 OSHA Issues NEP for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities-Again Several years ago, OSHA opened a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on nursing homes and health care facilities and they did it again on April 5. The new program will run for a three-year period and provide for increased inspection of both nursing homes and residential care facilities. The driver is 2010 data that shows such facilities experience one of the highest rates of lost workdays due to injuries and illnesses of all major American industries. For more information, click here to read the press release and access the full directive. For educational materials on safety in such facilities, click here. |
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 NAOSH Week Starts Sunday, May 6
Sponsored in the U. S. by the American Society of Safety Engineers, the North American Occupational Safety and Health Week takes place in the first full week of May to raise awareness about occupational safety, health and the environment. The week provides an opportunity for RBA member organizations to use materials and ideas from the NAOSH web site to heighten workplace safety emphasis. For more information, click here. |
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 HSE Training Programs Scheduled for May at the RBA
Mid-May is HSE training time at the Rochester Business Alliance. Our most popular programs are again on the calendar and word from the registrar is that classes are beginning to fill. Leading the Safety Process, a course for managers and senior staff, runs from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday, May 14.
On Tuesday, May 15, the ever-popular OSHA Recordkeeping class is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. followed by Safety Committee Operations from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Emergency Management and Business Continuity, an update to Managing the Emergency, covers the full day from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16. This program is designed for team participation with a number of practical, company-focused workshops.
The week wraps up Thursday, May 17, with Accident Investigation Fundamentals on the schedule from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
To register for any session, click on a course above.
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 Money Not the Best Incentive
As most of you know by now, OHSA has taken a very dim view of incentive programs where the objective is to reward incident free work. However, many companies continue to use incentives to drive positive behavior and activities and that's fine as long the process is carefully considered. Bruce Brown, a PhD safety manager writing in an on-line forum, cautions that incentives may be seen favoring a small group of superior workers or simply a reward to everyone for showing up-in both cases having little or no positive impact.
His research with a multicultural, bilingual workforce found that money had less of an impact as an incentive than other lower-cost tools. In some Hispanic cultures, he says, logo apparel is valued since it shows you belong and is often worn to family gatherings and other non-company events. Add to this the common rules for positive reinforcement-personal, specific, low value, immediate-and a corporate tee shirt of ball cap might go a long way with many people.
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 ACS Issues Draft on Safety Cultures in Academic Institutions
The Committee on Chemical Safety of the American Chemical Society has issued a final draft of its new document "Creating Safety Cultures in Academic Institutions: A Report of the Safety Culture Task Force of the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety." If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the 56-page PDF report, click here to download. |
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OSHA Cites Combustible Dust Hazards
The Agency continues to be concerned about occupational dust hazards despite a specific dust standard. Most recently, Illinois-based Gilster-Mary Lee Corp was cited for six violations after two maintenance workers conducting welding operations sustained serious burns to their upper bodies as the result of an explosion within a dust collector at the company's pasta manufacturing plant on Oct. 6, 2011. Three willful violations include failing to eliminate dust deflagration and explosion hazards on indoor dust collectors and air material separators, contain dust during the bagging of powdered sugar, shut down ducts and conveyor systems during welding operations (which had been responsible for carrying a spark to the nearby dust collector), and ensure that electrical equipment installed in areas exposed to combustible dust was approved and safe for those locations. |
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More OSHA Publications Now Available in Spanish and Other Languages
The Agency has been concerned for some time that Spanish-speaking workers and others not fluent in English are being short-changed in the training process. To rectify the situation, OSHA has begun to translate many of its educational materials into Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, Polish, and Vietnamese. To access the publications page on the OSHA web site, click here. |
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 NSC Releases Distracted Driving Report
The National Safety Council has just issued its 2012 State of the Nation of Cell Phone Distracted Driving report. In the three years since NSC called for a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving, progress has been made in legislation and enforcement, corporate policy, public perception and technology. While addressing these five key areas, the report emphasizes the need for further improvement. To access a PDF of the report, click here.
Many companies are reported to be working on the distracted driving issue with their people. Jerry Wolfe, CSP, with Ingersoll Rand wrote online that they created a maze in their parking lot and had associates drive the course while texting weather information and being further distracted by a coach. On the second distraction-free pass, they were asked to identify the road signs and simulated hazards they missed on the first pass. It was great learning, said Wolfe.
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This health, safety and environment electronic update comes from Chip Dawson and the 