OSHA issues long-awaited proposal to protect workers from beryllium exposure; labor-industry collaboration is key

On August 7, OSHA issued aproposed rule to dramatically lower workplace exposure to beryllium, a widely used material that can cause devastating lung diseases. The long-sought proposal would reduce allowable exposure levels by 90 percent and add other protections. The proposal gained renewed momentum after the nation's primary beryllium product manufacturer, Materion, and the United Steelworkers, the union representing many of those who work with beryllium, approached OSHA in 2012 to suggest a stronger standard.

For Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, the development had special significance: In 1999, as assistant secretary of energy for environmental safety and health, he issued the final regulation lowering allowable worker exposure to beryllium in nuclear weapons facilities. "OSHA's new proposed rule is the beginning of the final chapter of our making peace with the past," he wrote in a DOL blog. "Once we finish, workers exposed to beryllium will be protected and we will save the lives and lungs of hundreds."

OSHA estimates that every year the rule would prevent almost 100 deaths and 50 serious illnesses among the approximately 35,000 workers exposed to beryllium in occupations such as foundry and smelting operations, machining, and dental lab work.

Comments on the proposed rule may be submitted until Nov. 5, 2015, to www.regulations.gov. For more information see news release, statement and webpage on the proposed rule.

NIOSH Ladder Safety app will expand to cover stepladders

Since its release in 2013, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Ladder Safety app has helped thousands of users set up and use extension ladders more safely to prevent falls. NIOSH recently announced that the app will now include stepladders.

The new stepladder module will be available at the end of this year to help workers use the most common four-legged portable ladders more safely. The new module will be based on the existing ladder safety standards and regulations and will provide easy-to-use, graphic-oriented safety tools, checklists, and guidelines.

With more than 40,000 downloads in the past two years, the NIOSH Ladder Safety app continues to help improve the safety of workers using extension ladders. In addition to its ladder-positioning tool for setting the ladder at the optimal angle, the app contains general ladder safety, inspection and selection guidelines, and related information. The Ladder Safety app is available free, in English or Spanish, for Apple and Android smartphones. Read more on NIOSH's webpage on Fall Injuries Prevention in the Workplace.

OSHA provides guidance to compliance officers for enforcing the revised Hazard Communication standard

OSHA has issued instructions to compliance safety and health officers on how to ensure consistent enforcement of the revised Hazard Communication standard*. Thisinstruction outlines the revisions to the standard, such as the revised hazard classification of chemicals, standardizing label elements for containers of hazardous chemicals, and specifying the format and required content for safety data sheets. It explains how the revised standard is to be enforced during its transition period and after the standard is fully implemented on June 1, 2016.

OSHA revised the standard in March 2012 to align with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. The revised standard improves the quality, consistency and clarity of chemical hazard information that workers receive.

Under the standard, employers were required to train workers on the new label elements and safety data sheets by Dec. 1, 2013. Chemical manufacturers, importers and distributors had to comply with revised safety data sheet requirements by June 1, 2015. Manufacturers and importers had to comply with new labeling provisions by June 1, 2015. Distributors have until Dec. 1, 2015, to comply with labeling provisions as long as they are not relabeling materials or creating safety data sheets, in which case they must comply with the June 1 deadline.

Additional information on the revised Hazard Communication Standard may be found on OSHA's Hazard Communication Safety and Health Topics page.

Updated comprehensive guide to OSHA training requirements now available

OSHA has posted a fully updated version of its guide to all agency training requirements to help employers, safety and health professionals, training directors and others comply with the law and keep workers safe. Training Requirements in OSHA Standards* organizes the training requirements into five categories: General Industry, Maritime, Construction, Agriculture and Federal Employee Programs.

The safety and health training requirements in OSHA standards have prevented countless workplace tragedies by ensuring that workers have the required skills and knowledge to safely do their work. These requirements reflect OSHA's belief that training is an essential part of every employer's safety and health program for protecting workers from injuries and illnesses. For a list of educational materials available from OSHA, please visit the Publications webpage.

OSHA issues temporary enforcement policy for confined spaces in construction

OSHA is instituting a 60-day temporary enforcement policy of its Confined Spaces in Construction standard. Full enforcement of the new standard, which goes into effect Aug. 3, is being postponed to Oct. 2 in response to requests for additional time to train and acquire the equipment necessary to comply with the new standard.

