"These new materials can help prevent hospital worker injuries and improve patient safety, while reducing costs,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. "At the heart of these materials are the lessons from high-performing hospitals that have implemented best practices to reduce workplace injuries while also improving patient safety.”
The website's materials on safe patient handling are designed to address the most common type of injuries hospital workers face, and hospitals can use these resources to protect their workers, improve patient safety and reduce costs.
Hospital workers face serious hazards, including: lifting and moving patients, workplace violence, slips and falls, exposure to chemicals and hazardous drugs, exposures to infectious diseases and needlesticks. In 2012, US hospitals recorded 250,000 work-related injuries and illnesses, almost 60,000 of which caused employees to miss work. Nationwide, workers' compensation losses result in a total annual expense of $2 billion for hospitals.
Did You Miss OSHA’s December 1 GHS Hazard Communication Training Deadline? Use Environmental Resource Center’s GHS OSHA Hazard Communication Training PowerPoint
With OSHA’s adoption of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals, virtually every chemical label, MSDS—now called Safety Data Sheet (SDS), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard.
OSHA’s December 1, 2013, deadline under the revised Hazard Communication Standard required that all employees at your site who work with, or are exposed to, hazardous chemicals be trained to understand the new classification system, labels, warning statements, precautions, pictograms, and safety data sheets for chemicals at your worksite.
Environmental Resource Center is making available a PDF presentation or a customizable PowerPoint that you can use for on-site worker training. The training program, which is designed to cover your site’s GHS Hazard Communication training requirements, is in a format that is easy to understand.
Price and options:
Multiple PDF copies can be purchased for $99/copy (1–10), $79/copy (11–20), or $69/copy (21+).
Multiple PowerPoint copies can be purchased for $199/copy (1–10), $179/copy (11–20), or $169/copy (21+).
Options*:
1. Customized PowerPoint: Send us your written GHS hazard communication plan and 10–20 safety data sheets. We’ll create a custom training program for your site: $899
2. If you have not updated your hazard communication plan, let Environmental Resource Center update it for you: $799
3. Customized PowerPoint and hazard communication plan: $1600
*Call 800-537-2372 for Spanish pricing
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.
US Minerals Facility Fined $195,470 for Repeatedly Exposing Workers to Hazards
The company faces $195,470 in penalties after a July 2013 inspection found repeat violations at the Baldwin facility.
"US Minerals continues to expose workers to hazards associated with energy control procedures, including willfully violating lockout and tagout procedures and exposing workers to amputation hazards," said Thomas Bielema, OSHA's area director in Peoria. "US Minerals repeatedly has been cited at this facility and others for failing to protect workers from these hazards. OSHA is committed to ensuring employers abide by the law, which requires common-sense safety practices that US Minerals must follow."
Two willful violations were cited during this inspection. One was for failing to have guards on standard railings, which exposed workers to fall hazards of up to 40 feet. The second was for the company's failure to ensure that lockout/tagout procedures were applied to prevent the unexpected start-up of equipment while employees performed service and maintenance. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for, or plain indifference to, employee safety and health.
Three repeat violations were cited for failing to develop, document and utilize procedures for servicing equipment where more than one employee was performing tasks; conduct an annual inspection of energy control procedures; and ensure that each authorized employee affixed a lockout device to energy isolating devices prior to performing service and maintenance.
A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited 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. US Minerals was cited for this violation at the Baldwin plant in 2010.
Additionally, one serious violation was issued for failing to provide personal protective equipment that would prevent falls by employees working on top of equipment. 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.
Following an inspection in June 2010, OSHA issued a $466,400 penalty to the company's Baldwin facility in September of that year, citing 35 health and safety violations for willfully exposing workers to dangerously high levels of hazardous dust and failing to provide adequate breathing protection.
As a result of the conditions found in Baldwin, OSHA initiated inspections of the company's three other facilities. At the company's location in Coffeen, OSHA issued 28 health and safety citations in December 2010. In November 2010, the company's operation in Harvey, Louisiana, was cited for 30 violations, while its Galveston, Texas, facility was cited for 38 violations.
The program focuses on employers with a history of safety violations that endanger workers by demonstrating indifference to their responsibilities under the law. This enforcement tool includes mandatory OSHA follow-up inspections and inspections of other work sites of the same employer where similar hazards and deficiencies may be present.
