The rates of workplace injuries and illnesses in 2007 occurred at a rate of 4.2 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers—a decline of .2 cases from 4.4 cases in 2006. Also, the number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses reported in 2007 went down slightly to about 4 million cases, compared to 4.1 million cases in 2006. The total recordable injury and illness incidence rate has declined by 0.2 cases per 100 workers each year since 2003, when estimates from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses were first published using the North American Industry Classification System. Some key findings of the 2007 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses were:
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According to recent figures released at a DOL presentation May 12, 2009, MSHA will not be receiving much in the way of additional funding for its programs.  While OSHA get a 10 percent budget increase, MSHA will only get 2 percent.   The DOL defends their position saying that over the past several years, MSHA has received large budget increases, which have allowed the agency to step up its enforcement significantly.

However, for instance, the state grants program under MSHA, an $8 million program will not be receiving any additional monies in FY 2010.  As far as enforcement efforts, enforcement at MSHA, presently a $237 million program for 2010 is budgeted at a little over $242 million, barely a 2% increase.  From MSHA’s Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances, the 2010 budget figures show barely any increase ($50,000) in its $3 million program to promulgate new regulations.

And funding for compliance assistance to employers, which could help employers comply with mine safety regulations, working with MSHA as partners, presently is non-existent.  According to the DOL presentation, “…MSHA’s enforcement programs do not set aside funding for compliance assistance activities. MSHA offers compliance assistance to labor unions, employers and individual workers to help them understand the safety and health laws and fully comply with them…”

Furthermore, mine safety itself  isn’t highlighted in any of the budget materials.  Is protecting the nation’s miners simply not a priority for the Department?

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis warns that OSHA will increase inspections at federal worksites in connection with projects funded by the economic stimulus bill, with a special focus on construction work.  “As you undertake these new projects, please be mindful that the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration may be conducting increased inspections of federal worksites…” Solis said.

She singled out construction work as including “some of the more consistently hazardous worksites,” saying OSHA would be “focusing its resources to account for the anticipated increase in construction projects and related activities” as a result of the stimulus funding.

The three-page letter further urged the other cabinet secretaries to “…take steps to safeguard both federal workers and contractors…” involved in stimulus bill projects that fund expanded infrastructure, new construction projects, or any other new work or worksites.  Solis also urged the cabinet secretaries to enroll their staff in a two-day training program OSHA will be offering for federal employees at OSHA Training Institute centers across the country.

President Obama’s fiscal 2010 budget request seeks funding for 130 new OSHA inspectors, with a special focus on foreign-speaking inspectors to address changes in workplace demographics. Solis told a Senate appropriations subcommittee May 13 that the budget request will “restore OSHA’s enforcement presence in the nation’s workplace.”

More than $88 billion in stimulus funds has been disbursed, according to the White House’s first quarterly report on the stimulus, released May 13.

Safety meetings are an integral part of any Safety Awareness Program.  The meetings are also an important part of making sure all the workers are properly trained in the various aspects of safety on the job.  Safety meetings can be held on a formal or informal basis and may encompass a wide variety of topics and issues.

The formal safety meetings are announced and preplanned in order to provide employees with information about safety week, training issues, regulations, hazard protection and many other important issues.  Informal meetings are often a short seminar about one particular issue and are a very effective way to address a specific job or task that needs attention.

It is a well known fact that a safety meeting is an excellent way to encourage safety awareness among employees.  When fellow employees get together and discuss the various issues and hazards they have encountered, together they can discuss ways to eliminate the hazards and increase each other’s knowledge in the process.

Holding a safety meeting is a great way to get employees actively involved in safety awareness and is a great way to get feedback from each other.  A safety meeting is another way of getting employees to share information about common workplace hazards and to work together to come up with a solution to address the issues brought forth.

By holding a safety meeting you are getting your employees to become aware of how to properly use protective equipment, lifting techniques and any other safety procedures.  It is also a good time to address safety hazards before they develop into larger problems.

