Explosion in Pennsylvania Steel Plant

July 14th, 2010

An explosion at U.S. Steel in Clairton, PA occured this morning in a coke oven.

Fifteen workers were injured from burns and chest pains, and fire blazed for several hours before emergency officials were able to extinguish it.  The apparant cause of the blast has not yet been released. 

Please keep these workers and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this time.

Amerisafe Safety Consultants Training Day

July 14th, 2010

Here at Amerisafe Consulting & Safety Services, we like to make sure that all of our safety consultants are sufficiently trained to handle the situations they encounter on our various job sites.  Some of our safety professionals work in refineries; others spend their days on wind farms.  No matter where they are employed, the overall goal of all of the Amerisafe consultants is safety! 

In order to see that our safety consultants have the opportunity to be trained in the various industries in which we work, Amerisafe is hosting an Internal Training Day on July 17, 2010. 

The purpose of this safety training day is to provide not only training, but encourage team-building development for our consultants.  After a morning of safety training sessions, our consultants will be participating in a scavenger hunt during the afternoon.  This will be followed by a Hawaiian Luau pig roast with all of the trimmings!  We are all looking forward to a day of learning and fun!

Check out our recent Press Release on Amerisafe’s safety training day. Let us know what you think – we look forward to your comments!

Women in the Construction Workplace: Equitable Safety & Health Protection

July 1st, 2010

In June 1999, a study was conducted by the Advisory Committee on
Occupational Safety and Health concerning women in the construction workplace.  The report provides recommendations for  employers, labor unions, manufacturers, training programs, supervisors, and workers that are intended to improve health and safety for women construction workers.

According to OSHA, “Improving the work conditions for women in the construction trades will not only ensure their health and safety, it will also serve to attract and retain women as workers during a critical time of labor shortages in this industry.”

The report touches on the following subject areas where safety and health-related issues for women occur:

  • Workplace Culture
  • Sanitary Facilities
  • Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing
  • Ergonomics
  • Reproductive Hazards
  • Health and Safety Training
  • Injury and Illness Data and Research

Check out the entire report here.

Grand jury indicts executives over workplace accident

June 24th, 2010

Executives from United Oil Recovery Services, Inc. are now being brought up on criminal charges in the death of a man from hydrogen sulfide poisioning.

How will this change the work place, safety consultants, and OSHA? 

Check out the article here.

OSHA and Homeland Security Promote Safety for Oil Spill Workers

June 16th, 2010

On 6/10/2010, OSHA and the Department of Homeland Security teamed up to establish safety procedures during the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  The two agencies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will further joint efforts to monitor compliance with safety standards and to protect workers involved in the response to the oil spill.

The MOU solidifies the close working relationship between the Coast Guard and OSHA, and establishes a specific mechanism for coordination between the Deepwater Horizon FOSC and OSHA.  OSHA and Homeland Security recognize the importance of close cooperation among all agencies that have responsibilities during the oil cleanup efforts.

To view the MOU, click here.

New Hexavalent Chromium Rule

May 28th, 2010

OSHA has modified the requirement of employee notification of Hexavalent Chromium exposures.  The previous rule stipulated that only employees who were exposed in excess of the PEL (Permissible Exposure Limit) be notified.  Now the rule states that all employees must be notified of their exposure.  This modification to the rule takes effect on June 15, 2010.

Hexavalent Chromium Booklet

May 28th, 2010

OSHA has published a booklet outlining the industry requirements on Hexavalent Chromium.  This publication can be used as a guide in achieving compliance with the Hexavalent Chromium Standard. 

The guide discusses monitoring requirements, training, housekeeping, personal protective equipment as well as other useful information. 

To view this Hexavalent Chromium booklet and OSHA Compliance tool, click here.

Oil Spill Guildlines, Facts Sheet

May 28th, 2010

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is distributing thousands of safety guides and fact sheets to employees involved with the oil spill cleanup along the Gulf Coast.

The materials supplement OSHA-required training workers must receive before they can be hired to engage in the cleanup. In addition to English, the safety guides and fact sheets initially will be printed in Spanish and Vietnamese in recognition of the diverse population inhabiting the Gulf Coast region. They will be made available by BP’s education contractor, PEC, and OSHA officials at cleanup staging areas.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis is urging BP to hire local workers displaced by the oil spill, including fishermen and workers from the hospitality industry, many of whom have limited English proficiency.

