New OSHA National Emphasis Program on Under-Recording of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses
     Recently several academic studies have asserted varying degrees of under-recording of workplaces injuries and illnesses on OSHA Form 300.  At the request of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and Labor, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) initiated a study on the accuracy of employer injury and illness records.  In an effort to identify and correct under-recorded and incorrectly recorded cases and to work cooperatively with the GAR, OSHA has initiated a National Emphasis Program to establish enforcement procedures regarding the accuracy of records at low-rate establishments in selected high-rate industries. 

Click here for the full report.

OSHA Issues Final Rule on PPE Incorporating National Consensus Standards
     OSHA has issued this final rule to revise the personal protective equipment (PPE) sections of its general industry, shipyard employment, longshoring, and marine terminals standards regarding requirements for eye- and face-protective devices, head protection, and foot protection. OSHA is updating the references in its regulations to recognize more recent editions of the applicable national consensus standards, and is deleting editions of the national consensus standards that PPE must meet if purchased before a specified date. In addition, OSHA is amending its provision that requires safety shoes to comply with a specific American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard, and a provision that requires filter lenses and plates in eye- protective equipment to meet a test for transmission of radiant energy specified by another ANSI standard. In amending these paragraphs, OSHA will require this safety equipment to comply with the applicable PPE design provisions. These revisions are a continuation of OSHA's effort to update or remove references to specific consensus and industry standards located throughout its standards. This final rule will become effective on October 9, 2009.

Click here for the Federal Register Notice

For Trainers and Supervisors - Introduction to OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard 29CFR1910.134
     Download this new PowerPoint presentation covering key aspects of the respiratory protection standard including

• permissible practice
• employee exposure
• types and selection of respirators
• fit testing
• recordkeeping
• and more

Click here to download

Fourth Annual Drug-Free Work Week Slated for October 19-25, 2009
     A drug-free workplace program is a vital component of a safe workplace. From Oct. 19-25, 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor will stage its annual Drug-Free Work Week, dedicated to communicating the importance of working drug-free. The week is sponsored by DOL's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace program, but its true spirit is found at the local level in activities conducted by various organizations and in individual workplaces across the country. To get resources and specific ideas on how your organization can support the week's activities, visit the Drug-Free Work Week Web site.
     Resources available include

• About Drug-Free Work Week
• Drug-Free Work Week Tool Box
• Ideas for Employers & Employees
• Ideas for Associations & Unions
• Ideas for Community Coalitions & Neighborhood Organizations

OSHA Reopens Rulemaking Record and Informal Public Hearing Regarding Electrical Protective Equipment
     On June 15, 2005, OSHA published a proposed rule to revise the general industry and construction standards for electric power generation, transmission, and distribution work and for electrical protective equipment. The proposed general industry and construction standards for electric power generation, transmission, and distribution work included revised minimum approach distance tables. Those tables limit how close an employee (or a conductive object he or she is contacting) may get to an energized circuit part. In light of recent changes to one of the consensus standards on which OSHA relied in formulating the proposed minimum approach distances, OSHA is reopening the record on this proposal to obtain additional comments related to the proposed minimum approach distances. The record will remain open on this limited basis until October 15, 2009. OSHA is also announcing a public hearing on the issues raised in this notice.
     Comments must be submitted (transmitted, postmarked, or delivered) no later than October 15, 2009. Notices of intention to appear: Interested persons who intend to present testimony or question witnesses at the public hearing must submit (transmit, postmark, or deliver) notices of intention to appear no later than October 1, 2009.

Click here for more information.

News You Can Use

Fire Prevention Week October 4-10, 2009 - Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned
     Testing the water before putting a child in the bath may sound like common sense. Wearing short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking on the stovetop may show foresight. This and other simple actions may be all it takes to prevent devastating burns. Fire Prevention Week 2009 focuses on burn awareness and prevention, as well as keeping homes safe from the leading causes of home fires. Sparky the Fire Dog® needs your help to help spread the word about this year's Fire Prevention Week theme: "Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned."

Click here for more information.

