May 15, 2006 · Volume 5, Issue 10
A bi-weekly e-news memo with information, updates, and results from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces.

In This Issue OSHA Focuses on Keeping Teen Workers Safe and Healthy This Summer Spaces Available for Second Annual Emergency Preparedness and Response Conference Spanish-language Version of Worker Safety and Health Training Available OSHA Upgrades e-HASP Software New SHIB Focuses on Overhead Launching Gantry Crane Hazards Workplace Eye Safety Focus of Healthy Vision Month 2006 OSHA QuickCard Plays Role in Saving Hurricane Recovery Worker's Life Worker Safety Trial Results in Guilty Verdict Recent VPP Approvals Showcased Online "Who's Newly SHARP" Web Page Debuts OSHA Renews National Alliance, Signs New Regional One Strategic Partnerships Signed in Missouri On the Road with the Assistant Secretary Latest Conference and Meeting Information OSHA Focuses on Keeping Teen Workers Safe and Healthy This Summer     Approximately 80 percent of U.S. teens work annually at some time during their high school years, many during the summer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2004, more than 38,000 teen workers were injured on the job, and another 134 were fatally injured. OSHA is committed to driving down those numbers. That's the inspiration that drove the agency to recently launch its Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign, a multi-year project to increase awareness about workplace hazards, and provide possible solutions to those hazards, for young workers and their parents. This year's theme is "Landscaping: Plant Your Feed on Safe Ground." OSHA developed a resource kit-accessible via OSHA's Teen Workers Web page-to educate young workers, parents, employers and educators on workplace safety. Drop-in articles, suitable for reproduction, address working in the sun and heat, protecting against pesticide hazards, avoiding strains and sprains, and working safely in landscaping. Video samples and high resolution photos of landscaping safety tips, featuring demonstrations performed by high school students, are also available online. Spaces Available for Second Annual Emergency Preparedness and Response Conference     Registration is still open for the Second Annual Emergency Preparedness and Response Conference at the University of Findlay's School of Environmental and Emergency Management in Findlay, Ohio, June 5–6. This year's theme is "An All Hazards Approach to Health and Safety." The conference offers the opportunity for participants to network with peers, exhibitors, and leaders from industry and government as they focus on safety and health of first responders and other workers. Training courses will follow on June 7 and 8. Spanish-language Version of Worker Safety and Health Training Available    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 general industry 10-hour safety and health course. The two-day course will be held June 27-28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Chicago's West Side Technical Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave. To register, contact Truman College by calling (773) 907-3994 (bilingual). Space is limited. OSHA Upgrades e-HASP Software     OSHA recently updated the computer software for generating a site-specific health and safety plan (HASP) for hazardous waste sites required under the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard. The e-HASP2 program is more practical and user friendly to health and safety professionals for providing "model" language acceptable to OSHA in preparing a site's HASP. It also features an updated chemical database and embedded decision logic to assist in identifying hazards associated with site-specific contaminants and choosing effective site controls for worker protection. New SHIB Focuses on Overhead Launching Gantry Crane Hazards    OSHA published a new Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB) to highlight specific workplace hazards. OSHA's Toledo, Ohio, Area Office recently investigated a fatal accident involving the collapse, during a launch sequence, of an overhead launching gantry crane used during segmental bridge construction. The Overhead Launching Gantry Crane SHIB outlines specific methods for workers and employers to address the hazards and prevent future accidents. Workplace Eye Safety Focus of Healthy Vision Month 2006     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. This year the focus is on eye safety at work. OSHA has an electronic assistance tool on the proper use and selection of eye and face protection. The training module includes information on selecting personal protective equipment, discusses OSHA requirements in providing eye and face protection, and also includes a list of frequently asked questions on the topic. OSHA QuickCard Plays Role in Saving Hurricane Recovery Worker's Life     Quick thinking by co-workers along with information prepared by OSHA are credited with saving the life of a worker involved in cleanup and recovery operations in New Orleans, May 4. A debris monitor was taking a rest break at the base of a 20-foot high tower where workers examine debris prior to disposal. Tower monitors noticed his slurred speech and profuse sweating. After summoning a supervisor, the worker's condition had deteriorated to the point of no sweating, and dry and clammy skin. The supervisor immediately called 9-1-1 while the tower crew referred to OSHA's Heat Stress QuickCard (that had been affixed to the tower's wall) for first aid information. Emergency medical technicians arrived, began an intravenous line and immediately transported the worker to a nearby hospital. Heat stroke was confirmed by the attending physician who verified that the first aid provided by the crew saved their co-worker's life. Worker Safety Trial Results in Guilty Verdict     Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Company, a subsidiary of McWane Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., and four of its managers were found guilty last month of committing flagrant abuses of worker safety and environmental laws. The outcome stems from a continuing investigation by the Justice Department into McWane's history of contempt for workplace safety and the environment. It is the fifth conviction for a division of McWane Inc. in two years. On June 4, 2003, OSHA cited Atlantic States for six repeat, three serious, and three other-than serious violations with proposed penalties of $130,000. The fines resulted from an investigation into a Dec. 7, 2002, accident involving an amputation. Recent VPP Approvals Showcased Online     Visit "recent approvals" on the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) page of OSHA's Web site to see the latest list of employers recently approved for new or continued participation in VPP. We encourage you to explore the entire VPP site to learn more about OSHA's premier cooperative program. "Who's Newly SHARP" Web Page Debuts    OSHA recently unveiled its new "Who's Newly SHARP" Web page featuring the latest list of companies recently certified as Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) sites. The SHARP program recognizes small employers who operate an exemplary safety and health management system. OSHA Renews National Alliance, Signs New Regional One    OSHA recently renewed its alliance with the Industrial Truck Association to continue improving upon the safe operation of powered industrial trucks. Researching and identifying hazards in Maine workplaces to reduce occupational injuries and illnesses are the goals of a new alliance between OSHA's Augusta, Maine, Area Office, the Maine Occupational Research Agenda, and SafetyWorks!, the state's safety and health consultation service. The three entities will promote training for employers and employees on construction and general industry hazards. Strategic Partnerships Signed in Missouri     OSHA's Kansas City, Mo., Region inked two partnerships with labor, management, trade and state organizations to focus safety and health efforts for construction workers at two major projects: the Sprint Center project, a seven-level, 693,000 square-foot sports complex, in downtown Kansas City; and the Boone Hospital parking deck project in Columbia, Mo. On the Road with the Assistant Secretary     OSHA Administrator Ed Foulke will present OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs "Star" flag to Monsanto World Headquarters, Creve Coeur Campus and the Chesterfield Village Campus during a special ceremony, May 15 in St. Louis. Foulke will return to Washington to address attendees at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Relations Committee meeting, May 16. He will travel to Chicago on May 17 to deliver a keynote address at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exposition. OSHA will set up an exhibit booth with compliance assistance and informative materials for attendees. On May 22, Foulke will deliver a keynote address at the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations' 2006 Legal and Legislative Conference in Arlington, Va. Latest Conference and Meeting Information     OSHA recently posted more safety and health-related conference and meeting information to the events page on its Web site. Check for activities near you. Editor: Elaine Fraser, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999