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Things you should know
OSHA
releases ‘Top 10’ violations
Scaffolding remains the most cited OSHA violation and other the violations
on the "Top 10" list are the same as last year, although some
violations have moved within the rankings. The most cited violations for
Oct. 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008, were:
Standard
Violations
#1
Scaffolding (1926.451)
7027
#2 Hazard
Communication (1910.1200)
4973
#3
Fall Protection (1926.501)
4797
#4 Respiratory
Protection (1910.134)
3062
#5 Lockout/Tagout
(1910.147)
2937
#6
Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305)
2524
#7 Powered
Industrial Trucks (1910.178)
2437
#8 Machine
Guarding (1910.212)
2138
#9
Ladders (1926.1053)
2135
#10 Electrical
– Gen. Requirements (1910.303)
2016
Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act of 2008 now law
The
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was part of the financial
bailout legislation and amends the existing provisions under the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) to provide more protections than
the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 (MHPA).
Now law, the bill requires group health insurance plans to cover mental
illness and substance abuse disorders on the same terms and conditions as
other illnesses. The law requires the Departments of Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Treasury to issue regulations within one year.
The law does not mandate group health plans provide any mental health coverage.
However, if a plan does offer mental health coverage, then, it requires:
• Equity in financial requirements, such as deductibles,
co-payments,
Other important points are:
coinsurance, and out-of-pocket expenses.
• Equity in treatment limits, such as caps on the frequency or number
of visits, limits
on days of coverage, or other similar limits on the scope and duration
of treatment.
• Equality in out-of-network coverage.
• The exemption of self-insured plans under MHPA has
been removed.
OSHA
Updates eTool for healthcare industry
• The exemption for small employers (average 2 to 50 during preceding
calendar year)
was retained.
• Cost exemptions have been substantially revised and only last
for one plan year at a time.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hospital
eTool
has been updated and features new sonography and updated surgical modules..
Material
Safety Data Sheet updating duty of manufacturer, importer or distributor
In a letter of interpretation dated April 18, 2008, OSHA notes that the
phrase, "valid on the date of printing only" is inconsistent
with the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) and attempts to place the
duty of learning about updates on the user. The HCS places the duty of
providing updated MSDS’s on manufacturers, importers, and distributors.
OSHA posted several other letters of interpretation in October, including
a request to provide a list of corrosive materials and concentrations
requiring use of emergency eyewashes and showers, clarification of employer's
obligation to include Social Security numbers on employee exposure records
and policy on posting of floor load capacity signs. For more information,
visit the What’s
New section of OSHA’s website.