The state of Minnesota is implementing a new set of standards to reduce on job risk for window washers.

The standard requires employers whose workers are suspended more than 14-feet above grade to have a comprehensive written safety plan and provide employee training for window-washing and building-maintenance activities. It also addresses and outlines worker safety requirements in the areas of:

• Anchors and anchor points;
• Appropriate recordkeeping regarding employee training and retraining;
• Fall protection;
• Proper care, use and inspection of equipment;
• Rope descent systems; and
• Visual inspections of building exteriors before work begins.

“This new standard ensures a plan is in place to reduce risks to workers and that systems are in place to identify and control workplace hazards,” said Commissioner Ken Peterson, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). “The goal is to prevent accidents.”

The new set of rules come on the heels of three window washing deaths in the past three years that MNOSHA said all could have been prevented through the proper use of safety equipment and procedures.

Since MNOSHA began a local emphasis inspection program for the window-washing and building-maintenance industry in October 2010 the organization has inspected 34 window washing companies.

During these inspections, MNOSHA investigators found worksites lacking proper safety equipment for employees and improper usage of suspension scaffolds and lifelines.

The new safety standard for window-washers takes effect March 1, 2012.

For help complying with this new standard call 877-201-8923.

We hear a ton of safety myths everyday that have no basis on research or facts. These consist of things that sound great that people say to get our attention. In many instance the people spewing these fantasies may even believe them themselves. However, as safety professionals we can’t live in a fantasy world, we must use cold hard data to back our claims.

To help you from falling victim to fake claim here are 10 quick Tweetable workplace safety facts. To share these facts simply click on the link you wish to share and it will post on your Twitter account.

10. Average OSHA fine is $1,000

In 2010 the average OSHA fine was $1,028 and the average company received more than two fines per inspection.

9. Overexertion accounts for 25 percent of all workplace injuries

According to Liberty Mutual Safety Index overexertion, or injuries caused by lifting, pushing, pulling, holding and carrying, costs businesses $12.75 billion in direct annual expenses and accounts for more than 25% of the national burden. Furthermore “Fall on same level” ranks as the No. 2 cause of disabling injury that drives direct costs of $7.94 billion, or 15.8% of the total injury burden.

8. Scaffolding, Fall Protection violations number 1 OSHA citations

According to OSHA the most violated standard the past year was a dead heat between fall protection and scaffolding requirements.

7. Nearly 75 percent of illicit Drug users employed

According to OSHA of the 7.2 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2005, 12.9 million (74.8 percent) were employed either full or part time. Furthermore, research indicates that between 10 and 20 percent of the nation’s workers who die on the job test positive for alcohol or other drugs.

6. Hazardous Substances cause 10 percent of skin cancers
According to the International Labour Organization Hazardous substances kill about 438,000 workers annually, and 10% of all skin cancers are estimated to be attributable to workplace exposure to hazardous substances.

 5. Workplace safety programs decrease injuries by 50 percent

According the American Society of Safety Engineers a comprehensive workplace safety program can decrease the likely hood of a workplace injury by up to 50 percent.

 4. 6,000 people die a day of workplace injury

According to the International Labour Organization each day, an average of 6,000 people die as a result of work-related accidents or diseases, totaling more than 2.2 million work-related deaths a year. Of these, about 350,000 deaths are from workplace accidents and more than 1.7 million are from work related diseases. In addition, commuting accidents increase the burden with another 158,000 fatal accidents.

 3. code> Workplaces see $3 to $1 return on workplace safety

Ninety-five percent of business executives report that workplace safety has a positive impact on a company’s financial performance, according to the findings of The Executive Survey of Workplace Safety by the Liberty Mutual Group, the nation’s leading provider of workers compensation insurance. Of these executives, 61 percent believe their companies receive a return on investment of $3 or more for each $1 they invest in improving workplace safety.

The survey also reveals executives realize the benefits of workplace safety go beyond the company’s bottom line, with 70 percent reporting that protecting employees is a leading benefit of workplace safety.

 2. Workplace injury and illness more costly than all cancers combined

In a study funded by the National Institute of Safety and Health, public health sciences professor J. Paul Leigh of the University of California, Davis, pegs the cost of work-related injury and illness in 2007 at about $250 billion. That puts the price to of workplace health and safety problems above the economic burden posed by all cancers combined.

1. Workplace fatalities down 62% and injuries down 42 %

Since OSHA was created in 1971, the workplace fatality rate among employees has decreased by 62%⁽¹⁾ and occupational injury and illness rates have declined by 42%⁽²⁾. At the same time, US employment in the private sector and the number of workplaces has doubled, increasing from 56 million workers at 3.5 million establishments to 114 million workers at 7 million establishments.⁽³⁾

A study of workers compensation claims across 38 states shows the average cost of a fall for roofers and carpenters is more than double the average cost of all other occupational classifications.