US Minerals, LLC, with headquarters in Dyer, Indiana, manufactures abrasive blasting and roofing materials from slag produced at coal-fired power plants.
Indianapolis RCRA, DOT, and IATA/IMO Training
Atlanta RCRA, DOT, and SARA Training
Tampa RCRA and DOT Training
OSHA Finds 17 Violations at Veterans Affairs Medical Facility
OSHA has issued a notice of unsafe and unhealthful working conditions for 17 violations found during inspections of a US Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility in White City, Oregon. OSHA began the inspections in April as a part of a Local Emphasis Program, which includes the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics. OSHA's Portland Area Office has conducted 15 inspections of VA medical facilities in Oregon in the last five years, resulting in 20 repeat and 39 serious violations.
OSHA issued notices for 10 serious violations including: lack of adequate controls for infectious disease; inadequate exposure control plan, which potentially exposed transitional work employees to bloodborne pathogens; and lack of access to rapid HIV tests after occupational exposures. Additionally, the inspection found improperly stored sharps containers and flammable materials, and negligence in maintaining facilities.
Five repeat safety violations were also identified. The site had not reviewed or updated its annual bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan to determine if safer medical devices could have replaced existing devices not equipped with inherent safety features. Employees were also found administering treatments without the appropriate personal protection equipment. Other repeat violations included: lack of training in the use of powered industrial trucks, lack of protective barriers from steam lines, and unguarded saw blades.
"The serious and recurring nature of the violations warrant concern," said Andrea J. Reid, acting director of OSHA's Portland Area Office. "These hazards demonstrate a need for a renewed commitment by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide a consistently safe workplace, beginning with adequate annual reviews of safety and health programs."
As required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, federal agencies must comply with the same safety standards as private sector employers. The federal agency equivalent to a private-sector "citation" is a notice of unsafe and unhealthful working conditions, informing agency officials of OSHA violations and citable program elements of 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1960 – Elements for Federal Employee Occupational Safety and Health Programs. Unlike the private sector, OSHA does not impose penalties to federal agencies. However, the equivalent private-sector penalty for these violations would be $153,000.
US Postal Service Facility Fined $144,000 for Energy Control and Fall Protection Violations
The citations are the result of a complaint inspection in June that found a lack of both energy control procedures and fall protection at the facility.
"The Postal Service failed to implement necessary safety procedures and to ensure the workers in the Champaign facility were trained to lockout machinery to prevent injury," said Tom Bielema, director of OSHA's Peoria Area Office. "All employers are responsible for recognizing hazards in their facilities and addressing them by following OSHA standards."
OSHA's inspection found that the workers, who scanned mail and placed it on a conveyor to be dumped into the appropriate bag or container, had been instructed to push an e-stop before clearing jams. The workers are not trained or authorized to lockout equipment to prevent the unintentional operation of the conveyor while clearing jams, which may expose them to laceration and amputation hazards. Operators may occasionally remove a panel, access an overhead conveyor or use a shepherd's hook to clear the jam.
Four repeat safety violations were cited, including failing to conduct periodic inspections of all energy control procedures and ensure energy devices were operated in a manner to isolate the equipment from the energy source and ensure that a lockout or tagout device was affixed to each device by authorized employees. Other violations included failing to protect workers from falls while clearing jams on an overhead conveyor and ensure that risers were uniform in height on all stairways.
Similar violations were cited in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 at Postal Service facilities in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Greensboro, North Carolina; Lewistown, Montana; and Elgin, South Carolina.
Three serious violations involve lack of appropriate guarding on conveyors to prevent packages from falling off the conveyor, failing to ensure that employees were adequately trained in the purpose and use of energy control procedures and a lack of stair railings on each open side of a stairway.
One other-than-serious violation was cited for failing to ensure that the certification of the periodic inspection of energy control procedures included the name of the employees included in the inspection. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.
Worker Fatally Injured at Missouri Feed and Farm Supplier
MFA, Inc., has been cited for 13 serious safety violations by OSHA after a worker was fatally injured on August 26 at the Aurora-based milling plant. The worker landed on a first floor concrete area after falling about 40 feet from a man lift used to transport materials in the facility.
"This was a terrible, preventable tragedy that underscores the importance of OSHA's standards. Employers are required to use equipment in accordance with manufacturer's specifications," said Barbara Theriot, OSHA's area director in Kansas City, Missouri. "Employers are responsible for identifying hazards, providing safety precautions such as guard rails and ensuring workers follow proper procedures to prevent injury or death."
