Tag: OSHA
GHS Review: Part 2
In yesterday’s GHS review, we talked about compliance guidelines, how GHS has changed HazCom, and GHS-compliant labeling requirements. Today, we review issues involving the SDS and employee training. Manufacturers, importers, or distributors must provide a safety data sheet (SDS) to their customers for each hazardous chemical at the time of the first shipment of the […]
7 Steps to World-Class Safety Performance: Part 2
Yesterday, we reviewed the first 4 steps toward world-class safety performance. Today, we present the rest. 5. Be Ready for Anything Be prepared to handle a wide-range of unexpected events effectively. Emergency plans should anticipate all possible contingencies. Make sure your plans include at least the following: Procedure for reporting emergencies Evacuation policy, procedures, route […]
7 Steps to World-Class Safety Performance: Part 1
Today, we present the first 4 steps, and tomorrow we’ll review the rest. 1. Engage Employees Involving employees in the safety process is essential to safety success. It provides a way for them to demonstrate and share their commitment while building pride, ownership, and skills. Here are a few proven methods to spark participation:
GHS Review: Are You Moving Toward Compliance?
The deadline for training employees on the SDS and GHS labels was December 1, 2013, so you should already have done that. The next deadline is June 1, 2015, when chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors must comply with all the requirements of the GHS rule (e.g., hazard classification, SDS format). Then, by December 1, 2015, all […]
The Book on Ladder Safety: OSHA Issues New Ebook
As part of its Fall Prevention Campaign, OSHA has ventured into a new area: ebook publishing. What, you might ask, do ebooks that can be read on computers and other electronic devices have to do with fall prevention? OSHA is hoping that its new 16-page booklet, Falling Off Ladders Can Kill: Use Them Safely, will […]
Fall Protection: What OSHA Requires
Falls are a leading cause of workplace injury and death. Fall protection also routinely makes OSHA’s Top 10 Violations list every year. Employees fall for many reasons: unstable working surfaces, improperly positioned ladders, misuse of fall protection, and unprotected sides and edges of working surfaces. OSHA says that you must set up your worksite to […]
What You Should Know About OSHA’s Annotated PEL Tables
Yesterday, we focused on OSHA’s safer chemicals toolkit. Today, we turn to its annotated PEL tables. OSHA recognizes that many of its permissible exposure limits (PELs) are outdated and inadequate for ensuring protection of worker health. Most of OSHA’s PELs were issued shortly after adoption of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, and […]
OSHA’s New Chemical Safety Tools: A Closer Look
Recently, OSHA announced two new tools designed to help employers protect their workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals. The first tool helps employers identify safer chemicals and the second is a web resource called the “Annotated Permissible Exposure Limits,” or annotated PEL tables, which OSHA says will enable employers to voluntarily adopt newer, more protective […]
The Risk of MSDs from Tasks That Add No Value to the Product
Yesterday, we looked at the potential ergonomic pitfalls of lean manufacturing. Today, we look at the flip side: “non-value-added tasks.” What if you could reduce your manufacturing costs, improve productivity, and prevent ergonomic injuries all at once? Sound too good to be true? It may not be, according to Chris Shulenberger, Certified Professional Ergonomist with […]