New from NIOSH: Safety resources for small businesses

NIOSH has issued a new Small Business Safety and Health Resource Guide, which is intended to assist small business owners as they seek out training materials, and recommendations for ensuring the safety and health of their workers. The resource guide includes sections on: general information, guides and courses, specific occupations and hazards, regulations, consultation services, and emergency preparedness. It also contains summaries of and links to more than 50 websites produced by commercial, academic, and government organizations.

New and revised online resources available to protect workers from combustible dust

OSHA has revised its webpage on the explosion hazards of combustible dust. The page is now organized in sections with tabs to make the page more user-friendly for both experienced and non-experienced viewers. The sections are arranged in logical order, beginning with guidance information that should be especially helpful to users unfamiliar with combustible dust hazards. Enhancements to this web page include additional links to reports issued by NIOSH and the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

Take the Worker Safety & Health Challenge before November 30

The deadline for submissions to the Department of Labor's Worker Safety and Health challenge has been extended until November 30. The challenge is to develop tools to educate young workers on safety and health hazards, what they can do to protect themselves and their rights in the workplace. Successful entries could take many different forms: interactive and informative games, social or professional networking sites, or data visualization tools that teach young people about safety and health hazards. Submissions may be designed for Internet browsers, smartphones, feature phones, social media platforms, or as native Windows or Macintosh applications.

A panel of judges that includes Secretary Hilda Solis, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, co-hosts of the popular Discovery Channel show "Myth Busters," will award $15,000 for the "Safety in the Workplace Innovator Award," $6,000 for the "Safety and Health Data Award" and $6,000 for the "Workers' Rights Award." There is also a "People's Choice Award" of $3,000 for the developer of the app that receives the most public votes on the website.

For more information, visit the challenge page, and read Dr. Michaels' blog.

Maritime Industry Outreach Trainers: OSHA announces new workplace safety training requirement

Individuals seeking authorization to become OSHA Maritime Industry Outreach Trainers must complete a new workplace safety and health course. Effective October 1, 2012, prospective maritime industry trainers must complete OSHA Course #5410 Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Maritime Industry.

The OSHA Maritime courses focus on eliminating needless injuries and deaths by sharing methods of finding and fixing deadly industry hazards like falls, confined spaces, electrical hazards, machine guarding and welding/hot work. The new required course, developed by the OSHA Directorate of Training and Education and offered through authorized OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, focuses on maritime industry standards related to longshoring, marine terminals, and shipyard employment. Prospective trainers can access the course, training locations, registration and other information on OSHA's searchable course schedule web page or visit the Outreach Training Program for the Maritime Industry Web page.

Register for our OSHA Course #5410 Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Maritime Industry on April 8, 2013.

OSHA staff across the country teach how to save lives

Since launching the Preventing Falls in Construction campaign in April, OSHA's Regional and Area Offices have been getting the message of "Safety Pays, Falls Cost" out to tens of thousands of employers, workers and other stakeholders.

Across the country, OSHA's Free On-site Consultation Program and compliance assistance specialists have conducted more than one thousand workshops, presentations, site visits, and radio and TV interviews. OSHA's specialists have participated in phone banks, staffed information booths at community events, visited with foreign consulates, distributed educational materials, and conducted many other outreach activities to explain that falls can be prevented when employers follow a three-step process — Plan, Provide and Train.

Falls are the leading cause of death in construction, but these deaths are preventable. Learn more about OSHA's Fall Prevention campaign, and watch Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis' public service announcement at www.osha.gov/stopfalls. OSHA also has numerous educational resources available in multiple languages, including (PDF*) stickers,wallet cards, fact sheets, and posters. To order these or any of OSHA's outreach materials, call OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 or visit OSHA's Publications page.

Intro to OSHA Outreach Trainer Resources

The OSHA Training Institute Education Center (OTIEC) is providing a 2-hour Introduction to OSHA Module. This module must be used by all Outreach Trainers who currently offer the 10 and 30hr Construction, General Industry and all Maritime Outreach Training.

The content covers the full range of workers’ rights, including the right to a safety and healthful workplace, the right to know about hazardous chemicals, the right to review information about injuries and illnesses in the workplace, the right to receive training, the right to participate in an OSHA inspection, and the right to be free from retaliation for exercising their safety and health rights. The curriculum is designated as “Required Content” to be used in these Outreach Training Programs. The module must be presented as developed with no substantive changes.

Download Link: May_2010_Intro_OSHA.zip