Month: June 2023

US Department of Labor announces proposed rule to reduce silica dust exposure, better protect miners’ health

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by MSHA

Unhealthy levels of silica dust linked to serious workplace illnesses

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a proposal by its Mine Safety and Health Administration to amend current federal standards to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to exposure to respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust. The proposed rule change will ensure miners have at least the same level of protections as workers in other industries.

Unhealthy levels of silica, a carcinogen, and exposures over time cause severe illnesses, including silicosis; progressive massive fibrosis; non-malignant respiratory disease, such as emphysema; kidney disease; and lung cancer. Exposure to mixed coal mine dust that contains respirable crystalline silica can lead to the development of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, commonly known as black lung disease; multi-dust pneumoconiosis; and progressive massive fibrosis.

The proposed rule would require mine operators to maintain miners’ Permissible Exposure Limit to respirable crystalline silica at or below 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air for a full shift exposure, calculated as an 8-hour time weighted average. If a miner’s exposure exceeds the limit, the proposed rule would require operators to take immediate corrective actions to come into compliance.

“The purpose of this proposed rule is simple: prevent more miners from suffering from debilitating and deadly occupational illnesses by reducing their exposure to silica dust. Silica overexposures have a real-life impact on a miner’s health,” explained Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. “Miners like a crusher operator at a California sand and gravel mine or a roof bolter in a West Virginia coal mine should never be forced to choose between preserving their health and providing for themselves and their families. This proposed rule furthers the Mine Act’s clear instruction to prioritize miners’ health.”

In addition to reducing the existing exposure limit, the proposal also includes other requirements to protect miners’ health — such as exposure sampling — and medical surveillance at no cost for metal and nonmetal miners. It would also replace existing outdated requirements for respiratory protection with a standard that reflects the latest advances in respiratory protection technologies and practices.

Following the proposed rule’s publication in the Federal Register, MSHA will welcome public comments and announce dates for upcoming public hearings in Arlington, Virginia, and Denver, Colorado. The hearings will be open for in-person or online participation.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Fireworks, pyrotechnics industry employers strongly urged to make worker safety a priority on July 4

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

WASHINGTON – Since the founding fathers declared the colonies independent in 1776, cannons, fireworks and today, extensive pyrotechnic displays have become a July 4th fixture. Unfortunately, so have serious injuries and worse for people employed in the fireworks and pyrotechnics industry when important workplace safety standards are ignored.

With the approach of Independence Day, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is strongly urging employers in the fireworks and pyrotechnics industry to keep employees safe from the many hazards that exist in manufacturing, storing, transporting, displaying and sales.

Earlier this month, OSHA cited a Florida-based entertainment company after four workers died and a fifth suffered critical injuries in Orlando, Florida, after a fire and explosion at a fireworks warehouse. The agency determined that an ignition source sparked a fire and explosions as a team of workers readied fireworks for a local show.

As companies prepare fireworks displays, employers must train workers properly in a language they understand, and make certain that employees take appropriate measures to safeguard volatile devices from causing serious and potentially fatal injuries.

OSHA provides the pyrotechnics industry with safety information about common hazards and controls for workers in retail fireworks sales and in outdoor fireworks displays.

Download workplace safety posters for the pyrotechnics industry and view a training video on best industry practices for retail sales and manufacturers informed by the National Fire Protection Association consensus standards.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

New driver resource on the return-to-duty process

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

MSHA – Mine Fatality #23

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by MSHA

MINE FATALITY – On June 9, 2023, a contract truck driver died when an excavator bucket struck him.  A contractor crew was using the excavator to assist in unloading a fuel tank from a lowboy trailer when the excavator bucket suddenly moved.

Accident scene where a contract truck driver died when an excavator bucket struck him.
Photo property of MSHA
Best Practices
  • Do not place yourself in a position that exposes you to hazards.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s warning and engage safety lock mechanisms before getting out of the operator’s seat.
  • Train miners in safe work procedures and hazard recognition before working around moving equipment.
Additional Information

This is the 23rd fatality reported in 2023, and the eighth classified as “Machinery.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

MSHA – Mine Fatality #22

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by MSHA

MINE FATALITY – On June 8, 2023, a miner died after climbing over the handrail onto a conveyor belt to gain access to a magnet belt that needed adjustment. When the miner stepped onto the magnet belt, the belt started, throwing the miner 16 feet to the ground below.

