Occupational Safety

RSS

A company that operates 50 correctional facilities in the U.S. has agreed to take steps to reduce the potential for its employees to be injured  -- or worse -- by workplace violence, under a corporate-wide settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor.

On August 6, 2003, a 44-year-old male farmer was welding a feed bunker wagon when he was electrocuted. The portable 240-volt plug-in cord-connected Hobart welder was in disrepair. The power cord and the cables had damaged insulation exposing the conductors. The welder lead cables were at least 10 years old and were 12 feet long.

A new NIOSH-funded study on fatalities in the construction industry suggests roofers in residential construction are among those most likely to die in falls from roofs. The study, "Fatal falls from roofs among U.S. construction workers," finds that "the odds of fatal falls from roofs were higher for roofing and residential construction than any other construction sector."

The working height can be dangerous if safety precautions are not taken. You should know that even a drop of a few inches can cause serious injury. Work requiring the use of ladders or scaffolding must be studied in order to eliminate as much risk to workers.

The question of whether or not injury and illness data collected should be reported electronically is one that is difficult for AIHA to answer. While we support the use of technology that would make the reporting requirements much easier and timelier, AIHA is more concerned that the data collected is accurate and meaningful.

Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry and eight feet in longshoring operations.

Falls from elevations are severe accidents that occur in many industries and occupations. Falls from elevations result in injuries which are produced by contact between the falling person and the source of injury, under the following circumstances:

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is requesting the U.S. Department of Labor investigate the conduct of OSHA investigator Lara Padgett, alleging she violated the ethics code for government employees, according to a report by CNN. Padgett investigated SeaWorld for safety violations after the death of a veteran trainer killed by a 12,000-pound orca in February, 2010, according to CNN.

An amputation at a job site has resulted in 18 serious safety citations against a Wisconsin precast concrete product manufacturer – many of them for violations of OSHA’s standards on cranes and derricks in construction.

North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, or NAOSH Week, occurs every year during the first full week of May. Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day (OSHP Day) falls on the Wednesday of that week. ASSE urges everyone to get involved in NAOSH Week in an effort to better educate the public about the positive benefits a safe workplace provides not only for workers, but for their families, friends, businesses, their local communities and the global community.