Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Despite OSHA’s 2014 rule strengthening provisions that require employers to inform the agency about work-related fatalities and serious injuries and illnesses, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that OSHA’s data on these incidents are deficient as is its assurance that employers abated the hazards that contributed to the incidents.
Three public interest groups have petitioned the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to order OSHA to lift its suspension of portions rule requiring employers to electronically submit certain information about injuries and illnesses that occur in their workplaces to OSHA. According to the petition, OSHA suspended the requirement to submit the information […]
Does your safety program effectively protect workers when they are exposed to moving machine parts and hazardous energy? The machine guarding and lockout/tagout (LOTO) standards are consistently on the list of the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards—read on for a Q&A on the basics, as well as an opportunity to join our live […]
Complete Question: I am developing an updated hazardous material inventory for my Hazard Communication (HazCom) program. We are a industrial supply/hardware supply company that maintains an inventory of paints, thinners, lubricants, and cleaners etc. The employees do not use these substances, but do handle them from receiving, to the shelf, to the customer. What should be […]
A new EPA proposal states that existing emissions limits for hazardous air pollutants generated by three industry sectors engaged in coating operations are sufficient to protect people from cancer risks.
Several states now have looming deadlines for discharge monitoring reports (DMRs), making it a good time of year to evaluate your industrial facility’s stormwater monitoring practices. Improper monitoring—or just plain forgetting to monitor—can lead to a number of costly violations for facilities operating under industrial stormwater permits, so it pays to make sure you’re doing […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is seeking comments from employers by September 28, 2018, regarding a proposal to amend its controversial Obama-era e-recordkeeping rule.
Tractor-trailer operators are highly trained and among the most skilled drivers on the road. But the challenges of the work, such as tight deadlines, fatigue, the need to drive in bad weather, among others, can lead to bad judgment, accidents, injury, and death. On top of these everyday hazards, the actions after arriving at a […]
Ohio’s new medical marijuana law went into effect on Saturday, September 8, 2018. Hopefully, it will spur employers to evaluate their workplace policies.
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined unintentional or undetermined overdose deaths for 26 occupation groups. The data shows that construction occupations had the highest proportional mortality rates (PMRs) of deaths from both heroin and prescription opioids.