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First Aid Kit Requirements
What OSHA and the ANSI/ISEA standard say should be in your workplace kit.
"In the absence of an infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available."
This wording comes directly from OSHA, in its medical service and first aid standard (29 CFR 1910.151). However, agency standards don't list specific contents for first aid kits. OSHA guidance merely reiterates that supplies must be adequate and reflect common injuries related to the work environment. Kits must be stored in an easily accessible area in case of emergency.
So, which supplies should be in your kit?
OSHA cites the American National Standards Institute/International Safety Equipment Association standard Z308.1 as a recommended, non-mandatory source of guidance for minimum first aid kit requirements.
Click here to read Safety+Health ' s answers to some frequently asked questions related to the ANSI/ISEA standard and other first aid matters.
(Source: Safety+Health magazine, October 2019)
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ELD Mandate's Hard Deadline Is Here and Adoption Rates Are Still a Concern
On Dec. 16, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will expect every truck on U.S. roads to comply with the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate and have an ELD in the cab. The drawn-out deadline gave carriers running last-generation automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs) a chance to adapt to the newer ELDs. However, fleets are still looking to hold off on adopting ELDs until the last possible moment and don't realize how long it takes for drivers to get accustomed to operating an entirely new device, said Konexial founder and CEO Ken Evans. "Fleets might also have problems with the hardware, which means they will have to switch hardware as well. The aspect of human behavior is important to note - as learning a new piece of software and working around with the hours of service rules is a big change for people," he said. This could be a problem as FMCSA has repeatedly said there will be no soft enforcement of regulations past the Dec. 16 deadline. "The problem is that most of these people don't follow the news as closely as they should. And so I believe that it's going to continue to spill over after the deadline," said Evans. "Where I see people get serious about it is when they get pulled over for the first time by an officer who actually enforces the hours of service rule or when they face a back-office audit at the carrier's office."
(Source: NLBMDA Workplace Safety & Risk Management Update, November 2019)
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OSHA Recordables May Affect Likelihood of Inspection
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) initiated a revised inspection system on Oct. 1, and even small businesses with low hazards could find themselves more likely to be inspected by the agency. The federal government adopted a new weighting system for safety inspections, even as there are inspector shortages. "The revised system will enable the agency to focus resources on the most hazardous conditions that put workers at the greatest risk of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities," says Patrick Kapust, acting director for the OSHA Directorate of Enforcement Programs. "The expected result is increased worker safety." With the new system, the likelihood of a company being inspected will be based on a number of factors, including the expected impact of the inspections, placing a "higher inspection value" on workplaces that have criminal or significant cases, complex hazards, a fatality or catastrophe in its history, face hazards that are one of the four leading causes of death in the workplace, or are listed in the agency's site specific targeting plan, according to OSHA. Previously, OSHA used the number of completed inspections to measure its enforcement activity, prioritizing based on the time an inspection took to complete in its 2015 weighting approach - which unintendedly incentivized "less demanding inspections," according to OSHA. Meanwhile, employers with nonhazardous workplaces should also take note that, under the new weighting system, firms will get more credit for site-specific targeting inspections, and employers with more than 20 employees in non-construction workplaces need to become "intimately aware" of the fact that higher recordables on their OSHA logs could make them a comprehensive inspection target.
(Source: Safety+Health magazine, October 2019)
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Requirements For Emergency Shower Equipment
Emergency safety shower and eye/facewash stations are vital to ensuring worker safety in any industrial facility where employees may come into contact with potentially hazardous chemicals, debris or other materials.
To facilitate compliance, OSHA and the American National Standards Institute detail their recommendations for emergency safety station capabilities and operation. OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.151(c) states that, "Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use."
The ANSI Z358.1-2014 standard recommendations are more specific in regard to station capabilities, detailing the flow requirement for safety showers as "a minimum of 20 [gallons per minute] at 30 [pounds per square inch]," the flow requirement for eyewash stations as "a minimum of 0.4 gpm at 30 psi," and combination eye/facewash required flow as "a minimum of 3.0 gpm at 30 psi." The standard also states that all emergency station outputs should provide an uninterrupted flow of tepid water for at least 15 minutes, even when the shower and eye/facewash in a combination station are activated simultaneously.
(Source: Safety+Health magazine, October 2019)
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Calendar of Events
2019-2020
N0v. 21:
BMSA Board Of Directors Meeting
(Charlotte, NC)
Dec. 4-6:
Roundtable #5
(Charlotte, NC)
Feb. 5-6, 2020:
BMSA's Annual Learning
Exchange & LBM Expo (Hickory, NC)
March 5-6:
Operations Manager A Roundtable
(Charleston, NC)
March 23-25:
NLBMDA Legislative
Conference
(Washington, D.C.)
March 25-27:
CFO Roundtable
(Austin, TX)
March 26-27:
Leaders Graduate Roundtable
(Wilmington, NC)
April 5-7:
Roundtable 1
(Charlotte, NC)
April 22-24:
Roundtable 3
(Fayetteville, NC)
April 22-24:
Sales Manager Roundtable
(Hilton Head, SC)
May 12:
Rick Davis Sales Boot Camp
(Atlanta, GA)
July 23-26, 2020:
BMSA's Summer Conference
(Myrtle Beach, SC)
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