February 1, 2006 · Volume 5, Issue 3
A bi-weekly e-news memo with information, updates, and results from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces.

In This Issue FY 2007 Budget Scheduled to be Announced Feb. 6 OSHA Resumes Regular Enforcement Along Most of U.S. Gulf Coast Reminder to Employers: Post Injury/Illness Summaries Beginning Today Slip Resistance Provision Removed from Steel Erection Standard Upcoming Speech by OSHA's Acting Assistant Secretary OSHA Offers New Guidelines to Help Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Revised Hearing Conservation Focus of New Safety and Health Information Bulletin Training Offered at Atlantic OSHA Training Center Spanish-language Version of Worker Safety and Health Training Set for Chicago New OSHA Partnership Formed to Protect Worker Safety and Health Regional VPP "Star" Recognition Update Regional Alliances Formed with OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs Activity OSHA Certifies Newest "SHARP" Companies FY 2007 Budget Scheduled to be Announced Feb. 6     The President's fiscal year 2007 budget for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will continue to promote a balanced approach to workplace safety and health emphasizing enforcement, compliance assistance and outreach programs, and cooperative programs. The administration's FY 2007 budget for federal agencies will be announced Feb. 6. Visit OSHA's Web site next week for details on the budget proposal. OSHA Resumes Regular Enforcement Along Most of U.S. Gulf Coast     OSHA has resumed regular enforcement of job safety and health standards throughout much of the hurricane-impacted U.S. Gulf Coast. On Jan. 25, normal enforcement was being conducted throughout Florida and Alabama, in Mississippi north of Interstate 10, and in Louisiana except in seven parishes in and around New Orleans. More information on OSHA's role in recovery operations can be found on OSHA's hurricane recovery Web site. Reminder to Employers: Post Injury/Illness Summaries Beginning Today     Beginning today, employers must post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year. Employers are only required to post the Summary (OSHA Form 300A) -- not the OSHA 300 Log -- from Feb.1 to April 30, 2006. Copies of the OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301 are available on the OSHA Recordkeeping Web page. Slip Resistance Provision Removed from Steel Erection Standard    OSHA is revoking a provision of the steel erection standard that addresses the slip resistance of walking surfaces of coated structural steel members. The provision required that coated structural steel meet a specified level of slip resistance when measured using ASTM test methods. Details on the provision's revocation appear in the Jan. 18 Federal Register. Upcoming Speech by OSHA's Acting Assistant Secretary    Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jonathan L. Snare will address attendees of the National Capital Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers Meeting in Washington, D.C., Feb. 16. OSHA Offers New Guidelines to Help Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes     Employers and employees who use motor vehicles for work purposes stand to benefit from new guidelines developed by OSHA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety. The 32-page Guidelines for Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes offers useful information to help employers design an effective driver safety program in their workplace. The motor vehicle guidance is available from OSHA's publications page on the Web, or can be ordered by calling the publications office at (202) 693-1888. Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Revised    Last month, OSHA approved a change to Oregon's occupational safety and health plan to exclude coverage of private sector contractors at Crater Lake National Park. Federal OSHA will now exercise enforcement authority over such employers. OSHA already covers National Park Service (federal) employees at Crater Lake and will now assume jurisdiction and enforcement responsibility over all employees in the park. A Jan. 18, 2006, Federal Register notice has details. Hearing Conservation Focus of New Safety and Health Information Bulletin     Hearing Conservation for the Hearing-Impaired Worker is the focus of a new OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB). Industrial hearing conservation programs may not fully address the specific needs of hearing-impaired workers for hearing protection, communication and for hearing warning signals. The SHIB raises awareness about issues associated with protecting hearing-impaired workers in noisy environments, and provides employers, workers and professional organizations guidance on accommodating hearing-impaired individuals in the workplace when exposed to high levels of noise. Training Offered at Atlantic OSHA Training Center     The Atlantic OSHA Training Center (AOTC), in collaboration with the New York City Transit Authority, will offer the OSHA 5600 Disaster Site Worker Trainer course on Feb. 21 and 22, and again on Feb. 28 and March 1, at 2 Broadway, New York, N.Y., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. AOTC will also be offering the OSHA 500 Trainer for Construction and OSHA 501 Trainer for General Industry courses in Garden City, N.Y., through the Nassau Community College in May. Contact Dr. Koshy, AOTC training manager, at 732-235-9459, or koshyko@umdnj.edu, for more details. Information on courses offered through OSHA's education centers is available on the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers Web site. Spanish-language Version of Worker Safety and Health Training Set for Chicago     OSHA is joining forces with the Illinois On-Site Consultation Program, Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Truman College to offer the Spanish-language version of the agency's 10-hour safety and health course in construction. The two-day course will be offered March 18 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the West Side Technical Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave. Topics include excavations, fall protection, scaffolds, personal protective equipment, electrical safety, and more. Contact Truman College by calling (773) 907-3994 (bilingual). Space is limited. New OSHA Partnership Formed to Protect Worker Safety and Health     Ensuring the safety and health of