An OSHA directive on lockout states, “Setting up is not considered utilization of a machine or equipment and is classified as servicing and/or maintenance, rather than normal production operations.” The significance of that statement is that lockout must be applied …
The path to “getting to zero” and eliminating accidents from the workplace does not lie in applying ever greater pressure on employees to follow the rules. Success lies rather in motivating workers to “want to” act safely rather than having …
For a good holiday laugh, take a look at the following blog post entitled “How OSHA nearly killed Christmas” spotted on Curtis Chambers’ OSHATraining.com blog. How OSHA Nearly Killed Christmas! Every December, my wife and kids beg me to put …
A major, relatively new OSHA enforcement tool received backing last week from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and affected employers should make plans to respond if they have not already done so. (Some recommendations are offered …
Jordan Barab, the No. 2 official at OSHA, made a shocking statement at a recent public health conference, as reported by Occupational Safety and Health Reporter: Half of workplaces inspected under a recent national emphasis program were underreporting injuries and …
Pointing to what it says is an “unacceptable” level of workplace injuries and illnesses among workers in nursing homes and other residential care facilities, OSHA has announced that it will soon begin a national emphasis program to increase enforcement in …
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics recently announced that non-fatal injuries and illnesses in private industry declined by 200,000 from 2009 to 2010. OSHA hailed that as good news, and rightly so. But to gain a fuller understanding of the …
Is it right for OSHA to penalize an employer for an incident that was completely beyond the company’s ability to prevent? If that seems wrong to you, I agree. But that is exactly where OSHA is heading with a new …
Based on recent calls, OSHA appears to be turning a spotlight on companies that use energy control circuitry during tasks that are routine, repetitive and integral to their operations. As most readers know, OSHA requires lockout/tagout to control potentially hazardous …
OSHA has reduced the minimum size for companies to be included under the Site-Specific Targeting program, so that now companies in selected industries with as few as 20 employees can be inspected. The Site-Specific program is OSHA chief programmed inspection …