Safe Workplace and Safety News

The National Post in Canada reported today that "A Quebec paving-stone manufacturer is set to appear for a sentencing hearing today after becoming the first company in Canada to be convicted of criminal negligence causing death as the result of a workplace accident."

This case results from the death of laborer Steve L'Ecuyer who was crushed in 2005 as he tried to clear a backlog of stones on a production line. This is the first conviction under the Canadian Federal Criminal Code that was amended in 2004 to make it easier to prosecute employers for health and safety code violations.

You can read the entire article at: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=334374

In other news from Canada, The Lawyers Weekly reports today on a story they've titled "Creative Sentencing Gains Ground For Occupational Safety Violations". It describes a different approach to penalties for workplace safety code violations. The article states:

"Creative sentencing involves replacing the traditional justice system process with an agreement by all parties as to how violators will be dealt with — and how communities will benefit. 'It's an efficient way to do things. Issues get settled quickly,' Dianne Whalen, minister of transportation and works in Newfoundland and Labrador, said in an interview."

Creative sentencing is seen as a way to give back to the community. The article describes the creative sentence given to Crosbie Industrial as the result of an explosion that injured two workers.

"In this case, that agreement called for Crosbie Industrial to pay $10,000, which was divided among the three closest high schools to where the incident occurred and which offer what is called the Workplace Safety course. The amount of funding each school received is proportional to the number of students attending the course."

You can read this article at: http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&articleid=628

Labels: Industrial Safety, safety, workplace safety

The following is a three minute video showing what happens when a crane comes in contact with a power line.

Labels: Construction Safety, safety videos, workplace safety

The Minnesota OSHA web site includes a page of photographs taken by Minnesota OSHA staff members during 2005 and 2006. They show workers who are in imminent danger, meaning in a situation that presents a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could occur immediately or before the danger can be eliminated through normal enforcement procedures.

The picture voted as the "best of the worst" by Minnesota OSHA inspectors is shown to the right.

MNOSHA became aware of these situations through reports received from employees, the general public or direct observation by an investigator.

You can see the photos, and the stupid things people do at: http://www.doli.state.mn.us/06photo_main.html

Labels: Construction Safety

The following is a press release from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters:

Yesterday the Teamsters Union joined with the United Food and Commercial Workers in calling on the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to issue an emergency standard on combustible dust following last week’s deadly explosion at a sugar plant in Georgia.

The Teamsters and UFCW filed a petition yesterday with the Labor Department, demanding that OSHA follow the 2006 recommendations of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

Six workers were killed last week and dozens of others seriously injured in a preventable workplace accident at Imperial Sugar in Savannah, Georgia. Combustible dust ignited and caused an explosion.

The Teamsters represent nearly 500 members who are employed at eight sugar processing facilities throughout the United States. UFCW also represents hundreds of workers in sugar plants around the country., including the Domino Sugar plant in Baltimore, where members narrowly escaped harm last November after a combustible dust explosion rocked the facility.

OSHA has ignored the 2006 recommendation from the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) to issue a rule that would have prevented these and other combustible dust explosions. That year, the CSB conducted a major study of combustible dust hazards following three worksite dust explosions that killed 14 workers in 2003. The CSB report noted that a quarter of the explosions that occurred between 1980 and 2005 occurred at food industry facilities, including sugar plants.

OSHA’s inaction on this workplace risk follows a pattern of the agency ignoring scientific evidence and its own rule-making guidelines. By law, OSHA was supposed to respond to the CSB’s recommendations within six months.

In 1987, OSHA issued the Grain Dust Standard, which addresses the hazards of combustible grain dust. OSHA could have regulated the explosion hazards posed by combustible dust in American industries beyond grain handling facilities, but at that time, it chose not to, even though the evidence for serious explosion hazard existed then.

The Teamsters and UFCW also call for immediate OSHA inspections of all sugar-producing facilities.

Labels: Industrial Safety, workplace safety

Today's issue of Industry Week includes an article called "Safety at its Best: Aligning Employee Safety with Business Performance".

It discusses the glut of data available to managers, and the problem of finding a way to effectively use that data. The opening paragraph states:

"We have a problem on our hands: manufacturers have plenty of data, but they often haven't figured out how to use it to analyze human and process behavior and cause-and-effect scenarios that impact company performance."