Evaluating Occupational Health and Safety Research Programs: Framework and Next Steps
     Each year, approximately 5,000 fatal work-related injuries and 4 million non-fatal injuries and illnesses occur in the United States. This number represents both unnecessary human suffering and high economic costs. In order to assist in better evaluating workplace safety and create safer work environments, the Institute of Medicine conducted a series of evaluations of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) research programs, assessing the relevance and impact of NIOSH’s work on improving worker safety and health. Eight NIOSH programs were evaluated based on a common framework.
     The report, Evaluating Occupational Health and Safety Research Programs: Framework and Next Steps, provides the lessons learned in the evaluation process, a revised evaluation framework, and recommendations for improving future evaluations of occupational health and safety research programs. These programs can be better evaluated by continuing systematic external evaluations, bolstering research translation efforts, enhancing occupational health and safety surveillance, and integrating evaluations of intramural and extramural research.

Click here for a free download of this book.

Source: The National Academies Press

Businesses Confirm Value of Corporate Citizenship, Sustainability
     The results of a 2009 corporate citizenship survey reveal that despite the recession, corporate citizenship practices, including sustainability, are ingrained in increasing numbers of American businesses. “Weathering the Storm: The State of Corporate Citizenship in the United States 2009” is a joint project of the Boston College Center and the Hitachi Foundation. It is the only research of its kind to provide a comprehensive overview of small, medium and large-sized U.S. businesses. Many business leaders taking the survey reported that attention to corporate citizenship efforts is more important in a recession. As in the 2007 survey, the most recent data show that attitudes of support for corporate citizenship are strong but there remain some gaps between those beliefs and the practices and investments of some businesses.

Click here for the full report.

Source: EHS Today

Chemical Emergencies Overview
     A chemical emergency occurs when a hazardous chemical has been released and the release has the potential for harming people's health. Chemical releases can be unintentional, as in the case of an industrial accident, or intentional, as in the case of a terrorist attack. Some chemicals that are hazardous have been developed by military organizations for use in warfare. Examples are nerve agents such as sarin and VX, mustards such as sulfur mustards and nitrogen mustards, and choking agents such as phosgene. It might be possible for terrorists to get these chemical warfare agents and use them to harm people.
     Many hazardous chemicals are used in industry (for example, chlorine, ammonia, and benzene). Others are found in nature (for example, poisonous plants). Some could be made from everyday items such as household cleaners. These types of hazardous chemicals also could be obtained and used to harm people, or they could be accidentally released.

Click here for more information.

Halloween Safety Tips for Kids
     Anytime a child has an accident, it's tragic. The last thing that you want to happen is for your child to be hurt on a holiday, it would forever live in the minds of the child and the family. There are many ways to keep your child safe at Halloween, when they are more prone to accidents and injuries. The excitement of children and adults at this time of year sometimes makes them forget to be careful. Simple common sense can do a lot to stop any tragedies from happening.

• Help your child pick out or make a costume that will be safe.
• Make sure that if your child is carrying a prop, such as a scythe, butcher knife or a pitchfork, that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on.
• Kids always want to help with the pumpkin carving. Small children shouldn't be allowed to use a sharp knife to cut the top or the face. There are many kits available that come with tiny saws that work better then knives and are safer, although you can be cut by them as well. It's best to let the kids clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it, which you can carve for them.
• Treating your kids to a spooky Halloween dinner will make them less likely to eat the candy they collect before you have a chance to check it for them.
• Teaching your kids basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, watching both ways before crossing streets and crossing when the lights tell you to, will help make them safer when they are out Trick or Treating.

     Make Halloween a fun, safe and happy time for your kids and they'll carry on the tradition that you taught them to their own families some day!

Source: www.halloween-safety.com
 

1. COLD IS COMING - And that means hand protection for outdoor workers should have warm linings.
2. COLD IS COMING - And that means head protection for outdoor workers must include warm helmet liners.
3. COLD IS COMING - And that means fewer hours of daylight and reduced visibility - another reason for Hi-Visibility reflective clothing.
4. COLD IS COMING - And that often means icy, slippery walkways and driveways - tungsten-carbide tipped rubber pullovers fit over any shoes or boots for superb traction.
5. COLD IS COMING - And yes, that means colds are coming, too.  Be sure you have enough industrial-pack cold remedy medicines on hand.

Want more information on any of this month's Saf-T-Tips?  E-mail us for a prompt reply.

Steve Krieske is Vice President - Purchasing, and has been with Saf-T-Gard for over 27 years

• What Steve likes about Saf-T-Gard: "I have been given a lot of opportunity to utilize my knowledge in the safety business.  Very comfortable work atmosphere."
• What makes Steve's day: "A smooth day.  I also like to see the efforts we put in purchasing turn into success for our sales team."
• Steve's outside interests are: "Family, walleye fishing, baseball."
• Anything else: "Looking forward to the years ahead."