The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) renewed a Regional Emphasis Program (REP) focused on enforcement inspections in three mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia in industries with high levels of workplace noise, which can contribute to worker hearing loss, the agency announced November 28.
The Region 3 emphasis program applies to area offices in Delaware; Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; and West Virginia. Maryland and Virginia have their own OSHA-approved state workplace safety and health programs.
The REP is focused on hearing loss risk in industries identified by OSHA and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data that include:
- Sawmills and wood preservation
- Wood container and pallet and other wood manufacturing
- Plastics and product manufacturing
- Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing
- Plate work and fabricated structural product manufacturing
- Ornamental and architectural metal products
- Coating, engraving, heat treating, and allied activities
- Fabricated metal product manufacturing
- Ship and boat building.
The regional directive renews an REP first established in 2018. The REP expires in five years unless renewed. The new REP added sawmills and wood preservation, other wood manufacturing, and ornamental and architectural metal products to the list of targeted industries.
OSHA acknowledged National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that potential hearing loss is a hazard for about 22 million U.S. workers. In 2021, the BLS found about 12,000 workers suffered work-related hearing loss, with 9,700 of them being workers in the manufacturing industry.
“Noise controls are the first line of prevention against permanent work-related hearing loss,” Michael Rivera, OSHA’s Region 3 administrator, said in an agency statement. “By reducing noise levels even by a few decibels, employers can better protect employees, improve communication and stop excessive noise from distracting workers.”
OSHA area offices in Allentown, Erie, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; and Charleston, West Virginia, are conducting inspections and offering assistance for small employers.
OSHA’s Philadelphia regional office is offering an online discussion of the noise REP on December 13 at 1 p.m. Registration is available at https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdeyhqTorEjhuqC_RGh8Ro–pQAym4zQ.
OSHA, school building contractor form strategic partnership
On November 28, OSHA announced a new strategic partnership with MEJA Construction Inc. to promote safety and health practices, help prevent worker injuries, and reduce exposure to worksite hazards during the construction of Forest Park Middle School in Clayton County, Georgia.
The partnership also includes the Georgia Institute of Technology’s On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program. The Forest Park Middle School construction project includes a campus with a 212,000-square-foot building; 16,000-square-foot gym; and football field and track and field complex, according to OSHA.
OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program works with employees, employers, labor organizations, professional and trade associations, and other stakeholders to establish specific goals, strategies, and performance measures for worker safety and health. The agency’s other cooperative programs include alliances, on-site consultation, the OSHA Challenge program, and Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).
OSHA’s partnerships encourage contractors to:
- Develop and implement safety and health programs.
- Provide safety and health training to employees, employers, and supervisors to reduce the number of injuries and illnesses.
- Increase safety and health training.
- Reduce workers’ overexposure to health and safety hazards.
- Increase the number of employers with comprehensive safety and health management systems. Safety and health management programs are voluntary at the federal level, and California has a formal injury and illness prevention program standard.