Africanized Honey Bee - Be Informed About the Africanized Honey Bee In 1956, a breed of African honey bee was brought to Brazil in an effort to increase honey production. When these bees interbred with European honey bees, they produced a new variety of bee called the "Africanized honey bee." These bees are sometimes referred to as "killer bees" because of their aggressively defensive behavior around their nests. Although bee keeping and bee transportation are regulated by the government, the Africanized honey bee has now become part of California's environment and can be found in areas along with the European honey...

Ladder Safety Normally when I come across pictures like this,  assume it's a joke of some sort. Either the setting was staged, or the picture was Photoshopped. This photo - not so much. A very good friend of mine was at work while he was having his house painted. When he came home that evening, imagine his shock when he noticed how the ladder was being supported. The painter's explanation? He simply explained to my friend that he'd been painting for over 20 years. Please, I remind everyone: Ladders must be maintained free of oil, grease, and other slipping hazards. Ladders must...

Hazard Communication Checklist Have we prepared a list of all the hazardous chemicals in our workplace? Are we prepared to update our hazardous chemical list? Have we obtained or developed a material safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical we use? Have we developed a system to ensure that all incoming hazardous chemicals are checked for proper labels and data sheets? Do we have procedures to ensure proper labeling or warning signs for containers that hold hazardous chemicals? Are our employees aware of the specific information and training requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard? Are our employees familiar with the...

Summer Alert - Heat Stress The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced the launch of its annual Campaign to Prevent Heat Stress in Outdoor Workers. For the fourth consecutive year, OSHA’s campaign aims to raise awareness and educate workers and employers about the dangers of working in hot weather and provide resources and guidance to address these hazards. Workers at particular risk are those in outdoor industries, such as agriculture, construction, landscaping and transportation. “Heat-related illnesses can be fatal, and employers are responsible for keeping workers safe,” says U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “Employers...

Arizona House lawmakers hoping to avert a federal takeover of the state's construction safety standards division gave initial approval Thursday to a bill that would revoke, on condition, 2012 legislation that is at the heart of the latest battle between Arizona and the U.S. government. Arizona has its own Occupational Safety and Health Administration that must comply with minimum federal requirements. Until last year, it did. Legislation in 2012 changed Arizona's safety standards so that conventional precautions would have to be taken if someone was working 15 feet above ground or higher. Federal standards say the precautions are required at 6 feet...

OSHA issues guidance for recording temp worker injuries Many employers have questions about who is responsible for recording work-related injuries when temporary workers are involved. To help clarify this issue, OSHA has published a new booklet that addresses OSHA 300 recordkeeping for staffing agencies and companies that hire temporary workers. Read on to learn why OSHA has taken this step and why it matters. The bulletin is the first in a series of guidance documents intended to raise awareness about compliance with OSHA requirements when temporary workers are involved. You can download the publication from OSHA’s website at https://www.osha.gov/temp_workers/OSHA_TWI_Bulletin.pdf. Coordinating safety responsibilities When a...

GHS - Classification and Labeling of Chemicals If you currently work in a workplace that uses hazardous chemicals governed by a Hazard Communication (HAZCOM) Program, there are changes to the standard you need to be aware of. In March 2012, the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration updated its HAZCOM standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) to align with the GHS - Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. The major changes to the standard are: - Hazard classification: Provides specific criteria for the classification of health and physical hazards, as well as classification of mixtures. - Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required...

Post your OSHA 300 Log All employers required to maintain the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 300 Logs for workplace injuries and illnesses must post their 2013 annual summary by February 1, 2014, utilizing the annual summary form (form 300A). you can get this form on the OSHA website at www.osha.gov. You need to do this even if you don't have a recordable illness or injury. The direct download is here: http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/new-osha300form1-1-04.xls Here are some additional details that are frequently misunderstood or overlooked and which could result in OSHA citations. Executive Certification OSHA's record-keeping standard needs to be certified by an executive. OSHA has...

OSHA offers guidance for reducing work-related hospital injuries A federal agency launched a new online resource to help hospital leaders protect their employees from getting hurt when lifting patients, handling combative patients, during exposure to chemicals and other common hazards of working in healthcare. Advocacy groups are praising the initiative but argue the risks warrant rules and enforcement in addition to guidelines. “Successful strategies to improve patient safety and worker safety go hand in hand,” said David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, during a news conference announcing the new site, www.osha.gov/dsg/hospitals. The site contains fact books, self...

Please don't let this happen to you. You need proper safety procedures in place to prevent accidents. Two students were badly injured in a chemistry experiment gone wrong. Although the teacher sited will continue to work during this investigation, she was wrong not to instruct her students to wear protective gear. This experiment took a wrong a turn when chemicals exploded, torching two students. Other students did get to the fire extinguisher, but could not get it to work. Students say their teacher is normally a stickler for safety, but in this instance, she did not instruct her class to wear protective...