Having a safety meeting is another way to present new safety rules, equipment and preventative measures.  It is an excellent way to talk about new rules and to refresh workers about the rules that are already in place.

A safety meeting is an excellent way to keep employees apprised of information about accident causes and types, as well as how to avoid them.  Safety meetings are a way for the company to maintain accurate accident statistical information and an important tool in tracking ways to prevent common workplace accidents.

Basic elements of safety meetings include advanced planning, proper preparations, adequate supervision and documentation.  Sometimes selecting a particular topic for a safety meeting is not such an easy task, sometimes you can choose the topics if you review new laws and industry standards, review new company policy and procedure information, evaluate current industry safety standards and asking employees which topics they want to see addressed.

The best time to hold a safety meeting is first thing in the morning when all the workers are fresh and aware.  Review the information and present any safety issues in an interesting and thorough manner, make sure the meeting begins and concludes at the projected times and present an agenda for the next meeting.

Safety meetings are an effective tool in keeping workers aware of the latest safety information in the industry.  By keeping employees up to date on current and new industry safety procedures and rules, an employer will find workplace accidents are dramatically decreased, which results in substantial cost savings for the company.

With the advent of construction booming, it is now more important than ever before to be aware of your surroundings and protect yourself against potential hazards in the workplace.  It is not only the responsibility of the company and job foreman to make certain that all risks and hazards are addressed, it is also very important that the workers be aware of their surroundings and take every precaution possible to prevent injury to themselves or others.  Construction safety awareness can result in saving lives and a drastic reduction of preventable accidents on the job site.

There is no question about it, safety must be the highest priority for anyone on a job site.  There are guidelines and protocol that are enacted to maintain a safe environment and straying from this path can result in injuries or fatalities.  This is why safety in the workplace has become an ever growing concern, and companies are investing a lot of money in making sure the highest standards are being utilized.  There are manuals and procedures that every worker must be familiar with, and most companies hire specialist to teach safety classes on a yearly basis to ensure that every employee is updated on the information.

There are many reasons why safety has become a hot topic for employers everywhere; worker safety, adhering to government standards, fines levied against the businesses for violating safety codes, injured workers, rising cost for workers compensation insurance and lawsuits are just a few of the many reasons.  Laws are designed to protect the company as well as the workers who do the jobs, but without proper safety orientation the laws are completely useless.

On the job injury factors on two issues: directly and indirectly.  Directly an injured worker can cost a company an enormous amount of money in lost revenue,workers compensation claims,  medical insurance claims and lost wages and injury pay,  are just to name a few.  Direct factors are the only ones that are going to be covered by the companies insurance carrier, so there is no direct loss of revenue to the company per say.

Indirectly, when a worker is injured on a job site accident, there are many other things that one must consider.  When there is a worker injured on a job site, management must deal with the inconvenience of a lost worker as well as the fallout that occurs because of the injury.  There may be lawsuits,the costs of legal counsel,  fines, and whether or not there is a third party involved in the accident, these factors all play an important indirect role in safety violations.

When workers, managers and supervisors adhere and enforce the safety rules and guidelines they are protecting themselves, their workers, the public and their profits.  When you can prevent an accident in the workplace it will save you time and revenue, by increase workplace effectiveness and in the cost of insurance premiums.  Failure to be in compliance with safety guidelines results in many obstacles that a business must incur, so if accidents can be prevented this will assist the business to operate more smoothly.

Good safety practices mean that the job is running smoothly which in turn generates more company revenue, and more revenue trickles down from management to the workers.  Safety is not just a word it is a concept that must be given serious credence, it must be of the utmost importance to everyone involved.  The benefits of having a company with a good safety record are that you generate a good impression of your company and draw in a better quality of workers.  All of these factors tied together, and help to create a company with a a reputation for the highest standard of safety and this in turns generates more direct revenue for the company, so in a word, safety pays.

