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OSHA updates

OSHA corrects electrical standard

OSHA issued a clarification to a revision made on its electrical installation standard for the general industry. The revision – 29 CFR part 1910, subpart S (72 FR 7136) – went into effect Aug. 13, 2007, and has received questions regarding one of the provisions: 29 CFR 1910.304 (b)(3)(ii).

Members of the Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health questioned the extent of the application of the provision to shipyard employment, as the provision's text refers to "construction-like activities."

In addition to rewording the text of the provision to better match the agency's intent, OSHA also stressed that "construction-like activities" entail work that, while not construction, involves hazards typically found in construction work. Thus, the provision applies to shipyard work that is not covered by the shipyard standards and involves tasks that pose electrical hazards similar to those found at a construction site.

The new text now reads as:
"The following requirements apply to temporary wiring installations that are used during construction-like activities, including certain maintenance, remodeling, or repair activities, involving buildings, structures or equipment.”

OSHA issues new safety and health informational Bulletins

Compactor Rollover Hazard

Hazards of Transporting, Unloading, Storing and Handling Granite, Marble and Stone Slabs

Hazards of Using Flammable Liquids in Cutting Laminated Glass