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OSHA’s illumination standards for construction (29 CFR 1926.56) and shipyard employment (29 CFR 1915.82) are intended to ensure that specific work areas or areas where workers are stationed or passing through are provided with lighting that is sufficient to enable the workers to see hazardous conditions and avoid injury. The standards set minimum lighting requirements […]
On Monday, three news releases from OSHA covered recent enforcement actions. Two of them were taken against construction companies that failed to protect employees from trenching hazards, and one of the enforcement actions was unfortunately taken only after two employees were killed.
Struck-by object is one of OSHA’s Construction Focus Four topics (along with falls, electrocution, and caught-in-between), collectively the four hazards that year-to-year result in more than half the fatalities in the construction industry.
Q. How do I know if my site has any post-construction stormwater regulations?
Citations against a contractor cited more than 40 times for scaffolding violations have been upheld by the commission that reviews contested OSHA cases. Despite years of enforcement activity, this employer has not shown encouraging signs of changing its ways. Get details here.
Q. Throughout our construction project, we have amended our SWPPP several times. What are our obligations now that we have altered our SWPPP?
Sure, in a global sense, you’re worried about climate change—for your kids and future generations. But, now, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH), it’s a new worry for you professionally. Now you have to consider the effects of climate change for your workers, i.e., your current workers. Today we will review findings […]
At a municipal storage facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, a painting contractor was conducting abrasive blasting to remove paint from water tanks. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection showed that the workers were overexposed to airborne lead—and to other airborne contaminants as well. If the employer had paid attention to its lead compliance, it […]
At a municipal storage facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, a painting contractor was conducting abrasive blasting to remove paint from water tanks. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection showed that the workers were overexposed to airborne lead. As a result, OSHA issued several serious and willful violations against the employer for violations of the […]
This week is the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) fall safety stand-down, when OSHA and its partner organizations encourage employers nationwide to take time out of the workday to address fall hazards in their workplaces. Different fall hazards require different solutions, so OSHA recommends that employers begin by determining what types of fall […]