Archive: November 2009

Holiday lights and electrical decorations brighten the home and spread a festive spirit – but they also pose fire and electrical shock hazards, especially if they are not handled properly.

Wearing the proper clothing and personal protective equipment in the working environment is critical. Appropriate clothing is your first and often only line of defense against many safety and health hazards.

A new report by the Government Accountability office has concluded that  employees and employers are underreporting work related injuries and ilnesses.  The GAO examined OSHA audit data from 2005 to 2007.
One finding was that some employees underreport injuries to avoid discipline or firings.  On the employer side, the report found that employers may try to [...]

Holiday decorating and festivities mean an increase in the use of household products that can cause injury, such as ladders and holiday lights. In fact, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), each year hospital emergency rooms treat nearly 12,800 people for injuries related to holiday decorating, including falls, cuts and shocks.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on September 30th it is issuing $87,430,000 in proposed penalties to BP Products North America Inc. for the company’s failure to correct potential hazards faced by employees. This fine is the largest in OSHA’s history.

Contrary to popular opinion, all workers can prevent themselves from getting hurt. The easy way to avoid pain is to observe how others have taken risks and been injured, rather than learning the hard way — from your own injury. That’s common sense!

Many don’t realize that it is actually the EPA (not OSHA) that regulates how earplugs/earmuffs are rated and labeled. The EPA is expected to pass a new regulation on how manufacturers of these products label them for the end users.

A proposed rule to align the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS – 29 CFR 1910.1200) with provisions of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) was published in the September 30th Federal Register.