Workplace Safety Awareness Council Blog

I just arrived back from a presentation in Fort Lauderdale Florida for a group of Facility and Maintenance Managers. My presentation was entitled "Top 10 OSHA Violations in a Built Environment" and I'm happy to say it was a rousing success!

I had the opportunity to speak with a number of building managers and chief engineer types and one of the common issues was "cryptic nature" of the OSHA regulations. . .

I hear this a lot. In fact it seems that this perception is what keeps most organizations from developing a sustainable safety program.

The good news is that OSHA compliance does not need to be difficult, time consuming or expensive. In fact we've just announced a new webinar which will provide you with a roadmap for OSHA compliance in 6 easy steps.

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

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OK, so Where do I Start and are There Only 6 Steps?
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Like any big project, you have to break it down into bite-sized steps. . .
We can breakdown OSHA compliance into 6 major steps:

(1) Conduct "Job Hazard Analysis" of potentially dangerous tasks

(2) Develop written safety programs that address these hazards

(3) Train employees on proper safety procedures when working around these hazards

(4) Conduct regular safety inspections so dangerous items can be corrected

(5) Be sure to remember the "Administrative Requirements" like OSHA recordkeeping and posters

(6) Get familiar with the OSHA regulations that speak to your hazards

Once we examine each of these six steps and develop a system for completing each, the goal of OSHA compliance gets easier.

How many of these steps has your organization completed?
Do you understand and have you mastered each of these steps?

If you're finding OSHA compliance to be difficult of time-consuming, why not join our webinar on the ABC's of OSHA Compliance. . .

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

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The 5 Reasons we Are Not OSHA Compliant and Our Rebuttal
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(1) This responsibility was dumped in our lap with no warning, much less any training

Rebuttal: Deal with it! If your name is going to be attached to it, you better protect yourself (and your job) and figure this out.

(2) I'm too busy with my "real job" to spend time on safety

Rebuttal: You need to organize your safety program so its on "auto-pilot". That way you're not taking too much time from your "real-job". See also rebuttal #1.

(3) The regulations are too complicated and I'm lost

Rebuttal: This is true until you learn how to look up the OSHA regulations.
Remember the first you went to the library to check out a book?
I do - I was in first grade and was utterly lost - until I learned the Dewey Decimal System.
Learn OSHA's system and this become a non-issue.

(4) My employer doesn't care about safety and compliance issues

Rebuttal: Your employer doesn't understand the potential return on investment a safety program can bring. Typically for every $1 spent on safety programs, organizations get a $3 - $4 return. That's pretty good right? Wouldn't it be nice to turn your safety program into a "profit center"?

(5) OSHA won't bother us so why worry about being compliant

Rebuttal: You've been lucky! The fact is under our new Administration OSHA has been given
more authority and is better funded. In fact they are in the process of hiring additional compliance officers. Beware of complacency. . .

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

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You're Invited to the "ABC's of OSHA Compliance" Webinar
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Are you responsible for OSHA compliance in your organization?
If so you’ve probably realized its not always easy to understand the often confusing OSHA standards. Many people in this scenario simply give up resulting in unsafe work practices and non-compliance.

Learning Objectives:

By attending this webinar you will learn:

• 6 easy steps to a safe and compliant worksite
• Administrative requirements (paperwork) that is often overlooked
• Lean how to look up OSHA regulations (it’s not as hard as you think)
• A 5 step process for answering any OSHA question
• Understand what training you are required to provide employees
• The MBWE formula for safety inspections – this is critical!
• How to quickly create the written safety plans that OSHA requires

This webinar is a must for organizations who want to be proactive in their safety programs. By attending you’ll learn how to quickly and easily become OSHA compliant while protecting your most valuable resource - your employees!

http://tinyurl.com/ABC-OF-OSHA

Labels: OSHA Training, Training webinar, workplace safety

We just finished up a great OSHA Bootcamp in Oklahoma City last week. Our thanks go out to the wonderful participants who joined us for two-days. Those who attended came away with a true gameplan for compliance. Each received a copy of the OSHA Navigator PRO software and are well on their way to a safer workplace.

What makes the OSHA Bootcamp unique, is the small number of participants we allow to attend. We find that when our Bootcamps are kept small (12 or fewer attendees) the participants get more from the training event, and that’s our goal.

One problem though. . .

Although we have ten Bootcamps scheduled this year, each are sold out and we can't take on additional registrations. We may be offering additional Bootcamps later this year (after the Fall) but right now the only way you can experience the OSHA Bootcamp is to bring it onsite.

We don't charge per person. Our fee is all inclusive (meaning we pay for all travel arrangements etc) and it’s a very effective way to get your staff trained and OSHA compliant. Many of our clients have found that the savings achieved from conducting an OSHA Bootcamp onsite more than covers the cost of the training!

