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While OSHA compliance and hazard mitigation are commonplace in the safety industry, “risk” is also important. Understanding risk is critical for safety professionals to manage priorities and communicate with upper management. Simply stated, risk refers to the probability an incident will occur multiplied by the severity that would result from such an incident. By assessing for risk, safety professionals can prioritize which projects to address first, as well as which controls should be utilized. Further, safety professionals can use risk to communicate to upper management the impact of specific issues on the business. Many safety management standards, such as ISO 45001 or ANSI Z10, offer risk matrices or guidance tools to assist in this effort.
While many people use the terms “hazard” and “risk” interchangeably, they are actually quite different. “Hazard” refers to something that can cause harm, like a machine, electricity, or toxic fumes. “Risk” refers to how likely a hazard is to occur and how damaging it will be should it occur. Hazard is generally used within the context of safety/injury, while risk can refer to financial “hazards” (losses), IT networks, and a variety of other topics.
Most safety professionals have at some point handed upper management a list of hazards or “compliance issues” found in an audit. In response, a member of upper management likely asked, “So, what does this mean?” Too often, the safety professional responds by mentioning the possibility of the company being inspected and fined, or listing the regulations being violated. To better communicate with upper management, safety professionals should learn the language of upper management and frame their safety guidance and advice in terms of risk.
The risk/hazard rating of a job or task usually considers two factors:
A job or task with a high probability and high severity has the highest risk; when there is low probability and low severity, that is the lowest risk. However, there are numerous combinations of severity/probability in between.
Many companies utilize a risk matrix or table that assigns numeric measures to risk based on probability and severity; the ratings are used to prioritize safety efforts. A sample risk matrix is provided below.
The risk matrix should be tailored to suit each organization’s risk tolerance and should take into account the specific operations, hazards, and available controls.
Priority legend
3 Highest priority — stop task until hazards are controlled
2 Hazards must be controlled as soon as possible
1 Risks are acceptable — no further controls required
Imagine a safety professional asking upper management for a $500,000 investment to keep from getting a $7,000 fine from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The request is unlikely to be approved. Stating the request in terms of risk management, however, would involve explaining an analysis and prioritizing of risk, along with the financial implications.
Risk is a common language between business owners and executives who manage risk every day. Putting hazards into the language of risk helps executives see the need for managing the identified safety risks or hazards.
Financial implications include suffering operational delays, which directly impacts the number of products a company might produce, for example, and could result in direct consequences.
Unfortunately, many safety professionals haven’t had formal training in risk management, so learning the concepts may take some time. However, it doesn’t have to be daunting, and tools are available to help.
A technical report published by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) provides safety professionals with techniques and implementation strategies to combat risk and better protect workers. ASSP TR-31010-2020 Risk Management – Techniques for Safety Practitioners is designed to assist safety practitioners and company decision-makers in understanding, assessing, and managing risk so organizations can achieve their business objectives.
The technical report provides expert guidance on the selection, modification, combination, and application of 50 risk management techniques to help improve the way risk and uncertainty are managed. It includes basic techniques for industry newcomers and complex methods for seasoned safety professionals. The safety resource explains the fundamentals of risk assessment and risk treatment and covers prevention-through-design practices that are applicable throughout the life cycle of a system. Safety professionals can apply the techniques to a range of occupational settings, situations, and operational stages of a business.
Analysis tools
Examples of some of the 50 tools covered by the ASSP Technical Report include:
The Technical Report contains a table that provides information on the complexity of each of the 50 tools, along with guidance on how each may or may not apply to different situations a safety professional might encounter. For example, ALARP is a medium complexity tool strongly applicable to determining risk context, as well as for risk evaluation. However, it is not very applicable to risk analysis. On the other hand, Risk Hierarchy is low complexity and strongly applicable to communicating risk, but not as applicable to analysis.
Safety professionals don’t have to learn all 50 tools at once. To start out, the professional should choose about five tools for communicating with the next level manager. As safety professionals make progress and get invited to decision-makers’ meetings, they go back to the Technical Report and learn more. Then, next time, they’re part of the solution. Eventually, as safety professionals get into upper-level safety and start communicating with the CEO, there are tools in the report to help, focusing on enterprise-wide risk management.
Two major voluntary industry standards can help employers design and implement a safety and health management system:
ISO 45001
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 45001 Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use is a standard for the implementation and maintenance of occupational safety and health management systems. The standard guides companies in taking a systematic and proactive approach to worker safety, giving safety an equal “seat at the table” alongside other management systems such as environmental, quality, IT and data security, and product safety, all of which have had international standards for a while.
Like other management systems standards, ISO 45001 reduces risk and increases performance. In the case of ISO 45001, the risk is to worker safety and health. The standard provides a framework to systematically improve safety and business processes at the same time. It requires using concepts and techniques such as the hierarchy of controls, risk assessment, and root-cause analysis, along with significant input and participation from workers. While these techniques help reduce injuries and illnesses, they also improve business performance.
The indirect benefits of obtaining certification include recognition for achieving an international benchmark, lowering costs, reducing turnover and lost time, and reducing equipment and process downtime. The standard has other benefits as well. Investors will likely feel more confident in an ISO 45001-certified company because the company has shown it is actually identifying and managing the risks.
To achieve the maximum benefits and to claim official certification, a company must go through a third-party audit and approval process from an accredited registrar. Completing full certification is certainly no easy task. If a company already has an ISO management system in place, however, the transition will be less complicated.
For companies that want to implement a management system but are not interested in certification, the ISO 45001 standard can be used as a best-practice guidance. A company can purchase the standard and self-implement to whatever degree is appropriate, understanding that internal impacts (such as fewer injuries and better performance) may be seen, but external benefits (such as recognition) will not be gained without certification.
ANSI Z10
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z10 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard was originally released in 2005. Like most other ANSI standards, ANSI Z10 is “self-certifying” in that there is not necessarily a requirement for a third-party auditor to conduct a conformance assessment. A company can purchase the standard and implement it with no assistance from a third party.
The ANSI standard follows the same general principles as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Recommended Practices, but provides much more guidance and many tools, covering such topics as management leadership, employee involvement, hazard identification/prevention/control, training, and evaluation. It contains tools such as job hazard analysis guidance and risk matrices.
Deciding on a standard
In choosing a standard, a company should consider what the organization hopes to accomplish and also what the stakeholders or customers are asking for. Some companies may choose to achieve certification to ISO 45001, but implement additional elements from ANSI Z10.
In certain industries, suppliers or potential contracts may ask for one standard over the other. Employers should talk with some organizations that have used these systems to find out pros and cons of each.
“Risk” is the product of hazard and exposure. Thus, risk can be reduced by controlling or eliminating the hazard or by reducing workers’ exposure to hazards. An assessment of risk helps employers understand hazards in the context of their own workplaces and prioritize hazards for permanent control.
One of the root causes of workplace injuries, illnesses, and incidents is the failure to identify or recognize hazards that are present, or that could have been anticipated. A critical element of any effective safety and health program is a proactive, ongoing process to identify and assess such hazards.
To identify and assess hazards, employers and workers should:
Some hazards, such as housekeeping and tripping hazards, can and should be fixed as they are found. Fixing hazards on the spot emphasizes the importance of safety and health and takes advantage of a safety leadership opportunity.
Emergency and non-routine situations
Emergencies present hazards that need to be recognized and understood. Non-routine or infrequent tasks, including maintenance and startup/shutdown activities, also present potential hazards. Develop plans and procedures for responding appropriately and safely to hazards associated with foreseeable emergency scenarios and non-routine situations.
Identify foreseeable emergency scenarios and non-routine tasks, taking into account the types of material and equipment in use and the location within the facility. Scenarios such as the following may be foreseeable:
Information on hazards may already be available to employers and workers, from both internal and external sources.
Employers should collect, organize, and review information with workers to determine what types of hazards may be present and to which workers may be exposed or potentially exposed. Information available may include:
Information about hazards may also be available from outside sources such as:
Inspecting the workplace for safety hazards
Hazards can be introduced over time as workstations and processes change, equipment or tools become worn, maintenance is neglected, or housekeeping practices decline. Setting aside time to regularly inspect the workplace for hazards can help identify shortcomings so that they can be addressed before an incident occurs. Employers should:
Employers should also plan to do safety inspections before changing operations, workstations, or workflow; making major organizational changes; or introducing new equipment, materials, or processes, seeking the input of workers and evaluating the planned changes for potential hazards and related risks.
Many hazards can be identified using common knowledge and available tools. For example, workers can easily identify or remove hazards such as broken stair rails or frayed electrical cords. Workers can be a very useful internal resource, especially if they are trained in how to identify and assess risks.
Identifying health hazards is typically more complex than identifying physical safety hazards. For example, gases and vapors may be invisible, often have no odor, and may not have an immediately noticeable harmful health effect.
Health hazards include chemical hazards (solvents, adhesives, paints, toxic dusts, etc.); physical hazards (noise, radiation, heat, etc.); biological hazards (infectious diseases); and ergonomic risk factors (heavy lifting, repetitive motions, vibration).
Reviewing workers’ medical records (appropriately redacted to ensure patient/worker privacy) can be useful in identifying health hazards associated with workplace exposures. Employers should:
Identifying and assessing health hazards may require specialized knowledge. Small businesses can obtain free and confidential occupational safety and health advice services, including help identifying and assessing workplace hazards, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s On-Site Consultation Program.
