OSHA UPDATES

Silica Rule for Construction, Maritime and General Industry Compliance

OSHA’s silica rule for construction has been in effect for over 2 years now and businesses were to comply by June 23, 2017, one year after the effective date, and General Industry and Maritime had additional time before total compliance was required on June 23, 2018.  For those of you still struggling with how to comply with the standard or need training call us at (800) 819-6092.  OSHA also has a variety of resources available on their website to help you with compliance, including videos and a frequently asked question section SILICA

Recordkeeping Rule: When and How to Submit OSHA Form 300A

The rule requires certain high-hazard businesses with 20 to 249 employees to electronically submit their OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and all businesses with 250 or more employees to also electronically submit their OSHA 300A form.  OSHA is no longer requiring or accepting the 300 or 301 Forms from businesses with 250 or more employees as previously required.  This is one change to the original rule that was released in 2016.  The 2019 forms are due by March 2. RECORDKEEPING

Extension in Compliance Date for the General Industry Beryllium Standard

On August 8, OSHA issued a final rule to extend the compliance date for supporting requirements in the general industry beryllium standard to December 12, 2018.  This extension affects provisions for methods of compliance, work areas, personal protective clothing, hygiene facilities and practices, housekeeping, communications, and recordkeeping.  The compliance date extension does not affect the compliance dates for other requirements of the general industry beryllium standard.  OSHA expects to complete revisions to its beryllium standards by the end of fiscal year 2019. BERYLLIUM

Excavation in construction

Another big area that OSHA will be focusing on is trenching and excavation hazards in construction; the agency’s goal is to abate 1,400 of these hazards in fiscal year 2019.  As always, the focus is to ensure that employers are protecting their employees before allowing them to work in a trench or excavation. EXCAVATION

Self Reporting Injuries and Fatalities

In addition, responding to employers self-reporting of injuries will continue to increase the amount of unprogrammed (unplanned) inspections OSHA conducts.  OSHA states that they are seeking 42 new full-time employees for enforcement. They are also looking to add 32 employees for areas such as compliance assistance, outreach and the Voluntary Protection Programs. REPORTING

OSHA Inspections, are you on the list?

OSHA has taken the data that employers were required to electronically file in 2016 and are now using it to conduct programmed inspections of businesses.  The Site-Specific Targeting 2016 (SST2016) program is looking at businesses that failed to meet the submittal deadline for 2016 and are going to begin performing inspections on these establishments.  Currently all establishments with 250 or more employees or employers with 20 – 249 employees in high risk categories are required to file by March 2nd, 2019.  For more information, check out this article in Octobers EHSToday

Construction Managers Face Criminal Charges in Crane Accident

Inexperience and lack training rears its ugly head yet again. An accident which occurred last June at a condominium project in East Harlem left two ironworkers injured when a crane fell several stories to street level. The investigation concluded that the workers involved in operating the crane had no formal training or qualifications to be working with the equipment on the project. The crane toppled over after being loaded with a glass panel that was estimated to have weighed 1800lbs, while the cranes configuration was only rated to have a lifting capacity of 880lbs. To read full article follow the link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-construction-managers-face-criminal-charges-in-east-harlem-crane-accident-1541723812

NEW: OSHA Proposes Rule to Ensure Crane Operators Are Qualified To Safely Operate Equipment. OSHA Trade Release (May 18, 2018). Crane Operator Certification Extension – Final Rule. OSHA delayed the enforcement date for crane operator certification by one year until November 10, 2018.

Some topics for consideration when working with mini crawler cranes:
• How much does the material weigh?
• Load chart interpretation
• Capacity of crane at the working radius.
• How and what kind of rigging is needed?
• Rigging clearly tagged and in good working condition?
• Are ground conditions adequate for crane set up?
• Outriggers fully extended?