OSHA can’t send people responsible for workplace safety to jail. But they can refer cases to local prosecutors who are able to seek prison time. That’s what happened in this case, and now two men will be locked up.

Sam Hyung Goo Shim, owner of roofing company California C&R, and his foreman, Jwa Young Kim, have both been sentenced to county jail in connection with the January 2008 death of an employee. Shim will serve one year. Kim will serve at least six months of a one-year sentence.

Antonio Martinez was one of several employees working on a roofing project at a four-story apartment building in San Francisco. As he was working along the roof’s edge, Martinez fell 38 feet to the sidewalk below. The fall killed him. (more…)

US Department of Labor’s OSHA proposes more than $243,000 in fines against Lewiston, Maine, contractor for egregious fall hazards, other violations.

Below is a new release from OSHA regarding a roofing contractor that has a history of ignoring OSHA’s citations and has failed to implement a safety program to protect their workers.  I can assure you that they will have little if any luck reducing these citations to continue to stay in business.  The investment of a safety program would be roughly 1% of the total citations that they are facing.  Give us a call to find out how you can eliminate your exposure to OSHA citations, protect your workers, and lower your insurance costs today. (more…)

It is fairly obvious that safety and health hazards can exist on worksites filled with heavy machinery and equipment, where employees often are required to engage in strenuous manual labor.

A job where most of the work tasks are completed while sitting in a chair in a climate-controlled office building would seem less fraught with danger. However, a surprising number of hazards can be present in an office setting.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80,410 private-industry office and administrative workers suffered on-the-job injuries in 2008. Many of these injuries could have been prevented had workers or supervisors recognized the risks and implemented simple workplace modifications to help mitigate them. (more…)

The following were the top 10 most frequently cited standards in fiscal year 2010 (October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010):

1. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
2. Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
3. Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
4. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
5. Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
6. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
7. Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
8. Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
9. Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
10. Machines, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]

The following are the standards for which OSHA assessed the highest penalties in fiscal year 2010 (October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010):

1. Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
2. Electrical, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.403) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
3. Safety training and education, construction (29 CFR 1910.21) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
4. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
5. Machines, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
6. General duty clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act)
7. Excavations, requirements for protective systems, construction (29 CFR 1926.652) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
8. Lead, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1025) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
9. Grain handling facilities (29 CFR 1910.272) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
10. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]

For more detailed information, visit Frequently Cited OSHA Standards. At that site, you can generate a report on the most frequently cited federal or state OSHA standards by your SIC code and the number of employees in your establishment.

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently published a new compliance assistance tool to help employers prevent fall-related injuries and deaths among residential construction workers. This new educational presentation* is located on OSHA’s website.
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Here’s a true story about domestic violence and what you can do to help employee victims.

When an employee at one company was being harassed by an ex-boyfriend some years back, the company security department immediately intervened. The employee was provided with daily escorts to the train station, and she was told to call the company’s dispatch center each evening to confirm that she arrived home safely. Security also contacted the local police department, which stopped the boyfriend from harassing the employee any further.

What Can You Do?

Here are some other basic security measures your organization may wish to take to safeguard employees against domestic violence incidents on the job: (more…)

To be effective, OSHA says all head protection should meet five basic criteria. It must:

• Absorb the shock of a falling object
• Prevent an object from penetrating it
• Resist water
• Burn slowly
• Fit properly

Beyond that, different types of helmet may be appropriate, depending on how much protection is needed based on the hazard faced by the employees.

• Helmet Type I is the most common type of head protection. Helmet Type I protects the top of the head from impact.
• Helmet Type II protects the top and sides of the head from impact.
• Class E helmets (formerly Class B) should be worn by employees facing electrical hazards. Class E helmets have been tested to 20,000 volts.
• Class G helmets (formerly Class A) provide minimum protection against electrical hazards, as these helmets have been tested to only 2,200 volts.
• Class C helmets are classified as conductive, so should not be worn by employees working with or near electricity.

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Aerial work platforms (AWPs) are intended to make it safer for employees to work at heights. Unfortunately, some workers have been injured or even killed in incidents involving the platforms.

As a result, the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has published a guidance to help employers and employees avoid trapping or crushing incidents when AWPs are used in confined overhead spaces. “The Best Practice Guidance for AWPs: Avoiding Trapping/Crushing Injuries to People in the Platform” is available in the Publications section of http://www.ipaf.org/ and http://www.awpt.org/.

When used safely, AWPs make working at heights more efficient and effective than using traditional methods of access such as ladders. They significantly reduce the risk of injuries through falling from height. Unfortunately, there have been a number of fatal accidents involving the use of AWPs in which the operator was crushed against fixtures or other obstacles while working at height. Experts believe that such incidents can be prevented by correct planning, preparation and selection of appropriate machinery to be used correctly. (more…)

On April 28, 2011, OSHA turned 40 years old. Is the agency suffering an early mid-life crisis?

Why is the age 40 associated with mid-life crisis? It’s probably because people realize that they’ve spent about half of their time on this earth and have only another 40 years or so left.

If someone is fairly happy with his or her first 40 years, the birthday may pass without much notice. (more…)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit rejected a challenge by the National Roofing Contractors Association to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s December 2010 directive on the use of fall protection in residential construction. The directive withdrew an earlier one that allowed certain residential construction employers to bypass some fall protection requirements.

“Fall protection saves lives,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. “There are effective means available to protect residential construction workers from falls. We applaud the court’s decision upholding this updated, commonsense directive.” (more…)