Workplace incidents — including injuries, illnesses, close calls/near misses, and reports of other concerns — provide a clear indication of where hazards exist. Thoroughly investigating incidents and reports will help identify hazards that are likely to cause future harm. The purpose of an investigation must always be to identify the root causes (and there is often more than one) of the incident or concern, in order to prevent future occurrences. Employers should:
Effective incident investigations do not stop at identifying a single factor that triggered an incident. They ask the questions “Why?” and “What led to the failure?” For example, if a piece of equipment fails, a good investigation asks: “Why did it fail?” “Was it maintained properly?” “Was it beyond its service life?” and “How could this failure have been prevented?” Similarly, a good incident investigation does not stop when it concludes that a worker made an error. It asks such questions as: “Was the worker provided with appropriate tools and time to do the work?” “Was the worker adequately trained?” and “Was the worker properly supervised?”
What are physical hazards?
Physical hazards abound in the workplace. The mere fact that a company exists makes it prone to physical hazards — even the benign office has tripping and falling hazards. In an industrial setting, the huge variety of machines, processes, and equipment create a challenging set of hazards that a safety professional must deal with.
Processes that use large quantities of chemicals present a unique set of challenges. The physical properties of certain chemicals, such as flammable and combustible liquids, compressed gases, solvents, and explosives make them highly dangerous.
You may not think much about falls, but trips and falls often result in injury and lost time. Falls can even be fatal. In the workplace, there are many situations that contribute to falls:
Maintaining equipment in peak condition, practicing good housekeeping techniques, and providing signs to warn of physical hazards goes a long way to improve overall safe working conditions. Part of the safety professional’s job is to assess the workplace for physical hazards and see that they are corrected or controlled. There are many OSHA standards that have specific requirements for ensuring that physical hazards in the workplace are eliminated. In this section, you will find action steps, training action plans, tips, and checklists on a variety of topics related to controlling physical hazards.
Combustible dusts are fine particles that present an explosion hazard when suspended in air in certain conditions. A dust explosion can be catastrophic and cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. In many combustible dust accidents, employers and employees were unaware that a hazard even existed. It is important that employers determine if their operations have this hazard, and if so, that they take action now to prevent tragic consequences.
A wide range of industries possess combustible dust hazards and a wide variety of materials cause combustible dust incidents. (Combustible dusts can be intentionally manufactured powders, such as corn starch or aluminum powder coatings, or may be generated by handling and processing solid combustible materials such as wood and plastic pellets. For example, polishing, grinding, transporting, and shaping many of these materials can produce very small particles.)
Action steps
The following are general action steps that should be taken to identify and control dust hazards. For detailed guidance specific to your operations, consult with a qualified professional, as well as industry standards, as applicable (for example, those published by the National Fire Protection Association).
For chemicals in a solid form that do not present a combustible dust hazard, but may form combustible dusts while being processed in normal downstream uses, OSHA allows the chemical manufacturer some flexibility in labeling requirements. The manufacturer or importer may transmit the label to the customer at the time of the initial shipment, but the label does not need to be included with subsequent shipments unless it changes. This provides the needed information to the downstream users on the potential hazards in the workplace, while acknowledging that the solid metal or other materials do not present the same hazards that are produced when these materials are processed under normal conditions of use.
Training action plan
Workers are the first line of defense in preventing and mitigating fires and explosions. If the people closest to the source of the hazard are trained to recognize and prevent hazards associated with combustible dust in the plant, they can be instrumental in recognizing unsafe conditions, taking preventative action, and/or alerting management. While OSHA standards require training for certain employees, all employees should be trained in safe work practices applicable to their job tasks, as well as on the overall plant programs for dust control and ignition source control. They should be trained before they start work, periodically to refresh their knowledge, when reassigned, and when hazards or processes change.
Tips
The amount of dust accumulation necessary to cause an explosive concentration can vary greatly. This is because there are so many variables — the particle size of the dust, the method of dispersion, ventilation system modes, air currents, physical barriers, and the volume of the area in which the dust cloud exists or may exist. As a result, simple rules of thumb regarding accumulation (such as writing in the dust or visibility in a dust cloud) can be subjective and misleading. The hazard analysis should be tailored to the specific circumstances in each facility and the full range of variables affecting the hazard.
Many locations need to be considered in an assessment. One obvious place for a dust explosion to initiate is where dust is concentrated. In equipment such as dust collectors, a combustible mixture could be present whenever the equipment is operating.
Other locations to consider are those where dust can settle, both in occupied areas and in hidden concealed spaces. A thorough analysis will consider all possible scenarios in which dust can be disbursed, both in the normal process and potential failure modes.The facility analysis must identify areas requiring special electrical equipment classification due to the presence (or potential presence) of combustible dust. Various OSHA standards as well as industry (e.g., NFPA) can be consulted.
Checklist
Follow these checklists to prevent combustible dust hazards.
Hazard assessment
Prevention
Note: Minor, but steady leaks, can cause large amounts of dust to accumulate.
Training
Employees in industry and construction are often asked to perform work in confined spaces, but many confined spaces contain serious hazards that endanger the employees who enter those spaces. For this reason, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to implement certain procedures that protect workers from the hazards posed by confined spaces. These include procedures for identifying physical hazards and hazardous atmospheres in confined spaces, controlling and eliminating these hazards, and more.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must be such that all employees whose work is regulated by OSHA’s confined spaces standard acquire the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned.
Training must be provided to each affected employee:
The training must establish employee proficiency in the duties required by the confined spaces standard and must introduce new or revised procedures, as necessary, for compliance.
Training should be specific to the employee’s function relative to the confined space. For instance, if the employee is an authorized entrant, then training should focus specifically on tasks and hazards he may face in this role.
In general, training should cover:
Any work that involves contractors also requires special training and communication, both from the host to the contractor and from the contractor to the host.
Documentation
The employer must certify that required training has been accomplished. The certification must contain:
Tips
Checklist
View these confined space checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Monitoring
Equipment
General
This regulation applies to all companies that fall under a particular OSHA standard that requires an emergency action plan. However, it is wise for all employers to have action plans for any emergency that may be reasonably expected to occur in the workplace. Where required by OSHA, employers must develop a plan (called an emergency action plan or EAP) for emergency situations so that there is a literal “plan of action” for employees to take in the event of fires, toxic chemical releases, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, and other similar catastrophic events.
Action steps
Include the following minimum requirements in the EAP to ensure that it covers those designated actions employers and employees must take to ensure employee safety from fire and other emergencies.
Training action plan
You should develop an emergency action team prior to implementing the EAP. Begin by designating and training a sufficient number of employees to assist in the safe and orderly emergency evacuation of their coworkers.
Tips
A map of the facility showing specific areas, exit routes, exit doors, and head count locations is a useful training tool and should also be posted around the company.
If a fire occurs, safe and orderly evacuation is necessary. Your company should have an established evacuation plan, with procedures and exits indicated. Find out what it is and where you are expected to go during a fire or fire drill. A head count location should be established so that once everyone is evacuated, you meet at a designated spot to account for each employee.
Other than fires, severe weather emergencies are the most common emergency situations that occur. Severe weather emergencies include hurricanes, tornadoes, excessive heat, heavy snow, and extreme cold weather conditions.
If a bomb threat is made at your facility, always take the threat seriously. Immediately notify a supervisor or the safety manager of the threat and evacuate the premises (do not search for a bomb unless instructed by police to look for foreign or suspicious objects).
Checklist
Follow these checklists to ensure you and your employees are prepared for any potential emergencies.
Emergency action plan
Disaster recovery
Rescue workers
Alarms and warnings
Fire alarm systems
If you are a general industry employer, the Subpart E Exit routes regulations apply to your company. Your facility must provide a safe means of exiting from buildings or structures for the purpose of general egress, or for the purpose of exiting in the case of fire or other emergencies. In addition, you must also provide a clear and unobstructed path to the entrance of your facility.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.
You must also review the emergency action plan with each employee covered by the plan. This review should be conducted:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure exit routes at your facility meet compliance.
Exit design
Capacity of means of egress
Arrangement of exits
Access to exits
Arrangement of exits
Protective enclosure of exits
OSHA has many requirements concerning fire protection in the workplace. These requirements are found in Subpart L and in some other specific standards. Among the items addressed by OSHA standards is fire brigades, all portable and fixed fire suppression equipment, fire detection systems, and fire or employee alarm systems.
Action steps
Training action plan
The level and type of training needed for fire protection depends on the level and type of fire protection your facility has in place. For instance, if you have a fire brigade, extensive training must be provided to fire brigade members, per 1910.156.
Similarly, if you provide portable fire extinguishers for employee use, such employees must be trained. This training must familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You must also provide training to any employees who have been designated to use fire fighting equipment as part of an emergency action plan. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You should also train all employees on the actions they need to take relative to your emergency alarm system. They should be familiar with the distinct sounds of the system and what each sound means.
Tips
Checklists
Review these checklists to ensure fire safety at your facility.
