| May 1, 2008 · Volume 7, Issue 9 | |
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| A twice monthly e-news memo with information, updates, and results from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces. | |
In This Issue Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign Launched on TODAY Show OSHA Hosts Informal Hearing on Proposed Rule on Confined Spaces in Construction ACCSH Travels to Washington for May Meeting Root Causes and Accident Investigations Focus of NSC Webinar May 4-10 Marks Observance of North American Occupational Safety and Health Week OSHA to Showcase Exhibit in Detroit and Washington New England OTI Education Center Offers Maritime Industry Training Opportunity Industrial Warehouse Safety Seminar Slated for Illinois Alliance Program Activity "QuickTips" from QuickTakes Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign Launched on TODAY Show On April 21, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao launched OSHA's 2008 Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign on NBC's TODAY show. OSHA launched the fourth year of its youth public awareness campaign at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, where the agency and teens from SkillsUSA, an OSHA Alliance Program participant, demonstrated safe work practices for some of the most common tasks that teens are likely to encounter in summer jobs. OSHA hosted and participated in local events and activities around the country to help educate teenagers on how to stay safe and healthy on the job. Activities included career fairs, youth programs, expos, career days and training seminars. OSHA is striving to reduce work-related injuries among teenagers by teaching them on-the-job safety early in their careers. The multi-year project focuses on industries in which young people are likely to work during their high school and college years. This year's campaign focuses on construction, with an emphasis on residential construction. The campaign is part of OSHA's Young Worker Initiative, which provides information and resources to teenagers, parents, educators and employers to ensure safe and rewarding work experiences for these summer employees. More information about workplace safety for teens is available at www.osha.gov/teens. OSHA Hosts Informal Hearing on Proposed Rule on Confined Spaces in Construction OSHA is inviting the public to participate in an informal public hearing on the proposed rule for Confined Spaces in Construction. The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 22, 2008, at the U.S. Department of Labor's Frances Perkins Building in Washington. On Nov. 28, 2007, OSHA published the proposed Confined Spaces in Construction Standard to address construction-specific issues as they relate to confined spaces and to establish comprehensive procedures to protect employees. More details on the hearing are available in the April 21 Federal Register. ACCSH Travels to Washington for May Meeting Washington, D.C., is the site for the May 15-16, 2008, meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). The meeting will be held at the Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., and begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. ACCSH meetings are open to the public. Details can be found in the April 29 Federal Register. Root Causes and Accident Investigations Focus of NSC Webinar The National Safety Council (NSC) will host a Webinar on May 20 from 10 to 11 a.m. CDT focusing on accident investigations to correct and prevent future incidents. Featured speaker is Lisa Long, an OSHA safety engineer specializing in process safety. Prior to this on May 14, NSC will sponsor a Webinar on "Are You Communicating Safety?" featuring Joann Dankert, senior consultant with NSC. For information and registration, call NSC Customer Service at 800-621-7619. May 4-10 Marks Observance of North American Occupational Safety and Health Week Through the OSHA and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) alliance, both organizations and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) will kick off a week highlighting how developing and implementing effective safety systems is good for business and for life. The North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week is May 4-10, and is a joint venture between the United States, Canada and Mexico to raise awareness of occupational safety, health and environmental programs among employers, employees and the public. Winners of the ASSE kids' "Safety-on-the-Job" poster contest, their families, along with partners representing all industries and close to 150,000 businesses, will celebrate during NAOSH kickoff events Monday, May 5, in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Capitol. Through OSHA's alliance program, more than 40 alliance program participants, including the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association and the National Safety Council, are supporting the event through numerous NAOSH Week-related activities, including dissemination of safety and health outreach materials to employers and employees. OSHA to Showcase Exhibit in Detroit and Washington OSHA will host an exhibit with compliance assistance and other informative materials for attendees at the Brownfields Conference and Expo at the Cobo Center in Detroit, May 5-7. This forum, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International City/County Management Association, features interactive discussions, educational presentations, mobile workshops, and networking opportunities with business, government and nonprofit organizations working at the enterprising edge of brownfields redevelopment. In honor of Public Service Recognition Week observed May 5-11, OSHA will showcase its exhibit on the National Mall in Washington along with many other federal, state and local government agencies. OSHA's exhibit will also be featured at the Asian Pacific American Federal Career Advancement Summit on May 15. This event helps respond to the shortage of Asian Pacific Americans in high-level positions in the federal government by offering training and other career enhancement opportunities to these individuals. New England OTI Education Center Offers Maritime Industry Training Opportunity OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center and the Keene State College Safety Center will offer the first OSHA #5400 Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Maritime Industry on May 12-15, 2008, in Manchester, N.H. This targeted Outreach Training Program course is designed for individuals interested in becoming trainers and teaching the 10- and 30-hour maritime safety and health outreach program to their employees and other interested groups. Registration information, master course schedule, local area accommodations, and directions are available at www.keene.edu/conted/osha.cfm, or by calling 1-800-449-OSHA (6742). Industrial Warehouse Safety Seminar Slated for Illinois Employers and employees involved with material movement, warehousing or storage, and distribution of products or materials will benefit from attending the OSHA #7005 Industrial Warehouse Safety Seminar from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 12, 2008, in the Engineering Building at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Ill. Officials from OSHA's Chicago region will share their expertise on the hazards and ways to avoid the hazards associated with moving and warehousing materials and products. To register, call 1-800-656-5317 or visit the NIU-National Safety Education Center Web site at www.earnyourcard.com. Space is limited. Alliance Program Activity National Office: OSHA and the American Foundry Society renewed an alliance to continue providing safety and health information on personal protective equipment, heat stress, and reducing and preventing exposure to silica among employees in the metalcasting industry. Preventing hazards associated with powered industrial trucks is the goal of an alliance renewed between OSHA and the Industrial Truck Association. Region II: OSHA's Avenel, N.J., area office, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development On-Site Consultation Program, and the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce formed an alliance to protect the safety and health of employees in Union County, N.J. Region III: Employers and employees in the local roofing industry stand to benefit from an alliance launched among OSHA's Philadelphia region, the Roofing Contractors Association, and the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local #30 to promote workplace safety and health. "QuickTips" from QuickTakes Healthy Vision Month is an annual observance coordinated by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health each May to encourage Americans to make vision a health priority even in the workplace. Potential eye hazards can be found in nearly every industry. That is why OSHA is reminding employers and employees about the importance of eye protection on the job. Here are some ways to avoid occupational eye injuries.
Editors: Elaine Fraser & Kimberly Tucker, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999 |