Monthly Archives: April 2014

OSHA Proposes Over $2.3M in Fines for Olivet Management, LLC

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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Olivet Management, LLC for $2,359,000 for safety violations relating to asbestos and lead hazard exposure. According to OSHA, the company exposed its own employees, as well as employees for 13 contractors, to asbestos and lead during cleanup operations of the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center in the Wingdale section of Dover Plains, NY.

 

“Olivet knew that asbestos and lead were present at this site, yet the company chose to ignore its responsibility to protect its own workers and contractors,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “The intolerable choice this company made put not only workers, but also their families, in danger.”

In total, Olivet was cited for 45 willful violations and 1 serious violation. Of the 45 willful violations, 24 address instance-by-instance exposure of workers to asbestos and lead hazards.

As you can see, lead and asbestos violations can quickly compound, leading to serious fines. If you work in an industry that involves asbestos, lead, or any other toxic substance like these, it is imperative you have sound procedures in place for the dissemination of policy, employee education, and adequate testing. If you do not have procedures in place, or if you have not reviewed them recently, it might be time to consider updating your safety and health management plan. And if you are going to go through this process, it is usually advisable to consult an occupational safety and health advisory firm.

If you have any questions about establishing procedures for asbestos or lead management, please contact us. If you have anything to add about these citations or about asbestos and lead exposure, please leave a comment.

Establishing a Preventive Maintenance Plan

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Preventive maintenance plans help to increase the life of your machinery, decrease your maintenance costs, and maintain the efficacy of your safety equipment. But if you do not have a plan in place, it can be difficult to establish one for an existing business. This is because you need to re-catalogue every piece of equipment and every machine in your facility, and find the specific manufacturer’s instructions and maintenance recommendations. Then, you need to couple this information with your existing procedures and any relevant OSHA standards to create your preventive maintenance plan.

A preventive maintenance plan should include procedures for daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly checks. These routine checks will ensure all parts and processes are functioning properly, fluid levels are appropriate, and there are no unaccounted for faults. These checks will increase the life of the equipment, protecting the company’s bottom line.

Additionally, these plans will create a safer work environment. By continually ensuring that safety mechanisms and equipment are functioning properly, there is no opportunity for faulty equipment to allow workplace accidents.

Finally, these programs can protect you from OSHA violations. If an injury occurs due to a faulty piece of equipment, OSHA will review your maintenance records. Should it become clear that no system is in place to ensure the effectiveness of your safety equipment, that will create a serious problem with OSHA.

If you have any questions about how to establish a preventive maintenance plan, please contact us and we can walk you through the process. If you have anything to add about how to effectively establish a preventive maintenance plan, please leave a comment.

Cost Effective Lockout Tagout Solutions

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One of the biggest complaints in the lockout tagout industry is cost. For most, it is monetary cost, as it can grow expensive to create and maintain lockout tagout procedures if you employ a third party lockout tagout specialty firm. For others, the cost is time, as learning to understand OSHA Standard 1910.147 is difficult, and trying to create effective lockout tagout procedures based upon it without prior knowledge of the standard can be daunting. And for still others, the cost is twofold, as they spend untold time creating their procedures, only to need help from a third party to maintain them.

Fortunately, there are options which cut both the time and monetary costs to a fraction of what they once were. These are options which allow a partnership between a qualified third party lockout tagout specialty firm and the company needing the lockout tagout services. The lockout tagout firm helps the company to create the procedures and to create a plan to maintain them long term with online software, which is fully scalable, fully customizable, and accessible anywhere there is internet.

We offer this service through our Factory Solutions Software. With this software, you can create, maintain, and update your own procedures under the guidance of a premier lockout tagout specialty firm, but do so at a steep financial discount because you are doing it yourself. We can be as hands-on or hands-off as you want, allowing you to find the perfect balance of financial and time costs.

If you have any questions about our Factory Solutions Software, please contact us. If you would like to add anything about cost effective lockout tagout solutions, please leave a comment.

Establishing Evacuation Routes

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Evacuation routes are important for every company in every industry. Whether a retail storefront or a large facility that employs thousands of people, evacuation routes act as a final safety procedure which can, and will, save lives. So it is important to consider the ramifications of poorly created evacuation routes when creating your evacuation procedures.

When initially creating evacuation routes, and anytime you update them thereafter, you need to consider OSHA Standard 1910.36 and Standard 1910.37, which govern the creation and maintenance of evacuation routes. These standards should act as a baseline for your evacuation procedures, and can be added to based upon the specific needs of your facility.

Standard 1910.36 focuses on the design and construction of exit routes. This includes how many exits are needed, how many paths to these exits are needed, what kinds of doors must be used at these exits, and the materials which need to be used in the construction of these exit doors and routes. This standard is the standard which helps you create an effective evacuation route.

