Workers in Illinois will continue to benefit from the renewal of an alliance between JULIE Inc. (Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators), the State of Illinois Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The alliance is designed to combine resources to prevent hazards faced by workers involved in trenching and excavation operations in the state of Illinois.

“Excavation hazards are still one of OSHA’s national emphasis programs and excavations that are entered without proper precautions present a significant risk for workers,” said OSHA Area Director for Peoria Nick Walters. “We believe that this alliance will give employers and employees throughout the state a greater opportunity to understand the hazards associated with excavations and the controls that need to be used to prevent serious injuries.”

The alliance requires each organization to contribute to the development of training sessions and materials on safe excavation activities. The groups will share resources and information to raise awareness and commitment to workplace safety and health. Information will be shared through participation in a variety of forums throughout Illinois.

OSHA health and safety alliances are part of OSHA’s ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of employees through cooperative partnerships with trade associations, labor organizations, employers and government agencies. OSHA currently has more than 470 alliances throughout the nation with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace.

Every employer has a responsibility to make sure all employees have a safe and stable work environment. These employees should have access to safety equipment and information at anytime they are on the jobsite. These employees should be able to go to their superiors with fears or concerns about safety without fear of termination or retaliation. In order to accommodate employees in such a fashion, we have compiled a short and condensed version of what an employer of the construction industry should have documented and in place for emergencies or for an OSHA inspection.

Management Commitment to Safety and Health

Employers and managers should lead by example. If your employee sees a superior taking safety seriously, they will too! Assign Safety and Health Responsibilities to employees. If you involve and rotate employee responsibilities, everyone will feel important and compliant. Give the assigned employees to correct minor issues. When a subordinate is give a little more power than their position requires, they are more likely to do what it takes to keep earning your trust and respect.

Assure your employees that they may voice their concerns regarding safety without any repercussions. These employees are the front line guys and they often see the danger in a position before a manager does. Listen to what they have to say and respect their position on safety. Most state laws protect whistleblowers, so check your states regulations. Inform employees of any hazards that you are aware of. Again, it is the employer’s responsibility to safeguard their employees, so keep the lines of communication open. If you are sharing a worksite with other companies or their employees, it is your responsibility to communicate any known hazards to them. Share a safe workplace. Post the OSHA state or Federal poster where all can see it. Employees have a right to know the law.

Hazard Identification and Determination

Carefully evaluate all operations, procedures, facilities, and equipment to identify hazards to employees and others. Monitor exposure levels of noise, air quality, heat, electricity, silica or dust, and moisture. Set aside time to do routine inspections. If you create a habit of safety awareness, you will create a timeless good habit. If you have an accident, conduct an investigation. The best way to prevent history from repeating itself it to identify and address the factors that caused the accident to begin with.

Do a PPE assessment. For every position within construction, evaluate the potential dangers associated with that assignment, then create a list of personal protection equipment that should be worn while performing these tasks. Determine if it goes beyond simple protection and what precautions should be taken. Document all of your findings.

Hazard Elimination and Control

Inspect and ensure all machines and tools are in proper working order with relevant standards. Develop positive practices with workplace safety and health so that it becomes second nature. Housekeeping is a must. Jobsites should be free of debris and cleaned up daily to ensure the safety of others.

Emergency Response Planning

Develop emergency response plans for your jobsite. If you are in an industry where your jobsite changes frequently, you still need to have a response plan. These do not have to elaborate, but clear enough to communicate what needs to be done in case of an emergency. Have an emergency route to evacuate injured employees. If your jobsite is in a new development area that the emergency response team may not have access too, have in a convenient location that is easily accessible by all employees. Use established landmarks and turn by turn directions. Have a list of all the jobsite emergency contact information including any pre-existing medical conditions and allergies that emergency personnel may need to know.

Training

Employers should train employees to recognize hazards and unsafe working conditions and how to avoid them. Employers need to provide training on safe work practices, safe operation of machinery, and equipment, and how to recognize when things are not safe. Access ladders, stairways, confined space, and enclosed space entry hazards are all subjects that need to be trained and documented.

Recordkeeping

You must record and post injuries and fatalities. This is otherwise known as the 300-log. Maintain medical records and exposure records for all employees and past employees. You must maintain all appropriate documents and tags for abatement purposes. If you do not have these items, it could mean hefty fines.

Every employer has a responsibility to make sure all employees have a safe and stable work enviroment.  These employees should have access to safety equipment and information at anytime they are on the jobsite.  These employees should be able to go to their superiors with fears or concerns about safety without fear of termination or retaliation.  In order to accomidate employees in such a fashion, we have compiled a short and condensed version of what an employer of the construction industry should have documented and in place for emergencies or for an OSHA inspection.
 
