OSU-OSHA Safety Day: VPP in Construction
Only 16 construction companies in Ohio and 23 in OSHA Region V currently are in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), according to Dave Wilson, assistant area director for OSHA’s Columbus, Ohio, office. But at the OSU-OSHA Safety Day on Jan. 27, dozens of attendees gathered to learn more about VPP for construction and to hear one safety director’s experience with the application process....
Encourage Employees To Take Earplugs Home
OSHA requires employers to provide hearing protection for workers exposed to hazardous noise, and best practice has shown that providing a good variety of hearing protectors improves compliance. But smart employers also will encourage employees to take hearing protectors home, according to Theresa Y. Schulz, Ph.D., hearing conservation manager for Howard Leight....
OSU-OSHA Safety Day: Managing Crane Safety
Crane operations carry a greater potential for disaster than nearly any other activity on a construction jobsite, according to John Merrill, the general manager for the crane division at Maxim Crane Works. Merrill presented a session on crane safety at the Ohio State University-OSHA (OSU-OSHA) Safety Day in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 27....
AFA-CWA: Flight Attendants’ Professionalism, Safety Training Saved Lives of Flight 1549 Passengers
When US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in New York City’s Hudson River, the flight attendants’ professionalism and safety training were instrumental in the evacuation of all 150 passengers, said the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA)....
Obama Nominates Rep. Hilda Solis for Labor Secretary
On Dec. 19, President-elect Barack Obama announced he is nominating United States Congresswoman Hilda Solis, D-Calif., as Secretary of Labor....
Construction Safety: Out With the Old…
“Out with the old and in with the new” certainly could be an appropriate sentiment for this time of year as we close out 2008 and start anew in 2009. Take the time to consider the new employees that will be working with you and think about how you can mentor them to become productive and safe members of your team. ...
Keeping Health Care Workers Healthy During the Flu Season
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) urges health care workers and their employers to follow three basic steps this flu season to help prevent influenza infections in the health care workforce....
OSHA Issues Final Rule Clarifying Employers’ Duty to Provide PPE
OSHA’s final rule on Clarification of Employers’ Duty to Provide Personal Protective Equipment and Train Each Employee was published in the Dec. 12 Federal Register. The rule revises OSHA standards to clarify that employers must provide PPE and hazards training for each employee covered by the standards....
SC Safety Engineers Caution Employers About Workplace Safety Cutbacks
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) South Carolina Chapter is cautioning employers against cutting back on workplace safety in time of economic difficulty and is encouraging them to explore creative ways of generating temporary and long-term savings in safety and training expenses, while still ensuring that the safety needs of employees and safety regulations are met....
Speaking Out: Mind the Gap – Overcoming the Biggest Hurdle in Safety
One of the biggest mysteries in hazardous work is why well-trained people do not follow their company’s safe work practices. After years of research, the answer is becoming clear....
National Demolition Association Hosting Landmark Construction and Demolition Recycling Symposium in 2009
The National Demolition Association, the trade organization for the global demolition industry, is planning for an inaugural International Symposium on the State of C&D (Construction & Demolition) Recycling, to be held in Chicago in the fall of 2009....
AIHA Hosts Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene Course in China
Forty-nine 49 environmental health and safety practitioners from six Asia-Pacific countries, India and Qatar participated in the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s (AIHA) first Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene training course in Shanghai, China....
The American Society of Safety Engineers Focuses on Crane Safety
Injuries and fatalities due to crane accidents, falls, electrical accidents, and substance abuse occur often at construction sites worldwide. The past few years we have witnessed an increase in crane accidents worldwide. ...
OSHA, Konover Construction Corp. and ConnOSHA Form Partnership to Enhance Safety on Construction Project
Equipping contractors and employees who will be constructing the new Sierra Hotel in Shelton, Conn., with the tools to help them identify hazards and prevent on-the-job injuries is the goal of a new site safety partnership among the Bridgeport Area Office of OSHA, the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety (ConnOSHA) and Konover Construction Corp....
Can Lean Manufacturing Encourage Revenue Growth?
According to management consulting firm R. Michael Donovan & Co. Inc., lean manufacturing is much more than cost reduction – it can help companies achieve revenue growth and market share objectives....
One Out of Four Workers Have Experienced Workplace Discrimination
With unemployment rising and competition in the workplace increasing, it’s tough to get a job – or get ahead – in today’s market. The situation isn’t helped by the fact that more than one in four American adults – 27 percent – say they have encountered employment discrimination....
Off-the-Job Safety: Put a Cell Phone in Your Child's Jack-O-Lantern
Parents who hear the same Halloween safety advice every year are getting a new suggestion this year: Make sure your child takes a cell phone in his or her jack-o-lantern and knows how to use it, in case he or she is separated from a group or suffers an injury while trick-or-treating....
New CSB Safety Video Highlights Training Needs for Propane Emergencies
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently released "Half an Hour to Tragedy," a new 23-minute safety video based on the deadly propane gas explosion at the Little General convenience store in Ghent, W.Va., in January 2007....
Family of Crane Accident Victim Establishes Foundation Grant in His Honor
The family of American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) member Terrance M. Hennessy, who lost his life in a tragic crane accident March 25 in Miami, Fla., contributed more than $40,000 to the ASSE Foundation to fund a professional development grant in Hennessy’s honor. ...
NCCCO Launches Signalperson Certification Program
The National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) announced the introduction of a certification program for signalpersons, who will be tested on their understanding of basic crane operations and limitations and their knowledge of hand signals and voice communications. ...
OSHA $6.7 Million in Safety, Health Training Grants
On Sept. 30, OSHA awarded $6.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to 36 recipients encompassing labor unions, community colleges and other nonprofit organizations for safety and health training and educational programs. ...
CSB Releases Draft Report on Little General Store Propane Explosion
In a draft final report released Sept. 25, investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) concluded that inadequate propane technician and emergency responder training and unsafe propane tank placement were the primary causes of a fatal 2007 accident at the Little General convenience store in Ghent, W.Va....
Five California Letter Carriers Deliver On-the-Job Heroics
Five letter carriers who helped rescue nearly 100 people from a three-alarm fire at a senior citizens’ apartment building in Oakland, Calif. have been selected as winners of the 2008 “Hero of the Year” Award of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the 302,000-member postal union announced. ...
The Evolution of Workplace Training
Those may have been simpler times, but they were definitely not safer times, nor more productive times. In fact, while it is often tempting to romanticize the past, an objective look at the history of the workplace tells a tale of continuous improvements, especially when it comes to safety. ...
OSHA Cites Deshler Foundry, Fabrication Plant for Workplace Violations
OSHA selected Cast Metals Inc. for inspection as part of a local emphasis program concentrating on the primary metal industry. As a result of its inspection,...
