Mar 3, 2015
Does your facility require a rescue team? What OSHA standards require some kind of emergency response procedures? If your facility needs some level of emergency response, how do you develop these capabilities? What types of procedures, equipment, and training is needed? Or should it be out sourced?
Feb 16, 2015
After years of comments, proposals, discussions, edits, issuances, retractions, amendments, and related activities, OROSHA has issued its Confined Space Rule: OAR 437-002-0146. The permit space rules became effective for general industry on January 1, 2015 and will become effective for construction on March 1, 2015. Will your location be in compliance with Oregon’s new rules? What does it mean to Oregon employers? If you were in compliance with the Federal rules (1910.146) will you be in compliance with this one?
Jan 19, 2015
When you are hanging in a harness the leg straps cut off this return flow. Blood pools in the legs where the tissues scrub out all the oxygen and load it up with metabolic waste products. With this reduction of blood circulating in the body, the heart compensates by speeding up the heart rate to maintain blood flow to the brain. How long does this process take? It depends on many factors.
Jun 27, 2014
Would you work at the toe of a nine-foot vertical wall of dirt with no protective system? Hopefully your answer is ‘no.’ But what if you received a letter from a soils engineer who had evaluated the composition of the dirt and declared it safe? Is an excavation safe because a soil engineer says it is?
Jun 23, 2012
A few weeks ago a compliance officer from Oregon OSHA called. She had been having a discussion with her co-workers and they were at a bit of a impasse. They were considering the following scenario: A four-foot trench with two feet of spoil pile, but in this case the pile was right up against the trench lip and had not been set back two feet from the lip as required by the code.
Nov 7, 2011
Recently OROSHA released the text of of proposed changes to the confined space standards rules. Their goal is to bring construction under the same standards as general industry. The proposed rules can be found here:
http://www.orosha.org/pdf/notices/proposed2011/propchgs_conf_sp.pdf
Aug 15, 2011
Last Sunday while skimming the business section of our local newspaper (Eugene’s Register Guard), I came across an article on training wind turbine workers so that they can avoid accidents and injuries. A key point in the article was the problem with existing wind turbine safety standards.
Jul 8, 2011
One area of concern for many employers relates to the safety requirements needed when an employee reaches into a permit-required confined space to perform a low-hazard job task such as steam cleaning or collecting a sample. Has the employee made a confined space entry? Is a permit needed? What exactly are the requirements?
Jul 7, 2011
We spend a fair amount of time fielding questions about confined space, fall protection and excavation safety. Most of time people describe a scenario and ask us whether we would consider it safe or compliant. Generally their questions hinge on an activity that is not directly addressed by the OSHA regulations.
Jul 5, 2011
Recently a vigorous online discussion erupted over this question when it was asked on an online message board. When I last checked over 140 people had expressed a wide variety of fact and opinion. The question itself was simple to answer: “No, OSHA doesn’t require an employee to use fall protection when using a scissors lift (i.e., work platform that cannot be positioned completely beyond the base) if the guardrails are installed and the gates closed.” In fact, the scissors lift itself is a form of fall protection which protects workers from the hazards of working from portable ladders.
The question itself was simple to answer: “No, OSHA doesn’t require an employee to use fall protection when using a scissors lift (i.e., work platform that cannot be positioned completely beyond the base) if the guardrails are installed and the gates closed.” In fact, the scissors lift itself is a form of fall protection which protects workers from the hazards of working from portable ladders.
Jun 3, 2011
Certain jobs often call for “intrinsically safe” or “explosion-proof” tools and equipment such as lighting and radios. The purpose of this requirement is ensuring that our equipment doesn’t create a source of ignition which in turn could ignite vapors, dusts, mists, or fibers in the atmosphere.
Aug 17, 2009
Are you at elevated risk for heat stress? During these dog days, heat stress can be a big problem. Heat causes our bodies to undergo physical changes such as changes in our circulation. More blood flows to the skin and less flows to the kidneys and other organs. Also, heart-rate increases to maintain adequate blood pressure.
Jul 27, 2009
We’re often asked if our safety and rescue classes are ‘certified by OSHA’ or if you take a class will you be ‘certified’? I usually respond by saying that if you complete the class you’ll receive a certificate and you’ll be awarded continuing education units (CEUs). But will that make you ‘certified’ in the normal sense of the word? Not really.