Management Commitment to Safety and Health
•Employers and managers should lead by example.  If your employee sees a superior taking safety seriously, they will too!
•Assign Safety and Health Responsiblities to employees.  If you involve and rotate employee responsibities, everyone will feel important and compliant.
•Give the assigned employees to correct minor issues.  When a subordinate is give a little more power than their position requires, they are more likely to do what it takes to keep earning your trust and respect.
•Assure your employees that they may voice their concerns regarding safety without any reprocussions.  These employees are the front line guys and they often see the danger in a position before a manager does. Listen to what they have to say and respect their position on safety.  Most state laws protect whistltblowers, so check your states regulations.
•Inform employees of any hazards that you are aware of.  Again, it is the employer’s responsibility to safeguard their employees, so keep the lines of communication open.
•If you are sharing a worksite with other companies or their employees, it is your responsiblity to commincate any known hazards to them.  Share a safe workplace.
•Post the OSHA state or Federal poster where all can see it.  Employees have a righ to know the law.
Hazard Identification and Determination
•Carefully evaluate all operations, procedures, facilities, and equipment to identify hazards to employees and others.
•Monitor exposure levels of noise, air quality, heat, electricity, silica or dust, and moisture.
•Set aside time to do routine inspections.  If you create a habit of safety awareness, you will create a timeless good habit.
•If you have an accident, conduct an investigation.  The best way to prevent history from repeating itself it to identify and address the factors that caused the accident to begin with.
•Do a PPE assessment.  For every position within construction, evaluate the potential dangers associated with that assignment, then create a list of personal protection equipment that should be worn while performing these tasks.  Determine if it goes beyond simple protection and what procautions should be taken. Document all of your findings.
Hazard Elimination and Control
•Inspect and ensure all machines and tools are in proper working order with relevant standards.
•Develop positive practices with workplace safety and health so that it becomes second nature.
•Housekeeping is a must.  Jobsites should be free of debris and cleaned up daily to ensure the safety of others.
Emergency Response Planning
•Develop emergency response plans for your jobsite.  If you are in an industry where your jobsite changes frequently, you still need to have a response plan.  These do not have to elaborate, but clear enough to communicate what needs to be done in case of an emergency.
•Have an emergency route to evacuate injured employees.  If your jobsite is in a new development area that the emergency response team may not have access too, have in a convienent location that is easily accessable by all employees.  Use established landmarks and turn by turn directions.
•Have a list of all the jobsite emergency contact information including any pre-existing medical conditions and allergies that emergency personel may need to know.
Training
•Employers should train employees to recognize hazards and unsafe working conditions and how to avoid them.
•Employers need to provide training on safe work practices, safe operation of machinery, and equipment, and how to recognize when things are not safe.
•Access ladders, stairways, confined space, and enclosed space entry hazards are all subjects that need to be trained and documented.
Recordkeeping
•You must record and post injuries and fatalities.  This is otherwise known as the 300-log.
•Maintain medical records and exposure records for all employees and past employess.
•You must maintain all appropriate documents and tags for abatement purposes.  If you do not have these items, it could mean hefty fines.

In the construction industry, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requires fall protection there is any risk of a worker falling from an elevation of 6 ft. or more. A personal fall arrest system is a system designed to “arrest” an employee in a fall from a working level. A personal fall arrest system contains three parts: anchorage connector, body wear, and connecting device.

The first part of a personal fall arrest system, the anchorage connector, is used to join the connecting device to an anchorage point, or tie-off point. The anchorage must be capable of supporting 5,000 pounds of force per worker, as required by OSHA, and the anchorage point must be high enough so that the worker will not make contact with the lower level in the event of a fall.

The next part of a personal fall arrest system is the body harness. The body harness is a series of straps which is designed to distribute the fall arrest forces throughout the parts of a falling worker’s body. A body harness is the only acceptable form of body wear to be used as part of a fall arrest system; the use of a body belt for fall arrest was prohibited as of January 1, 1998.

The connecting device, the third and final part of a fall arrest system, is the device which connects the body harness to the anchorage point. Commonly used connecting devices are shock-absorbing lanyards, fall limiters, and self-retracting lifelines. To determine the proper type of connecting device that should be used, the potential fall distance must be calculated. Factors such as the type of work being performed and the work environment should also be taken into consideration when selecting a proper connecting device.

Before a fall arrest system is used, it should be inspected for mildew, wear, damage, and/or other deterioration. Defective components should be removed if the strength or function of the component has been diminished. If a fall has occurred, the fall arrest system should not be used again until it has been inspected.

All workers should be trained to safely and properly use a fall arrest system. Worker training should include proper anchoring techniques, estimation of free-fall and total fall distances, and inspection of the system.

This article was written by Justin Rogers, The Lombardi Law Firm  West Des Moines, Iowa.

