Michigan, Vermont, Florida, Arizona, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, California, Rhode Island, Kansas, Montana, New York, Illinois, Maine and several other states are rolling out changes to required labor law postings in January.

The changes included increases to minimum wage, updates to youth employment standards and more.

Employers are required by law to post the latest up-to-date rules and regulations from multiple government organizations. Failure to comply is punishable by fine.

To ensure your company maintains compliance with these constantly changing posting requirements we offer a federal and state poster service.

Through this program you receive two posters containing all you federal and state requirements, plus a year of our update service. Through the update service we send you any changes to the posters needed to maintain compliance.

For more information call 877-397-9450.

Offshore oil and gas drillers need to have a greater more systematic approach to safety in all aspects of their operations to prevent another massive oil spill according to scientist from the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council.

The scientists stated, in a report on last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill, it was a lack of comprehensive safety management that led to the loss of 11 lives on the 2010 explosion of Deepwater Horizon rig.

In addition to costing worker lives, the explosion also ruptured BP’s underwater Macondo well allowing more than 4 million barrels of oil to spoil into the ocean.

“The need to maintain domestic sources of oil is great, but so is the need to protect the lives of those who work in the offshore drilling industry as well as protect the viability of the Gulf of Mexico region,” said Donald Winter, a former secretary of the Navy who chaired the panel that authored the report.

The report, commissioned by the Interior Department, reaffirms an assessment released by the panel last year that called the Gulf spill the result of a series of mistakes by BP and its contractors.

Going forward, the panel recommended that the government consolidate safety oversight of offshore drilling in one agency and move toward a more goal-oriented safety regime.

In addition to these new recommendations the panel applauded the recent safety requirements put in place to help prevent future catastrophes.

These new steps include a drilling safety rule details the proper cementing, casing and drilling fluid procedures that drillers should use in order to maintain wellbore integrity while drilling, workplace safety rule requires operators to have a comprehensive safety and environmental impact program in place to reduce organizational errors that could cause accidents or spills and more.

If your company needs help meeting oil and gas safety regulations call 877-201-8923.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently announced it will continue to cite salon owners use products containing formaldehyde without protecting workers.

“The best way to control exposure to formaldehyde is to use products that do not contain formaldehyde. Salons should check the label or product information to make sure it does not list formaldehyde, formalin, methylene glycol or any of the other names for formaldehyde,” ,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “If salon owners decide to use products that contain or release formaldehyde, then they must follow a number of protective practices — including air monitoring, worker training and, if levels are over OSHA limits, good ventilation or respirators.”

Since November OSHA has issued citations to 23 salon owners and beauty schools in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Ohio, with fines ranging up to $17,500 for failing to protect workers from overexposure and potential exposure to formaldehyde.

According to OSHA in three of these salons workers were exposed to formaldehyde levels above the agency’s 15-minute short-term exposure limit, which is 2.0 parts of formaldehyde per million parts of air. In one case, OSHA said a hair stylist was exposed to more than five times the allowable amount.

“We want to make sure that salon owners are aware that if they use these products, they have to implement protective measures such as air monitoring and training,” said Michaels. “What is very troubling to the agency is that some of these products clearly expose workers to formaldehyde even when the label states they are ‘formaldehyde free.’”

To crack down on the mislabeling of products and failure to disclose actual ingredients to employers, OSHA is also focusing enforcement efforts on manufacturers and distributors of salon products.

As an example of this commitment the federal workplace safety organization recently cited two Florida manufacturers and distributors for failing to protect their own workers from possible formaldehyde exposure as well as to communicate the hazards of formaldehyde exposure to salons, stylists and consumers.

Formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and nose; can cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes and lungs; and is a cancer hazard. Salon owners who decide to use products that may contain or release formaldehyde must follow the requirements of OSHA’s formaldehyde and hazard communication standards to keep workers safe.

Late last week the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) pushed the deadline for employers to comply with its new federal labor law posting from Nov. 12, 2011 to Jan. 31, 2012.

“The decision to extend the rollout period followed queries from businesses and trade organizations indicating uncertainty about which businesses fall under the Board’s jurisdiction, and was made in the interest of ensuring broad voluntary compliance,” according to a the NLRB’s office of public affairs.

The new posting requirement, approved by the NLRB in Sept. 2011, will 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.

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.

Both unionized and non-unionized employers are required to post the new notice in English as well as in another language if at least 20 percent of the employees are not proficient in English and speak such language.

Exemptions of the posting requirement include agricultural, railroad and airline employers.  In addition, very small employers with an annual volume of business not large enough to have a more than slight effect on interstate commerce are exempted.

In addition to the delay of the requirement by the NLRB, three major employer groups have filed federal lawsuits 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 NLRB has yet to address the claims.

Safety Services Company is proud to unveil the Safety Services Network, a new memberships based program designed to help companies stay safe and compliant.

The network is launching with a free safety starter membership.

Through the starter package members receive a free federal labor law poster, an OSHA audit and compliance book, certificate of recognition, $100 safety voucher, subscription to a safety newsletter and more.

In addition to the free membership currently available, Safety Services will launch a pro membership in the coming months.

The pro membership will feature all the benefits of the starter membership plus 12 safety meetings a year, access to the compliance expert tool and more.

The pro membership will cost $10 a month.

“This new membership program is a great way for both new and existing companies to get a greater handle on creating safe and compliant workplaces,” said Safety Services President Devon Dickinson.

To learn more about the program visit www.safetyservicescompany.com and click on the sign up button.

When tasked with thinking about the safety restaurant hazards of a restaurant, many will first think of items such as food handling, slips, falls and cuts.

However, it is an often non-cited item that presents one of the greatest risk-chemical handling.

