OSHA urges retail employers to protect workers from injuries during holiday sales with safe crowd management planning

In 2008, a New York worker was trampled to death while a mob of shoppers rushed through the doors of a large store at the opening of a "Black Friday" sale. OSHA is encouraging retail employers to take precautions to prevent this type of tragedy during major sales events this holiday season. This year, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels has sent a letter to the CEOs of major retail employers urging them to follow common-sense crowd control measures to prevent worker injuries. OSHA has prepared a set of guidelines to help retail employers and store owners avoid injuries during the holiday shopping season, or other events where large crowds may gather. See OSHA's Crowd Management Safety Guidelines Fact Sheet for more information. Crowd management planning should begin in advance of events that are likely to draw large crowds, and crowd management, pre-event setup, and emergency situation management should be part of that plan.

Crowd management plans should include: trained security personnel or police officers on-site, barricades or rope lines for pedestrians provided well in advance of customers arriving at the store, barricades so the customers’ line does not begin at the immediate entrance of the store, emergency procedures in place that address potential dangers, and security personnel or customer service representatives available to explain approach and entrance procedures to the arriving public.

See the news release for more information.

Updated training and educational resources available from OSHA's Fall Prevention Campaign website

Plan. Provide. Train. These three simple steps can prevent falls and save lives. OSHA's fall prevention campaign website provides several training resources and educational resources to assist workers and employers in preventing falls from ladders, scaffolds and roofs. These pages have been updated with additional materials from OSHA's campaign partners, including new Spanish-language resources on ladders and other equipment.

To order these or any of OSHA's fall prevention materials, call OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 or visit OSHA's Publications page.

Protect emergency response and cleanup workers assisting in Hurricane Sandy recovery operations

As the disaster recovery response to Hurricane Sandy begins throughout much of the Eastern United States, OSHA's field staff is working diligently to provide assistance and support to those involved in the recovery effort. OSHA urges workers and members of the public engaged in cleanup activities to be aware of the hazards they might encounter and the necessary steps they should take to protect themselves.

OSHA maintains comprehensive websites on keeping disaster site workers safe during hurricane and storm cleanup and flood response operations. The hurricane page includes a response/recovery page features a link to OSHA’s Hurricane eMatrix, which features information on hazard exposures and risk assessments for hurricane response and recovery work. The flood preparedness and response page also includes aresponse/recovery page that provides useful details on the hazards to avoid when flooding has occurred. The sites also provide extensive resources on protecting recovery workers, including a Hurricane Sandy safety and health resource page from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. For more information, read OSHA's press release on the Hurricane Sandy response.

Help OSHA evaluate its heat illness prevention campaign website with a short survey

OSHA has developed a 15-minute survey to evaluate the usefulness of the heat illness website and to identify possible updates to the website. (OSHA's heat illness prevention campaign website.)  The brief survey will not collect personal information from visitors – only opinions and evaluations of the campaign. Did you use the educational resources on the web? Were the materials useful for the work you do? Let us know!

The survey can be accessed from the heat campaign homepage (by clicking "Tell us what you think") or by visiting http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HeatWebpageSurvey. There, you can also find PSAs in English and Spanish, posters and fact sheets in English or Spanish, a heat fatality map, and OSHA's Heat Safety Tool mobile app.

Updated OSHA brochure provides workers and employers with information on the deadly risks of distracted driving

More workers are killed every year in motor vehicle crashes than any other cause. Distracted driving dramatically increases the risk of such crashes. That's why OSHA has joined with the U.S. Department of Transportation, other Labor Department agencies and key associations and organizations to enlist the help and cooperation off businesses – large and small – in a nationwide effort to stop the dangerous practice of texting while driving. OSHA's revised brochure (PDF) explains the dangers of texting while driving on the job, and makes recommendations about what employers can do to keep workers safe. To order the brochure or any of OSHA's outreach materials, call OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 or visit OSHA's Publications page. Visit the Department of Transportation's distracted driving page for more information.

Spanish-language version of popular OSHA-NIOSH nail gun guide now available

Nail Gun Safety - A Guide for Construction Contractors (PDF), a resource that helps construction employers and workers prevent work-related nail gun injuries, is now available in Spanish (PDF). Nail gun injuries are responsible for approximately 37,000 emergency room visits each year. Construction workers, particularly those in residential construction, use nail guns nearly every day. Although this tool is easy to operate and increases productivity, injuries occur as a result of unintended nail discharge; nails that bounce off a hard surface or miss the work piece and become airborne; and disabling the gun's safety features, among other causes. Injury prevention is possible if contractors take steps such as using full sequential trigger nail guns.

OSHA continues to expand its available resources in non-English languages to protect vulnerable workers in construction. Materials for this year’s fall prevention campaign are available (as *PDFs) in Spanish, Russian and Polish. To order these or many other outreach materials, call OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 or visit OSHA's Publications page.

OSHA provides outreach webinar on GHS Standard to more than 8,000 participants

On August 13, OSHA and the Society of Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) hosted a free webinar to help employers understand the requirements of OSHA's revised Hazard Communication Standard in the United States. The archived presentation has now been viewed by more than 8,000 participants. Developed as part of OSHA's alliance with SCHC, the webinar explained changes to the Hazard Communication Standard to align with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). During the webinar, OSHA staff provided information that answered questions from chemical manufacturers, downstream users, and other interested parties. Topics included changes expected in training, labeling, and safety data sheets and compliance assistance opportunities.

To access the webinar, click https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1006847 and submit your e-mail address and information (if needed). You will receive a link with instructions on viewing the presentation or downloading the reference materials. To learn more about the revised Hazard Communication Standard and GHS, see OSHA's Hazard Communication page and read the QuickTakes special issue on GHS.

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.