How many times have you heard someone say, “I’ve walked by that a thousand times and never noticed it?” It’s because they’re not actually seeing what has been there the whole time. As safety professionals, most of what we do relies on seeing. Our jobs are mostly about going and looking and seeing what’s there […]
As of April 21, OSHA inspectors have new enforcement guidance when performing inspections involving employee exposure to beryllium dust. This extensive new guidance – which applies to general industry, construction and shipyards – is meant to be an interim measure replacing enforcement guidance that was issued in December 2018. The guidance will be effective until a […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is currently evaluating its policies and regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure workers are safe when using new chemicals. EPA identified several instances where the agency could align its approach more with statutory requirements and Biden administration executive orders for making determinations and […]
A company has signed a settlement agreement – including a $225,000 payment – with OSHA after a worker suffered partial amputation of his leg. Red River Commodities, a North Dakota seed production company, signed the agreement after an investigation into how an employee’s leg was caught in an operating grain bin auger on Aug. 20, 2020. OSHA […]
Boeing’s Mesa facility is where the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter is assembled and tested. The Apache’s environmental control system (ECS) is meant to keep the aircraft’s cabin and electronics cool, but its four exhaust outlets run fast and are very loud, with high pitched noise levels ranging from 84 to 104 dBA while work is […]
With the extreme cold and number of power outages across the nation, now is a good time to remind workers about the dangers of using fuel-burning generators without sufficient ventilation. Every year, workers die from CO poisoning, usually while using fuel-burning equipment, tools, compressors and pumps, gas-powered forklifts and other devices in buildings or semi-enclosed […]
OSHA issued a proposed rule on Feb. 5 updating the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with the seventh revision of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The proposed rule is meant to increase worker protections and reduce chemical-related occupational illnesses and injuries by improving information provided on labels and in […]
Safety professionals know about procedures – you eat, breathe and probably dream about them – but as English poet Geoffrey Chaucer once said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” In other words, a person can get so caught up in procedures that they overlook an important component or aspect of that procedure, which could eventually lead to trouble. […]
An OSHA citation against Walmart involving a warehouse employee struck by falling product was vacated by the Occupational Safety and Health Commission because of a misinterpretation of the definition of “tier.” The citation – which was for failing to safely block product stacked in tiers – was initially upheld by an administrative law judge, but […]