Contractors who install residential concrete foundations may have had problems in the past complying with the safety regulations enforced by OSHA, mostly for personnel safety in the excavation pits. As most contractors may know, worker protection in the form of sloping pit walls, placing trench boxes around workers, or shoring vertical pit walls is strictly enforced in any excavations greater than five (5) feet in depth. This requirement was especially troublesome for residential foundations for several practical reasons.

First, the foundation excavation walls would be difficult if not impossible to slope in subdivision developments due to the closeness of adjacent foundations. Second, placing trench boxes are impractical since the foundation formwork would interfere with the trench box supports. And finally, shoring was impractical due to time constraints and economics. Foundation work is usually extremely fast-paced, and the “double work” of installing and removing shoring along with the formwork would add too much time in most subdivision work.

However, all this has radically changed. OSHA listened to the residential industry complaints and decided to rollback these excavation requirements. This was largely in part to a demonstration to OSHA of accident statistics that showed almost no injuries result from residential foundation cave-ins.

Therefore, on June 30, 1995 the U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA in Washington, D.C. issued a memorandum to all OSHA Regional Administrators announcing the “Suspension of regulation 29 CFR 1926.652 for House Foundations/ Basement Excavations”. In an effort to clarify this regulation suspension/exemption, the following information has been provided.

For references purposes, this regulation section – 29 CFR 1926.652 is the – Requirements for protective systems as found in Subpart P entitled “Excavations” of the Code of Federal Regulations for the construction industry. This section outlines the methods you are required to use for protection of employees working in an excavation such as; when and where protection is required, types of protection required (shoring, shielding, sloping and benching ), competent person responsibilities, etc.

The memorandum noted the following: “Effective immediately and until further notice, 29 CFR 1926.652 shall not be applied to house foundation/ basement excavations when all the following conditions are present.”

Note: This policy applies to all such house foundation/ basement excavations including those which become trenches by definition when formwork, foundations, or walls are constructed. This policy does not apply to utility excavations (trenches) where 29 CFR 1926.652 shall remain applicable.

Here are the following conditions:

The house foundation/basement excavation is less than seven and one-half feet in depth or is benched for at least two (2) feet horizontally for every five (5) feet or less of vertical height.

The minimum width (excavation face to formwork/wall) at the bottom of the excavation is as wide as practicable but not less than two (2) feet.

There is no water, surface tension cracks, nor other environmental conditions that reduce the stability of the excavation.

There is no heavy equipment operating in the vicinity that causes vibration to the excavation while employees are in the excavation.

All soil, equipment, and material surcharge loads are no closer in distance to the top edge of the excavation than the excavation is deep; however, when front end loaders are used to dig the excavations, the soil surcharge load shall be placed as far back from the edge of the excavation as possible, but not closer than two (2) feet.

Work crews in the excavation are the minimum number needed to perform the work.

The work has been planned and is carried out in a manner to minimize the time employees are in the excavation.

This memo of June 30, 1995 also noted “Background” information which noted:

“When promulgated, the regulations addressing excavations were intended to cover all excavations. OSHA believed that all the affected parties had sufficient time during the public comment period and the informal public hearing (a period of over one year) to raise any concerns as to problems that could be caused by the standard. All problems that were thus identified were resolved prior to the issuance of the final rule in October 1989. Since publication of the final rule, however, the issue of basement/ foundation excavations has been identified and questions have been raised concerning whether or not it is appropriate to apply the provisions to house foundation/ basement excavations. Therefore, the requirements dealing with cave-in protection should be suspended until the issue can be fully evaluated.”

In summary, if you are a homebuilder or contractor performing this type of work, the regulations outlined in this memo seem somewhat relaxed rather than entirely suspended. Although there are specific conditions that are required to be met, and if you are presently or are planning on implementing this relaxation of the previous regulations, be aware that the conditions listed in this memo have changed the regulation to such a degree that the potential for accidents, injuries, cave-ins, and fatalities, could be greater in some situations. Specifically, if you are practicing this revised 6/30/95 method for the sole purpose of cost/ time savings rather than for reasons by which it is intended, you are at greatest risk.

