Overview of the OSHA Safety and Health Program

 

The key element of OSHA’s construction safety program is that any employee encountering hazardous conditions must be protected against the potential hazards and must be trained in the use of personal protective equipment.

The requirements for OSHA’s construction safety programs are found in:

·         1926.20, General safety and health provisions,

·         1926.21, Safety training and education,

·         1926.23, First aid and medical attention, and

·         1904.2, Log and summary of occupational injuries and illnesses.

Why did OSHA develop requirements for a safety and health program?

Safety and health programs have proven to be an effective, systematic method of identifying and correcting existing workplace safety and health hazards, as well as preventing those that might arise in the future.

The lack of adequate safety and health programs, site inspections and training, are serious violations of the OSHA standards. Further, OSHA developed the Focused Inspection Initiative to recognize the efforts of responsible contractors who have implemented effective safety and health programs and plans and to encourage other contractors to adopt similar programs.

Requirements for a safety and health program

A safety and health plan is required for each construction activity that applies to your jobsite. For instance, if you do excavation work then a trenching and shoring safety plan would be required (29 CFR 1926.650-.652). If you do construction work that requires your employees to use respirators, then you need a respiratory protection program (29 CFR 1926.103).

29 CFR 1926.20 details the following requirements:

·         Accident prevention responsibilities—the employer must initiate and maintain any safety programs that are necessary to comply with 29 CFR 1926.20 and .21.

·         Inspections—these safety programs must provide for frequent and regular inspections of the jobsites, materials, and equipment to be made by competent persons designated by the employers.

·         Defective or damaged equipment—the use of any machinery, tool, material, or equipment that is not in compliance with any applicable requirement of 29 CFR 1926 Part C is prohibited. This machine, tool, material, or equipment must either be identified as unsafe by tagging or locking the controls to render them inoperable or must be physically removed from its place of operation.

·         Equipment and machinery operation—only those employees qualified by training or experience to operate equipment and machinery.

What must be covered in a comprehensive safety and health program

Your employer needs to cover the following subjects:

·         Nature of hazards and how to recognize them,

·         What is being done to control these hazards,

·         Protective measures to prevent or minimize exposure hazards, and

·         Applicable standard provisions.

What should you be trained in?

Your employer must instruct employees:

·         In the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to their work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury.

·         Who are required to handle or use poisons, caustics, and other harmful substances, in safe handling and use, and make sure they are made aware of the potential hazards, personal hygiene, and personal protective measures required.

·         On jobsite areas where they may be exposed to harmful plants or animals, of the potential hazards, how to avoid injury, and the first aid procedures to be used in the event of injury.

·         Who are required to handle or use flammable liquids, gases, or toxic materials in the safe handling and use of these materials and make them aware of the specific requirements contained in 29 CFR 1926 Subparts D, F, and other applicable subparts of 29 CFR 1926.

·         Who are required to enter into confined or enclosed spaces, as to the nature of the hazards involved, the necessary precautions to be taken, and in the use of protective and emergency equipment required. Your employer also must comply with any specific regulations that apply to work in dangerous or potentially dangerous areas.

Confined or enclosed space means any space having a limited means of egress, which is subject to the accumulation of toxic or flammable contaminants or has an oxygen deficient atmosphere.

Confined or enclosed spaces include, but are not limited to, storage tanks, process vessels, bins, boilers, ventilation, or exhaust ducts, sewers, underground utility vaults, tunnels, pipelines, and open top spaces more than 4 feet in depth such as pits, tubs, vaults, and vessels.

This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com

Hearing Conservation Programs Offer Protection

 

Researchers estimate that 15 percent of workers exposed to noise levels of 85 dBA or higher will develop a hearing impairment. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for construction equipment and activities to surpass these noise levels. Take a look at the sound levels of the following equipment and activities:

Rock drilling—Up to 115 dBA	Chain sawing—Up to 125 dBA
Abrasive blasting—105 to 112 dBA	Heavy equipment operation—95 to 110 dBA
Demolition—Up to 117 dBA	Needle guns—Up to 112 dBA

However, noise levels are not the only factors that create hearing impairment. The amount of time you are exposed is also a factor. OSHA permits exposures to 115 dBA for a maximum of 15 minutes for an 8-hour work day. So, for example, you can perform rock drilling for up to 15 minutes without protection. Lower dBA levels are allowed for longer periods of time. OSHA permits exposure to 90 dBA for an entire 8-hour work day.

However, it does not make business sense to perform rock drilling or any other activity based on noise levels and time limits. So what can construction companies do? The answer is—set up a hearing conservation program. A hearing conservation program is a company-specific program to protect the hearing of employees. Effective hearing conservation programs will have the following:

Exposure monitoring—Your company will determine the sound level of machines and operations using any number of methods. Engineering and administrative controls—If exposure limits are exceeded, your company must implement engineering or administrative controls, where feasible. Engineering controls use technology to isolate or remove a hazard. Examples include rubber mountings, sound-absorbing tiles, and locating noisy equipment away from workers. Administrative controls change the duration, frequency, and/or severity of exposure. Arranging work schedules to cut down on the time each worker spends at a noisy task is an administrative control.

·            Training—Your company will instruct you in how to recognize and avoid unsafe noise levels, the safety rules applicable to your work environment, and how to control or eliminate any noise hazards or exposures.

·            Hearing protection—If exposure limits are exceeded even after engineering and administrative controls are implemented, your company will provide you with proper hearing protection. If you will be using insert hearing protectors, they must be fitted by a competent person. A competent person is someone who can tell the difference between a good fit and a poor fit. Plain cotton is not an acceptable protective device.

·            Audiometric testing—If you are overexposed to noise, your company must periodically perform audiometric testing. This procedure checks your hearing by sending sounds (tones) through headphones. The person being tested responds to test sounds when they are first heard. The chart that records responses to the test sounds is called an audiogram. With audiometric testing, any hearing loss can be identified and dealt with properly and promptly. 

 This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com