Category: Safety

Recordkeeping Rule Compliance Guidelines Released by OSHA

OSHA recently released compliance guidelines covering several provisions in its revised recordkeeping rule. The guidelines address industry questions and concerns about the rule’s employee involvement and prohibition against employee discrimination provisions. The provisions affect employer safety incentive programs, and mandatory post-incident drug testing requirements. There is currently litigation that may ultimately impose an injunction on the entire rule, or parts of it. However, a ruling is not expected until later next year. MCAA encourages all affected employers to be in compliance with the rule by December 1, 2016.

Download the guidelines

 

Take Advantage of MCAA’s New Model Silica Exposure Control Plan

OSHA’s new standard on Respirable Crystalline Silica requires employers using alternative exposure control methods to establish and regularly update a written exposure control plan for each applicable construction operation. Compliance is easy and cost effective for members with MCAA’s new Model Silica Exposure Control Plan for Mechanical Construction.

Download the plan

Get Your Copies of MCAA’s New Silica Safety Resources

Four new silica safety resources are now available to MCAA members. The resources will help your workers protect themselves from overexposure to silica and help your company comply with OSHA’s new standard… Respirable Crystalline Silica. Affected employers must be in compliance with the standard by June 23, 2017. The resources include a silica safety training video for workers, a pocket guide that highlights the key training points, a 20-question multiple choice test, and a training documentation sheet. To access these resources, please click here. All of these resources are available to you as a benefit of your membership with MCAA.

Safety Conflict Resolution – Safety Training Video for Supervisors

Don’t let your supervisors miss out on MCAA’s array of safety training resources for supervisors, such as the video Making It Work: Safety Conflict Resolution for Supervisors.

The video prepares project managers, foremen and other affected supervisors to effectively handle common jobsite safety conflicts, such as scheduling disagreements, housekeeping problems, and personality clashes.

The video is one of six MCAA safety training videos for supervisors, and all of them are available to you free as a benefit of membership.

To access the video, please click here.

 

MCAA Joins Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention

MCAA recently teamed up with the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention to help spread the word about the increasing number of suicides in the construction industry, how to identify the workers who may need help, and how to respond when you do. Click here to read A Construction Industry Blueprint: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace.

MCAA will address this topic at next year’s Safety Directors’ Conference (SDC) in January. Prescription pain killer abuse, which is a leading cause of suicides in construction, will also be addressed at the conference. Registration for SDC 2017 will open in mid-October.

 

 

Zika Virus Protection for Mechanical Industry Workers

Learn about Zika virus risk reduction and protective measures that you can pass on to your workers by reviewing the new CNA Alert Bulletin… Zika Virus: Protective Measures Can Help Curb An Emerging Disease. MCAA thanks CNA for sharing this information. CNA is a long-time MCAA partner in safety and health. Click here for more information.

OSHA Raises Civil Penalties for Violations

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has raised civil penalties for violations of its rules. OSHA raised the penalties to account for the rate of inflation, which has increased since penalties were last raised in 1990.

The new Interim Final Rule, which was published in the Federal Register on July 1, will take effect on August 1, 2016 for violations that occurred after November 2, 2015.

The differences in the penalties are shown below:

Type of Violation         Previous Penalty Amount            New Penalty Amount

Willful or Repeat                     $5,000 to $70,000                           $8,908 to $124,709

Serious                                                           $7,000                                     $12,471

Other-Than-Serious                          Up to $7,000                               Up to $12,471

Failure to Correct                              Up to $7,000                               Up to $12,471

Violation of Posting                          Up to $7,000                                Up to $12,471

 

OSHA’s Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses Rule is Final

As anticipated, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule – Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses – is final and was published in the May 12 issue of the Federal Register. The final rule includes substantive changes from the proposed rule and some favor employers.

The rule takes effect on January 1, 2017, except for two provisions which become effective August 10, 2016. The exceptions include the provisions on employee involvement and prohibition against discrimination. The enforcement dates are as follows:

  • Employers of 250 or More Employees (large employers) will be required to electronically submit to OSHA their 2016 OSHA 300 A Summary information by July 1, 2017. Going forward, large employers will be required to electronically submit to OSHA information from their OSHA 300 Log, OSHA 300 A Summary, and OSHA 301 Incident Report Forms once each year. The 2017 information must be submitted by July 1, 2018. However, starting in 2019 and each year thereafter, the information from the preceding year must be submitted by March 2.
  • Employers of 20 to 249 Employees will be required to electronically submit to OSHA information from their OSHA 300 A Summary once each year. The 2016 information must be submitted by July 1, 2017. The 2017 information must be submitted by July 1, 2018. Starting in 2019 and each year thereafter, the information from the preceding year must be submitted by March 2.
  • OSHA State Plan States have six months to adopt the rule or establish another that is similar and at least as stringent.

OSHA Final Recordkeeping Rule

Boost Your Safety Leadership Skills

As part of 2016’s Safety Week celebration, MCAA is presenting a webinar on Building Safety Engagement: How to Get Everything You Want at Work (and in Life) on May 5 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Led by Dr. John Austin, an internationally recognized coach of business leaders on safety and human performance, the webinar will address common causes of low attention and interest in safety.

You will learn about the primary drivers of behavior and which of those you may be able to influence, proven ways to change behavior and actionable ideas that will help you enhance your employees’ engagement in safe work practices.

This webinar is free to MCAA/MSCA members as a benefit of membership.

It’s too late now to view it live, but please visit our Resource Center to listen to the archived recording.

MCAA Releases Safety Bulletin on OSHA’s New Silica Standard

MCAA’s new safety bulletin on OSHA’s new silica rule is now available. The bulletin describes the key compliance requirements and also summarizes the entire standard, which was published in the Federal Register on March 25.
The new standard becomes effective on June 23, but does not become enforceable in the construction industry until June 23, 2017.
The new standard:
  • Reduces the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) by 80% from 250 ug/m3 to 50 ug/m3;
  • Establishes an Action Level (AL) of 25 ug/m3;
  • Requires affected employers to use engineering controls to limit exposures;
  • Requires respiratory protection when engineering controls are ineffective;
  • Requires affected employers to develop written exposure control plans;
  • Requires affected employers to train affected workers on the risks associated with silica and how they can limit their exposures; and
  • Requires affected employers to provide medical exams to highly exposed workers.
To learn more, members may access the Safety Bulletin by clicking on the link below.