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CONN-OSHA Quarterly
August, 2012
Volume No. 69
August 2012
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Protecting
Workers from the Effects of Heat
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Injury and Illness Prevention Programs
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Fatality & Casualty Reporting:
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CONN-OSHA Training Update
Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2006 to
2010, excessive heat exposure caused 175 occupational deaths
in the United States. As a result, The Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a nationwide
outreach campaign to raise aware
ness among workers and employers about the hazards of
working outdoors in hot weather. If your job requires you
or your employees to work in a hot environment, it makes
sense that everyone should know what the signs and symptoms
of heat illness are. You should also know what you can do to
protect yourselves and when to call for help.
The best protection is to stay in an air conditioned
environment, but sometimes you just have to work in the
heat! The body thermoregulates itself in several ways. One
of our major heat control mechanisms is sweating. When the
skin is moist with sweat, air movement across the skin
evaporates the moisture, thus pulling heat away from the
body and cooling the body. This cooling process can be
impeded in many ways, some of which are listed below.
Factors that May Cause Heat-related Illness
• High
temperature ♦ Use of bulky protective
• High
humidity clothing and equipment
• Low
fluid consumption ♦ Poor physical condition or
• Direct
sun exposure (with no ongoing health problems shade) or
extreme heat ♦ Some medications
• Limited
air movement (no ♦ Pregnancy breeze or wind) ♦ Lack of
previous exposure to
• Physical
exertion hot workplaces Preparation is one of the keys to
protecting yourself from heat related illnesses. Some
include:
•
Check
the weather reports. Get ready if the heat index is expected
to rise
• Review
heat safety precautions
• Start
hydrating by drinking water, even if you’re not thirsty.
Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol
• Wear
loose fitting light colored clothing
• Slow
down and take frequent breaks
• Use
a buddy system to check on co-workers regularly
Health Problems Caused by Hot Work Environments
Heat Stroke is the most serious heat-related health problem.
Heat stroke occurs when the body's temperature regulating
system fails and body temperature rises to critical levels
(greater than 104°F).This is a medical emergency that may
result in death! The signs of heat stroke are confusion,
loss of consciousness and seizures. Workers experiencing
heat stroke have a very high body temperature and may stop
sweating. If a worker shows signs of possible heat stroke,
get medical help immediately; call 911. Until medical help
arrives, move the worker to a shady, cool area and remove as
much clothing as possible. Wet the worker with cool water
and circulate the air to speed cooling. Place cold wet
cloths, wet towels or ice all over the body or soak the
worker’s clothing with cold water. If the victim is
conscious, offer cool water.
Heat Exhaustion is the next most serious heat-related health
problem. The signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion are
headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability,
confusion, thirst, heavy sweating and a body temperature
greater than 100.4°F. Workers with heat exhaustion should be
removed from the hot area and given liquids to drink, if
conscious. Remove unnecessary clothing including shoes and
socks.
Heat Cramps are muscle pains usually caused by physical
labor in a hot work environment. Heat cramps are caused by
the loss of body salts and fluid during sweating. Workers
with heat cramps should replace fluid loss by drinking water
and/or carbohydrate-electrolyte replacement liquids (e.g.,
sports drinks) every 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat Rash is the most common problem in hot work
environments. Heat rash is caused by sweating and looks
like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters. Heat rash
usually appears on the neck, upper chest, in the groin,
under the breasts and in elbow creases. The best treatment
for heat rash is to provide a cooler, less humid work
environment. The rash area should be kept dry. Powder may be
applied to increase comfort. Ointments and creams should not
be used on a heat rash. Anything that makes the skin warm or
moist may make the rash worse.
Connecticut Department of
Labor Division of Occupational Safety and Health
Injury
and Illness Prevention Programs (I2P2) An OSHA Priority
OSHA believes that workers will be better
protected if each employer: develops a proactive program to
help them find hazards in their workplaces. develops a
process to fix those hazards so that employees don't get
hurt.
These “Injury and Illness Prevention
Programs” (I2P2) can reduce the extent and severity of
work-related illnesses; improve employee morale and
productivity, and reduce workers compensation costs. David
Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor, observes that
“Injury and illness prevention programs are good for
workers, good for business and good for America."