We all know time equals money, so it pays greatly for businesses to safety train their workers.  This will cut down on workplace accidents that can cost most companies thousands of dollars in lost wages and worker compensation payments.  With the state of the US economy right now, saving money is on the mind of everyone, including business owners.  We all want to save a buck!

Every year, businesses who observe the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines receive awards and recognition.  OSHA is a an agency of the US Department of Labor.  It was formed to educate workers about the important of safety in the workplace.  It was set up under an act by Congress and signed into law by President Richard Nixon, on December 29, 1970.  OSHA has set standards for safety in the workplace to prevent injury, illness or death.

These honors are recommended on the basis of fellow industry workers, business associations, participating in certain programs, and OSHA research.  There are also state and local awards that are given as well.  This program is open to all organizations and is not restrictive to size or any particular industry.

It is common knowledge that prevention of accidents is going to save money by decreasing a company’s liability.  To reach the status of one of America’s Top Safest Companies, a business must illustrate that they have done the following:

• Have a comprehensive training program regarding safety topics for their employees
• Lower than industry average illness or injury rates
• Managerial support and cooperation
• Employee involvement
• Working solutions to ongoing safety issues
• Effective communication to your employees about the importance of their safety

To ensure that guidelines enacted by OSHA are observed there are several key elements that must be considered.  Workplace safety is an issue that effects everyone in the company and should be treated with seriousness.  Workplace safety used to be just a category for management to deal with, but now it has become apparent that every worker needs proper training to be responsible and safe.  To make the workplace a safer environment the focus should include these elements:

• Managerial leadership
• Employee accountability and communication
• Safety procedures, guidelines and protocols
• Safety programs and goals
• Safety objectives clearly outlined
• Inspections of the workplace on a regular basis to ensure compliance
• Program review and audits if necessary
• Identifying and controlling any potential hazards
• Ongoing training and awareness exercises

Every business in the United States must by law have a clear and concise safety plan outlined.  Employers are also required by law to provide documentation for their safety policy and plans.  They must be able to prove in writing that each worker has received and understands the safety guidelines.  This ensures that the company is in compliance with OSHA guidelines.

OSHA updates it laws and policies regularly, so it is important for the employer to have the most recent and up-to-date information on hand.  Keeping employees updated through training will ensure that  they understand and it will address areas where they may need additional education.  The training should be as hands-on and user friendly as possible, for the benefit of those who learn more by doing than from teaching.

After employees receive their safety training, an employer should ask questions to see if the training was beneficial.  This could include taking a worker survey and gathering opinions, by doing this it allows you to see where your program could use room for improvement.  Employee feedback can prove vital for future improvements being made to current safety training programs.  Employers may consider adding computers and visual adds to their safety training programs in the future, this will save time and money for a company lacking the financial resources to retain a trainer.

There are several benefits to a company having a safety policy enforced.  It reduces worker death, injury or illness, prevents property damages, legal liability, worker absences, and payments for workers compensation benefits.  This all falls hand-in-hand with the principal of saving money.  But, when you get down to it, workers practicing safety in the workplace can end up saving a life and that is priceless.

There are many reasons why one could choose for building a temporary stage, for the Obama Inauguration it is imperative to construct a stage large enough to accommodate the occasion, but still be easy to tear down once the festivities conclude.  For the prestigious event, workers must pay close attention to detail and safety is of the utmost importance.  There are many details that require consideration prior to construction, workers will visit the site, take measurements, write up a job specification list and instructions.

Building a temporary stage can be quite demanding and time consuming.   The preliminary measurements must be done correctly, the materials must be ordered correctly and the plans must contain all the necessary information and allow for any possible inconsistencies or delays that may occur.  By allowing for any setbacks, this will make it easier when it comes time to do the actual construction of the temporary stage.

