Tag: #stand-down

National grain safety week set for March 27-31

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

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Photo: OSHA

Washington — OSHA and its Alliance Program partners in the agriculture industry are teaming up to host the seventh annual Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week.

The observance will take place March 27-31.

Each year, hundreds of workers are injured or killed by preventable hazards in grain storage and handling, OSHA says. The industrywide initiative is aimed at raising awareness of these hazards by providing employers and workers with educational opportunities, resources and training on best safety practices.

The event starts at 10 a.m. Central each day, with a hybrid kickoff event scheduled for March 27. Registrants will have free access to virtual training sessions during the rest of the week, with each day featuring a different focus and resources:
March 28: Powered industrial trucks (presented in Spanish at 2 p.m. Central)
March 29: Preventive maintenance and a bonus event, emerging health issues in agricultural settings
March 30: Heat and extreme weather (presented in Spanish at 2 p.m. Central)
March 31: Anhydrous ammonia and fumigation

Employers can register and post information about their event at StandUp4GrainSafety.org.

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.

2022 Trench Safety Stand Down

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

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Fairfax, VA — The National Utility Contractors Association, in partnership with OSHA, is calling on employers involved in trench work to participate in the seventh annual Trench Safety Stand Down.

Set to take place June 20-24, the stand-down is aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of trenching and excavation, as well as promoting the use of protective systems such as sloping, shoring and shielding. OSHA’s standard on trenching and excavation (1926.650, Subpart P) requires protective systems for trenches that are 5 feet or deeper, unless the excavation occurs in stable rock.

OSHA warns that trench collapses are “rarely survivable” because a cubic yard of soil can weigh as much as 3,000 pounds. Citing OSHA data, NUCA says 17 workers died in trench incidents in 2018.

The stand-down, which is part of Trench Safety Month, is geared toward “anyone who wants to prevent trenching and excavation hazards in the workplace.” NUCA encourages various occupations to get involved, including those employed in utility, residential and highway construction, as well as plumbers and safety equipment manufacturers. Free online tools, including checklists, fact sheets and videos, are available on the NUCA website.

“NUCA and the utility construction industry members must seek out every measure possible to reduce risks on our jobsites, which we all know can be a dangerous place to work if someone is unaware of its hazards,” NUCA says. “Time and time again, evidence shows that the key to significantly reducing the risks associated with our industry is employee training and reinforcement through events such as the TSSD Week.”

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 Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction coming in May

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

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Photo: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)

Washington — The ninth annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is set for May 2-6.

The voluntary event is intended to prevent fall-related deaths and injuries by raising awareness of hazards. Falls from elevation accounted for 351 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

OSHA encourages all workplaces to participate by hosting an event, which can include a toolbox talk or a safety activity such as developing rescue plans, conducting safety equipment inspections or discussing job-specific hazards. Workers can take the opportunity to share fall or other job hazards with management.

The agency invites employers to share their stand-down stories by emailing oshastanddown@dol.gov or using the hashtag #StandDown4Safety on social media.

On Jan. 27, OSHA partner CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training will host a webinar on the importance of a year-round falls program. Registration is required.

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.

OSHA moves National Safety Stand-Down to September

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
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Photo: OSHA

Washington — OSHA has rescheduled the seventh annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction for Sept. 14-18.

The event initially was set for May 4-8, but was postponed March 27 over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It now will coincide with Construction Safety Week, which also was recently rescheduled for Sept. 14-18.

Speaking during a July 2 webinar hosted by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, OSHA Directorate of Construction Director Scott Ketcham said the agency and its partners in the stand-down – NIOSH and CPWR – “are going to be working on getting information out to you as stakeholders on how to do a falls stand-down in a COVID environment” that includes physical distancing and other precautionary measures.

Falls are among the leading causes of fatal workplace injuries among construction workers. OSHA “encourages employers to remain vigilant and to use all available resources to enhance worker safety.” According to the agency, millions of construction workers have participated in the campaign since the stand-down began in 2014, with events having occurred in all 50 states and internationally.

Stand-down to prevent struck-by incidents goes virtual

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
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Photo: CPWR

Washington — Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers of the inaugural National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-By Incidents say the event will be virtual.

Set to take place April 20, the stand-down is a collaborative effort led by NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda Construction Sector Council. Other partners include OSHA’s Work Zone Safety Alliance, the executive committee for National Work Zone Awareness Week, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.

During the event – slated to take place in conjunction with National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 20-24) – employers are encouraged to engage workers online by downloading, sharing and discussing resources such as toolbox talks, infographics, training documents and videos.

“While most of the construction industry recognizes falls as the No. 1 cause of deaths and injuries, struck-by incidents are the primary hazard for roadway and transportation construction, which is the sector we represent,” Bradley Sant, ARTBA’s senior vice president for safety and education, wrote in an email to Safety+Health.

Work on the event began in late 2018, and plans for in-person events were nearly finalized when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Members of the NORA Construction Sector Council’s struck-by workgroup decided to move forward with a virtual event because a number of workers are still on the job.

“Inasmuch as this type of construction has been deemed ‘essential work’ by most state and federal government leaders, we knew our workers will continue to be exposed to struck-by incidents,” Sant wrote in the email, “and we thought it would be important to move forward and launch the planned annual event.”

CPWR encourages employers to “use creative ways to hold stand-down events within your own company that will not put you or your employees at risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

OSHA postpones National Safety Stand-Down

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
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Photo: OSHA

Washington — OSHA has postponed the seventh annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event – initially slated for May 4-8 – is expected to be rescheduled for this summer, the agency states in a March 27 press release.

Falls are the No. 1 cause of fatal workplace injuries among construction workers. OSHA “encourages employers to remain vigilant and to use all available resources to enhance worker safety.”