OSHA's performance-based Injury and Illness
Prevention Program proposal is in its very early stages.
The I2P2 standard would require employers to develop a
program to help them find and fix hazards in their
workplaces. This would not be a one-size -fits-all
requirement. Employers would tailor the program to the size
and nature of their workplace.
Successful Injury and Illness Prevention
Programs include several basic elements:
• Management
commitment and employee involvement
• Worksite
analysis to identify current and potential hazards
• Hazard
prevention and control
•
Safety and health training
OSHA currently recognizes companies that have
effective comprehensive safety and health management
programs through initiatives such as the Voluntary
Protection Program (VPP) and Safety and Health Award
Recognition Program (SHARP).
Case Study Scot Forge is an employee-owned
company whose employees have a vested interest in the
success of the company. In 2004, Scot Forge successfully
completed the challenge to be-
Congratulations RockTenn
come the first forge company in the United
States to be SHARP certified. Through continually improving
their comprehensive safety and health management process,
coupled with a lot of effort from all 610 employees, today
Scot Forge is achieving a Total Incident Rate more than 60%
below the national average for their industry group. To
achieve this performance, employees are working above and
beyond the requirements of the OSHA standards to minimize
the behavioral factors that routinely contribute to work
place injuries. The company has deployed strong safety
awareness, hazard analysis, communication, and observation
tools that educate and involve everyone in the
organization’s efforts to become injury free. This
comprehensive safety and health management approach has not
only reduced the number of injuries, but it has also made a
significant contribution to the company’s productivity and
profitability.
For more information on I2P2, visit OSHA’s
Injury and Illness Prevention Programs topic page or call
CONN-OSHA at 860263-6900 to request an on-site consultation
http://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/safetyhealth/index.html
Note: Some employers have implemented
incentive programs that reward employees with prizes when a
company has no injuries or illnesses. OSHA cautions against
this type of safety and health management program because
the incentives may discourage employees from reporting
work-related injuries and illnesses. When employees fail to
report injuries and illnesses, they may not receive early
diagnosis and treatment of their ailments and the hazards
that caused them are not identified. If employers want to
offer incentives they should use them to reward employees
when they make safety recommendations.
About 100 employees and dignitaries gathered
at the RockTenn Company mill in Uncasville to celebrate a
major milestone on Thursday, July 19, 2012. They gathered to
commemorate the passing of a decade without an accident or
injury resulting in lost time. The RockTenn Uncasville mill
makes paperboard products. No other mill in the RockTenn
family has ever accomplished this safety goal.
The celebration at the former Smurfit-Stone plant at 12
Depot Road included Jim Rubright, President and CEO of
Georgia-based RockTenn and Montville’s Mayor Ronald
McDaniel. Director Kenneth Tucker and Program Manager James
Pierce, of the Connecticut Department of Labor, Division of
Occupational Safety and Health (CONN-OSHA) were also
present.
RockTenn had already earned the distinction
of receiving the Safety and Health Recognition Program
(SHARP) designation in 2007, which it still currently
maintains. CONN-OSHA only recommends employers with
exemplary safety and health programs for this prestigious
honor.
At the celebration James Pierce presented
John Deveau, RockTenn Safety Manager, with a Connecticut
Department of Labor Commissioner’s Certificate of
Achievement Award signed by Acting Commissioner Dennis C.
Murphy. John Deveau has been instrumental in RockTenn’s
success and is commended for achieving this milestone. He is
personally committed to leading by example and places a high
priority on employee safety in the workplace.
Congratulations to RockTenn and its employees
for upholding the highest standards and making their safety
and health program a role model for other companies.
Employer Safety Incentive and Disincentive
Policies and Practices
Reporting a work-related injury or illness is
a core employee right, and retaliating against a worker for
reporting an injury or illness is illegal discrimination
under section 11(c) of the OSH Act. Other whistleblower
statutes enforced by OSHA also may protect employees who
report workplace injuries. In particular, the Federal
Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) prohibits railroad carriers,
their contractors and subcontractors from discriminating
against employees for reporting injuries.
