OSHA watch

Silica safety standard for construction industry delayed

The crystalline silica standard that applies to the construction industry, which was scheduled to go into effect June 23, 2017, has been delayed until September 23, 2017.

Effective date of new beryllium rule delayed again

Employers will have some additional time to comply with the new beryllium rule as the effective date has been extended 60 days to May 20, 2017. The extended effective date will not affect compliance dates.

Website for electronic submission of injury and illness records delayed - employers advised to sign up for email notification

The online reporting system for the electronic submission rule of injury and illness data, which became effective January 2017, has not yet been completed. While the site was planned for February 2017, there is no date or estimate for the reporting site to become live.

Employers are advised to sign up to receive recordkeeping reminders as well as updates on electronically submitting injury and illness logs, and if, when, and how to do it. This year's deadline is July 1, 2017.

Severe injury reporting stats

The severe reporting rule, which went into effect in 2015, mandated that all workplace fatalities be reported within eight hours and added a new requirement that employers report the hospitalization of one employee, rather than three or more as previously required, as well as all amputations and loss of an eye within 24 hours. In 2016, employers reported 10,887 severe injuries, up from 10,395 in 2015, with the increase driven mostly by a rise in hospitalization reports.

The agency responded to 73% of the hospitalization reports and 51% of the amputation reports filed last year by asking employers to conduct their own incident investigations - known as rapid response investigations - and propose remedies to prevent future injuries.

Overturn of Volks Rule expected

A disapproval resolution of the controversial "Volks" rule, already approved by the House of Representatives, was adopted by the U.S. Senate and is expected to be signed by President Trump. The so-called "Volks" rule increased the threshold for citing employer violations from six months to up to five years.

Campaign to address fatalities in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska launched

The recently launched Safe and Sound Campaign is designed to make companies more aware of the services available as well as address some common hazards that have led to fatalities, including confined space and struck by incidents. Twelve fatality inspections were conducted in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska from Oct. 1, 2016 through February 1, 2017, up from seven for the same period last year and there was a significant increase in fatalities associated with confined space entry and trenching and excavating.

New Regional Emphasis Program focuses on crane safety

The OSHA Region VI office in Dallas, Texas, established a Regional Emphasis Program (REP) covering employees in the construction industry who perform crane operations. The program conducts safety inspections of workplaces in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and sites in New Mexico that are under federal OSHA jurisdiction.

$afety Pays Program updated with recent NCCI information

The $afety Pays Program, which helps employers understand the impact of workplace injuries and illnesses on their company's profitability, has been updated with the most recent NCCI data. This program uses a company's profit margin, the average costs of an injury or illness, and an indirect cost multiplier to project the amount of sales a company would need to cover those costs.

California Workplace Violence Standard goes into effect April 1

Effective April 1, 2017, a new California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board requires certain employers in the health care industry to develop and implement a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan.

Enforcement notes

California

Aftermath of the CA Soberanes Fire brings Cal/OSHA citations and penalties to two private contractors

Czirban Concrete Construction of Madera County was cited for five workplace violations and fined $20,000 for an incident that resulted in the death of a bulldozer operator. The largest fine was for failure to make sure the operator was wearing a seat belt. Industrial Defense Development of Tuolumne County was fined $6,000 for an incident where an employee suffered serious injuries when the water tender he was operating rolled over and down a hill. Its largest fine was for not reporting the injury.

Georgia

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas of Monroe cited for numerous violations

Inspected in response to a complaint, Hitachi faces numerous violations, including deficiencies in the company's hearing protection and hazard communication programs, as well as an emergency eye wash station that wasn't installed. Citations were also issued to the staffing agency, which supplied the temporary workers.

Kansas

Contract worker dies at Goodyear's Topeka plant just weeks after company reached $1.75 million settlement in earlier fatality case

A 61-year-old contract worker was fatally injured at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s Topeka manufacturing facility. The fatality came just weeks after Goodyear Tire reached a $1.75 million settlement after four fatalities occurred at its Danville, Va. plant over the course of a year.

Michigan

Michigan OSHA cites Dunn Paper Company for machine guarding and other violations

MIOSHA inspectors determined that the company failed to adequately protect workers from amputation hazards posed by cooling fan blades, spinning flywheels and belts and pulleys. Other citations included failing to provide fall prevention barriers around an open-sided elevated platform and open holes, and not properly training workers on the safe use of rented aerial work platforms.

Tennessee

Nissan North America fined after worker death

After the maintenance crew of the car manufacturer repaired the roller drive motor for an elevator, which is designed to move car seat pallets from one conveyor system to another, it neglected to place the machine guarding back properly when checking whether the elevator was functioning correctly. An employee's head was crushed between the counterweight, which weighed 1,275 lbs., and the top of the metal guarding system.

The company faces $29,000 in fines for failure to perform routine equipment inspections and a Repeat-Serious violation because lockout/tagout devices were not replaced once maintenance was completed.