Seasonal Flu: Webpage provides information on preventing spread of seasonal flu in the workplace

With an increasing number of severe flu cases this season across the United States, OSHA is urging employers to take precautions to protect workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that at least 47 states are reporting widespread geographic influenza ― 10 times higher in some cities than this time last year.

OSHA's Seasonal Flu webpage offers information about how to reduce the spread of the flu in workplaces. It provides information on the basic precautions, such as frequent hand washings and covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue, that should be used by employers and workers in all workplaces.

OSHA also provides additional precautions that should be used by employers and workers in healthcare settings, such as strictly following infection control practices and using gloves, gowns, and other protective equipment to reduce exposures, and encouraging sick workers to stay home.

Webpage offers help for employers and workers regarding winter storm hazards

OSHA's Winter Storms webpage provides information on protecting workers from hazards they may face during winter storm response and recovery operations. The webpage provides guidance on how employers and workers involved in cleanup and recovery operations can recognize snow storm-related hazards and the necessary steps that employers must take to keep workers safe while working in these conditions. The page includes guidance for workers clearing heavy snow in front of workplaces and from rooftops, workers encountering downed power lines or traveling on icy roads, and utility workers restoring power after winter storms.

The Winter Storms webpage includes links to guidance from OSHA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Safety Council and other agencies and organizations.

Diesel Hazard Alert issued by OSHA, MSHA

OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration are warning workers and their employers about hazardous exposure to diesel engine exhaust. Diesel engine exhaust, which contains a mixture of gases and small particles including diesel particulate matter, can create a health hazard when not properly controlled. The agencies have issued a hazard alert about workers' exposure to these materials. Diesel engines provide power to a variety of vehicles, heavy equipment and other machinery used in industries such as mining, transportation, construction, agriculture and maritime operations. The health effects of short-term exposure can be headache, dizziness, and irritation of the eye, nose and throat severe enough to distract or disable workers, while long-term exposure can increase the risk of cancer. The hazard alert offers information for employers and workers on engineering controls to mitigate exposure, as well as the OSHA and MSHA enforcement standards for a variety of industries. For more information, see the Hazard Alert.

Protecting recovery workers in the aftermath of Sandy

OSHA continues to monitor safety conditions for workers involved in the cleanup of Hurricane Sandy. Since the hurricane hit the East Coast two months ago, OSHA has conducted more than 4,400 briefings and other outreach activities, reaching nearly 61,000 workers and employers performing recovery work in Sandy-impacted areas.

OSHA staff is monitoring cleanup sites daily in New York and New Jersey to ensure that workers are protected from exposure to dangerous levels of environmental hazards such as carbon monoxide, asbestos and silica. The data and analysis are posted on OSHA’s Sandy sampling website. For more information, see the news release.

At a Dec. 17 forum in Wall Township, N.J., OSHA joined other agencies and organizations to discuss worker safety and ways to assist residents, business owners, unions, volunteers and advocacy groups. Robert Kulick, OSHA’s New York regional administrator, reminded attendees that employers are responsible for assessing their workplaces for hazards, training their workers, and providing their workers with all necessary controls ― such as personal protective equipment.

Guidance, fact sheets and other information are on OSHA's Hurricane Sandy webpage.

• Learn About Personal Protective Equipment 
• Read About Hurricane Recovery Assistance 
• Learn How OSHA Is Keeping Sandy Workers Safe 
• Read the Secretary of Labor’s Blog Post  

Podemos Ayudar: OSHA publishes updated Spanish-language website

OSHA has redesigned and updated its Spanish-language version of the agency's website to include the most up-to-date safety and health information and to inform workers and employers of their rights and responsibilities under the law. Like the English homepage, the site now includes a set of rotating images highlighting the latest news and agency activities, and prominently features workers' rights and steps to take if workers have concerns about their safety and health in the workplace. As OSHA continues to expand the number of resources available in Spanish, the site will be updated with links to those materials to provide a dynamic and timely safety and health resource for workers and employers. The site is available at http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/spanish/index.html.

Protecting workers engaged in Sandy recovery operations: New fact sheet on mold hazards and safeguards for workers

As of Dec. 12, OSHA's education and training efforts have reached over 60,000 workers engaged in recovery efforts in communities affected by superstorm Sandy. More than 7,000 workers have been removed from safety and health hazards because of these efforts.

