This week at the National Safety Council’s annual Congress and Expo, OSHA announced its Top 10 Most Commonly Cited Violations for 2017.   The list combines both general industry (1910) and construction standard (1926) citations.

For the past few years the list has included much of the same topics, just in a different order.  This year is much of the same, however, general electrical hazards have dropped from the list and fall protection training has taken its place.

Here is the new Top 10:

1.   Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501)
2.   Hazard Communication (1910.1200)
3.   Scaffolding (1926.451)
4.   Respiratory Protection (1910.134)
5.   Lockout/Tagout (1910.147)
6.   Ladders (1926.1053)
7.   Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178)
8.   Machine Guarding (1910.212)
9.   Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503)
10. Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305)

Source: National Safety Council

Do you have these issues at your worksite?  Let us help you find out with an OSHA safety audit!

Walking-Working Surfaces Final Rule for General Industry Incorporates Construction Standards

OSHA has incorporated Construction Standards into the General Industry Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Systems Standard. Walking-working surfaces can be floors, stairs, ladders, roofs, ramps, scaffolds, elevated walkways or fall protection systems.

Some of tasks required immediately include employee training in slips, trips, falls and fall protection equipment, as well as regular inspections and maintenance of walking-working surfaces.  Inspections, maintenance, and replacements (if needed) of fall protection equipment is also required.

The rule allows employers some leeway in choosing the fall protection systems which work best for them, which has been a part of the OSHA 1926 Construction Standard. It also phases in certain protections for fixed ladder systems which extend over 24 feet. For now, cages and wells on existing ladders are ok until the year 2036. However, any new or replacement ladders must have ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems installed on them starting next year.

The new rule incorporates language for those who use rope descent systems, or RDS. No RDS should be used at heights higher than 300 feet above grade, and employers are to have the anchorage points of these RDS systems certified by November 20, 2017. This certification requires inspection, testing, and verification that it’s capable of holding 5,000 lbs. per employee.

With the rule, OSHA has deferred scaffolding requirements to the construction standard.

For more information, check out the Walking-Working Surfaces rule’s frequently asked questions site.

Walking-Working Surfaces Final Rule for General Industry Incorporates Construction Standards

OSHA has incorporated Construction Standards into the General Industry Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Systems Standard. Walking-working surfaces can be floors, stairs, ladders, roofs, ramps, scaffolds, elevated walkways or fall protection systems.

Some of tasks required immediately include employee training in slips, trips, falls and fall protection equipment, as well as regular inspections and maintenance of walking-working surfaces.  Inspections, maintenance, and replacements (if needed) of fall protection equipment is also required.

The rule allows employers some leeway in choosing the fall protection systems which work best for them, which has been a part of the OSHA 1926 Construction Standard. It also phases in certain protections for fixed ladder systems which extend over 24 feet. For now, cages and wells on existing ladders are ok until the year 2036. However, any new or replacement ladders must have ladder safety or personal fall arrest systems installed on them starting next year.

The new rule incorporates language for those who use rope descent systems, or RDS. No RDS should be used at heights higher than 300 feet above grade, and employers are to have the anchorage points of these RDS systems certified by November 20, 2017. This certification requires inspection, testing, and verification that it’s capable of holding 5,000 lbs. per employee.

With the rule, OSHA has deferred scaffolding requirements to the construction standard.

For more information, check out the Walking-Working Surfaces rule’s frequently asked questions site.

iSi can help with fall protection training, programs and equipment inspections!

A study published by NIOSH has affirmed the need for OSHA’s requirement for annual fit-testing for filtering facepiece respirators and other tight-fitting respirators.

In its study, NIOSH followed 229 subjects over three years’ time, making fit and physical characteristic measurements every 6 months. It was found that after one year, 10% of the subjects had changes in fit. In two years it was 20%, and in the third year, it was up to 26%. OSHA’s intended threshold for fit changes, when it made its rules in 1998, was 7% annually.

NIOSH also found that subjects who had lost 20 or more pounds had respirator fit changes. The greater the weight loss, the higher the chance that the respirator fit changed. Thus, NIOSH recommends those persons who lose 20 or more pounds get priority fit-test scheduling, even it is less than a year since their last fit-test.

In addition to weight loss and gain, other events such as dental changes, facial scarring and cosmetic surgery can affect respirator fit as well.

If your company has a group of employees who need their required annual fit-testing and/or their required annual respiratory protection refresher training, iSi can help! iSi can conduct both qualitative and quantitative fit testing.  Request a price quote here.

Note: NIOSH’s study can be found at: https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2016/01/05/fit-testing/