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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

A fall protection demonstration being given at a stand-down event held this year outside Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

2018 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls to be held May 7-11

The fifth annual National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction will be held May 7-11, 2018. Sponsored by OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training, the weeklong outreach event encourages employers and workers to pause during the work day to talk about fall hazards and prevention. In past years, more than 1 million workers participated in events.

OSHA Hosts Honduran Delegation in Chicago to Discuss Worker Safety and Health

A construction union representative demonstrates to members of the Honduran delegation how to inspect a trench box protective system.

OSHA recently hosted a delegation of representatives from the Honduran Ministry of Labor, private sector, and unions in Chicago. The group toured several facilities and participated in training demonstrations on common construction hazards.

The visit with OSHA originated from the Honduran Ministry of Labor’s interest in training their inspectors in hazard identification and prevention, specifically in the construction industry. The delegation departed with the goal of developing a sustainable local safety and health training process aimed at workers, employers, and labor inspectors.

New OSHA Training Institute Education Centers Announced

Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pa., and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., have been selected as the newest additions to the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers network. OTI Education Centers are non-profit organizations that offer training on OSHA standards and occupational safety and health issues to workers and employers nationwide.

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OSHA Signs Partnerships to Protect Pennsylvania Construction Workers

OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program provides opportunities for OSHA to partner with employers, workers, professional or trade associations, labor organizations, and other interested stakeholders. Strategic Partnerships are designed to eliminate serious hazards and enhance workplace safety and health practices in major corporations, government agencies, at large construction projects and private sector industries.

• Shoemaker-Skanska Construction and the Philadelphia Regional Building Trades Council entered into a strategic partnership to protect approximately 300 workers during renovation and construction of a shopping mall complex in Philadelphia. The goal of the partnership is to reduce injuries and illnesses, increase safety and health training, conduct effective health monitoring, and increase the number of employers with safety and health programs.
• P.J. Dick Incorporated entered into a strategic partnership to protect approximately 200 workers during the construction of an insurance office building in Erie. The goal of the partnership is to eliminate serious workplace hazards, prevent work-related injuries and fatalities, and develop an effective safety and health program. For more information, see the news release.

OSHA Alliance Partners Commit to Improving Worker Safety and Health

The OSHA Alliance Program fosters collaborative relationships with groups committed to worker safety and health. Alliance partners help OSHA reach targeted audiences, such as employers and workers in high-hazard industries, and give them better access to workplace safety and health tools and information.

• The Construction Safety Roundtable of Eastern Massachusetts renewed a five-year agreement with OSHA’s offices in Braintree and Andover, Mass., to encourage a dialogue between OSHA and local industry. Members will share safe work practices, provide updates on OSHA procedures and policies, promote involvement in OSHA safety stand-downs, and create safety and health communication tools. Since 2000, the Alliance delivered the OSHA 10-hour Construction Outreach Training Program to more than 10,000 vocational high school students throughout Massachusetts.
• The Mid Continent Exploration and Production Safety Network and the Francis Tuttle Technology Center renewed a three-year agreement with OSHA’s Oklahoma City office to provide information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help protect the health and safety of workers in the oil and gas industry.
• The Robotic Industries Association and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health signed a two-year agreement to improve awareness of occupational hazards from traditional industrial robots and emerging robot technologies. The Alliance will also develop educational resources, such as fact sheets and a website, on robotics system safety practices and safety and health programs.
• OSHA offices in Illinois, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Texas signed two-year Alliances with foreign consulates in several cities to provide workers with information, guidance, and access to education and training resources related to occupational safety and health. These include Alliances with the Consulate General of Honduras in Chicago as well as Mexican consulates in Atlanta, Austin, Kansas City, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.

OSHA On-Site Consultation Program Provides Free Training Opportunities

OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program offers free, confidential safety and occupational health advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. The program can also provide small business owners and workers with free safety training. For example, an OSHA consultant and area office director in South Dakota gave a presentation at this year’s Safety Summit Conference of the Associated General Contractors. Their presentation included information on the On-Site Consultation Program, safety contractors, and OSHA's silica and respiratory standards for construction. Contact your state consultation office for more information on the benefits of the On-Site Consultation Program.

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OSHA Resumes Regular Enforcement in Texas and Louisiana

On Oct. 10, OSHA resumed normal operations throughout Texas and Louisiana after temporarily suspending most programmed enforcement actions following Hurricane Harvey. During initial cleanup and recovery operations, OSHA focused its efforts on compliance assistance and outreach to employers and workers in a number of counties and parishes in the two states. OSHA provided safety and health technical assistance to thousands of crews and individual workers involved in hurricane recovery. For more information, see the news release.

New Jersey Contractor Cited for Scaffold Hazards

OSHA has cited the owner of a South Jersey construction company for exposing workers to serious scaffold hazards at a job site in Philadelphia. Inspectors found employees performing work using a scaffold that was dangerously close to power lines. Vyacheslav Leshko, owner of DH Construction LLC, was cited for repeat and serious violations that include exposing workers to fall and electrical hazards, failing to train employees on scaffold hazards and not implementing an accident prevention program. The owner faces $191,215 in proposed penalties. Read the news release for more information.

Alabama Framing Company Cited for Exposing Workers to Fall Hazards

Structural Subcontractors Service LLC, a Birmingham-based structural framing company, was issued willful and serious citations after OSHA inspectors found workers exposed to fall hazards. The agency initiated an inspection as part of a regional emphasis program to limit falls in construction. Inspectors found workers wearing fall protection harnesses, but were not tied off to prevent a fall. Violations also included failing to train employees to recognize fall hazards, and exposing employees to falls of approximately nine feet. The company was proposed penalties totaling $102,669. For more information, read the news release.

California Cites Construction Company for Fall Protection Violations

California OSHA issued two serious citations and $80,000 in penalties to HBuilt Inc. in Oakland for exposing workers to fall hazards. Inspectors determined that the company failed to provide handrails, scaffolding, guardrails, and personal fall protection systems.

Wyoming Cites Contractor for Exposing Workers to Trenching and Excavation Hazards

Wyoming OSHA issued five citations and $111,796 in penalties to Simon Contractors in Cheyenne for exposing workers to trenching and excavation hazards. Inspectors concluded that the company failed to provide: a competent person to inspect the worksite; cave-in protection and form of egress; and protection against hazards produced by an excavator digging near workers in a trench.

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Silica Webpage Updated

Information on silica hazards and related OSHA standards are now in one location on OSHA’s website. The updated silica page contains links to guidance on complying with OSHA’s silica standards in both construction and general industry and maritime, as well as information on silica sampling and analysis, health effects of silica exposure, and answers to frequently asked questions.

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Follow us on Twitter and visit us on Facebook

Thanks for following and retweeting! Continue following @OSHA_DOL on Twitter and visiting the DOL Facebook page for up-to-the-minute OSHA information and resources.

OSHA provides news and commentary on workplace safety and health from its senior leadership, staff and guest contributors on the DOL blog. See our latest posts:

• Cleaning Up, Staying Safe, by Mandy Edens, director of OSHA’s Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management
• OSHA Program for Small Businesses Makes a Big Difference, by Patrick Showalter, director of OSHA’s Office for Small Business Assistance
• An Ounce of Prevention with OSHA Consultation, by Eric R. Lucero, deputy director of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Public Affairs in Atlanta

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