Respirators are used to protect against exposures to airborne transmissible infectious diseases as well as chemicals and certain drugs that may be used in healthcare settings.
“Hospitals are one of the most hazardous places to work,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “One of the ways that we can protect workers in a health care setting is by providing employers with the resources needed to ensure a safe workplace. This toolkit will help protect those workers who dedicate their lives to caring for others.”
“Appropriate respiratory protection is a vital line of defense against airborne hazards hospital workers might face on the job,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “This toolkit is an important resource to help health care employers ensure their workers are out of harm’s way when it comes to respiratory hazards.”
The toolkit covers respirator use, existing public health guidance on respirator use during exposure to infectious diseases, hazard assessment, the development of a hospital respiratory protection program, and additional resources and references on hospital respiratory protection programs. Appendix D is an editable document that each hospital can customize to meet its specific needs.
The monograph, produced in collaboration with NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, identifies common implementation challenges, provides specific examples of innovative strategies from healthcare organizations and examines the role of leadership, quality improvement, fit testing and training challenges, and program evaluation.
“Respiratory protection programs enhance safety for both workers and patients, but there are many common challenges associated with their implementation,” said Ana McKee, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer, The Joint Commission. “We hope that by showcasing the innovative and effective strategies used by health care organizations across the country to overcome some of these challenges, hospitals can learn from one another as they implement and improve their own respiratory protection programs.”
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.
Orlando RCRA and DOT Training
Baltimore RCRA, DOT, and IATA/IMO Training
Chattanooga RCRA and DOT Training
California Lists Bisphenol A as Known to Cause Reproductive Toxicity
Effective May 11, 2015, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is adding bisphenol A (BPA) (CAS No. 80-05-7) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity for purposes of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 651).
BPA was considered by the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) in its official capacity as the “state’s qualified experts” (SQE) at a public meeting held on May 7, 2015. The DARTIC determined that BPA was clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause reproductive toxicity, based on the female reproductive endpoint. Regulations for listing of chemicals by the DARTIC are set out in Title 27, California Code of Regulations, section 25305(b)(1).
New Study Examines Relationship between Firefighters and Cancers in California
Black and Hispanic firefighters were found to have increased risks for more types of cancer than white firefighters. For the purposes of the study, only adult male subjects were included.
In this study, which used data from 1988-2007, firefighters were found to have increased risks for several cancers, including melanoma, acute myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the esophagus, prostate, brain, and kidney. Black and Hispanic firefighters, unlike white firefighters, were also found to have increased risks for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia and cancers of the tongue, testis, and bladder.
“California has the largest statewide cancer registry in the country,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “This focused study generates novel findings for firefighters of various race and ethnicities and strengthens the body of evidence to support the association between firefighting and several specific cancers.”
This study, now available online by the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, included more firefighters with cancer than any previous study. This allowed authors to assess the association between firefighters and the development of 32 different cancers in all firefighters combined, and firefighters of various races and ethnicities. Of the 32 cancers assessed, the risks of 14 cancers were significantly elevated in one or more firefighter groups. Black and Hispanic firefighters had significantly increased risk for more cancers than white firefighters, which speaks to the need for further investigation of cancer risks among various race and ethnicities within this profession.
Several Chemicals Listed as Known to Cause Reproductive Toxicity
Effective October 1, 2015, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is adding atrazine, propazine, simazine, des-ethyl atrazine (DEA), des-isopropyl atrazine (DIA) and 2,3-diamino-6-chloro-s-triazine (DACT) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity for purposes of Proposition 651.
The listing of these six chemicals is based on formal identification by the US EPA, an authoritative body, of these six chemicals as causing reproductive toxicity (developmental and female reproductive endpoints). The criteria used by OEHHA for the listing of chemicals under the “authoritative bodies” mechanism can be found in Title 27, Cal. Code of Regs., section 25306.
The documentation supporting OEHHA’s determination that the criteria for administrative listing have been satisfied for atrazine, propazine, simazine, DACT, DEA, and DIA is included in the Notice of Intent to List posted on OEHHA’s website and published in the February 7, 2014 issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register (Register 2014, No. 6-Z).
NIOSH, ASSE Release Overlapping Vulnerabilities Report
A new report from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) examines why Latino immigrant workers younger than 25, who are employed by small construction firms, have higher injury and fatality rates than those of the construction industry as a whole.
