PPE – Head Protection and Hard Hat Safety
PPE Focus of the Month: Head Protection and Hard Hat Safety Head protection is a key piece of many employers’ required personal protective equipment (PPE), and rightly so. The devastation caused by head injuries, even seemingly insignificant ones, is profound. Even wounds that may seem superficial can bleed profusely, making it difficult to determine how […]
The New OSHA Silica Standard Is Here To Stay
The New OSHA Silica Standard | 10 Steps Your Company Can Take To Avoid Painful Fines The new OSHA silica standard is here to stay (it cannot be repealed) and companies must comply by June, 23 2017. If OSHA sees a white cloud they are going to target four standards to cite as a starting […]
Powered Industrial Trucks – OSHA Forklift Regulations
Classification Of Powered Industrial Trucks And OSHA Forklift Regulations OSHA defines a powered industrial truck (PIT) as any mobile, power-propelled truck used to carry, push, pull, lift, stack, or tier materials, whether ridden by the operator or controlled by a walking operator. Companies who use PITs are required to provide training consisting of formal instruction, […]
Personal Protective Equipment for Arc Flash Hazards
Personal Protective Equipment for Arc Flash Hazards Electricity can be dangerous; this is a fact that we all know. Why don’t we always treat it as such? Is it because we are far too familiar with it? Do we become complacent, believing that we are safe from electrical incidents because we’ve never had one before? […]
An Effective Electrical Safety Program Includes GFCI
An Effective Electrical Safety Program Includes GFCI Protection OSHA estimates that 350 electrical-related fatalities occur each year. That is almost 1 person a day who will no longer be in the lives of their friends, parents, siblings, or children. While the number is not large from a statistical perspective, it is too large from a […]
Top OSHA Violations In General Industry Manufacturing
Top Violations In General Industry Manufacturing General industry manufacturing and construction employers are subject to more stringent requirements than other employers, such as a law office or hair salon. Because of the nature of the work in manufacturing and construction, employees are subject to far more dangerous hazards, and employers are required to comply with […]
OSHA New Final Rule – Walking-Working Surfaces & Fall Protection
General Industry Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Standards On November 17, 2016, OSHA issued a final rule on Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Fall Protection Systems to protect workers in general industry from falls. Fall hazards from heights and on working surfaces are one of the leading causes of serious workplace injuries and deaths, and the […]
Construction & Industry Safety Training For Hand and Power Tool Safety
Importance Of Construction & Industry Safety Training For Hand and Power Tool Safety Are your new employees learning to use hand and power tools safely? This is certainly an important topic to cover in a new employee’s construction and/or industry safety training, and is often emphasized during their initial training. Their training doesn’t end at […]
Face Shields For OSHA Workplace Injury Prevention
PPE Focus: Face Shields For Workplace Injury Prevention We talk a lot about eye safety and eye protection when dealing with hazards like sparks, debris, or splashing chemicals, and focus on safety glasses and goggles as an important part of our personal protective equipment (PPE). This makes sense – our eyes are easily damaged, and […]
OSHA Now Enforcing New Drug Testing & Incentive Rules
OSHA Will Begin to Enforce Post-Accident Drug Testing and Safety Incentive Rules on December 1st Due to a Denied Injunction While many hoped a lawsuit filed in July would delay the enforcement of this OSHA regulation, the injunction has been denied and the new rules will apply starting today (December 1st). At Optimum Safety Management, […]
Guidance On Incentive Programs | Optimum Safety Management
Guidance On Incentive Programs Last month, we relayed information from OSHA about how the new recordkeeping rule could potentially affect employers’ existing disciplinary programs. The clarification has been very helpful to employers in evaluating their own programs and identifying areas that may need to be revised. However, many employers are still struggling with assessing modifying […]
OSHA Safety Procedures For Universal Precautions
Focus of the Month: OSHA Safety Procedures For Universal Precautions For businesses that aren’t involved in healthcare, protecting employees against infectious diseases may not seem like a significant, or even necessary component of their safety management system. However, OSHA requires that every employer has an exposure control plan if employees could “reasonably [anticipate] … contact […]
