Safe Workplace and Safety News

OSHA has cited Solid Waste Transfer & Recycling Inc. for alleged safety and health violations. Proposed penalties total $212,400.

OSHA initiated an inspection on June 3 as part of its proactive program targeting companies in industries with high injury and illness rates. As a result, the company has been issued citations for four willful violations with a penalty of $198,000 and six serious violations with a penalty of $14,400.

The willful violations address the company's failure to have an adequate lockout procedure and a lack of machine guards. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to, or intentional disregard for, employee safety and health.

The serious violations include blocked exits, inadequate energy control procedures, lack of training, failure to properly mark compressed gas cylinders and effectively close electrical box openings. A serious citation is issued when there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.

"Lockout procedures are designed to safeguard workers from the unexpected startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities," said Phil Peist, area director of OSHA's office in Parsippany, N.J. "It is imperative that the company correct the identified hazards to protect the safety and health of its workers."

"One means of helping ensure worker safety is for employers is to establish an effective safety and health management system through which they and their employees work together to proactively evaluate, identify and eliminate hazards before they result in injury or illness," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York.

The Newark 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. This investigation was conducted by OSHA's Philadelphia Area Office; telephone: 215-597-4955.

Labels: Industrial Safety, LOTO, OSHA Citations, safety labeling

Graphic Products offers a number of free safety guides related to labeling and sign making.

OSHA Safety Signs Best Practices - this guide describes the OSHA and ANSI requirements for safety signs, including required colors and the new ANSI pictograms.

OSHA Safety Sign Guide (Poster) - this 24" x 18" poster is very unique and eye-catching. It describes the various types of safety signs, including signal word requirements. It provides a quick, easy-to-read overview of safety signs. This is a limited edition poster.

Top Ten OSHA Violations in 2008 - the top ten types of violations are covered based on the most frequent violations. A second list shows the top ten types of violations based on the proposed fines. Descriptions and references to the appropriate OSHA regulations are provided.

Guide To Required PPE - a one page quick reference to required PPE based on the hazard category. It also provides a cross-reference showing the hazard categories each type of PPE.

Phosphorescent Marking White paper - this white paper discusses the NFPA 101 requirements for phosphorescent markings in stairwells and exit ways. Local and state requirements are also mentioned.

All of the above are available at no charge from Graphic Products. The links will take you to an online order form.

Labels: Free Safety Guides, OSHA Signs, PPE, safety labeling

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

As I was reviewing the end of the year OSHA announcements concerning citations and fines, I noticed that many of them included citations resulting from the lack of required labeling and/or signs.

An OSHA Press release dated December 22, 2006 states that St. Marys Foundry (Saint Marys, Ohio) was cited for workplace safety and health violations with penalties totaling $253,350. Included in that penalty was a citation for "not labeling permit-required confined spaces."

In an OSHA press released dated Dec. 15, 2006 OSHA reports that Universal Form Clamp (Bellwood, Illinois) was cited for workplace safety violations resulting from an investigation following an explosion and fire at the facility that took the life of one worker. The proposed fines total $151,650 and included a serious citation related to hazard communications.

A December 13th OSHA press release announces that OSHA has cited Wheeler Logging Co. of White Swan, Wash., for safety violations. The citations carry proposed penalties totaling $103,400. The citations include one "for failure to label containers of hazardous chemicals."

A December 26th press release from OSHA discusses Holo-Krome Inc. located in West Hartford, Conn. For the third time in six years, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has found widespread safety and health hazards at this facility, including "no annual reviews of lockout procedures to prevent the accidental startup of machinery;" and "no warning signs and asbestos awareness training for workers." The fines for all of the safety violations at Holo-Krome totaled $247,600.

Purchasing an industrial quality label printer, such as the DuraLabel 4TTP, is a good investment, both from a safety perspective and from a financial perspective. It allows you to make the signs and labels you need, as they are needed--it's economical, fast and easy.