MFA, Inc., has been cited for 13 serious violations, including: failing to guard open-sided floors throughout the plant with varying fall distances up to 20 feet, inadequate footing space on industrial ladders creating fall distances up to 125 feet, failing to inspect man lifts every 30 days, failing to have guarded belts and pulleys on machinery, and failing to use proper connectors, thus exposing workers to electrical conductors on motors.
Other violations included failing to have two exit doors, obstructed exits and unmarked and poorly lighted exit routes. The company also received a citation for failing to have an alarm system to warn workers of fires and other emergencies.
MFA, Inc., is a milling plant that grinds products to be used in farm and pet foods. Proposed fines total $91,000.
Unsafe Trench in Texas Leads to Worker Injury and Fatality
OSHA has cited Municipal District Services, LLC, in Cypress, Texas, for one willful violation after a December 2013 trenching collapse in Cypress resulted in a fatality and an injury.
The trench was 16 feet long, 5 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet deep. Two workers entered the unprotected trench to clean up and cut a broken pipe. After approximately five to ten minutes inside the trench, the south wall of the excavation caved in.
"Excavation and trenching are among the most hazardous construction operations, but they can be performed in a safe manner by using proper safety equipment, such as trench boxes, consistently," said David Doucet, OSHA's area director in the Houston North Office.
A willful violation, with a penalty of $63,000, was cited for failing to provide cave-in protection for workers in a trench or excavation.
Municipal District Services provides wastewater treatment and water construction services.
Connecticut Manufacturer Fined $55,300 for Chemical Hazards
OSHA has cited StanChem, Inc., for 13 serious violations of workplace safety standards at its East Berlin, Connecticut, manufacturing plant. The manufacturer of specialty coatings and polymers faces a total of $55,300 in proposed fines following an inspection by OSHA's Hartford Area Office.
In this case, the hazardous chemical is the flammable liquid, vinyl acetate, which is used in large amounts at the company's plant.
"The requirements of OSHA's process safety management standards are stringent and comprehensive because failure to effectively implement a process safety management program can lead to a catastrophic incident," said Warren Simpson, OSHA's area director in Hartford. "The safety and well-being of the plant's employees are dependent on the employer effectively addressing all conditions, equipment and procedures involved in the polymer manufacturing process."
Specifically, OSHA found 13 serious violations because the company: lacked complete information about process equipment; failed to determine and document that the equipment met good engineering practices; lacked written procedures to manage changes to the process; had incomplete or outdated process hazard analyses; did not resolve process hazard analysis recommendations in a timely manner; failed to promptly address and resolve findings from a 2012 incident report; did not conduct a compliance audit of the process every three years and did not document correction of deficiencies cited in an earlier compliance audit.
Lazarus Energy LLC Fined $43,000 for Process Safety Management Violations
OSHA has cited Lazarus Energy, LLC, for 11 safety violations, with proposed penalties totaling $43,400, mainly for exposing workers to chemical hazards at its Nixon refinery. The inspection, which began in July 2013 after a referral from the EPA, focused on the refinery's process safety management program for handling flammable liquids in excess of 10,000 lb.
"Process safety management programs are designed to prevent the catastrophic release of highly hazardous chemicals and must constantly be updated," said Casey Perkins, OSHA's area director in Austin. "The refinery, in this case, needs to ensure all equipment, processes and new installations receive the proper evaluation and scrutiny before the production of highly hazardous chemicals."
In this case, the majority of violations relate to potential fire and explosion hazards stemming from the distillation of sweet crude oil into products, such as naphtha, kerosene, and diesel fuels.
The 10 serious process safety management violations cited include failing to compile process safety information for piping, vessels, and other equipment properly; update and complete a thorough process hazard analysis; resolve previous process hazard analysis action items; update communication operating procedures; compile and implement written procedures for mechanical integrity; and implement a management of change program.
The other-than-serious violation involves failing to initiate and maintain record keeping of the OSHA 300 injury and illness logs for the 2012 calendar year.
Best Buy in Brooklyn Cited for Blocked Emergency Exits
After receiving a complaint about a blocked exit at a Brooklyn Best Buy store, and a consequent inspection, OSHA cited the national electronics chain for one repeat violation of a workplace safety standard. The retailer, which had previously been cited for the same condition, faces a proposed fine of $27,500.
