Arizona House lawmakers hoping to avert a federal takeover of the state's construction safety standards division gave initial approval Thursday to a bill that would revoke, on condition, 2012 legislation that is at the heart of the latest battle between Arizona and the U.S. government. Arizona has its own Occupational Safety and Health Administration that must comply with minimum federal requirements. Until last year, it did. Legislation in 2012 changed Arizona's safety standards so that conventional precautions would have to be taken if someone was working 15 feet above ground or higher. Federal standards say the precautions are required at 6 feet...

OSHA issues guidance for recording temp worker injuries Many employers have questions about who is responsible for recording work-related injuries when temporary workers are involved. To help clarify this issue, OSHA has published a new booklet that addresses OSHA 300 recordkeeping for staffing agencies and companies that hire temporary workers. Read on to learn why OSHA has taken this step and why it matters. The bulletin is the first in a series of guidance documents intended to raise awareness about compliance with OSHA requirements when temporary workers are involved. You can download the publication from OSHA’s website at https://www.osha.gov/temp_workers/OSHA_TWI_Bulletin.pdf. Coordinating safety responsibilities When a...

GHS - Classification and Labeling of Chemicals If you currently work in a workplace that uses hazardous chemicals governed by a Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) Program, there are changes to the standard you need to be aware of. In March 2012, the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration updated its HAZCOM standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) to align with the GHS - Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. The major changes to the standard are: - Hazard classification: Provides specific criteria for the classification of health and physical hazards, as well as classification of mixtures. - Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required...

Post your OSHA 300 Log All employers required to maintain the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 300 Logs for workplace injuries and illnesses must post their 2013 annual summary by February 1, 2014, utilizing the annual summary form (form 300A). you can get this form on the OSHA website at www.osha.gov. You need to do this even if you don't have a recordable illness or injury. The direct download is here: http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/new-osha300form1-1-04.xls Here are some additional details that are frequently misunderstood or overlooked and which could result in OSHA citations. Executive Certification OSHA's record-keeping standard needs to be certified by an executive. OSHA has...

OSHA offers guidance for reducing work-related hospital injuries A federal agency launched a new online resource to help hospital leaders protect their employees from getting hurt when lifting patients, handling combative patients, during exposure to chemicals and other common hazards of working in healthcare. Advocacy groups are praising the initiative but argue the risks warrant rules and enforcement in addition to guidelines. “Successful strategies to improve patient safety and worker safety go hand in hand,” said David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, during a news conference announcing the new site, www.osha.gov/dsg/hospitals. The site contains fact books, self...

Please don't let this happen to you. You need proper safety procedures in place to prevent accidents. Two students were badly injured in a chemistry experiment gone wrong. Although the teacher sited will continue to work during this investigation, she was wrong not to instruct her students to wear protective gear. This experiment took a wrong a turn when chemicals exploded, torching two students. Other students did get to the fire extinguisher, but could not get it to work. Students say their teacher is normally a stickler for safety, but in this instance, she did not instruct her class to wear protective...

Air Base Cited for Safety Violations HARRISON TWP. (AP) - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Selfridge Air National Guard Base for unsafe or unhealthy working conditions. Eight notices were issued to the military base northeast of Detroit, the U.S. Labor Department said Tuesday in a release. The base is located in Macomb County’s Harrison Township and is home to the Michigan Air National Guard. It employs 790 people, according to the press release. An inspection was conducted in accordance with the Federal Agency Local Emphasis Program. One of the notices cited was an amputee hazard violation, which involved not having adequate guards on machinery...

An employee of an auto-parts business in Otay Mesa was apparently struck by a forklift Monday and killed, the county Medical Examiner’s Office said. The 68-year-old Tijuana man died at the scene. He was identified as Salvador Gonzalez-Rincon. The incident was reported at 11:40 a.m. at Central Auto Parts on Datsun Street, near Otay Valley Road. Gonzalez-Rincon was found on the ground near the forklift, with the engine running. There were no witnesses, and it is believed he was run over by the vehicle, a medical examiner’s investigator said. He died at the scene. The incident will be investigated by Cal/OSHA. Clearly this could...

Transitioning to Safer Chemicals American workers use tens of thousands of chemicals every day. While many of these chemicals are suspected of being harmful, only a small number are regulated in the workplace. As a result, workers suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths annually related to chemical exposures. Workplace chemical exposures have been linked to cancers, and other lung, kidney, skin, heart, stomach, brain, nerve, and reproductive diseases. Establishing a chemical management system that goes beyond simply complying with OSHA standards and strives to reduce or eliminate chemical hazards at the source through informed substitution best protects workers. Transitioning to safer alternatives...

Effective Workplace Safety and Health Management Systems Every day, workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities cause immeasurable pain and suffering to employees and their families. Recent estimates indicate that workplace injuries and illnesses cost our nation’s businesses $170 billion per year in wasteful and often preventable expenses. Effective Safety and Health Management Systems (SHMS) have proven to be a decisive factor in reducing the extent and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses. SHMS will result in reduced injury-related costs.These savings, when properly administered, will exceed the cost of a workplace SHMS. more information on www.osha.gov...