This page is dedicated to providing our readers information about OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). We’re tracking regulatory topics and compliance standards like signage requirements and the safe handling of hazardous materials. We’re also writing analytically, posting informative pieces about workplace safety, its relationship to consumer satisfaction and productivity, and considering OSHA’s implications and effectiveness. Our posts aim to simplify technical jargon, explain regulatory contexts, and help both workers and employers understand issues of compliance and federally mandated safe work practices.
OSHA
The Process of OSHA Inspections
An OSHA inspection can happen with little or no advance notice, and the cost of being unprepared can be severe. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, sets national standards for workplace safety, and inspectors are authorized to issue fines of up to $70,000 per violation. For repeat offenders, that number climbs even higher. One furniture […]
Study: Workers’ comp laws increasingly benefit employers, not employees
Through the great “compensation bargain” known as workers’ comp, if an employee is injured or disabled on the job, insurance provides reimbursement for medical expenses and lost wages. In exchange, workers relinquish most rights to sue their employer. But, according to a new investigation from the non-profit ProPublica and National Public Radio (NPR), legislative changes […]
Data shows successes, struggles in workplace injuries and fatalities
And now, a bit of good news for the holiday season: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2013 continued a downward trend in the number of workplace injuries. Employers reported about three million nonfatal injuries and illnesses, which resulted in an incidence rate of 3.3 […]
Wyoming poised to pass legislation that addresses its “deadliest workplace” status
By the end of the year, Wyoming lawmakers could take a decisive step in the state’s long battle to reduce workplace fatalities. Wyoming is often ranked as one of the country’s most dangerous places to work. Since 2001, the state has repeatedly seen the highest ratio of workplace-related deaths in the nation, and reached a […]
Expanded whistleblower protection for federal workers
Too often we hear of federal agencies operating in isolated – although related – spheres. When it comes to workers seeking to report unsafe working conditions or unfair labor practices, this can create gaps that, unless outfitted with a labor attorney, are difficult to navigate. But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and […]
Dangers of the desk job
A climate-controlled office, your very own workstation, and a good work-conducive environment—what can possibly go wrong? That a corporate office is safer compared to an industrial workplace– that has hazardous equipment and chemicals around– is only a myth until safety issues are seen in close quarters. The comparatively convenient office’s environment has many hidden dangers […]
EU-OSHA launches campaign to tackle workplace stress
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has launched a two-year campaign called “Healthy Workers Manage Stress” to address workplace stress, which is often overlooked by companies but has been the subject of recent awareness-raising efforts. According to EU-OSHA’s opinion poll 66% workers confirm that excessive workload stresses them out. Moreover 50% respondents […]
‘No more falling workers’: OSHA raises alarm over cell tower deaths
The average fatality rate of the U.S. cell tower industry is on the rise. Thirteen deaths were reported in 2013 and four communications tower workers have already died in 2014. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has expressed concern over these alarming numbers, and is now urging the industry to comply with strict tower […]
Growing opposition to OSHA’s proposed silica rule
As the public comment period for the proposed crystalline silica rule closes, several big organizations have unanimously disapproved the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) recommended regulations. OSHA estimates that the rule, once implemented, would significantly decrease the number of deaths caused each year due to silica dust hazard. However, industry experts think the proposed […]
OSHA urges Colorado flood disaster response crews to take precautions
Earlier this month, historic floods caused by torrential rains hit Colorado’s Front Range region, resulting in property loss estimated at nearly $2 billion statewide. Even more devastatingly, there is a confirmed death toll of seven people (as of noon, Sept. 20). 140 people are still unaccounted for, and downed electrical wires, damaged roads and bridges, […]
PPE on a near-atomic level: are workers safe from nanomaterials?
Advancements in science allow us to see more of the world around us, but often raise more questions than answers. Such is the case with engineered nanoparticles, and the dilemma of how “standard industrial hygiene practices” apply to a potential hazard that isn’t yet fully understood. Little particles, big question marks Nanomaterials are defined by […]