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corona virus

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

World Day for Safety and Health at Work (World Day) will take place on April 28, 2021. The International Labour Organization (ILO) began observing World Day in 2003 to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.

World Day is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases, and fatalities worldwide and to highlight the importance of creating and promoting a strong occupational safety and health culture in the workplace.

What is the magnitude of the problem?

  • The ILO estimates that there are 2.3 million fatalities worldwide each year from work-related accidents or diseases; this corresponds to over 6000 deaths every day.
  • Diseases related to workplace exposures cause the most deaths among workers; hazardous substances alone are estimated to cause over 650,000 deaths a year.
  • Worldwide, there are an estimated 340 million occupational accidents and 160 million workers who develop work-related illnesses annually.

What is the focus of […]

April 8th, 2021|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , |
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OSHA Launches a COVID-19 National Emphasis Program

On March 12, 2021, OSHA announced that it has launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) focusing enforcement efforts at companies where there is the largest number of workers at serious risk of contracting COVID-19. The program also prioritizes employers that retaliate against workers for complaints about unsafe or unhealthy conditions, or for exercising other rights protected by federal law.

 

Why was the NEP Established and What is its Goal?

The NEP is in response to the January 21, 2021 Presidential Executive Order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety, which directs OSHA to focus its enforcement efforts related to COVID-19 on violations that put the largest number of workers at increased risk for acquiring COVID-19 in the workplace, and on employers that engage in retaliation against employees who complain about unsafe or unhealthful conditions related to SARS-CoV-2 exposure.

Per the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick, “This program seeks to substantially […]

April 1st, 2021|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , , |
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Coronavirus Regulatory Enforcement- Are You Ready?

In an October 23rd news release, OSHA announced that since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic through October 15th, they have cited 112 establishments for violations related to Coronavirus, resulting in proposed penalties totaling $1,603,544. Approximately half of these violations occurred in the month of October!

Coronavirus-related violations cited by OSHA have included failures to:

  • Comply with the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard including not implementing a written program, and not providing medical evaluation, fit testing, and training
  • Record injuries or illnesses on OSHA recordkeeping forms
  • Report an injury, illness, or fatality
  • Comply with the General Duty Clause which states that each employer 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.

Of the 112 establishments with violations, five were located in Massachusetts. These included four nursing homes […]

October 29th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , , , |
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MassDEP Hazardous Waste Management Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) recently amended its April 8, 2020 Hazardous Waste Management Guidance During the State of Emergency for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Effective August 26, 2020, MassDEP is implementing the following amended guidance resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic for the items noted below related to hazardous waste management. Learn what you need to do in order to comply with the new regulation:

  • Compliance with hazardous waste container and tank inspection requirements for Small Quantity Generator (SQG) and Large Quantity Generator (LQG) facilities (described at 310 CMR 30.686 and 30.696, respectively) if the facility is closed during the State of Emergency- A facility that is normally subject to container and tank inspection requirements but is closed during the State of Emergency, should make every reasonable effort to do applicable daily/weekly inspections. If employers have concerns about having their employees onsite to do the inspections, then they should contact the DEP at […]
September 10th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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OSHA Safe + Sound Week

The fourth annual OSHA Safe + Sound Week is being held August 10-16, 2020. This national event is intended to promote the value of workplace health and safety programs. Employers are encouraged to hold events and activities that highlight the elements of their health and safety program during this week. It has been a huge success at Safety Partners’ clients who have participated in previous years!

Why participate?
Participating in the program is a great way to recognize your safety successes and show your commitment to safety! During the COVID-19 pandemic, occupational safety and health programs have never been more important, and this is a perfect time to reinforce yours.

It’s also a great opportunity to raise awareness of your safety program in a fun and engaging way. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing one, and provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.

Remember- safe workplaces are sound businesses. […]

August 6th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , , |
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Work from Home Ergonomics

Where are you working nowadays? If you said “the dining room table” or “the couch”, you’re not alone and this blog post is for you.

Ergonomics is about optimizing human performance, not just “sitting up straight”. Let’s face it: we could all use a little more ergonomics in our lives. It’s important to ensure good ergonomics to prevent injuries and promote wellness.

