Workplace Safety News & Notes - January 2018

OSHA Respirator Sign

Here's a collection of workplace safety news from around the web this month:

Court Rejects Appeals to Silica Rule

In 2016, OSHA published a final rule regulating workplace exposure to silica, Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (29 CFR 1910, 1915 and 1926). Industry groups petitioned for review of the rule, but the U.S. Court of Appeals recently rejected all five of their challenges, leaving the rule in effect. Read more.

 

CDC Study Finds High Asthma Deaths in Construction, Healthcare

A new CDC study of asthma mortality shows that up to 700 asthma deaths in 2015 might have resulted from occupational exposures - and could have been prevented. The study found significantly elevated asthma mortality ratios for men in the food, beverage and tobacco products manufacturing industry, and for females in the social assistance industry and community and social services occupations. By industry, the highest number of asthma deaths occurred among men in the construction industry and among women in the healthcare industry. Learn more.

OSHA Penalties Increased This Month

3 Ways to Stay OSHA Compliant at All Times

Keeping your employees safe at work involves much more than posting a few safety signs and cleaning up spills as they happen. For most business owners, it also requires complying with the rules set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

While you want to keep your valued team as safe as possible while on the job, you might be uncertain how to stay OSHA compliant at all times. Fortunately, with a combination of vigilance and being pro-active, it is possible to make sure your company remains fully OSHA compliant. Here's how.

Research which OSHA requirements pertain to you

2018 State / Federal Labor Law Posters Now Available at ComplianceSigns.com

Across the U.S., employers are required to display state and federal labor / employment notices in a conspicuous location to help maintain compliance with state and federal labor posting requirements. Now employers and Human Resources professionals can order U.S.-made labor law posters from the same source they trust for top-quality safety and office signs: ComplianceSigns.com.

These 2018 employment posters combine state and federal notices into one easy-to-hang poster that displays up-to-date mandatory federal and state labor / employment notices for private industry or non-government entities. We've researched and developed posters for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, and all have been reviewed by a licensed attorney. We've done the research so employers can use them with confidence.

New App Helps Employers Understand Cost of Collisions

U.S. traffic crashes cost employers $47.4 billion in direct crash-related expenses (including medical care, liability, lost productivity and property damage), according to data from 2013. A single non-fatal injury crash had an average cost of nearly $65,000. Driver behaviors on and off the job contribute significantly to these costs. Now a new tool is now available to let employers measure the cost of crashes.

The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) has released a free Cost of Collisions Calculator, developed through a cooperative agreement with NHTSA, to assist employers' vehicle safety efforts. You can use it to help improve vehicle safety and reduce costs in your operation.

The crash cost calculator includes three components:

• On-the-Job Crash Costs
• Off-the-Job Crash Costs
• Return on Investment (ROI) Guidance Calculator

The application is intended for employers who want to understand the cost of crashes incurred by their fleets, in addition to the on- and off-the-job costs of crashes for all their employees and their employees’ dependents. Knowing a fleet’s costs can help management develop a business case to supports investments in fleet safety. Knowing the on- and off-the-job crash costs for all employees and their dependents provides employers with justification to invest in employee-wide safe driving programs.