If employees do not feel free to report
injuries or illnesses, the employer's entire workforce is
put at risk. Employers do not learn of dangerous conditions
that could be corrected and injured employees may not
receive the proper medical attention or workers'
compensation benefits to which they are entitled. Ensuring
that employees can report injuries or illnesses without fear
of retaliation is crucial to protecting worker safety and
health.
There are several types of workplace policies
and practices that could discourage reporting and could
constitute unlawful discrimination and a violation of
section 11(c) and other whistleblower protection statutes.
Some of these policies and practices may also violate OSHA's
recordkeeping regulations, particularly the requirement to
ensure that employees have a way to report work-related
injuries and illnesses. A few of the most common potentially
discriminatory policies is below. OSHA has also observed
that the potential for unlawful discrimination under all of
these policies may increase when management or supervisory
bonuses are linked to lower reported injury rates. While
OSHA appreciates employers using safety as a key management
metric, we cannot condone a program that encourages
discrimination against workers who report injuries.
In this first situation, OSHA received
reports of employers who have a policy of taking
disciplinary action against employees who are injured on the
job, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the injury.
Reporting an injury is always a protected activity. OSHA
views discipline imposed under such a policy against an
employee who reports an injury as a direct violation of
section 11(c) or FRSA.
In another situation, an employee who reports
an injury or illness is disciplined, and the stated reason
is that the employee has violated an employer rule about the
time or manner for reporting injuries and illnesses. Such
cases deserve careful scrutiny. Because the act of reporting
the injury directly results in discipline, there is a clear
potential for violating section 11(c) or FRSA. OSHA
recognizes that employers have a legitimate interest in
establishing procedures for receiving and responding to
reports of injuries but such procedures must be reasonable
and may not unduly burden the employee's right and ability
to report.
In this third situation, an employee reports
an injury, and the employer imposes discipline on the
grounds that the injury resulted from the violation of a
safety rule by the employee. OSHA encourages employers to
maintain and enforce legitimate workplace safety rules in
order to eliminate or reduce workplace hazards and prevent
injuries from occurring. In some cases, however, an employer
may attempt to use a work rule as a pretext for
discrimination against a worker who reports an injury. a
careful investigation is needed.
Finally, some employers establish programs
that unintentionally or intentionally provide employees an
incentive to not report injuries. For example, an employer
might enter all employees who have not been injured in the
previous year in a drawing to win a prize, or a team of
employees might be awarded a bonus if no one from the team
is injured over some period of time. Such programs might be
well-intentioned efforts by employers to encourage their
workers to use safe practices. However, there are better
ways to encourage safe work practices, such as incentives
that promote worker participation in safety-related
activities, such as identifying hazards or participating in
investigations of injuries, incidents or "near misses".
OSHA's voluntary Protection Program (VPP) guidance materials
refer to a number of positive incentives, including
providing tee shirts to workers serving on safety and health
committees; offering modest rewards for suggesting ways to
strengthen safety and health; or throwing a recognition
party at the successful completion of company-wide safety
and health training. Incentive programs that discourage
employees from reporting their injuries are problematic
because, under section 11(c), an employer may not "in any
manner discriminate" against an employee because the
employee exercises a protected right, such as the right to
report an injury. FRSA similarly prohibits a railroad
carrier, contractor or subcontractor from discriminating
against an employee who notifies, or attempts to notify, the
railroad carrier or the Secretary of Transportation of a
work-related personal injury.
Please contact the Office of Whistleblower
Protection Programs at
(202) 693-2199 if you have further questions.
Excerpts for this article were taken from a
March 12, 2012 memorandum Employer Safety Incentive and
Disincentive Policies and Practices. The full article may be
found at::
http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/whistleblowermemo.html
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Hazard
Corner….Board
of Education Building Maintenance / Custodial Workers
Every year numerous injuries occur in Connecticut schools and
typically, it is not the students who are sustaining these
injuries. It is the building maintenance and custodial employees
who get injured keeping your child’s school
clean and operational. Building maintenance and custodial staff
perform a multitude of activities that expose them to a variety
of hazards.