Fire extinguishers
Fire alarm
Fire detection systems
Fire brigades
Sprinkler systems
OSHA’s Flammable Liquids regulation, 1910.106, applies to all persons who handle, use, store, or transport flammable liquids. A flammable liquid means any liquid having a flashpoint at or below 199.4°F (within that definition, there are four categories of flammable liquids).
Action steps
Training action plan
Any employee involved in storage, transfer, use, or disposal of flammable liquids needs to be trained to handle them safely and to follow your company’s established procedure.
Generally, training content should cover:
In addition, if your company receives, stores, or handles flammable liquids in storage tanks in areas that have the potential to flood, you need to have employees trained on emergency response procedures.
A hands-on approach is appropriate in this part of the training session. In fact, you may want to demonstrate how to do specific procedures related to flammables at your facility. Then allow each employee to try the procedure, so they can perform them correctly and so they will remember them better.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure flammable liquid safety at your facility.
Containers
Handling
Storage
OSHA’s ladder regulations, at 1910.23, apply to any general industry workplace that uses ladders to perform duties (other than construction work) at high elevations.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training content for ladders and stairways depends on the types of equipment and structures your facility has and what work will be performed. In general, workers need to be trained as follows:
Ladders
Content should include:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure ladder safety at your facility.
Design and construction
Stepladders
Stepstools
Inspection and maintenance
Training
OSHA’s Subpart I regulations apply to all persons involved in hazardous processes; environmental, chemical, radiological hazards; or mechanical irritants that are capable of causing injury or impairment of any body part through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact. The categories of personal protective equipment (PPE) include: eye and face equipment, head protection, hand protection, foot protection, fall protection, and respiratory protection (information about respiratory protection is provided in a separate topic area under Respiratory Protection, 1910.134).
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA requires that you provide training to each employee who is required to use PPE. Each such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:
Each affected employee must also demonstrate an understanding of the training and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.
When you have reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required, you must retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure proper PPE usage at your facility.
General
Training
Recordkeeping
Head, foot, and hand protection
Eye and face protection
Personal fall protection
Posting requirements
OSHA’s 1910.119 regulation applies to those companies that deal with any of more than 130 specific toxic and reactive chemicals in listed quantities (See 1910.119 Appendix A); it also includes any Category 1 flammable gas (as defined in 1910.1200(c)) or a flammable liquid with a flashpoint below 100°F (37.8°C) on site in one location, in a quantity of 10,000 pounds (4535.9 kg) or more (with a few exceptions, as outlined in 1910.119(a)(1)(ii)(A) and (B)).
Action steps
Training action plan
You must train each employee involved in operating a process and each employee before being involved in operating a newly assigned process. Training must include:
Also, you must provide refresher training at least every three years, and more often if necessary, to each employee involved in operating a process to assure that the employee understands and adheres to the current operating procedures of the process. You, in consultation with the employees involved in operating the process, must determine the appropriate frequency of refresher training.
Documentation
You must prepare a record that contains the identity of the employee, the date of training, and the means used to verify that the employee understood the training.
Tips
Checklist
Review these process safety management checklists.
Process hazard analysis
Incident investigation
Emergency action plan
Written program
Contractors
Pre-startup safety review
Mechanical integrity
Hot work permits
Management of change
Audits
Training
OSHA’s 1910.144-.45 regulations provide specifications for signs and tags and are intended to cover all safety signs except those designed for streets, highways, railroads, and marine regulations. These specifications do not apply to plant bulletin boards or to safety posters.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training on accident prevention signs and tags is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment to areas where accident prevention signs and tags are used. Training content should generally include:
Consider other safety training issues relative to safety signs such as hazard communication and the specific posting requirements of the chemical-specific standards found in Subpart Z of the 1910 regulations. Training might also cover the information found in the poster describing employee rights under OSHA (poster 2203) which must be displayed somewhere where workers will see it.
OSHA does not require training documentation for Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags, but it is always prudent to keep records anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and what was covered.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists for signs and markings at your facility.
Hazardous substances
Aisles
Materials handling
Emergency
Ladders
Lockout/tagout
Confined spaces
OSHA posters
Electrical
OSHA has various requirements to protect workers from slipping, tripping, or falling. These requirements are in Subpart D. Among other things, OSHA requires that all floors, platforms, runways, and wall and window openings where there is a drop of four feet or more have some type of guarding, or that workers utilize an appropriate personal fall arrest system.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, OSHA requires that the employer must provide training for each employee who uses personal fall protection systems, as well as employees using certain equipment such as ladders, rope descent systems, and dockboards.
The employer must ensure that each employee is trained by a qualified person.
Training for impacted employees must cover pertinent topics, including:
OSHA requires employees be retrained when there is reason to believe the employee does not have the understanding and skill required to work safely. Situations requiring retraining include, but are not limited to, the following:
Training must be provided in a manner that the employee understands.
All employees should be aware of how to prevent slips, trips, and falls by following good housekeeping procedures and when they work on or around:
Training content should generally focus on:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to reduce slips, trips, and falls at your facility.
Walkways
Floor and wall openings
Dockboards
Stairs and stairways
Inspection and maintenance
Training
Solvents are commonly used both in the workplace and at home. They are safe to use when you understand their hazards and know how to protect yourself. Solvents can:
One thing all solvents have in common is that they are used to dissolve another substance. They can be used as cleaners, degreasers, or as ingredients in paints, coatings, or adhesives. Some examples of common solvents include acetone, alcohol, mineral spirits, and perchloroethylene.
Action steps
Note: OSHA regulations do not deal with specific solvents; however, some exceptions apply, depending on the chemical used, the potential for exposure, and the degree of exposure.
For more information, see the following regulations:
Training action plan
Under the requirements of OSHA’s hazard communication standard, affected employees have to be given information and training on the hazards of the solvents they are exposed to at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new hazard is introduced into their work area.
Hazard communication
Hazard communication training has to include:
Solvents
Training content for an effective solvent training program should include:
Tips
Checklist
Review this solvent checklist to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Stairways are a common fixture in many workplaces. However, they can pose hazards to workers if not constructed and maintained properly.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, OSHA requires that the employer must provide training for that employee. In terms of stairs, items to keep in mind include:
Training must be provided in a manner that the employee understands.
Tips
Checklist
Review the following standard stairway checklists.
General
Condition
Design and construction
Steps
Fall protection
Handrails
Stair rail systems
Landings and platforms
Inspection and maintenance
Storage racks are a common fixture in many industrial workplaces, from warehouses to manufacturing facilities to retail to automotive repair shops. Common though they may be, these facilities can pose significant hazards if not installed, used, and maintained properly. Although OSHA does not have a specific standard addressing storage racks, the Agency expects employers to provide safe racking and has cited employers under the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act when racking posed serious hazards to workers.
Action steps
Training action plan
Tips
Checklist
Review these storage rack checklists.
Design
Installation
Placarding
Anchoring
Condition
Loads
Fire protection and prevention
Recordkeeping
OSHA’s Subpart O regulations apply to all welders and welding operators who operate electric or gas welding and cutting equipment. The standards apply whether you have a single portable welding unit to do an occasional spot welding task, or if you have large electric welders to use in daily production.
Action steps
Training action plan
Cutters, welders, and their supervisors are required to be trained in the safe operation of welding equipment. Also, fire watchers shall be trained in the use of fire extinguishing equipment. Training content should generally cover:
Consider other safety training issues relative to your welding operations:
Training is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment.
Documentation
OSHA does not require training documentation for safety training on welding, but it is always prudent to keep records anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and who conducted the training.
Tips
Checklists
Follow these checklists to ensure welding safety at your facility.
General
Welding: Equipment
Welding: Fire prevention
What are mechanical hazards?
Power-driven equipment and machines pose many hazards to employees, particularly when used improperly or without adequate safeguards. Workers are at risk of lacerations, amputations, severed fingers, and blindness. If equipment is not properly grounded, a metal framework could become energized and possibly electrocute an employee. When driving a forklift in an unsafe manner, the operator runs the risk of tipping the vehicle or striking a pedestrian.
As a safety professional, you must know and understand the hazards posed by power-driven tools, equipment, and machines in your company. Employees using the equipment have to be adequately trained, not only in how to use it properly, but also must be made aware of the consequences of taking short-cuts, disabling or removing guards, and not following standard policies and procedures such as locking out equipment prior to maintenance or repairs.
Many OSHA standards have specific requirements for protecting employees from mechanical hazards. In this section, you will find action steps, tips, answers to frequently asked questions, checklists, and training exercises and handouts on a variety of topics related to mechanical hazards. All of these will help you ensure a safer workplace for those employees who work with powered tools, machines, and equipment.
If you use industrial cranes or derricks in your workplace, then the regulations at 1910.179 through .181 apply. Among other things, these regulations require that only designated personnel must operate the equipment, and only authorized representatives should perform equipment repairs.
Action steps
Training action plans
Only designated personnel are permitted to operate a crane. These employees should receive adequate training to operate the equipment. This includes:
Training is to be provided prior to or at the time of initial assignment. No specific training documentation is required.
Tips
Tips for crane inspection include:
Checklist
Use these checklists to make sure your crane inspections keep everyone safe and compliant.
