Safe Workplace and Safety News

A proposed rule to align the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) with provisions of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) was published in yesterday's Federal Register.

The current HCS requires chemical manufacturers and importers to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import and provide information to subsequent users. The current standard requires all employers to have a hazard communication program for workers exposed to hazardous chemicals. The program includes materials such as container labels, safety data sheets, and employee training.

A number of countries, including the United States, international organizations and stakeholders participated in developing the GHS to address inconsistencies in hazard classification and communications. The GHS was developed to provide a single, harmonized system to classify chemicals, labels and safety data sheets with the primary benefit of increasing the quality and consistency of information provided to workers, employers and chemical users. Under the GHS, labels would include signal words, pictograms, and hazard and precautionary statements. Additionally, information on safety data sheets would be presented in a designated order.

"The proposal to align the hazard communication standard with the GHS will improve the consistency and effectiveness of hazard communications and reduce chemical-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "Following the GHS approach will increase workplace safety, facilitate international trade in chemicals, and generate cost savings from production efficiencies for firms that manufacture and use hazardous chemicals."

Labels: global hazmat classification, hazard identifcation, hazardous materials, rtk labels

A 30 minute safety video from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) shows how accumulations of combustible dust at industrial workplaces can provide the fuel for devastating explosions that kill and maim workers, shut down plants, and harm local economies.

Labels: Chemical Safey Board, combustible dust, hazard identifcation, hazard prevention, sugar dust

The following is the report from the Bureau Of Labor Statistics. The bad news in this report is that workplace fatalities among 16 & 17 year old workers increased.

A total of 5,071 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2008, down from a total of 5,657 fatal work injuries reported for 2007. While the 2008 results are preliminary, this figure represents the smallest annual preliminary total since the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program
was first conducted in 1992. Final results for 2008 will be released in April 2010.

Based on these preliminary counts, the rate of fatal injury for U.S. workers in 2008 was 3.6 fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from the final rate of 4.0 in 2007.

Key findings of the 2008 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

- Fatal work injuries in the private construction sector in 2008 declined by 20 percent from the updated 2007 total, twice the all-worker decline of 10 percent.
- Fatal workplace falls, which had risen to a series high in 2007, also declined by 20 percent in 2008.
- Workplace suicides were up 28 percent to a series high of 251 cases in 2008, but workplace homicides declined 18 percent in 2008.
- The number and rate of fatal work injuries among 16 to 17 year-old workers were higher in 2008.
- Fatal occupational injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers in 2008 were 17 percent lower than in 2007. Fatalities among non-Hispanic Black or African American workers were down 16 percent.
- The number of fatal workplace injuries in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations rose 6 percent in 2008 after declining in 2007.
- Transportation incidents, which accounted for approximately two-fifths of all the workplace fatalities in 2008, fell 13 percent from the previous series low of 2,351 cases reported in 2007.

In June of 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics introduced improved fatality rates for the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The new rates, based on hours worked as opposed to employment, are considered to be more accurate in measuring the risk of dying from an injury on the job. Further information on the rates is available at: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshnotice10.htm. Hours-based rates for years 2006 through 2008 and employment-based rates for years 1992 through 2007 can be found at: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.

Economic factors likely played a role in the fatality decrease. Average hours worked at the national level fell by one percent in 2008, and some industries that have historically accounted for a significant share of worker fatalities, such as construction, experienced larger declines in employment or hours worked.

In addition to the impact of declining employment, another factor that should be considered when reviewing these preliminary results is how the economy may have impacted the government agencies that provide source documents used in the compilation of CFOI data. Budget constraints at some of these governmental agencies may have delayed the receipt and processing of the documents that are used by our State partners to classify and code CFOI cases.

The average net increase in CFOI cases as a result of updates over the past two years has been 153 cases, but the updated 2008 counts scheduled for release in April 2010 have the potential to be larger because of these delays.

Profile of 2008 fatal work injuries by type of incident

- Most types of transportation fatalities saw decreases in 2008 relative to 2007, including highway incidents (down 19 percent); railway incidents (down 31 percent); workers struck by vehicle or mobile equipment (down 7 percent); and nonhighway incidents such as tractor overturns (down 4 percent). Aircraft-related
fatalities were higher in 2008 (189 incidents in 2008, up from 174 incidents in 2007), as were water vehicle incidents.

