WASHINGTON – On Monday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. EST, the U.S. Department of Labor will make available at http://www.dol.gov/regulations video remarks by Secretary Hilda L. Solis outlining the department's regulatory agenda. From 2 to 3 p.m. EST at the same Web location, the secretary will host a live Web chat — open to the public and members of the press — to discuss the contents of the agenda. Questions may be submitted in advance of the chat following the video presentation.
The Department of Labor's full regulatory agenda, scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on the morning of Dec. 7, will focus on improving the lives of working Americans and leveling the playing field for businesses that play by the rules.
Secretary Solis' Web chat will be followed on Dec. 7, 8 and 9 (at the same Web address) by chats hosted by the heads of these Labor Department agencies: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Office of Labor-Management Standards, the Wage and Hour Division, the Employment and Training Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and the Employee Benefits Security Administration. A schedule will be posted at the site.
This event is open to news media and stakeholders.
WHO: Secretary Hilda L. Solis
WHAT: U.S. Department of Labor's regulatory agenda rollout
WHEN: Video remarks: Dec. 7 – 10 a.m. EST
Live Web chat: Dec. 7 – 2 to 3 p.m. EST
WHERE: http://www.dol.gov/regulations
Beginning on Monday, Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. EST, reporters may submit questions (include outlet and affiliation) for the secretary's Web chat via e-mail to Reporters.solis@dol.gov.
The public may also submit questions via e-mail beginning at 10 a.m. to Webmaster@dol.gov.
12.04.2009
Talk to OSHA LIVE
12.03.2009
OSHA Wants to Hear from You!
The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10 and from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, Dec. 11 at the U.S. Department of Labor, Frances Perkins Building, Rooms N-3437 A-C, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20210.
Submit comments and requests to speak electronically at http://www.regulations.gov/, the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Comments not exceeding 10 pages may also be sent via facsimile at 202-693-1648 or by mail to the OSHA Docket Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210.
All press inquiries should be directed to Jennifer Ashley, OSHA, Office of Communications, at 202-693-1999 or ashley.jennifer@dol.gov. General information inquiries should be directed to Michael Buchet, OSHA, Directorate of Construction, at 202-693-2020 or buchet.michael@dol.gov.
The committee advises the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health on the formulation of standards affecting the construction industry and on policy matters arising in the administration of the safety and health provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, and the OSH Act of 1970.
12.01.2009
OSHA Guidance Document Focuses on Training, Personal Protective Equipment for Safeguarding Emergency Medical Responders
This document, a companion to OSHA's Best Practices for Hospital-Based First Receivers, advises that employers provide, at a minimum, awareness level training to EMS responders. Workers receiving awareness-level training are not permitted to rescue or treat contaminated patients, but are responsible for notifying authorities if they suspect hazardous substances at a scene. Operations-level training teaches EMS responders skills for entering hazardous areas and caring for contaminated individuals.
"Healthcare workers, including EMS personnel, play a critical role in a community's emergency response program," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "Emergency workers who protect the lives of victims at dangerous incidents should not risk becoming victims themselves because they lack proper training and protective clothing."
The guidance document helps employers to determine the type of training and PPE needed by anticipating the EMS responder's role in a worst-case scenario, identifying hazards associated with the responder's assigned duties, and developing an emergency response plan detailing safe accomplishment of those duties.
11.25.2009
11.24.2009
OSHA Issues Crowd Control Guidelines for Protecting Workers During Retail Sales Events
11.23.2009
OSHA Finds Problems Identified in GAO's Report Alarming
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) welcomes the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report on the under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses and OSHA's audit process.
The report identifies a number of factors that may contribute to the inaccuracy of employer injury and illness records, as well as problems with the audits that OSHA conducts to ensure their accuracy.
"Accurate injury and illness records are vital to protect workers' health and safety," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "They not only enable OSHA to better target its resources and determine the effectiveness of its efforts, accurate numbers are also an important tool that workers and employers can use to identify hazards in their workplaces."
The report identifies worker intimidation as well as a number of disincentives that may discourage workers and employers from reporting work-related injuries and illnesses. The report also notes widespread reports from occupational health practitioners who were pressured not to record an injury or illness.
Acting Assistant Secretary for OSHA Jordan Barab announced that the agency will move swiftly to implement the recommendations made by the GAO. Additionally, in response to numerous studies of under-reporting and congressional interest, on Oct. 1, OSHA implemented a National Emphasis Program on Recordkeeping. OSHA will send inspectors into worksites across the country to review the occupational injury and illness records prepared by businesses.
"Many of the problems identified in the report are quite alarming, and OSHA will be taking strong enforcement action where we find underreporting," Solis said.
