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
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 […]
OSHA fines Lumadue nearly $179,000 for trenching hazards
Lumadue Excavating LLC, Pa. has been cited for 12 safety violations that exposed workers to trenching hazards. U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted two inspections at the West Decatur, PA excavating company. Trenches without protection were discovered at two separate sites –one seven feet deep and the other, over five feet deep. […]
What’s wrong with this road construction site? #HazardSpotting
#HazardSpotting is a community safety initiative that helps raise awareness about dangerous workplace safety violations. Our readers submit photos, and we write a post with special guest insight from featured safety experts. This week we’re highlighting the road construction hazards in a street construction zone. At MySafetySign, we believe hazard awareness can build safer communities. […]
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 […]
Back to the basics: a comprehensive guide on PPE
What is PPE? PPE or Personal Protective Equipment is any clothing, substance, or equipment designed to protect a person from risks of injury or illness. Unfortunately, PPE is often disregarded by workers because it’s cumbersome or unavailable. A survey by Kimberly-Clark Professional found that “89 percent of safety professionals said they had observed workers not wearing safety […]
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 […]
Ohio farmer dies in grain bin accident
A 68-year-old Clark County farmer, Warren Mumma, died after falling and sinking into a grain bin filled with 10,000 bushels of corn. Mumma was loading corn in a tractor-trailer with his son when he climbed to the bin’s top without a safety harness. He was trying to install an auger which would move corn away […]
Could silica protection finally enter the 21st century?
Since February 2011, a proposal that would better protect workers from crystalline silica dust – a known carcinogen – has sat in the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Although the review – required by law – is not to exceed 90 days, and although the proposal merely updates 1970 standards, it received […]
OSHA cites Maine sawmill for repeat safety violations
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a sawmill in Jefferson, Maine for three alleged repeat safety violations and seven serious violations imposing a fine of $79,310. The sawmill, N.C. Hunt Lumber, failed to use necessary safety procedures to prevent logging vehicles from striking workers. The violations included failure to install signs and […]
Why is worker safety neglected in post-disaster cleanups?
Following a natural or man-made disaster, time is of the essence for mitigating the damage. But does the need for a rapid response justify throwing worker safety out the window? Standards from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration require that workers receive adequate protection against workplace hazards, including protective equipment and training. But from the […]