OSHA Related

May’s Meeting Announcement

The next meeting will be held May 6, 2015, from 8-10 am, at the New England Institute of Technology, located at 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI, 2nd floor Hall of Fame Room. E.W. Audet is sponsoring a Continental breakfast which will be served at 7:30am.

TOPIC – NFPA 70E – see overview at this link: NFPA 70E

Region 1 OSHA Training Institute Education Center Region 1, New England, Keene State College is providing this month’s speaker to discuss the NFPA 70E standard.

Doug MacDonald retired from Northeast Utilities after 40 years of service.  For the past 15 years has served as a Safety Manager and is an authorized OSHA Outreach Instructor in Construction for Region 1 OSHA Training Institute Education Instructor with Keene State College’s OSHA Education Center. He is also the President of the National Safety Council of Northern New England.

NFPA 70E Update and Correlating OSHA Standards Overview:

This 90 minute presentation will focus on the scope of standards, how OSHA uses recognized standards as a basis for general duty clause citation in construction,  the key elements that managers should be aware of, and overview of work practices, best management practices and regulatory responsibilities related to the protection of workers from exposure to workplace electrical hazards.

Refer to Region 1 OTI for training resources.

Below are some current OSHA interpretation concerning this subject:

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=24617

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=interpretations&p_id=25540

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=25557

 

OSHA Summer Summit

From: OSHA Training Institute Education Center/Region 1

OSHA 2015 Summit

Save the date for the 2015 OSHA Summer Summit!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Location: UMASS Amherst Lincoln Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst MA 01003

Below are the topics available at the 2015 OSHA Summer Summit:

Basic Electrical Safety | Construction in General Industry | Cranes | Ergonomics | Floor Finishing/Slips Trips & Falls |  Isocyanates | Lead in Construction | Machine Guarding | Noise Assessment & Controls | OSHA Case Studies | OSHA Region 1 Emphasis Programs | PITs & The Hoisting Regs | Recordkeeping Rules & Updates | Safety & Health for Healthcare Workers | Safety by Design | Workplace Violence | Wrap-up Insurance & Safety Plans

Register now and join us for the second annual Summit.

For more information: OSHASummerSummit@gmail.com

Interested in Sponsoring the Summer Summit? Click here for a Sponsor Form

The Staff

OSHA Training Institute Education Center/Region 1

800.449.6742

March Meeting Update

The March meeting was held 3/4/2015. The focus was on diisocyanate exposure in construction. This chemical hazard is found in many spray foams in use today. Guest speakers were Adam Wisnewski, PhD,  a senior research scientist from the Yale University Occupational & Environmental Medicine Program and Tyler Fiske from Anchor Insulation. SAFER would like to thank both speakers for sharing the expertise on the subject. Thank you also to Dennis Mullen, Gilbane Safety, for sponsoring the breakfast.

The meeting kicked off with safety updates from Bob Kunz, Dimeo Safety Director, and OSHA related updates from Ed Conway, OSHA Compliance Assistance.  Then, Adam Wisnewski, PhD, discussed his research associated with diisocyanate exposure, including spray foam insulation. After that Tyler Fiske discussed best management practices associated with application of spray foam insulation.

It was clear that both guest speakers knew a lot about diisocyanate exposure. Attendees asked a lot of questions and everyone took something away from the meeting.

After meeting remarks and link updates from Bob Kunz:

“Team SAFER,

I hope everyone enjoyed the very informative meeting this morning.  I would like to again thank Adam and Tyler for their participation.  Great job! 

NOTE:  Do not forget to utilize  the hyperlinks provided in the meetings announcement (below the line) for additional information on this subject.  I would also like to provide the following links in support of the topic and the OSHA’s  memorandum dated December 24, 2015: 

– OSHA memorandum: http://www.safteng.net/images/OSHA-Interim-Enforcement-Procedures-for-New-Reporting-Requirements.pdf

– Commonwealth of MA Spray Foam Workshop: http://www.mass.gov/eea/grants-and-tech-assistance/guidance-technical-assistance/agencies-and-divisions/ota/safe-spray.html

 

Links from the original meeting announcement:

To include discussion surrounding exposure assessment and control in presence of spray foam in construction.  Resources – see following hyperlinks:  The Spray Polyurethane Foam Association (SPFA), the Center to Protect Worker’s Rights (CPWR), OSHA Safety and Health Topic (SLTC) and Compliance Directive (CPL 03-00-017), and Electric Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (ELCOSH), for example.

 

The SAFER alliance meets at New England Institute of Technology, which is located at 2500 Post Road in Warwick, RI.  If you park in the rear of building you would enter through double doors and proceed to the Hall of Fame room located on 2nd floor.

 

January Meeting Announcement

The next meeting will be held January 7, 2015 from 8-10am with a Continental breakfast at 7:30am sponsored by Ocean State Risk Management.

The topic will be “Get the Lead Out“. The meeting will include discussion on OSHA Lead in the Construction standard, exposure assessment and control in presence of lead based paint, and plumbing connections (i.e. lead and oakum), for example.

It will be held at the New England Institute for Technology, 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI.

3M Horizontal Lifeline Recall

From 3M:
“A recent analysis of 3M™ Model Number SWSW Series Mobile SkyWalk horizontal lifeline systems identified that these systems may not satisfactorily meet the minimum requirements of OSHA 29 CFR 1910.66, 1926.502 regulations and may not arrest a fall in the working clearances stated in 3M user manuals. This system was previously sold under the name Aearo Series Mobile SkyWalk system or SafeWaze Series Mobile SkyWalk system”.

You can find the recall notice in the SAFER Recall link under “Fall Protection”.

