Environmental Health and Safety Blog | EHSWire

Injury, Illness and Death Facts You Should Know

• Result in back injuries, strains, sprains, bruises, broken bones, concussions, and even death!


• Cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities.


• Were the fourth leading cause of fatal work injuries in 2008 (13.4%, or 700 out of 5,214 fatalities).


• Rank as the second leading cause of disabling occupational injury.


• Are the third leading cause of all occupational injuries/illnesses (21.8%) and injuries/illnesses resulting in days away from work (21.4%).

How can slips, trips, and falls be prevented?

• Good housekeeping
  
  
  
  • Keep floors clean, dry, and sanitary
  
  
  • Clean up spills promptly
  
  
  • Keep aisles and walkways free of obstructions and clutter
  
  
  
  


• Footwear
  
  
  
  • Fit properly
  
  
  • Require slip-resistant foot in areas prone to wet or slippery conditions
  
  
  
  


• Fall prevention and protection
  
  
  
  • Provide appropriate fall arrest systems
  
  
  
  


• Facilities and equipment
  
  
  
  • Walking and working surfaces
    
    
    
    • Floor surfaces should not be slippery or uneven
    
    
    • Install non-slip flooring in areas prone to wet or slippery conditions
    
    
    • Maintain floors in good condition
    
    
    • Equip elevated working surfaces and stairways with guardrails
    
    
    • Protect floor holes such as drains with grates or covers
    
    
    • Promptly remove ice and snow from walkways, parking lots, etc.
    
    
    • Adequate lighting
    
    
    • Ladders
      
      
      
      • Provide properly rated ladders
      
      
      • Maintain ladders in good condition
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Training
  
  
  
  • Provide worker training for
    
    
    
    • Slip, trip, and fall hazards
    
    
    • Ladder use
    
    
    • Personal fall arrest systems
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Don’t Slip Up on Safety!

Has it happened to you?

Highlight #1: Up-to-Date OSHA Standards

• Respiratory Protection
  
  
  
  • Aligning air cylinder testing requirements for self-contained breathing apparatuses with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations
  
  
  • Clarifying that the provisions of Appendix D, which contains information for employees using respirators when not required under the standard, are mandatory if the employee chooses to use a respirator.
  
  
  
  


• Sanitation
  
  
  
  • Defining “potable water” to meet the current Environmental Protection Agency
  
  
  
  


• Access to Exposure and Medical Records
  
  
  
  • Deleting a number of requirements for employers to transmit exposure and medical records to NIOSH
  
  
  
  


• Slings
  
  
  
  • Requiring that employers use only slings marked with manufacturers' loading information
  
  
  
  

Highlight #2: OSHA Injury and Illness Logs - Musculoskeletal Disorders (“MSD”)

• In January of  2010, OSHA proposed to revise its Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting Requirements regulation to restore a column to the OSHA 300 log that employers would have to check if an incident they already have recorded under existing rules is an MSD.  


• On January 25, 2011, OSHA withdrew this proposed revision.


• On May 17, 2011, OSHA reopens the public record on a proposed rule.

Highlight #3: A Survey of Private Sector Employees

• The survey will be sent to private sector employers of all sizes and across all industries under OSHA's jurisdiction. Questions include whether respondents already have a safety management system, whether they perform annual inspections, who manages safety at their establishments and what kinds of hazards they encounter at their facilities. Participation in the survey is voluntary.

Highlight #4: Fall Protection for Residential Construction Workers

• The presentation describes safety methods for preventing injuries and deaths from falls, and explains techniques currently used by employers during various stages of construction. These techniques involve the use of conventional fall protection systems including safety nets, guardrails, and personal fall arrest systems such as body harnesses, lanyards and lifelines.


• The presentation is among a series of guidance materials on OSHA's Residential Fall Protection Web page.

What is Construction Industry Outreach Training?

Who Should Attend a 10-hour Construction Industry Training Course?

Emilcott’s OSHA 10-Hour Construction Industry Course

Quality Training Makes a Difference

• The "program guidelines" are now defined as “program requirements" (translation: must be done).


• Separate procedures are provided for each of the Outreach Training Programs, Construction, General Industry, Maritime, and Disaster Site Worker. 


• A trainer Code of Conduct and a Statement of Compliance requires each trainer to verify that the training they conduct will be in accordance with the Outreach Training Program requirements and procedures.


• Classroom size is now limited to a maximum of 40 students.


• Only translators with safety and health experience can be used.


• Videos can be used for only 25 percent of the training period.


• OSHA course completion cards must be provided directly to the students within 90 days of class completion.


• All construction classes are required to include four hours on Focus Four Hazards.


• All 30-hour classes must include two hours on Managing Safety and Health.


• The new requirements and procedures also integrate recent requirements which require training classes to last a maximum of 7½ hours per day and include a new two-hour Introduction to OSHA training module.

• Cell phone signal boosters in each vehicle in the field


• GPS SPOT locator units for each  crew


• New technology satellite phones for work crews heading into the most remote locations.  

