Safe Workplace and Safety News

Although the following press release from MSHA talks about safety in mines, it is a good reminder to everyone that winter requires extra safety vigilance.

MSHA News Release: 10/25/2006

MSHA Advises Miners: 'Don’t Let Safety Slip' During Winter

U.S. Department of Labor Kicks Off Winter Alert Campaign for Mine Safety

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) kicks off its 2006 Winter Alert campaign this week reminding mine operators and miners to increase awareness about the hazards that lead to fatal accidents in both underground and surface mines due to the onset of colder weather. MSHA’s statistics show that most explosions in coal mines occur during winter months.

"Safety principles should be followed year-round, but miners and mine operators must be more vigilant to safety precautions during wintertime when the weather increases the risk of fatal accidents," said Richard Stickler, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "As the temperature drops, miners must be aware of how cold weather effects working environments."

MSHA’s Winter Alert campaign runs annually from October through March. This year’s theme of "Don’t Let Safety Slip" reminds mine operators and miners to be alert for environmental hazards such as slippery walkways and icy mine access roads, and to make sure safety rules are not compromised because of seasonal changes.

Low barometric pressure, low humidity and seasonal drying of areas in coal mines can cause methane to migrate more easily into the mine atmosphere and coal dust to become dry during colder weather increasing the risk of an explosion. Other hazards include limited visibility, icy haul roads, and unstable highwalls due to the freezing and thawing process on highwalls.

MSHA personnel will distribute Winter Alert posters, hard-hat stickers, and decals to mine operators and miners displaying MSHA’s safety practices for working in underground and surface mines during wintertime.

Safety Checklist at Underground Mines:

-- Ensure proper ventilation
-- Apply liberal amounts of rock dust
-- Conduct frequent examinations
-- Examine escapeways and evacuation routes
-- Winterize fire-suppression systems

Safety Checklist at Surface Mines:

-- Winterize equipment
-- Examine work areas for hazards
-- Examine exhaust systems for leaks
-- Ensure proper ventilation in confined spaces
-- Examine highwalls for freeze/thaw hazards
-- Remove snow and ice from walkways
-- Keep roadways safe for travel

For more information about Winter Alert or other mine safety and health issues, please visit MSHA’s Web site at www.msha.gov

Labels: Industrial Safety, workplace safety

A number of free safety related tools are offered on the Graphic Products web site. One is a free safety workbook that provides inspection check lists. Although it is focused on identifying labeling and sign related problems, it is a good overall guide to use when conducting a safety inspection of your facility.

In addition, they offer a free guide to the NFPA Diamond (used for RTK labeling) and a free guide to understanding arc flash labels.

Labels: Free Safety Guides

Press Release from: U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee

Witnesses Cite Importance of Voluntary Employer Efforts to Improve Workplace Safety

WASHINGTON D.C. – Witnesses before the Workforce Protections Subcommittee today stressed the importance of voluntary efforts employers and workers are taking to proactively improve workplace safety before injuries occur. The hearing examined these voluntary efforts, whether these strategies have been effective, where OSHA and the law assist them in doing so, and where improvement in OSHA or the law may be necessary to remove obstacles to successful compliance and safe and secure workplaces.

"I believe that 'a regulatory jungle' is an apt description for the myriad OSHA rules, regulations, guidance documents, and interpretive letters that employers must come to understand," said Subcommittee Chairman Charlie Norwood (R-GA). "With all these documents, and the increased use of outside materials that are incorporated by reference, the small businessman is quite literally being choked under the 'brush' of onerous government regulations."

"Small businesses want to comply with our nation’s health and safety laws because it pays for them to do so," Norwood added. "However, OSHA must find a way to simplify the process to ensure that businesses are operating in a safe manner. Proactive and voluntary compliance with agency health and safety regulations, after all, is far more effective than 'gotcha' enforcement tactics that drive business men and women into the bunker and away from agency cooperation."

Witnesses before the subcommittee encouraged members to examine other voluntary efforts to improve workplace health and safety, such as employer efforts to work with private consultants and industrial safety specialists to foster a safer workplace.

Jon Turnipseed, safety program manager for the City of San Bernadino Municipal Water Department testified that a third party audit program would have practical, positive impacts on workplace safety by identifying problems and implementing suggestions proactively.

"The 'third party audit' legislative approach encourages voluntary efforts of employers to seek out safety and health practitioners with proven competence and professional independence to put in place effective safety and health programs," said Turnipseed. "These voluntary audits will not supplant federal enforcement and cooperative efforts but will add another tool for increasing the number of safe and healthy workplaces."

Turnipseed also urged members to look at the current inspection procedures used by OSHA to ensure that employers receive timely notice of possible hazards and citations so they can take corrective action, as well as written notice of their rights and responsibilities under the law.

Over the last five years, OSHA has implemented voluntary compliance strategies and these programs have begun to see positive results. A 2004 Government ccountability Office (GAO) report said the voluntary protection program (VPP) had made progress in helping OSHA and employers work together to reduce injuries and illnesses.

