| May 15, 2008 · Volume 7, Issue 10 | |
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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 New Key Personnel Appointed in OSHA Latest Safety and Health Information Bulletins Focus on Auger Drilling and Wood Chippers New Fact Sheet Available on Safety and Health Management Systems MACOSH Travels to Florida for Meeting Labor Department Unveils New elaws® Advisor OSHA Offers Grant Application Tips OSHA Prepares for Hurricane Season Eastern Ky. University OTI Education Center Offers Outreach Trainer Course in Louisville OSHA to Showcase Exhibit at National Conferences Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing Achieves VPP Star Status Alliance Program News Latest Voluntary Protection Programs Activity Upcoming Events "QuickTips" from QuickTakes New Key Personnel Appointed in OSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., announced the appointment of two new regional administrators, a new communications director, and the new director of OSHA's Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs. Ken Nishiyama-Atha is the new regional administrator for the San Francisco region. He previously served as acting deputy regional administrator in Region III, headquartered in Philadelphia, and as area director in Columbia, S.C., and Mobile, Ala. John Hermanson is the new regional administrator for Region III. Hermanson previously served as deputy regional administrator for Region VIII, headquartered in Denver. Jennifer Ashley is the new director of the Office of Communications. Ashley previously served as the director of communications for the International Association of Fire Chiefs and as the associate director of external affairs for the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Steven F. Witt is the new director of the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs. Witt previously served as the director of OSHA's Directorate of Construction. Latest Safety and Health Information Bulletins Focus on Auger Drilling and Wood Chippers OSHA published two new Safety and Health Information Bulletins to highlight specific workplace hazards. Hazards of Auger Drilling raises awareness about the serious hazards associated with operating powered augers and highlights safe workplace practices designed to protect employees from those hazards. The risk of injury or death from the improper operation of wood chippers is the reason behind the bulletin Hazards of Wood Chippers. This bulletin identifies specific work practices for employers and employees to address caught-in and struck-by hazards and prevent accidents. New Fact Sheet Available on Safety and Health Management Systems Effective Workplace Safety and Health Management Systems is the latest in a series of fact sheets on various topics that OSHA produces for employers and employees. This new fact sheet pinpoints OSHA's resources for helping employers design a safety and health management system (SHMS). It also provides a checklist of action items for each SHMS element. MACOSH Travels to Florida for Meeting The Wyndham Jacksonville Riverwalk Hotel in Jacksonville, Fla., is the site for the two-day meeting of the Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH), beginning May 20 at 8 a.m. MACOSH focuses on occupational safety and health issues for maritime employees involved in shipbuilding, ship breaking, ship repair, and longshoring. Details on the meeting are in the April 25 Federal Register. Labor Department Unveils New elaws® Advisor Employers stand to benefit from a new elaws® Advisor debuted by the U.S. Department of Labor earlier this month. The FirstStep Recordkeeping, Reporting and Notices elaws®Advisor helps employers determine what recordkeeping, reporting and notice requirements apply to them under major laws administered by the department, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act. It has been integrated with the revised and expanded FirstStep Poster and FirstStep Employment Law Overview Advisors. All three Advisors help employers identify the federal employment laws relevant to them and explain how to comply with the requirements. This new suite of elaws® Advisors is available at www.dol.gov/elaws/firststep. OSHA Offers Grant Application Tips OSHA has released a new Helpful Tips for Improving Your Susan Harwood Grant Application PowerPoint presentation to assist those interested in applying for a Susan Harwood Training Grant. Grant applications must be received electronically via www.grants.gov no later than 4:30 p.m. EDT on May 23, 2008. This year, approximately $6.7 million is available for training. These grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations to provide training and education programs for employers and employees on OSHA-selected safety and health topics. OSHA Prepares for Hurricane Season OSHA is gearing up for hurricane season by assembling a variety of QuickCards™ and fact sheets on topics such as cleanup hazards, decontamination and tree trimming that will be distributed to OSHA offices in areas most vulnerable to these natural disasters. OSHA's hurricane recovery Web page features many of these resources. Eastern Ky. University OTI Education