Lloyd Industries Inc. Fined Over $1 Million for Repeatedly Endangering Workers
Lloyd Industries, Inc., manufacturers the ventilation, duct, and fire safety products used at places like New York's Chrysler Building, Philadelphia International Airport, and the stadiums the New York Yankees and Baltimore Ravens call home.
Since 2000, Lloyd has shown a pattern of defiance toward OSHA safety standards. In one instance, OSHA officials were forced to summon US federal marshals to gain entrance when Lloyd refused to admit them, even after they obtained a warrant.
Despite numerous federal inspections, warnings, fines, and promises to stop putting workers at risk, the company's repeated failure to keep its employees safe has resulted in approximately 40 serious injuries since 2000.
After an inspection prompted by a gruesome injury in July 2014, OSHA levied $822,000 in fines against Lloyd Industries, Inc., bringing the company's total OSHA fines to more than $1 million since 2000.
"William Lloyd and Lloyd Industries are serial violators of OSHA safety standards, and their workers have paid the price," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "No employer is above the law. For 15 years, they have repeatedly put their employees at risk of serious injuries. This must stop now."
In the July incident, the die on a press brake machine dropped on a worker's right hand, resulting in the amputation of three fingers. The machine lacked required safety guards and had not worked properly before the incident—a fact of which the owner was aware.
Since 2000, William Lloyd has shown a pattern of defiance toward OSHA safety standards: Inspectors find violations, including the absence of safety guards to prevent serious injuries from moving machine parts. Lloyd then agrees to correct the hazardous conditions and accepts OSHA penalties, but similar violations are found when the inspectors return. In one instance, OSHA officials were forced to summon US federal marshals to gain entrance to the plant when Lloyd refused to admit them, even after they obtained a warrant.
During one inspection, Lloyd complained to OSHA inspectors that the machine guards that protected his employees slowed production. The testing only resumed in December 2014, after OSHA's investigation.
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. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists.
Investigators often find various upsetters, power press brakes, and forging machines used in the plant lack adequate safety mechanisms.
U.S. Aqua Vac Cited in Death of Diver
When a 23-year-old diver descended to the bottom of a New Albany pond in November 2014, he thought his air supply would last during underwater work. He drowned when his air supply depleted while SCUBA diving.
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.
“This man’s family has been devastated by this preventable tragedy,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA’s area director in Columbus. “Without training and protective equipment, U.S. Aqua Vac’s divers are put at risk. The company is responsible for the safety and well-being of its employees above and below the water.”
Sadly, this wasn’t the first diving fatality for U.S. Aqua Vac. In 2009, an employee died at work in a retention pond in Deerfield, Illinois.
Inspectors also found that U.S. Aqua Vac divers were not provided with two way communication devices, a guard at the end of a suction hose, a standby diver, and depth gauges for surface-supplied air. The company also failed to assess conditions before diving operations began and provide a safe practices manual. The company also did not train the New Albany dive team in CPR, pressure test hoses or maintain equipment. It also failed to provide a manual resuscitation mask, first-aid equipment, or quick-release dive weight belts.
OSHA has proposed penalties of $223,454 for the company, which is based in Hebron, Indiana, and specializes in muck, sludge, and silt removal from lakes and ponds across the nation.
Burnett Dairy Cooperative Fined $193,200 for Exposing Workers to Deadly Grain Engulfments
For most of his adult life, a 52-year-old man avoided the dangers of working at a Grantsburg feed mill. In November 2014, he was trying to unclog a sump when he was engulfed by corn and died in a grain bin.
Inspectors found that Burnett did not follow safety standards for entering grain bins; failed to deactivate a drag conveyor; and allowed the worker to be in the bin while the corn was moving.
"Many people lost a loved one and friend that day-a wife and five children and co-workers that had known him for more than 30 years," said Mark Hysell, OSHA's area director in Eau Claire. "It takes seconds to become trapped in flowing grain. Burnett Dairy is familiar with the precautions to protect its workers, but failed to follow them. Life or limb should never be the cost of doing business."
OSHA's inspection found Burnett exposed the worker to engulfment hazards by not following required grain handling and energy control procedures, which included having the drag conveyor running when the employee entered the grain bin. Burnett also failed to ensure confined space and energy control procedures were implemented and enforced throughout the rest of the feed mill. A confined space, such as a grain bin, is one large enough for workers to enter and perform certain jobs. It also has limited or restricted means for entry or exit and is not designed for continuous occupancy.