The OSHA study, which looked at data from 2005-2007, found the average cost of falls from elevation at $106,000 for roofers, $97,000 for carpenters and less than $50,000 for all other industries.

A fall from elevation is considered any fall from a height greater than 6-feet not involving scaffold or ladder.

In addition to looking at cost of falls from height the study reviled the average cost of falls from ladders and scaffolding was $68,000 for roofers and $62,000 for carpenters.

To limit these types of incidents OSHA requires companies to have in place comprehensive training programs on fall protection and ladder usage.

Here at Safety Services we offer affordable training solutions to meeting these government requirements.

Call 877-201-8923 for more info.

To facilitate the resolution of legal challenges filled against its new posting requirement, the National Labor Relations Board is postponing the effective date until April, 30 2012.

The delay is the second in the past three months to a posting approved in Sept. 2011 that would require more than six million private-sector employers by the National Labor Relations Act (“Act” or “NLRA”) to display employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

At the heart of the delays are three federal lawsuits filed against the National Labor Relations Board, saying the group overstepped its bounds when it set new regulations requiring employers to hang the poster.

“When everyone is worried about jobs, when everyone is worried about their economic future, why do we want to pick a fight with employers,” Kevin Shivers, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, one of the three groups that have filed separate suits, told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), also known as the Wagner Act, was enacted in 1935 to encourage the practice of collective bargaining by employees through a representative to negotiate the terms and conditions of employment.

In specific the new notice contains:

1. A summary of employee rights under the NLRA, including: the rights to organize, form or join a union; the right to discuss wages and working conditions with co-workers; the right to take collective action to improve working conditions; and the right to engage in other protected activities.

2. Examples of employer or union illegal conduct under the NLRA;

3. A statement about the employer’s obligation to bargain in good faith if a union has been selected by employees;

4. Information concerning basic enforcement procedures; and

5. NLRB contact information.

OSHA has rescinded a January 2009 letter of interpretation regarding the use of a particular shock-absorbing lanyard in aerial work platforms.

The original letter of interpretation stated because of the requirement of certain lanyards to have an anchor point at a height of 18.5 feet, their usage would likely not comply with OSHA standards when working at lower heights.

According to OSHA the original letter created confusion and mass inquiries about the use of body harnesses, typically married with appropriate lanyards, for fall protection in aerial lifts.

To avoid the confusion OSHA rescinded the interpretation.

“In rescinding this letter, OSHA is not concluding that the application described above is acceptable, rather it is clarifying that fall protection systems should not be based solely on information provided by the manufacturer, but should also take into account OSHA regulations and results of the job-specific risk assessment,” said Tony Groat of the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) USA.

The Workers Safety and Compensation Commission released its first draft of proposed safety regulations for Canada’s Northwestern Territories and Nunavut earlier this month.

This digest is the first volume in a series of three. It includes a summary of the proposed Occupational Health and Safety Regulations consultation carried out between September 2010 and March 2011.

Volume one has two parts. The first introduces the proposed regulations and discusses the consultation and the legislative framework used.  Part two contains provisions of the proposed regulations receiving the most comments.

Regulations in this first digest include cold weather work, personal protective equipment, harassment, first aid, work on ice over water, fall protection, youth employment, locking out, recordkeeping, sanitation, accident investigation, duty to inform workers and more.

Volume two including the committee’s corresponding analysis should be available by mid-November. Volume three including the revised regulations and proposed recommendations to the Ministers will be available by the end of 2011.

 
Vol 1 – Northwestern Territories Safety Regulations

The deadline for residential construction employers to comply with OSHA’s new fall protection initiative is Sept. 15.

The new directive requires all residential builders to comply with 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1926.501(b)(13).

Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13) workers engaged in residential construction over six (6) feet above the ground level are to be protected by conventional fall protection. For roofers, the 25 foot, ground to- eave height threshold no longer applies, nor do slide guards as an acceptable form of fall protection, regardless of the roof pitch or height of the roof eave.

These new requirements replace the Interim Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction, Standard 03-00- 001 that have been in effect since 1995 and allowed residential builders to bypass fall protection requirements.

To help companies meet the fall protection imitative Safety Services Company offers affordable “Do-It-Yourself” fall protection training program. For more information call 877-
848-3369.

“Oh I’m a general contractor so it’s the subcontractor’s responsibility.” “I’m a subcontractor so it’s the general contractor’s responsibility.”

One of the common myths involving a general and subcontractor is safety is the other person’s responsibility.

OSHA has decided everybody is responsible for safety. If you have a jobsite you have to be compliant with a safety program, have safety training and materials.

As a subcontractor, you are the one that is going to be responsible to OSHA, the one that gets a lawsuit if someone who gets a paycheck from you gets hurt. It is up to you to make sure you have the documentation and safety program in place.