Labels: OSHA, OSHA Citations, OSHA Fines, safety labeling

Volks Constructors has been cited by OSHA for, among other safety violations, not having proper RTK labeling and for lack of energy control procedures (Lockout/Tagout procedures). The following is the press release from OSHA:

Press Release - Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006

U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA Cites Volks Constructors in Baton Rouge for Job Safety and Health Violations

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A Baton Rouge, La., industrial vessel, pipe and steel fabrication company's alleged failure to maintain accurate injury and illness records and protect employees from occupational hazards has resulted in proposed penalties totaling $47,600 from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

AKM, LLC, doing business as Volks Constructors, was cited for the alleged violations following an inspection that began May 10, under a national emphasis program by OSHA aimed at preventing work-related amputations. Volks Constructors employs approximately 350 workers.

"Worker injury and illness records are vital for identifying injury trends," said Greg Honaker, OSHA's area director in Baton Rouge.

Sixteen serious citations were issued for potential atmospheric hazards in confined spaces, lack of energy control procedures to protect against electrical and amputation hazards, no eye wash station available while working with corrosives, no machine guarding to protect against amputation hazards and lack of guarding for chains, sprockets, belts and pulleys. A serious citation is issued for violations that could cause death or serious physical harm to employees due to hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.

Seventeen other-than-serious citations were issued for failing to complete "OSHA 301 Logs" used for a first report of injury; failing to record 102 injuries and illness on the "OSHA 300 Logs"; company executives certifying OSHA 300 Logs that were neither correct nor complete; and failing to provide the OSHA 300 and 301 Logs upon request. Additional violations included lack of rating capacity for alloy steel chains/synthetic web slings, restricted work space in front of electrical equipment, use of hazardous chemicals from unmarked containers and lack of material safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals. An other-than-serious violation is a condition that would probably not cause death or serious physical harm but would have a direct and immediate relationship to the safety or health of the employees.

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

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: LOTO, OSHA Citations, OSHA Fines, rtk labels, safety labeling

Here is an article from Quality Magazine that discusses the British OHSAS 18001 standard. The article opens by stating:

"As anyone working in the United States knows, occupational health and safety is highly regulated in many industries. There are so many local, state, and national laws and regulations that it's difficult to keep them all straight. We even find conflicting compliance issues that are virtually impossible to resolve. This might be one reason why many Americans haven't heard much about the British Standards Institutes's new standard, Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001. However, it will likely become important for any manager who's concerned about employee health and safety."

The topics covered include:

- Overview
- The BSI OHSAS Standard
- Scope of OHSAS 18001
- Basic Elements (The structure of OHSAS 18001 is similar to the model found in ISO 14001.)
- Case study: Applying OHSAS 18001 in the United States

There is also a sidebar article that discusses "OSHA and OHSAS 18001". To briefly summarize, it appears that OSHA would prefer that the OHSAS 18001 standard not come into the United States.

Labels: global hazmat classification, OSHA, safety labeling, 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

Labels and signs are an important part of any safety program. They communicate needed information at the point of need. Safety labels need to be clear, easy-to-read, and be of the proper size and color. Plus they need to be durable.

The DuraLabel 4TTP industrial label and sign printer will make the safety labels and signs you need for your facility. Using vinyl tapes up to 4 inches in width (tapes can be tiled to produce larger signs), die cut labels, or specialty materials, the DuraLabel uses high quality 300 dpi thermal transfer printing to create labels and signs that are resistant to sunlight (UV), water, scuffing and harsh environments (when printed with a chemical resistant ribbon).

The DuraLabel is not limited to making safety labels and signs. It can produce a wide range of labels--from shrink tube wire markers to NFPA Diamond RTK labels. It includes database software for produce arc flash waring labels and templates for pipe markers.

The DuraLabel 4TTP is an industrial labeling machine that can handle most labeling and sign making needs.

Labels: OSHA Signs, safety labeling