Daily visual inspection
Frequent inspections (daily to monthly)
Periodic inspections (every 1-12 months)
Inspection documentation
Monthly rope inspections
A dockboard is a portable or fixed device that spans a gap or compensates for a difference in elevation between a loading platform and a transport vehicle. Dockboards include, but are not limited to, bridge plates, dock plates, and dock levelers.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, DVD, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.
Training should cover the following topics:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to ensure dockboards are being used correctly.
Design and construction
Use
Fall protection
Inspection and maintenance
Training
OSHA’s electrical safety regulation 1910, Subpart S, is divided into two parts: Installation of Electrical Systems and Safety-Related Work Practices. 1910.399 provides important definitions for both parts. The first section Installation of Electrical Systems, 1910.302 to .308, for the most part, covers installation of electrical equipment. Its use is very similar to the National Electrical Code: electrical equipment installation. However, there are some sections of the installation requirements that do cover electrical safety. The primary example is providing appropriate working space for equipment likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized. That “working space” is generally “built-in” when electrical equipment is installed. The requirements for ground-fault circuit interrupters are another example. The second section, Safety-Related Work Practices, 1910.331 to .335, provides requirements for electrical training, selecting appropriate work practices, lockout/tagout, and working on exposed energized parts.
The first priority in electrical work is locking out and tagging the equipment rendering it “electrically safe.” If that is not possible, then employers must ensure employees are protected against electrical hazards through safe work practices and appropriate PPE. The OSHA regulations do provide shock protection methods in 1910.137—Electrical protective devices. However, the OSHA rules do not provide for arc flash/blast protection. To protect employees from those hazards, employers must refer to an outside source such as the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 70E—Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA’s training requirements regarding electrical work apply to employees who face a risk of electric shock that is not reduced to a safe level by the electrical installation requirements of 1910.303 through 1910.308.
Content of training
Employees must be trained in and familiar with the safety-related work practices required by 1910.331 through 1910.335 that pertain to their respective job assignments. Unqualified persons must be trained in and familiar with any electrically-related practices necessary for their safety. Qualified persons (i.e., those permitted to work on or near exposed energized parts) must, at a minimum, be trained in and familiar with the following:
Qualified employees whose work involves direct contact with energized equipment or contact using tools or materials must be capable of working safely and must be familiar with special precautionary techniques, appropriate PPE, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools.
The training must be of the classroom or on-the-job type. The degree of training provided must be determined by the risk to the employee.
Tips
Checklist
Use the checklists below to make sure your company has all its electrical safety measures in place.
Examination, installation, and use of equipment
Arcing parts
Marking
Working space
Guarding of live parts
OSHA’s 1910.178 regulation applies to all persons who use powered industrial trucks for such things as lifting, pulling, stacking, and moving materials. The regulation does not apply to compressed air or nonflammable compressed gas-operated industrial trucks, nor to farm vehicles, nor to vehicles intended primarily for earth moving, or over-the-road hauling.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, DVD, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.
Training should cover the following topics:
Refresher training must be given when needed and employers must perform a triennial evaluation of forklift operators.
Tips
Checklist
The checklists below will help you and your company ensure all forklift operations are done safely and compliantly.
Forklift operations
Fueling
Training
Maintenance and inspection
OSHA’s 1910.147 regulation establishes minimum performance requirements for the control of hazardous energy and applies to general industry. The regulation covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment in which the unexpected startup or the release of stored energy could cause injury to employees. If employees are performing servicing or maintenance tasks that do not expose them to the unexpected release of hazardous energy, the regulation does not apply.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA requires that all authorized employees be trained in recognition of hazardous energy sources, hazardous energy sources in use at their facility, and how to perform the lockout/tagout procedure.
OSHA also requires that all affected employees must be trained in the purpose and use of lockout/tagout.OSHA requires that all other employees must be instructed on the purpose of the plan, but not in the actual use.
OSHA requires that retraining be done when there are changes in equipment, job assignment, or procedures; when an audit shows deficiencies with the procedure; and when the employer feels the procedures should be reviewed.
Some general lockout/tagout training topics include:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to check that all processes for lockout/tagout are done correctly, including recordkeeping, training, and inspections.
Recordkeeping
Devices
Energy control procedure inspection
Training
OSHA’s Subpart O regulations apply to the safeguarding of many types of machines, such as woodworking machinery, abrasive wheels, mills and calendars, power presses, forging machines, and mechanical power transmission apparatus. Machines not listed must comply with the current industry standards for that piece of equipment.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA does not specifically require employers to train employees on machine guarding. However, workers should be trained in methods of protection from the hazards created by rotating parts and reciprocating or transverse motions during equipment operation.
Generally, machine guard training should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to make sure all the machines at your facility are safely guarded to avoid incidents.
General
Portable power tools
Stationary equipment
Powered/motorized pallet jacks are a common fixture in many industries and workplaces. They allow workers to quickly move heavy loads from one location to another, go in tight spaces that forklifts cannot, and conveniently make frequent stops to “pick” materials. While they may seem like a straightforward and harmless piece of machinery, the fact is powered pallet jacks can pose deadly hazards if not operated properly and by trained individuals. In fact, OSHA requires training of powered pallet jack operators under the same requirement as that for forklift operators—the 1910.178 Powered Industrial Truck regulation.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video tape, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.Training should cover the following topics:
Refresher training must be given when needed and employers must perform a triennial evaluation of forklift operators.
Tips
Checklist
These checklists will help ensure all pallet jacks are functioning safely and being used correctly.
Pallet jack operations
Training
Maintenance and inspection
OSHA’s 1910.242 regulation on hand and portable power tools applies to all employers who are responsible for the safe condition of tools and equipment used by employees, including tools and equipment that may be furnished by employees.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA’s regulations do not have specific employee training requirements for portable tools, but employees who understand the hazards and know how to use hand and portable powered tools correctly will have less risk of injury.
You should train workers to recognize the hazards associated with the different types of tools and the safety precautions necessary to prevent or control those hazards.
Generally, training should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to make sure all portable tools are in good working order.
General
Pneumatic power tools and hose
What are health hazards?
A substance is considered a “health hazard” if exposure through skin or eye contact, inhalation, or ingestion causes temporary or permanent injury. The health effects to the exposed individual may be acute or chronic, resulting from repeated long-term exposure to low concentrations of a hazardous substance. Exposure to excessive temperatures is also considered a health hazard. Extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which is a life threatening condition.
Acute and chronic health effects
An acute health effect usually occurs rapidly, following a brief exposure. A chronic health effect is long and continuous and follows repeated long-term exposure. Some examples of chemicals which exhibit health hazards are:
As a safety professional, you need to be aware of the dangerous substances and temperature extremes in your workplace that pose health risks to employees. Everyone whose job involves exposure, or the risk of exposure, to hazardous chemicals and hot environments must be adequately informed, trained, and protected.
Many OSHA standards have specific requirements for protecting employees from these hazards. In this section, you will find action steps, tips, answers to frequently asked questions, checklists, and training exercises and handouts on a variety of health-related topics. All of these will help you ensure a safer workplace for those employees with health hazard exposure risks.
OSHA’s 1910.1001 standard on asbestos covers workers who may be exposed to asbestos, a substance found in installed products such as shingles, floor tiles, cement pipe and sheet, roofing felts, insulation, ceiling tiles, fire-resistant drywall, and acoustical products. The standard reduces employee exposure to asbestos to 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air (f/cc) averaged over an 8-hour day. The standard also sets an action level; it is 0.1 f/cc averaged over eight hours. If this level is exceeded, employers must begin compliance activities such as air monitoring, employee training, and medical surveillance.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must provide training to employees who are exposed to airborne asbestos levels that are at or above the permissible exposure limit and/or excursion limit. Training content should include:
Training is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment of asbestos-related work.
Documentation
Training records must be maintained for one year beyond an employee’s last day of employment.
Tips
Checklist
Use the checklists below to make sure your company is meeting all the necessary safety precautions.
Work practices
Personal Protective Equipment
Facilities marking
OSHA’s 1910.1030 Bloodborne Pathogens standard applies to any employer with employees who are occupationally exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials; this determination must be made without considering use of any personal protective equipment (PPE).
Action steps
Training action plan
All employees with occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens need training in OSHA’s requirements and the employer’s exposure control plan. For example, this might include first aid responders, emergency response team members, or health care workers.
Training content should cover:
Employees must be trained prior to initial exposure to bloodborne pathogens and at least annually thereafter.
Documentation
Very specific training records must be maintained. Information must include dates of training, contents of training sessions, names and qualifications of trainers, names and job titles of those trained. Records must be retained for three years.
Tips
Checklist
Review these bloodborne pathogens checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
General
Training
Containers
Medical
Recordkeeping
OSHA requires emergency eyewashes and showers be present where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials. The emergency equipment must be available within 10 seconds.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA does not have specific training requirements regarding emergency eyewash and shower equipment. However, employees should be trained on the location and use of this equipment.
Additionally, you may want to train employees on safe handling of chemicals, proper protective equipment, location of SDSs, and other hazcom requirements.
Tips
Checklist
Review this emergency eyewash and shower checklist:
There currently is no specific regulatory requirement for the development of an ergonomics program. However, under the General Duty Clause, the employer is responsible for providing a “safe and healthful work environment.” Therefore, every employer should assess the type of workplace being provided to employees, examine injury and illness records to see what types of injuries are being reported, and develop the appropriate ergonomic responses.
