Most people associate the name OSHA with safety standards for the protection of workers in construction and manufacturing settings. OSHA, however, is not so limited, as demonstrated by its recently released Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit, which is designed to help hospitals and other health care employers protect their staff from respiratory hazards. The toolkit was a joint effort of OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. It is an outgrowth of a California-specific guide issued in May 2012. The toolkit…
Continue reading...

Working in confined spaces exposes construction workers to many hazards, including asphyxiation, explosions, electrocutions and toxic substances. Until recently OSHA had one provision in its construction standards setting forth a general training requirement when employees worked in confined spaces. This provision (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(6)) provided limited guidance, instructing employers to train employees as to the nature of the hazards involved, the necessary precautions to be taken and in the use of required protective emergency equipment. On May 1, 2015, OSHA announced a new “final rule”…
Continue reading...

OSHA has recently announced that it will be collecting information about the hazards faced by workers during the construction and maintenance of communication towers. With the rapid expansion of wireless communication over the past few decades, there has been an increasing demand for both constructing new communication towers and maintaining those already in service. These jobs can require workers to regularly climb as high as 2000 feet. Working at such great heights naturally presents the risk of not only falling, but also exposure to electrical…
Continue reading...

OSHA recently cited a Florida general contractor – retained to restore the concrete finish on high-rise apartment buildings – for 17 “serious” safety and health violations and proposed penalties of $119,000. (A “serious” violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.) The inspection was initiated after OSHA received complaints alleging fall hazards at two work sites. OSHA charges that the company exposed workers to falls of…
Continue reading...

Healthcare and social service workers face significant risks of job-related violence and it is OSHA’s stated mission to help employers address these serious hazards. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 23,000 significant injuries due to assault at work occurred in 2013. Notably, more than 70 percent of these assaults were in the healthcare and social service sectors. Workers in these areas are reportedly more than 4 times as likely to be injured due to violence in the workplace than the average private…
Continue reading...

In December 2011, a Maine roofing contractor was directed by federal court order to correct violations associated with 11 different OSHA citations and to pay $404,000 in fines and interest that had been imposed previously over the period 2000 to 2011. The 11 citations related to 11 different work sites, and the contractor not only never responded to the initial citations but also never corrected the underlying safety conditions or paid the assessed fines after the citations had turned into final orders. Now, the contractor…
Continue reading...

The following are highlights of the OSHA-related news for the week:

• OSHA updates Web page on safety and health hazards in the Meat Packing Industry
• OSHA issues two new bulletins in the series of guidance documents developed under the agency’s Temporary Worker Initiative, relating to personal protective equipment and whistleblower rights
• New study shows workers may fear talking to doctor about job-related asthma; more information can be found here
• OSHA report explores the substantial impact of workplace injuries and illnesses on income inequality

…
Continue reading...

OSHA is responsible for enforcing the whistleblower provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and twenty-one other statutes which are designed to protect employees who report violations of various laws in a broad variety of areas. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the U.S. Department of Labor is authorized to file suit against employers who retaliate against whistleblower employees. The U.S. Department of Labor has recently commenced such a whistleblower action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New…
Continue reading...

From May 4-15, 2015, OSHA will be hosting its second annual National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction. According to OSHA, jobsite fatalities caused by falls from elevation accounted for 279 of the 806 construction fatalities recorded in 2012. Additionally, fall prevention safety standard violations were among the top 10 citations issued by OSHA in fiscal year 2014. As part of this years’ initiative, OSHA is inviting companies, contractors, and employers of all sizes to conduct voluntary safety “Stand-Downs” focusing on fall hazards and…
Continue reading...