One way Safety Services Company helps companies

When you make the call to 1 (877) 804-8785 or request free information one of the website advisers you might talk to is Steven Miller, down here at our Yuma, Arizona office.

At 26, Steven is married to his wife Nicole and started as a manager with the company two years ago before becoming what we call a Corporate Safety Adviser. He made the switch so he could personally help business owners evaluate their safety program.

Steven has lived in Yuma for five years and in his free time volunteers with the local church and youth in the community. “Yuma is a beautiful desert town that is very tourist driven. A lot of growth and construction takes place. Great people, great food and lots of great activities on the Colorado River.”

Because Steven spends his time at work fielding phone calls and e-mails from people and businesses in every possible situation, he is a wealth of information on the type of safety information people are looking for and how Safety Services Company can help.

Q.  What satisfaction do you take out of your job?

A. Being able to provide a prompt and courteous service to customers in immediate need of the service I can provide, and being able to inform a customer like no other company in the industry could.

Q. What is it like at work?

A. In order to best assist our customer and provide the right service we must maintain a positive attitude.

Q. Explain how the Occupational Health and Safety Association  (OSHA) works.

A. OSHA requires all companies to do three things. They have to train their employees, they have to document policies and procedures in place outlining safety policies. Also they have to have labor law posters. The intent is to keep all employees safe from hazards in the workplace.

Q. How does someone find out about the OSHA Rules?

A. I can e-mail you some references on the regulations, but really simply I can take a few minutes of your time, go through a questionnaire and tell you what your specific training needs are. There are two types of training that you have to have in place. Ongoing training which enforces your policies and procedures and something called confident person training.

U.S. Government Free Apps

At about this time last year, when I was in the Safety Services Company shipping department in charge of shipping our safety posters, throughout the country I might have found it helpful to have some kind of application, say on my phone to quickly check that a zip code correctly matched with the city I was shipping it to.

What a difference a year makes because now I’m sitting at a computer charged with helping you find the information you need to safely operate your business and the U.S. Government has its own “apps store” with a truly helpful United States Postal Service (USPS) web app. With it you can track a package, find a nearby USPS location, find a zip code for an address and find what cities are in a zip code.

Some are more helpful than others. For instance the usa.gov mobile app is little more than a portal to their blog. In related news, the government has its own blog? Some like the White House app are still for iPhone only, but others have Android and Blackberry versions.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Mobile App, might sit on your phone unused for a very long time, yet come in real handy if you need to deal with a natural disaster like a hurricane. It has information for before, during, and how to contact FEMA for assistance after an emergency.

Thanks to the fuel economy web app, I know that my car’s carbon footprint is 9.3 tons of CO2 a year and I might spend $2,070 a year on fuel. I never thought of how much I spend on gas in a year.

And speaking of fuel, my favorite web app on the list is the My Food-A-pedia. Where I calculated that this morning’s vending machine breakfast of a granola bar and Coke has accounted for 285 calories and half an ounce of my daily recommended 6 oz of grains

Are there any others on this list of 20 apps that you might use? What is an app that you’ve found yourself wishing was out there, but isn’t made yet?

U.S. vs U.K. HSE safety terms

When it comes to working people around the world, the United States and the United Kingdom have many similarities, and one is the regard for workplace safety. Like OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) in the U.S., the U.K. has an HSE (Health and Safety Executive) which enforces a legal requirement that :

“Every employer shall ensure that his employees are provided with adequate health and safety training…” – The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

And in the U.K. preparation of our training program of over 700 “toolbox talks” training safety meetings which have been successful in the United States and Canada, I was reminded of one quote relating to how our common language has diverged over the centuries.

“England and America are two countries separated by a common language” a quote often attributed to George Bernard Shaw represents a truth more important than you may realize.

Or is the correct word realise?

For example, I’ve been watching reruns of the British science fiction comedy Red Dwarf for years without knowing the helper robots they called spanners was a joke in itself. A “spanner” is the United Kingdom’s counterpart for “wrenches” all over the United States.

Different Words Same Meaning

This is all part of a group of words that just evolved differently on each side of the pond, yet make perfect sense when you think about the origin.

Making a “call” in the U.S. is the same as giving someone a “ring” in the U.K., and a “lock out” program can be recognized as a “lock off” programme. Gasoline in America is petrol in England so a “gas station” in New York is similarly a “petrol filling station” in London.  Subsequently a “propane” vehicle over here is a “LPG-fuelled” (Liquid Petroleum Gas) over there.  And all of this fuel or should I say fuell wouldn’t go into a semi but an LGV. If you didn’t know that’s a Light Goods Vehicle.

Further translations from the U.S. to the U.K.: your garbage that you put in a can is really rubbish going into the bin that is collected in the waste skip out on the kerb, and will eventually be driven away by a dumper and collected by the tonne.

In the office , an AC power cord in the states is a main’s power cord in Great Britain, and where the former might be connected to a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter), the later would be an ELCB (Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker).  Which brings me to the fact that grounding your equipment, is just as sensible as earthing it. Off course if all this electricity goes out at night you would be reduced to using a torch instead of a flashlight. Or I suspect, fumbling around disorganized drawers for one in the dark. I’m sure there are universal truth’s no matter what country you live in.

