DOL Announces New Open Government Efforts
The U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL) announced Dec. 10, 2009, that in accordance with
President Obama’s efforts toward a transparent government, the agency will be
implementing efforts to improve the public’s ability to asses and contribute
information so the department can run smoothly and effectively to serve
American workers.
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Peppermint or Cinnamon May Keep Drivers Alert
One of our most hazardous endeavors, believe it or not, is driving! Our consultants spend a great deal of time
on the road and, in addition to our Job Hazard Analysis for driving safety, we
are always alert to ideas that make this endeavor more safe. Here is an interesting tip:
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President's Corner
by Ryan Hellman
How many times in a business lifetime do you have the chance
to celebrate the achievement of a prestigious award? Today is one such opportunity and I’d like to celebrate with you!
On January 15, 2010, Hellman & Associates, Inc. became
the first and only Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) consulting business in
OSHA Region VIII to earn Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star status from OSHA. As many of you know, VPP is a cooperative,
non-enforcement partnership between OSHA, the workplace and its employees.
The four cornerstones of VPP are the commitment of management and employee
involvement; workplace analysis; hazard prevention and control; and training.
Companies in VPP experience injuries and illnesses at rates 54% below their
industry averages. The most current statistics reveal that about 26% of
the sites in VPP experienced “zero recordable” injuries. As a result,
these sites enjoy significant cost savings. We are able to extend these
cost savings by utilizing our experience and leveraging tools to our clients
through our outsourced EHS business model.
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The Inspection: Anatomy of OSHA Enforcement- Part Four: The Closing Conference and Appeal Options
by John Reiter, J.D., Labor Relations Consulting for Management
The Closing
Conference. After the physical
inspection of the workplace is concluded, the OSHA inspector (the CSHO) will
conduct a closing conference. The
current practice of OSHA is to conduct it a few days later and often by
telephone. The CSHO will ordinarily
indicate what violations have been observed during the inspection and that any
citation will be based on his/her recommendations to the Area Director.
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LINKS
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Click HERE
For more resources from the
Hellman & Associates website
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Spotlight
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Time to Post OSHA 300 Log
The OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, must be completed and posted by February 1, 2010. The summary must include the total number of 2009 job-related injuries and illnesses that were logged on your OSHA 300 form. If your company had no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2009, you must still post the form with zeros on the total line.
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OSHA Addresses Recordkeeping Suspicions
In
December of 2009, OSHA initiated a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on injury
and illness recordkeeping. OSHA plans to review the recordkeeping practices of
employers with low incidence rates in typically high-injury industries.
Employers in state-plan states are not affected. The records to be reviewed shall
include medical records, workers’ compensation records, insurance records,
payroll/absentee records and, if available, company safety incident reports, company first-aid logs, alternate duty rosters, and disciplinary records pertaining to injuries and illnesses. The CSHO will also review records that are stored offsite.
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