In 2010, following the deaths of at least 26 US workers in grain bin entrapments, the highest number on record, OSHA focused its enforcement effort on the grain and feed industry's six major danger areas. These include engulfment, falls, auger entanglement, struck-by, combustible dust, and electrocution hazards. OSHA has also published information related to common grain industry hazards and abatement methods, proper bin entry techniques, sweep auger use, and many other grain-related topics.
Forever 21 Retail Inc. Fined $165,000 for Obstructed Exit Routes
The fashion retailer’s employees at Westfarms Mall in Farmington, Connecticut, were among the chain’s workers put at risk of not being able to exit the store swiftly because of fire or another emergency, US Department of Labor inspectors determined after receiving a complaint.
“Emergency exits and hallways were blocked by store inventory. Boxes were unsafely stacked, which created serious safety threats,” said Warren Simpson, OSHA area director in the Hartford Area Office. “Four stockroom employees were assigned to work in these conditions. At the time of the inspection, they were working around-the-clock before Black Friday, when inventory levels were higher.”
During the November 2014 inspection, boxes were stored in the hallway leading from the retail space to an emergency exit, which reduced the exit to 23 inches of passable space. Required space for exits is a minimum of 28 inches. Additionally, the emergency exit routes were obstructed by piles of boxes as high as 10 feet. Boxes were stored unstably and could fall and injure workers.
Forever 21 employees have been exposed to these dangers previously. OSHA has conducted 37 inspections of company stores in the past five years. It cited the women’s fashion retailer 12 times for similar hazards, including stores in Bridgewater, New Jersey, in 2012 and Burlington, Massachusetts, in 2013. Proposed fines total $165,000 for the conditions at the Westfarms Mall store.
“The company’s corporate office is responsible for safety and health requirements at retail locations nationwide, yet it allows these hazards to occur repeatedly,” said Simpson. “Forever 21 must take steps to address these types of hazards effectively at its stores.”
HBD/Thermoid Faces $134,000 in Fines for 11 OSHA Safety Violations
In May 2014, a worker was killed after being caught in an industrial machine at the company's North Carolina location.
"HBD/Thermoid must act now and put required safety guards on large industrial machines. These machines are used by workers who cut and manufacturer rubber hoses at the company's six facilities across the country," said Kim Nelson, area director of OSHA's Toledo office. "Each year, more than 200,000 workers are injured by machines in the United States. Each day, an average of 12 workers are killed on-the-job. Employees and their families pay the painful price emotionally and economically when companies don't follow standards to reduce injuries."
A willful violation was cited for failing to protect workers from the operating parts of hose balers and hose feed equipment during the manufacturing process.
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 10 serious safety violations were issued.
HBD/Thermoid employs about 1,000 workers corporate wide and manufactures hoses used in a variety of industries, such as transportation, food processing, and agriculture. The company also has facilities in Bell Gardens, California; Chanute, Kansas; Salisbury, North Carolina; Oneida, Tennessee; and Eglin, South Carolina.
USA Technologies Fined $114,000 for Machine Hazard Violations
Workers stamping metal automotive parts at a Peoria manufacturer were at risk of lacerations and amputations and in danger of being struck-by robotic welding equipment because their employer ignored machine safety rules.
“Employees pay the painful price when companies don’t follow standards. Each year about 3 million workers in America are injured on-the-job. That is unacceptable,” said Thomas Bielema, area director of OSHA’s Peoria Area Office. “With common-sense safety procedures, including installing safety guards on large industrial machines and training workers in safety procedures, USA Technologies can protect workers from injuries that may keep them from earning a living.”
Employees were also found to be in danger of amputation because power presses were not shut down properly before repair and maintenance tasks, such as die-setting.
All Steel Products Exposes Workers to Machine, Chemical, and Fire Hazards
A metal tube manufacturer put workers at risk of lacerations, amputations, and potential explosion and fire by ignoring standard safety rules for machines and storing flammable materials in open containers near propane heaters where they might ignite.
Acting on a complaint, OSHA inspectors completed a safety review at All Steel Products, Inc., of Vandalia, Illinois, in December 2014 and found one repeated, 25 serious, and one other-than-serious safety and health violations at the metal fabrication facility. The company faces $109,900 in proposed penalties.
