Government Safety Regulations

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Machine safeguarding is the best way to prevent amputations. Guards provide physical barriers to hazardous areas. They should be secure and strong, and workers should not be able to by-pass, remove or tamper. Guards should not obstruct the operator’s view or prevent others from working.

Stories related to construction industry safety ranged this year from hazard-specific (spray foam insulation, concrete drilling) to regulations (silica, crane operator certification) to developments that affect construction safety in a more general way, like the workforce shortage or the legalization of marijuana in many states. Here’s a look back at 2018 articles:

The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) reports struck-by falling objects result in hundreds of fatalities annually and thousands of injuries. In 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 255 fatalities and 47,920 injuries from dropped objects in the United States.

OSHA's efforts to revise and update the existing general industry walking-working surfaces standards have been underway since 1973. The final rule incorporates advances in technology, industry best practices, and national consensus standards to provide effective and cost-efficient worker protection.

Work started on Z10 in March, 1999. Almost 100 safety and health professionals spent six years drafting and reworking the document. The Z10 standard for occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) is now titled ANSI/ASSP Z10-2012 (R2017).

The standard provides requirements for managing combustible dust fire and explosion hazards. It directs the users to appropriate NFPA industry or commodity-specific standards by establishing a relationship and hierarchy between them.

OSHA cited wholesale auto and truck parts distributor Parts Authority Georgia, LLC, for exposing workers to smoke and fire hazards. Inspectors determined that the company allowed obstructed exits; exposed workers to struck-by hazards from damaged storage rack supports and shelves; and failed to provide training on recognizing chemical hazards.