“I’ve directed OSHA to work closely with BP to ensure training of cleanup employees is prompt, thorough and sufficient, and conducted in languages that the workers understand,” said Secretary Solis. “I also have directed OSHA to prepare and distribute supplementary materials in several languages so that cleanup workers can easily access the information they need to protect themselves and stay safe on the job. We want those looking for work to get jobs, but no job is good unless it is safe.”

Development of the safety guides and fact sheets has grown out of a partnership between OSHA and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to promote protective measures for Gulf Coast oil spill responders.

“We are pleased to join with our federal partners to assure that the health of emergency responders is not forgotten in the rush to protect the fragile Gulf Coast environment,” said Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program.

Training of cleanup employees is ongoing throughout the Gulf Coast region. OSHA has officials monitoring the training and observing the cleanup efforts that are already underway.

A one- to two-hour training course is required for employees who will only engage in general beach cleanup, such as removing trash and clean debris. For those employees coming into contact with “weathered oil” and “tar balls” on the shoreline or in marine operations, a four-hour training class is required. This training is provided for free. After completing a class employees will receive a card as proof of their training.

A more rigorous 40-hour course is required for those employees who will supervise cleanup or be engaged in efforts involving a greater exposure to oil. In order to meet the certifications of the 40-hour training, a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on, applicable experience is required. This preparation includes instruction on the makeup and risks associated with the hazardous material(s) involved, and experience with the equipment needed for the work, safety gear and local environment.

“We have received reports that some are offering this training in significantly fewer than 40 hours, showing video presentations and offering only limited instruction,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “This training cannot be shortened to anything less than 40 hours.”

Oil spill cleanup safety guides and fact sheets are available on OSHA’s website.

US Labor Department’s OSHA publishes proposed rulemaking

May 28th, 2010

OSHA News Release: 10-606-NAT
May 24, 2010
Contact Name: Diana Petterson Jason Surbey
Phone Number: 202-693-1898 202-693-4668
E-mail: petterson.diana@dol.gov surbey.jason@dol.gov

US Labor Department’s OSHA publishes proposed rulemaking
to prevent injuries from slips, trips and falls on walking-working surfaces

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced in a notice of proposed rulemaking published in today’s Federal Register its plans to require improved worker protection from tripping, slipping and falling hazards on walking and working surfaces. A public hearing on the revised changes will be held after the public comment period for the NPRM.

“This proposal addresses workplace hazards that are a leading cause of work related injuries and deaths,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels.

The NPRM describes revisions to the Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Protective Equipment standards to help prevent an estimated annual 20 workplace fatalities and more than 3,500 injuries serious enough to cause people to miss work. For example, in July 2009, a worker at a chocolate processing plant was killed after falling from an unguarded work platform.

“This is a clear and grave example of the human cost incurred when fall protection safeguards are absent, ignored or inadequate,” said Michaels. “The loss of a worker’s life might have been prevented if the protective measures in these revised standards had been in place and in use.”

The current walking-working surfaces regulations allow employers to provide outdated and dangerous fall protection equipment such as lanyards and body belts that can result in workers suffering greater injury from falls. Construction and maritime workers already receive safer, more effective fall protection devices such as self-retracting lanyards and ladder safety and rope descent systems, which these proposed revisions would also require for general industry workers.

The current walking-working surfaces standards also do not allow OSHA to fine employers who let workers climb certain ladders without fall protection. Under the revised standards, this restriction would be lifted in virtually all industries, allowing OSHA inspectors to fine employers who jeopardize their workers’ safety and lives by climbing these ladders without proper fall protection.

More information is available in the Federal Register.

Increased OSHA Citations

May 7th, 2010

On April 22, 2010, OSHA issued a memorandum to the Regional Administrators in regards to increased penalties for OSHA violations. 

These penalties will be adjusted based on the companies history, company size, informal settlements and the use of outside consultants.  

The average penalty for a serious violation will be adjusted from approximately $1000 to between $3000 and $4000.  

Additional changes include modifying the time period for repeat violations from the current 3 year period to 5 years.  View more details of the Increased OSHA Citation memorandum.