The article presents a case study of Snap-On, Inc., showing how they used software to gain control of and use their data in the area of safety and resulting workers' compensation claims. The article is written by the software supplier, but it provides a good overview of the benefits that can be realized through better data management and analysis.

Labels: Safety Software, Workers' Comp

A 40 story building in New York City, that was damaged by the fall of the World Trade Center, is in the process of being demolished. OSHA has proposed a fine of $464,500 for safety hazards, that became apparent during an August 18th fire in the building, which resulted in the death of two firefighters.

Staten Island Live printed an Associated Press report on the OSHA fine yesterday. The article reports that OSHA issued a total of 44 citations, 9 citations to general contractor Bovis Lend Lease ($193,000) and 25 citations to subcontractor John Galt Corp. ($271,500)

The demolition work is being done on the the former Deutsche Bank tower in lower Manhattan. The article states that: "The contractors failed to inspect the standpipe that was broken on the day of the fire, depriving firefighters of a water supply to fight the blaze, blocked emergency stairwells with construction materials and failed to prevent workers from smoking, OSHA said."

You can read the entire AP article at Staten Island Live.

Labels: Construction Safety, OSHA Citations, OSHA Fines

Reuters reported yesterday that a one hour training session will significantly increase the use of hearing protection. The article states:

"Noise-filled occupations can lead to hearing loss, but even one hour of training could encourage more workers to take the risk seriously, new research suggests."

"In a pilot study of 23 construction workers, researchers found that a one-hour session on lowering the risk of hearing damage increased workers' use of ear plugs and similar protective equipment."

The study also showed that the training need not be given by professional trainers, but "construction company employees could be successfully trained to deliver the program to their co-workers."

Read the complete story at: Reuters Health News

Labels: hazard identifcation, Industrial Health

I just stumbled on a web site that offers a variety of free environmental, health and safety freeware. The term "freeware" typically refers to freely available software, but in this case it also includes resources such as free videos.

This web site provides a directory of environmental, safety and health related freeware. None of the software or videos are available from this web site. As a directory this web site provides links to other web sites that provide free downloads.

The software is divided into eight categories:

• DataBases and Electronic Publications
• Free EH&S Management Tools
• "Neat Stuff"
• Compliance and Reporting Software
• Investigation Remediation Software
• Training Software
• Risk Analysis Software
• EH&S Design, Operation and Maintenance Software

The "Neat Stuff" category includes things such as Free Environmental Software for Kids; Environmental Maps; Nature and Wildlife; Environmental Photographs and Clip Art; and Find Out About Pollution in Your Community.

I've not looked at any of the software yet, but that is something I will do in the future.

Labels: Industrial Health, Industrial Safety, Safety Software, Safety Training

This week's series of articles in the Charlotte Observer is stirring up up a significant reaction on the internet. The articles report on safety and health in the House of Raeford Farms' chicken processing plant. My last post, on Monday, reported on the the first article in this series.

Today's article talks about workers being injured and quickly returned to work so as to avoid recording lost time incidents. The article opens with the a story about Cornelia Vicente:

"Cornelia Vicente was packing chicken tenders at House of Raeford Farms' plant in 2003 when a conveyor belt snagged her hand, snapped her right arm and ripped off the tip of her index finger.

Maintenance workers struggled to free her, and paramedics rushed her to a hospital.

Hours after surgery, Vicente recalled, a House of Raeford nurse who had come to the hospital gave her some news: She was expected back at the plant early the next day."

You can read today's article at: http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/492672.html

House of Raeford Farms' is certainly getting a lot of bad publicity. How do you avoid bad publicity? Do safety right in the first place. Yes, the media does sometimes report information incorrectly. I've had many media stories done about me and I can't say I remember one of them that got the story 100% right. Knowing how to manage the media is important from a marketing viewpoint, if you want reporting about you to be as accurate as possible. But, if you are not doing safety right in the first place, you deserve to have problems brought into the light.

I'm not willing to make a judgment about House of Raeford Farms' based solely on one newspaper's coverage. If these articles are accurately revealing the situation, House of Raeford needs to stop doing media damage control and get their safety problems straightened out. If the articles are not accurate, they should make employees available to the press who will help reveal the truth.

Labels: safety and the media, workplace safety

The Charlotte News & Observer is reporting today that an OSHA official says that OSHA lets employers underreport workers' injuries. The article states that Bob Whitmore, "chief of record-keeping requirements for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said OSHA is allowing employers to vastly underreport the number of injuries and illnesses their workers suffer."