11.16.2009
OSHA Cites New Bedford, Mass., Seafood Processor following Worker Death in Ice Machine
BRAINTREE, Mass. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a New Bedford, Mass., seafood processor, for 23 alleged violations of workplace safety standards after a worker was killed on May 4 when he became caught in the moving parts of a large industrial ice-making machine that activated while he was performing maintenance work inside it.
OSHA found that the plant lacked specific steps and procedures to power down and lock out the ice machine's power source before employees entered it. The agency's investigation also found that workers were not trained to recognize and address the hazard of the machine operating without warning. In addition, the plant lacked a program and employee training for working in confined spaces, such as the ice machine, and ladders were not available to ensure safe entry and exit from the ice machine.
"This is exactly the type of grave accident that OSHA's hazardous energy control, or 'lockout/tagout' standard, is designed to prevent," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for southeastern Massachusetts. "For the safety of their workers, employers must always ensure that machinery is powered down and its power sources locked out before workers perform maintenance. Employers must also ensure that workers are properly trained for work in confined spaces."
Additionally, OSHA's inspection identified unmarked exit doors and a lack of emergency exit route lighting, no eyewash or drenching facilities for employees working with corrosive chemicals, a lack of material safety data sheets and chemical hazard communication training, unguarded open-sided floors, a missing safety latch on a hoisting hook and several electrical-related hazards.
All told, these conditions resulted in the issuance of 19 serious citations, with $62,800 in proposed fines. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known. The company also has been fined $4,000 for four other-than-serious hazards, including incomplete recording of injuries and illnesses. The combined penalties total $66,800.
Let us know if you would like to preview the SafetyCertified Lockout/Tagout course: Control of Hazardous Energy blittle@safetycertified.com
11.11.2009
Workplace H1N1 Influenza Precaution and Protection
The fact sheets inform employers and workers about ways to reduce the risk of exposure to the 2009 H1N1 virus at work. Separate fact sheets for health care workers, who carry out tasks and activities that require close contact with 2009 H1N1 patients, contain additional precautions.
"Protecting our nation's workers is OSHA's top priority," said Jordan Barab, the agency's acting assistant secretary. "These fact sheets are tools we have developed to help ensure America's workers stay healthy and our businesses remain viable. OSHA's new fact sheets will help all employers identify appropriate actions to protect their workers."
OSHA's "Workplace Safety and H1N1" Web site provides easy to understand information appropriate for all workplaces and more extensive guidance for those involved in higher risk health care activities. The fact sheets are advisory in nature and informational in content.
As new information about the 2009 H1N1 virus becomes available, these workplace fact sheets will be updated. Employers and workers should review OSHA's http://www.osha.gov/h1n1 site often to ensure they have the most up-to-date information when making decisions about their operations and planning.
11.09.2009
First World Pneumonia Day
November 2nd was the first World Pneumonia Day. A diverse group of health, humanitarian, business and industry, advocacy, faith based and community organizations have come together to increase worldwide awareness about the global burden of pneumonia and the prevention and treatment options that will have the greatest impact on reductions in child mortality and morbidity. CDC has provided technical assistance to this coalition.
Pneumonia is a leading killer of both children and adults around the globe. Few know that pneumonia kills approximately 2 million children under the age of five years worldwide each year. Resource-poor countries are particularly hard hit—for every child who dies of pneumonia in a developed country, more than 2,000 children die of pneumonia in developing countries. In the US, over 1 million children and adults are admitted to the hospital for pneumonia each year.
The CDC has released a comprehensive story on Prevention Detection and care in an effort to reduce the deaths attributed to pneumonia both in the US and worldwide.
SafetyCertified has many courses to teach preventing disease spread. To make these courses available to employees, contact us today blittle@safetycertified.com
To read the rest of the CDC’s storey click here
11.06.2009
FOLLOW UP: Gunman Kills 12, Wounds 31 at Fort Hood
NBC News and msnbc.com
updated 9:48 p.m. CT, Thurs., Nov . 5, 2009
An Army psychiatrist who opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 12 people and wounding 31 others, was shot but captured alive, military officials said late Thursday.
The gunman, identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was wounded at the scene but was captured alive and was in stable condition, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of the Army’s III Corps, said at a press conference late Thursday.
Eleven of the victims died at the scene, military officials said. A 12th died later at a hospital, NBC station KCEN-TV of Waco reported. Cone said that most of those who were shot were military but two were civilians.
Cone also said that a female officer who was thought to be the first responder shot Hasan and was herself wounded and had undergone surgery at a hospital. It was not clear if the officer was a military policewoman or a civilian officer.
Col. Ben Danner said the suspect was shot at least four times. "I would say his death is not imminent," Cone said, adding that Hasan was in custody at a hospital.
It initially was reported that Hasan had been killed at the scene. But Cone said at the press conference that Hasan had been in custody since the incident occurred, and there was no explanation of the earlier report.
To read the rest of the story click here
