OSHA recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of the Department of Health of Canada. The MOU allows OSHA and HECS to collaborate on implementing the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling in their respective jurisdictions, as well as any future developments of the GHS.
“Today we live and work in a global environment with varying and sometimes conflicting national and international requirements,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Through GHS and now this MOU, OSHA and Health Canada have forged a relationship to jointly provide concise information to protect those exposed to hazardous chemicals.”
During a recent ceremony at US Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, D.C., Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health signed a partnership agreement with Suzy McDonald, director general, Workplace Hazardous Materials Directorate, HECS. Under the agreement, OSHA and HECS will establish a working group to reduce systematic barriers between the systems responsible for occupational safety and health of workplace chemicals and collaborate to reach common positions for the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the GHS about proposed updates to the system, among other goals.
OSHA is participating in the US-Canada High Level Regulatory Coordination Council to improve regulatory cooperation and adopt compatible approaches to promote economic growth, job creation, and benefits to consumers and businesses through increased regulatory transparency and coordination.
OSHA aligned its Hazard Communication Standard with the GHS in March 2012 to provide a common, understandable approach to classifying chemicals and communicating hazard information on labels and safety data sheets. In the US, all employers with hazardous chemicals in the workplace must conduct new training for workers on the new label elements and safety data sheets format to facilitate recognition and understanding. This training must be done by December 1, 2013.
GHS Worker Training PowerPoint Now Available
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.
By December 1, 2013, all employees at your site that work with, or are exposed to, hazardous chemicals must 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 covers all of OSHA’s required GHS Hazard Communication training requirements in a format that is easy to understand.
Pricing and options:
Options:
- 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
- If you have not updated your hazard communication plan, let Environmental Resource Center update it for you: $799
- Customized PowerPoint and hazard communication plan: $1600.
NIOSH Recommends New Level of Exposure for Nanomaterials
NIOSH has recommended that occupational exposures to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) be controlled to reduce a potential risk of certain work-related lung effects. CNTs and CNFs are man-made elongated particles made of sheets of pure carbon that are about a thousand times smaller than a human hair.
NIOSH’s recommendations, which were issued in a technical document called a Current Intelligence Bulletin, are based on peer-reviewed findings from NIOSH laboratory studies, field observations of industrial processes, intensive review of published studies by other research authorities, and public review and comment on an earlier draft of the document. Some companies already use or plan to establish control measures that achieve the recommended exposure limit and match a number of NIOSH’s recommendations.
CNTs and CNFs are only two of many types of nanomaterials created through nanotechnology, which is described as the manipulation of matter on a microscopic scale. This matter is smaller than what has been studied for the past 100 years by material scientists and is far too small to be seen with the human eye; their size gives them new and different properties that have not been seen by scientists before. CNTs and CNFs are being incorporated into different products to increase strength, durability, versatility, heat resistance, and other useful properties. These products include plastics and ceramics, paints and coatings, textiles, and electronics. Though it cannot be determined with certainty how many workers are currently potentially exposed to these nanomaterials, demand for carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers is expected to grow over the next decade with increasing use in medical devices, structural materials, consumer goods, and energy-saving products.
Recent results from experimental animal studies with rodents indicate that exposure to CNTs and CNFs may pose a respiratory hazard if inhaled. NIOSH’s recommendations are expected to assist industry in establishing good risk management practices for controlling occupational exposures to free, unbound CNTs and CNFs during their manufacture and industrial use.
Consumers are unlikely to be exposed to carbon nanotubes or carbon nanofibers in their free, dry powder form. These materials are almost always bound up or incorporated into a final product as a very small percentage of the final formula. It is the free form of CNTs and CNFs that creates the greatest possibility for inhalation exposure and the greatest concern. The workplace is the most likely place for this type of exposure.
“NIOSH’s recommendations provide practical guidance for incorporating prudent management of these revolutionary materials into everyday workplace practice as this new technology and the improved products it creates grows,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “This guidance supports the safe development of the industry, which will be a critical part of maintaining US leadership in the global nanotechnology market.”
NIOSH recommends that employers in companies that manufacture or use carbon nanotubes or carbon nanofibers:
- Reduce worker exposures to airborne concentrations of those materials to no more than one microgram per cubic meter of air as a recommended exposure limit. This is the lowest airborne concentration that can be accurately measured. The recommended exposure limit is intended to minimize potential risk for adverse lung effects in workers who might be exposed at this concentration over a working lifetime.