Mr. Whitmore is claiming that inuries and illnesses are actually two to three times higher than reported in some industries.

Towards the end the article also reports that Mr. Whitmore has been on administrative leave since last July. This resulted from a confrontation with a supervisor in which, Mr. Whitmore says, "the supervisor spat on him, so he stuck his foot in the man's door and threatened, 'If you ever do that again, I'll kick your [rear].'"

What do you think?

Are injuries and illnesses being underreported, or is Mr. Whitmore just trying to stir up trouble for his employer?

Labels: Industrial Health, Industrial Safety, OSHA

Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) report that studies in the U.S. and Europe suggest contingent workers such as part-time, temporary, or contract workers are at higher risk for occupational injuries and illnesses than workers in traditional employment situations,

Several possible reasons for the higher risk are suggested in the increasing scientific evidence, and warrant further scientific investigation, the researchers stated. The article, “Contingent Workers and Contingent Health: Risks of a Modern Economy,” by Kristin J. Cummings, M.D., M.P.H., and Kathleen Kreiss, M.D., was published in the January 30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Among the evidence for higher risk among contingent workers, are the following data and reports from the U.S., the researchers said:

• The rate of fatal occupational injuries among self-employed workers is twice the national average for all workers, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  
  
• The rate of needlestick injuries among temporary nurses caring for AIDS patients in 11 U.S. hospitals was 1.65 times higher than the rate for staff nurses working in the same units.
  
  
• A 2004 survey of day laborers in the U.S. found that 19 percent of the day laborers reported work-related injuries that required medical attention in the previous year, compared with less than 5 percent of workers in all private industries and about 6 percent of all workers in construction.
  
  
• A preliminary analysis of 2000-2004 data shows that contract coal mine workers with at least 15 years of tenure had a higher prevalence of radiographic evidence for coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (black lung) than non-contract coal mine workers.

“As the use of part-time, temporary, and contract work increases in today’s changing economy, it has become more and more important to understand the implications of the trend for occupational safety and health, and to address factors that may put these workers at unique risk,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “Studies such as these are important in suggesting evidence-based hypotheses in this complex area, and stimulating next steps in research to address unanswered questions.”

While contingent workers are a diverse group, ranging from well-paid independent consultants to low-skilled construction workers, they are more likely to be young, female, or Hispanic, and to have lower incomes and fewer benefits than workers in traditional employment, the NIOSH researchers found.

As a concern that also involves issues of personal health, the unpredictable schedule of some contingent positions may contribute to poor eating and exercise habits – factors in obesity and diabetes.

Studying a population of workers who are not affiliated with one single employer, a population that is transient and dynamic, poses challenges for researchers, the new study said.

However, it added, identifying potential risk factors and designing interventions for preventing injuries and illness, and promoting good health, are “of paramount importance to the health of the nation.”

Further information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh. Contact: Christina Bowles (202) 245-0633.

Labels: Industrial Safety, NIOSH

Here's an idea I like. This comes from today's edition of the Bexhill On-The-Sea Observer in the United Kingdom. The articles states:

"A group of six began out-of-hours study last summer to sit the Key Stage 4 entry level award in Workplace Hazard Awareness, an innovative nationally-recognized qualification that provides youngsters with crucial knowledge of the health and safety hazards they may encounter in the workplace. "

The workplace safety class is offered as an out-of-hours class. That has not limited its popularity. Since beginning with that first group of six students, a total of 50 students have now complete the course and taken the examine. This not only prepares them to enter the workforce after they graduate high school, it makes them safer workers while in high school.

In the U.S. the CDC reports: "Millions of teens in the United States work. Approximately 2.4 million 16- and 17-year-olds worked in the United States in 2006. Surveys indicate that 80% of teens have worked by the time they finish high school. While few would argue that most work provides numerous benefits for young people, it can also be dangerous. In 2003, an estimated 54,800 work-related injuries and illnesses among youth younger than 18 years of age were treated in hospital emergency departments. Given that only one-third of work-related injuries are seen in emergency departments, it is likely that approximately 160,000 youths sustain work-related injuries and illnesses each year."

Labels: Safety Training, workplace safety

OSHA has an alert on there home page concerning solicitations for purchasing copies of OSHA publications and posters.

