company failed to protect lines from sharp edges and abrasion.
OSHA has proposed penalties of $199,000 for the company, based in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
To educate construction workers and employers about how to recognize fall hazards and reduce their risks, OSHA and its partners encourage all employees and employers who face workplace fall hazards to participate in this year's National Safety Stand-Down from May 4-15.
- Conduct a Stand-Down event for your company
- Obtain a certificate of participation
- Access free education and training resources, fact sheets and outreach materials in English and Spanish. Find free Stand-Down events open to the public.
Additional partners for this year's event include the American Society for Safety Engineers; National Safety Council; National Construction Safety Executives; the US Air Force; OSHA-approved state plans; state consultation programs; and OSHA Training Institute Education Centers.
Dupont Yard Inc. Continues Exposing Workers to Hazardous Workplace Conditions
After an October 21, 2014 inspection prompted by a worker complaint, Dupont Yard, Inc., in Homerville, Georgia, was fined $179,388 for health and safety violations. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. Dupont Yard manufactures posts for agricultural projects, highway construction, and produces timber and wood chips.
Since 2010, Dupont has received 47 citations for safety hazards at its Homerville, Georgia facility. The company has been placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law. Under the program, OSHA may inspect any of the employer's facilities or job sites.
"Every day, Dupont Yard employees are being put at risk of serious injury, including amputations, burns or blindness, and in some cases even death," said Robert Vazzi, director of OSHA's Savannah Area Office. "Management's continual disregard for safety standards is endangering workers, and as long as this is happening, OSHA will hold employers' accountable for providing a safe and healthful workplace."
Dollar Tree Store Fined for Safety Violations in Texas
Piled boxes at dangerous heights and blocked exit routes were two of the hazards found at the Houston location of the national discount retailer Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. The hazards, both of which led to repeated citations, were found during an investigation by OSHA inspectors. OSHA proposed $116,200 in penalties for two repeated and four serious violations at the West Gray Street store.
"It's too easy for workers to get crushed under haphazardly stacked boxes, or trapped when exits are blocked," said Mark Briggs, OSHA's area director in the Houston South office. "Hazards like these put worker safety in jeopardy, and failing to correct them is unacceptable."
OSHA's November 2014 inspection of the Houston store was prompted by a complaint that alleged blocked exits in the workplace. Two repeated violations, with a penalty of $103,000, were cited for failure to ensure that exit doors were kept clear and unobstructed and that boxes were stored securely. A repeated violation exists when an employer has been cited previously for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule, or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
The four serious violations, with a penalty of $13,200, were for failing to clearly mark doorways along exit routes; failing to place valve protection caps on compressed helium cylinders; not training workers on fire extinguisher use; and not providing clear access to the breaker box.
In the second half of 2014, OSHA cited Dollar Tree Stores nationwide for more than $900,000 in fines. The Watauga, Texas, store was cited in September 2014 for two willful and three repeated violations, with a penalty of $262,500.
American Air Filter Co. Fined $115,000 for Failing to Guard Machines
A 56-year-old woman suffered a broken left wrist and severe lacerations after coming into contact with moving parts of a high-volume Lebanon machine, a machine used to assemble air filters, at American Air Filter Co., Inc., in Atlanta.
An inspection by OSHA in October 2014 found that the worker was removing glue from the rails of the machine when she dropped her putty knife. While attempting to retrieve it, she made contact with moving machine parts that were not shut down or turned off properly for maintenance and service. . Proposed penalties total $115,500.
"Failing to correct known workplace hazards is a sure way to injure workers. Many times these hazards cause death or permanent disabilities," said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office. "American Air Filter was cited recently for similar hazards and still allows workers to operate equipment without proper safety procedures in place."
The company was issued citations for similar violations in 2014.
One serious violation was also cited for exposing workers to being hit-by and caught-in machines because the employer did not ensure that proper written procedures were followed while employees serviced and maintained equipment.
American Air Filter, with corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, is a privately owned manufacturer of clean air products and systems. The company does business as AAF International and has more than 3,000 employees in 22 countries. It employs approximately 100 workers at the Atlanta facility.
The Atlanta site has been inspected twice in the last five years, resulting in repeated and serious violations in January 2014 and June 2014.
Rollex Corp. Exposes Workers to Cuts, Lacerations, and Amputations, Fined $103,000
By doing so, the company put workers at risk of cuts, lacerations, and amputations.
The company faces $103,000 in proposed penalties.
