Outreach Training Program Changes. New Trainer and Student Cards effective March 2016

Click here to view details.

Three OSHA classes to be held at Montclair University in February

Rutgers School of Public Health is offering three offsite courses (OSHA 7505, OSHA 7100 and OSHA 7500)  at Montclair University in February.

Please click links below to register for these courses.

02/16/16 - OSHA 7505: Introduction to Incident Investigation

02/18/16 - OSHA 7100 Introduction to Machinery and Machine Safeguarding

02/19/16 - OSHA 7500 Introduction to Safety & Health Management

New training materials for Construction Outreach Trainers

New training materials for Construction Outreach Trainers are available for download. 
Please click here to download the .zip file, or copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://ophp.sph.rutgers.edu/10hrConstruction2015.zip

New webpage makes it easier for workers to access information on their rights

OSHA has redesigned its Worker Rights page to create a better experience for workers looking for information about their rights and what to do if they have concerns about safety and health at their workplace. The new page divides the key information into three parts: Know Your Rights, When to File a Complaint, and Contact OSHA, with links to all necessary forms and email addresses. Also posted are Frequently Asked Questions and related publications and blogs. Worker Rights is consistently ranked among the top 10 pages visited on OSHA's website.

Employers must post 300A injury/illness summary form February through April

OSHA is reminding covered employers to post OSHA's Form 300A which summarizes the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses logged during 2015. The summary must be posted between Feb. 1 and April 30, 2016, and should be displayed in a common area where notices to employees are usually posted.

Employers with 10 or fewer employees and employers in specific low-hazard industries are normally exempt from federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements. Due to changes in OSHA's recordkeeping requirements that went into effect Jan. 1, 2015, certain previously exempt industries are now covered. Lists of both exempt and newly covered industries are available on OSHA's website. Visit OSHA's Recordkeeping Rule webpage for more information on recordkeeping requirements.

Top Story OSHA's free On-site Consultation Program helps nearly 30,000 employers create safer workplaces in 2015

OSHA's On-site Consultation Program provided free and confidential safety and occupational health advice to 27,871 small and medium-sized businesses across the country in 2015. The program recognizes that while most employers want to keep their workers safe and healthy on the job, smaller businesses often lack the resource of an on-site safety professional to find and fix hazards. Last year, 87 percent of consultations were conducted at businesses with 100 or fewer employees.

Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing injury and illness prevention programs. Priority is given to high-hazard worksites in industries such as manufacturing and construction. In 2015, consultants identified and helped employers eliminate more than 140,000 total hazards, protecting an estimated 3.5 million workers from possible injury, illness or death.

On-site Consultation services are separate from enforcement and do not result in penalties or citations. Visit OSHA's website to find the local On-site Consultation Program office in your state or territory.

Fact sheet now available on farm vehicle backover hazards

OSHA has developed a new fact sheet that identifies the key causes of backover incidents on farms. The fact sheet outlines safety measures to prevent farmworkers from being struck by vehicles* including worker training, driving alternate routes and using hand signals or spotters when noise or distance is a factor.

Injury reporting webpage simplified, online filing now available

To help employers comply with new requirements to report severe worker injuries, OSHA has created a streamlined reporting webpage and now offers the option of reporting incidents online. The expanded requirements took effect in January 2015. Now, in addition to reporting any worker fatality within 8 hours, employers must report within 24 hours any severe injury – defined as an amputation, hospitalization or loss of an eye. In the first year of the new requirement, OSHA received about 12,000 reports. The agency plans to release complete numbers and a full analysis of the Year One reports soon.

Bronx hair salon must pay $165K to fired employee who warned co-workers of formaldehyde hazards

A receptionist fired illegally at a Bronx hair salon in June 2012 for telling her colleagues about the hazards of a formaldehyde-containing straightener the salon used will be compensated for unlawful retaliation, and her former employer will take corrective action, according to a federal consent judgment obtained by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The judgment orders the defendants to pay the former employee $65,000 in lost wages and $100,000 in compensatory damages for pain and suffering. It also requires Salon Zoe to expunge the employee’s personnel records of all references to this matter and her termination and, upon request, provide a written, neutral job reference.