Tag: manufacturing

RMP—What Happens When You Don’t Follow Your Plan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been under pressure to update and better manage its Clean Air Act Risk Management Program and is moving ever closer to a proposed rule that will modify the program. The Agency continues to scrutinize facilities that are required to have risk management plans. Today we will review a […]

Process Safety Management: More Changes Ahead

Within the past year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has completed some of its process safety management (PSM) “action items,” including clarifying parts of the PSM standard and revising its working definition of “retail facilities.” Keep reading to find out what other changes employers can expect to see as OSHA continues to revise […]

Strategies for Obliterating Bronchiolitis obliterans

The hazards of diacetyl and related flavorings are increasingly of concern to employers across the food-processing industry. Although there is no federal standard or permissible exposure limit for diacetyl yet, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has weighed in with recommended strategies for controlling worker exposures. If your workers are exposed to […]

Construction vs. Maintenance: Do You Know Which OSHA Standards Apply?

By: Charles B. Palmer and Miguel A. Manriquez You send workers up on the flat roof to fix an HVAC unit. Is the work considered “maintenance,” covered under OSHA’s general industry fall protection rules, or “repair,” subject to OSHA’s construction rules? You send workers in to a tank to clean and paint it. Is the […]

Tips for Greening Small Manufacturers

Small manufacturers tend not to have the staff or resources that larger manufacturers do when it comes to bowing to pressure to make products and processes greener. We at the Advisor are always on the lookout for tips and suggestions to help small companies and manufacturers make their operations more environmentally friendly. Today we offer […]

Understanding OSHA’s Temporary Enforcement Policy for the Confined Spaces in Construction Standard

On July 9, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a 60-day temporary enforcement policy for its Confined Spaces in Construction standard, which became effective on August 3, 2015. The administration is postponing full enforcement of the new standard to October 2, 2015, in response to requests for additional time to train employees […]

OSHA Postpones Full Enforcement of Confined Spaces in Construction Standard

On July 9, OSHA announced a 60-day temporary enforcement policy for its Confined Spaces in Construction standard, which became effective August 3, 2015. The agency is postponing full enforcement of the new standard to October 2, 2015, in response to requests for additional time to train and acquire the equipment necessary to comply with the […]

Preventing Amputations: Securing Objects and Materials

At a storage system manufacturing facility in Georgia, two workers suffered finger amputations in two separate incidents within a 3-month period beginning in November 2014. Yesterday, we looked at the first incident; today, we’ll look at the second incident, in which a worker was standing up a fabricated metal rack. The 353-pound rack tipped over […]

Preventing Amputations: Machine Guarding

At a storage system manufacturing facility in Georgia, two workers suffered finger amputations in two separate incidents within a three-month period. The first worker was using a power press to stamp small parts for metal racks in November 2014. The employer had not ensured that the press was guarded, and the worker’s hands entered the […]

Prevent Employee Exposure to Silica

OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently issued a joint hazard alert about protecting workers from significant crystalline silica exposure during manufacturing, finishing, and installing natural and manufactured stone countertops. Protect workers in this and other industries from silica exposure with the safety measures outlined below. Preventing Silica Exposures Because […]