- Apply strategic approaches for controlling occupational exposures, giving priority to engineering controls that enclose processes where CNTs or CNFs could be released into the air, such as transfer of the dry, fine powders from one container to another.
- Educate and train workers on the safe handling of bulk quantities of CNTs and CNFs or CNT-and CNF- enabled products.
- Train workers on the proper use of engineering controls, administrative controls, and safe work practices. These are standard risk management practices that employers have followed for many decades to reduce worker exposures to dusts and other materials in workplaces.
- Establish health surveillance and medical screening programs to help identify early signs of respiratory disease. Such surveillance programs can assist in determining if additional exposure control measures are needed, and if individual medical attention is needed.
NIOSH and diverse partners in the private sector and government have collaborated for approximately 10 years in conducting research and issuing guidance on the safe handling of nanomaterials. Research continues to better understand the potential health risk to workers exposed to CNTs and CNFs and other nanomaterials so that appropriate guidance can be provided for protecting worker’s health.
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 SDSs.
Environmental Resource Center is offering live online training for you to learn how the new rule differs from current requirements, how to implement the changes, and when the changes must be implemented.
New NIOSH Smart Phone App Addresses Ladder Safety
This new app uses visual and audio signals to make it easier for workers using extension ladders to check the angle the ladder is positioned at, as well as access useful tips for using extension ladders safely.
Falls from ladders are a common source of preventable construction injuries. Misjudging the ladder angle is a significant risk factor for a fall. If the ladder is set too steep it is more likely to fall back or away during use, and if it is set too shallow then the bottom can slide out.
“The ladder safety app is an innovative way to help keep workers safe and a tool to reduce these preventable injuries,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “The development of this smart phone app also demonstrates how we are constantly working to make science-based practical information accessible to workers and employers in a way they need and can easily use.”
The app provides feedback to the user on positioning the extension ladder at the optimal angle. It also provides references and a safety guide for extension ladder selection, inspection, accessorizing, and use. It was developed with input from the ANSI A14 committee on Ladder Safety, the American Ladder Institute, and other stakeholders.
NIOSH collaborated with DSFederal on the final development and testing of the app before release. The app is based on a multimodal inclination indicator for ladder positioning that has been recently awarded a US patent.
Dayton RCRA and DOT Training
Raleigh RCRA, DOT, and EHS Training
Macon RCRA and DOT Training
OSHA Works with Midwestern Grain Organizations to Prevent Grain Industry Hazards
Five seconds. That is how quickly a worker can become engulfed in flowing grain and be unable to get out.
Sixty seconds. That is how quickly a worker can be completely submerged in flowing grain. More than half of all grain engulfments result in death by suffocation.
In 2010, at least 26 US workers were killed in grain engulfments, the highest number on record. Among the deaths were two Illinois teens and a 49-year-old worker who had entered a grain bin “a million times.”
In the past 50 years, more than 900 cases of grain engulfment have been reported with a fatality rate of 62%, according to researchers at Purdue University in Indiana.
Record death and injuries in 2010, led the OSHA to reach out to the agricultural and grain handling industries to find ways to prevent deaths and injuries. OSHA also developed a Local Emphasis Program for Grain Handling Facilities focusing on the grain and feed industry’s six major hazards. These include engulfment, falls, auger entanglement, “struck by,” combustible dust explosions, and electrocution hazards.
“OSHA is working hard to change the ‘it won’t happen to me’ mindset,” said Nick Walters, OSHA Regional Administrator for six Midwestern states. “Grain handling injuries and deaths can be prevented if employers follow proper safety procedures.”
Suffocation can occur when a worker becomes buried by grain as they walk on moving grain or attempt to clear grain built up on the inside of a bin. Moving grain acts like “quicksand” and can bury a worker in seconds. “Bridged” grain and vertical piles of stored grain can also collapse unexpectedly if a worker stands on or near it. The behavior and weight of the grain make it extremely difficult for a worker to get out of it without assistance.
OSHA and the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois have formed a state-wide alliance to get the word out on prevention. A grain bin entry permit has been developed to aid those working in and around bins to identify and control potential hazards.
“This alliance is an opportunity for OSHA to work together with the grain and agricultural industries and the agricultural community to train employers and workers about the unique hazards of the grain and feed industry,” said Walters. “Through training, decals, brochures, websites, and other means of information communication, we will continue to work to improve awareness of these hazards and the safety and health of workers on Illinois farms and in grain handling facilities. We are committed to preventing the injuries and deaths that have been too frequent in the industry in recent years.”
