| August 1, 2006 · Volume 5, Issue 15 | |
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| A bi-weekly e-news memo with information, updates, and results from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces. | |
In This Issue New Public Service Announcements Promote Workplace Safety and Health Safety and Health Information Bulletin Addresses Automotive Brake Repair Hazards OSHA Unveils VPP Program for Mobile Workforce in Construction Quick Action by OSHA Compliance Officer Protects Employees from Electrical Hazard New OSHA Fact Sheet Highlights Hexavalent Chromium Shipyard Industry Target of New Safety Alert Virtual Library Now Available on Improving Security at the Workplace Upcoming Speech by Assistant Secretary Foulke Latest Strategic Partnership Activity Regional Alliance Update Most Recent SHARP Certifications 'QuickTips' from QuickTakes New Public Service Announcements Promote Workplace Safety and Health OSHA recently produced television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish featuring former New York Red Bulls soccer star Giovanni Savarese. The 30-second and 15-second video PSA, filmed at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., home for the Red Bulls, features footage of Savarese performing his famous soccer maneuvers and then discussing the value of safety on the job. In both the video and audio PSAs, Savarese urges viewers to call OSHA's toll-free hotline (1-800-321-OSHA), or visit OSHA's Web site for more information on workplace safety and health. Safety and Health Information Bulletin Addresses Automotive Brake Repair Hazards Asbestos-Automotive Brake and Clutch Repair Work is the focus of a new OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin. The document alerts employers and employees about the potential exposure to asbestos and the appropriate precautions to take when working with automotive brakes and clutches containing asbestos. It offers four types of control measures that can effectively reduce employees' asbestos exposure. OSHA Unveils VPP Program for Mobile Workforce in Construction The construction industry stands to gain from a new Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) initiative aimed at meeting the industry's unique needs and characteristics. Mobile Workforce VPP Demonstration for Construction joins VPP Corporate Pilot and OSHA Challenge Pilot as the newest component of OSHA's premier cooperative program that recognizes the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have designed exemplary occupational safety and health management programs. The initiative offers the mobile construction workforce and short term projects with the same opportunity for acknowledgement that fixed site employers receive. "We believe our proposal has the potential to significantly contribute to reductions in injuries, illnesses and fatalities in one of the nation's most hazardous industries," said OSHA Administrator Ed Foulke. Quick Action by OSHA Compliance Officer Protects Employees from Electrical Hazard On Saturday, July 15, while driving through Prospect Heights, Ill., OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer Gary Weil of OSHA's Chicago North Area Office spotted three employees at a construction site performing masonry work from tubular-welded frame scaffolding. Weil saw they were exposed to fall hazards and stopped to initiate an inspection. He discovered a "hot" power line was within 12 inches of the scaffolding and asked the crew's foreman to remove the employees so the line could be de-energized by the local power company. The inspection stems from an OSHA local emphasis program targeting falls hazards in construction. OSHA Supported Scaffold QuickCard (English/Spanish) offers safety tips on working with scaffolding. New OSHA Fact Sheet Highlights Hexavalent Chromium OSHA recently posted to its Web site a new fact sheet focusing on the Health Effects of Hexavalent Chromium. The document, one example of compliance assistance materials that will complement OSHA's final standard on the compound (issued in February), offers preventative measures to reduce the harmful physical effects of hexavalent chromium, explains how employees can be exposed to it, and highlights some of the final standard's requirements. Shipyard Industry Target of New Safety Alert Shipyard employers and employees will benefit from a new safety alert, a product resulting from alliances OSHA signed with the American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Shipbuilding Association, National Shipbuilding Research Program and the Shipbuilders Council of America. Deadly Hydrogen Sulfide and Shipyard Sewage raises awareness about the hazards of sewage systems on both ships and shipyard shore facilities and offers ways to prevent accidents involving hydrogen sulfide gas. Virtual Library Now Available on Improving Security at the Workplace The "Protect Your Workplace" campaign, recently launched by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, highlights avenues to protect all businesses, including federal government agencies, from both physical and cyber threats. The program now features a new virtual library housing information, including OSHA resources, on emergency preparedness, business continuity planning and security guidance. Upcoming Speech by Assistant Secretary Foulke OSHA Administrator Ed Foulke is scheduled to visit Dallas on August 8 to address attendees at the State and Federal OSHA Training Conference. Latest Strategic Partnership Activity OSHA's Tampa, Fla., Area Office recently signed a strategic partnership with Centex Construction and the University of South Florida Consultative Service to protect employees during a major condominium construction project. Enhancing workplace safety for employees working on the Dallas Cowboys Stadium is the focus of a new partnership between OSHA's Dallas Region, Manhattan Construction Co., Rayco Inc. and 3i Construction LLP. Regional Alliance Update Region II: OSHA's Syracuse, N.Y., Area Office and the Board of Cooperative Educational Services recently signed an alliance to educate young employees in Jefferson and Lewis (N.Y.) counties about occupational safety and health. The area office also renewed an alliance with the Manufacturers Association of Central New York to continue promoting safety and health in central New York's manufacturing industries. Region IV: OSHA's Mobile, Ala., Area Office is adding the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center to its "Wiregrass Safety Alliance," a group of organizations committed to helping small businesses in the wiregrass area of Alabama, Georgia and Florida with free safety and health training and information. Region VII: OSHA's Kansas City, Mo., Region renewed for another two years an alliance with Kansas City Power and Light to continue identifying overhead power line hazards and ways to avoid them. There have been no employee fatalities reported since the original alliance was signed in July 2004. Most Recent SHARP Certifications Visit OSHA's "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. 'QuickTips' from QuickTakes OSHA requires employers to make first-aid supplies readily available to its employees. The Medical Services and First-Aid standards (general industry and construction), however, do not dictate what should be included in a first-aid kit. OSHA recommends employers follow American National Standard Institute Z308.1-1998, Minimum Requirements for Workplace First-Aid Kits. Here are some basic products that may help tackle many types of injuries encountered on the job. Employers should routinely survey the needs of their workplace and supplement first-aid kits accordingly. OSHA has more resource information in its Medical and First-Aid Safety and Health Topics page to help employers prevent minor injuries from becoming major ones. Look for more safety and health 'QuickTips' in the next issue. Editor: Elaine Fraser, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999 |