[February 24, 2014] |
|
When OSHA Comes Knocking: Tips for Avoiding Costly Violations
CINCINNATI --(Business Wire)--
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
the top 10 violations
for 2013 revealed a 45 percent increase in citations over the same list
the year before. To help businesses prevent avoidable workplace injuries
and avoid heavy fines, Cintas
Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) today announced key strategies and
solutions for improving organizations' compliance and safety.
"The overall spike in the number of violations this year compared to
last year shows that OSHA is not averse to aggressively investigating
and penalizing organizations for putting employees at risk," said Jay
Bruscato, Vice President of First Aid and Safety, Cintas. "To avoid
these fines and protect employees, it's critical that businesses
understand OSHA requirements and take the proper steps to recognize and
fix potential hazards in the workplace."
Cintas identifies the following ways businesses can reduce their risk
and avoid OSHA's top 10 most frequently cited violations:
-
Protect Against Falls: According to OSHA, falls are among the
most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. In
fact, three of OSHA's top 10 violations in 2013 cited fall protection,
scaffolding and ladders. To prevent falls, businesses must ensure that
employees wear the appropriate fall protection equipment, including
safety belts, harnesses and lanyards. Then, equally imperative is
ensuring that a program is in place to train all workers, full time
and temporary, and regularly inspect the equipment.
-
Ensure HazCom Compliance: The recently updated Hazard
Communication Standard is now aligned with the Globally Harmonized
System (GHS). This requires millions of businesses to conduct training
to educate employees about the revisions to chemical classification
and labeling. According to OSHA, the proper adoption of GHS has the
potentia to prevent nearly 600 injuries and illnesses annually. To
prevent accidents and avoid fines, businesses should look for a
partner that can provide on-site consultation, training solutions and
ongoing support.
-
Provide Effective, Reliable Respiratory Protection: Respiratory
protection ranked as the fourth most frequently cited violation on
OSHA's top 10 list from 2013. In order to protect employees and
satisfy all regulatory requirements, businesses need to equip
employees with the right masks for the hazard and provide fit testing
and medical evaluation. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, fit testing each model of respirator before use is
important to minimize contaminant leakage into the face-piece, thereby
offering better protection for employees.
-
Protect Against Arc Flashes: According to statistics compiled
by Chicago-based research firm Capshell, Inc., five to 10 U.S. workers
are injured or killed daily as a result of arc flash accidents. To
properly protect employees who are exposed to electric shock, fires
and explosions, it's vital that organizations equip employees with a
full ensemble of flame-resistant apparel, including shirts, pants,
gloves, face shields and more that match the appropriate hazard
category. To help ensure that the garments are washed correctly and
maintain their flame-resistant integrity, many companies use a uniform
rental program. Under the program, the rental provider picks up soiled
garments on a weekly basis to inspect and launder the uniforms. Any
garments damaged from normal wear and tear are repaired with
flame-resistant threading or replaced.
-
Practice Proper Machine Guarding: Moving machine parts have the
potential to cause severe workplace injuries, such as crushed fingers
or hands, amputations, burns or blindness. To help protect workers
from the unexpected startup of machinery and equipment, or the release
of hazardous energy, businesses must follow specific machine guarding
and lockout/tagout standards, as well as offer proper employee
training. OSHA cites that compliance with the lockout/tagout standard
prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries annually.
-
Safely Power Industrial Trucks: For anyone who designs,
maintains and uses fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks,
motorized hand trucks and other specialized industrial trucks powered
by electric motors or internal combustion engines, it's imperative to
follow training procedures and wear the proper personal protective
equipment (PPE). For example, prior to becoming a forklift operator,
OSHA requires training that includes classroom instruction, trainer
demonstrations, exercises and performance evaluation. In addition,
those who operate industrial trucks must re-train every three years at
minimum. PPE for industrial trucks includes (but is not limited to)
hardhats, goggles, and high-visibility shirts, pants and coveralls.
"The industry standards set in place by OSHA and other organizations
exist because they save lives," said Rick Gerlach, Director of Safety
and Health, Cintas. "In addition to having first aid cabinets and AEDs
on site, it's critical that organizations are proactive about worker
health and safety to prevent the likelihood and severity of injury."
For the top 10 most frequently cited standards from OSHA, visit https://www.osha.gov/Top_Ten_Standards.html.
For more information about Cintas' safety solutions for the workplace,
visit www.cintas.com/safe.
About Cintas Corporation:
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly
specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout
North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate
identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning
and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid,
safety, fire protection products and services and document management
services for more than 1 million businesses. Cintas is a publicly held
company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol
CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|