"Retail operations can and do contain significant hazards. This was not the first time that Best Buy has been cited for this type of hazard," said Kay Gee, OSHA's area director for Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. "Employers must take effective steps to ensure that safety measures are in place and in use at all their workplaces and that hazards do not recur."
OSHA's Manhattan Area Office opened its inspection on December 2, 2013, after a concerned shopper provided the agency with a photograph showing an apparently blocked exit at the 625 Atlantic Ave. store. Inspectors found a storefront exit obstructed by an equipment rack, printer, and stacked boxes, potentially hindering a swift and safe means of egress for workers in an emergency. OSHA had cited Best Buy in December 2008 for a similar violation at a store in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
"One way to prevent hazards before they occur is for an employer to implement an effective illness and injury prevention program in which they will work with their employees to identify, address and eliminate hazards," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York.
OSHA to Hold Meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health
OSHA will hold a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health February 11–12, 2014, in Washington, D.C. A work group meeting will be held on February 11 and the full committee will meet on February 12.
NACOSH was established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to advise the secretaries of labor and health and human services on occupational safety and health programs and policies.
The tentative agenda includes remarks from Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health and Dr. John Howard, director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NACOSH Work Group report and consideration of work group recommendations and public comments.
The full committee meeting will be held from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. in Room C-5320-6, US Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20210. Some committee members will participate by teleconference. The work group will meet from 1–4 p.m., February 11 in Room C-5320-6.
Submissions may also be sent by mail or facsimile. See the Federal Register notice for details. Comments must be submitted by February 4, 2014.
OSHA Extends Deadline to Submit Nominations for Membership to the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health
OSHA is extending the deadline for interested individuals to submit nominations to serve on the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health. OSHA is seeking to fill two federal agency management representatives and three labor organization representatives.
FACOSH advises the secretary of labor on matters relating to federal employees’ occupational safety and health. This includes providing advice on how to reduce the number of injuries and illnesses in the federal workforce and how to encourage each federal executive branch department and agency to establish and maintain effective occupational safety and health programs.
OSHA originally published a Federal Register notice requesting submission of nominations by November 5, 2013. The agency is providing additional time to obtain an adequate number of candidates who meet membership requirements and qualifications.
See the Federal Register notice for details. Nominations must be submitted by March 10, 2014.
MIOSHA Reminds Employers They Must Post Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses
Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) Director Martha Yoder reminds Michigan employers they are required to post the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2013.
Employers must post the MIOSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) for three months, from February 1 to April 30, 2014.
"Outstanding Michigan employers use the MIOSHA recordkeeping logs as the foundation for a proactive safety and health system that protects their workers," said MIOSHA Director Martha Yoder. "These employers not only provide a safe and healthy work environment - they reap the added ‘Bottom Line' benefits of improved quality and increased productivity."
One of the most important components to an employer's total safety and health effort is accurate recordkeeping.
Here's why:
- Conscientious and detailed records can provide employers with a clear picture of their work environment, and can help prevent work-related injuries and illnesses in the future
- Injury and illness data can help identify problem areas. The more you know, the better you can identify and correct hazardous workplace conditions
- Employers can better administer company safety and health programs with accurate records
- As employee awareness about injuries, illnesses, and hazards in the workplace increases, workers are more likely to follow safe work practices and report workplace hazards
MIOSHA requires most Michigan employers with 11 or more employees to log and maintain records of work-related injuries and illnesses, and to make those records available during MIOSHA inspections of the workplace.
"Employee participation is a key strategy in any effective workplace safety and health system," said Yoder. "When employers and employees have accurate information, they can work together to design long-lasting safety and health solutions."
These records include: MIOSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses); MIOSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report); and MIOSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). The summary must list the total numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in the previous year and were logged on the MIOSHA Form 300. Employment information about annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is also required to assist in calculating incidence rates.
Companies with no injuries and illnesses during the previous year are still required to post the MIOSHA Form 300A with zeros entered on the total line. A company executive must certify that the totals are correct and sign the form, which is then displayed wherever notices to employees are usually posted.
Employers with 10 or fewer employees and employers in certain industry groups (retail trade, finance, insurance and real estate, and certain services industries) are normally exempt from the MIOSHA recordkeeping and posting requirements. These exemptions do not exclude any employer from coverage by MIOSHA or from compliance with all applicable safety and health standards.
This site includes: general guidelines, the forms, and frequent Q & As. To receive the required forms, employers can also call 517-322-1851.
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