What’s the job of a Respiratory Protection Program (RPP) Administrator? 

• Maintaining the site Respiratory Protection Program


• Assessing the workplace for potential respiratory hazards


• Defining worker exposure for these hazards


• Selecting appropriate respirators to provide protection from defined hazards


• Ensuring
  
  
  
  • Medical evaluations are conducted of employees required to wear respirators PRIOR to fit testing
  
  
  • Respirators are fit tested for all required users
  
  
  • Proper use of respirators during routine and emergency operations
  
  
  • Respirators are appropriately cleaned, disinfected, stored, inspected, repaired, discarded, and maintained
  
  
  • Adequate air quality air is supplied if supplied air respirators are used.
  
  
  • Respirator users are trained in respiratory hazards, and the proper use and maintenance of respirators
  
  
  • Periodical evaluation of the Respiratory Protection Program implementation
  
  
  • Workers who voluntarily wear respirators (excluding filtering facepieces) comply with the medical evaluation, and cleaning, storing and maintenance requirements of the standard
  
  
  • All voluntary-use respirator users understand Appendix D of the standard
  
  
  
  

Top 5 OSHA Violation!

Top 5 Reasons YOU need to be “Qualified”

1. Workers at your site are required to wear respirators for protection from respiratory hazards – and you selected these respirators.


2. You train respirator users on how to put on and take off their respirator – along with the limitations on their use, and their maintenance.


3. Implementation of the site respiratory protection program (which you wrote) is just another one of your jobs!


4. Airline (atmosphere-supplying) respirators are used at your site – and you make sure that an adequate air supply, quantity, and flow of breathing air is available.


5. You coordinate the medical evaluation of employees who must use respirators.

Top 5 OSHA Compliance Indicators!

1. The written Respiratory Protection Program and interviews with the program administrator reveal an understanding of the familiarity with the respirator standard, site respiratory hazards, and the use of the respirators in the workplace.


2. Respiratory fit testing is conducting annually or at assignment and the program administrator maintains.


3. Hazardous airborne contaminants that employees may inhale have been identified.  Reasonable estimates of employee exposures were used in determining the appropriate respirator for employees to use.


4. Recent changes in the workplace such as new processes have been evaluated for necessary respiratory program changes


5. The program administrator keeps a written assessment of the program operations and implements changes that may be considered as efforts toward improvement.

How to Become a Qualified RPP Administrator

1. OSHA respirator inspection passed without any problems, fines or additional action.


2. Site personnel actively wear their respirators – the way that they are supposed to!


3. Site workers reinforce the importance of respirator use to their colleagues (even when you’re not around)!


4. Managers understand the need for respirator use and support related site activities such as testing of hazardous airborne contaminants.


5. Written assessments of program changes are treated as a necessity for business to move forward rather than resented.

You ARE a Qualified Respiratory Protection Program Administrator!

What is General Industry Outreach Training?

Who Should Attend a 10-hour General Industry Training Course?

Emilcott’s OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Course

Quality Training Makes a Difference

On-line or Classroom HazWOPER?

Training experts insist that hands-on training is the best way to learn!

• Would you SCUBA dive in the Florida Keys after completely an on-line SCUBA diving lesson (without ever handling the equipment on land or even in a pool)?


• When you call 911 – would you trust an emergency responder that recently received CPR training on-line  without any practice or instructor guidance?


• Would you lend your car to a friend who just learned to drive by completing an on-line driving class?


• If folks need to be trained to work as a team with a command/response structure – how successful can team training be when individuals are trained in isolation?


• How many other things do you do while you are “attending” an online course?


• Do you really want the guy next to you at the hazardous site to be responsible for your health after taking critical health and safety training…online?

Why the Emilcott Training Institute? Because you will LEARN and be prepared!!

• The Emilcott 40-hour HazWOPER mock drill is chock full of “what if” scenarios such as unidentified hazards, nosy neighbors, health and safety incidents, decontamination exercises, use of instruments, and more.


• We film our mock drill and then evaluate the results in class.


• We have taught thousands of HazWOPER training classes – many of them for the US Armed Forces in the states and Europe.


• Our 8-hour Site Supervisor course concentrates on group exercises and managerial experience to reinforce essential skills needed to ensure the health and safety of the crew while getting project work completed without incident.


• We interview our students to ensure that the materials presented are as applicable to their job function as possible.


• Our annual 8-hour Refresher is revised each year to ensure well-rounded exposure for our repeat students.


• We train students, but we do not pass students who don’t qualify!

What is the importance of a good instructor?

• EHS Specialists


• Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH)


• Certified Safety Professionals (CSP)


• Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM)

Understand Yourself and the Impact of Effective Training

Quick Reference Guide to Regulations and Submissions (Jan-Apr 2011)

Anyone who imports or manufactures a new polymer in 2010 that met the TSCA Exemption Criteria must submit a TSCA Polymer Exemption Report of manufacture or import by (postmarked) January 31 of the year subsequent to initial manufacture. The notice must include: