Lancaster Safety Consulting, Inc. provides OSHA compliance services for General Industry and Construction. A valuable part of our service is that our clients can call or email us with any safety questions they may have. LSCI's safety blog is intended to help others by providing answers to safety questions that we've been asked. Visit our website for more information about our services: www.lancastersafety.com
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Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Emergency Showers
Q: Are there any OSHA requirements that apply to the placement of where we put our safety showers?
A: OSHA’s regulation
regarding emergency showers and eyewash facilities states the following: 1910.151(c)
Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive
materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and
body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use.
Even though OSHA currently doesn't have specific requirements for the location of the facilities, OSHA
does recognize the guidelines set by sources such as the American Standards
Institute (ANSI). ANSI requires that emergency eyewash facilities to take
no longer than 10 seconds to reach. They also state that where a strong
acid or caustic is used, the unit should be immediately adjacent to the
hazard. The MSDS for the chemical will also provide guidelines on how
corrosive the chemical is and information on drenching facilities.
If you have specific questions about safety issues at your facility, contact us today!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Welding Curtain Use
Q: If employees are working approximately 25 feet from welding
operations, is it required that welding curtains be used?
A: OSHA does not give a definitive working distance, but states
that proper welding shields or curtains shall be used to protect other workers
in the area. (1910.152(b)(2)(iii)).
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Entering a Dumpster
Q: We sometimes have an employee enter the dumpster on the jobsite to rearrange
it. What would be the proper protection for this employee?
A: Proper PPE would need to be worn while performing this task. Cut/puncture resistant gloves, safety glasses, steel toes, etc. would need to be worn. Also, since there could be boards that have nails sticking out of them footwear with puncture resistance/steel reinforced soles would need to be worn. If the dumpster is 6 feet or higher and the worker needs to access it when it’s full proper fall protection would be required as well. To eliminate the need for fall protection, a company policy should be put in place that prohibits the worker from accessing the dumpster if the material is less than 42 inches from the top of the dumpster. Ladders can also be used outside of the dumpster if possible.
A: Proper PPE would need to be worn while performing this task. Cut/puncture resistant gloves, safety glasses, steel toes, etc. would need to be worn. Also, since there could be boards that have nails sticking out of them footwear with puncture resistance/steel reinforced soles would need to be worn. If the dumpster is 6 feet or higher and the worker needs to access it when it’s full proper fall protection would be required as well. To eliminate the need for fall protection, a company policy should be put in place that prohibits the worker from accessing the dumpster if the material is less than 42 inches from the top of the dumpster. Ladders can also be used outside of the dumpster if possible.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
OSHA Poster In Spanish
Q: Does OSHA require us to hang
the OSHA required poster in Spanish?
A: OSHA regulations do not
specify or require employers to display the OSHA poster in a foreign language.
However, OSHA encourages employers with Spanish-speaking workers to also display
the Spanish version of the poster.
Find out what OSHA requires at your company.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Fall Protection
Q: Is it acceptable to use a scissors lift from an elevated
platform that has perimeter openings of 40 inches around the outside of the
floor?
A: Since the wall
openings are 40 inches, it is required for workers working from the floor level
to have fall protection. In this case the horizontal lifeline and fall
arrest harnesses are acceptable, as long as they are used in the proper
form.
Any employee using the scissors
lift will be required to have their fall arrest harness secured and attached
until entering the lift because of the 40 inch openings. When in the
lift, the wall structures and the curtain walls must act as a curbing system;
that will not allow the lift to reach the edge of the floor, exposing the
employees to the risk of driving the lift off the edge.
This process must be made as
safe as possible to ensure that the lift is incapable of driving over the
curtain walls that are acting as the curbing system. If there are any
potential hazards that may occur, they must be addressed. OSHA may be
unclear with the use of equipment use from an elevated platform, but OSHA does
state under the General Duty Clause that the employer must ensure a safe
workplace for the employees.
Safety challenges can come up at any time, trust the OSH consultants at LSCI to help with your company's safety.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Written Program Storage
Q: Where do we need to keep our written programs - plant or
office?
A: OSHA requires that the manuals are “accessible” to all
employees. So either in the plant or the office would work as long as the
employees have access to them. You may not want to keep them in the
office if the office is ever locked while employees are working. OSHA wouldn't consider them to be accessible in this case.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Forklift Man Basket
Q: Can we attach a man basket to the forklift? Also, can it be
moved while an employee is in it?
A: OSHA permits the use of
personnel platforms on forklifts as long as the manufacture approves it.
You would need to contact the manufacturer of the forklift to see if they
permit it’s use. The manufacturer would also be able to provide you with
the new forklift specifications (center of gravity, weight limit, etc.) when
using the platform. Riding on a forklift is not permitted due to the
tipping hazard so the employee would need to exit the platform before it is
moved.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Workers Compensation
Q: In the state of Texas; Are
you required to turn in all OSHA recordable incidents to your workers
compensation insurance?
A: OSHA does not require you to
report a claim to your workers compensation provider. However, that is
only because it must be evaluated separately form the OSHA recordkeeping
process. The state of Texas requires employers who carry workers’
compensation insurance to report all known occupational disease and any
work-related injuries that result in more than one day of lost time. Employers
that fail to meet these requirements commit an administrative violation and may
be subject to administrative penalties.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Excavating below the trench box
Q: Are you permitted to dig 1-2 feet below the shoring box in a
4x5 trench?
A: Yes, according to 1926.652(e)(2)(i), you can excavate no more
than 2 feet below the bottom of the support system, only if the support system
itself can handle and resist the forces calculated for the full depth of the
trench and if there are no signs of a loss of soil from below or behind the
support system.
Get all your safety questions answered by our experienced OSH consultants, learn how today at lancastersafety.com
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