Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
While many people think keeping facilities safe is solely dependent on security access control measures like biometrics, keycards, and other electronic locks, nothing could be further from the truth. Lesley Groff, Senior Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds at UGI Utilities Inc., recently spoke during the Facilities Management Advisor webinar “The Facility Manager’s Role in Maintaining […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) again cited discount retailers Dollar Tree and Dollar General for blocked exit routes in their stores. On April 24, the agency announced it’s seeking $770,136 in penalties for hazards related to obstructed exits, unsafe storage of materials, fire, and other hazards at Dollar Tree stores in East Providence and Pawtucket, Rhode […]
Federal safety inspectors found that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) endangered maintenance workers at its healthcare facility in Prescott, Ariz., by allowing them to work on steam lines without ensuring they followed required safety procedures. Similar hazards previously killed two workers at a VA facility in Connecticut. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety […]
Learn about the importance of maintaining a safe environment for building occupants at Facilities Management Advisor’s FREE webinar, which will discuss the requirement of staying alert and abreast of regulations, including Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Additionally, the webinar will explain how facility managers can help avoid safety violations and ensure everyone stays […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. Do you work in noisy facilities or around loud equipment? All of the human senses must be protected from hazards and damage in the workplace, including hearing. According to OSHA, the CDC estimates that about 22 […]
Discount retailer Dollar General faces over $1 million in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for violations at four stores in Florida and Georgia, the agency announced March 13. OSHA inspected stores in Ocala, Florida, and Columbus, Georgia, finding repeat violations, including blocked exits and fire extinguishers, locked exit doors, and improperly stacked […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will co-host an excavation and trenching safety training event September 16 in Southlake, Texas, with the North Texas National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA North Texas). In July, OSHA announced plans for 1,000 site inspections to address a rise in trenching and excavation fatalities. In the first six months […]
Based on inspections over the last several years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found many chemical storage and distribution facilities “are not developing safety precautions; instituting maintenance, monitoring, and employee training measures; and preparing risk management plans to remain in compliance with Clean Air Act (CAA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right to […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should establish federal workplace standards regarding ventilation, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), physical distancing, and other basic public health precautions in anticipation of future surges in COVID-19 infections, according to a group of public health experts. In a report titled “Getting to and Sustaining the Next Normal: A Roadmap […]
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced an enforcement memorandum for a short-term increase in highly focused inspections directed at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients. For two years, millions of the nation’s healthcare workers have been battling the coronavirus. Many have endangered […]