"All Steel must act now to address these concerns and reduce the risks its employees face. Common sense safety procedures are needed, such as installing safety guards on large industrial machines and storing flammable materials and waste properly. The company also needs to implement safety and health programs, including proper machine shutdown during maintenance and service, ensuring their employees understand workplace hazards and respiratory protection," said Aaron Priddy, area director of OSHA's Fairview Heights Area Office. "Employees pay a painful price when companies don't follow standards."
Amputation hazards
- A metal band-saw blade had no safety guard, a violation OSHA found at this same facility in January 2011
Explosion and fire hazards
- Propane heaters were used near gloves and rags soiled with flammable materials
- Combustible waste materials were not stored properly and disposed of daily
- Fire extinguishers were not maintained
- Hazardous chemicals were not stored properly
- Employees were not trained on procedures for handling hazardous chemicals
- Employees were not trained on respiratory standards, including medical evaluation, proper fitting and respirators
- Numerous violations were also found
Hanby Farms' Exposes Workers to Grain Bin Dangers, Fined $102,900
It takes only 60 seconds for a worker to be submerged in flowing grain; more than half of those engulfed in grain die. Workers at Hanby Farms in Nashport, Ohio, were exposed to being buried in grain or overcome by noxious fumes because the company did not verify that conditions were safe before allowing employees to enter bins at the grain elevator and feed mill.
"Grain bins can become lethal in seconds," said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA's area director in Columbus.
After the deaths of more than 26 US workers in grain bin entrapments in 2010—the highest number on record—OSHA focused its enforcement effort on the grain and feed industry's six major danger areas. These include engulfment, falls, auger entanglement, struck-by, combustible dust, and electrocution hazards. OSHA has also published information related to common grain industry hazards and abatement methods, proper bin entry techniques, sweep auger use, and many other grain-related topics.
Federal Safety Investigators Find Serious Failures in 2014 Toxic Release in Texas
Four workers killed by a lethal gas in November 2014 would be alive today had their employer, DuPont, taken steps to protect them, a US Department of Labor investigation found.
OSHA recently cited DuPont for 11 safety violations and identified scores of safety upgrades the company must undertake to prevent future accidents at its Lannate/API manufacturing building in La Porte. The company employs 313 workers who manufacture crop protection materials and chemicals there.
"Four people lost their lives and their families lost loved ones because DuPont did not have proper safety procedures in place," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "Had the company assessed the dangers involved, or trained their employees on what to do if the ventilation system stopped working, they might have had a chance."
The fatal incident occurred as one worker was overwhelmed when methyl mercaptan gas was unexpectedly released when she opened a drain on a methyl mercaptan vent line. Two co-workers who came to her aid were also overcome. None of the three wore protective respirators. A fourth co-worker—the brother of one of the fallen men—attempted a rescue, but was unsuccessful. All four people died in the building.
Methyl mercaptan is a colorless gas with a strong odor. It is used in pesticides, jet fuels, and plastics. At dangerous levels of exposure, the gas depresses the central nervous system and affects the respiratory center, producing death by respiratory paralysis.
The repeat violation was assessed for not training employees on using the building's ventilation system and other safety procedures, such as how to respond if the fans stopped working. In July 2010, DuPont was cited for a similar violation.
OSHA has fined the company $99,000.
Headquartered in Delaware, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., (commonly known as DuPont) was founded in 1802 and was incorporated in Delaware in 1915. The company is a global leader in the agriculture and nutrition industries. DuPont employs about 63,000 people with operations in about 90 countries worldwide.
Cal/OSHA Cites Two Companies for Lack of Safeguards Resulting in Accidental Amputation
Cal/OSHA issued citations totaling $90,935 to C.C. Myers, Inc., and $7,200 to Terry Equipment, Inc., following an accident in which an employee of C.C. Myers was pulled into an unguarded concrete placer machine. The 35-year-old man was cleaning the hopper of the machine owned by Terry Equipment, and sustained traumatic injuries to his right leg that resulted in subsequent complete amputation to the hipbone.
“No employee should be at risk of such a serious injury on the job. Cal/OSHA will hold employers accountable for failing to prevent hazards that threaten the life and livelihood of California’s workers,” said Christine Baker, Director of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). Cal/OSHA is a division of DIR.