During this 60-day temporary enforcement period, OSHA will not issue citations to employers who make good faith efforts to comply with the new standard. Employers must be in compliance with either the training requirements of the new standard* or the previous standard. Employers who fail to train their employees consistent with either of these two standards will be cited.

Factors that indicate employers are making good faith efforts to comply include: scheduling training for employees as required by the new standard; ordering the equipment necessary to comply with the new standard; and taking alternative measures to educate and protect employees from confined space hazards.

OSHA issued the Confined Spaces in Construction final rule on May 4, 2015. OSHA estimates that the rule could protect nearly 800 construction workers a year from serious injuries and reduce life-threatening hazards. For more information, read the news release.

New NIOSH blog provides update on the risk of silicosis

A blog by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health discusses new data showing silicosis is continuing to cause or contribute to about 100 worker deaths a year. It also explains the emergence of new occupations and tasks, such as hydraulic fracturing of gas and oil wells, are placing workers at risk of exposure to silica.

Silicosis is a disabling, incurable and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by the inhalation of respirable crystalline silica particles.

Effective strategies for employers on preventing occupational exposure to hazardous silica are available on OSHA's Silica Safety and Health Topics webpage andNIOSH's website. OSHA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica in September 2013. For more information, visit the rulemaking page.

Fatal Facts on confined spaces in manholes, OSHA It's the Law poster

A new addition to OSHA's Fatal Facts series emphasizes employers' responsibilities to protect workers from confined space hazards while working in sewer line manholes*. Fatal Facts describe cases where employers failed to identify and correct hazardous working conditions before they resulted in fatalities at their worksites. This Fatal Facts is based on a case where a construction worker suffocated after entering a manhole. It includes references to the new Confined Space in Construction Standard that takes effect on August 3, 2015.

Also available is OSHA's free Job Safety and Health: It's the Law! poster* that 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. The poster can be downloaded from OSHA's workplace poster Web page in English, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Nepali.

OSHA heat app surpasses 200K downloads

More than 200,000 users have downloaded the OSHA Heat Safety Tool since its launch in 2011. This spring, OSHA released a new version of the app for Apple devices, with full-screen color alerts, improved navigation and accessibility options.

This improved version lets you know instantly if you are in a high-risk zone due to heat and humidity and precautions that need to be taken to prevent heat-related illness. The recently updated app gives users important safety information when and where they need it -- right on their mobile phones. Download this life-saving app today.

More information on preventing heat-related illness is available on OSHA's website, where you can find fact sheets, training manuals, community posters, and more in both English and Spanish.

Free on-site consultation services available to help employers improve workplace safety and health

OSHA's On-site Consultation Program offers free and confidential occupational safety and health advice to small and medium-sized businesses across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites.

The services are separate from enforcement and do not result in penalties or citations. 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.

In response to requests from employers seeking to reduce safety and health hazards at their workplaces, consultants visited about 27,000 worksites with more than 1.25 million workers in FY2014. For more information, see OSHA's Safety and Health Consultation Services brochure, available in English and Spanish.

As the weather heats up, OSHA and NOAA promote Summer Safety Campaign

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are joining forces to promote a Summer Safety Campaign.

OSHA provides resources for workplace preparedness and response to severe weather emergencies that can arise during summer, including: hurricanes, wildfires and floods as well as severe heat. OSHA and NOAA encourage employers to be aware of weather forecasts, train workers on severe weather plans and keep emergency supplies, including a battery-operated weather radio.

Some parts of the country have already experienced deadly and damaging flooding this season. And hurricane season begins today in the Atlantic and began in mid-May in the Pacific. Both high-hazard seasons run through November. Employers and workers need to be prepared with a detailed plan before these events occur to ensure that everyone stays safe.

And with temperatures rising, now is the best time for employers to prepare to protect workers outdoors. Workers in outdoor industries like agriculture, construction and transportation face serious hazards from working in the heat, including illness and death. One handy tool available for free to prevent these hazards is the OSHA Heat App that calculates the heat index (both temperature and humidity) at your worksite and provides recommendations for how best to protect workers based on the risk level. OSHA's heat app, recently updated for iPhone users, has been downloaded more than 193,000 times.