"More than 200,000 workers are injured by machines in the United States annually. Employees pay the painful price when companies don't follow standards to reduce injuries," said Angeline Loftus, area director of OSHA's Chicago North Office in Des Plaines. "Rollex Corp. needs to act now to put required safety guards in place on large industrial machines that workers use to form and cut steel and aluminum."
Similar violations were found at Rollex Corp. in September 2011 and May 2012.
Workers were also found to be in danger of amputation because machines were not shut down properly before repair and maintenance. The machines were also operated without proper safety devices. A total of five serious safety violations were issued.
Bekaert Corp. Fined $76,000 for Exposing Workers to Amputation, Lead Hazards
Those violations include the company's failure to prevent lead accumulation and contamination, and failure to guard machines to shield workers from cutting blades and moving parts during operation.
The repeated violation, with a penalty of $53,000, was for failing to guard machines to prevent exposure to hazards such as pinch points, and rotating and moving parts. A similar violation at the facility was cited in a November 2011 inspection.
Total proposed penalties were $76,000.
"Without protections, moving machine parts can lead to workers losing limbs," said Carlos Reynolds, OSHA's area director in Little Rock. "It is the responsibility of the employer to find and fix these hazards to keep workers safe."
MF Blouin Faces $63,700 in Penalties for New and Recurring Hazards
MFB Holdings, LLC, doing business as M.F. Blouin, a manufacturer of acrylic and wooden sign holders and displays in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, was fined $63,700 by OSHA for health and safety violations. The Concord Area Office of OSHA opened safety and health inspections on December 1, 2014, to verify that M.F. Blouin had corrected violations cited during OSHA inspections in 2013. The earlier inspections resulted in citations for violations involving chemical safety, hazard communication, electrical equipment, and emergency exit access. The company agreed to correct the cited hazards and paid $21,100 in fines.
The company also failed to determine if employees were exposed to methylene chloride and provide them with respirators, proper eye and face protection, and with medical surveillance.
Exposure to methylene chloride can result in lightheadedness, mental confusion, nausea, vomiting and headaches and, with continued exposure, unconsciousness and even death. Methylene Chloride is a suspected human carcinogen. Other hazards included a too-narrow aisle leading to an emergency exit, mislabeled containers of hazardous chemicals and electrical outlets and equipment located within 20 feet of the spray area where volatile flammable liquids and gases are used. As a result of these conditions, OSHA cited MFB Holdings for six repeat and three serious violations of workplace health and safety standards.
"The recurrence of hazards similar to those we cited in 2013 show that this employer still needs to take additional steps to effectively address these hazards and protect the health and well-being of its employees. These violations should not be happening again," said Rosemarie Ohar Cole, OSHA's New Hampshire area director. "We remind Granite State employers that we can and do conduct follow up inspections to verify that hazards have been eliminated. Never assume that OSHA will "go away" after a case is settled."
Contractor Cited for Willfully Ignoring Fall Protection Standards that Led to Worker's Death
Gerald Moran had completed numerous framing jobs like the one at a new Government Street residence in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Unlike past jobs, this one claimed his life. On November 3, 2014, Moran and two workers installed balcony ceiling planks when Moran lost his balance and fell more than 20 feet. He sustained fatal injuries and died eight days later.
The company that employed Moran, Thomas Matthews Framing, LLC, had not installed safety guardrails on the balcony, which might have saved the life of the 42-year-old father. After learning of Moran's death from news media, inspectors with OSHA began an inspection that led OSHA to cite the company for safety violations.
"This tragedy could have been prevented had Thomas Matthews Framing done what it knew was right and followed OSHA safety standards," said Eugene Stewart, OSHA's area director in Jackson. "Employers cannot choose when to follow these practices. The lives of their workers depend on it."
OSHA issued Thomas Matthews Framing a willful citation for allowing employees to work at heights greater than 6 feet without guardrails or fall protection.
Two serious citations were issued for not providing guardrails on scaffolding more than 10 feet above a lower level and not training workers to recognize and prevent fall hazards. Other violations include not reporting a fatality to OSHA within eight hours.
Thomas Matthews Framing has no previous OSHA inspection history. Proposed penalties total $58,700.
The page offers fact sheets, posters, and videos that vividly illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures.
Mid-America Steel Products Inc. Exposes Workers to Multiple Hazards
Mid-America Steel Products, Inc., doing business as American Sports Medical Industries in Corning, Arkansas, was inspected by OSHA in December 2014.
The serious violations include failing to maintain a hearing conservation program for workers exposed to noise levels greater than 85 decibels, failing to provide required training, and not guarding machinery.
Proposed penalties total $41,200.
