OSHA Celebrates 40 years!

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was established in 1971. Since then, OSHA and our state partners, coupled with the efforts of employers, safety and health professionals, unions and advocates, have had a dramatic effect on workplace safety. Fatality and injury rates have dropped markedly. Although accurate statistics were not kept at the time, it is estimated that in 1970 around 14,000 workers were killed on the job. That number fell to approximately 4,340 in 2009. At the same time, U.S. employment has almost doubled and now includes over 130 million workers at more than 7.2 million worksites. Since the passage of the OSH Act, the rate of reported serious workplace injuries and illnesses has declined from 11 per 100 workers in 1972 to 3.6 per 100 workers in 2009. OSHA safety and health standards, including those for trenching, machine guarding, asbestos, benzene, lead, and bloodborne pathogens have prevented countless work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. This timeline highlights key milestones in occupational safety and health history since the creation of OSHA.

Have a safe Workplace!

Drive Safely Work Week October 3-5, 2011

This is Drive Safely Work Week. It is a good time to review your company's rules and safety guidelines with all employees as transportation accidents are a leading cause of on-the-job fatalities.

There are many reasons for driving, whether it be commuting to and from work, making a sales call or delivering a product or service. Driving can seem routine, but roads create many hazards. Every five seconds an automobile crash occurs, every ten seconds an injury occurs from a crash and every twelve minutes someone dies from an automobile crash. Most of these incidents occur during the work day. As a driver you are responsible for operating the vehicle in a safe manner

Here are some simple yet effective safety rules to follow:

• Check tire pressure before driving

• Make sure everyone is wearing their seatbelt

• Adjust all mirrors, seat, and other instruments before starting to drive

• Familiarize yourself to the steering of the vehicle

• Don't drive when fatigued or frustrated

• Do not allow yourself to be distracted while driving

• Do not eat, text,apply make-up, read, work on laptops or tablets or any other device while driving

• Obey the speed limit and other laws

• Drive appropriate speeds for the type of weather

• NEVER drink and drive or drive while under the influence of any type of medication which might impair your thinking or motor skills

Always remember to take driving seriously. Pay attention at all times. You are not only protecting your life and safety but those in the vehicle with you and those in the vehicles around you.

OSHA Safety Products has a Driving Safety Training Program available to assist you in becoming a safe driver or to help you train your employees. We

Workplace Fire Safety

Workplace fires can be very costly in terms of monetary damages but more importantly in terms of human life and injury. Most workplace fire injuries and deaths can be avoided with some simple yet effective steps. The key is to provide appropriate training before a fire starts and to ensure the training in retained. Here are some basic Fire Safety Training and Emergency Action Training guides to help you stay healthy and happy.

OSHA does not require all employers to have a Fire Prevention Plan or an Emergency Action Plan but they highly recommend both. We believe it to be a smart move also. Employers should develop Emergency Action Plans that:
■ Describe the routes for workers to use and procedures to follow.
■ Account for all evacuated employees.
■ Remain available for employee review.
■ Include procedures for evacuating disabled employees.
■ Address evacuation of employees who stay behind to shut down critical plant equipment.
■ Include preferred means of alerting employees to a fire emergency.
■ Provide for an employee alarm system throughout the workplace.

■ Require an alarm system that includes voice communication or sound signals such as bells, whistles, or horns.

■ Make the evacuation signal known to employees.
■ Ensure emergency training.
■ Require employer review of the plan with new employees and with all employees whenever the plan is changed.

Fire Prevention Plans must:
■Be available for employee review.
■ Include housekeeping procedures for storage and cleanup of flammable materials and
flammable waste.
■ Address handling and packaging of flammable waste. (Recycling of flammable waste such as paper is encouraged.)
■ Cover procedures for controlling workplace ignition sources such as smoking, welding, and burning.
■ Provide for proper cleaning and maintenance of heat producing equipment such as burners, heat exchangers, boilers, ovens, stoves, and fryers and require storage of flammables away from this equipment.
■ Inform workers of the potential fire hazards of their jobs and plan procedures.
■ Require plan review with all new employees and with all employees whenever the plan
is changed.

OSHA Safety Products is your source for affordable, up-to-date, relevant training programs covering a plethora of topics including Fire Safety, Forklift, LOTO, Respirator, Aeriel Lift, Scaffolds and many more. With quantity discounts starting at just two purchased programs you can't beat our price. Click on over to www.osha-safety-products.com and check us out. You will be glad you did!

Personal Protective Equipment

OSHA requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective in reducing these exposures to acceptable levels. Employers are required to determine if PPE should be used to protect their workers.

If PPE is to be used, a PPE program should be implemented. This program should address the hazards present; the selection, maintenance, and use of PPE; the training of employees; and monitoring of the program to ensure its ongoing effectiveness.

PPE is addressed in specific standards for the general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, and longshoring.

Earlier this year OSHA issued a Compliance Directive on Personal Protective Equipment. This instruction, Enforcement Guidance for Personal Protective Equipment in General Industry, establishes OSHA’s general enforcement and guidance policy for its standards addressing personal protective equipment (PPE). It instructs OSHA enforcement personnel on both the agency’s interpretations of those standards and the procedures for enforcing them.

Significant Changes
This instruction has been revised and updated to include the following significant changes:
*Clarifies what type of PPE employers must provide at no cost, when employers must pay for PPE, or for replacement PPE, and when employers are not required to pay for PPE.
*Clarifies the PPE payment requirements for PPE worn off the jobsite, for PPE that must remain at the jobsite, and for employee-owned PPE.
*Sets forth enforcement policies that reflect court and review commission decisions concerning PPE.
*Provides guidance that allows employers to use PPE constructed in accordance with the most recent national consensus standards.