It is very important to use the right tools, make sure the blades of instruments are sharpened and in proper working condition, safety goggles and other protective eyewear must be worn, make certain power tools are properly grounded and be mindful of loose clothing or hair so that it not be caught in power tools.  Also of importance is to make sure loads of materials are properly carried and moved, be sure to wear steel toed work shoes and use proper lifting procedures.  All of these factors combined will ensure proper work safety rules are observed and will eliminate the possibility of any injuries.  Work place safety is a very important issue and by enacting a few simple rules, contractors can be certain that everyone on the job site is well protected and nobody is acting in a careless fashion that may lead to needless injuries.

Once the stage has been safely constructed and the event takes place, then the teardown must be done.  Nails must be removed, boards disassembled and materials must be disposed of.  Just as it was while constructing the stage, carefully deconstructing is just as important.  The same safety standards observed during installation must be observed for worker protection.  In addition to simple safety practices, a plan must be enacted for the tearing down of the temporary stage and the left-over materials must be disposed of in the proper manner.   Project managers are required to contact a disposal company and have a dumpster hauled to the work site for disposing of any waste or used materials, or fines or penalties may be incurred.

With proper plans and safety procedures in place, workers are ensured of being safe and protected during the job.  Simple common sense and good decision making are very important when doing any construction job; workers must be mindful of everything going on around them and strive to meet safety requirements imposed by law.  Through the entire construction and tearing-down process, must constantly be observed for the job to flow smoothly and efficiently.

Construction site accidents cause painful injuries and claim 1,200 lives per year. When we discuss the causes of an accident it’s to prevent a similar event down the road.  The cause of an accident is typically due to three factors.

Unsafe Conditions

Unsafe Conditions which can be found everywhere.  Examples are inadequate or improper guardrails or a lack of any guards at wall or floor openings which will lead to a fall.  Poor housekeeping, electrical grounding, inadequate labeling, are just a few of the dozens of unsafe conditions that may be found on a typical jobsite.  Make a difference by not creating a hazard for yourself or others, and to report any unsafe condition to your supervisor as soon as possible.

Unsafe Attitudes

Having an unsafe attitude is perhaps the most crucial of the three causes.  This is because with the right attitude, a construction worker can detect and correct unsafe conditions.  The right attitude obviously can also prevent unsafe acts before they happen.  A constant state of diligence may be hard to achieve, but in one of the most dangerous work environments, it’s crucial for your health and safety.

Unsafe Acts

The third cause is Unsafe Acts. For example: using a tool that is defective or damaged, or using a good tool in an unsafe manner. Other examples may include disregarding warning signs, not wearing personal protective equipment, working too close to electrical lines, handling hazardous chemicals improperly, or even lifting material incorrectly.

When the cause behind an accident is determined, you’ll find that correcting the root cause will prevent that accident from occurring again. The goal is for the jobsite and your job to be safe.

Certainly to the layman, medium voltage (601V to 2,000V) and high voltage (greater than 2,001V) work seems extremely dangerous, and in some cases that’s true. However, implementation of safe work practices, and improvements in safety equipment have made this work relatively safe. Many utility contractors employ stringent work rules which already comply with (and exceed) OSHA regulations. The following are highlights of some of the more important OSHA regulations for line work found under the “Power Transmission and Distribution” subpart of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Before any work can begin, OSHA requires a thorough assessment of the area to determine what parts are energized, the condition of poles, hardware, and equipment. This survey shall include any affected peripherals such as fire alarm, phone, or cable TV lines.

Workers then approaching a work area must maintain minimum clear distances from energized parts with a phase-to phase potential of 2,100 volts or higher. This applies to any workers who are not completely isolated, and includes workers using “hot sticks” or other similar devices that are insulated. For instance, the minimum clear distance for energized parts from 2,100 volts to 15,000 volts is 2 ft. This distance increases slightly to 2 ft. 4 in. for voltages from 15,001 volts to 35,000 volts, and increases incrementally thereafter.