To find out more about the OSHA Bootcamp and how to bring it onsite visit:
http://www.wpsac.org/bootcamp.html

Labels: 10 Hour OSHA Card, OSHA Bootcamp, OSHA Training, Safety

The Workplace Safety Awareness Council has been awarded a Federal grant to develop and deliver free OSHA training covering this newly updated electrical standard and the half-day classes are filling up quickly - in fact we've averaged 100 people in each class and half of the classes filled up where we had to shut down registrations!

Each attendee will receive a CD-ROM filled with training documents, video and PowerPoint that you can take back and train your employees.

There are only 13 classes left!

June 15 Buffalo, NY
June 16 Syracuse, NY
June 17 Albany, NY
June 18 Springfield, MA
June 19 Boston, MS

July 13 Philadelphia, PA
July 14 Newark, NJ
July 15 Trenton, NJ
July 16 New York, NY
July 17 Providence, RI
July 21 San Juan, PR

August 10 Louisville, KY
August 11 Nashville, TN
August 12 Memphis, TN

To find out more or to reserve your seat at this free class just visit:
http://www.wpsac.org/free.html

Labels: Arc Flash, Free OSHA Training, NFPA 70E, OSHA Training, PPE

It would seem that 250lb linebackers who run a 4.5 second 40 yard time and violently collide into other professionals at equal size and speed would be dangerous enough. . .

Last week in Irving Texas, however the unexpected happened. During a microburst up to 70-mph winds, the Cowboys 85 foot tall practice bubble collapsed. Nearly 70 players, coaches, and members of the media were inside the steel framed structure.

A total of 12 people were injured including a 33-year-old Dallas Cowboys staff member who was
left paralyzed. Scouting assistant Rich Behm suffered a spine fracture that caused permanent paralysis from the waist down, the team confirmed Sunday.

Thankfully, nobody died however the life of Rich Behm has been forever changed. Now, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is onsite.

Representatives of Summit Structure of Allentown, Pa., and Cover-All Building Systems, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which built the facility, could not be reached Sunday.

In 2007, a Pennsylvania judge, relying on Timbie's expert assessment, found that a structure Summit built for the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority on the Delaware River collapsed because of "failure of the design" to account for snow buildup on the roof, court documents show. That structure had a double roof construction, which is different from the Dallas Cowboys' structure.

Judge Allan Tereshko wrote that the Philadelphia structure collapsed "under the weight of the first significant snowfall" of the year, conditions that "would have been easily tolerated by the building had it been properly designed and constructed."

Based on first impressions it appears that Summit Structure is in hotwater once again for a substandard building.

Questions remain however for the Dallas Cowboys: Did they do their due diligence in selecting a trustworthy vendor?

Did they ensure that all inspections were completed by their local municipality (there is a rumor that final inspections didn't happen)? Did the Cowboys develop a "severe weather policy" which would require personnel to leave the practice bubble and seek more suitable shelter?

No doubt the courts and OSHA will quite busy figuring this one out. . .

The lesson for you? Analyze your workplace for hazards (including severe weather hazards) and create policies and deliver training to protect employees.

Need an incentive? Hurricane season is right around the corner. . . .

Labels: Dallas Cowboys, OSHA, OSHA Compliance, OSHA Training, OSHA Visit, Severe Weather Policy

Just arrived back from the TFM Forum at the Del Coronado in San Diego. What a great hotel and what a great event! We were able to meet in small focus groups and discuss safety one-on-one - what a great experience.

One issue that came up was the changes to OSHA that we can expect now that we have a new President in office. You've probably heard me say that when we have a Republican in office we typically don't see many changes to OSHA. Reason? The focus is on keeping the "business machine" churning and we don't want to add regulations that may negatively impact business.

When a Democrat is in office we typically see OSHA get more funding and more regulations created. After all, the Democratic platform is "looking out for the little guy".

Recently President Obama put together a report on the upcoming budget and it had some very interesting things to say about the OSHA budget. You can read the report in its entirety(fy10-newera.pdf) but page 83 speaks about OSHA. In particular here is what the report says:

"For the past eight years, the Department’s labor law enforcement agencies have struggled with growing workloads and shrinking staff. The President’s Budget seeks to reverse this trend. The Budget will increase funding for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, enabling it to vigorously enforce workplace safety laws and ensure the safety and health of American workers"

Now understand that we're not taking a political stand here. I'm simply stating historical reality, so be warned, OSHA may be changing and you better be ready!

By the way, if the Hotel Del Coronado sounds familiar, there's been about a half dozen movies filmed there including "Some like it Hot" and "The Stuntman". Here is a picture at sunset:

Labels: OSHA Compliance, OSHA Training, Safety