Got Safety Questions? Get Expert Answers

Here’s a brief sampling of questions about general safety that some of your colleagues have sent in to the experts at Safety.BLR.com.

Q. How do I determine the amount of light needed in a workplace?

A. Lighting requirements vary widely according to the type of workplace and activity—warehouse, confined space, tunnels, construction sites, temporary versus permanent lights, emergencies, office, computer stations, maintenance rooms, outside or inside lighting.

Some rules measure lighting intensity as a foot-candle, which is a measure of illuminance on a surface equal to one lumen per square foot.
In most cases, the rules simple say that adequate lighting must be provided to enable workers to complete their job tasks safely.

OSHA’s construction standard for illumination (29 CFR 1926.56) and general industry standard for hazardous waste sites (29 CFR 1910.120[m]) sets specific illumination intensities. The illumination rule requires several levels of intensity of lighting measured in foot-candles:

• 
  Excavation and waste areas, accessways, active storage areas, loading platforms, refueling, and field maintenance areas—3 foot-candles
• General work area—5 foot-candles
• Corridors, hallways, exits—5 foot-candles
• Indoor work areas—10 foot-candles
• First-aid stations—30 foot-candles

The construction rules require construction employers to refer to a national consensus standard, American National Standard Institute (ANSI) A11.1, “Practice for Industrial Lighting,” for recommended values of illumination that are not listed in the above rule.

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Q. Is there any OSHA regulation requiring that there be a motion sensor to stop the operation on a motorized overhead door?

A. OSHA has no specific regulatory requirements. However, the technology is readily available and, under the General Duty Clause, employers are required to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards. See the following press releases from OSHA. Companies were cited for failing to protect employees from the hazards of an overhead door.

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=
NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=1325

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=
NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=10144

Q. Are portable electric heaters allowed at employee workstations?

A. OSHA does not specifically regulate portable electric heaters. However, the employer must decide if this is an unsafe condition under the General Duty Clause. The employer must also ensure that all electrical equipment used by employees meets or exceeds OSHA standards. Local fire laws or codes may prohibit portable heaters.

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Q. Do you know of any OSHA training requirements for the office environment?

A. Very little OSHA training is required specifically for office workers, but there are a few requirements that do apply:

• You must explain the process for reporting emergencies to office workers (e.g., fires, explosions) (29 CFR 1910.165).
• You have to train one or more employees in first aid, or at least designate someone who is trained in first aid (e.g., local volunteer firefighters) to administer it during an emergency (29 CFR 1910.151). A Red Cross first-aid course will suffice as training.
• In states where a safety committee is required, safety committee members must be trained to perform their tasks.
• If your company is required under OSHA regulations to have an emergency action plan (and most are), you must train employees to evacuate in an emergency (29 CFR 1910.38).
• If your company is required under OSHA regulations to have a fire prevention plan (and, again, most are), you must inform employees when they are first assigned to a job about the fire hazards they are exposed to and tell them how to protect themselves (29 CFR 1910.39[d]).

Tomorrow, we’ll share a few more questions and tell you more about some of the other great features you’ll find at Safety.BLR.com.

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