The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. on November 13, 2014, on the eastbound median of Highway 4 in Antioch. As part of the paving process to expand a segment of the highway, employees of C.C. Myers lined up trucks full of concrete to dump into the concrete placer machine. The victim was assigned to help a co-worker perform cleaning and maintenance of the hopper; neither worker had been provided safety training to do so. While standing on top of the hopper chipping away at the concrete inside, the victim slipped and his leg was pulled into a rotating steel auger located inside the hopper. The emergency switch was not shut off in time, and he was transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek where he spent 12 days in recovery.
Cal/OSHA’s investigation found that both C.C. Myers of Rancho Cordova and Terry Equipment of Bloomington, the company that leased the concrete placer, failed to implement adequate safety measures. C.C. Myers was issued eight citations in total, including four serious and three serious accident-related citations for failure to place a guard on the auger as well as lack of safety procedures such as lockout/tagout and related employee training. Terry Equipment, Inc., was issued one serious citation for neglecting to place a guard on the machine, which, as owner, the company had the ability and authority to do.
“All workers have the right to return home safe and healthy after a hard day of work,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum. “While employers are directly in charge of mitigating dangers and ensuring that workers have proper safety training, suppliers also have the responsibility to protect workers by correcting any safety defects their equipment may have.”
Lockout/tagout is a procedure that employers are required to have in place for energy-powered machines that could injure workers while being serviced. Cleaning operations require that machinery capable of movement be stopped and power sources fully disengaged. If necessary, the moveable parts must be mechanically blocked or locked to prevent inadvertent movement or release of stored energy.
Cal/OSHA issues citations for serious workplace safety violations when there is a realistic possibility that conditions could result in death or serious physical harm, and willful violations where evidence shows that the employer committed an intentional and knowing violation.
OSHA Inspectors Spot Roofing Workers in 'Clear-and-Present Danger'
Inspectors from OSHA were headed back to their Providence office on January 22, 2015, after completing one site inspection when they saw a dangerous situation in clear view at another site in North Smithfield.
Two men working for Ivan Paredes, a Brockton, Massachusetts, roofing contractor, were on a ladder-jack scaffold without guardrails, and with no protective gear to keep them from falling 16 feet to the ground. The two federal inspectors immediately pulled over, ordered the employees off the scaffold and began an inspection.
"This was a clear-and-present danger. These employees could have fallen at any time and been killed or disabled. Ivan Paredes knew of this hazard, but chose to ignore it and his legal responsibility to protect his employees," said Patrick Griffin, OSHA's area director for Rhode Island.
Paredes' failure to provide and ensure the use of fall protection led OSHA to cite the contractor for a willful violation of worker safety standards. He now faces a $70,000 fine, the maximum allowed under the law. Paredes was also cited for a serious violation, with a fine of $2,800, for an additional hazard for not having his employees use an access ladder to reach the scaffold's work platform safely. The violations followed the inspection at 1 Eddie Dowling Highway. The proposed fines total $72,800.
OSHA has cited Paredes, who also operates as Lincoln Construction, for fall-related hazards seven times since October 2010, at work sites in East Greenwich, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, and Providence.
Americold Warehouse Fined Over $70,000 for Refrigeration System Violations
On December 9, 2014 OSHA's Appleton Area Office initiated an inspection of Americold's Green Bay, Wisconsin, refrigeration warehouse under the Site Specific Targeting 2014 National Emphasis Program.
One such chemical is anhydrous ammonia, widely used as a refrigerant in industrial facilities. Ammonia can be a health hazard because it is corrosive to the skin, eyes, and lungs. It is a flammable vapor.
Americold failed to:
- Obtain the safe upper and lower temperature and pressure limits for refrigeration vessels
- Ensure the ammonia engine doors were tight-fitting
- Document inspections and preventative maintenance of refrigeration values
- Document refrigeration technician training
- Properly store compressed gas cylinders
Other violations found at the facility involved:
- Failing to compare annual audiograms to employees' base hearing test
- Not fitting face pieces for workers exposed to hazardous materials
- Altering forklifts without manufacturer permission
- Failing to train workers about potential asbestos hazards
- Electrical safety violations
"Americold has a responsibility to ensure the safe operation of its refrigeration systems by implementing an engineering process for the detection and control of potential ammonia systems releases," said Robert Bonack, OSHA's area director in Appleton. "Exposure to ammonia can have serious health consequences. Failure of these systems, such as over pressurization, can result in explosion and fire. Workers should not be put at risk because this company failed to implement the required protections."
Proposed penalties total $70,593.
