OSHA Announces National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls May 6-10, 2019

Employers and workers are invited to participate in the fourth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, May 6-10, 2019. The weeklong outreach event encourages employers and workers to pause during the workday to discuss fall hazards and how to prevent them. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, accounting for 37 percent of fatalities industry-wide. For resources on fall prevention visit OSHA's webpage.

Stand-Up for Grain Safety Week Set for March 25-29, 2019

Grain handling and storage is a key safety issue for the grain, feed, and processing industries. OSHA and its Alliance partner, the National Grain and Feed Association, in cooperation with the Grain Elevator and Processing Society, will hold Stand-Up for Grain Safety Week, March 25-29, 2019. The event will focus on grain bin entry, machine guarding, respiratory protection, falls, heat, lockout/tagout, and other industry issues. Employers and workers are encouraged to participate in local stand-up events. Visit the Stand-Up website for more information on the national outreach campaign.

OSHA Continues to Provide Support in Areas Hardest Hit by Hurricane Michael

OSHA continues to provide technical assistance and outreach in areas impacted by Hurricane Michael. To date, OSHA has reached more than 2,400 workers, and helped remove more than 600 workers from serious hazards through on-site interventions. Normal enforcement operations have returned throughout most of Florida and Georgia. For more information, see the news release.

.S. Department of Labor Provides Assistance for California Wildfires Recovery

OSHA is joining with other federal agencies to help those impacted by devastating wildfires in California. OSHA is partnering with the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division to help protect worker safety and wages during cleanup and recovery operations. To learn about other Labor Department assistance efforts, read the news release.

New Publication on Lockout/Tagout Addresses Safety for Temporary Workers

A new OSHA bulletin on lockout/tagout explains the joint responsibility of host employers and staffing agencies to ensure that temporary employees are properly protected against the sudden release of stored energy. Prior to beginning work, both employers should review the task assignments and job hazards to identify, eliminate, and control the release of hazardous energy before workers perform service or maintenance on machinery. This is part of a series of guidance documents that focuses on compliance with safety and health requirements for temporary workers.

OSHA Resources Can Help Workers Stay Safe During Holiday Season

Retailers and other businesses temporarily increase staffing levels to accommodate the busy holiday shopping season. OSHA has resources to help keep warehouse employees, tractor trailer drivers, and forklift operators safe as they work to get merchandise to people's home. Retailers are encouraged to follow crowd control safety guidelines, such as using trained security personnel or rope lines for customers. For more information, visit OSHA's Holiday Workplace Safety webpage.

Safety Conversations with Workers Can Help Prevent Workplace Injuries

Every day, safety conversations take place at all levels of a company, from executives and managers to front-line supervisors and workers. These conversations have great potential for improving workplace safety and health. OSHA's Safe + Sound Campaign resource, Better Safety Conversations, provides tips for making safety conversations more effective, and the importance of leading by example.

OSHA and ISEA Distribute PPE to People Recovering from Hurricane Florence

OSHA and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), an Alliance Program participant, teamed up to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers, residents, and businesses affected by Hurricane Florence in North and South Carolina. "OSHA's goal is to keep workers and volunteers safe while they perform cleanup and recovery operations, and the ISEA is an important partner in these efforts," said OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt. Information on specific safety equipment and how to stay safe during storm cleanup and recovery can be found on OSHA's Hurricane Preparedness and Response page, and on the ISEA Storm Cleanup: Safety Equipment Resource Center page.

OSHA Launches Program to Target High Injury and Illness Rates

OSHA is initiating the Site-Specific Targeting Program to target workplaces with high injury rates for inspection. Using injury and illness information electronically submitted by employers for calendar year 2016, OSHA will inspect establishments that should have provided 300A data, but did not. This program helps OSHA ensure that employers provide safe and healthful workplaces by directing enforcement resources to those workplaces with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses. For details on the program, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements, read the news release.

Fall 2018 Rutgers School of Public Health OPEN HOUSE

Rutgers School of Public Health will host our Fall 2018 Open House on Friday, November 16, 2018 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM. If you are interested in learning more about the Masters in Public Health (MPH) with a Concentration in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), please join us. 

                Location, 683 Hoes Lane West, 

               Piscataway, New Jersey 

               Dr. Koshy, OSH Track Coordinator