OSHA reports that they continue to learn of complaints from employers who have received "official looking" announcements and -- in some cases -- threatening notices, messages, or telephone calls from various companies requiring that employers purchase OSHA documents from them in order to remain in compliance with OSHA rules and regulations. The most popular document being offered for sale is the OSHA Workplace Poster (also available in Spanish). OSHA has also learned of a few cases in which individuals, falsely identifying themselves as Department of Labor or OSHA employees, contacted employers threatening fines if they do not purchase specific materials.

It's important that all employers do not become victim of fraudulent solicitation practices or incur unnecessary costs where these resources are concerned.

OSHA's publications and posters are available free to anyone who asks simply by visiting the publications page on the agency's Web site at http://www.osha.gov/pls/publications/pubindex.list. The publications, posters, fact sheets, etc., can be ordered through the publications office or, in most cases, downloaded directly from the Web site.

As a reminder, employers are required to continually display a poster prepared by the Department of Labor that informs employees of protections afforded under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The poster must be displayed in a conspicuous place where employees, as well as applicants for employment, can view it. Private employers may use the poster available from OSHA's Web site, or a suitable reproduction or facsimile.

If you feel you've received a fraudulent solicitation, contact the OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742). You can also contact any OSHA area office throughout the nation for information on specific workplace safety and health requirements. Those office addresses and phone numbers are available on the agency's Web site at http://www.osha.gov/html/RAmap.html.

Labels: OSHA, osha information

Most of us don't know what a carbon nanotube (CNT) is, what types of products use them, and what hazards they may present. Wikkipedia defines a carbon nanotube as:

"Their name is derived from their size, since the diameter of a nanotube is in the order of a few nanometers (approximately 1/50,000th of the width of a human hair), while they can be up to several millimeters in length."

"Such cylindrical carbon molecules have novel properties that make them potentially useful in many applications in nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science. They exhibit extraordinary strength and unique electricalproperties, and are efficient conductors of heat."

An article by Michael Berger in today's online edition of Nanowerk points out that the workplace hazards of carbon nanotubes are unknown. One of the key problems is that the presence of nanotubes can not be detected. The article states:

"'In our review paper we have raised the need for a better detection platform in the CNT-affected workplace.' Dr. Peter Cumpson tells Nanowerk. 'The quickly rising industrial production of carbon nanotubes highlights the ever-increasing need to have an efficient and effective tool for the detection of nanotubes – because right now we don't. This new tool must be improved compared to the general purpose airborne particle counters that are currently employed, to allow better sensitivity and specificity to CNTs.'"

New materials are being developed at a rapid pace. We tend to focus on protection against new biological hazards, but new non-biological hazards may also be developing, or already be in the workplace.

The Nanowerk article points out that production of carbon nanotubes is "expected to approach several thousand metric tons per year. This means that the exposure to CNTs, especially by factory workers, will increase substantially over the next few years. Since the jury is still out as to the toxicity of nanotubes it appears prudent to at least develop suitable sensor technology to detect CNTs, especially in the workplace."

Labels: hazard identifcation, hazardous materials, Industrial Health

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Friday reminded employers that beginning Feb. 1, 2008, they must post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred during 2007. Employers are required to post OSHA Form 300A (summary). The 2007 summary must be posted from Feb. 1 to April 30, 2008.

"The OSHA 300 logs provide employers and employees a broad view of where injuries and illnesses are occurring at their worksites," stated Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "Identifying and posting injury and illness information provides employers and employees with useful information to help ensure a more safe and healthful workplace."

The summary must include the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2007 and were logged on the OSHA Form 300. To assist in calculating incidence rates, information about the annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is also required. If a company recorded no injuries or illnesses in 2007, the employer must enter "zero" on the total line. The form must be signed and certified by a company executive. Form 300A should be displayed in a common area where notices to employees are usually posted.

Employers with 10 or fewer employees and employers in certain industries are normally exempt from federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements. A complete list of exempt industries in the retail, services, finance, insurance and real estate sectors is posted on the OSHA Web site.

The Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics may still select exempted employers to participate in an annual statistical survey. All employers covered by OSHA need to comply with safety and health standards. All accidents that result in one or more fatalities or in the hospitalization of three or more employees must be reported verbally within eight hours to the nearest OSHA office.

Copies of OSHA Forms 300 and 300A are available on the OSHA Recordkeeping Web page in either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet format.

Labels: OSHA, osha information, OSHA Signs