OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Center for Construction Research and Training will hold the third annual National Safety Stand-Down May 2-6, 2016, to raise awareness of the serious risk of falls in the workplace. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, and lack of proper fall protection remains the most frequently cited violation by OSHA.
More than 4 million workers have participated in the last two years, dedicating themselves to on-the-job safety. This year the stand-down will highlight the safe use of ladders and encourage employers to pause during their workday for topic talks, demonstrations and training on how to prevent falls. For more information on the success of last year’s stand-down, see the final data report. Visit the 2016 National Safety Stand-Down webpage for more updates.
OSHA's free Job Safety and Health: It's the Law! poster is now available online in French*, Arabic*and Vietnamese*. This is in addition to the versions that were already available in English*,Chinese*, Korean*, Nepali*,Spanish*, Polish* and Portuguese*. The poster informs workers of their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. All covered employers are required to predominantly display the poster in their workplaces where workers can see it. For more information about the poster and how to get copies in the various languages, visit OSHA's workplace poster webpage.
OSHA has developed a new webpage that addresses workplace violence prevention in healthcare settings. The webpage, part of OSHA’s Worker Safety in Hospitals webpage website, contains tools to help healthcare facilities design a violence prevention program using core elements including: management commitment and worker participation; worksite analysis and hazard identification; hazard prevention and control; safety and health training; and recordkeeping and program evaluation. The page also provides real-life examples from healthcare facilities that have integrated successful workplace violence prevention programs, as well as models of how a workplace violence prevention program can enhance an organization’s strategies for compliance, accreditation and a culture of safety. For more information, read the news release and visit the Preventing Workplace Violence in Healthcare page.
A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center found that more than three-quarters of the public thinks the federal government is doing a good job of setting fair and safe workplace standards. In contrast, the poll also found that overall trust in the government and political leaders are near historic lows. Despite the public’s professed cynicism for government programs in general, many voiced strong support in specific areas, with setting safe standards for workplaces the 2nd highest rated. And the support was bipartisan: According to the Pew report, “Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans say [the government] does a good job of responding to natural disasters (82% and 78%, respectively) and setting fair and safe standards for workplaces (79% and 77%, respectively).” The poll results were based on more than 6,000 interviews conducted between August 27 and October 4, 2015.