OSHA, the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois and the Illinois Grain Handling Safety Coalition have also developed a stop sign decal to adhere to grain bin doors using pictures and short phrases reminding entrants to lockout potentially hazardous equipment, stay clear of waist high grain, cover floor holes, and to follow other best practices. OSHA’s Grain Bin LEP is used in 25 states.
In addition, the University of Illinois was awarded an OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant Program and has partnered with the Grain Handling Safety Coalition for the development of training materials and outreach to educate workers and employers on how to recognize, avoid, and prevent safety and health hazards in grain bins.
The Grain Handling Safety Coalition can provide all the necessary training materials to train farmers, commercial grain handling employees, youth, rescue workers, and more for free or at a very reduced rate. There are five different safety topics available including an overview of grain handling and storage safety, grain bin entry as well as entanglement, fall, and confined space hazards.
Other states working with OSHA to prevent grain industry hazards include Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska.
OSHA Fines Florida Underground Utility Company $106,000 for Trenching Violations
OSHA has cited Gulf Coast Utility Contractors, LLC, with two willful and two serious safety violations with proposed penalties totaling $106,400 for exposing workers to a cave-in and other hazards while they were installing underground utilities at a job site in Panama City Beach.
One OSHA inspection was initiated in December 2012 after its inspectors observed hazards while passing the work site. . Two willful violations, with $98,000 in proposed penalties, involve failing to provide workers with protection against cave-in hazards while working in a trench greater than 5 feet in depth. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
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.
“This employer is aware of OSHA’s standards regarding excavation and trenching, but put its employees’ lives at risk, causing them to work in an unprotected trench,” said Jeff Romeo, acting director of OSHA’s Jacksonville Area Office. “Risking the safety of workers is an irresponsible business decision.”
OSHA standards mandate that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse.
Pennsylvania Helicopter Contractor Fined $40,500 for Exposing Workers to Chemical Hazards
OSHA proposed penalties totaling $40,500 after a December 2012 inspection of the facility was launched because of a complaint.
The serious violations include spray booths containing combustible floor lining; no air flow measuring devices or fire extinguisher systems present; exposure to hexavalent chromium above the permissible exposure limits; a lack of engineering controls to reduce exposures; and a lack of a medical program for workers exposed to hexavalent chromium, as well as a monitoring program for workers exposed to hexavalent chromium. The company also failed to ensure the use of proper respiratory protection for workers while painting; ensure there was a regulated area where exposure to hexavalent chromium was above the permissible exposure level; provide training on the hazards of hexavalent chromium exposure; provide storage areas separating street clothes from contaminated clothing; and keep eating and drinking areas free of hexavalent chromium.
New Jersey Construction Company Cited for Exposing Workers to Fall Hazards
OSHA has cited Burlington-based RPK Construction, Inc., for three safety violations—including one willful—that occurred at a work site in Medford. OSHA’s February inspection was initiated under the agency’s local emphasis program on falls in construction. Proposed penalties total $20,680.
The willful violation, which carries a $15,400 penalty, was cited for the company’s failure to provide fall protection for employees exposed to fall hazards while performing framing and other carpentry-related activities in excess of 10 feet above the ground.
“Falls are among the most common causes of work-related injuries and deaths,” said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA’s Marlton Area Office. “This company’s failure to provide fall protection for workers reflects a negligent attitude toward worker safety and health.”
Two serious citations, with $5,280 in penalties, were due to electrical equipment that was damaged and utilized without grounding pins.
The page offers fact sheets, posters, and videos that vividly illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures.
Advanced Strobe Products Fined $50,000 for Worker Exposure to Acid and Lead
OSHA has cited Advanced Strobe Products, Inc., with 16 health and safety violations carrying proposed fines of $50,785. OSHA investigated the company’s facility in Harwood Heights after receipt of a complaint about a worker receiving emergency medical care for a leg burn due to an acid spill. The company failed to provide and ensure the use of proper personal protective equipment for the worker.
“Advanced Strobe Products, Inc., has a responsibility to protect workers from exposure to acid, hazardous chemicals, lead, and cadmium used in their manufacturing facility,” said Diane Turek, OSHA’s area director for the Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines. “OSHA takes complaints of worker injuries and exposure to hazardous materials seriously, and is committed to protecting workers on the job and educating employers about safety and health regulations.”
