March 1, 2005 · Volume 4, Issue 5
A bi-weekly e-news memo with information, updates, and results from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces.

In This Issue Direct Final Rule on National Consensus Standards Withdrawn Kim Lazor Appointed OSHA Chief of Staff Maritime Advisory Committee Schedules March Meeting Workshop on Chemical Reactivity Hazards Scheduled Philadelphia Region Partners with Pepperidge Farm Chicago Region Sponsors Safety and Health Training This Month OSHA Welcomes Newest Alliance Program Participants VPP Special Government Employees Publication Available Upcoming Speeches by the Acting Assistant Secretary More Worksites Lauded for Superior Safety and Health Management Business Emergency Planning Association Conference in Cleveland Voluntary Protection Programs Activity OSHA Certifies Newest "SHARP" Companies Direct Final Rule on National Consensus Standards Withdrawn      OSHA announced last month the withdrawal of a direct final rule for updating OSHA standards that are based on national consensus and industry standards. The rule was part of an agency effort announced last November to update OSHA standards that reference or include language taken directly from outdated consensus standards. OSHA uses the direct final rule approach on various issues that normally receive universal support from labor and industry. This approach saves regulatory resources on notice and comment rulemaking (when there is no opposition) by eliminating one stage in the rulemaking process. If no significant adverse comments are received, the final rule takes effect. However, as in this case, the agency will proceed with normal rulemaking since one adverse comment was received. That comment will be addressed in a new final rule to be issued shortly. Kim Lazor Appointed OSHA Chief of Staff      Jonathan Snare, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, announced last month the appointment of Kim Lazor as the agency's new Chief of Staff. Lazor has served for the past three years as a special assistant for the agency and has been key to expanding the agency's compliance assistance efforts and stakeholder outreach. As Chief of Staff, Lazor will serve as a senior member of OSHA's management team and work with Snare and others on agency policy, oversight and management. Maritime Advisory Committee Schedules March Meeting     The Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) has scheduled its next meeting in Washington, D.C., for March 31 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Notice of the meeting will be published in the March 2, 2005, Federal Register. Committee work groups (shipyard, longshoring, container safety, traffic safety, safety culture, and health) will meet from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., on March 30. Topics on the agenda include exposure monitoring information on beryllium and silica, shipyard practices on the control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), and analyses of accident causation data. MACOSH focuses on occupational safety and health issues for workers involved in shipbuilding, ship breaking, ship repair, and longshoring in the maritime industries. Workshop on Chemical Reactivity Hazards Scheduled    The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta will be the site next month for a workshop focusing on the safe operation, handling, blending and warehousing of chemicals or chemical wastes. Chemical Reactivity Hazard Management Tutorial for Chemical Handlers is organized and sponsored by participants in OSHA's Reactives Alliance. The workshop will be held April 15 in conjunction with the spring 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) national meeting. Online registration is available, or call AIChE at (212) 591-7338 for more information. Philadelphia Region Partners with Pepperidge Farm    OSHA's Philadelphia Area Office inked a partnership last month with Pepperidge Farm to focus on safety and health issues for workers at the company's Downingtown, PA plant. The three-year partnership will spotlight musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses with a goal to improve the ergonomic safety performance at the plant by four percent annually. OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program has already resulted in more than 350 partnerships that impact more than 13,000 employers and well over half a million workers across the United States. Chicago Region Sponsors Safety and Health Training This Month     Two safety seminars are being offered by OSHA's Chicago Region during March. Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, IL, will be the site of a small business safety and health forum March 16. Topics to be discussed include machine guarding, electrical safety, fall protection, accident investigation, fire safety and teen worker safety. The forum is co-sponsored by the college and the Illinois Onsite Consultation Program. Industrial warehouse safety is on the agenda for a March 18 training seminar at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb. Co-sponsored by the National Safety Education Center at Northern Illinois University, the course will include information on frequently-cited warehouse violations, and spotlight forklift and dock safety, fire and fall protection, and material handling. OSHA Welcomes Newest Alliance Program Participants    ADSC: International Association of Foundation Drilling is the latest organization to join OSHA in a national Alliance. ADSC (formerly known as the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors) will work with OSHA and focus on various safety and health issues impacting employees in the foundation drilling industry, including fall protection, silica, and equipment operation hazards. Two regional Alliances were also formed last month in Dallas. The Southwest Cabinet Makers Association in El Paso, and