>> What to do when an OSHA citation arrives: step by step
>> FDRsafety now provides Safety Program Management
OSHA is seeking to significantly expand its powers over recordkeeping by effectively adding five years to the time it can issue citations.
In the wake of the Ebola outbreak, OSHA has stated it has jurisdiction over hospitals that fail to meet safety standards for infection control.
OSHA’s new recordkeeping rules on fatalities and serious injuries and illnesses are fairly clear, but they leave unresolved the confusion that many employers feel about the overall recordkeeping process.
>> General Duty citations from OSHA may not hold up
>> Tim Sirofchuck joins FDRsafety
For the last few years, OSHA has been seeking to expand its powers as the enforcer of safety regulations. Now it appears interested in becoming a human resources enforcer as well.
FDRsafety is continuing to see OSHA cite employers for alleged violations of machine guarding in situations where employees would have to intentionally reach into a hazard zone to be injured. Not all these citations are valid, especially in light of a 1997 case decided by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
The SEIU is taking advantage of an OSHA ruling allowing union representatives to go along on OSHA inspections even if the union doesn’t represent company workers.
OSHA is concerned about an alarming increase in deaths during work on cellphone towers and is pointing to fall protection problems as a major contributor.
OSHA said it would do better when the GAO took the agency to task for failing to adequately supervise states with state plans. The fallout is being felt.