OSHA 5600 Course Offered in Manchester New Hampshire

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:00:05 -0500

OSHA 5600 Disaster Site Worker Train-the-Trainer course will be offered in Manchester, New Hampshire, by the Region I Education Center on January 23-26, 2012.
To register please contact the Region I Education Center at 1-800-449-6742.

OSHA Injury and Illness Prevention Programs White Paper

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:50:35 -0500

OSHA has published a new Injury and Illness Prevention Programs White Paper on the agency's Web site. An injury and illness prevention program is a proactive process to help employers find and fix workplace hazards before workers are hurt. These programs are effective at reducing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Many workplaces have already adopted such approaches, for example as part of OSHA's cooperative programs. Not only do these employers experience dramatic decreases in workplace injuries, but they often report a transformed workplace culture that can lead to higher productivity and quality, reduced turnover, reduced costs, and greater employee satisfaction.
Thirty-four states and many nations around the world already require or encourage employers to implement such programs. The key elements common to all of these programs are management leadership, worker participation, hazard identification and assessment, hazard prevention and control, education and training, and program evaluation and improvement.
OSHA believes that adoption of injury and illness prevention programs based on simple, sound, proven principles will help millions of U.S. businesses improve their compliance with existing laws and regulations, decrease the incidence of workplace injuries and illnesses, reduce costs (including significant reductions in workers' compensation premiums) and enhance their overall business operations. Read more on OSHA's Injury and Illness Prevention Programs Web page.

OSHA Info on Protecting Workers During Winter Storm Response and Recovery Operations

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:01:12 -0500

OSHA has created a Winter Storms Web page to provide information on protecting workers from hazards they may face during winter storm response and recovery operations. The Web page provides guidance on how employers and workers involved in cleanup and recovery operations can recognize snow storm-related hazards and the necessary steps that employers must take to keep workers safe while working in these conditions. The page includes guidance for workers clearing heavy snow in front of workplaces and from rooftops, workers encountering downed power lines or traveling on icy roads, and utility workers restoring power after winter storms. The new Winter Storms Web page includes links to guidance from OSHA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Safety Council and other agencies and organizations. See the news release for more information.

New Nail Gun Safety Website Launched

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:40:52 -0500

Dr. Hester Lipscomb of Duke University in conjunction with CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training—launched a new website http://www.nailgunfacts.org on December 2. The website provides video interviews with workers, and information on how nail guns work and how to prevent nail gun injuries. It also provides access to nail gun research articles from Dr. Lipscomb and her carpenter co-researchers Dennis Patterson and Jim Nolan.

OSHA Improves Poster Web Page

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:26:33 -0500

OSHA has revised its Web page on the OSHA Job Safety and Health: It's the Law poster (OSHA poster), to make it easier to use. Employers are required to display this free poster prominently in their workplaces. The revised Web page provides instructions on how employers can get free copies, and links to information about other Department of Labor posters. The OSHA poster, which informs workers of their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, is available in English, Spanish, and Polish (online only). Call 1-800-321-OSHA or 202-693-1999 to order the poster or visit OSHA's Publications page.

Employers get help from OSHA's free On-site Consultation Program

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:18:29 -0500

With a small business where workers risk both falls and dangerous chemical exposures, the owners of Tri-State Building Services LLC decided to call OSHA for help. The results, Tri-State improved their safety and health management programs through working with the New York State Department of Labor's (NYDOL) On-site Consultation Program. "It seemed like a no-brainer. Why not take advantage of the nation's top authority on safety?" said Dave and Jim Grady, co-owners of the upstate New York cleaning and property maintenance company.

Tri State contacted OSHA's free On-site Consultation Program, which provides small business workplaces with assistance in identifying and correcting workplace safety and health hazards, as well as guidance on improving their injury and illness prevention program. Thanks to OSHA's visit, Tri-State has made significant safety and health improvements, including purchasing and installing eye wash stations, properly labeling equipment and chemicals, and enhancing the company's safety manuals. The company has also increased efforts to communicate safety and health information to Spanish speaking workers and to provide training to all workers on topics including scaffolding, aerial lifts, window cleaning, and general construction. The results can be seen in their injury rates which are significantly lower than the industry averages.

"To maintain a safety and health environment, Tri-State has learned to train, re-train, and reinforce. The company examines their safety and health management program constantly by re-evaluating and modifying their overall existing program, searching for improvement," said Grady. "The On-site Consultation visits have helped the organization to enforce its safety and health expectations by encouraging Tri-State's employees to be safety conscious throughout the entire organization." See the online success story for more information.

OSHA Educational Videos - How to Protect Workers from Construction Hazards

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:12:54 -0500

OSHA has released 12 educational videos about potential hazards in the construction industry. The educational videos are brief, easy to understand, and geared to the needs of employers and workers. One in every five workers killed on the job nationwide is in construction-totaling nearly 800 construction worker deaths every year. The videos are based on real-life incidents and include detailed depictions of hazards and the safety measures that would have prevented these injuries and fatalities. OSHA's videos cover falls in construction, workers who are struck by vehicles and heavy equipment, sprains and strains, trenching and excavation hazards, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Most of the videos are two-to-four minutes in length, and all but one are animated. Each video is available in English and Spanish for Web viewing. All video scripts will be available online soon. See the news release for more information.

