Kansas City Chiefs’ Thomas Jones speaks out for ‘Stay Out-Stay Alive’ campaign

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that Kansas City Chiefs’ running back Thomas Jones has become a spokesman for the agency’s annual “Stay Out-Stay Alive” public safety campaign, launched in 1999 to warn outdoor enthusiasts, especially children, about the dangers of playing on mine property. Each year, dozens of people are injured or killed in recreational accidents at active and abandoned mine sites. (more…)

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a historic new standard, addressing the use of cranes and derricks in construction and replacing a decades old standard. The significant number of fatalities associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction and the considerable technological advances in equipment since the publication of the old rule, issued in 1971, led the Labor Department to undertake this rulemaking. (more…)

BALTIMORE – Referring to ASSE as OSHA’s “older brother,” Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels repeatedly said the agency welcomes and needs the help of industry safety professionals to tackle the most pressing issues he has encountered in his first six months as OSHA chief. Directing his comments to the Safety 2010 attendees filling the Baltimore Convention Center Ballroom for Monday’s afternoon Plenary Session, Michaels touched on everything from recent enforcement activity and “wrong-thinking” incentive programs to the need for updating Permissible Exposure Limits and the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

After outlining OSHA’s recent activities and what he called an “aggressive” regulatory agenda, Michaels said, “We know we do not have – nor will we ever have – enough inspectors to go to every workplace in the nation.” Instead, he called on employers to adopt the agency’s new enforcement strategy on their own: (more…)

When the body is unable to cool itself by sweating, several heat-induced illnesses such as heat stress or heat exhaustion and the more severe heat stroke can occur, and can result in death.

Factors Leading to Heat Stress (more…)

WASHINGTON – “Introduction to OSHA,” a new training component emphasizing workers’ rights, is required content in every OSHA 10- and 30-hour Outreach Training Program class. OSHA developed the information in support of the Secretary of Labor’s goal of strengthening the voice of workers. (more…)

The strategy of pumping up fear for better safety rarely works as planned.

If you’re aiming for sterling results in safety performance and culture, it’s high time to promote No Fear Safety. Sure, on a basic level, Safety is about reducing fears — such as anticipating losing something you currently have or being blocked from getting what you’d want in the future. (more…)

The below information comes from OSHA’s website.

This guidance document is advisory in nature, informational in content, and is intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The document does not serve as a new standard or regulation. It creates no new legal obligations.

Introduction

Portland cement is a generic term used to describe a variety of building materials valued for their strong adhesive properties when mixed with water. Employees who work with portland cement are at risk of developing skin problems, ranging from mild and brief to severe and chronic. (more…)

Around 30 Million US workers are exposed to hazardous noise in the workplace, which makes it vital that your employees know about the hazards of excessive sound levels – and if and what kind of hearing protection they may need (more…)

Here is a group of common questions that are asked so often that they have become “safety myths.”

Myth #1: “We use respirators on a voluntary basis so I don’t need to meet any requirements of the OSHA respiratory protection program (29 CFR 1910.134).” (more…)

Training is a critical part of workplace safety. It can help ensure employees are up to date on the latest safety practices, motivate employees to always work safely and bring new workers on board with the company’s safety practices and procedures. (more…)