Building maintenance work involves a broad scope of projects:
interior painting, roof repair; gutter cleaning, Heating
Ventilation Air Conditioner maintenance, etc.. \The maintenance
staff uses equipment such as ladders, scissors lifts, hand tools
and floor strippers. One day staff may be exposed to asbestos
while drilling through walls or replacing floor tiles and be
exposed to lead based paint or mold on another day. There is
exposure to electricity when they repair or replace electrical
outlets, light ballasts, electrical panel work, work with
extension cords, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI’s), and
on-site generators. A large part of their day can revolve
around using hazardous chemicals/solvents for cleaning,
disinfecting, maintenance and operation of equipment/facilities.
These hazardous chemicals, some corrosive, can cause serious
injuries to the skin and eyes from acute exposure.
When employees are exposed to hazardous chemicals, the employer
needs to comply with the standard CFR 1910.1200 Hazard
Communication. This includes a written program, proper labeling
of chemicals, comprehensive collection of material safety data
sheets (MSDS’s), the use of Personal Protective Equipment, and
appropriate employee training. There are additional standards
for electrical hazards or when working at a job that exposes
them to fall hazards. The following is a list of some standards
that may apply to maintenance/custodial activities. Some
standards may not apply depending on exposure to hazards by
employees. (i.e., if the noise level does not exceed the action
level of 85 decibels, a hearing conservation program would not
be required).
•
Subpart D
– Walking-Working Surfaces
•
Subpart I
– Personal Protective Equipment
•
Subpart L
– Fire Protection
•
Subpart S
- Electrical
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1910.95
Occupational Noise Exposure
• 1910.134
Respiratory Protection
• 1910.146
Permit-Required Confined Spaces
•
1910.147
The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/ Tagout)
• 1910.1001
Asbestos
•
1910.1030
Bloodborne Pathogens
•
1910.1200
Hazard Communication
•
1904 Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
* This list is NOT all-inclusive.
In conclusion, schools are a very dynamic and challenging
workplace. A majority of these jobs are last minute or “get them
done as soon as possible” assignments, some possibly for the
first time. As in any job, work smart, plan accordingly and be
safe.
OSHA’S Revised Hazard Communication Standard
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Fatality & Casualty Reporting:
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CONN-OSHA Training Update
Fall Protection in the
Residential Construction Industry
August 28, September 9 or
September 11, 2012 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
This is a unique opportunity.
CONN-OSHA
and U.S. Department of Labor OSHA will discuss and answer questions related
to changes in the residential fall protection regulations. If your work
involves residential construction, don’t miss this opportunity to learn what
the residential construction regulations require and what employers must do
to protect their employees,.
OSHA Recordkeeping
August 24 (this class is full) and November 6, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to noon
At this workshop, you will learn how to fill out the OSHA 300 Log of
Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses accurately and correctly.
Powered Industrial Trucks
August 28, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to
noon This workshop includes the basic requirements of the OSHA 29 CFR
1910.178 Powered Industrial Truck Standard which affects both General
Industry and Construction material handling operations. This class is full,
we will be scheduling another for sometime this fall.
Construction Site Safety
October 2, 2012 from
9:00 a.m. to noon Construction managers, first line supervisors, and
construction employees will be provided with an overview of four areas of
concern on the construction site: fall protection, scaffolding and ladder
safety, electrical hazards, and excavation & trenching safety.
Breakfast Roundtable
This discussion group meets the
third Tuesday of every month from 8:15 am to 9:45 am. Pre-registration is
required. To be placed on the e-mail distribution list, contact John Able
at able.john@dol.gov
Classes are free and held at 200 Folly Brook Boulevard,
Wethersfield, CT in Conference Room A/B. To register, contact John Able at
able.john@dol.gov
or Catherine Zinsser at
zinsser.catherine@dol.gov.
Pre-registration is required. A Photo I.D. is required to allow entry into a
public building. For more training information, visit the CONN-OSHA web
site
www.ctdol.state.ct.us/osha/osha.htm
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CONN-OSHA-Quarterly
Index
Last
Updated:
April 17, 2018 |