DS Utilities Fails to Protect Workers in Trenches
Protection may be provided through shoring of trench walls, sloping of the soil at a shallow angle, or by using a protective trench box. Additionally, three serious violations were issued for failing to provide a safe entrance and exit from the trench, allowing workers to operate an excavator too close to the opening of the trench and exposing workers to tripping and fall hazards from an open hole.
"It only takes seconds for an unprotected trench or excavation to collapse and put workers at risk of serious injury or death," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Columbia. "There is no justification for an employer to risk the safety of its workers."
Proposed penalties total $68,600.
Americold Logistics Fined $47,300 for Multiple Safety Violations
OSHA initiated an inspection of Amerigold Logistics, LLC, on November 6, 2014, in response to three complaints alleging workplace safety hazards. Americold Logistics, LLC, is located at 60 Steamboat Boulevard in Manchester, Pennsylvania. The company provides temperature-controlled warehousing and logistical support to the food industry, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Powered industrial trucks are useful tools, but they can be dangerous," said Kevin Kilp, director of OSHA's Harrisburg Area Office. "Employers are required to properly service this equipment to ensure that they don't kill or injure their employees."
Proposed penalties total $47,300.
OSHA Launches New Alliance in Houston to Protect Workers from Falls
OSHA recently entered into an alliance with the Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston, American Subcontractors Associations-Houston Chapter, Gulf Coast Safety Institute of the College of the Mainland and the Scaffold and Access Industry Association to protect workers from exposure to fall hazards in the construction industries. Workers, managers, safety professionals, and business owners in the construction industry participated in this free alliance signing event where demonstrations provided showed them how to inspect fall protection equipment and how to erect safe scaffolds.
During the two-year alliance, participants agreed to:
- Shared information on the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers
- Convened forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on fall hazards
- Encouraged worker participation in toolbox talks, skills assessment tests, and targeted training
"Falls are still one of the leading causes of fatalities in the Houston area construction industry," said Mark Briggs, OSHA's area director in the Houston South Area Office. "These tragedies are preventable and this alliance shows that we are working with industry and education partners to improve communication about existing hazards, prevent injuries and save lives."
The purpose of each alliance is to develop compliance assistance tools and resources, and to educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities. Alliance Program participants do not receive exemptions from OSHA inspections or any other enforcement benefits.
OSHA and the Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair Renew Alliance to Protect Workers in the Car Repair Industry
The alliance will provide CCAR members and others with training and resources to help protect the safety and health of workers in the car repair industry, as well as information on workers’ rights and employer responsibilities under the OSH Act.
“Workers in automobile repair shops are exposed to a variety of chemical and physical hazards,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Our renewed alliance will continue to focus on training and education about the hazards workers face in their jobs and the necessary actions that employers must take to keep them safe.”
Through the alliance, OSHA and CCAR will develop training for automotive lift safety; working with absorbed glass mat batteries and automotive air conditioning refrigerant, with an emphasis on the hazards of contaminated refrigerant.
CCAR, established in 1994, is a nonprofit organization that provides safety, pollution prevention and HazMat training, along with educational and environmental best practices for the global motor vehicle industry. The alliance agreement has been renewed for five years.
Stedman Machine Company Achieves Excellence in Workplace Safety and Health
Recently, Stedman Machine Company, located in Aurora, Indiana, earned certification as an Indiana Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (INSHARP) workplace. Stedman Machine Company is the first workplace in Dearborn County to achieve INSHARP certification. INSHARP-certified sites are recognized for excellence in workplace safety and health.
“Stedman Machine Company has worked tirelessly with the Indiana Department of Labor’s (IDOL) INSafe division to prove their dedication to employee safety,” said IDOL Commissioner Rick J. Ruble. “During this ongoing relationship, Stedman has become better every year and has, through hard work and safety success achieved this INSHARP certification.”
To participate in INSHARP, a company must develop, implement, and maintain an exemplary worker safety and health management system and pass a comprehensive safety and health evaluation by the IDOL. In addition, the facility’s occupational injury and illness rates must be below the national industry average for their respective industry. Fewer than 50 Indiana companies have achieved INSHARP certification.
Stedman Machine Company has been based in Southeastern Indiana for the last 181 years. Nathan R. Stedman began his company by producing castings and machinery for anything from cotton gins, farm equipment, machine tools, and hay presses, to stoves and saw mills. Stedman, as an affiliate of Eagle Crusher Company, designs, manufactures, and sells a complete line of size-reduction equipment serving multiple markets.
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