Because OSHA does not have the resources to rely solely on inspections to enforce workplace safety standards, Dennis Morikawa, partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, said that voluntary compliance programs and strategic partnerships with employers are critical.

"Over the past five years OSHA has conducted an average of 39,000 inspections per year," said Morikawa. "At that rate, if OSHA started tomorrow, it would take them 184 years and seven months to inspect every workplace in America once."

Morikawa said OSHA should remove artificial barriers that keep additional employers from participating in these voluntary programs. "The question should be: What limits employer participation in cooperative programs? Why aren’t more employers attempting to obtain the benefits offered by the cooperative programs?" asked Morikawa. "Even if a given employer was willing to undertake the burden and commitment of VPP or a partnership it might be excluded. OSHA maintains these exclusions in order to control the perceived risk of partnering with employers and to maintain maximum enforcement ability against employers. OSHA should eliminate these artificial barriers."

David Pressly, president of the Pressly Development Company, testified on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that most small construction firms do not have a full-time safety professional to implement the host of OSHA regulations because it is simply not possible or economically feasible. For this reason, he said, collaborative efforts are absolutely critical. "We believe collaborative efforts with OSHA have helped improve the regulatory environment so it is effective, but not inefficient, and has ensured that construction jobsites are safer than ever," said Pressly.

Pressly also urged Congress to review the OSHA citation and inspection process to ensure that small businesses who work to comply with all health and safety laws are treated fairly.

Labels: workplace safety

Since our web site is called "Safe Workplace" when I ran across the Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries seven steps to a safe workplace I thought it would be good to put in a link. Their seven steps to a safe workplace are:

Step 1: Follow WISHA's Safety and Health Core Rules
Step 2: Build a safety program
Step 3: Display the required Labor & Industries (L&I) posters
Step 4: Find other rules that apply to your workplace
Step 5: Find other programs that apply to your workplace.
Step 6: Get required L&I certifications and licenses
Step 7: Request assistance, if needed, from L&I.

What do you think of these seven steps? Is there anything missing? Feel free to leave a comment.

Labels: workplace safety

A free online resource for material handling safety training is the Mine Safety and Health Administration web site. It includes a section that covers forklifts, hoists, non-powered handling aids, and related topics. The topics covered include:

Mechanical Handling of Materials
Forklifts
Forklift Standards
General Information
Platform Lift Truck
Motorized Hand Truck
Design and Construction
Labels
Overhead Protection
Lights, Engines, Battery Chargers
Operating a Forklift Safely
Clearances, Surface Conditions
Pedestrians
Dockboards
Chocking
Prevent Accidents
Trailers
Securing Trucks/Trailers
Railroad Cars
Powered Industrial Truck Training
Truck Related Topics
Workplace Related Topics
Retraining and Reevaluation
Unauthorized Personnel, Inappropriate Lifting, PPE
Hoists
- Electric Hoist
- Air Hoist
- Hand-Operated Chain Hoist
- Other Hoist-Related Links
Hand Trucks and Carts
Jacks, "Porta-Powers," "Come-Alongs," Etc.
Risk Assessment

The online instruction is followed by a review section and then a three part quiz.

Labels: Industrial Safety, Safety Training

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has a comprehensive web page of lockout / blockout information. It is titled "Lockout/Blockout Methods & Sample Procedures" and is available in both english and spanish.

The page begins with an introductory section that, using actual examples of accidents, shows how people can be injured or killed in unexpected ways, when proper lockout/block procedures are not followed. It then goes on to cover the following topics, including providing specific examples of forms and procedures:

Equipment Survey:
Identifying & Labeling the Energy Disconnecting Means
Methods of Locking Out Controls

Lockout Procedure Requirement
Locks, Blocks, & Accident Prevention Tags
Written Standard Operating Procedure

Testing Equipment During Lockout
Restoring Equipment to Service
Sample Safety Permit
Sample Lockout Procedure

Lockout/Blockout Applicable Safety Orders

Labels: Industrial Safety, LOTO

OSHA Press Release:

WASHINGTON -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced yesterday that employers in the construction industry may begin applying for participation in OSHA's newest component of its premiere cooperative program — the VPP Mobile Workforce Demonstration for Construction. Eligible applicants include those who operate within the construction industry and have been in continuous business for at least three years.

The initiative was first announced in July by OSHA Administrator Ed Foulke at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Safety and Health Committee mid-year meeting in Denver. Foulke said the program "offers construction employers with mobile construction workforces and short term projects the same opportunity for recognition that fixed-site employers receive" and "recognizes those construction companies that should be held up as models of safety and health for the rest of the industry."

While the core of the new program continues on the principle of effective safety and health management systems, there are important differences as compared to site-based VPP participants. For example, applications are acceptable from a corporation, or from a division or business unit within that corporation. Additionally, companies can use an Applicant Participation Plan to note safety and health policies and procedures that differ from established VPP requirements. There is also a requirement for a prescreening/oversight process that verifies corporate policies and procedures are being effectively implemented at all worksites.