On a work site, you may wear a facepiece instead of a facemask, but my personal favorite is that I think it is much more impressive to be wearing some “ear defenders” instead of plain old “ear protection.”

Have I covered everything? Of course not, so please chime in on any you want to add or to point out anything you recognise that I have explained incorrectly.

Safety Discussions : Should BP Face Criminal Charges?

Dr. David Michaels (Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) recently stated that he wants to push for Criminal Penalties in cases of employer negligence of employee safety.  Given the context of the quote, it is inferred that he wishes for ‘the powers that be’ at BP to face charges.

“It’s an unfortunate fact that monetary penalties just aren’t enough. We believe that nothing focuses the mind like the threat of doing time in prison, which is why we need criminal penalties for employers who are determined to gamble with their workers’ lives and consider it merely a cost of doing business when a worker dies on the job.”

- Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor (OSHA)

We want to know what you think, given the information we have at this point, do you feel somebody at BP needs to face Criminal Penalties?

Sound off in the comments section or by sending us an email, info@safetyservicescompany.com

Source : OHSOnline.com

Oil Cleanup Safety : How to Get Started

The requests for topics on Oil Cleanup Safety materials have been overwhelming since the BP Disaster.  We thought it would be helpful to provide a basic overview of oil cleanup safety, where to get started and what the requirements are.

First off, it’s important to remember that the gulf oil cleanup is a massive coordinated effort that cannot possibly be perfect.  In addition to the dangers of exposure to crude oil, chemical additives, dispersants and cleaning chemicals, workers are forced to deal with all the standard job-site hazards such as sharp objects, falls, drowning, wildlife and heat exhaustion in the dizzying gulf summer.  We do know that OSHA is taking this seriously, however.  Some quick facts provided by OSHA :

OSHA Currently has more than 2,000 federal employees overseeing the efforts of 25,000 workers and 5,000+ boats.

OSHA is working with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH ) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to ensure that appropriate training is provided to workers that BP is hiring to help cleanup the oil. Emphasis is placed on ensuring workers were trained in a language and vocabulary they understand. OSHA, along with NIEHS, continues to monitor this program. In response to recently received information, OSHA is in the process of increasing the training requirement for crews on vessels engaged in offshore oil recovery

OSHA personnel were deployed to the Gulf the week of April 26th. Since then OSHA personnel have been deployed to all 17 staging areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. OSHA staff is on the ground monitoring worker safety and health and assessing whether BP is providing appropriate worker safety and health protections. In coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, OSHA staff also board near-shore vessels doing booming, skimming operations, and in situ burning operations, and are stationed on offshore vessels for longer periods.

Every day OSHA has over 146 professionals protecting workers throughout the Gulf Region, 25 of whom are assigned solely to the Oil Response Clean up. OSHA staff is in the field and on boats to make sure BP is protecting cleanup workers from health and safety hazards. In addition, OSHA’s Health Response Team (from Salt Lake City) arrived in Louisiana on May 6th to provide technical support (for worker exposure monitoring) to OSHA response site personnel.

OSHA staff have made over 1000 site visits, covering the vessels of opportunity, staging areas, decontamination, distribution, and deployment sites.

When OSHA finds safety problems on site visits or learns about them from workers, it brings them to the attention of BP and makes sure they are corrected. OSHA also raises its concerns through the Unified Command so they are addressed across the entire response area. OSHA is ensuring that workers are provided, free of charge, appropriate personal protective equipment such as boots, gloves and other protective equipment as needed.

If you would like to get involved with oil spill cleanup, or have lost your employment due to the oil spill, we highly recommend visiting the CareerOneStop website, which is a great comprehensive resource and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.  Access by clicking the links below :

• Alabama
• Florida
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Texas

OSHA’s golden rule : Your employer is responsible for training you in the hazards of your job in a language that you understand BEFORE YOU BEGIN WORK.  They are responsible for determining the amount and length of training based on your job duties and hazards.

OSHA’s basic training fact sheet states :

• If you are doing work that does NOT involve materials contaminated by the spill, you must receive a 1.5 hour training session
• If you ARE doing work cleaning up anything contaminated by the spill, you must receive a minimum of 4 hours of training which are supervised by people with more than 40 hours of Hazardous Operations training.
• The company or contractor you work for is also responsible for establishing safe work practices and giving you the personal protective equipment you need to do your job safely.
• They are also responsible for developing a health and safety site plan and sharing it with you.  The plan should have information about all the job site hazards and requirements for working safely.

Resources and Links :

• OSHA’s most recent update on the oil spill cleanup efforts (6/17/10)
• NIEHS Oil Spill Cleanup Initiative : Safety Awareness for Cleanup Workers (English | Spanish)
• NIEHS Oil Spill Safety Awareness Poster (English | Spanish)
• OSHA Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Fact Sheet
• ATDSR Fact Sheet for Fuel Oils
• EPA Fact Sheet : Response to Oil Spills

We’d like to hear your thoughts and opinions!  Please share with us via email or by submitting a comment on the blog.

