22 Jan Reminder – Post your OSHA 300 Log
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...
17 Jan OSHA offers guidance for reducing work-related hospital injuries
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...
03 Jan Student burned in chemistry experiment, teacher faulted
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...
13 Nov Air Base Cited for Safety Violations
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...
05 Nov Man Run Over by Forklift
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...
30 Oct Transitioning to Safer Chemicals
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...
28 Oct Effective Workplace Safety and Health Management Systems
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