The Compliance Resource Center usually does not talk about products, however the Smart Monitor Series by Ericson can help the construction industry to help meet OSHA’s construction site gound fault protection.

Ericson Manufacturing announces the release of our newest “smart” series of electrical plugs and connectors. The Smart Monitor Series utilize a new “thinking” module which detects many common electrical problems including loss of earth ground which effects lack of compliance to OSHA’s Worksite Assured Grounding Program. The dual color RED & BLUE LEDS indicate correct or incorrect electrical conditions on the cordset. Smart Monitor Plugs & Connectors constantly monitors these conditions:

No Ground
Loss of Ground In Cord
Hot/Neutral Swap
Reverse Polarity
Hot on Ground
Open Neutral.
RED LEDs indicate an electrical problem (and lack of compliance to OSHA’s Worksite Safety Program), where as a bright BLUE indication shows the cord or supply is “Good-to-Go”.

When was the last time you took a safety class?  There are a lot of different sources available, with both for-profit companies and the not-for-profit organizations.  Three not-for-profit associations, ASSE (American Society of Safety Engineers),  NSC (National Safety Council) and the Construction Safety Council offer a variety of classes.  But the two sources I want to describe are the OTI (OSHA Training Institute) and the National Safety Education Center.

OTI is OSHA’s own training center in Arlington Heights, IL.  The OTI provides training and education in occupational safety and health for federal and state compliance officers, state consultants, other federal agency personnel, and the private sector.

The OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center program was initiated as an extension of the OSHA Training Institute, which is the primary training provider of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OTI targets Federal and State compliance officers and State consultation program staff, but also provides training for private sector personnel and Federal personnel from agencies other than OSHA on a space available basis. However, during the 1980s, the number of requests for training from private sector personnel and Federal personnel from agencies other than OSHA increased substantially and the demand eventually exceeded the capacity of the OSHA Training Institute. To date there are 18 training centers with at least one in each OSHA region. 

As an example, the National Safety Education Center in Region V, is a consortium comprised of: Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, Construction Safety Council, Hillside, IL and the National Safety Council, Itasca, IL.  The National Safety Education Center is authorized by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to deliver approved OSHA training courses. Upon completion of any program, your achievement is recognized through:

• Department of Labor Course Completion Certificates
• Outreach Trainer Cards for OSHA Courses 500, 501, 502 and 503
• Availability of Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
• Availability of American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) Safety and Industrial Health
• Continuing Maintenance (CM) points.

Pick a class and increase your safety knowledge.

OSHA recently fined a roofing company over $200,000 when an employee was killed when he fell 16 feet through a skylight. OSHA issued eight willful citations to the company for its failure to provide fall protection in hoisting areas and on low-sloped roofs; failing to cover skylight openings to prevent falls; and not training employees about fall hazards. Seven of the citations allege per-instance willful violations of three OSHA requirements. A willful violation is defined as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations.

Falls are the #1 cause of worker’s death in the construction industry.  The Compliance Resource Center reported on (ANSI)/ASSE Z359.2 fall protection in May of 2007.  Fall protection must be provided at four feet in general industry, five feet in maritime and six feet in construction. Here are some Fall Protection Tips from OSHA:

Fall Protection Tips
• Identify all potential tripping and fall hazards before work starts.
• Look for fall hazards such as unprotected floor openings/edges, shafts, skylights, stairwells, and roof openings/edges.
• Inspect fall protection equipment for defects before use.
• Select, wear, and use fall protection equipment appropriate for the task.
• Secure and stabilize all ladders before climbing them.
• Never stand on the top rung/step of a ladder.
• Use handrails when you go up or down stairs.
• Practice good housekeeping.  Keep cords, welding leads and air hoses out of walkways or adjacent work areas.

Winter is officially over and our second season is starting.  No, not spring, CONSTRUCTION!  It is another season of road construction here in the Chicago area and throughout the US.  Traffic tie-ups, slow downs and the infamous flagger person telling you to “Slow down or STOP (for about 10 - 20 minutes).

I have been a flagger instructor for about 3 years.  I have also taught the flagger instructor class, but driving around the city, I must be the worst trainer ever.  I see people:

• Using the emergency vehicle flag to direct traffic
• Standing in the middle of the street with a Slow/Stop sign directing two-way traffic
• Road construction people using their hands
• Road construction people without safety vests
• Construction people walking out into traffic to stop oncoming traffic to let a vehicle into or out of the construction site
• Many other dumb things

Road construction injuries are up every year.  When I teach the flagger class I always like to start with the students telling about the scary incidents that have happended to them, and there are many.  Yet as I drive out on the road, I seldom see a flagger doing it right.  If they use the Stop/Slow sign they do not use hand signals, or they don’t use the sign correctly.   Having less road construction injuries means we have to be better drivers in these areas, but also the contruction people have to be better safety people.