Standard 1910.37 focuses upon the operational features, safeguards, and maintenance of exit routes. This standard covers paint, lighting, how to proceed when there is construction being done to the evacuation route, door maintenance, and so on. So if Standard 1910.36 helps you create an effective evacuation route, this standard helps you to maintain it.

If you have any questions about how to establish or maintain an evacuation route, please contact us so that we can assist you. If you have anything to add about establishing evacuation routes, please leave a comment.

OSHA Forms Alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals

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OSHA has announced an alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals in an attempt to reduce chemical hazards in the beauty industry. The alliance was signed on Mach 31, 2014. The primary result of this alliance will be more rigorous investigation into the air quality at hair salons, specifically as it relates to formaldehyde in the air.

“OSHA and other federal, state and non-U.S. government agencies have taken action to address the emerging problem of formaldehyde exposure to hair smoothing products,” said Teresa Harrison, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Atlanta. “This alliance demonstrates OSHA’s commitment to the safety and health of workers in this industry.”

And while this obviously means it is time for salon owners to ensure they have adequate planning in place surrounding air quality and formaldehyde exposure, it is also important for manufacturers, importers, and distributors of products containing formaldehyde to ensure their labels and material safety data sheets are accurate. OSHA has been testing hair straightening and related products to determine if the listed formaldehyde levels are accurate. So far, the investigation has found several products have inaccurate labeling.

If you are involved in any products which utilize formaldehyde, it is imperative you create a process to test and affirm the labels on your products. And while an internal process has been sufficient for most companies to date, it might be time to verify your results through a full third party audit of your facility and processes.

If you have any questions about formaldehyde testing or third party audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of accurate formaldehyde labeling, please leave a comment.

OSHA Proposes $91,800 in Fines for Globus Printing

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Globus Printing & Packaging Co. has been cited for 24 health and safety violations by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These citations come with $91,800 in proposed penalties. The citations come after an inspection of their plant in Minster, OH, in August of 2013 following a complaint.

“Workers were exposed daily to many dangerous hazards at the Globus Printing & Packaging Co.,” said Kim Nelson, OSHA’s area director in Toledo. “The company lacks adequate employee training on those hazards.”

These hazards included thirteen serious safety violations, six health violations, and five other-than-serious violations. The serious safety violations were for issues such as: failing to provide electrical personal protective equipment for employees doing electrical work, failing to remove damaged forklifts from service, and failing to maintain exit lighting and an employee alarm system.

The six health violations were: failing to maintain an environment free of combustible dust, not ensuring employees used eye and face protection, failing to conduct and certify a personal protective equipment assessment, lack of an eyewash station in the battery servicing area, failing to ground drums when dispensing flammable liquids, and lack of training in hazard communication and safe chemical handling.

The five other-than-serious violations were for failing to mount and mark portable fire extinguishers; conduct forklift training at least every three years; improper use of power strips; evaluate workplaces for confined spaces; and inform employees of permit-required confined spaces.

As you can see from this list, there is a smattering of violations across many areas, from personal protective equipment to exit routes and alarm systems, hazard communication, and confined spaces. It is for this reason we always recommend third party safety and health audits to ensure your facility is up to code with all OSHA regulations. There is so much to keep track of, it can often become a daunting task, especially for a growing or developing company.

If you have any questions about third party safety audits, please contact us and we can explain the process and benefits of the audits. If you have anything to add about the proposed fines for Globus Printing by OSHA or about third party safety audits, please leave a comment.

OSHA Forms Alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals

Posted on by
Twitt

OSHA has announced an alliance with Concerned Beauty Professionals in an attempt to reduce chemical hazards in the beauty industry. The alliance was signed on Mach 31, 2014. The primary result of this alliance will be more rigorous investigation into the air quality at hair salons, specifically as it relates to formaldehyde in the air.

“OSHA and other federal, state and non-U.S. government agencies have taken action to address the emerging problem of formaldehyde exposure to hair smoothing products,” said Teresa Harrison, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Atlanta. “This alliance demonstrates OSHA’s commitment to the safety and health of workers in this industry.”

And while this obviously means it is time for salon owners to ensure they have adequate planning in place surrounding air quality and formaldehyde exposure, it is also important for manufacturers, importers, and distributors of products containing formaldehyde to ensure their labels and material safety data sheets are accurate. OSHA has been testing hair straightening and related products to determine if the listed formaldehyde levels are accurate. So far, the investigation has found several products have inaccurate labeling.

If you are involved in any products which utilize formaldehyde, it is imperative you create a process to test and affirm the labels on your products. And while an internal process has been sufficient for most companies to date, it might be time to verify your results through a full third party audit of your facility and processes.

If you have any questions about formaldehyde testing or third party audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of accurate formaldehyde labeling, please leave a comment.