Action steps
Train action plan
OSHA does not have specific training requirements for ergonomics. However, employees who perform work involving repetitive motions, awkward postures, material handling, forceful exertions, etc., can benefit from training in ergonomics. OSHA regulates ergonomics hazards under the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Employers have a general duty to provide a safe and healthful workplace.
Training content could include:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to help prevent ergonomic hazards in your workplace.
General
Training
Computer workstations
Recordkeeping
About one in every four workers routinely comes in contact with hazardous chemicals while performing his or her job. In many cases, the chemicals may be no more dangerous than those used at home. But in the workplace, exposure is likely to be greater, concentrations higher, and exposure time longer. Reactions to chemical exposures range from slight skin, eye, or respiratory irritation to life-threatening cancers, blood diseases, and debilitating lung damage.
OSHA developed the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to protect workers from these dangerous exposures. The standard was originally based on a simple concept—that employees have both a need and a right to know about the hazards and identities of the chemicals they are exposed to when working. In 2012, OSHA changed the HCS drastically, using the concept that the employees have a “right to understand” about the hazards of chemicals they are exposed to. They also need to know what they can do to protect themselves. Additionally, when employers have information about the chemicals being used, they can take steps to reduce exposures, substitute less hazardous materials, and establish safe work practices to prevent illnesses and injuries caused by these substances.
The HCS establishes uniform requirements to make sure that the hazards of all chemicals imported into, produced, or used in U.S. workplaces are evaluated and classified and that this hazard information is communicated to employers and exposed employees. Basically, the rule incorporates a downstream flow of information. This means that chemical manufacturers have the primary responsibility for generating and disseminating information and chemical users must obtain the information and transmit it to their exposed employees.
Evaluating and classifying chemical hazards involves technical concepts and is a process that requires the professional judgment of experienced experts. That’s why the HCS is designed so that employers who simply use chemicals, rather than produce or import them, are not required to evaluate the hazards of those substances.
Hazard classification is the responsibility of the producers and importers of the materials, who must then pass that information to the purchasers and end-users of the products. Employers that don’t produce or import chemicals need only focus on those parts of the rule that deal with establishing a workplace program and communicating information to their workers. (Note: If employers create mixtures in the workplace, there will be more responsibility and requirements than for employers who simply use chemicals that have already been evaluated and classified.)
Action steps
Training action plan
Under the provisions of this standard each employee exposed to hazardous chemicals must receive information about those chemicals through a comprehensive hazard communication program which includes identification of chemical hazards, chemical labeling, and safety data sheets in the training program.
You must provide hazcom training at the time your employees are initially assigned to their jobs, when a new chemical hazard is introduced into the work area or when the employee’s job duties change such that he or she is now exposed to a hazardous chemical.
The training must be comprehensible. If the employees must receive job instructions in a language other than English, then training and information will probably also need to be conducted in a foreign language.
Generally, training content should cover:
Documentation
OSHA does not require training documentation for individual employees regarding hazard communication, but it is a good idea to keep it anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and who conducted the training.
Tips
Checklist
Review these hazard communication checklists.
Labeling
Safety data sheets
Training
Recordkeeping
Written program
Hot work environments can be found in any climate, any time of the year. Many employees working in foundries, glass or ceramic plants, mines, bakeries, as well as during roofing, farming, exterior painting, utility work, road repair, and construction activities are exposed to high heat on a regular basis. In addition to temperature, high humidity adds to the heat burden for workers in laundries, restaurant kitchens, and canneries. Overexposure can cause:
Reduce the risk of heat stress by:
Although federal OSHA does not specifically regulate heat stress, it can issue citations under the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act when employees are exposed to serious hazards which the employer could reduce or eliminate.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before you conduct training, you will want to assess the heat hazards in your facility. This includes monitoring the environment and evaluating your employees’ work loads. When you understand the hazards, you can answer your employees’ questions.
A good heat stress training program should include:
Review the contents of this training action plan and decide which elements to use, based on conditions and operations at your facility. From these elements, build a training program that addresses your facility’s specific heat-related hazards.
Tips
Checklist
This checklist may be used as part of employee awareness training regarding the hazards of working in high temperatures.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion
There are many symptoms related to heat exhaustion. Several can be present at the same time.
Symptoms of heat stroke
Like heat exhaustion, heat stroke has multiple symptoms.
Risk factors to consider
Factors that put you at greater risk for heat-induced illness include:
Treating heat-releated illnesses
When a coworker suffers a heat-related illness, you should:
Call for help
If the person needs help beyond what you are providing, follow your company’s emergency procedures.
Protect yourself
When working in hot environments you should:
Chromium hexavalent (CrVI) compounds, often called hexavalent chromium, exist in several forms. Industrial uses of hexavalent chromium compounds include chromate pigments in dyes, paints, inks, and plastics; chromates added as anticorrosive agents to paints, primers, and other surface coatings; and chromic acid electroplated onto metal parts to provide a decorative or protective coating. Hexavalent chromium can also be formed when performing “hot work” such as welding on stainless steel or melting chromium metal. In these situations the chromium is not originally hexavalent, but the high temperatures involved in the process result in oxidation that converts the chromium to a hexavalent state.
Action steps
Training action plan
It is critically important that workers recognize the hazards associated with exposure to Cr(VI) and understand the measures they can take to protect themselves. OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) establishes requirements for employers to provide workers with information on hazardous chemicals such as Cr(VI) through comprehensive chemical hazard communication programs that include SDSs, labels, and worker training. Employers must follow the requirements of the Hazard Communication standard with regard to workers exposed to Cr(VI).
Checklist
Review these hexavalent chromium checklists.
General
Training
Monitoring
Employee protection
Respiratory protection
Emergency situations
Medical surveillance
Marking and labeling
Recordkeeping
Hazard communication
Ventilation
Housekeeping
Isocyanates are a family of highly reactive, low molecular weight chemicals. They are widely used in the manufacture of flexible and rigid foams, fibers, coatings such as paints and varnishes, and elastomers, and are increasingly used in the automobile industry, autobody repair, and building insulation materials. Spray-on polyurethane products containing isocyanates have been developed for a wide range of retail, commercial, and industrial uses to protect cement, wood, fiberglass, steel and aluminum, including protective coatings for truck beds, trailers, boats, foundations, and decks.
Isocyanates are powerful irritants to the mucous membranes of the eyes and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Direct skin contact can also cause marked inflammation. Isocyanates can also sensitize workers, making them subject to severe asthma attacks if they are exposed again. There is evidence that both respiratory and dermal exposures can lead to sensitization. Death from severe asthma in some sensitized subjects has been reported. Workers potentially exposed to isocyanates who experience persistent or recurring eye irritation, nasal congestion, dry or sore throat, cold-like symptoms, cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, or chest tightness should see a physician knowledgeable in work-related health problems.
The most widely used compounds are diisocyanates, which contain two isocyanate groups, and polyisocyanates, which are usually derived from diisocyanates and may contain several isocyanate groups. The most commonly used diisocyanates include methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Other common diisocyanates include naphthalene diisocyanate (NDI), methylene bis-cyclohexylisocyanate (HMDI)(hydrogenated MDI), and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). Examples of widely used polyisocyanates include HDI biuret and HDI isocyanurate.
Action steps
Training action plan
It is critically important that workers recognize the hazards associated with exposure to isocyanates. Employers should implement a comprehensive training program on hazard identification and safe work practices, including:
Checklists
Review these isocyanates checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facilty.
General
Training
Monitoring
Employee protection
Respiratory protection
Emergency situations
Medical surveillance
Marking and labeling
Recordkeeping
Hazard communication
Ventilation
Housekeeping
Lead can be toxic when absorbed by the body through inhalation or ingestion. OSHA regulates an employee’s exposure to lead in order to prevent the absorption of harmful levels of lead. When the employee’s exposure exceeds 50 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour period, the area must be regulated for lead exposure.
Action steps
Training action plan
You have to provide training for all employees who have lead exposures at or above the PEL. The training must be provided prior to the initial job assignment and then repeated at least annually. Make sure that each employee is informed of the following during training:
Include as part of your training and distribute to employees any materials made available to your facility by OSHA that pertain to the:
Make a copy of the Lead standard and its appendices available to all affected employees.
Provide, upon request, all materials relating to the employee information and training program to OSHA officials.
Documentation
Retain exposure monitoring records and medical surveillance and other medical records for at least 40 years or for the duration of employment plus 20 years, whichever is longer. Retain medical removal records for at least the duration of an employee’s employment.
Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure shop work safety:
There is currently no specific OSHA standard for mold. However, indoor air quality (IAQ) hazards are addressed in specific standards, such as the 1910.94 ventilation standard. Poor IAQ is one of the most important health issues we face.
Action steps
Training action plan
There are no specific OSHA training requirements for mold. However, employees should be trained to report problems or suspected problems related to indoor air quality.
Tips
Checklist
Review this checklist to prevent mold at your facility:
OSHA’s standard on occupational noise exposure, 1910.95, applies to all employees who are subjected to noise exposures that equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must provide training to all employees who are exposed to noise at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.
Employees must be trained prior to initial exposure and annually thereafter.
Generally, content should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to help with noise exposure at your facility.
