OSHA’s revision of the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with GHS is likely only a few weeks away (four to eight weeks by many estimates). And as the date approaches, there is a disquieting position being taken by some smaller workplaces that use chemicals — it’s the idea that they are “so small” they do not have to “worry” about changes to OSHA’s HazCom standard. It’s a false conclusion, providing a false security, which can lead to a dangerous end. This article will start by addressing that “too small to worry” mindset and end with two stories about hazard compliance from the past week that everyone should read.
Three items caught our attention this week that we wanted to share with you, starting with OSHA’s announcement that it issued a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) for chemical facilities. The NEP is specifically targeting worker protection against highly hazardous chemical releases. The new National NEP is essentially an upgrade of a 2009 pilot NEP that targeted chemical facilities in several regions.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day in this country when millions of families will sit down together to break bread and give thanks for the good things in their lives. At MSDSonline our hope is that this year, included in those thanks will be the thousands of safety professionals and human resource personnel who work tirelessly and often thanklessly to ensure workers make it home to their dinner table, not just for Thanksgiving, but every night. At MSDSonline, we are privileged to witness the dedication, professionalism and the humanity of the safety community every day, and this year want to pay thanks with our: Top 10 Reasons to Thank a Safety Professional
OSHA recently released 12 videos detailing safety measures employers and employees can take to make construction work safer. According to OSHA’s announcement, over 800 construction workers die on the job and construction fatalities account for 20% of annual workplace fatalities, that’s in addition to the 137,000 serious injuries that occur each year.
CHICAGO (Nov. 14, 2011) — MSDSonline®, a leading provider of on-demand solutions for EH&S regulatory compliance and workplace safety, today announced the availability of a free Webinar entitled, “GHS Adoption by OSHA — What You Need to Do Now!” The Webinar is available on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. (EST) and will be offered biweekly on Wednesdays through the end of the year. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged. Visit blog.MSDSonline.com/ghswebinar for a complete schedule and times.
This week, OSHA announced it plans to launch an NEP on Nursing Home and Residential Care Facilities in response to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows the incident rate for non-fatal injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work for various health care support workers increased between 6% – 7%, while the rate of musculoskeletal disorder cases for with days away from work health care support workers increased 10%.
OSHA is revising its Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with GHS, with the most noticeable changes being to safety labels and material safety data sheets or MSDSs. Every U.S. employer that uses chemicals and maintains MSDSs under Right-to-Know regulations should be on the lookout for these new MSDSs.
A few weeks ago, MSDSonline reported on a House Subcommittee meeting where OSHA Director Dr. David Michaels was called in to defend OSHA regulations, which were called job killers by some on the panel. Dr. Michaels responded, “OSHA regulations stop jobs from killing workers.” Today, as part of an all-star keynote panel at the National Safety Council’s Congress and Expo, a panel that included OSHA and NIOSH leadership, Dr. Michaels once again defended OSHA regulations while at the same time conceding that certain regulations were a long way off due in large part to anti-regulatory factions.
Once again, OSHA used the National Safety Council’s Congress and Expo to announce the years top 10 violations. The 2011 list was unveiled during a live presentation on the Expo floor sponsored by Safety+Health magazine. The list was very similar to 2010, with a couple of violations switching places. Hazard Communication violations remained high on the list, and unchanged at #3. Fall Protection and Scaffolding switched places and Ladders violations dropped from #5 to #8, while Powered Trucks and Electrical – Wiring Methods climbed up.
The next question we have is what will GHS alignment with Hazard Communication Standard mean for HazCom violations?
MSDSonline has learned that on October 25, 2011, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) submitted a final rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that would revise the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with GHS. It would be the last major hurdle before a final rule on a revised HCS can be published. Because OMB must review the rule within 90 days, OMB approval of a revised Hazard Communication Standard could be less than 90 days away.