Retailers Can Prevent Holiday Sales Events Tragedies Through Safe Crowd Management

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:08:52 -0500

OSHA is again encouraging major retail employers to take precautions to prevent worker injuries during Black Friday and other major sales events during the holiday season. In 2008, a worker was trampled to death while a mob of shoppers rushed through the doors of a large store to take advantage of an after-Thanksgiving Day Black Friday sales event. The store was not using the kind of crowd management measures recommended in OSHA's fact sheet, which provides employers with recommended elements for crowd management plans. Plans should include having trained security personnel or police officers on-site, setting up barricades or rope lines for pedestrians and crowd control well in advance of customers arriving at the store, and having security personnel or customer service representatives explain approach and entrance procedures to the arriving public. See the news release for more information.

OSHA Publishes New and updated Materials on Worker Safety and Health

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:58:29 -0500

OSHA recently published new and updated educational brochures on a number of topics including workers' rights, employers' rights following an OSHA inspection, as well as how to protect workers from hazards in the construction, general and maritime industries. OSHA's Workers' Rights (.PDF) booklet describes the rights to which workers are legally entitled under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The booklet, Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following an OSHA Inspection (.PDF), reviews what happens after an inspection and is provided to employers during an OSHA inspection. The agency also recently published an updated Construction Industry Digest (.PDF), and a new Small Entity Compliance Guide for Respiratory Protection Standard (.PDF), Laboratory Safety Guidance (.PDF), a series of new QuickCards, and new publications to help protect construction, general industry and shipyard workers. Please call 1-800-321-OSHA or 202-693-1999 to order copies or visit OSHA's Publications page to order them online.

UMDNJ Celebrates US Constitution Day

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:08:14 -0400

On September 16, 2011, UMDNJ celebrated U.S. Constitution Day. Sponsored by the USDOL-OSHA Susan Harwood Program, Michael Presutti presented a ½ day workshop on the origin of the OSH Act.

The U.S. Constitution is one of the most influential legal documents in history. This living document has influenced many countries around the world develop their own model for government. As safety and health professionals, we've witnessed the impact the OSH Act has had on protecting the lives of America's workforce. This workshop is dedicated to reviewing the origins, influence, and impact of the U.S. Constitution. Program will emphasis the effect that the OSH Act has had on worker health and safety.

Mark your calendars! UMDNJ will be celebrating the 2012 U.S. Constitution Day again, on September 17, 2012.

Click here to register for the 2012 U.S. Constitution & Amendments Workshop

Announcing AOTC OSHA 10 and 30 Hour Outreach Online Card Processing

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:51:06 -0400

The Atlantic OSHA Training Center (AOTC) Outreach Card processing portal is now active. Trainers can request their cards and pay the administrative processing fee on-line.

The portal can be accessed via the web at:
http://sopris.umdnj.edu/~sphosha/index.php
or from the link “OSHA Outreach Card Processing” at:
http://ophp.umdnj.edu

Click here to download the Outreach Portal introductory letter (.PDF)

Systems of Safety for Construction Focus Four Hazards

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:53:08 -0400

The 8-hr Systems of Safety for Construction Focus Four Hazards will be offered on December 6, 2011. This will be the last time this course is offered through the OSHA Susan Harwood Grant, at UMDNJ.

This course is provided free to private industry

Course Objectives:
1) Examine What is Meant by a “System”
2) Explore How a System’s Approach to Safety and Health works.
3) Learn how to apply key concepts to a System’s Approach to OSHA’s Focus- Four Hazard Categories:
          • Falls
          • Struck by
          • Contact with Electric Current
          • Caught in or Compressed by
Students will receive:
          • Systems of Safety Applied to Construction Focus Four Hazards Certificate
          • P.E. and ABIH credits

Register for Systems of Safety Applied to Construction Focus Four Hazards

UMDNJ School of Public Health Awarded 2011 OSHA Susan Harwood Targeted Training Grant

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:38:02 -0400

UMDNJ- School of Public Health was one of ten institutions awarded the 2011 OSHA Susan Harwood targeted training grant. As part of this program, UMDNJ will develop and offer a 1 day Competent Person Fall Protection course and a ½ day worker fall protection course that will be offered in English and Spanish. These courses will be available at UMDNJ starting January 2012. The half-day as well as full-day courses can also be offered at employer locations. Please contact Gina Gazitano gina.gazitano@umdnj.edu for more details.

2011 Susan Harwood Targeted Topic and Training & Educational Materials Development Grant Recipients

New OSHA Publications - Preventing Deaths from Trench Collapses

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:25:49 -0400

OSHA has three new guidance products to educate employers and workers about the hazards in trenching operations. Unprotected trenches are among the deadliest hazards in the construction industry and the loss of life is devastating: since 2003, more than 200 workers have died in trench cave-ins, and hundreds more have been seriously injured. The new products include a fact sheet (.PDF) , QuickCard (.PDF) and a poster (.PDF) that warns, "An Unprotected Trench is an Early Grave." The three documents may be ordered in English- and Spanish-language versions from the Publications page of OSHA's Web site. See the news release for more information.

Nail Gun Safety - A Guide for Construction Contractors

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:17:25 -0400

OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed
Nail Gun Safety - A Guide for Construction Contractors (.PDF) to help construction employers and workers prevent work-related nail gun injuries, which are responsible for approximately 37,000 emergency room visits annually. Construction workers, particularly those in residential construction, use nail guns nearly every day. Although this tool is easy to operate and increases productivity, injuries occur as a result of unintended nail discharge; nails that bounce off a hard surface or miss the work piece and become airborne; and disabling the gun's safety features, among other causes. Injury prevention is possible if contractors take steps such as using full sequential trigger nail guns. See the news release for more information.