Tag: #safetyandhealth

OSHA encourages stakeholders to share feedback on effectiveness of leading indicators to improve, develop resource tool

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

Using Leading Indicators to Improve Safety and Health OutcomesWASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is asking for stakeholder input on their current use of leading indicators and their impact on managing their safety and health management systems.

Leading indicators are proactive and preventive measures that can provide insight on the effectiveness of safety and health activities and reveal potential problems. They are vital in reducing worker fatalities, injuries, illnesses, and financial impacts.

As OSHA considers developing a Leading Indicators Resource, the agency welcomes stakeholders to share their experience and expertise and provide detailed feedback on how/where they are used at their workplace. OSHA is interested in various perspectives on stakeholders’ answers to questions, such as the following:

  • What leading indicators do you use?
  • What lagging indicators do you use (OSHA incident rates, for example)?
  • What leading indicators are, or could be, commonly used in your industry?
  • What metrics do you share with top management?
  • How do you determine the effectiveness of your leading indicators?
  • Do you link your leading indicators to outcome data, such as OSHA incident rates to evaluate results?
  • How could employers be encouraged to use leading indicators in addition to lagging indicators to improve safety management systems?
  • What barriers and challenges, if any, have you encountered to using leading indicators?

Read the full list of OSHA’s questions. Submit comments through regulations.gov (Docket No. OSHA-2023-0006) by July 17, 2023.

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.

2023 Firefighter Safety Stand Down

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety Stand Down
SafetyStandDown_logo.jpg

Photo: safetystanddown.org

Lithium-Ion Batteries: Are You Ready?

Taking place each year during the third full week of June, Safety Stand Down highlights critical safety, health, and survival issues for fire and emergency services personnel. Departments are asked to suspend all non-emergency activities during the week to focus their attention on safety and health education efforts. A week is provided to ensure that all duty shifts can participate.

The 2023 Safety Stand Down takes place June 18-24 and focuses on lithium-ion battery response with the theme “Lithium-Ion Batteries: Are you Ready?” Five daily focus areas highlight different aspects of this critical safety topic. Additional planning materials and resources will be added to this web site leading up to Safety Stand Down. Read press release.

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.

National Mining Association

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by MSHA

Alliance Signed: February 11, 2003
Renewed: March 29, 2023

Photo: NMA

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Mining Association (NMA) recognize the value of continuing a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful working conditions at the Nation’s mining and milling operations.

MSHA and NMA hereby renew their Alliance under the authority of 30 U.S.C. § 962 to provide coal and metal and nonmetal mining personnel with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help protect the health and safety of those working at coal and metal and nonmetal mines, and in preparation plants and mills.

MSHA and NMA will work together to achieve the following education and training goals designed to improve worker health and safety:

  • Provide information, education, training, and technical assistance to raise safety and health awareness within the coal and metal and nonmetal mining industry and to help prevent injuries and illnesses and protect worker safety and health;
  • Conduct annual summary analyses of incidence rates for coal and metal and nonmetal mines, preparation plants and mills, and perform worker injury and illness case studies to identify hazardous safety and health conditions and practices;
  • Analyze injury, illness, and citation data to develop training and education tools to improve injury and illness incidence rates;
  • Develop education and training programs for operator and contractor employees working at coal and metal and nonmetal mines and in preparation plants and mills;
  • Develop and share best practices and effective approaches to improve operator and contractor safety and health at coal and metal and nonmetal mines and in preparation plants and mills;
  • Collaborate on emergency response, rescue and recovery techniques for facility operations located at coal and metal and nonmetal mines, preparation plants and mills;
  • Develop resources to support excellence in mine rescue preparedness and keep current a centralized data bank of mine emergency preparedness capabilities, equipment and resources that will be available to mine safety personnel in the event of a mine emergency, disaster, or rescue;
  • Ensure that health and safety programs are fair and inclusive, and reach all persons in the industry workforce, including those who do not speak English as their primary language; and
  • Ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is available, accessible, and suitably fitted to all workers in the industry, including those who are hard to fit, and that workers understand how and when to properly use PPE.

MSHA and NMA will strive to achieve the following outreach and communications goals:

  • Provide statistical information regarding injuries and illnesses that occur in coal and metal and nonmetal mines and in preparation plants and mills;
  • Develop and disseminate information on worker safety and health issues at conferences, events or through print and electronic media, including links from MSHA’s and NMA’s websites;
  • Raise awareness and demonstrate commitment to worker safety and health whenever MSHA or NMA leaders address groups;
  • Convene or participate in workshops, conferences, round table discussions, or stakeholder meetings to forge innovative solutions to worker health and safety issues;
  • Collaborative exchange of timely information on Injury and Employment data; and
  • Publicize the results of worker injury and illness case studies through print, electronic media, promotion at conferences, or other means of outreach.

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.

Protecting Temporary Workers

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by OSHA

WASHINGTON – An eight-year alliance between the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American Staffing Association (ASA), established to improve the workplace safety and health of temporary workers, continues to be valuable and productive. OSHA and ASA signed an Ambassador document on August 9, 2022, in recognition of ASA’s demonstrated commitment to collaborating with the agency to improve safety and health practices and programs in American workplaces.

The goal of an Ambassador is to continue the longstanding relationships between OSHA and Alliance participants through ongoing outreach and information-sharing, and training.