the Louisiana Chemical Association both joined with OSHA to improve the health and safety of workers in their respective organizations. VPP Special Government Employees Publication Available    You may have read in the last issue of QuickTakes about the Voluntary Protection Programs' (VPP) Special Government Employees (SGE) Program that provides interested persons an opportunity to serve as team members on VPP onsite evaluation teams. OSHA has developed a publication on the program and posted it on the agency's website. The publication describes the SGE program, its role, eligibility requirements, benefits, and features a partial list of companies that currently sponsor their employees for the program. More than 400 qualified SGEs currently serve alongside OSHA safety and health professionals. Upcoming Speeches by the Acting Assistant Secretary     Jonathan L. Snare, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA will travel to Key West, FL, March 2 to deliver a keynote address to the American Bar Association's Occupational Safety and Health Law Committee 2005 midwinter meeting. Snare will speak on OSHA's accomplishments, priorities, and strategic plans for the immediate future. Approximately 125 leaders of the American Foundry Society (AFS) will hear Snare speak on similar themes in Washington, March 11, during the AFS 2005 Government Affairs Committee meeting. More Worksites Lauded for Superior Safety and Health Management     Five worksites throughout the country were spotlighted last month for setting and achieving high standards for worker safety and health. AK Steel Corporation Butler Works in Butler, PA and PLL Corporation's West Region Electric Utilities in the Harrisburg Operating Area earned "Star" status in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs last month. A recognition ceremony was also held last month in Wichita, KS, for Vulcan Chemicals upon receiving their VPP "Star" flag. Finally, Marvin Windows in Grafton, ND, and Welco Lumber Company from Naples, ID, both earned their membership into the VPP "Star" family during ceremonies on Feb. 11 and 24, respectively. Business Emergency Planning Association Conference in Cleveland      OSHA's Area Office in Cleveland will join various business, industry and government entities during the 7th Annual Business Emergency Planning Association (BEPA) Conference and Exhibition on March 4. Presented by the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross, the conference helps businesses and industries prepare for, respond to, and recover from interruptions resulting from natural or man-made disasters and other crisis events. OSHA's Cleveland office will staff an exhibit booth with compliance assistance and other informative materials for conference attendees. Voluntary Protection Programs Activity     The following companies were approved recently for new or continued participation in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP): Region I: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME (New Star); Region IV: Pfizer, Inc., Augusta, GA (Cont. Star); Oxy Chemicals, Muscle Shoals, AL (Cont. Star); Weyerhaeuser, Columbus Pulp & Paper Complex, Columbus, MS (Cont. Star); Olin Corp., McIntosh Plant, McIntosh, AL (Conditional Star); Zachry Construction, Texas Genco Limestone Plant, Jewett, TX (New Star); Huntsman Polymers, Odessa, TX (Cont. Star); Region V: Millennium Chemical Plant 2, Astabula, OH (New Star); Prarie Packaging, Inc., Bridgeview, IL (New Merit); Millennium Chemical Plant 1, Ashtabula, OH (New Star); Region VI: Motorola Fort Worth Campus, Fort Worth, TX (Cont. Star); Baker Hughes-Centrilift, Claremore, OK (New Star); CP Kelco, Okmulgee, OK (Cont. Star); Chevron Phillips, Corporate Office, The Woodlands, TX (New Star); Performance Pipe, Pryor, OK (New Star); and Region VIII: PPL Montana, JE Corette Steam Electric Station, Billings, MT (New Star). OSHA Certifies Newest "SHARP" Companies      OSHA recently certified the following companies as Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) sites: Region I: Hi-Tech Profiles, Inc., Pawcatuck, CT; Hydro International, Portland, ME; Viessmann Manufacturing Co., Warwick, RI; Oracle Lens Manufacturing, Warwick, RI; Laser Fare, Inc., Smithfield, RI; Point Judith Fishermen's Company, Narragansett, RI; Region II: Norwalt Design, Inc., Randolph, NJ; Newark Industrial Spraying, Newark, NJ; Larson Juhl, Paramus, NJ; MCI Optonix, Cedar Knolls, NJ; USR Optonix, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ; Mater Dei Nursing Home, Pittsgrove, NJ; Noville, Inc., South Plainfield, NJ; Schnurmacher Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, White Plains, NY; Warren Tire Service Center, Inc., East Greenbush, NY; Anachemia Chemicals Inc., Rouses Point, NY; Curtis Lumber Co., Inc., Warrensburg, NY; Windowrama Enterprises, Inc., Edgewood, NY; Royal Products Division of Curran Mfg. Corp., Hauppauge, NY; Diamond W. Products, Inc., Albany, NY; Region III: Fairmount Foundry, Inc., Hamburg, PA; Cue, Inc., Cranberry Township, PA; A.W. Mercer, Inc., Boyertown, PA; Region IV: Cox's Wholesale Seafood, Tampa, FL; Precision Econowind, Inc., Fort Myers, FL; Bluff Springs Paper Co. Ltd. Knox Road Division, Kosciusko, MS; Bedford Care of Mendenhall, Mendenhall, MS; Bedford Care Center of Petal, Petal, MS; Edwards Wood Products, Inc. Marshville, NC; Christian Care of New Bern, LLC, New Bern, NC; Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem, NC; Pyrotek, Neco Division, Salisbury, NC; Randolph Vocational Workshop, Inc., Asheboro, NC; Gaston Electronics, Mount Holly Southminster, Inc., Charlotte, NC; Precious Child Academy, Pineville, NC; and Region V: Edstrom Industries, Inc., Waterford, WI. (QuickTakes will publish the most recent SHARP-certified companies from Regions VI–X in the March 15 issue). Editor: Bill Wright, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999