Accident Scene where a miner died after climbing over the handrail onto a conveyor belt to gain access to a magnet belt that needed adjustment.
Photo property of MSHA
Best Practices

• De-energize, lock-out, tag-out, and block machinery against motion before performing repairs or maintenance on a belt conveyor.
• Install a system which provides visible or audible warning to warn miners that the conveyor will be started.
• Provide and maintain safe access to all workplaces and establish safe work procedures.
• Use fall protection when a fall hazard exists. Ensure fall protection has a suitable fall arrest and secure anchorage system, and that miners are properly trained.

Additional Information

This is the 22nd fatality reported in 2023, and the second classified as “Slip or Fall of Person.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

New video for tower workers: work zone safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
work-zone-protection.jpg
Photo: NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association

Watertown, SD — A new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association explores traffic control concepts intended to protect workers in roadway work zones.

Work zone protection requirements vary at state and local levels, video host Sean Gilhooley says, but all are based on Department of Transportation requirements and enforced by OSHA and state/local police.

George Kerstetter – director of outside plant operations at Tooele, UT-based Beehive Broadband and member of multiple NATE committees – offers input throughout the video. Kerstetter begins by recommending supervisors consider aspects such as time of day, volume of traffic, roadway speed limit and work zone proximity to the roadway when determining proper traffic control methods. Other suggestions:

  • Equip workers with high-visibility vests, proper head and eye protection, and steel-toed footwear. Workers should wear Type 2 vests during daylight hours and Type 3 vests at night. The latter type includes more retroreflective material as well as sleeves “to help identify you a little bit better as a human,” Kerstetter says.
  • Check whether the jurisdiction where the work is being performed has written traffic control plans. Make sure signs or temporary traffic control devices are visible to drivers.
  • Use a flagger or spotter if the work zone encroaches on a lane of traffic.
  • Direct traffic safely around the work zone while also accounting for pedestrians. Use cones to mark off the area and caution tape to direct people away from open trenches or holes.

The video is the most recent installment in NATE’s Climber Connection series, which promotes safe work practices for communication tower workers. The association asks climbers and other industry stakeholders to use the hashtag #ClimberConnection when posting the video on social media platforms.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Safety agencies set to propose automatic braking requirements for large trucks

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Photo: FMCSA

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration want to require automatic emergency braking systems on heavy trucks.

On June 22, the agencies announced their intent to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register. Under the proposal, AEB systems would be a requirement on trucks and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of at least 10,000 pounds, as mandated under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A prepublication version of the rule states that AEB systems “mitigate the frequency and severity of rear-end collisions with vehicles.”

AEB systems are designed to use sensor technology to automatically engage brakes to prevent collisions. The combination of AEB systems and electronic stability control technology – which would also be required under the rule – could help prevent more than 19,000 crashes each year while saving 155 lives and reducing nonfatal injuries by at least 8,800, NHTSA estimates show.

Vehicles already in service wouldn’t be required to be retrofitted with the technologies.

“Establishing AEB standards is a key component of the [Department of Transportation’s] National Roadway Safety Strategy,” FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson said in a press release. “This technology can enhance the effectiveness of commercial motor vehicle crash reduction strategies and reduce roadway fatalities.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Safe use of liquid nitrogen

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Liquid nitrogen is the colorless, odorless, clear liquefied form of nitrogen.

In the retail food and food service industries, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says, liquid nitrogen has been used as a freezing agent in food preparation and preservation in the rapid freezing of foods (such as ice cream), to process dry herbs and spices, and to rapidly chill beverages.

