It’s OSHA and Construction which you might also be involved with, so you want to plan to participate now. Otherwise there are still great materials here.
Plan Now for OSHA Stand-Down to Prevent Falls
OSHA Regulations
OSHA COVID-19 Violations
Stepping into OSHA-land for a moment, a news release several days ago stated “U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Announces $2,851,533 in Coronavirus Violations.” Whether your job is in an OSHA or MSHA jurisdiction, OSHA provides some helpful enforcement and safety publications. Here are links to:
Common COVID-19 Citations (pdf)
National Safety Stand Down
Join the Annual OSHA Stand Down for Falls in the Workplace this week. “Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 320 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2018 (BLS data). Those deaths were preventable. The National Safety Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries.” [OSHA]
Get training materials and videos at OSHA’s site here.
OSHA Guidance on Returning to Work
OSHA has a guide available for employers or employees to assist them in assessing the workplace and instituting the appropriate controls to make the return safe. It “focuses on the need for employers to develop and implement strategies for basic hygiene (e.g., hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection), social distancing, identification and isolation of sick employees, workplace controls and flexibilities, and employee training.”
Many areas have done a poor job of opening up, either reducing controls before evidence indicated or failing to continue with controls like physical distancing or the wearing of face masks which should continue until a vaccine is available and widely administered. Remember, under OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements, COVID-19 is a recordable illness, and employers are responsible for recording cases of COVID-19 that have evidence of being contracted at work.
Going Back to Work???
OSHA has been working on ways before the pandemic to get the Whistleblower Protection Program out to workers who don’t understand they have this important freedom. It’s even more critical now. Click on the image above for more or click HERE to see the MSHA version. Note that protecting one another’s health is the same as protection from other hazards.
There’s also good information on the Department of Labor site explaining what to do in just about any workplace to protect all involved from Corona virus here.
OSHA @ 50
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a new webpage marking the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the landmark worker safety and health law that led to the creation of OSHA.
The webpage highlights transformative workplace improvements over the past half century, from OSHA’s first standards and whistleblower protections, to assistance programs for small businesses, and the creation of training centers and education grants to help everyone understand and comply with the law.
Visit www.osha.gov/osha50 to find 50th anniversary events and information on OSHA’s efforts to protect America’s workforce.
OSHA’s Winter Weather Resources
Outdoor work requires proper preparation, especially in severe winter weather conditions. Although OSHA does not have a specific standard that covers working in cold environments, employers have a responsibility to provide workers with employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards, including winter weather related hazards, which are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to them (Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970). Employers should, therefore, train workers on the hazards of the job and safety measures to use, such as engineering controls and safe work practices, that will protect workers’ safety and health.
Join the Stand Down to Prevent Falls
Whether you are involved in construction or another industry you can use the materials that OSHA has available to focus on fall prevention this week (and beyond of course). The OSHA page is here and features publications, posters, and more.
Prevent Falls OSHA Stand-Down May 8 – 12, 2017
Transitioning to Safer Chemicals Tool
American workers use tens of thousands of chemicals every day. While many of these chemicals are suspected of being harmful, only a small number are regulated in the workplace.
As a result, workers suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths annually related to chemical exposures. Workplace chemical exposures have been linked to cancers, and other lung, kidney, skin, heart, stomach, brain, nerve, and reproductive diseases.
OSHA has an online tool that is handy for helping you examine the chemicals you use. You can find it here.