Drive Safely Work Week

Happy Thursday! 


In our ongoing effort to prevent employee injuries, we call to your attention to an excellent new program developed by the US Department of Transportation in partnership with The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS.) 2011 “Drive Safely Work Week” - October 3-7. For a free downloadable toolkit, go to the NETS website www.trafficsafety.org/. 


If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact the Lovell Safety Department at 212-709-8899 or visit us at www.lovellsafety.com!www.lovellsafety.com. Be safe!

Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors

From the CDC, a terrific article on nail gun safety: 

Nail guns are widely used on many construction jobs, especially in residential construction. While they boost productivity they may also cause tens of thousands of painful injuries each year. This publication is intended to provide a resource for residential home builders and construction contractors, subcontractors, and supervisors to prevent these kinds of injuries.
The guidance was developed in response to a unanimous motion by industry, state, and labor stakeholders on OSHA’s Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) on the need to develop awareness and materials about nail gun risks. OSHA and NIOSH worked together to make sure the guidance reflects the most current information available...
View a message from the Directors of NIOSH and OSHA supporting the nail gun safety guidance. NIOSH-OSHA-Nail-Guns-Cover-Letter.pdf [PDF - 289 KB]

Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors [PDF - 1,618 KB]

Thank you as always to the good folks at NIOSH publications and CDC for useful and timely info!

Summary of the Making Green Jobs Safe Workshop

The good folks at CDC NIOSH have a pdf summary of their Making Green Jobs Safe Workshop here.

...The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), through the Prevention through Design Program, launched the Going Green: Safe and Healthy Jobs initiative to make sure that green jobs are good for workers by integrating worker safety and health sustainability. Green jobs, which have been defined broadly as jobs that help improve the environment and enhance sustainability, offer opportunities as well as challenges for workers. Examples of green jobs include manufacture, installation, and maintenance of solar panels and generators; construction and maintenance of wind energy turbines; jobs related to recycling; jobs related to the manufacture of green products; and jobs where green products are used in traditional fields such as agriculture, healthcare, and the service sector. In some instances, the hazards to workers may be similar to those in established industries. However, some green and sustainable practices may pose new health concerns for workers.

Click here to go directly to the pdf. 

OSHA issues 2011 annual inspection plan for protecting workers in high-hazard workplaces

U.S. Department of Labor and OSHA issue 2011 annual inspection plan for protecting workers in high-hazard workplaces:

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its annual inspection plan under the Site-Specific Targeting* 2011 (SST-11) program to help the agency direct enforcement resources to high-hazard workplaces where the highest rates of injuries and illnesses occur.
The SST program is OSHA's main programmed inspection plan for non-construction workplaces that have 20 or more workers. High-hazard workplaces identified in the SST program reported above-average work-related injury and illness rates, based on data collected from a 2010 OSHA Data Initiative survey of 80,000 larger establishments in selected high-hazard industries. Establishments are randomly selected for inspection from a primary list of 3,700 manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and nursing and personal care facilities.
"By focusing our inspection resources on employers in high hazard industries who endanger their employees, we can prevent injuries and illnesses and save lives," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. "Through the SST program we examine all major aspects of these operations to determine the effectiveness of their safety and health efforts."
Two changes have been made to this year's SST program. In 2010, only those establishments in the selected industries with 40 or more employees were subject to inspections under the SST plan; this year, that number has been reduced to 20 or more. An evaluation study measuring the program's impact on future compliance with OSHA standards has also been introduced for the 2011 program.

Albany, New York October 18-19, 2011: 5th Annual Safe Patient Handling Conference

From the good folks at the New York State Department of Labor, check out the 5th Annual Safe Patient Handling Conference in Albany on October 18th and 19:

Welcome to the 5th Annual Safe Patient Handling Conference, jointly sponsored by the New York State Department of Labor and the New York State Zero-Lift Task Force.

Whether you are an experienced healthcare worker or just beginning your career, this conference will give you knowledge and skills that will benefit you at work. We will introduce you to the latest technology and best practices to improve how you interact with patients. By sharing knowledge and resources, we can keep both patients and caregivers safe and healthy.

For information on Continuing Education credits available, check out the NYS Department of Labor Education Credits page here. 

Horrible Bosses: Workplace violence in the real world

Such a great article here from the CDC and NIOSH's Science blog about workplace violence.

Horrible bosses. If you've had one, hopefully they were not as bad as those portrayed by Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and Colin Farrell in the newly released movie of the same name. While the plot and characters are exaggerated and the comic elements may not be to everyone's taste, the movie highlights the very real issues of work stress and violence. Each week in the United States, an average of 33,000 workers are assaulted on the job and 14 are murdered...

Read the NIOSH Stress at Work page here; check out more useful info at the CDC's NIOSH Science blog here.

Incorrectly refurbished circuit breakers: electrical hazard alert from US DOL

Here's a very useful electrical hazard alert from the US Department of Labor:

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently learned of a hazardous condition that may exist in certain molded-case circuit breakers modified by a third-party rebuilder. The breakers may have an actual rating of 600 volts AC (alternating current) (VAC) or less, but are labeled as 1,000 VAC and may contain incorrect parts that can cause the breaker to malfunction.

...

OSHA bases the details of this alert on an alert issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) entitled, "Hazardous 3rd Party Modified Circuit Breakers [66 KB PDF, 2 pages]."

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Here is an interesting editorial from John Howard, M.D., Director, National Institute For Occupational Safety And Health (NIOSH): Statement On Labor Day 2011.

A brief excerpt:

...The changing dynamics of the work environment and the changing demographics of the work force pose similar concerns. Knowing that the health and safety needs of the increasingly diverse U.S. workforce differ from those of the predominantly male workforce of the 20th Century, we are challenged to find ways to meet those needs.

Emergency preparedness and response have also emerged as a critical component of occupational safety and health. We are reminded again of that imperative as we approach the 10th Anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, and as rescue and recovery efforts proceed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene...

Check out CDC NIOSH's website here -- lots of good info and news.

Fall Protection Policies video from OSHA

Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels explains OSHA's fall protection polices for residential construction here.

Maximim Benefit Rate Increase

According to the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board there's been an increase in the maximum benefit rate for accidents or dates of disablements on or after July 1, 2011. The new maximum rate is $772.96 for individuals with wages of $1,159.44 or greater. The previous maximum benefit rate that applied to accidents on or after July 1, 2010 was $739.83.