The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is making a concerted push throughout Region VI states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas) to inform manufacturing workers of amputation hazards. This new initiative kicked off in November and emphasizes how the regulatory agency intends to minimize future workplace accidents leading to amputation.

The numbers behind amputations

According to the safety agency, employers reported 2,600 amputations in 2015, with 57 percent of amputations affecting manufacturing workers. OSHA stated amputations typically occur when workers operate dangerous machinery without safety guards in place and how amputations caused 1,400 serious injuries while on site.

OSHA is launching this new campaign to hold employers accountable and ensure regulations are being enforced.

In a statement, Kelly Knighton, regional administrator at OSHA, said the focus on amputation prevention showcases the need for safety at work sites.

“We can only hope that the focus on this issue will reduce the potential for continued worker exposure to unguarded machines and equipment,” said Knighton.

Preventing amputations through enforcement

OSHA has always provided guidelines to prevent amputations, but this announcement represents a renewed focus on this issue. Its new safety initiative will start with a targeted enforcement phase. OSHA will review employers and work sites where heavy machinery is present.

Additionally, federal safety and health inspectors will evaluate site operations, safety conditions and recordkeeping. OSHA said it would examine health and safety programs to ensure employers comply.

All work sites need to have comprehensive amputation prevention programs in place.

What constitutes hazardous equipment?

There are no secrets surrounding the severity of amputations. According to an official OSHA factsheet, these injuries typically occur when employees operate unguarded and/or inadequately safeguarded mechanical equipment. All employees will need to keep in mind that all mechanical motions and moving parts are potentially devastating. These are the components that rotate or move while a machine is on.

Hazardous equipment includes:

• Meat grinders
• Printing presses
• Power press brakes
• Food slicers
• Milling machines
• Non-powered conveyors

Those machines are dangerous because they utilize one of the following perilous mechanical motions:

• Cutting
• Shearing
• Reciprocating (Back and forth, up and down movement)
• Transversing (Straight, continuous line movement)
• Rotating

Workers are also at risk for serious injuries if they help maintain stationary machinery. Employees need to be careful if they perform one of the following tasks:

• Setting up a machine
• Threading
• Preparing
• Adjusting
• Lubricating
• Cleaning

Existing safeguards

Every employee should recognize and manage hazards at work sites. Employers need to ensure a comprehensive safety program is in place while providing periodic training seminars. Administrative oversight can also help prevent serious injuries.

Two further lines of defense are guards and devices.

Guards are physical barriers that close off hazardous areas. Employees should be unable to remove or bypass guards that are secure.

Devices’ main functions are to prohibit contact with points of operation. Devices can be thought of as a supplement to guards because they can impede a machine’s normal cycle. Devices help prevent serious injuries from happening if an operator approaches a machine during cycles.

Most manufacturers build safeguards into their machines, but that shouldn’t stop employers from exceeding bare-minimum safety requirements. These safety procedures, along with lockout/tagout practices, will help reduce the risk of amputations.

All employers should review Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations for more information about protecting workers from amputations.

OSHA’s launch of a new safety campaign about amputation prevention is a reminder of hazardous workplace conditions. While the agency is focusing on one particular district, every employer needs to comply with existing safety standards to reduce the number of amputations.

Distracted driving remains a top cause of concern for both employers and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA previously tackled this issue in 2010 by launching an educational campaign to combat distracted driving.

Distracted Driving Initiative

Distracted driving is cause for concern for public and private sectors. According to OSHA, the No. 1 cause of worker fatalities is motor vehicle crashes.

With many employees relying on smartphones for work functions, it’s easy to see where distractions might come from. Important phone calls and emails can cause a driver to take his or her eyes off the road for a split second, and that quick glance can be life-changing.

As part of its Distracting Driving Initiative, OSHA has partnered with the Department of Transportation to highlight best practices while behind the wheel and help employers ensure workers are kept safe.

An employer’s responsibility

As part of an existing safety plan, companies should also implement policies on distracted driving.