OSHA and Scaffold Industry Association: Promoting Safety and Health in Construction Industry

HOUSTON—U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Scaffold Industry Association (SIA) signed a new regional alliance that aims to enhance workplace safety for construction workers in the states of Louisiana and Texas.  

We welcome this opportunity to join with the SIA toward emphasizing employer awareness of hazardous working conditions in the construction industry,” said Dean McDaniel, OSHA’s regional administrator in Dallas, Texas.

“It is hopeful that this cooperative effort will help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities.” 

OSHA’s Region 6 will now work with SIA to develop educational training programs relating to scaffold and fall hazards, as well as applicable American National Safety Institute (ANSI) consensus standards. The agreement will establish communication methods for providing information to employers and employees in the construction industry. 

Present at the signing were SIA president Bill Breault, SIA south central region president Chris Moody, SIA south central chapter vice president Paula Manning, David Doucet, Mark Hernandez and Mark Briggs, all with OSHA, and Eric Schmidt with the SIA. 

SIA president Bill Breault said he hoped this alliance would be a starting point for more regional alliances to come.

We are really excited about this opportunity for the members in our region to work hands on with OSHA,” Moody said. 

OSHA cites Cranesville Block Co. for Safety and Health Hazards

Recently, another company caught OSHA’s attention and was faced with $45,500 in fines for a number of violations.

Cranesville Block Company, a plant at Kingston, N.Y., had serious violations on chemical and electrical hazards and lack of equipment for workers. Specifically, OSHA found blocked exits, workers lacking safety glasses and gloves while working with acid, unlabeled containers of hazardous chemicals, unmarked electrical equipment, exposed live electrical parts and moisture in electrical equipment.

Edward Jerome, the OSHA area director in Albany, found the recurring nature of the hazards disturbing. He said,

Employees at this plant are exposed to the hazards of electrocution, burns, eye and hand injuries, and being unable to swiftly exit the workplace in the event of fire or other emergency. This employer must address these hazards effectively and continually now and in the future.”

Two repeat citations were issued against the company–$27,500 in fines, for the lack of personal protective equipment and the unlabeled containers of chemicals, as it had cited the company in 2009 for similar hazards at Cranesville Block’s Fishkill and Glens Falls, N.Y., locations and the issuance of six serious citations earned them $18,000 in fines. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.

One means of preventing recurring hazards is for employers to establish an effective comprehensive workplace safety and health program involving their workers in proactively evaluating, identifying and eliminating hazards,”

said Robert Kulick, OSHA’s regional administrator in New York. Cranesville Block has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, participate in an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

No Safety Violations on Disney Stunt Performer’s Death

February 17, 2010–OSHA has cleared Walt Disney World after a 6-month investigation on the incident that led to the death of a worker. Anislav Varbanov, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular performer died after he was seriously hurt while rehearsing for the show.

The cast member died on August 18 last year at Hollywood Studios—it was the third work-related employee death in less than two months.

Mark Priest, 47, died after complications from an injury he suffered during a performance at the Magic Kingdom.

Austin Wuennenberg, 21, a monorail pilot, died after another train backed into the one he was operating July 5, 2009.  Disney was cited for four safety violations in the monorail crash, and fined more than $35,000.

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular has run at Disney’s Hollywood Studios since 1989, the year the park opened.

“Simple Solutions – Ergonomics for Construction Workers” – Released in Spanish

NIOSH released “Soluciones Simples – Soluciones ergonómicas para trabajadores de la construcción”, a Spanish translation of “Simple Solutions – Ergonomics for Construction Workers”.

Construction is one of the most physically demanding occupations. Workers are exposed to different kinds of hazard on a daily basis. Falling from heights, electrocution and exposure to hazardous materials are just some of the dangers that they encounter in the workplace. One hazard that they can easily avoid, or at least reduce the risk of having, is work related muscoskeletal disorders.

This booklet offers practical ideas to help reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury in common construction tasks.

Soluciones Simples responds to employers’ and workers’ needs for practical guidance written for construction workers whose first and perhaps only language is Spanish, said NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard

For more information about the booklet, please visit these links.

• Spanish
• English

Post Your OSHA 300A Log!

Starting February 1 up to April 30 all companies that are subject to OSHA recordkeeping policies are required to post their OSHA 300a log.

What is an OSHA 300a log?

An OSHA 300a log is a summary of work-related injury and illnesses that occurred in 2009 and recorded in the OSHA 300 log.

 Who should post this?

Companies that employ more than 10 workers are required to keep an illness and injuries record. If your company presently has 10 employees but had more than 10 at one point during the last calendar year you are required to keep an injury and illness record.  Other businesses classified in a specific low hazard retail, service, finance, insurance or real estate industry listed in Appendix A to this Subpart B are exempted from keeping a log.

 Where should we post this?

This should be posted in a common area where it is easily noticeable to most of the employees.

Your OSHA 300A log must be posted from Feb 1 – April 30

For more information about recording and reporting occupational injuries and illnesses click here.