Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
As today’s workplace becomes more complex, regulation of that workplace increases. In this section, you’ll find the practical advice you need to understand exactly what OSHA, other federal agencies, and their state counterparts, require of you, and to comply in the ways that best satisfy both your and their needs. Look also for important court decisions, advice on how to handle enforcement actions, and news of upcoming changes in workplace health and safety law.
Free Special Report: What to Expect from an OSHA Inspection
Key Democrats in Congress say OSHA needs stiffer civil and criminal sanctions – and more active enforcement – to safeguard the American workforce. In yesterday’s Advisor, we told you about a congressional committee report that criticized the agency for failing to address the gross underreporting of occupational injuries and illnesses. The declining injury and illness […]
According to a growing number of reports, OSHA has been seriously understating workplace injuries and illnesses — and relying on flawed audits rather than addressing the problem. Don’t look now, OSHA, but the shoe is on the other foot. The agency that inspects America’s workplaces is itself coming under increasing scrutiny, with lawmakers and academics […]
The agency has announced that nearly 4,000 companies will be subject to unannounced comprehensive inspections in its 2008 Site Specific Targeting (SST) plan. Here’s how they decide on whom to honor with a visit. SST. A few years back, those letters stood for supersonic transport. Then the airlines discovered that flying bigger, slower planes beat […]
If OSHA accedes to Congressional demands and passes a dust standard for general industry, what would you need to do? A look into HR 5522 suggests an answer: Yesterday’s Advisor detailed the dustup that’s been raging in Washington over the issue of combustible dust. This dust, which can be generated in a number of industrial […]
OSHA can pull a surprise inspection at any time. If you’re not available to deal with them, what do you want your line supervisors and managers to do? Here are 8 suggested steps for them to take. As a safety professional, you know there’s always the possibility that, on any day and at any time, […]
OSHA has its up and down days … the days it inspects ladders and scaffolds. This Friday, our Safety Training Tips Editor says you need to do those inspections before they do. OSHA requires a “competent person” to inspect scaffolds. According to the agency, a competent person is one who: Has been trained to understand […]
The 300 Log program is the backbone of OSHA decision making, but only if the information you provide is both timely and accurate. Here are some tips to keep it so. It’s March. That means it’s time to check out big-time college basketball, the first glimmerings of spring … and whether you’ve got your OSHA […]
An OSHA inspection walkaround often determines what charges you’ll face, how long the investigation will last, and how much you’ll pay. Here are tips to keep things under control. The phrase “walkaround” suggests a pleasant stroll through the country. But its meaning changes radically when the person doing the walking is an inspector from OSHA. […]
The agency has preannounced its next “unannounced inspection” effort. Here’s where it will happen, what to expect, and what to do, if an OHSA inspector shows up at your door. Perhaps you’ve read newspaper stories in which the local police preannounce ahead of time where and when they’ll be setting up speed radar. OSHA officials […]
To implement a successful lockout/tagout program, you need 5 key elements, says a top BLR interactive training program. It then proceeds to deliver them to you. Yesterday’s Safety Daily Advisor looked at what the safety education website, siri.uvm.edu, calls the “fatal 5” of lockout/tagout. These missteps, which account for most of the 60,000 injuries and […]