employees constructing the Life Sciences Building at Cornell University is the goal of a new partnership between OSHA, Skanska USA Building Inc. and 14 building and trades unions. A key goal of the agreement is to eliminate accidents and injuries stemming from major construction hazards. Through its Strategic Partnership Program, OSHA and its partners agree to work cooperatively to address critical safety and health issues. Regional VPP "Star" Recognition Update     Region VI: OSHA's Dallas Region recognized ExxonMobil Port Allen Lube Oil Bottling Plant and its primary resident contractor, Jacobs JE Merit Constructors Inc., as Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) "Star" sites. Frank Strasheim, acting Dallas regional administrator, also recognized Dupont Fluoroproducts Corpus Christi Plant, Ingleside, Texas, for receiving "Star" certification for its safety and health management system. Region VIII: Gregory J. Baxter, Denver regional administrator, recognized the U.S. Postal Service facility in Huron, S.D., for its outstanding commitment to workplace safety and health. The most noteworthy aspects of the site's program are its comprehensive employee training programs, safety captain system, housekeeping and emergency practice drills. Regional Alliances Formed with OSHA     Region I: Safer and more healthful working conditions for Haitian, Spanish and Portuguese-speaking health care workers in southeastern New England is the goal of a new alliance between OSHA's Braintree, Mass., and Providence, R.I., area offices, states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and the International Medical Center for Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Region II: OSHA's Tarrytown and Albany, N.Y., area offices teamed up with the New York Medical College School of Public Health (SPH) to focus on providing Hudson Valley employers and workers, including immigrant and young workers, and SPH students with information and guidance to help reduce and prevent exposure to workplace hazards. Helping New York state employers reduce and prevent their employees' exposure to workplace safety and health hazards is the focus of a new alliance between OSHA's New York region and the New York State Workers' Compensation Board. Region V: The Illinois Small Business Development Center Network teamed up with OSHA's Aurora, Peoria, Chicago North and Calumet City, Ill., area offices to help employers and workers recognize and prevent job-related hazards, and increase access to information and training resources. Region VII: Establishing a collaborative relationship to help Mexican citizens working in Nebraska protect their working conditions and labor rights is the goal of a new alliance between the Department of Labor's OSHA and Wage and Hour Division, Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court, Nebraska Workforce Development and the Consulate of Mexico in Omaha. Voluntary Protection Programs Activity     The following companies were approved last month for new or continued participation in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP): Region VI: Halliburton Energy Services, Duncan Technology Center, Duncan, Okla. (New Star); Jones Lang LaSalle at Motorola, Ft. Motorola, Texas (New Star); Temple Inland, Buna Lumber Operations, Buna, Texas (New Star); Dell Inc., Parmer South Building 3, Austin, Texas (New Star); KXAS-TV/NBC 5, Fort Worth, Texas (New Star); Motorola Automotive, Sequin, Texas (Cont. Star); DynMcDermott Petroleum Ops., Big Hill Site, Winnie, Texas (Cont. Star); Valero St. Charles Refinery, Norco, La. (New Star); Zachry Construction at Equistar Chemicals, Victoria, Texas (Cont. Star); International Paper, Edinburg, Texas (Cont. Star); Shaw Constructors Inc., Clean Fuel Project, Garyville, La. (New Star); Pratt & Whitney, Dallas Aerospace Operations, Carrollton, Texas (New Star) Region VII: ICP Performance Products LP, St. Louis, Mo. (Cont. Star); Eaton Corporation, Hastings, Neb. (New Star); EnerSys Inc., Hays, Kan. (Cont. Star); U.S. Postal Service, Richard G. Wilson Processing and Distribution Facility, Cape Girardeau, Mo. (New Star); Monsanto, Kearney, Neb. (Cont. Star) Region VIII: BlueLinx Corporation, Sioux Falls, S.D. (Cont. Star); U.S. Postal Service, Dakota Central Processing and Distribution Facility, Huron, S.D. (New Star); 3M Company, Aberdeen, S.D. (Cont. Star); PPL Montana LLC, Kerr Dam Hydro Electric Station, Polson, Mont. (Cont. Star) Region IX: U.S. Postal Service, Midway Processing and Distribution Facility, San Diego (New Star) and Region X: Department of the Navy, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash. (New Star). (See the Jan. 15, 2006, issue of QuickTakes for the most recent VPP activity for Regions I-V.) OSHA Certifies Newest "SHARP" Companies     OSHA recently certified the following companies as Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) sites: Region VI: Jason International Inc., North Little Rock, Ark.; Greene's Energy Group, Lafayette, La.; Houma Fabrication, Houma, La.; Acord Transportation, Chandler, Okla.; Newell Coaches Corporation, Miami, Okla.; Kel-Tech Incorporated, Midland, Texas; Kopriva Cabinets, Temple, Texas; Standard Sales, Odessa, Texas; Sun Gro Horticulture, Terrell, Texas Region VII: Lakepoint Nursing & Rehab Center, El Dorado, Kan.; Scoular Company Big Springs, Big Springs, Neb.; Scoular Company, Grant, Neb. Region VIII: Agland Inc. Petroleum Division, Lucerne, Colo.; Chaco Inc. Warehouse, Delta, Colo.; Henningsen Cold Storage Co., Grand Forks, N.D.; Northern Electric Cooperative Inc., Redfield, S.D.; Star Valley Lumber, Etna, Wyo.; Teton Truss Operation, Etna, Wyo. Region IX: Hatachi Automotive Parts Inc., Torrance, Calif.; KB Homes Coastal Inc., San Marcos, Calif.; PSC Industrial Outsourcing, Benicia, Calif.; Jack's Tours Inc., Hilo, Hawaii; Kimi Hotel Inc. (Maui Seaside Sands Hotel), Kahalui, Hawaii; Antioch Company, Sparks, Nev.; Basalite, Carson City, Nev.; Bonanza Casino, Reno, Nev.; Carson Valley Inn, Minden, Nev.; Horizon Specialty Hospital, Las Vegas, Nev.; Trex Company Inc., Fernley, Nev.; Wyman Gordon, Carson City, Nev. Region X: North Slope School District, Barrow High School, Barrow, Alaska; North Slope School District, Ipalook Elementary School, Barrow, Alaska. (See the Jan. 15, 2006, issue of QuickTakes for the most recent SHARP-certified companies from Regions I-V.) Editor: Elaine Fraser, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999