- The 680 fatal falls in 2008 represent a 20 percent decline from the series high of 847 fatal falls in 2007. Fatal falls to a lower level, which accounted for 85 percent of all falls, were down 23 percent in 2008. Fatal falls from roofs were down 26 percent and falls from ladders decreased by 14 percent. The number of fatal falls on same level (to a floor or walkway or against an object) increased slightly in 2008.

- Workplace suicides rose from 196 cases in 2007 to 251 cases in 2008, an increase of 28 percent and the highest number ever reported by the fatality census. Suicides among protective service occupations rose from 14 in 2007 to 25 in 2008. Workplace homicides fell by 18 percent in 2008. Overall, the 2008 preliminary workplace homicide count (517 workplace homicides) represents a decline of 52 percent from the high of 1,080 homicides reported in 1994.

- The number of fatal work injuries involving fires and explosions was up 14 percent in 2008; fatalities involving contact with objects or equipment were also up slightly in 2008.

Labels: hazard identifcation, workplace fatalities

OSHA has proposed $314,000 in fines against Dana Container Inc. of Summit, Ill., for alleged willful, serious and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards.

As a result of a safety and health inspection, OSHA has cited the company for three willful violations with a proposed penalty of $210,000. The willful citations address the company's alleged failure to have adequate written programs and permits required for working in confined spaces and not insuring proper working conditions before allowing workers to enter those confined spaces. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

The company also has been cited for 16 serious violations with proposed penalties of $86,500. Some of the citations allege the company failed to provide proper training and procedures on uses of personal protective equipment such as respirators; review permit space entry operations and permit required confined space programs; install guardrails on elevated runways; provide proper identification and warnings on hazardous material tanks; and provide an adequate hazard communication program. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Dana also has received one citation for a repeat violation with a penalty of $17,500. The alleged repeat violation addresses failure to provide emergency eyewash and a safety shower for employees working with corrosive materials. OSHA issues a repeat violation when it finds a substantially similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any of an employer's facilities in federal enforcement states when an initial one previously was cited.

"Injuries and fatalities from accidents such as asphyxiation due to overexposure of hazardous gases are preventable," said Gary Anderson, OSHA's area director in Calumet City, Ill. "Employers must remain dedicated to keeping the workplace safe and healthful or face strong enforcement actions by OSHA."

Dana Container Inc. is a tank washing company that employs about 375 workers nationally. Its facility has been inspected seven times by OSHA, including two inspections after worker fatalities, and the company has received numerous citations from these past inspections.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Related Past Posts
OSHA Issues Confined Space Proposed Rule
OSHA Citation For Inadequate Lock Out / Tag Out

Labels: hazard identifcation, OSHA Citations, OSHA Fines, safety regulations

"Beware the ides of March" was the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's play about the Roman Emperor. These days, the phrase has taken on the ominous meaning that something bad is about to occur on or around March 15.

Now, two researchers from Michigan State University have conducted a research project that could well contain the warning "Beware of the days after the change to Daylight Savings Time," the second Sunday in March when an hour of sleep is lost as clocks jump ahead.

Using U.S. Department of Labor and Mine Safety and Health Administration data, Christopher Barnes and David Wagner, both doctoral candidates studying industrial and organizational psychology, found that the number of workplace accidents spikes after Daylight Savings Time changes every March.

On the other hand, they found no significant increase in workplace accidents or sleep loss when the clocks were set back an hour in November.

In two separate studies, they found that the March switch to Daylight Savings Time resulted in 40 minutes less sleep for American workers, a 5.7 percent increase in workplace injuries and nearly 68 percent more work days lost to injuries.

The research will be reported in the September issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology.
But can losing one hour of sleep really make a difference? "Yes," said Barnes, "it can. Especially for those engaged in jobs requiring a high level of attention to detail. Studies have shown that lost sleep causes attention levels to drop off."

