Controlling contractors are now being held responsible for the safety actions of subcontractors at their sites under OSHA’s Multi-Employer Citation Policy and many contractors are wondering what levels of safety staffing should be required from their subs. While every situation …
Earlier this week, a 53-year-old worker was killed when he was pulled into equipment at a steel processing plant. A spokesman said the victim was working on a machine that rolled 6-foot-wide coiled steel for shipment. “For reasons unknown, he …
OSHA has opened up another front in its campaign to boost enforcement and is increasing the pressure on states that have their own occupational safety regulatory programs, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal this week. OSHA “is …
Penalties for violation of OSHA standards are not high enough to discourage some employers from violating the law and they ought to be increased, according to the agency’s new director. “Most employers want to do the right thing. But many …
OSHA just sent letters to 15,000 companies advising that their accident rates were substantially above average. While the letters don’t specifically say so, this likely means an inspection is on the way, especially given OSHA’s recent push on enforcement. There …
The majority of construction accidents are not due to a lack of training, skill or knowledge — nearly all accidents are simply related to poor decision-making. Whether an employee is talking on a cell phone while working or not wearing …
With the “New OSHA” stepping up enforcement, it is important for companies to know what to expect when an inspector arrives at the premises and to understand what they can and cannot do during an inspection. I recently published an …
This Occupational Safety Blog has gotten great reader response in the eight months since I began writing it, and now we are going to make it even better by adding two author/experts to the writing team. Fred Rine, CEO of …
I wrote earlier this month that OSHA appears to be heading towards reissuing an ergonomics standard – a step that I think is ill-advised given the extensive efforts already underway in industry to address the problem and the fact that …
After many years working for OSHA, in the private sector and at FDRsafety, I have pretty much seen every type of safety program there is. My partner at FDRsafety, Fred Rine , is one of the safety and health professionals …