General
Program
Posting
Monitoring
Personal protective equipment
Medical
When a pandemic strikes, employers and safety professionals must be prepared. While you can’t plan for every virus that will emerge, you can create a flexible infectious disease preparedness plan.
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population; begins to cause serious illness; and then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide. A worldwide influenza pandemic could have a major effect on the global economy, including travel, trade, tourism, food, consumption and eventually, investment and financial markets. Planning for pandemic influenza by business and industry is essential to minimize a pandemic’s impact. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be.
Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. Countries might, through measures such as border closures and travel restrictions, delay arrival of the virus, but cannot stop it. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery. Education and outreach are critical to preparing for a pandemic.
Understanding what a pandemic is, what needs to be done at all levels to prepare for pandemic influenza, and what could happen during a pandemic helps us make informed decisions both as individuals and as a nation.
Action steps
Training action plan
All employees should be trained on the employer’s exposure control plan.
Training content should cover:
Documentation
No current training records exist for non-bloodborne pathogens exposures (e.g., respiratory transmittable diseases). However, OSHA does consider work-related cases of these diseases, like tuberculosis, to be recordable if resulting in lost workdays, medical treatment, etc. The Agency requires employers to make a good-faith effort to determine whether or not the case was more likely than not related to an exposure in the workplace.
Tips
Tips
Review these pandemic checklists.
Assessment
Planning
Training and communication
External organizations
OSHA’s 1910.134 regulation applies to workers who perform welding, spray painting, grinding, sanding or related processes. Respirators are generally needed to protect employees from harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, and vapors when engineering controls, such as containment, ventilation, or the use of a less toxic substance, fail to provide adequate protection.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must train all employees who are, or may be, exposed to air contaminants above the permissible exposure limits or suggested exposure levels. You should also train employees who use respirators voluntarily or because of company policy.
Training must precede the use of a respirator. Retraining is required to be conducted annually, and whenever necessary to ensure safe use.
Generally, content for respiratory protection training should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Review these respiratory protection checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Use
Respiratory protection program
Cleaning and inspection
Repairs
Storage
Training and information
Respirators for IDLH atmospheres
Exposure to respirable crystalline silica can lead to lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease in workers. OSHA’s rule on silica exposure requires employers to protect employees.
Action steps
Training action plan
It is critically important that workers recognize the hazards associated with exposure to silica and understand the measures they can take to protect themselves. OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) establishes requirements for employers to provide workers with information on hazardous substances through comprehensive hazard communication programs that include SDSs, labels, and worker training. Employers must follow the requirements of the Hazard Communication standard with regard to workers exposed to silica.
Checklist
Review these silica checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
General
Training
Monitoring
Employee protection
Respiratory protection
Medical surveillance
Marking and labeling
Recordkeeping
Hazard communication
Ventilation
Housekeeping
Employers must assess and understand the hazards identified and the types of incidents that could result from worker exposure to those hazards. This information can be used to develop interim controls and to prioritize hazards for permanent control. Employers will need to:
Developing and updating a hazard control plan
A hazard control plan describes the steps that will be taken to prevent and control the hazards identified. An effective plan will address serious hazards first. Interim controls may be necessary, but the overall goal is to ensure effective long-term hazard control. Employers should track progress toward completing the control plan and periodically verify that controls remain effective. This may include:
Implementing selected controls
Once hazard prevention and control measures have been identified, they should be implemented according to the hazard control plan. This will include:
The risk/hazard rating of a job or task usually considers two factors:
A job or task with a high probability and high severity has the highest risk; when there is low probability and low severity, that is the lowest risk. However, there are numerous combinations of severity/probability in between.
Many companies utilize a risk matrix or table that assigns numeric measures to risk based on probability and severity; the ratings are used to prioritize safety efforts. A sample risk matrix is provided below.
The risk matrix should be tailored to suit each organization’s risk tolerance and should take into account the specific operations, hazards, and available controls.
Priority legend
3 Highest priority — stop task until hazards are controlled
2 Hazards must be controlled as soon as possible
1 Risks are acceptable — no further controls required
Imagine a safety professional asking upper management for a $500,000 investment to keep from getting a $7,000 fine from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The request is unlikely to be approved. Stating the request in terms of risk management, however, would involve explaining an analysis and prioritizing of risk, along with the financial implications.
Risk is a common language between business owners and executives who manage risk every day. Putting hazards into the language of risk helps executives see the need for managing the identified safety risks or hazards.
Financial implications include suffering operational delays, which directly impacts the number of products a company might produce, for example, and could result in direct consequences.
Unfortunately, many safety professionals haven’t had formal training in risk management, so learning the concepts may take some time. However, it doesn’t have to be daunting, and tools are available to help.
A technical report published by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) provides safety professionals with techniques and implementation strategies to combat risk and better protect workers. ASSP TR-31010-2020 Risk Management – Techniques for Safety Practitioners is designed to assist safety practitioners and company decision-makers in understanding, assessing, and managing risk so organizations can achieve their business objectives.
The technical report provides expert guidance on the selection, modification, combination, and application of 50 risk management techniques to help improve the way risk and uncertainty are managed. It includes basic techniques for industry newcomers and complex methods for seasoned safety professionals. The safety resource explains the fundamentals of risk assessment and risk treatment and covers prevention-through-design practices that are applicable throughout the life cycle of a system. Safety professionals can apply the techniques to a range of occupational settings, situations, and operational stages of a business.
Analysis tools
Examples of some of the 50 tools covered by the ASSP Technical Report include:
The Technical Report contains a table that provides information on the complexity of each of the 50 tools, along with guidance on how each may or may not apply to different situations a safety professional might encounter. For example, ALARP is a medium complexity tool strongly applicable to determining risk context, as well as for risk evaluation. However, it is not very applicable to risk analysis. On the other hand, Risk Hierarchy is low complexity and strongly applicable to communicating risk, but not as applicable to analysis.
Safety professionals don’t have to learn all 50 tools at once. To start out, the professional should choose about five tools for communicating with the next level manager. As safety professionals make progress and get invited to decision-makers’ meetings, they go back to the Technical Report and learn more. Then, next time, they’re part of the solution. Eventually, as safety professionals get into upper-level safety and start communicating with the CEO, there are tools in the report to help, focusing on enterprise-wide risk management.
Two major voluntary industry standards can help employers design and implement a safety and health management system:
ISO 45001
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 45001 Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use is a standard for the implementation and maintenance of occupational safety and health management systems. The standard guides companies in taking a systematic and proactive approach to worker safety, giving safety an equal “seat at the table” alongside other management systems such as environmental, quality, IT and data security, and product safety, all of which have had international standards for a while.
Like other management systems standards, ISO 45001 reduces risk and increases performance. In the case of ISO 45001, the risk is to worker safety and health. The standard provides a framework to systematically improve safety and business processes at the same time. It requires using concepts and techniques such as the hierarchy of controls, risk assessment, and root-cause analysis, along with significant input and participation from workers. While these techniques help reduce injuries and illnesses, they also improve business performance.
The indirect benefits of obtaining certification include recognition for achieving an international benchmark, lowering costs, reducing turnover and lost time, and reducing equipment and process downtime. The standard has other benefits as well. Investors will likely feel more confident in an ISO 45001-certified company because the company has shown it is actually identifying and managing the risks.
To achieve the maximum benefits and to claim official certification, a company must go through a third-party audit and approval process from an accredited registrar. Completing full certification is certainly no easy task. If a company already has an ISO management system in place, however, the transition will be less complicated.
For companies that want to implement a management system but are not interested in certification, the ISO 45001 standard can be used as a best-practice guidance. A company can purchase the standard and self-implement to whatever degree is appropriate, understanding that internal impacts (such as fewer injuries and better performance) may be seen, but external benefits (such as recognition) will not be gained without certification.
ANSI Z10
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z10 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard was originally released in 2005. Like most other ANSI standards, ANSI Z10 is “self-certifying” in that there is not necessarily a requirement for a third-party auditor to conduct a conformance assessment. A company can purchase the standard and implement it with no assistance from a third party.
The ANSI standard follows the same general principles as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Recommended Practices, but provides much more guidance and many tools, covering such topics as management leadership, employee involvement, hazard identification/prevention/control, training, and evaluation. It contains tools such as job hazard analysis guidance and risk matrices.
Deciding on a standard
In choosing a standard, a company should consider what the organization hopes to accomplish and also what the stakeholders or customers are asking for. Some companies may choose to achieve certification to ISO 45001, but implement additional elements from ANSI Z10.
In certain industries, suppliers or potential contracts may ask for one standard over the other. Employers should talk with some organizations that have used these systems to find out pros and cons of each.
“Risk” is the product of hazard and exposure. Thus, risk can be reduced by controlling or eliminating the hazard or by reducing workers’ exposure to hazards. An assessment of risk helps employers understand hazards in the context of their own workplaces and prioritize hazards for permanent control.
One of the root causes of workplace injuries, illnesses, and incidents is the failure to identify or recognize hazards that are present, or that could have been anticipated. A critical element of any effective safety and health program is a proactive, ongoing process to identify and assess such hazards.
To identify and assess hazards, employers and workers should:
Some hazards, such as housekeeping and tripping hazards, can and should be fixed as they are found. Fixing hazards on the spot emphasizes the importance of safety and health and takes advantage of a safety leadership opportunity.