Recognizing this, that’s why some industries, like trucking and airlines, have regulations setting limits on the consecutive hours that truckers can drive or crews fly without taking a break.
Barnes and Wagner noted that some researchers claim the one-hour clock adjustment does not, and could not, impact accident rates in organizations. "We contend that the springtime change is associated with an increase in the number and severity of workplace accidents," they said.

There is other research available that tends to support Barnes and Wagner. A University of British Columbia study, using data from the Canadian Ministry of Transport, found that when Canada went into daylight savings time, there was an 8 percent increase risk of accidents on the Monday after the changeover. A similar study, using information from the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cited sleep deprivation as the most likely cause of a 17 percent increase in accidents on the Monday following the time change.

Barnes pointed out that is not uncommon for people to complain how tired they are when they lose sleep. Many people adjust to a pace where events recur regularly and they can be adversely affected when that schedule is disrupted. An obvious example is jet lag, which occurs when people travel across several time zones.

"Their internal clocks need some recovery time for these kind of disruptions," Wagner said.
Barnes noted that people assume the change to Daylight Savings is not going to greatly affect them. After all it’s only one hour. And if they do have an accident or make a mistake, they are not likely to attribute it to sleep loss.

While their study focused on physical accidents, Barnes and Wagner said a logical extension could be mistakes in the office or workplace, such as transposing figures on a spread-sheet or filling the wrong prescription in a pharmacy.

The researchers used figures from the American Time Use Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which included more than 14,000 interviews. They also studied data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration. In analyzing those figures, it was clear that people lost an average of 40 minutes’ sleep following the change to Daylight Savings and there was a jump in workplace accidents following the time change.

They looked at all Mondays in a year and allowed for seasonal effects and other factors. For example, there is more likelihood of snow in Michigan and Minnesota in March than in other parts of the country and the bad weather may have been more of a contributing factor to accidents than the time change.

However, the results clearly show that sleep does have a profound effect upon human behavior and lack of sleep can have significant and serious results, they say.

So, when next March rolls around and clocks are turned forward an hour, organizations should be aware that Daylight Savings Time may save daylight, but not without some cost to organizations.

By the way, Caesar would have done well to heed the soothsayer’s warning. On the 15th of March his friends and colleagues assassinated him.

Labels: hazard identifcation, hazard prevention, safety statistics

A safety video from 1998 is getting a lot of attention on the internet. Called "Will You Be Here Tomorrow?" this video depicts, in a rapid succession, a series of industrial accidents... many of them very bloody. Although the "special effects" are low budget, it does an effective job of making people afraid of workplace accidents.

Labels: hazard identifcation, Safety Training, safety videos

When a compliance safety and health officer (CSHO) from OSHA’s Calumet City, Ill., Area Office arrived at a jobsite to conduct a trench inspection under the agency’s national emphasis program, he observed an employee working in an unprotected 7-foot deep trench. Although the employee worked for a village public works department, the CSHO identified the hazards and the construction employer agreed to voluntarily remove the employee from the unsafe trench. As the employee began exiting the trench, the side wall collapsed and the water main the employee was working on erupted sending approximately 4 feet of water into the trench. Because OSHA had no jurisdiction, a referral was made to the State of Illinois Department of Labor for further investigation. Detailed information on trench safety is available on OSHA’s trenching and excavation Safety and Health Topics Web page.

Related Past Posts:
Trench Collapse Results In Lawsuit
Contractor Faces Maximum Fine For Trench Collapse

Labels: Construction Safety, hazard identifcation

Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety has released the 2008 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index which includes a list of the top ten most disabling workplace injuries. The opening sentence states that "The estimated direct U.S. workers compensation costs for the most disabling workplace injuries and illnesses in 2006 were $48.6 billion. This finding and many others are presented in the 2008 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index."

The complete report is available here.

The most recent information is for 2006. The top ten causes of the most disabling workplace injuries in 2006 were:

Overexertion - 25.7%
Fall On Same Level - 13.3%
Fall To Lower Level - 10.8%
Bodily Reaction - 10.0%
Struck by Object - 8.9%
Struck Against Object - 5.1%
Highway Incident - 4.9%
Caught In/Compressed By - 4.4&
Repetitive Motion - 4.0%
Assaults/Violent Acts - 0.9%

Labels: hazard identifcation, Industrial Safety, safety management, workplace safety

NewsDay Today reports that New Jersey will be "mandating regular reviews for safety upgrades at the 89 most dangerous chemical plants, oil refineries, water treatment plants and industrial facilities in the state."

