Updated guide available: Trenching and Excavation Safety

Trench and excavation work are among the most hazardous operations in construction. Because one cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as a car, an unprotected trench can be an early grave. OSHA's updated guide to Trenching and Excavation Safety highlights key elements of the applicable workplace standards and describes safe practices that employers can follow to protect workers from cave-ins and other hazards. A new section in the updated guide addresses safety factors that an employer should consider when bidding on a job. Expanded sections describe maintaining materials and equipment used for worker protection systems as well as additional hazards associated with excavations.

EPA updates standard to better protect America's farmworkers from pesticide exposure

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has updated its Agricultural Worker Protection Standard to better protect the nation's two million agricultural workers and their families from thousands of preventable pesticide exposure incidents reported each year. Changes to the standard will reduce the risk of illness resulting from contact with pesticides on farms and in forests, nurseries and greenhouses. The updated standard requires annual safety training for farmworkers, expands mandatory posting of no-entry signs for the most hazardous pesticides, and for the first time, sets a minimum age of 18 for those who work with pesticides. In addition, the EPA's updated standard for personal protective equipment is now consistent with OSHA's respiratory protection standards. This includes mandatory fit-testing, medical evaluation and training to ensure respirators are being used effectively. Additionally, the updated standard establishes anti-retaliation provisions that are comparable with those enforced by OSHA.

OSHA announces new system that gives greater weight to complex, time-consuming inspections

Today, OSHA moves to a new enforcement weighting system that assigns greater value to complex inspections that require more time and resources. The new system will allow for more strategic planning and measurement of inspections, and ensure that all workers are equally protected, regardless of the industry they work in. The system assigns "Enforcement Units" to each inspection. Routine inspections count as one unit, while those requiring greater resources — such as those involving musculoskeletal disorders,chemical exposures, workplace violence, and process safety management violations — count as up to nine units. The values are based on historical data and will be monitored and adjusted as necessary.

OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels announced the change at the National Safety Council conference in Atlanta earlier this week. "All inspections aren't equal — some are complex and require more time and resources — and many of those inspections have the greatest impact," he said. "This new system will help us better focus our resources on more meaningful inspections."

Inspections are one of the fundamental tools OSHA uses to encourage employers to abate hazards. Strong evidence from several recent studies shows these that injury rates decrease at an establishment in the years following an OSHA inspection.

The Effects of 10-hr Construction Outreach Training: Knowledge Retention and Practical Application

Rutgers OSHA Training Institute Education Center (Rutgers-OTIEC), with the assistance of our Construction Outreach Trainers conducted a study of the 10-hr Outreach Program to identify knowledge gained by the students and their overall perception of the outreach program.  The results are published in the Journal of Safety Studies. 

Rutgers School of Public Health awarded OSHA Susan Harwood Grant

Rutgers School of Public Health was awarded an OSHA Susan Harwood Grant to provide Temporary Worker Safety Training.  Offered are the 1-day workplace hazards training for employers to assist them achieve/maintain compliance and a ½- day program for workers tailored to the hazards at their worksite (topics include: hazard communication, EAP, workzone safety, confined space (general industry and construction), fall protection, and electrical safety).  The ½ day program is offered in English and Spanish.

1-day workshop will be held on October 23, 2015 in Montclair, New Jersey, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Industrial Safety Committee.

OSHA revises publication to protect the safety of firefighters, other responders

To better protect emergency responders, OSHA has revised its manual, Fire Service Features of Buildings and Fire Protection Systems*. The manual explains how fire service operations can be affected by different building features, and it offers guidance for design professionals, code officials, fire service representatives, building owners and other stakeholders. Updates to the manual include more photos; new chapters on water supply and building phases; and new sections on energy conservation, emergency power, and numbering rooms and floors. The manual's information can help responders during fires and other emergencies such as hazardous material releases, emergency medical care, non-fire rescues and terrorist incidents.

Online resources available for National Farm Safety & Health Week Sept. 20 - 26

A series of free webinars will be offered in observance of this year's National Farm Safety & Health Week, which takes place Sept. 20-26. The five webinars, scheduled for noon each weekday, will cover rural roadway safety, confined spaces, children's safety, health hazards and tractor safety. The events are being hosted by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety located at the Peosta campus of Northeast Iowa Community College. Visit the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety website to register for the webinars and for more information and public service announcements related to farm safety. The center is also hosting an 'AgChat' on Twitter at @NECASAG on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 7-9 p.m. For additional resources, visit OSHA's Agricultural Operations page.

Labor Rights Week 2015: Events across country to inform vulnerable workers of their rights under U.S. labor laws

Every year during Labor Rights Week, federal agencies, consulates and embassies as well as educational, labor, and community organizations join together to remind the nation's most vulnerable workers that everyone who works in the United States has the same workplace rights. This year, the week runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 with events taking place all over the country.

Along with OSHA, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division are sending the message that no worker in this country should experience discrimination, wage theft or safety hazards in the workplace.

Planned events this week include the signing of a new alliance between OSHA and the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia, and renewals of alliances with several other consulates, including the Mexican Consulate in Austin, Texas. There are also multi-agency outreach events at mobile/remote consulates, free consultations from experts in labor law, and industry-specific events such as a poultry fair in Gainesville, Ga. Be sure to visit OSHA's Labor Rights Week webpage for a list of events in your area.

If you are participating in Labor Rights Week, OSHA has many resources to help you get out the safety message. Some of our most popular videos include Young Workers' Rights in English andSpanish, a special message for the Hispanic workforce, and a general Workers' Rights video in English and Spanish. The OSHApublications page provides printed resources in several languages and covers a variety of workplace hazards.

OSHA updates National Emphasis Program on amputations

OSHA has issued an updated National Emphasis Program on Amputations. The NEP has been in existence since 2006 and is targeted to industries with high numbers and rates of amputations. As in the prior NEP, OSHA is using current enforcement data and Bureau of Labor Statistics injury data to assist with site selection targeting.

According to the most recent BLS data, 2,000 workers suffered amputations in 2013. The rate of amputations in the manufacturing sector was more than twice that of all private industry. These serious injuries are preventable by following basic safety precautions.

This updated directive applies to general industry workplaces in which any machinery or equipment likely to cause amputations are present. Inspections will include an evaluation of employee exposures during operations such as: clearing jams; cleaning, oiling or greasing machines or machine pans; and locking out machinery to prevent accidental start-up.

On Jan. 1, 2015, OSHA issued new requirements for reporting work-related fatalities and severe injuries. Employers must now report fatalities within eight hours of learning of the incident and any in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours of learning of the incident. Employers can report an event by telephone to the nearest OSHA area office or to OSHA's 24-hour hotline at 800-321-6742. For more information, see the news release.

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.