Center Offers Outreach Trainer Course in Louisville The Eastern Kentucky University OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center is offering OSHA course #501 Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for General Industry on June 17-20, 2008, at the Jameson Inn (East) of Louisville, Ky. This Outreach Training Program course is designed for individuals interested in becoming trainers and teaching the 10- and 30-hour general industry safety and health outreach program to their employees and other interested groups. Registration details are available at http://www.ceo.eku.edu/osha/registration.php. For additional information, contact Kathy Murphy at 859-622-2961 or kathy.murphy@eku.edu. OSHA to Showcase Exhibit at National Conferences OSHA will host an exhibit featuring compliance assistance and informative materials for conference attendees at the American Industrial Hygiene Association Congress and Expo in Minneapolis. The Congress and Expo will run from May 31 - June 5; OSHA's exhibit will be featured during the Expo from June 2-4. The agency will also showcase its exhibit at the American Society of Safety Engineers' Safety 2008 Conference, June 9-12 in Las Vegas. Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing Achieves VPP Star Status On April 30, OSHA recognized the Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing of Duluth, Minn., as the first U.S. Air Force inductee to the agency's highly acclaimed Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) with a star rating. This status can only be achieved by an organization's steadfast commitment to demonstrating an effective worksite-based Safety and Health Management System (SHMS). In VPP, management, labor and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented comprehensive SHMS. Approval to VPP at the star level is OSHA's official recognition of outstanding efforts on the part of both employers and employees who have strived to achieve exemplary occupational safety and health records. Alliance Program News Region V: Employers and employees in the construction industry will benefit from an alliance renewed between OSHA's Chicago North area office and the Lake County, Ill., Contractors Association. OSHA's Cleveland area office formed an alliance with the Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, to develop training and education programs for construction and food service students who will potentially work in these industries. Providing safety and health education to apprentices and journeymen is the goal of a new alliance established between OSHA's Calumet City, Ill., area office and the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 Apprenticeship and Skill Improvement Program. Region VI: OSHA's Dallas region renewed an alliance with the Houston Chapter of the Associated General Contractors to continue improving the safety and health of Houston's Hispanic construction employees. Region VIII: Ensuring the safety and health of Colorado employees working in general industry and construction is the focus of a new alliance signed between OSHA's Denver Region and the OSHA Training Institute Rocky Mountain Education Center at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colo. Latest Voluntary Protection Programs Activity Visit "recent approvals" on the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP ) page of OSHA's Web site to view the most recent list of employers approved for new or continued participation in VPP. We encourage you to examine the entire VPP site to learn more about how OSHA's cooperative programs can help protect employees and reduce workers' compensation costs. Upcoming Events OSHA posted more safety- and health-related conference and meeting information to the events page on its Web site. Look for activities near you. "QuickTips" from QuickTakes Emergency Medical Services Week is May 18-24, 2008. This week is dedicated to those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine's "front line." Among those individuals that work on that "front line" are hospital emergency department employees. These individuals are at particular risk for exposure to blood, other potentially infectious materials (OPIM), and bloodborne pathogens because of the immediate, life-threatening nature of emergency treatment. The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires precautions when dealing with blood and OPIM. For a complete explanation, visit the Healthcare Wide Hazards section for Bloodborne Pathogens in OSHA's Hospital eTool. Below are a few highlights from this area. OSHA's Hospital eTool focuses on some of the hazards and controls found in the hospital setting, and describes standard requirements as well as recommended safe work practices for employee safety and health. This eTool, a "stand-alone," interactive, Web-based training tool, is just one of the many resources on OSHA's Web site that provide information to employers and employees on how to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. Turn to your next issue of QuickTakes for tips on another safety and health topic. Editors: Elaine Fraser & Kimberly Tucker, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999 |