The article states: "'The only way to make plants safer is to deal with the operations themselves, instead of more guards, gates and guns,' said Rick Engler, executive director of the state Work Environment Council. Engler has led a coalition of labor unions, environmental groups and community organizations pushing for the new DEP rules that went into effect last week. Plants have 120 days to prepare their reviews, if they have not already.

For example, a Schweitzer-Mauduit paper mill four miles east of the New Jersey Turnpike in Spotswood was the sixth most dangerous facility in the state a year ago. The poisonous chlorine gas used at the plant had to be shipped in 90-ton rail cars through town, and the plant's worst-case catastrophe could have endangered more than a million people within 14 miles.

In advance of the new rules, though, the paper mill switched to a chlorine dioxide bleach that can be generated on site as needed. In June last year, the company stopped all shipment and storage of chlorine at the site. "

Labels: hazard identifcation, hazardous materials, Industrial Safety

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

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

An article in the December issue of Concrete Products Magazine compares and discusses the various standards for labeling hazardous materials with the new global requirements. Four labeling system are compared: GHS SDS, ISO MSDS, ANSI MSDS and OSHA MSDS.

The article points out that adopting global standards would be advantageous because it would eliminate the multiple standards in use within the U.S. The article states: "While a few changes would be in order to comply with the proposed standard, DOT labeling requirements for hazardous materials transportation are nearly identical to those of GHS. Since OSHA is not harmonized with current DOT standards, changing HCS to incorporate GHS criteria would ensure consistency of DOT and OSHA requirements."

Labels: global hazmat classification, hazard identifcation, rtk labels, safety labeling

The switch to a global hazmat classification system is moving forward. One of the problems, as reported by The Society for Protective Coatings, is that:

"The proposed switch to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) will reverse the hazard rankings currently used by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the proprietary Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS) developed by the National Paint and Coatings Association (NPCA). In the two current U.S. systems, chemicals with higher assigned numbers pose greater chemical hazards, while in the GHS higher numbers indicate less of a hazard." (Read the complete report.)

OSHA has published A Guide toThe Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) that is available at:

http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghs.html

This page provides a lot of information about the harmonization of hazardous chemical labeling, including tables that provide a comparison of MSDS elements for the following:

• Globally Harmonized System
• ISO Safety Data Sheet for Chemical Products 11014-1: 2003 DRAFT
• NSI MSDS Preparation Z400.1- 2004
• OSHA Hazard Communication Standard 29#CFR#1910.1200

Labels: global hazmat classification, hazard identifcation, OSHA, rtk labels

OSHA's responds to letters asking for clarification and interpretation of rules, codes and standards. OSHA then publishes those responses on their web site. The College of American Pathologists asked several interesting questions about labeling requirements which OSHA answered here.

Their questions include:

Is it necessary to label each bottle of reagent even if it will be used in a timely manner?

Are coding systems acceptable in place of writing precautionary information on secondary containers?

Does this requirement apply only to hazardous chemicals or to all chemicals used by a laboratory?

Labels: hazard identifcation, osha information, rtk labels, workplace safety

The DuraLabel 4TTP sign and label printer has been offered as a part of several reduced price special packages for about a year. One of those package deals is the DuraLael OSHA Sign and Labeling Package. That special package is now on sale, so you can save even more.

The DuraLabel saves you money because DuraLabel supplies cost about 40% less than supplies for comparable label printers. With the DuraLabel you are buying direct from the manufacturer and you pocket the savings.

The DuraLabel saves you money because the DuraLabel prints faster... about four times faster than comparable label printers. That means you can make the labels you need in about 1/4 the time, saving you manhours.

The DuraLabel saves you money because Duralabel supplies have a 40% longer average outdoor life. You'll need to replace worn out labels and signs less frequently.

And now the DuraLabel saves money because you can get even greater savings by purchasing your DuraLabel printer as a part of a special package!

Labels: hazard identifcation, OSHA, safety labeling