However, it can be extremely dangerous to work around. “Anyone who handles it should be aware of its unique properties and hazards,” the Compressed Gas Association says.

liquid nitrogen
Image credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture via

Here are some tips for working with liquid nitrogen from CGA:
Wear proper personal protective equipment. This includes a faceshield, insulated gloves, eye protection, and protective clothing that covers your skin and doesn’t have cuffs or folds that can potentially trap spilled cryogenic liquid.
Never consume. It can freeze human tissue on contact because it’s -321° F. Swallowing it can result in serious injury or death.
Use only containers and equipment specifically developed for cryogenic liquids. “Materials that are not designed for cryogenic service, such as glass or plastic, can shatter when exposed to liquid nitrogen.” And make sure you’re pouring it slowly to minimize thermal shock and splashing.
Don’t trap in a container, tubing or piping. “As the liquid warms up and converts to gas, the pressure rises.” Containers not designed to adequately vent it can rupture.
Handle liquid nitrogen in well-ventilated areas. Because of its ability to turn into a gas, liquid nitrogen can “quickly displace the air in the room and create a risk of oxygen deficiency and asphyxiation.” CGA recommends air monitoring.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Original article published by Safety+Health

FACE Report: Operator crushed between backhoe boom and stabilizer

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
71_238_2023s_BackhoeOperatorCrushedByBoomSlideshow-8.jpg

FACE photo: NIOSH

Case report: 71-238-2023
Issued by: Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
Date of report: May 15, 2023

A 54-year-old worker died when the raised boom of a backhoe loader swung and crushed him against one of the machine’s retracted stabilizers. He had worked for his employer, a new housing construction contractor and subcontractor at the site, for two years. On the day of the incident, the worker was at a jobsite where new single-family homes were being built. He first used the backhoe to excavate around an electrical junction box. After doing this, he used the backhoe’s loader to place gravel around the box. He then moved the backhoe to the street where he parked it, leaving the engine running and the backhoe boom elevated. He exited the cab and walked to the rear of the backhoe. Although no one saw what happened next, investigators determined that as the operator was standing at the rear of the cab where the backhoe boom attached, he reached into the cab to retrieve a metal tool called a post pounder. As he was doing this, he apparently dropped the post pounder on one of the two foot pedals that controlled the backhoe boom swing. This caused the boom to swing sideways toward him, pinning and crushing him between the boom and one of the machine’s two retracted stabilizers.

To prevent similar occurrences:

  • Lower the boom to a safe position with the bucket on the ground and turn off the machine before stepping off for any reason.
  • Never place tools, parts or other objects in the cab that have the potential to activate the foot pedals or other controls.
  • Never stand in the pinch point of the boom of a running or operating backhoe.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

US Department of Labor, trade groups, unions partnering to protect workers from hazards in trenching, excavation

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today signed an agreement with an alliance of trade organizations, labor unions and industry stakeholders to better protect people who do trenching and excavation work.

The two-year agreement between OSHA and the Partners for Safe Trenching and Excavation Operations Alliance will unite the North American Excavation Shoring Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the National Utility Contractors Association, the Associated General Contractors, the Common Ground Alliance, the International Union of Operating Engineers and the Laborers’ International Union of North America to address some of the construction industry’s most hazardous work.

“Sadly in 2022, we saw a dramatic and disturbing increase in the number of workers who died in trench collapses,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “We know that awareness and vigilance saves lives. Joining with the Partners for Safe Trenching and Excavation Operations Alliance is an important collaboration to help ensure that industry employers are taking the precautions required to keep every worker who enters or works near a trench safe.”

The alliance will help small- and medium-sized employers protect workers from hazards related to trenching, excavation and shoring. The initiative will also focus on the four leading construction industry hazards, namely falls, caught-in or caught-between, struck-by objects and electrocution. In addition, alliance participants will share information on how to improve controls and equipment to reduce worker exposures to hazardous levels of noise and silica.

OSHA will partner with the alliance and its members to develop guidance in multiple languages and deploy resources, such as safety articles and alerts, worksite tours, educational sessions and focused discussions on common hazards in trenching and excavation work and agency priorities and initiatives. Alliance partners will also create and offer podcasts and webinars focused on best practices in trenching and excavation. In addition, the alliance will encourage industry stakeholders to incorporate equity and worker voice into its outreach and activities to help connect as many workers as possible with important worker safety and health information.

Through its Alliance Program, OSHA works with organizations such as trade and professional associations, labor unions, educational institutions, community and faith-based groups, and government agencies to share information about OSHA’s initiatives and compliance assistance resources with workers and employers, and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.