OSHA Increasing Fines and Penalties SIGNIFICANTLY!

The days of "playing the numbers game" with fatalities in the workplace vs. fines or worse, litigation and settlements and insurance premiums is coming to an end ... the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) is coming to town. Willful violations will start at $250,000 and go up from

Know Your Worker Rights Under the OSHA Act of 1970

You do not need to work under unsafe conditions. You do not need to be forced to put your own life in danger of serious injury or death. You have a right to come home to your families every day after work.

You have a right to

H.R.2067 - Protecting America's Workers Act of 2009 (PAWA)

Even though the statistics for 2008 appear to show improvement in worker safety, there is very important legislation being developed in the U.S. Congress, one is the Protecting America's Workers Act of 2009 (PAWA. Some highlights of

OSHA Releases Fall Statistics for 2008; GOOD NEWS!!!

It is with amazement and great pleasure we present the statistics from OSHA
including the year 2008, in the two tables below, from OSHA, along with our
comments.
Fatal falls nationwide FELL 20% from 847 in 2007 (the worst year on record)
to 680 in 2008, a number not seen since 1995, fifteen (15) years ago! The
fatality rate per 100,000 hours worked dropped by 10% overall since 2007. We
don't have

ANSI ASSE Z359 Standards of 2007 and 2009; Attempting to Help Reduce Fatal Fall Accidents

Since around 1994 until now, all workplace fatalities have decreased about 12%. This number includes fatalities due to falls. Sounds good right? Work is getting safer, right?

WRONG! In the same time period, fatalities due to FALLS HAVE INCREASED ABOUT 30%. In the USA about 750 people die in fatal

Fall Protection Violations Are Up and 2nd in top 10 Violations in 2009 So Far!

A preliminary report issued by the National Safety Council shows 6,771 Fall Protection Violations in 2009 so far (as of October) and up about 30% since 2008.

The report does not tally the dollar figure for the violations cited by OSHA, nor the litigation or settlement costs of any fall accidents for the same time period.

See the report here:
http://www.nsc.org/Pages/OSHAReportsonTop10SafetyViolationsfor2009.aspx

OSHA Issues RECORD-BREAKING Fines to BP, More than $87,000,000!

What is a life worth? What is safety worth? Well in this case, with the fines, legal fees, damage to reputation and good will, and actual costs incurred - it is measured in the $B's of dollars ...

Taken from OSHA National News Release, U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, Office of Communications

BOMA Supports the ANSI / IWCA I-14.1

BOMA (the International Building Owners and Managers Association) fully endorses and supports the ANSI / IWCA I-14.1 Window Cleaning Safety Standard, now a National Concensus Standard of OSHA, and used extensively for citations in support of fines, fees and also being used by attorneys to litigate accidents, negligence and risk issues.

The full link (as of 2009, Oct 28) here: http://www.boma.org/Advocacy/Standards/Pages/WindowCleaningSafetyStandard-IWCA1-14.1.aspx

What is a Personal Fall Arrest System?

Confused about what is a personal fall arrest system (PFAS) and more importantly, the rules for anchorage of PFAS?

OSHA defines a PFAS in at least three separate documents:

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,

Fallacy of Fall Protection From Manually Rigged Horizontal Lines

Over the past several years, we have seen many a "jury rigged" fall protection "system" on the roof tops of buildings. By this we mean a chaotic assembly of hand-tied ropes and / or cables, attached to roof vents, plumbing, HVAC equipment stands, conduits or other 'structures', thus spreading the 'load' of the suspended worker(s) and their powered platforms or boatswain chairs, or the load of a worker falling from an unprotected roof edge or walking / working surface.

FIGURE:1
Effect of a rigged horizontal line being used to suspend a 1,250 lb. working load, when the sag is only 1.2" and the line is 20' in length; the load in the line is 41,663 lbs. !!! Sag must be sufficiently increased so the load in the line is less than 5,000 lbs.


Problem #1
Ropes are

Certain OSHA Regulations Regarding Working at Heights

People are often confused by what regulations are actually in OSHA codes vs. which are incorporated by reference in consensus standards such as the ANSI/IWCA I-14.1. Below are a few OSHA codes that are mandatory ...

ANSI / IWCA 1-14.1 Important Lifesaving Standard Guidelines

CERTAIN OSHA CONCENSUS STANDARD CODES FROM IWCA/ANSI I-14.1-2001
Below are excerpts from the I-14.1 explaining certain codes that must be followed in the window cleaning industry, which includes the workers, the window cleaning companies, the building management companies that hire them, and the building owners ...

Boatswain Chair Usage With Safety Tieback Anchors; Angles for Lifelines

Standard Interpretations 04/19/2006 - Safe tieback angles for controlled boatswain's chairs. Click title for more ...

OSHA Interpretation of Single Point Anchor for Simultaneous Usage

Standard Interpretations 03/08/2002 - Acceptable use of single point anchor systems for window cleaning operations. Click title for more ...

Regulations for Fall Protection and Prevention at Extreme Heights

In window cleaning and other suspended work industries, there are specific regulations for work at certain heights. The breakpoints are at 130’ and 300’. Read on for additional info ...

OSHA Interpretation Letter of March 28, 2005; ANSI/IWCA I-14.1

This OSHA Interpretation Letter was taken from http://www.osha.gov/ and outlines the rules regarding the ANSI / IWCA I-14.1-2001 and how it will be used in citations. Click title to read more ...

OSHA Interpretation Letter of October 1, 1998; Rules for 300'

This letter taken from http://www.osha.gov/ outlines rules for suspended work over 300' using a powered platform. Click title to read more ...

Florida Roofing Firm Fined $54,100 for 9 Violations

OSHA cited a Pompano, FL roofing company with 9 violations and $54,100 in fines 6 months after a worker fell 30 feet to his death., because this worker had no fall protection and also because the roofing company continued to expose workers to the very same hazard!

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-bn-0311roofer,0,3202455.story