NEP to reduce or eliminate worker exposure to silica revised
Effective Feb. 4, the National Emphasis Program (NEP) on respirable crystalline silica for general industry, maritime and construction to “identify and reduce or eliminate” silica-related hazards was revised.
Significant changes include:
- Enforcement of the standards for RCS, promulgated in 2016. One standard covers general industry and maritime, and the other covers construction. Both standards set a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for RCS of 50 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). The former TWA PELs for respirable quartz silica were calculated based on silica content and were approximately equivalent to 100 µg/m3 for general industry and 250 µg/m3 for construction and shipyards (81 FR at 16294, March 25, 2016).
- Updated list of target industries, listed by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.
- For inspection procedures, compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) are referred to current enforcement guidance for the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standards.
- State Plan participation in this NEP has been made mandatory.
- Area and Regional Offices shall comply with this NEP, but they are not required to develop and implement corresponding Local Emphasis Programs (LEPs) or Regional Emphasis Programs (REPs).
- Area Offices will conduct outreach programs three months prior to initiating NEP-related RCS inspections.
- Area Offices are no longer required to send abatement verification to the National Office.
Low hazards industry list updated
The list of low-hazard industries used to determine whether small-business employers are exempt from programmed safety inspections has been updated. Employers in these industries that employ 10 or fewer employees are exempt from programmed safety inspections. The appropriations language contains exceptions for inspections stemming from fatalities, the hospitalizations of two or more employees, imminent danger situations, employee complaints, and health hazards, among other situations.
National Emphasis Program (NEP) on Amputation extended to manufacturing industries in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia
The NEP on amputations will target industrial and manufacturing workplaces in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia where it’s been determined that unguarded or improperly guarded machinery and equipment played a role in employee injuries. A concerted education and prevention effort will also be made to raise awareness. NEP enforcement activities will begin after March 10, 2020, and will remain in effect until the program is cancelled.
New hazard bulletin: grease traps
The new bulletin provides information on how to properly cover grease traps to prevent workers from tripping or falling into them.
Technical corrections and amendments to 27 standards
According to a final rule published in the Feb. 18 Federal Register, the corrections are to 29 CFR 1904 (recording and reporting occupational injuries and illnesses), 1910 (general industry), 1915 and 1918 (maritime), and 1926 (construction).
National stand-up for grain safety week
The National Stand-Up for Grain Safety Week will take place April 13-20.
New webpage to observe 50th anniversary
A new webpage marks the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Visit www.osha.gov/osha50 to find 50th anniversary events.
Cal OSHA Guidance on requirements to protect health care workers from 2019 novel coronavirus
The guidance covers the safety requirements when providing care for suspected or confirmed patients of the respiratory disease or when handling pathogens in laboratory settings in California.
Cal OSHA – Employee access to employer’s Injury and Illness Prevention Plan
The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“Standards Board”) approved a rule allowing employee access to their employer’s Injury and Illness Prevention Plan within five days of a request, effective January 1, 2021.
Recent fines and awards
Florida
- The U.S. District Court for the Middle District, Fort Myers Division, sentenced Stalin Rene Barahona, former owner of the now-dissolved SB Framing Services Inc. in Naples, to 30 days in prison. Barahona pleaded guilty to one count of willfully violating federal fall protection standards.
Georgia
- Pearson Farms LLC was cited for safety violations after an employee suffered fatal injuries at the farm’s post-harvest operations facility in Fort Valley. The employee, who was performing maintenance on a conveyor system, was caught between the load on a forklift and a metal railing. The farm faces $128,004 in penalties.
- Garick LLC, operating as Smith Garden Products, was cited for exposing employees to safety hazards at the Cumming facility. The manufacturer of specialty mulch products faces $148,867 in penalties. The inspection was conducted in accordance with the National Emphasis Program on Amputations and the Regional Emphasis Program for Powered Industrial Trucks.
Michigan
- Dearborn Heights School District violated whistleblower statutes by unjustly disciplining, publicly discrediting, and terminating an employee who reported unsafe working conditions to federal and state agencies. The school district was ordered to reinstate the employee and pay a total of $102,905.78 in back wages, damages and other compensation.
Missouri
- Royal Oak Enterprises was cited for exposing employees to multiple safety and health hazards at company facilities in Branson and Summersville. The charcoal manufacturer faces $339,702 in penalties.
New York
- Nonni’s Foods LLC was cited for exposing employees to falls and other hazards at the Ferndale facility. Inspected after an employee fell and was hospitalized, inspectors discovered that the employer instructed employees to retrieve stored material by standing on the forks of a forklift that elevated them to a storage area atop a break room, which did not have guardrails. The manufacturer of premium cookies faces $221,257 in penalties.
Pennsylvania
- Cleveland Brothers Inc., doing business as CB HYMAC, was cited for exposing workers to hexavalent chromium fumes and other safety hazards at the company’s shop in Camp Hill. The company, which provides hydraulic service and repair, machining and chroming services, was cited for one willful violation and 18 serious and two other-than-serious citations, totaling $280,874 in penalties.
- CLF Construction Inc. and Toll Brothers Inc. were cited for exposing employees to fall hazards after a CLF employee suffered fatal injuries in a fall at a worksite in Media. Proposed penalties are $170,560 for Philadelphia-based subcontractor CLF Construction, and $74,217 for Horsham-based general contractor Toll Brothers.
For Cutting-Edge Strategies on Managing Risks and Slashing Insurance Costs visit www.StopBeingFrustrated.com