June 21, 2019 • Volume 18, Issue 11 • A twice monthly newsletter with information about workplace safety and health.
OSHA QuickTakes Newsletter Issue
TOP STORIES
Forklift Manufacturers Emphasize the Importance of Operator Training
On June 11, forklift manufacturers from across the country convened in Washington, D.C., for National Forklift Safety Day to highlight the importance of operator training and daily equipment checks. OSHA Acting Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt emphasized that “prevention has to be everyone’s goal.” Tips on safe work practices on or around forklifts are available in a new OSHA Alert.
Prepare for Fireworks Safety Ahead of July 4 Festivities
With Independence Day celebrations approaching, OSHA is encouraging the fireworks and pyrotechnics industry to begin taking steps now to protect workers from hazards while manufacturing, storing, transporting, displaying, and selling fireworks. OSHA’s website offers information on common hazards and solutions for the pyrotechnics industry.
OSHA Acting Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt (center) with the Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health.
Maritime Advisory Committee Holds First Meeting
The Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) met June 5-6 in Washington, D.C., to discuss worker safety and health in the shipyard employment, longshoring, and marine terminal industries. The 15 members of MACOSH represent workers, job creators, government agencies, and professional organizations. OSHA Acting Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt updated MACOSH members on agency activities.
ENFORCEMENT
California Cites Trucking Company After Worker Fatality
California OSHA issued four citations and $68,438 in penalties to USF Reddaway Inc. after a worker was fatally struck by a tractor at a truck terminal. Inspectors found that the company failed to ensure operators were competent to operate terminal tractors and did not implement traffic controls. Visit OSHA’s website for information on trucking industry safety.
Four Contractors Cited Following Fall at Residential Construction Worksite
OSHA issued a total of $220,114 in penalties and 12 citations to four Florida contractors after a worker was seriously injured in a fall. Southern Living Contractors Inc., Crown Roofing LLC, Paramount Drywall Inc., and Sunny Grove Landscaping and Nursery Inc. were cited for failing to provide fall protection, exposing workers to struck-by hazards, and permitting workers to climb a scaffold frame. For more information, read the news release and visit OSHA’s fall prevention webpage.
Georgia Tire Manufacturer and Contractors Cited for Exposing Workers to Serious Safety Hazards
OSHA issued a combined $523,895 in penalties and 22 citations to Kumho Tire Georgia Inc., Sae Joong Mold Inc., and J-Brothers Inc. after a follow-up inspection found workers exposed workers to fall, struck-by, smoke inhalation, and burn hazards. For more information, read the news release.
Nevada Fines Planet Hollywood for Exposing Workers to Amputation Hazards
Nevada OSHA issued seven citations and $130,800 in penalties to Planet Hollywood Las Vegas for disabling machine guarding features that protect workers from moving parts and failing to implement hazardous energy controls while workers were unjamming currency counting and strapping machines.
SAFETY AND HEALTH OUTREACH
June is National Safety Month
Each year, the National Safety Council, an OSHA Alliance partner and key Safe + Sound Campaign organizer, designates June as National Safety Month – to highlight leading causes of preventable injuries and fatalities. Topics for 2019 are hazard recognition; slips, trips and falls; fatigue; and impairment.
COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS
Parts Manufacturer Earns Safety Recognition After Working with California On-Site Consultation Program
Luxfer Superform contacted California OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program for help finding and fixing hazards at its metal parts manufacturing facility in Riverside. OSHA consultants worked with Luxfer to improve their safety culture by establishing worker safety committees and training programs, conducting safety stand-downs, performing job hazard analyses, and routinely updating personal protective equipment requirements and products. As a result, the company was accepted into OSHA’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program. For more information, read the success story.
Partnership Will Promote Safety During Montana Hospital Expansion
Layton Construction Company LLC signed a strategic partnership to promote worker safety and health during construction of a hospital addition in Bozeman, Montana. The partnership will provide training and outreach on fall, struck-by, electrical, amputation, and trenching and excavation hazards. See the news release for more information.
SAFETY AND HEALTH RESOURCES
OSHA Publishes Webpage on Measles Prevention
OSHA has a new webpage on measles, a highly-contagious, potentially serious illness with more than 1,000 confirmed cases in 28 states in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Workers in child care and health care, laboratories, and environmental services and those who travel abroad have the greatest risk of exposure and infection. The webpage provides information about preventing and reducing workers’ measles exposure, along with information on vaccination and treatment.
New OSHA Resources Offer Solutions to Common Safety Hazards
A new series of OSHA Alerts addresses safety hazards associated with specific activities, equipment, or events. Each alert identifies the hazards involved and offers clear solutions to keep workers safe. Alerts currently available focus on flood recovery and cleanup, trenching and excavation, and forklift operation.
OSHA’s new flyer on five things you should know to stay safe in a trench addresses the most common trench-related hazards. The agency has additional resources for employers and workers on trenching safety, including a short video.
Free Online Course on Preventing Workplace Violence
The Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine launched a free online program to train retail workers and employers on preventing and responding to violence in the workplace. The course offers tips on how to respond to violence or the threat of violence by reading body language and using de-escalation techniques, and how to establish a workplace violence prevention program. Participants may register and complete the training at their own pace.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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