The OSHA "General Duty" Clause

Each employer has a fiduciary responsibility for safety and safe working conditions.

According to OSHA Act of 1970 // SEC. 5. Duties

(a) Each employer -- (1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; and (2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.

(b) Each employee -- shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.

OSHA Annual Inspection - Don't Forget to Inspect *AND* Keep Records!

Don't forget your OSHA Annual Inspections of your roof anchors and engineered fall protection systems and window cleaning equipment - a competent person (qualified person) shall inspect roof anchors, davits, horizontal lifelines and other permanently installed fall protection and prevention and window cleaning equipment on buildings each and every year.

See our post about the OSHA requirements per the ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 from August 2008. See also the OSHA code 1910.66 at http://www.osha.gov/, regarding inspecting. And,

ZERO TOLERANCE!

Canada appears to be stepping up its efforts to prevent fatalities from falls. Recently companies have been fined quite severely in Canada for accidents and for infractions of safety regulations. The great news is the Pro-Active approach to prevention and protection - saving lives.
Here in the USA we suffer from

OSHA References to ANSI I-14.1; It Is Law

Building managers and engineers have been asking, "is the ANSI I-14.1 a requirement, is it a code that we must adhere to?" For some, the answer isn't a clear "yes" or "no", but "it depends". Technically, there is a gray area here. We like to think that the answer is an emphatic YES! Please see the links to OSHA below for our proof. (click title for more)

The Meaning of Safety as it Pertains to Building Maintenance

If one reads all the OSHA regulations regarding the location of tiebacks (safety anchors), the strength or holding power, setbacks and spacing rules, it becomes clear that if you are in "construction" vs. "shipyards" vs. "general industry" different interpretations are possible. We like to think of safety as a concept and that it extends to all facets of a building, operations, training, equipment, people, awareness, education, and