"When an employer fails to train workers and establish an energy control program, that employer is choosing to expose workers who service or maintain equipment to serious physical harm or death. And, that is unacceptable," said Carlos Reynolds, OSHA's area director in Little Rock.
Ringling Bros. to Enhance Safety after Fall Injures 9 Workers
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, will implement ongoing safety enhancements in aerial acts to protect employees against injuries like those sustained by its aerialists during a May 4, 2014, performance in Providence, Rhode Island. Feld Entertainment, Inc., headquartered in Palmetto, Florida, owns the circus.
The proactive measures are part of a settlement agreement with the US Department of Labor concerning a citation issued to the circus by OSHA in connection with a 2014 incident in which eight employees were badly hurt. They were performing an act called a “Hair Hang” when the carabiner used to support them failed and they fell more than 15 feet to the ground. The aerialists, along with a ninth employee who was struck by the falling workers, sustained serious injuries.
OSHA’s inspection determined that the carabiner used to lift performers was not loaded according to manufacturer’s instructions. The agency cited the circus for one serious violation of occupational safety standards and proposed the maximum fine of $7,000. The circus initially contested its citation and penalties to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
“This agreement goes beyond this one case. It commits Ringling Bros. to continual, effective and detailed corrective action that will address and enhance safety for all its aerial acts, so that catastrophic incidents, such as the Providence fall and the needless worker injuries that resulted, never happen again,” said Patrick Griffin, OSHA’s area director in Rhode Island.
“We sought and achieved a settlement that will maximize safety for the circus’ employees and minimize the possibility of future falls and injuries. It’s incumbent upon the circus to follow through on its pledge with a thorough, effective, proactive and continuous safety program,” said Michael Felsen, the department’s regional solicitor of labor for New England.
Under the settlement, the circus agrees to take the following actions on an ongoing basis:
- All new and existing aerial acts will be reviewed by a registered professional engineer
- For each act, assemble and provide to each circus unit a technical book
- Develop a written checklist for equipment and hardware inspections for each act
- Each circus unit will conduct an annual safety day that will address employee safety topics
The circus will also pay the full OSHA fine and submit documentation that the hazard has been corrected and preventive measures put in place. The settlement will become a final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission on May 13, 2015.
The Providence Area Office conducted the OSHA investigation. Senior trial attorney Carol J. Swetow of the department’s regional Office of the Solicitor in Boston litigated the case for OSHA.
Indiana Department of Labor and Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association Sign Workplace Safety Alliance
The IDOL and IRMCA will work together to share information and develop best worker safety and health practices for the ready mixed concrete industry.
“The Indiana Department of Labor is always looking for new ways to reach out to the business community,” said IDOL Commissioner Rick J. Ruble. “Working with the Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association and its member companies will help further promote the message of workplace safety and health excellence.”
According to the most recently published workplace safety and health statistics, the overall non-fatal worker injury and illness rate in 2013 was 3.8 per 100 workers. This rate represents a record low for the state and a one-year decrease of 5%. The national non-fatal worker injury and illness rate average for the ready-mix concrete manufacturing was 4.4 per 100 workers.
“Since our founding in 1943, the safety of our members has been a priority for the Indiana Ready Mixed Concrete Association,” said Association President Matt Haehl. “We look forward to combining resources with the Indiana Department of Labor and working together to keep Indiana’s concrete workers safe and healthy on the job.”
The goals of the alliance include:
- Increase communication between the IDOL and IRMCA and its members
- Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health
- Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on topics directly affecting safety and health issues
Spruce Park Auto Body Recognized for Workplace Safety
Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Heidi Drygas approved Spruce Park Auto Body, Inc., for the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program renewal as a result of outstanding employee safety and health programs.
“Our staff here at Spruce Park Auto Body has always welcomed AKOSH’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) into our facility for safety maintenance,” said shop manager Ken Perrault. “Although we independently make every effort to keep our facility safe, working together with AKOSH safety consultants helps to identify additional potential hazards that may be overlooked in our day-to-day operations. This proactive method of identifying hazards keeps us informed on new materials and techniques to add to work area and employee safety. We look forward to continuing our relationship with AKOSH and the SHARP program in the future to ensure our employees continue to have a safe work environment.”
SHARP is a federal recognition program, administered by the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health Section in the department’s Labor Standards and Safety Division. Participating employers are excused from programmed AKOSH enforcement inspections during the recognition period. However, employee complaints, accident investigations, or other significant incidents will result in enforcement action.
Companies that partner with AKOSH and achieve SHARP status are likely to experience fewer workplace accidents and reduced workers’ compensation insurance costs.
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