Here are some tips that can help improve your ergonomic setup without a lot of fancy (and expensive) equipment:

  • Choose your work area. Working from the couch may seem great until you start experiencing back issues from straining to look at your laptop down on your lap. It’s better to choose a work surface you can fit comfortably under and which is the right height for you.
  • Support your body. Don’t sit on the edge of your chair – allow the back of your chair to support your back. This will help prevent fatigue and […]
July 21st, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , |
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New OSHA Guidance on Returning to Work

On June 18th, OSHA issued Guidance on Returning to Work to assist employers reopening non-essential businesses and their employees returning to work during the Coronavirus pandemic. The guidance supplements OSHA’s previously published Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19. The guidelines are consistent with the requirements outlined in the Massachusetts Mandatory Safety Standards for Workplaces and recommend that employers continue to focus on strategies for basic hygiene, social distancing, identification and isolation of sick employees, workplace controls and flexibilities, and employee training.

OSHA’s Guidance on Returning to Work includes a section on Employer Frequently Asked Questions. Some of the questions asked have been coming up at our clients, so I thought it would be helpful to share a few. The responses below are summaries, and the OSHA guidance document should be referred to for the full responses.

Can employers conduct work site SARS‑CoV-2 testing?

Yes. Employers may consider implementing strategies to reduce risks to the safety and […]

June 19th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , , |
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Are Workplace-Related COVID-19 Cases Recordable and Reportable?

On April 10, 2020, OSHA published interim guidance regarding the enforcement of employers’ obligation to record and report employees’ COVID-19 cases.

The OSHA guidance recognizes that determining whether an employee contracted COVID-19 at work will often be difficult, and because of this, relaxed COVID-19-related recordkeeping obligations for many employers.

However, for employers of workers in the healthcare industry, emergency response organizations (e.g., emergency medical, firefighting, law enforcement services), and correctional institutions, COVID-19 is a recordable illness.

These employers are responsible for recording cases of COVID-19, if:

  • The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19, as defined by theCDC
  • The case is work-related as defined by the OSHA standard on recording and reporting occupational injuries and illnesses 29 CFR 1904.5 and
  • The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.

For other employers, including […]

May 16th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , , |
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SARS-CoV-2: Determining Your Employees’ Exposure Risk Level

OSHA recently issued a guidance document on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 that focuses on determining employees’ risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in order to identify the appropriate control measures that can be put in place to protect employees from exposure.

OSHA has divided job tasks into four risk exposure levels:

Very high exposure risk

Jobs with high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of COVID-19 during specific medical, postmortem, or laboratory procedures. Workers in this category include healthcare workers (e.g., doctors, nurses, EMTs) performing aerosol generating procedures (e.g., intubation, cough induction procedures, invasive specimen collection); healthcare or laboratory personnel collecting or handling specimens from known or suspected COVID-19 patients; and morgue workers performing autopsies on people known or suspected of having COVID-19.

 High exposure risk

Jobs with high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of COVID-19. Workers in this category include healthcare and support staff (e.g., doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff who […]

May 6th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: , , , , , , |
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COVID-19: Hands-on, Customized Guidance for a Safe Return to Full-scale Operations

Safety Partners support during the Coronavirus Pandemic

In times of uncertainty, partner with safety experts. As the crisis with COVID-19 evolves, we continue to lead at the forefront of innovating employee health services by supporting our clients and evolving their strategies as new research is released.

We’re using our 28 years of experience to provide Returning to Work Support Services, Creation/Revision of OSHA & RCRA-Related Policies, Programs & Procedures, and more.

We work with you to tailor your strategy so you can focus on the science and be confident that safety is taken care of by our industry experts with 550,000+ hours of combined experience.

The Baker-Polito Administration has issued a comprehensive plan to safely reopen the Massachusetts economy, get people back to work, and ease social restrictions while minimizing the health impacts of COVID-19.  As part of this plan, all businesses must develop a written control plan outlining how its workplace will comply with the mandatory safety standards (see the full announcement at www.mass.gov).

Safety Partners […]

April 27th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , |
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