Regulations & Compliance

Is OSHA’s proposal for E-Reporting going too far?

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has put forth a proposed rule that will require many employers to track injuries and illnesses electronically on a new system. If approved, the rule will require this type of reporting take place at least every quarter. For employers with 250+ employees, the website where the data will be sent will be viewable by the public. Many people think that OSHA is going too far with this proposed change, indicating …

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2014 Regularity Priorities from OSHA Announced

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Each year the US department of Labor, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announces a list of their priorities for the following year. In fact, they often release updates throughout the year, but the one that comes out at this time of the year typically gets the most attention. All companies would be wise to take a close look at the list of priorities this year, and begin planning any steps that will be necessary …

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OSHA and Continuous Improvement

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Any organization doing business in the United States should be familiar with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, or OSHA. They are a branch of the US Department of Labor and are tasked with helping to ensure all working environments are safe and healthy for those working in them. They were established in 1970, and have grown and developed over the years. OSHA does inspections, provides training, education, and other types of assistance to a wide …

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Why Use a Checklist for Your Inspections?

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Performing inspections is one of the most important jobs of a safety manager. Even in cases when the actual inspections aren’t directly performed by the safety manager, he or she will still be responsible for reviewing the results and taking action where necessary. Unfortunately, for many facilities, an inspection ends up being little more than a walk through an area by someone who really doesn’t know exactly what they should be looking for. Watching for generic …

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Responsibilities of a Safety Manager

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A safety manager is generally responsible for the overall safety of an entire facility. One of their primary responsibilities is to ensure that a facility is OSHA compliant. There are many requirements OSHA places on facilities, which can make this a difficult and complex job. Some of the most significant things that OSHA checks for include the following: Ensure the workplace is free from significant safety or health hazards Check to make sure the workplace is …

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ANSI A13.1 Benefits & Problems

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ANSI A13.1 is the set of guidelines which is used to ensure that all pipes in a facility are clearly marked with what they contain.  The idea behind these standards is to ensure people working with and around all pipes know exactly what they contain before they take any action.  If, for example, an unlabeled pipe valve is opened by someone thinking it was just water it could cause major problems if it were actually …

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GB 7231-2003

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GB 7231 is a pipe marking standard for Chinese pipes used in industrial situations.  The standard covers a variety of things including the colors, symbols and other marketing specifications necessary for safety.  The standard goes into great detail regarding what needs to be used when marking pipes whether they are carrying harmless things like water or potentially dangerous chemicals.  When used properly these markings can help ensure people working with or around these pipes are much …

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Hazardous Energy Control

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Servicing heavy machinery has been an extremely dangerous occupation for many years.  In an attempt to reduce the possibility of injury or even death there have been standards created by OSHA and other groups to help limit the dangers.  One of the main focuses of these standards was hazardous energy control.  The idea is that when people are servicing machinery it is important to eliminate the power source so the machine can’t activate unexpectedly.  Whether it is due to …

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Minimal Lockout/Tagout Procedures

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While many facilities choose to implement a higher standard for their lockout / tagout procedures, the OSHA standard does have some minimal requirements to be in compliance for this type of work.  Following the minimal lockout/tagout procedures will keep people much safer than having no safety standard in place at all, and it is a great place to start for facilities looking to improve their safety record. The purpose of these minimum standards is to establish what is …

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