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
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 […]
Record snow removal injuries call attention to proper safety measures
This winter has been undoubtedly brutal and, unsurprisingly, has led to an uptick in snow- and cold-related injuries among workers. Snow removal in particular has taken a serious toll on workers’ lives, calling attention to the need to revisit proper severe weather safety procedures. In Massachusetts, which has experienced the worst of the winter snowfall, two workers died while […]
Obama’s 2016 proposed budget reduces NIOSH funding
The funding for National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), responsible for research on the health and safety of the country’s 155 million-strong workforce, has been cut 15 percent in the 2016 proposed budget by the Obama administration. This brings the total funding of this safety research wing to $283 million. Along with NIOSH, funding for Education Research […]
OSHA revises rules for reporting workplace deaths
From 14,000 workers killed on the job in 1970 to 4,405 worker deaths in 2013, workplaces have clearly become much safer than they were a few decades ago. However, workers are still exposed to extreme hazards at work and thousands of fatalities are reported each year. In order to prevent work-related accidents, the Occupational Health […]
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 […]
New OSHA rule expands recordkeeping for injuries
An updated “recordkeeping rule” may sound like a mundane clerical change, but new revisions from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will have a significant impact on how employers — and the public — view workplace injuries. Last month, OSHA issued a final rule that will greatly expand the type of work-related injuries that […]
How high is too high? Evolving fall protection standards
Fall prevention in residential construction has become a major campaign for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), for good reason. Falls cause about 50 percent of residential construction fatalities, and 80 percent of residential roofing fatalities, according to a study published in September’s American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Regulations intended to protect these workers […]
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 […]
The crushing reality of forklift accidents
Among the top most cited violations in 2013, those relating to powered industrial trucks (including forklifts) fell at the sixth place, moving up one position from the year before that. In 2012, OSHA issued more than 2,900 citations and levied penalties of about $2 million for forklift related violations. In 2013, the federal safety agency […]