From OSHA’s website: “The purpose of the National Fall Prevention Stand-Down is to raise awareness of preventing fall hazards in construction. Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for 345 of the 899 construction fatalities recorded in 2014. Those deaths were preventable. Fall prevention safety standards were among the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards, during fiscal year 2014″. Click here for more.
Additional information on Silica from Bob Kunz:
“Team,
As a followed to the April 2016 SAFER meeting on Silica, please find the following:
I hope this helps answer questions”.
Attached is ANSI.Z87.1.2003. Table E-1 is being removed from 1926.102 at the end of the month.
SAFER wishes to thank the following people for providing great information on the latest changes to the silica standard and how to prepare and get ready to meet the new requirements that go into effect 14 months from now:
SAFER Also thanks New England Institute of Technology for providing the meeting room and GT Safety for sponsoring the continental breakfast.
The focus of the meeting was the new OSHA standards related to silica for Construction and General Industries.
Occupational Exposure to Respirable Silica – Final Rule effective 6-23-2016
Construction compliance by 6-23-2017 and General Industry compliance by 6-23-2018
As you may be aware, OSHA published the final rule for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Silica on 3-23-2016. OSHA has developed a web page that contains the final rule, fact sheets, question and answer white paper, for example – see link: https://www.osha.gov/silica/index.html .
The new permissible exposure level (PEL) for construction is 50 µg/m3, which is the equivalent of 5 grains of sand in 264 gallons of water (approximately five 55 gallon drums).
We will discuss the final rule, to ensure that your firm is prepared to comply with the requirements codified within same. Compliance with the final rule, may require:
The increased conversation concerning silica within the community may impact insurance program considerations, as well.
The next meeting is Wednesday, March 2, 2016, from 8-10 am. It will be held at NEIT, 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI. A Continental breakfast, starting at 7:30am, is sponsored by E.W. Audet & Sons.
TOPICS:
Public Agency Crisis Response
Every day there are men and women in our community that put on a uniform. They do this unselfishly, as part of a team for the benefit of our community. As part of this team, they may respond to a motor vehicle crash, a flooded basement, a lost grandparent, or even a life threatening incident. They are our public agency responders (i.e. fire fighters and police officers). This month, two agencies will pull back the curtain, to discuss several events, as follows:
Bryant University Smithfield Campus
1 Sept 2015
78,000 SF Building Under Construction Collapses
Chief Robert Seltzer, Town of Smithfield Fire Department
Chief Rick St. Sauveur, Jr., Town of Smithfield Police Department
See hyperlinks to OSHA Regional News Release and OSHA Citations (right click, then open)
URI Kingston Campus
4 April 2013
‘Active Shooter: Lessons Learned and Worksite Challenges’
Lt. Kenneth Olsen, URI Police Department
From Bob Kunz:
Team SAFER,
We hope that you can make it to this month’s meeting! Both, Pat Griffin, the Director of the OSHA Providence Area Office, and Kim Stille, the Administrator of OSHA Region I will be with us. Please extend an invitation to a colleague. All RSVPs to bkunz@dimeo.com.
The meeting will take place from 8 AM-10 AM at the New England Institute for Technology, Post Road, Warwick, RI.
TOPIC: OSHA Meet and Greet | Update | SAFER Alliance Renewal
Kim Stille, the Administrator of OSHA Region I, will provide an overview of her vision for the region, as well as provide an opportunity for questions and answers.
Pat Griffin, the Director of the OSHA Providence Area Office, will, along with the SAFER Steering Committee, sign the SAFER Alliance Agreement (a 2-yr renewal) then speak about local activity, including initiatives.
There will be an opportunity to meet both, Kim Stille and Pat Griffin within the meeting schedule.
SPONSOR: Cardi Corporation (Cardi) is sponsoring a continental breakfast starting at 7:30 AM.
The next SAFER meeting will be held October 7th from 8-10 AM. The main topic will be – Emergency Prevention and Planning.
This month our speaker will provide insightful information concerning 29 CFR 1926.24 Fire Protection and Prevention, 29 CFR 1926.34 Means of Egress, and 29 CFR 1926.35 Employee Emergency Action Plans in the context of temporary work locations (i.e. construction sites).
The following OSHA Publication – Principal Emergency Response and Preparedness and OSHA Publication – How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and Evacuations
provide an overview of expectations and useful information.
Does your firm have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP)? If not, perhaps you will find the CDC Emergency Action Plan Template to be a useful starting point.
The Hart Companies (HART) is sponsoring the meeting.
From OSHA’s QuickTakes: Updated comprehensive guide to OSHA training requirements now available
OSHA has posted a fully updated version of its guide to all agency training requirements to help employers, safety and health professionals, training directors and others comply with the law and keep workers safe. Training Requirements in OSHA Standards* organizes the training requirements into five categories: General Industry, Maritime, Construction, Agriculture and Federal Employee Programs.
The safety and health training requirements in OSHA standards have prevented countless workplace tragedies by ensuring that workers have the required skills and knowledge to safely do their work. These requirements reflect OSHA’s belief that training is an essential part of every employer’s safety and health program for protecting workers from injuries and illnesses. For a list of educational materials available from OSHA, please visit the Publications webpage. Link to guide OSHA Training Guide
From Bob Kunz: Team SAFER,
Where did the summer go!
Next Wednesday, September 2, 2015, is the start of the 2015-16 SAFER meeting calendar.
In consideration of the continued interest, we will begin the new calendar where we left off with further discussion on the new OSHA Confined Space in Construction standard. The discussion will be orientated towards the written program (thanks to Rick Devine for saving me on this) and rescue coordination/preparation. To close the meeting, we will explore crane operation using the attached Link-Belt RTC 8050 Series II information (please print a copy for class). The exploration will place you within a group setting to assess six (6) operational scenarios.
Dimeo Construction will sponsor the meeting.
Please RSVP to bkunz@dimeo.com, or Ed Conway at Conway.Edward@dol.gov .
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Link Belt RTC 8050 Series II Specificatons and Annual Inspection Report
The enforcement date for the standard has been extended from August 3, 2015 to October 2, 2015. The postponement give employers “making good faith efforts to comply with the new standard” some additional time before a citation is issued. Please note the effective date remains the same. See the attached letter from OSHA.Temporary Enforcement Policy for Construction Work in Confined Spaces
The next meeting is June 3, 2015 from 8-10 am. The main topic will be Confined Space in Construction.
On 5/4/15 The final rule for Confined pace in Construction was published in the Federal Register and becomes final effective 8/3/15. The rule making began its journey in 2007 when the proposed rule was issued. Confined space activity has been covered under 29 CFR 1926.21 (b)(i)-(ii). Many employers utilized 1910.146 as guidance. The new standard will be codified as 29 CFR 1926 Subpart AA, or 1926.1200-1226. The final rule also impacts Subpart C and Subpart V. Sponsor for the meeting is the OSHA Providence Area Office. We hope to see you Wednesday morning. The new constriction confined space standard is set to become effective on 8/3/15 – are you prepared? Please RSVP at bkunz@dimeo.com.
OSHA’s national Safety Stand-Down is this week, May 4-15, 2015. Follow this link for more information.