Updates to OSHA’s Recordkeeping Rule

From OSHA’s QuickTakes September 15, 2014 · Volume 13, Issue 18

OSHA expands requirement for reporting fatalities and severe injuries and updates the list of industries exempt from recordkeeping requirements.

A final rule announced Sept. 11 requires employers to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye. The rule, which also updates the list of employers partially exempt from OSHA record-keeping requirements, will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015 for workplaces under federal OSHA jurisdiction.

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 4,405 workers were killed on the job in 2013. We can and must do more to keep America’s workers safe and healthy,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “Workplace injuries and fatalities are absolutely preventable, and these new requirements will help OSHA focus its resources and hold employers accountable for preventing them.”

“Hospitalizations and amputations are sentinel events, indicating that serious hazards are likely to be present at a workplace and that an intervention is warranted to protect the other workers at the establishment,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.

Under the revised rule, employers will be required to notify OSHA of work-related fatalities within eight hours, and work-related in-patient hospitalizations, amputations or losses of an eye within 24 hours. Previously, OSHA’s regulations required an employer to report only work-related fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations of three or more employees. Reporting single hospitalizations, amputations or loss of an eye was not required under the previous rule.

Employers can report these events by telephone to the nearest OSHA Area Office during normal business hours or the 24-hour OSHA hotline 1-800-321-OSHA [6742], or electronically through a new tool which will be released soon and accessible at www.osha.gov/report_online.

In a final rule posted in the Federal Register on Sept. 11, OSHA has also updated the list of industries that, due to relatively low occupational injury and illness rates, are exempt from the requirement to routinely keep injury and illness records. The rule will go into effect Jan. 1, 2015 for workplaces under federal OSHA jurisdiction.

The previous list of exempt industries was based on the old Standard Industrial Classification system and the new rule uses the North American Industry Classification System to classify establishments by industry. The new list is based on updated injury and illness data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The new rule maintains the exemption for any employer with 10 or fewer employees, regardless of their industry classification, from the requirement to routinely keep records of worker injuries and illnesses.

OSHA has posted a new website with plain language materials about the new requirements. For more information on the industries now exempt from keeping records or new industries now covered, please visit www.osha.gov/recordkeeping2014. OSHA has also posted training material and other guidance on how to keep OSHA records to make it easy for newly covered employers to comply.

All employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, even those who are exempt from maintaining injury and illness records, are required to comply with OSHA’s new severe injury and illness reporting requirements. For more information, see the news release, Assistant Secretary Michaels’ statement, and OSHA’s new Web page on the revised rule.

Thank You Maryann!

MaryannThxSAFER wishes to publicly thank Maryann Mederios, MPH, CSP, Compliance Assistance Specialist for OSHA, Providence, RI.

Her true dedication to safety has helped countless employees and employers over the years throughout the Rhode Island area in both General and Construction industries.

We wish her great success with her recent promotion as the Area Director for OSHA’s Augusta Area Office in Maine.

Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers

Trade News Release Banner Image

Release: 14-929-NAT
Date: May 22, 2014
Contact: Ann Mangold Jesse Lawder
Phone: 202-693-4679 202-693-4659
Email: : mangold.ann.r@dol.gov lawder.jesse@dol.gov

Annual summer campaign to prevent heat-related illnesses
launched by US Labor Department
“Water. Rest. Shade.” and acclimatization are critical in preventing heat illness and fatalities

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced the launch of its annual Campaign to Prevent Heat Illness in Outdoor Workers. For the fourth consecutive year, OSHA’s campaign aims to raise awareness and educate workers and employers about the dangers of working in hot weather and provide resources and guidance to address these hazards. Workers at particular risk are those in outdoor industries, such as agriculture, construction, landscaping and transportation.

“Heat-related illnesses can be fatal, and employers are responsible for keeping workers safe,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “Employers can take a few easy steps to save lives, including scheduling frequent water breaks, providing shade and allowing ample time to rest.”

WATER. REST. SHADE. The work can't get done without them.

Thousands of employees become sick each year and many die from working in the heat. In 2012, there were 31 heat-related worker deaths and 4,120 heat-related worker illnesses. Labor-intensive activities in hot weather can raise body temperatures beyond the level that normally can be cooled by sweating. Heat illness initially may manifest as heat rash or heat cramps, but can quickly escalate to heat exhaustion and then heat stroke if simple preventative measures are not followed. Heat illness disproportionately affects those who have not built up a tolerance to heat (acclimatization), and it is especially dangerous for new and temporary workers.

“Acclimatization is a physical change that the body undergoes to build tolerance to heat, and it is a critical part of preventing heat illnesses and fatalities,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “Over the past three years, lack of acclimatization was the cause in 74 percent of heat-related citations issued. Employers have a responsibility to provide workplaces that are safe from recognized hazards, including outdoor heat.”

Last year, OSHA issued 11 heat-related citations. In some of these cases, the employer and staffing agency were cited because they involved temporary workers.

In preparation for the summer season, OSHA has developed heat illness educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as a curriculum to be used for workplace training, also available in both English and Spanish. Additionally, a Web page provides information and resources on heat illness – including how to prevent it and what to do in case of an emergency – for workers and employers. The page is available at: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/index.html.

OSHA also has released a free application for mobile devices that enables workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites. The app displays a risk level for workers based on the heat index, as well as reminders about protective measures that should be taken at that risk level. Since its 2011 launch, more than 130,000 users have downloaded the app. Available for Android-based platforms and the iPhone, the app can be downloaded in English and Spanish by visiting: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/heat_index/heat_app.html.

In developing its inaugural national campaign in 2011, federal OSHA worked closely with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration and adapted materials from that state’s successful campaign. Additionally, OSHA is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to incorporate worker safety precautions when heat alerts are issued across the nation. NOAA also will include pertinent worker safety information on its heat watch Web page at http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/heat.php.