If a roofer gets electrocuted on a job, whose fault is it? First the roofing company is responsible for their own employee’s safety. Also, the electrical contractor may be in fault if it was his violation. And then the general contractor is also responsible for the entire jobsite.

The most current OSHA Field Operations Manual (FOM) – released April 22, 2011 – states, “On multi-employer worksites (in all industry sectors), more than one employer may be cited for a hazardous condition that violates an OSHA standard.” (CPL 02-00-124, Multi-Employer Citation Policy)

On a multi-employer worksite, the inspector first determines what category the employer fits into. Did the employer create, expose, fail to correct or have control over the hazardous situation. An employer may have multiple roles, and several employers can be cited at once.

The Creating Employer –

The Creating Employer is the employer that caused a hazardous condition violating an OSHA standard.

Even if the employees exposed are those of other employers, the contractor that caused the problem can be cited.

The Exposing Employer –

The Exposing Employer is one whose own employees are exposed to the hazard and, (1) knew of the hazardous condition or failed to exercise reasonable diligence to discover the condition, and (2) failed to take steps consistent with its authority to protect its employees.

In short, the Exposing Employer must correct the hazard if it has the authority to. If the employer does not have the authority then it must ask the creating/controlling employer to correct it, inform its own employees and take reasonable alternative protective measures. In extreme circumstances of imminent danger, the exposing employer must remove its employees from the job.

For example, if there are no guardrails around a permanent hole in an area the Exposing Employer’s workers are, the Exposing Employer must install guardrails if it is allowed to do so. If not it must ask the employer authorized to install the guardrails, but also take reasonable alternative steps such as
providing fall protection to its employees regardless of when or if the hazard is corrected.

The Correcting Employer –

The Correcting Employer is responsible for correcting a hazard on the same worksite as the exposing employer. This usually occurs where an employer is responsible for installing or maintaining particular safety and health equipment or devices.

The Correcting Employer must exercise reasonable care in preventing and discovering violations and meet obligations of correcting the hazard.

The Controlling Employer –

The Controlling Employer is the worksite’s general supervisor, has the power to correct safety and health violations or require others to correct them. A controlling employer must exercise reasonable care to prevent and detect violations on the site.

Petzl America Inc. of Clearfield, Utah, is voluntarily recalling about 375,000 Scorpio and Absorbica shock-absorbing lanyards sold between 2002 and 2011.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall July 12. Some of the lanyards are missing a safety stitch on the attachment loop, which could cause the lanyard to separate from the climbing harness, the posted announcement states.

Only one injury involving the lanyards has been reported to date, according to the commission.

Consumers are advised to stop using them immediately; CPSC adds it is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

The recalled lanyards were made in France. Here are details for both recalled units.

Scorpio:  Affected Scorpio lanyards manufactured between 2002 and 2005 are model numbers L60 and L60 CK. Affected Scorpio lanyards manufactured between 2005 and 2011 are model numbers L60 2, L60 2CK, L60 H, L60 WL.

Absorbica: Affected model numbers are L70150 I, L70150 IM, L70150 Y, L70150 YM, L57, L58, L58 MGO, L59, and L59 MGO.

For a free inspection and replacement of any nonconforming product, contact Petzl America Inc. at 877-740-3826 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mountain Time weekdays or visit www.petzl.com

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the forthcoming release of a new rule that is aimed at streamlining and simplifying standards while reducing employer burdens.

“We estimate that the final rule, without reducing employee protection, will result in annual cost savings to employers exceeding $43 million and significant reductions in paperwork burden hours,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels.

The new rule will result in several changes to OSHA’s existing respiratory protection standard, including aligning air cylinder testing requirements for self-contained breathing apparatuses with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, clarifying that aftermarket cylinders meet National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health quality assurance requirements and clarifying that the provisions of Appendix D, which contains information for employees using respirators when not required under the standard, are mandatory if the employee chooses to use a respirator.

Other changes to result from the new rule will include updating the definition of the term “potable water” to be consistent with the current Environmental Protection Agency standards instead of the former and outdated Public Health Service Corps definition, removing the outdated requirement that hand dryers use warm air because new technology allows employers to use hand-drying products that do not involve hot or warm air and removing two medical record requirements from the commercial-diving standard because that standard no longer requires medical examinations.

Updates also will include deleting a number of requirements for employers to transmit exposure and medical records to NIOSH, thus saving NIOSH significant costs to store and maintain the records. According to NIOSH, these records did not serve a useful research purpose. The slings standards also will be updated and streamlined by requiring that employers use only slings marked with manufacturers’ loading information.

There will not be any new requirements set by this rule, so employers will be able to comply with it immediately, according to Michaels.

The rule is the third in OSHA’s Standards Improvement Projects initiative that periodically reviews OSHA regulations with the goal of improving and eliminating those that are confusing, outdated, duplicative or inconsistent.

The project was brought about by the goals of the president’s Executive Order 13563, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review,” issued Jan. 18 to simplify standards and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens.