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  • The Unrecognized Gap: Contractor Training for PSM Facilities

    October 13, 2010

    While great efforts are made to insure that contractors to facilities regulated by OSHA’s PSM (Process Safety Management) standard (29CFR 1910.119) are properly trained before going onto the job, there still often remains a gap in training, especially for small contractors, that is sometimes missed. In paragraph (h) the PSM standard states that employees of contractors to chemical plants and refineries must be trained at four levels:
    1. They must be properly trained in their skill;
    2. They must be trained to safely perform their work [Basic Orientation Plus (BOP) and other safety training];
    3. They must be trained in the rules and regulations associated with the site at which they are working including the Emergency Action Plan (site specific ...

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    Safety

  • “Construction” Versus “Maintenance” As It Pertains To the New OSHA Crane Law

    September 30, 2010

    On August 9, 2010, OSHA released the final rule on Cranes and Derrick in Construction. Included in this rule are major requirements for operator qualification. These requirements are more specific as far as operator qualifications than the general industry requirements.
    Therefore a discussion is needed as to the difference between Construction and General industry. OSHA 29CFR1926.32 (g) definition of” "Construction work" means work for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating.(1)”   OSHA “29CFR1910.12 (a) "Standards" The standards prescribed in part 1926 of this chapter are adopted as occupational safety and health standards under section 6 of the Act and shall apply, according to the provisions thereof, to every employment and place of employment of every ...

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  • The New OSHA – the Message is Loud & Clear

    September 17, 2010

    Recently, I was invited to speak to a business group in the Washington DC Metro area.  The topic was the new OSHA’s shift from a culture of less-confrontational, compliance assistance to a more aggressive enforcement model.     This organizational change is evident.  Not only in the form of proposed policy changes and rulemakings but also in their new directives, enforcement initiatives and revised Field Operations Manual (FOM).   Need more evidence?  Check out the OSHA’s news releases.  In August 2010, OSHA issued 40 releases announcing citations and fines to various companies.  In August 2007, they issued only 14 of this nature.   On the flip side, in August 2010, OSHA issued ...

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    Safety

  • The Bad Habit of Habituation

    September 09, 2010

     
    ha·bit·u·a·tion Noun – “Reduction  of  psychological  or  behavioral  response  occurring  when  a  specific  stimulus  occurs  repeatedly.” - Dictionary.com    Without jumping onto Google for a quick reminder, can you list the color codes for Homeland Security’s Advisory System and what level we are currently? If you can’t, don’t feel bad. I couldn’t either when I chose this as a prime example of how quickly human beings habituate to any information that remains for the most part unchanged. I notice the workplace safety signs and reminders when I visit a client or business. This is probably because I have never seen them before and they therefore stand out.  I wonder if the people they are intended ...

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    Larry Kaminer

    Safety

  • It All Comes Down to ‘Dollars and Sense’

    September 01, 2010

    Watching the evening financial news is so depressing.  The news is full of talk of continuing jobless claims and the murmurs of corporate layoffs required as a cost-cutting tool.   It depresses me to realize that any more cutting of additional US human resources will only accelerate the downward spiral of American businesses.   Aren’t there better solutions to cutting costs?  YES!  Let’s start our business cost cutting in reducing health costs – and I’m not talking about the Federal Health Reform Act recently signed into law.   No.  I’m talking about  businesses  developing  effective driver safety programs which will reduce their employee  health costs (workers compensation medical ...

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    Marsha Daniel

    Safety

  • A Real Life Lesson on Personal Safety - A Near Encounter with a Serial Killer

    August 19, 2010

    On April 14, 2007 I learned a real life lesson on being safe. At exactly 9:10pm a friend called me to say that Channel 6 news was reporting break-ins in my neighborhood.  Breaking into cars seemed to be the crime of choice.  Since I had gifts for my grandchildren in my car I decided to bring them in where they would be safe.  Normally, I would have waited until 10:00pm to do this, just before settling down for the night.  However, on this night, I decided to get this done at 9:30pm.  So I did.  I went outside to my car and gathered up the gifts and brought them inside.    Later, at 10:00pm as I was about ...

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    Lynn Champagne

    Safety

  • Saving Lives Through Reducing Impaired Driving in Louisiana

    August 12, 2010

    Drunk driving in Louisiana and across the nation is a persistent problem despite stiffened laws and increased enforcement and education efforts. In 2009, alcohol-related crashes in Louisiana claimed more than 400 lives and resulted in more than 6,000 injuries. Forty-nine percent of the deaths on Louisiana roads in 2009 were alcohol-related, substantially higher than the national average of 37 percent.  To save lives, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission sponsors numerous enforcement programs, outreach campaigns and advertisements across the state. The Commission provides overtime grants to State Police and local enforcement agencies to conduct special DWI patrols and sobriety checkpoints throughout the year with a concentration on holiday periods. The Commission also promotes initiatives, such as the “No ...

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    Jamie Ainsworth

    Safety

  • The Transition of Safety in the Workplace

    August 05, 2010

    In the early 70s, the government recognized the need to intervene with companies on behalf of employee safety and OSHA was born. The ultimate goal was to protect the employee from workplace hazards and assure that employers had the management systems in place to provide employees with a safe work environment.   As time has passed, most corporations accept “safety” as a primary goal or top priority and maintain the processes needed to provide workers with adequate training, resources, and equipment to do a safe job. With this accomplished, an unwritten transition seems to have taken place; not only should we protect the employee from the employer, we must also strive to protect the employees from themselves...

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    Duane Smith

    Safety

  • Is your organization suffering from “Optimism Bias”?

    July 28, 2010

    Apathy, complacency and denial are three very common barriers to the implementation of or adherence to safety policy and procedure. But there's a fourth element we need to consider. This is the tendency to think that bad things are less likely to happen to us than others or, that for some reason, good rules which should always be obeyed somehow don’t apply to us. Do we remind our loved ones of the dangers of texting while driving yet find ourselves doing just that when at a traffic light?  A protective father makes sure his family wears life jackets while out on the water but he doesn’t. Those who don’t wear seatbelts fall into this group too....

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    Larry Kaminer

    Safety

  • If you had ONE wish what safety or health issue would you solve? Join the discussion!

    July 22, 2010

    With this posting we celebrate the inception of the first Louisiana Governor’s Safety & Health Conference (LGSHC) blog.  Our hope is to use this site to jump-start a state-wide discussion on what we can do, and should do, to uphold and protect the safety and health of our workers. As we count down to the second annual LGSHC, we hope you’ll be inspired by these blogs. And we encourage you to leave notes here of your impressions, and join the discussion. Over the next few months others will share their unique perspectives and expertise on safety, health, & emergency preparedness – and what else they believe we can do to advance safety and health in Louisiana. You ...

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    Melissa Sparks