The Demonstration program involves a two-phased OSHA verification process: (1) a review of safety and health management system policies and procedures, plus management's commitment to safety and health and VPP; and (2) a visit to one or more worksites to determine the successful implementation of the corporate policies and procedures, and to verify employee involvement.

The new program is based on the agency's VPP experience as well as successes garnered through the construction-related Mobile Workforce and Short-Term Construction Star Demonstration Programs. Construction industry VPP participants in 2005 enjoyed total case incident rates (TCIR) and days away from work, restricted, or transfer (DART) rates more than 60 percent below their industry average.

Details on applying for the Demonstration program are available on OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs Web site; interested parties are also encouraged to contact OSHA's Regional VPP managers for assistance in the application process.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

Labels: OSHA, VPP

The CDC has placed the lockout / tagout procedures developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers online. They are available free for anyone to use as a reference. If you are developing lockout / tagout procedures for your facility this is a good resource to use as a starting point... or even directly copy.

The procedures are in section 12 of the procedures manual in a section titled: Control of Hazardous Enery (Lockout/Tagout). Use this link: http:///www.cdec.gov/eLCOSH/docs/d0100/d000100/pdfs/SECTION12-V2-final.pdf

Labels: LOTO

There are two excellent resources for free online safety training.

One is the Oklahoma State University department of Environmental Health & Safety. Use the links on the right side of their page to go to "Online Training Modules". Topics include:

Asbestos Awareness
Back Safety
Bloodborne Pathogens
Compressed Gas Cylinders
Electrical Safety
Fire Extinguishers
Hazard Communications
Hazardous Materials Transportation
Lockout/Tagout
Material Safety Data Sheets
Mower Safety
Office Ergonomics
Personal Protective Equipment in the Laboratory
Practicing Safe Science (from HHMI)
Safety is Everybody's Business
Scaffolds
Stress Management (Steven L. Burns, MD)
Sun Safety
Suspicious Package Training
Walking on Ice & Snow

The other is the Oregon OSHA web site. These online training modules are of a higher quality, and more in-depth and industrial oriented than the OSU online training. In addition, the OSU training is designed for specific situations and the OR-OSHA is more generic and applicable to a wider range of situations. Overall, however, both are excellent online training resources.

In both cases the courses are offered primarily for local use, however they are open to everyone to use on a non-credit basis.

Labels: Safety Training

1 - Identify
2 - Analyze
3 - Develop Solutions
4 - Present Recommendations
5 - Implement the Changes

These are the five steps related to hazard identification. A new tutorial on the www.safe workplace web site describes the basics of hazard identification and responding to newly identified hazards.

The Safe Workplace web site is dedicated to providing information about OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program and improving safety in the work place. It provides free tools, links to resources on other web sites, and with this new section safety tutorials are now available on the Safe Workplace web site.

Labels: Safety Training

The October 4th issue of Occupational Hazards magazine includes an article that not only provides a good discussion of noise control, it also provides an excellent overview of how to address safety problems in general.

The article opens by reporting that "An OSHA inspection at an Atlanta steel mill resulted in a citation for failure to reduce sound levels that could damage employees' hearing. The noise exposures for an 8-hour day were between 91 and 94 decibels (dB)."

It then looks at various ways this noise problem can be addressed, including source controls, path controls, and administrative controls.

It concludes with a summary of the benefits of hearing lose prevention: "A hearing loss prevention program is good business, and it protects employees' hearing and ability to communicate. With no cure for noise-induced hearing loss, preventing exposure is the only way to avoid hearing damage. Because hearing loss creeps up slowly, many individuals are not aware of the damage until it is too late. Long-term noise exposure also may contribute to stress-related disease, especially cardiovascular disease."

"Noise also can affect productivity. Studies show that employees in effective hearing loss prevention programs generally feel less tired and irritable. They report that they sleep better, and do not experience temporary hearing reductions at the end of the day or ringing in the ears that often precedes hearing loss. Companies with effective hearing loss prevention programs also showed reduced accident rates, illnesses and lost time."

Labels: Industrial Safety, PPE

This NFPA article is subtitled "Fitting the Puzzle Pieces Together to Provide Worker Safety".

The article begins by noting that "There are so many codes and standards for electrical safety it seems that the requirements become more complicated with each standard’s revision." It then provides help make clear the answers safety questions that appear complicated.

It covers the following topics:

• Routine maintenance with catastrophic results


• The work place was more dangerous in 1970


• OSHA’s general duty clause


• OSHA and NFPA 70E


• How does the NEC fit into the puzzle?


• Best electrical safety practice – de-energize


• Electrical hazards in the workplace


• The pieces fit, puzzle solved!

Take a look at this article for a better understanding of OSHA, and how OSHA, NFPA and NEC work together to produce regulations and codes to improve worker safety.

Labels: Arc Flash, OSHA