Putting up signs around the workplace will help provide visual references about distracted driving hazards. Additionally, companies can also require everyone to sign a policy. A sample can be found on Distraction.gov.

These policies can be tailored to specific needs, but they should contain common elements. For example, phones shouldn’t be used at all while driving, even while sitting at a red light. If a call must be made, drivers should be reminded that they need to pull over first.

Another best practice involves turning devices to silent or vibrate to prevent ringtones from causing a distraction. Employees who constantly handle client communications should inform clients that calls and/or emails may not be returned right away because they’ll be driving.

Company policies will also need to include repercussions for breaking the rules.

Federal government’s response

Smart devices are an essential part of a worker’s life. Driving distraction-free therefore falls under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which instructs all employers to provide safe workplaces, which includes driving on the job.

And in 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13513 – Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving, which officially went into effect in early 2010.

This rule prohibits all federal employees from using devices while operating a federal vehicle. They are also barred from texting when driving private vehicles while on official government business.

Executive Order 13513 even impacts private employers who work as contractors for federal agencies. Contractors are encouraged to adopt similar policies.

Workers need to reminded about the dangers of distracted driving.

Why these policies are important

By following the federal government’s lead, companies will also be able to benefit from lower insurer rates, according to attorney Martha Buyer, writing for No Jitter.

Buyer also recommended that distraction-free policies be considered living documents. Technology is constantly changing. As it does, the number of ways a driver to become distracted will keep increasing. By having policies in place, employers are able to update them when appropriate.

Workplace safety doesn’t just encompass fall hazards or requiring workers to wear respirators. Complete policies should take all facets into account, including distracted driving. Doing so will go a long way toward reducing motor vehicle crashes and fatalities.

Of the numerous citations handed out by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 10 have the biggest impact on workplace safety.

Every October, OSHA releases its list of the 10 most frequently cited safety and health violations for the fiscal year. These citations are compiled after reviewing nearly 32,000 workplace inspections conducted by OSHA.

The top 10

According to OSHA, the 10 most common citations are:

• Fall protection
• Hazard communication
• Scaffolds
• Respiratory protection
• Lockout/tagout
• Powered industrial trucks
• Ladders
• Machine guarding
• Electrical wiring
• Electrical, general requirements

Refining workplace safety

No matter the industry, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthy workplaces for all employees. Yet, thousands of citations indicate this is not the case.

Neglecting safety can have harmful consequences. OSHA stated that in 2014, 4,821 workers were killed on the job. This breaks down to 13 fatalities occurring every day for more than 91 per week.

Construction workers are at greater risk for injury or death than workers in other industries, as 1 in 5 deaths occurred while at a construction work site. OSHA deemed the biggest safety concerns as “The Fatal Four,” which included workers being struck by an object, falls, electrocutions and caught-in/between.

Eliminating The Fatal Four would save approximately 545 employee lives every year. By understanding and refining safety standards based on the 10 most common citations, employers would be able to create even safer workplaces to help cut down on injuries and fatalities.

No matter the industry, workers need to take the proper safety precautions.

Fall protection

Two of most common citations revolve around the lack of fall protection. Employers, particularly in the construction industry, understand the importance of safety programs, yet falls are the leading cause of worker deaths.

OSHA requires fall protection be provided in various circumstances:

• Four feet at general industry worksites
• Five feet at shipyards
• Six feet in construction
• Eight feet in longshoring operations

While fall distance may vary, all workers should still be equipped with the necessary safety equipment such as harnesses. Employers must also maintain worksites to ensure employees don’t find themselves in dangerous situations that may arise. For instance, dry conditions and guardrails will help protect against slips, falls and trips.

Scaffolds also play an important role in fall protection.

Lockout/tagout

Control of hazardous energy falls under lockout/tagout. OSHA stated harmful energy can come from a variety of sources such as electrical, hydraulic, mechanical, thermal and chemical machines.

Workers who come into contact with harmful energy can face serious injury, or worse. In order to control these hazards, companies must follow OSHA’s lockout/tagout regulation, yet many are cited for not doing so. By complying with this particular standard, approximately 50,000 injuries and 120 fatalities can be prevented.