Brittany Sakata, ASA general counsel (left) and Doug Parker, OSHA assistant secretary
Brittany Sakata, ASA general counsel (left) and Doug Parker, OSHA assistant secretary

OSHA and ASA first signed an alliance in 2014 and it was renewed in 2016. Their collaboration has resulted in several successful initiatives and activities, including:

“Temporary workers are, by law, afforded the same workplace protections as permanent employees,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “We are grateful for ASA’s continued dedication to helping OSHA educate temporary workers about their rights and train host employers and staffing agencies on their responsibilities to protect the safety and health of this vital part of the workforce.”

ASA, founded in 1966, is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices.

Through the 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 assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

Vote for McCraren Compliance in 2022 Readers’ Choice

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McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

US Department of Labor announces proposed rule to require mine operators to improve safe usage of mobile, powered-haulage equipment

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by MSHA

Photo property of MSHA

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced a proposed rule to require mine operators employing six or more miners to develop a written safety program for mobile and powered haulage equipment (excluding belt conveyors) at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines. This proposed rule is one of several actions MSHA has taken to reduce fatal and nonfatal injuries involving surface mobile equipment used at mines and to improve safety and health.

Under the proposed rule, mine operators would implement a written safety program including actions to identify hazards and risks to reduce accidents, injuries and fatalities related to surface mobile equipment. Mine operators would have the flexibility to devise a safety program for their specific mining conditions and operations. In addition, MSHA would encourage its state grantees to provide training to address hazards and risks involving surface mobile equipment in small mining operations.

Read the proposed rule. Comments must be submitted by Nov. 8, 2021.

Learn more about MSHA and its rulemaking.

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.

Updated Small Business Handbook

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by  OSHA

Photo: OSHA

OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have collaborated to issue an updated workplace safety and health handbook for small businesses. The Small Business Safety and Health Handbook (link to handbook) highlights the benefits of implementing an effective safety and health program, provides self-inspection checklists for employers to identify workplace hazards, and reviews workplace safety and health resources for small businesses.

The self-inspection checklists are designed to help general industry employers identify workplace hazards and to ensure workplace safety for their employees. Employers can use the checklists in several ways; including printing the documents, filling them out by hand or entering information in the fillable PDF forms.

Please share this resource with small business stakeholders, as appropriate.

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.

Communicating through a facemask

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Communicating through a face mask, McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

Wearing a facemask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 can present obstacles to communication, “an important and complex transaction that depends on visual and, often, auditory cues,” says Debara L. Tucci, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

When facial coverings are worn, facial features are obscured, while speech perception and conveyed emotion are disrupted. Facial coverings also filter speech, making sounds less clear, Tucci said, adding, “When it is harder to understand speech – whether because of cloth face coverings, distance or other factors – research suggests that we have fewer cognitive resources to process information deeply. As a result, communication suffers, and feelings of stress and isolation may increase.”

NIDCD offers the following tips to improve communication when wearing a facial covering:
Be aware. Is the person you’re communicating with having trouble understanding you? Ask and adapt if needed.
Be patient. Facial coverings block visual cues and muffle sounds that help us understand speech, which can make interactions frustrating.
Be mindful. Consider how physical distancing might affect your communication. As distance increases, sound levels decrease and visual cues are more difficult to see.
Be loud and clear. Speak up, but don’t shout. Focus on speaking clearly. Consider wearing a clear facial covering, if possible. If you’re having trouble understanding, ask the person you’re talking with to speak louder. If you lip-read, ask those you interact with regularly to wear a clear facial covering.
Turn down the background volume. Background noise can make conversation especially hard. Move to a quieter spot or turn down the sound, when possible.
Communicate another way. Use a smartphone talk-to-text app or writing tools (e.g., paper/pen, whiteboard) to communicate.
Confirm your statement is clear. Ask if your message has been understood.
Bring a friend or be a friend. If it’s essential that you comprehend important spoken details – during a discussion with a health care provider, for example – consider bringing a friend or family member with you.

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

U.S. Department of Labor Schedules Advisory Committee On Construction Safety and Health Meeting

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor has scheduled a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) via teleconference and WebEx on Wednesday, July 1, 2020.

The meeting will include an update on key OSHA initiatives from Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. The ACCSH will consider and make recommendations for updating the Powered Industrial Trucks standards and the Hazard Communication Standard.

In conjunction with the meeting, ACCSH Workgroups will meet by teleconference and WebEx on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.

WHAT:          ACCSH Workgroups Meeting

WHEN:          Tuesday June 30, 2020
12:00 p.m. to 5:30 EDT
                        Teleconference and WebEx
1-888-658-5408, passcode 2597686

WHAT:          ACCSH Advisory Committee Meeting

WHEN:          Wednesday, July 1, 2020
12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
1-888-324-3487, passcode 9671553

Comments and requests to speak may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking Portal, by mail, or by facsimile. Read the Federal Register notice for submission details, and for call-in and WebEx information. Comments and requests to speak must be submitted by Thursday, June 25, 2020. The meeting is open to the public.

The ACCSH advises the Secretary of Labor and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health on construction standards and policy matters. It was established under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970.

Under the OSH Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education, and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

Lead: Don’t take it home

Posted on by Sarah
Lead.jpg

Are you exposed to lead at work? You may be if you make or fix batteries or radiators; make or paint ceramics; melt, cast or grind lead, brass or bronze; tear down or remodel houses, buildings or bridges; or work with scrap metal, the California Department of Public Health says.

Short-term lead exposure can cause headaches, irritability, memory loss, abdominal pain and loss of appetite. Prolonged exposure can cause depression, nausea, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and reduced fertility. Read more»