Emergency and non-routine situations
Emergencies present hazards that need to be recognized and understood. Non-routine or infrequent tasks, including maintenance and startup/shutdown activities, also present potential hazards. Develop plans and procedures for responding appropriately and safely to hazards associated with foreseeable emergency scenarios and non-routine situations.
Identify foreseeable emergency scenarios and non-routine tasks, taking into account the types of material and equipment in use and the location within the facility. Scenarios such as the following may be foreseeable:
Information on hazards may already be available to employers and workers, from both internal and external sources.
Employers should collect, organize, and review information with workers to determine what types of hazards may be present and to which workers may be exposed or potentially exposed. Information available may include:
Information about hazards may also be available from outside sources such as:
Inspecting the workplace for safety hazards
Hazards can be introduced over time as workstations and processes change, equipment or tools become worn, maintenance is neglected, or housekeeping practices decline. Setting aside time to regularly inspect the workplace for hazards can help identify shortcomings so that they can be addressed before an incident occurs. Employers should:
Employers should also plan to do safety inspections before changing operations, workstations, or workflow; making major organizational changes; or introducing new equipment, materials, or processes, seeking the input of workers and evaluating the planned changes for potential hazards and related risks.
Many hazards can be identified using common knowledge and available tools. For example, workers can easily identify or remove hazards such as broken stair rails or frayed electrical cords. Workers can be a very useful internal resource, especially if they are trained in how to identify and assess risks.
Identifying health hazards is typically more complex than identifying physical safety hazards. For example, gases and vapors may be invisible, often have no odor, and may not have an immediately noticeable harmful health effect.
Health hazards include chemical hazards (solvents, adhesives, paints, toxic dusts, etc.); physical hazards (noise, radiation, heat, etc.); biological hazards (infectious diseases); and ergonomic risk factors (heavy lifting, repetitive motions, vibration).
Reviewing workers’ medical records (appropriately redacted to ensure patient/worker privacy) can be useful in identifying health hazards associated with workplace exposures. Employers should:
Identifying and assessing health hazards may require specialized knowledge. Small businesses can obtain free and confidential occupational safety and health advice services, including help identifying and assessing workplace hazards, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s On-Site Consultation Program.
Workplace incidents — including injuries, illnesses, close calls/near misses, and reports of other concerns — provide a clear indication of where hazards exist. Thoroughly investigating incidents and reports will help identify hazards that are likely to cause future harm. The purpose of an investigation must always be to identify the root causes (and there is often more than one) of the incident or concern, in order to prevent future occurrences. Employers should:
Effective incident investigations do not stop at identifying a single factor that triggered an incident. They ask the questions “Why?” and “What led to the failure?” For example, if a piece of equipment fails, a good investigation asks: “Why did it fail?” “Was it maintained properly?” “Was it beyond its service life?” and “How could this failure have been prevented?” Similarly, a good incident investigation does not stop when it concludes that a worker made an error. It asks such questions as: “Was the worker provided with appropriate tools and time to do the work?” “Was the worker adequately trained?” and “Was the worker properly supervised?”
What are physical hazards?
Physical hazards abound in the workplace. The mere fact that a company exists makes it prone to physical hazards — even the benign office has tripping and falling hazards. In an industrial setting, the huge variety of machines, processes, and equipment create a challenging set of hazards that a safety professional must deal with.
Processes that use large quantities of chemicals present a unique set of challenges. The physical properties of certain chemicals, such as flammable and combustible liquids, compressed gases, solvents, and explosives make them highly dangerous.
You may not think much about falls, but trips and falls often result in injury and lost time. Falls can even be fatal. In the workplace, there are many situations that contribute to falls:
Maintaining equipment in peak condition, practicing good housekeeping techniques, and providing signs to warn of physical hazards goes a long way to improve overall safe working conditions. Part of the safety professional’s job is to assess the workplace for physical hazards and see that they are corrected or controlled. There are many OSHA standards that have specific requirements for ensuring that physical hazards in the workplace are eliminated. In this section, you will find action steps, training action plans, tips, and checklists on a variety of topics related to controlling physical hazards.
Combustible dusts are fine particles that present an explosion hazard when suspended in air in certain conditions. A dust explosion can be catastrophic and cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. In many combustible dust accidents, employers and employees were unaware that a hazard even existed. It is important that employers determine if their operations have this hazard, and if so, that they take action now to prevent tragic consequences.
A wide range of industries possess combustible dust hazards and a wide variety of materials cause combustible dust incidents. (Combustible dusts can be intentionally manufactured powders, such as corn starch or aluminum powder coatings, or may be generated by handling and processing solid combustible materials such as wood and plastic pellets. For example, polishing, grinding, transporting, and shaping many of these materials can produce very small particles.)
Action steps
The following are general action steps that should be taken to identify and control dust hazards. For detailed guidance specific to your operations, consult with a qualified professional, as well as industry standards, as applicable (for example, those published by the National Fire Protection Association).
For chemicals in a solid form that do not present a combustible dust hazard, but may form combustible dusts while being processed in normal downstream uses, OSHA allows the chemical manufacturer some flexibility in labeling requirements. The manufacturer or importer may transmit the label to the customer at the time of the initial shipment, but the label does not need to be included with subsequent shipments unless it changes. This provides the needed information to the downstream users on the potential hazards in the workplace, while acknowledging that the solid metal or other materials do not present the same hazards that are produced when these materials are processed under normal conditions of use.
Training action plan
Workers are the first line of defense in preventing and mitigating fires and explosions. If the people closest to the source of the hazard are trained to recognize and prevent hazards associated with combustible dust in the plant, they can be instrumental in recognizing unsafe conditions, taking preventative action, and/or alerting management. While OSHA standards require training for certain employees, all employees should be trained in safe work practices applicable to their job tasks, as well as on the overall plant programs for dust control and ignition source control. They should be trained before they start work, periodically to refresh their knowledge, when reassigned, and when hazards or processes change.
Tips
The amount of dust accumulation necessary to cause an explosive concentration can vary greatly. This is because there are so many variables — the particle size of the dust, the method of dispersion, ventilation system modes, air currents, physical barriers, and the volume of the area in which the dust cloud exists or may exist. As a result, simple rules of thumb regarding accumulation (such as writing in the dust or visibility in a dust cloud) can be subjective and misleading. The hazard analysis should be tailored to the specific circumstances in each facility and the full range of variables affecting the hazard.
Many locations need to be considered in an assessment. One obvious place for a dust explosion to initiate is where dust is concentrated. In equipment such as dust collectors, a combustible mixture could be present whenever the equipment is operating.
Other locations to consider are those where dust can settle, both in occupied areas and in hidden concealed spaces. A thorough analysis will consider all possible scenarios in which dust can be disbursed, both in the normal process and potential failure modes.The facility analysis must identify areas requiring special electrical equipment classification due to the presence (or potential presence) of combustible dust. Various OSHA standards as well as industry (e.g., NFPA) can be consulted.
Checklist
Follow these checklists to prevent combustible dust hazards.
Hazard assessment
Prevention
Note: Minor, but steady leaks, can cause large amounts of dust to accumulate.
Training
Employees in industry and construction are often asked to perform work in confined spaces, but many confined spaces contain serious hazards that endanger the employees who enter those spaces. For this reason, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to implement certain procedures that protect workers from the hazards posed by confined spaces. These include procedures for identifying physical hazards and hazardous atmospheres in confined spaces, controlling and eliminating these hazards, and more.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must be such that all employees whose work is regulated by OSHA’s confined spaces standard acquire the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned.
Training must be provided to each affected employee:
The training must establish employee proficiency in the duties required by the confined spaces standard and must introduce new or revised procedures, as necessary, for compliance.
Training should be specific to the employee’s function relative to the confined space. For instance, if the employee is an authorized entrant, then training should focus specifically on tasks and hazards he may face in this role.
In general, training should cover:
Any work that involves contractors also requires special training and communication, both from the host to the contractor and from the contractor to the host.
Documentation
The employer must certify that required training has been accomplished. The certification must contain:
Tips
Checklist
View these confined space checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Monitoring
Equipment
General
This regulation applies to all companies that fall under a particular OSHA standard that requires an emergency action plan. However, it is wise for all employers to have action plans for any emergency that may be reasonably expected to occur in the workplace. Where required by OSHA, employers must develop a plan (called an emergency action plan or EAP) for emergency situations so that there is a literal “plan of action” for employees to take in the event of fires, toxic chemical releases, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, and other similar catastrophic events.
Action steps
Include the following minimum requirements in the EAP to ensure that it covers those designated actions employers and employees must take to ensure employee safety from fire and other emergencies.
Training action plan
You should develop an emergency action team prior to implementing the EAP. Begin by designating and training a sufficient number of employees to assist in the safe and orderly emergency evacuation of their coworkers.
Tips
A map of the facility showing specific areas, exit routes, exit doors, and head count locations is a useful training tool and should also be posted around the company.
If a fire occurs, safe and orderly evacuation is necessary. Your company should have an established evacuation plan, with procedures and exits indicated. Find out what it is and where you are expected to go during a fire or fire drill. A head count location should be established so that once everyone is evacuated, you meet at a designated spot to account for each employee.