It’s up to the employers to ensure working conditions are as safe as possible. Energy control training programs should ideally be implemented and enforced. And for equipment that can be locked out, lockout devices need to be used. By following this standard, machines are properly turned off. Employees are also kept safe because machines can’t be turned on when they’re working on said equipment.

Creating a safety program

Even though OSHA regularly compiles a list of the most common citations, there are still many more challenges and safety concerns on the job, no matter the industry.

OSHA has devised a blueprint for any sized company to follow. Organizations can adopt and evolve health and safety plans over time. However, OSHA emphasized that employers should ideally take a proactive approach to safety. Following a standard approach can often be reactive, with changes to safety procedures only occurring after a workplace injury. Employers who are proactive will be able to identify safety issues and address them before a worker is hurt.

Some of the main benefits of health and safety programs include:

• Reducing costs
• Preventing workplace illnesses and injuries
• Engaging workers
• Improving compliance with regulations
• Increasing productivity
• Enhancing social responsibility goals

Companies unsure of how exactly to develop a safety program can take a look at OSHA’s recommendations to get started. Within such a program should be safety and compliance standards specific to the industry.

By knowing the most common citations, employers will be able to cover all of their safety bases and continue their proactive approach to worker safety.

At the beginning of October, the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration proposed a handful of rule changes as part of President Obama’s Executive Order 13563, titled Improving Regulations and Regulatory Reviews.

According to Bloomberg BNA, OSHA proposed Standards Improvement Project-Phase IV as a way to revise existing rules and regulations deemed as inexpensive and noncontroversial. These changes would be the fourth time OSHA has issued similar updates since the 1990s.

OSHA stated its purpose is to remove and/or revise provisions that are duplicated, outdated, inconsistent or unnecessary. In total, OSHA put forth 18 revisions.

If finalized, changes would affect the following:

• Maritime
• General industry
• Recordkeeping
• Construction standards

As J.J. Keller & Associates pointed out, most proposals would affect the construction industry. Employers and employees can submit comments to OSHA until Dec. 5.

Lockout/Tagout

The current rule for lockout/tagout is classified as out of date by The National Law Review. It does not recognize the effectiveness of automated controls, which help reduce the potential of unexpected energization.

Automated controls are relied upon heavily because they offer functionality and reliability checks not otherwise available. Additionally, risk for human error is also reduced when automated controls are used.

OSHA’s proposed rule would subsequently remove “unexpected” from “unexpected energization.” Confusion can ensue, as employees may misinterpret the scope’s standard. As a result, some harmful operations are not properly overseen and workers may find themselves injured due to startup or the release of stored energy.

According to The NLR, this change was announced because OSHA believes existing warning systems are not as effective as lockout/tagout. By adopting this new standard, inspectors won’t have to worry about performing case-by-case assessments of diverse warning systems.

Recordkeeping for hearing loss

Recordkeeping for hearing loss mandates that if a worker’s hearing test results reveal he or she has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift in one or both ears, then the result must be recorded in the OSHA 300 Log.

OSHA is therefore proposing requirements that are more in line with the existing compliance directive, Recordkeeping Policies and Procedures Manual CPL 02-00-135.

Other notable changes

One of many changes oversees when employees call 911, especially if they are in a location not easily found by 911 systems. Per the revision, these remote work areas would need to be outfitted with latitude and longitude coordinates or some other type of specific location information.

Currently, employers are only required to provide a communications system employees can use to contact ambulance transportation services. However, the change would also mandate employees be able to reach emergency responders.

In the marine industry, shipyard representatives asked OSHA to stop classifying feral cats as vermin. Current guidelines state that workers need to be protected from all vermin, including these animals. However, representatives felt these stray cats often avoid human interaction and any resulting injuries from that contact are typically minor anyway. Existing standards also arguably promote unnecessary and sometimes harsh extermination.

OSHA’s proposed rule would classify vermin as rodents, birds, insects or other animals that may harm workers.

Workers and employers in all affected industries are encouraged to submit comments before the Dec. 2 deadline.