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
Will the ANSI designs save more lives?
The ANSI Z535 sign designs are now sanctioned alternatives to OSHA’s traditional, straightforward templates. But, will they save lives? It depends! In some environments, the ANSI designs are far superior. For others, the directness and historical familiarity with the traditional OSHA Danger and OSHA Caution signs, we believe, are far better. The safety sign market, […]
OSHA emphasizes fireworks safety as 4th of July celebrations begin
With Fourth of July around the corner, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has urged the pyrotechnics industry to pay extra attention to fireworks safety. Fireworks sales are up during this time of year, and with increasingly elaborate fireworks designs, enhanced safety measures are essential to protecting workers. To avoid accidents, OSHA has emphasized […]
Less safety culture, more work accidents
Does your company have a safety program, safety culture or safety climate? If you’re not sure, that could have a direct and damaging impact on your health. The relationship between safety culture and work accidents: According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “Developing strong safety cultures has the single greatest impact on accident reduction […]
Heat safety: A universal issue that requires an individual approach
This is the time of year when we start to hear about heat emergencies, and the need to keep hydrated and cool, especially if you work outdoors in the sun. A combination of high temperatures, high humidity and physical exertion can raise the body’s temperature to a point that it can’t be cooled by […]
A comprehensive guide on PPE
What Is PPE? (Personal Protective Equipment Defined) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is any clothing, device, or substance specifically designed to protect workers from risks of injury or illness in the workplace. PPE serves as the last line of defense in the hierarchy of controls, used when engineering controls, administrative controls, and substitution cannot fully eliminate […]
OSHA fines NY medical lab $58,000 for inadequate safeguards against bloodborne pathogens
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings for repeat and serious safety and health violations, following a November 2012 complaint against its medical lab at Schenectady in Albany, NY. The company was issued a total of $58,000 in proposed fines after OSHA’s Albany office inspected the lab and […]
The West Texas tragedy: Can oversights lead to an overhaul?
All too often, safety oversights are brought to light because of a tragedy. In the case of the deadly explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. in Texas last month, early investigations have revealed a patchwork of reporting requirements and safety thresholds that may have left workers and the community dangerously exposed. An article on Salon.com states […]
OSHA violations at Disneyland: It’s a small safety world
Safety violations can happen anywhere – even the happiest place on earth. Despite the Disney empire’s notoriously high standards for customer service, employee satisfaction and overall safety, the iconic Space Mountain ride in Disneyland was closed last Friday after inspectors from the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited the park for six safety […]
High worker injury rates in nursing homes trigger possible OSHA inspection
As many as 1000 nursing homes with high worker injury and illness rates in 2011 have now come under OSHA’s radar for a possible safety inspection. Residential care facilities including business homes, nursing homes, and convalescent homes were issued warning letters for a possible inspection by OSHA, the federal agency charged with enforcement of safety […]
How Silica Signs Improve Construction Site Safety.
More than 1.7 million workers are endangered by silica dust each year, including construction workers, miners, roofers, and farmers. Anyone in an industry that uses abrasive blasting, jackhammering, drilling, concrete mixing, block cutting, sawing, or tunneling is exposed to the toxic dust. Each year, silicosis claims around 250 lives. The disease is particularly insidious for […]
OSHA issues high heat advisory in California
It’s the first day of spring, but many U.S. regions are experiencing prolonged cold fronts. California, however, has the opposite concern: rising temperatures across the state have prompted OSHA to issue a heat advisory, catalyzed by a concern for outdoor workers’ safety. OSHA’s press release states: “While California’s heat illness standards are the toughest in the […]