Occupational Safety

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• Has the most suitable equipment been selected to ensure safety, including for access and evacuation? • Are ladders only used when other equipment is not justified in view of the short length and low risk of the task? •Is the scaffold erected on a firm foundation?

According to OSHA, falls can be prevented and lives can be saved through three simple steps: plan, provide and train. OSHA has partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) - Construction Sector on a widely publicized nationwide outreach campaign to raise awareness among workers and employers about common fall hazards in construction, and how falls from ladders, scaffolds and roofs can be prevented and lives can be saved.

Falls from heights are the most common cause of injury and death. Causes include: working on a scaffold or platform without guard rails or without a safety harness correctly attached; fragile roofs; and ladders that are badly maintained, positioned and secured.

A Washington state teenager died on his second day on the job Monday when he fell into an auger. Nineteen-year-old Bradley Hogue was killed in a work site accident in what he’d considered his dream summer job, according to his mother, who told news sources her son was looking forward to earning good pay and working promised overtime.

 The evolution of safety precautions, regulations, and products continues. The impact of safety in the workplace has been great and will continue to improve through innovative products coupled with responsible procedures in the U.S. and globally. 

Every nine minutes, a U.S. teen gets hurt on the job. With many young people working summer jobs right now, OSHA is targeting teenagers with safety messages designed to educate them about hazards they may face and ways to stay safe on the job.

A company-wide initiative that included management commitment and lots of employee commitment led to a 60 percent decrease in Lost Time Accident Frequency (LTAF)* at UPM, a company involved in reformation of bio and forest industries.

Although improvements in roof control technology have led to a significant decrease in accidents related to roof and rib (wall) falls, such accidents are still a leading cause of injuries in underground coal mines, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

An OSHA investigation initiated in response to a complaint that employees of TLD Ace Corp. were exposed to falls while removing snow from the plant's roof found additional hazards at the facility.

Heat-related illness, climate change, an increase in construction fatalities and a delay in enforcing an OSHA standard were among the top EHS-related stories featured on ISHN.com this week.