One potential health hazard to workers in the recovery is mold. Remediation of mold-contaminated building materials and surfaces may cause workers to become sickened or injured if employers don’t know the hazards of mold; develop an effective mediation plan; use effective controls, work practices and personal protective equipment; or train employees to recognize and protect themselves against mold. To help provide information on mold hazards, OSHA has released a new Mold Hazards during Hurricane Sandy Cleanup Fact Sheet (PDF*). Additional guidance, fact sheets (including a Personal Protective Equipment Matrix (PDF*) that shows what equipment is necessary to keep workers safe) and other information can be found on OSHA's Hurricane Sandy web page.

New educational resource on healthcare worker, patient safety

On November 20, the Joint Commission released a new, free educational resource, "Improving Patient and Worker Safety: Opportunities for Synergy, Collaboration and Innovation." The purpose of this resource is to raise awareness and educate health care managers, employers and employees on the need for a healthcare culture focused on the safety of both patients and the workers who care for them.

The monograph contends that high rates of injuries and illnesses among health care workers serve as a warning that the health care environment as a whole must be transformed in order to improve safety. The monograph highlights examples of health care organization practices that address patient and worker safety simultaneously and the benefits and potential cost savings attained through collaboration between employee and patient safety departments. The monograph also identifies functional management systems and processes, strategies and tools that have been used to successfully integrate health and safety activities. For more information, read the monograph in full and visit OSHA's Safety and Health Topics page on Healthcare.

OSHA releases fact sheet on internal combustion engines as ignition sources

Investigations by OSHA and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) have documented a history of fires and explosions at workplaces (oilfields, refineries, chemical plants, and other facilities) where an internal combustion engine was identified as or suspected to be the source of ignition. Internal combustion engines present an ignition hazard when used in facilities processing flammable liquids and gases. If flammable vapors or gases are released in these facilities, an internal combustion engine could ignite the flammable materials with catastrophic consequences. OSHA’s new Internal Combustion Engines as Ignition Sources Fact Sheet (PDF*) helps employers and workers understand the risks involved in the use of internal combustion engines, as well as some of the control strategies that should be used to prevent such catastrophic events.

New OSHA website provides information on preventing backover incidents in construction

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 70 workers died from backover incidents in 2011. A backover incident occurs when a backing vehicle strikes a worker who is standing, walking, or kneeling behind the vehicle. These incidents can be prevented. OSHA has published a new Preventing Backovers webpage that provides information about the hazards of backovers; solutions that can reduce the risk or frequency of these incidents; articles and resources; and references to existing regulations and letters of interpretation.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis visits Staten Island, NY, to highlight efforts to protect workers engaged in Sandy recovery operations

Secretary Solis traveled to some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods of New York City with OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Jordan Barab on Thursday, Nov. 29, to meet with worker groups and others involved in rebuilding communities in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy and observe some of the recovery efforts that are currently underway. The massive response to the devastation has brought together government, worker advocates, unions, public and private employers, and community and faith-based organizations, and OSHA continues to conduct comprehensive monitoring and training to ensure that workers are protected from the serious health and safety hazards involved in the operations. 

With workers still at risk of serious safety and health hazards, these efforts remain extremely urgent. OSHA is focused on high hazard operations such as debris removal, utility restoration, and clearing trees, conducting interventions that have reached more than 15,000 workers, with an emphasis on limited-English-proficiency and vulnerable workers. OSHA is distributing information on some of the most common safety and health hazards workers face, including (PDFs*) downed electrical wires, chain saws, chipper machines, portable generators, mold and falls.

All of these materials are collected at a single site: Keeping Workers Safe during Hurricane Sandy Cleanup and Recovery, which is also available in Spanish. Two new fact sheets have been recently added to the website and are being distributed to workers and employers: Keeping Workers Safe during Hurricane Sandy Cleanup and Recovery Fact Sheet (PDF*, available in Spanish) and the Hurricane Sandy Cleanup PPE Matrix Fact Sheet (PDF*). The site also includes OSHA's Hazard Exposure and Risk Assessment Matrix, which provides information on many of the tasks and operations associated with disaster response and recovery and the most common and significant hazards that response and recovery workers might encounter. The matrix is designed to help employers make decisions during their risk assessments that will protect their workers doing work in hurricane–impacted areas. To order fact sheets and other hurricane recovery safety and health publications, call OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 or visit OSHA's Publications page.