Safety Consultants    1-888-755-8010    info@FDRsafety.com

T: 1-888-755-8010
E: info@FDRsafety.com

 

Occupational Safety Blog

By Fred Rine, CEO of FDRsafety and former long-time Managing Director of Safety and Health at FedEx, Jim Stanley, President of FDRsafety and former No. 2 at OSHA headquarters and Mike Taubitz, Senior Advisor to FDRsafety and former Global Safety Director for General Motors.


Archive for October, 2009

Scaffolding, fall protection, hazard communications lead the list of top 10 OSHA violations

October 29th, 2009 posted by Jim Stanley

Jim Stanley

OSHA has released its preliminary list of the top 10 safety violations it has assessed in 2009 and at the head of the list are scaffolding problems (9,093 violations so far), fall protection (8,771 violations) and hazard communications (6,378 violations).

OSHA presented the list of the Top 10 Safety Violations for 2009 at the National Safety Council’s annual Congress & Expo. The final list will also be released through the NSC in December.

The number of top 10 violations is up almost 30 percent over the same period in 2008. The increase coincides with OSHA’s highly publicized ramp up in enforcement.

Share

Posted in Enforcement | 1 Comment »





OSHA decides not to go with TLVs as its standard for exposure to chemicals

October 27th, 2009 posted by Jim Stanley

Jim Stanley

OSHA is getting ready to abandon its proposal to use Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) as its standard for exposure limits to chemicals.

OSHA recently decided to maintain its mandatory permissible exposure limits (PELs), rather than switch to the TLVs, designed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.

Critics of the TLVs have contended that they were scientifically invalid and developed in a way that did not allow sufficient outside input.

For a fuller briefing on the issue, read this article by the Patton Boggs law firm.

Share

Posted in Accident Prevention, Research | No Comments »





OSHA targets iron and steel foundries, concrete pipe manufacturers, others for recordkeeping crackdown

October 23rd, 2009 posted by Jim Stanley

Jim Stanley

OSHA has announced the list of industries that will be targeted under its one-year program that will intensively ramp up recordkeeping enforcement.

The program concentrates on industries with traditionally high accident rates. Within those industries, companies that have reported low accident rates are most likely to be audited. OSHA says that to qualify for inspection under the program, a workplace must be in a selected industry, have 40 or more employees, and show a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate of 4.2 or below based on 2007 OSHA 300 data.

Targeted industries include steel and iron foundries, concrete pipe manufacturers, soft drink manufacturers and automotive seat and interior trim manufacturers. A complete list of those industries, and more detail about the program is contained in a report from Sherman and Howard.

Share

Posted in Enforcement, Recordkeeping | 5 Comments »





Five steps to get ready for increased OSHA enforcement

October 16th, 2009 posted by Jim Stanley

Jim Stanley

There has been a lot of attention given to the increased emphasis on enforcement by the “New OSHA,” but companies need not panic – thoughtful planning can prepare your company well for an OSHA inspection.

Here are five key steps to get ready, as provided in an excellent article by the McDermott Will & Emery law firm:

  • Establish a Catastrophe Response and Management Plan.
  • Verify through compliance reviews that your OSHA-required safety and health programs are in place.
  • Focus on your “key risks,” meaning the specific risks at your workplace that are actually faced by your employees on a frequent basis and which present the most exposure to a risk of serious injuries or death.
  • Ensure that your safety and health program demonstrates a “top down” commitment from company executives as well as a “bottom up” commitment to worker safety and health.
  • Have a plan in place to manage OSHA inspections in a careful, thought-out manner.

For more details on how to get ready, as well as a review of the prospects for tighter enforcement take a look at the complete article.

Share

Posted in Enforcement | 1 Comment »