Sanitizers, soaps, oven cleaners, deep fryer cleaners, degreasers, floor cleansers and others are all used in nearly every restaurant across the country.

These chemicals present a list of hazards that include:

• Skin irritation. Soaps and detergents can cause skin irritation.
• Infections. Broken skin can be infected or burned from hazardous chemicals.
• Burns. Chemicals like oven cleaners, drain openers and grill cleaners can cause burns to the skin and eyes.
• Respiratory harm. Chlorine and ammonia can cause respiratory, skin and eye irritation and death, especially if they are mixed together.

Protection Tips

To protect against chemical harm it is important to separate chemicals from food, equipment, utensils, linens, and single-use items. If chemicals are stored directly above or next to any of these items, they could spill onto the item and contaminate it.

In addition to separating chemicals follow these tips:

• Provide personal protective equipment: OSHA requires all employers to provide to their employees PPE. In a restaurant setting this includes gloves, aprons, eye gear and more.
• Never mix chlorine and ammonia. Mixing these chemicals will create a poisonous gas. This gas can be deadly.
• Read the labels. Chemical labels provide proper handling and mixing instructions. By reading the label of a chemical you can significantly reduce mixing and handling mishap.

• Label cleaning bottles. Cleaning or spray bottles need to have labels that state what chemical is in the bottle and the hazards of the chemical. This will prevent improper mixing and handling.
• Use eco-friendly cleaners wherever possible. They are safer for your guests, employees and the environment.
• Use automated chemical dispensers. Automatic dispensers ensure employee safety and appropriate chemical concentration.
• Use lower shelves to store chemicals. Store liquid chemicals on lower shelves to avoid the risk of spills.

Latex Allergies

• Latex gloves are often worn to protect the skin from hazardous chemicals. However, some workers are allergic to latex, so non-latex gloves are recommended to prevent allergic reactions.

OSHA Requirements

As an employer OSHA requires you to have MSDS or Material Safety Data Sheets in place describing the dangers of the chemicals, contact info for the manufacturer, ingredients, chemical characteristics and more.

If a chemical is transferred to a new container this label must also be transferred with the chemical.

This labeling system makes up the foundation of OSHA’s required hazardous communication program. Other requirements of the program state an employer must:

• List of the hazardous chemicals located in each work area;
• Describe how employees will be informed about the hazards in using chemicals
• Provide emergency procedures for spills, leaks or other accidents.
• Display appropriate hazard warnings. The hazard warning can be any message, words, pictures or symbols that convey the hazards of the chemical(s) on the container. The label must be legible, in English (and in other languages as needed), and prominently displayed; and
• Provide training on the handling, hazards, proper protective equipment usage and more.

The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety (ADOSH) is warning companies to look out for a man claiming he is an OSHA inspector.

According to ADOSH a man claiming to be an OSHA inspector is visiting Phoenix-area businesses and threatening the owner with citations. The man then offers to wave the fines for a check or cash.

One of the restaurant owners to encounter the fake inspector is Claudia Aguirre of Crazy Jim’s.

“It shakes me because I know these people are just outside the door to take somebody and swindle them,” she told the local media.

Aguirre encounter began when a man approached her in the parking lot.

“He said, ‘Well I’m from OSHA ’, so when I turned around he said, ‘Oh that got your attention didn’t it,’” Aguirre told the media.

The owner said the man wanted to go in the restaurant to educate her staff on workplace safety and even had what looked like OSHA credentials.

“He did appear to be from OSHA, he had the ID, the booklets in his hand everything that would signal that he was,” she said.

Despite the credentials, Aguirre thought there was something odd about the man and told him he would have to return. She then called authorities and learned the man was a fraud.

ADOSH officials said the man also attempted to scam Pizza Metro off 23rd Avenue and Thomas, telling the owner he had a fire extinguisher violation and wanted money or else he would cite him.

In both cases, the suspect walked away angry without any money.

ADOSH said their compliance officers always show photo credentials immediately upon entering a business. Officers also never issue citations in the field or request money.

Anyone who is suspicious about an individual claim, contact OSHA.

The perception of dangerous jobs often includes police officers kicking in doors and firefighters pulling people from burning buildings.

However, neither of these professions made the top ten list recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Workers seem to have more to fear in falls from heights, tending the crops and sanitation then flying bullets, flames or other public safety hazards.

Without further ado here is 2010’s list with 2009’s rankings in parentheses.

10. Construction Worker (not ranked)

• Median Annual Salary: $66K
• Death Rate: 18.3 per 100K

9. Truck Driver (9)

• Median Annual Salary: $ 43K
• Death Rate: 18.3 per 100K (22.8 per 100K)

8. Industrial Machinery Maintenance Worker (not ranked)

• Median Annual Salary: $46.6K
• Death Rate: 18.5 per 100k

7. Refuse Collector (6)

• Median Annual Salary: $35K
• Death Rate: 25.2 per 100K (36.8 per 100K)

6. Structural Iron/Steel Worker (4)

• Median Annual Salary: $47K
• Death Rate: 30.3 per 100K (46.4 per 100K)

5. Roofer (7)

• Median Annual Salary: $36K
• Death Rate: 34.7 per 100k (34.4 per 100K)

4. Farmer/Rancher (5)

• Median Annual Salary: $30K
• Death Rate: 38.5 per 100K (39 per 100K)

3. Aircraft Pilot (3)

• Median Annual Salary: $ 117K
• Death Rate: 57.1 per 100k (72.4 per 100K)

2. Logger (2)

• Median Annual Salary: $40k
• Death Rate: 61.8 per 100K (115 per 100K)

1. Fisherman (1)

• Median Annual Salary: $44k
• Death Rate: 200 per 100K (128 per 100K)