A total of 15 serious violations were cited, including failure to ensure use of personal protective equipment, such as impervious aprons, boots, and eye and face protection to prevent exposure to acid and other hazardous materials; provide an emergency eyewash station in the acid room; develop a respiratory protection program; and ensure the use of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-certified respirators for the hazards present. The company also failed to provide medical evaluations and fit-testing for workers required to use respirators.
OSHA also cited the lack of machine guarding on a welder; failure to train workers on safety precautions and the use of hazardous chemicals, such as acid, lead and cadmium, surfaces not maintained free of lead and cadmium; not developing a hazard communication program; and for the use of a spray booth constructed of wood, which is a combustible material.
One other-than-serious violation was cited for failing to record the acid spill injury that occurred in January 2013 on the OSHA injury and illness log. OSHA initiated the complaint inspection in February. 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.
Environmental Enterprises Cited for 22 Violations After Worker Dies From Burns Suffered at Cincinnati Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility
Two employees were severely burned by the fire, one fatally.
“Environmental Enterprises demonstrated a complete disregard for employee’s safety and health by failing to recognize and train employees on potentially dangerous interactions between materials being handled and tools in use,” said Bill Wilkerson, OSHA’s area director for its Cincinnati office. “Even after this tragic explosion, the company failed to immediately address procedures and ensure employees knew how to use appropriate personal protective equipment and properly handle hazardous waste such as sodium chlorate. OSHA is committed to protecting workers on the job, and educating employers about safety and health regulations.”
OSHA determined the cause of the fire and explosion to be the ignition of an organic industrial filter cartridge filled with sodium chlorate, a strong oxidizer. The likely source of the ignition was an electrically-powered reciprocating saw that the employees received permission to use to remove metal end caps and mesh from the filter. When in contact with incompatible materials, including organics, sodium chlorate becomes sensitive to reactions capable of resulting in fire and violent explosions.
As a result of the four willful violations found related to the fatality, OSHA has placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law. OSHA’s SVEP focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat, or failure-to-abate violations. Under the program, OSHA may inspect any of the employer’s facilities if it has reasonable grounds to believe there are similar violations at related work sites of the employer. OSHA has also proposed fines of $325,710.
The four willful violations cited involve failing to develop and implement hazardous waste handling procedures, to provide new training to employees assigned to handle waste materials, to select and ensure the use of proper personal protective equipment, and to train workers on its selection and use for protection from various materials that are part of their routine assignments.
Nine serious safety violations relate to the use of electrical equipment within the flammable storage room causing a fire hazard, not developing material handling procedures, inadequate hazardous waste processing and permit-confined space procedures, failing to conduct periodic inspections of energy-control procedures and lack of training and personal protective equipment for employees assigned to work on energized circuits.
An additional seven serious health violations involve the lack of a hearing conservation program; improper storage of flammable liquids; failing to develop a hazard communication program; not fully developing decontamination procedures and a written emergency response plan; allowing lead, inorganic arsenic and cadmium dust accumulation; inadequate exposure control plan; and violations of the bloodborne pathogen program.
Penn Aluminum International Fined $45,000 for 9 Safety Violations at Manufacturing Facility
Penn Aluminum International, LLC, has been cited by OSHA for nine serious safety violations carrying proposed fines of $45,000. OSHA initiated an inspection of the aluminum product manufacturer in January under the national emphasis program for the primary metal industry.
“Penn Aluminum International has a responsibility to recognize the hazards that exist in its facility and to train workers on proper safety precautions and protocols,” said Tom Bielema, OSHA’s area director in Fairview Heights. “Compromising safety procedures can result in injuries and illness to workers. OSHA is committed to protecting workers on the job.”
The nine violations involve inadequate machine guarding, lack of guardrailing around a fall hazard and failing to evaluate spaces to determine if they required confined space entry permits. Additional violations include modifying powered industrial trucks without manufacturer’s approval, failing to maintain floors in a dry condition and failing to inspect slings and fastenings prior to use and remove damaged slings from service.
Heller Casing Cited After Worker Fatally Crushed on Oil Rig
Heller Casing has been cited by OSHA for two general duty clause safety violations after a worker was fatally crushed January 31 while installing casing pipe on an oil rig in McKenzie County. The incident occurred when the worker was struck by an improperly secured load that fell, causing fatal injuries.
“Heller Casing has a responsibility to protect oil rig workers from struck-by and other hazards in this dangerous industry,” said Eric Brooks, OSHA’s area director in Bismarck. “No job should cost a person’s life because an employer failed to properly protect and train workers.”