Workers will first usually put on their personal protective equipment. OSHA does require that all rubber equipment and live-line tools be visually inspected prior to use. In addition, rubber gloves in particular shall be “air-tested” prior to use.

Lines and equipment that are deenergized to be worked on can, in most cases, visually show that it’s disconnected from energized portions of the system. In cases where an item is not visibly open or visibly locked out, special care needs to be taken.

First, the line needs to be identified and declared deenergized by a designated worker. All switches that can supply power to the deenergized section shall be plainly tagged that men are working on the section. If switches can be locked out, or have their handles removed (or other similar action) this shall be done to assure the switches cannot be turned on. After all the above work is performed, the section shall be final tested to verify the section is deenergized. At that point protective grounds shall be installed, and then work may start. When attaching ground leads, start by attaching the lead to the ground point, then connect the other end with insulating tools or similar devices. Reversal of the above process is performed when reenergizing the section.

OSHA has a few general regulations for equipment use. For instance, a visual inspection and test of brakes and operating systems shall performed on all equipment at the start of the workshift. Hydraulic fluids used in Aerial lifts or similar equipment shall be of the insulating type- with fire-resistant characteristics of this fluid being exempted for this type of high voltage work. Arial lifts used near energized lines or equipment are required to be either grounded or barricaded. Equipment (such as cranes) without a voltage rating shall be kept clear of high voltage lines and equipment by 10 ft. (for 50,000 volts and less). Also OSHA prohibits line work under adverse weather conditions (especially high winds) except during emergencies.

There are many regulations OSHA has for line-stringing operations, however most of these regulations are covered by normal company work rules. OSHA does, however, require a briefing to be held before work starts which discusses the following topics:

• The type of equipment to be used.
• The grounding devices and procedures to be used.
• The crossover methods to be used.
• The clearance authorization(s) required.

When stringing operations are parallel to existing, energized lines, a competent determination needs to be made to ascertain if dangerous, induced voltage buildups can occur, especially during switching and ground fault conditions. If this is the case, the entire stringing operations require grounding until conductor installation is complete. The normal OSHA regulations also apply as to inspecting all equipment and line stringing accessories, etc. prior to use.

Working on live-line bare-hand work is a specialty in itself. OSHA requires any worker attempting this type of work to be thoroughly training prior to working on any energized circuits. Before working on live-line bare-hand work, the following items need to be determined:

• The voltage rating of the circuit on which work will be performed.
• The clearances to ground or other phases on which work will be performed.
• The voltage limitations of the aerial-lift equipment to be used.

All equipment used for this type of work shall be designed, tested and intended for live-line bare-hand work. One of the keys to this work is the insulating capacity of the aerial bucket arm. The ability of the aerial bucket to be completely isolated from any other voltage potential make this type of live-line bare-hand work possible. Before the start of the workday, when higher voltages are worked during the day, or any other factors develop that may change voltage conditions, the aerial bucket arm shall be physically tested. This test consists of placing the bucket arm in contact for three minutes with the voltage to be encountered during the work. Leakage tests shall be made during the three minutes. If more than 1 microampere/ kilovolt rating (between phases) is found, the bucket arm fails the test and shall not be used until repairs are made.

Once the aerial lift passes the test, work may then proceed only with personal supervision by a person trained and qualified in live-line bare-hand work. Again, this may be standard procedure to those familiar with live-line work, but OSHA does require the conductive aerial bucket liner to be bonded to the energized line being worked before the line is worked on. The worker is also similarly bonded to the liner with conductive shoes, or leg clips. This ensures the worker (isolated from ground or other phases) is at exactly the same voltage potential as the line, thereby making the live line safe to perform work on.

A careful assessment of the applicable regulations should be reviewed with your own safety procedures to assure compliance with OSHA regulations.