OSHA cited two serious violations directly related to the fatality that involved failing to protect workers from struck-by and crushing hazards by properly securing the hook used to suspend a load, which consisted of power tongs and accurately positioning the suspension cable. The power tongs allegedly became snagged on the traveling block as it was being elevated. The tongs loosened from the block after being elevated about 15 feet and fell on the victim.
Proposed fines total $14,000.
Workers in Indiana Grain Handling Facilities Urged to Stay Safe
As many Hoosier grain handling facility workers prepare for this year’s harvest, employers and employees are reminded of how to stay safe on the job.
The importance of this issue is underscored by the recent death of a Veedersburg man who was pulled into a grain bin Wednesday.
The Indiana Department of Labor reminds employers and employees about the hazards of working in grain handling facilities and the steps necessary to prevent occupational injuries and fatalities.
“The safety of our farm workers should always be of paramount importance to our Indiana farm businesses,” noted Commissioner Sean Keefer. “It is especially important to recognize the dangers of working in and around grain bins and take all necessary precautions.”
Employees working in or near grain handling facilities should never work alone because they are exposed to significant occupational safety and health hazards that include falls, electrocution, engulfment, auger entanglement, and dust explosions. Working with a partner ensures help is nearby in case of trouble.
Additionally, employers and employees should take the following preventative methods to reduce the likelihood of worker injury, illness or death:
- Prevent falls: Provide all employees with a body harness and lifeline, or a boatswains chair, and ensure it is properly secured before entering a grain bin.
- Prevent electrocution/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 continuously monitor and track 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 there is a build-up of grain products on side walls that could shift and bury a worker.
- Prevent dust explosions: Prior to any entry, test the air within a bin or silo for the presence of combustible and toxic gases and make sure there is sufficient oxygen for safe entry.
Employers and employees are strongly encouraged to learn about safe grain handling procedures and take necessary precautions for the prevention of work-related injuries and fatalities.
Colorado Trucking Company Ordered to Immediately Cease Operations for Continuing to Endanger Public Safety
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has ordered Commerce City-Colo.-based E & K Trucking, Inc., USDOT No. 604546, to immediately cease its trucking operations, declaring the company to be an imminent hazard to public safety. E & K Trucking operates a small fleet of trucks that primarily haul construction scrap and debris. The company was discovered to still be operating unsafe vehicles in direct violation of an order issued by FMCSA in December 2012 that revoked the company’s operating authority for previous safety violations.
“We will not allow unsafe truck and bus companies to endanger the public,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will use all means possible to remove unsafe commercial vehicles from our highways and roads. There is no higher priority than safety.”
An FMCSA investigation found that the company failed to routinely inspect, maintain and repair its vehicles to ensure they were safe to operate. Each vehicle inspected earlier this month by FMCSA was ordered out of service for serious safety violations.
“Our safety regulations protect everyone who shares the road with large trucks and buses,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “The safe condition of the vehicle and the qualifications of the driver are the responsibility of the company. Company owners that cannot or will not abide by the safety regulations will find their business shut down while facing civil, and possibly criminal, penalties.”
Safety investigators also found that E & K Trucking failed to conduct background checks on drivers, to ensure that they possessed commercial driver’s licenses or that they were medically qualified.
In addition to accumulated civil penalties and interest already imposed upon the owners of E & K Trucking by FMCSA, the company owners face additional fines of up to $25,000 and possible criminal charges and imprisonment should they fail to comply with the imminent hazard out-of-service order announced recently.
OSHA Forms Alliances to Promote Worker Safety and Health
OSHA recently forged an alliance with the consulate general of the Dominican Republic in California and the US Western Region to promote workplace safety and health standards for Dominican nationals and others in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. The alliance was signed at the consulate general of the Dominican Republic in Glendale, California.
OSHA and the consulate will work jointly to provide information, guidance, and access to education and training resources aimed at promoting workers’ understanding of their rights in the workplace and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, including the OSHA complaint process. Members of the alliance will promote speaking engagements, forums and exhibits and appearances at each other’s outreach events, including mobile consulate activities.
“Every worker has the right to a safe and healthful job, and to know and understand his rights in the workplace,” said Ken Atha, OSHA’s regional administrator in San Francisco. “This alliance is a tremendous opportunity to provide a large and varied community of workers in four states and employers with information that will enhance the quality of workplaces and well-being on the job.”
The purpose of each alliance is to develop compliance assistance tools and resources, and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities. Alliance Program participants do not receive exemptions from OSHA programmed inspections.
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