Other than fires, severe weather emergencies are the most common emergency situations that occur. Severe weather emergencies include hurricanes, tornadoes, excessive heat, heavy snow, and extreme cold weather conditions.
If a bomb threat is made at your facility, always take the threat seriously. Immediately notify a supervisor or the safety manager of the threat and evacuate the premises (do not search for a bomb unless instructed by police to look for foreign or suspicious objects).
Checklist
Follow these checklists to ensure you and your employees are prepared for any potential emergencies.
Emergency action plan
Disaster recovery
Rescue workers
Alarms and warnings
Fire alarm systems
If you are a general industry employer, the Subpart E Exit routes regulations apply to your company. Your facility must provide a safe means of exiting from buildings or structures for the purpose of general egress, or for the purpose of exiting in the case of fire or other emergencies. In addition, you must also provide a clear and unobstructed path to the entrance of your facility.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.
You must also review the emergency action plan with each employee covered by the plan. This review should be conducted:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure exit routes at your facility meet compliance.
Exit design
Capacity of means of egress
Arrangement of exits
Access to exits
Arrangement of exits
Protective enclosure of exits
OSHA has many requirements concerning fire protection in the workplace. These requirements are found in Subpart L and in some other specific standards. Among the items addressed by OSHA standards is fire brigades, all portable and fixed fire suppression equipment, fire detection systems, and fire or employee alarm systems.
Action steps
Training action plan
The level and type of training needed for fire protection depends on the level and type of fire protection your facility has in place. For instance, if you have a fire brigade, extensive training must be provided to fire brigade members, per 1910.156.
Similarly, if you provide portable fire extinguishers for employee use, such employees must be trained. This training must familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You must also provide training to any employees who have been designated to use fire fighting equipment as part of an emergency action plan. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You should also train all employees on the actions they need to take relative to your emergency alarm system. They should be familiar with the distinct sounds of the system and what each sound means.
Tips
Checklists
Review these checklists to ensure fire safety at your facility.
Fire extinguishers
Fire alarm
Fire detection systems
Fire brigades
Sprinkler systems
OSHA’s Flammable Liquids regulation, 1910.106, applies to all persons who handle, use, store, or transport flammable liquids. A flammable liquid means any liquid having a flashpoint at or below 199.4°F (within that definition, there are four categories of flammable liquids).
Action steps
Training action plan
Any employee involved in storage, transfer, use, or disposal of flammable liquids needs to be trained to handle them safely and to follow your company’s established procedure.
Generally, training content should cover:
In addition, if your company receives, stores, or handles flammable liquids in storage tanks in areas that have the potential to flood, you need to have employees trained on emergency response procedures.
A hands-on approach is appropriate in this part of the training session. In fact, you may want to demonstrate how to do specific procedures related to flammables at your facility. Then allow each employee to try the procedure, so they can perform them correctly and so they will remember them better.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure flammable liquid safety at your facility.
Containers
Handling
Storage
OSHA’s ladder regulations, at 1910.23, apply to any general industry workplace that uses ladders to perform duties (other than construction work) at high elevations.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training content for ladders and stairways depends on the types of equipment and structures your facility has and what work will be performed. In general, workers need to be trained as follows:
Ladders
Content should include:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure ladder safety at your facility.
Design and construction
Stepladders
Stepstools
Inspection and maintenance
Training
OSHA’s Subpart I regulations apply to all persons involved in hazardous processes; environmental, chemical, radiological hazards; or mechanical irritants that are capable of causing injury or impairment of any body part through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact. The categories of personal protective equipment (PPE) include: eye and face equipment, head protection, hand protection, foot protection, fall protection, and respiratory protection (information about respiratory protection is provided in a separate topic area under Respiratory Protection, 1910.134).
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA requires that you provide training to each employee who is required to use PPE. Each such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:
Each affected employee must also demonstrate an understanding of the training and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.
When you have reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required, you must retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure proper PPE usage at your facility.
General
Training
Recordkeeping
Head, foot, and hand protection
Eye and face protection
Personal fall protection
Posting requirements
OSHA’s 1910.119 regulation applies to those companies that deal with any of more than 130 specific toxic and reactive chemicals in listed quantities (See 1910.119 Appendix A); it also includes any Category 1 flammable gas (as defined in 1910.1200(c)) or a flammable liquid with a flashpoint below 100°F (37.8°C) on site in one location, in a quantity of 10,000 pounds (4535.9 kg) or more (with a few exceptions, as outlined in 1910.119(a)(1)(ii)(A) and (B)).
Action steps
Training action plan
You must train each employee involved in operating a process and each employee before being involved in operating a newly assigned process. Training must include:
Also, you must provide refresher training at least every three years, and more often if necessary, to each employee involved in operating a process to assure that the employee understands and adheres to the current operating procedures of the process. You, in consultation with the employees involved in operating the process, must determine the appropriate frequency of refresher training.
Documentation
You must prepare a record that contains the identity of the employee, the date of training, and the means used to verify that the employee understood the training.
Tips
Checklist
Review these process safety management checklists.
Process hazard analysis
Incident investigation
Emergency action plan
Written program
Contractors
Pre-startup safety review
Mechanical integrity
Hot work permits
Management of change
Audits
Training
OSHA’s 1910.144-.45 regulations provide specifications for signs and tags and are intended to cover all safety signs except those designed for streets, highways, railroads, and marine regulations. These specifications do not apply to plant bulletin boards or to safety posters.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training on accident prevention signs and tags is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment to areas where accident prevention signs and tags are used. Training content should generally include:
Consider other safety training issues relative to safety signs such as hazard communication and the specific posting requirements of the chemical-specific standards found in Subpart Z of the 1910 regulations. Training might also cover the information found in the poster describing employee rights under OSHA (poster 2203) which must be displayed somewhere where workers will see it.
OSHA does not require training documentation for Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags, but it is always prudent to keep records anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and what was covered.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists for signs and markings at your facility.
Hazardous substances
Aisles
Materials handling
Emergency
Ladders
Lockout/tagout
Confined spaces
OSHA posters
Electrical
OSHA has various requirements to protect workers from slipping, tripping, or falling. These requirements are in Subpart D. Among other things, OSHA requires that all floors, platforms, runways, and wall and window openings where there is a drop of four feet or more have some type of guarding, or that workers utilize an appropriate personal fall arrest system.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, OSHA requires that the employer must provide training for each employee who uses personal fall protection systems, as well as employees using certain equipment such as ladders, rope descent systems, and dockboards.
The employer must ensure that each employee is trained by a qualified person.
Training for impacted employees must cover pertinent topics, including:
OSHA requires employees be retrained when there is reason to believe the employee does not have the understanding and skill required to work safely. Situations requiring retraining include, but are not limited to, the following:
Training must be provided in a manner that the employee understands.
All employees should be aware of how to prevent slips, trips, and falls by following good housekeeping procedures and when they work on or around:
Training content should generally focus on:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to reduce slips, trips, and falls at your facility.
Walkways
Floor and wall openings
Dockboards
Stairs and stairways
Inspection and maintenance
Training
Solvents are commonly used both in the workplace and at home. They are safe to use when you understand their hazards and know how to protect yourself. Solvents can:
One thing all solvents have in common is that they are used to dissolve another substance. They can be used as cleaners, degreasers, or as ingredients in paints, coatings, or adhesives. Some examples of common solvents include acetone, alcohol, mineral spirits, and perchloroethylene.
Action steps
Note: OSHA regulations do not deal with specific solvents; however, some exceptions apply, depending on the chemical used, the potential for exposure, and the degree of exposure.
For more information, see the following regulations:
Training action plan
Under the requirements of OSHA’s hazard communication standard, affected employees have to be given information and training on the hazards of the solvents they are exposed to at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new hazard is introduced into their work area.
Hazard communication
Hazard communication training has to include:
Solvents
Training content for an effective solvent training program should include:
Tips
Checklist
Review this solvent checklist to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Stairways are a common fixture in many workplaces. However, they can pose hazards to workers if not constructed and maintained properly.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, OSHA requires that the employer must provide training for that employee. In terms of stairs, items to keep in mind include:
Training must be provided in a manner that the employee understands.
Tips
Checklist
Review the following standard stairway checklists.
General
Condition
Design and construction
Steps
Fall protection
Handrails
Stair rail systems
Landings and platforms
Inspection and maintenance
Storage racks are a common fixture in many industrial workplaces, from warehouses to manufacturing facilities to retail to automotive repair shops. Common though they may be, these facilities can pose significant hazards if not installed, used, and maintained properly. Although OSHA does not have a specific standard addressing storage racks, the Agency expects employers to provide safe racking and has cited employers under the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act when racking posed serious hazards to workers.
Action steps
Training action plan
Tips
Checklist
Review these storage rack checklists.
Design
Installation
Placarding
Anchoring
Condition
Loads
Fire protection and prevention
Recordkeeping
OSHA’s Subpart O regulations apply to all welders and welding operators who operate electric or gas welding and cutting equipment. The standards apply whether you have a single portable welding unit to do an occasional spot welding task, or if you have large electric welders to use in daily production.
Action steps
Training action plan
Cutters, welders, and their supervisors are required to be trained in the safe operation of welding equipment. Also, fire watchers shall be trained in the use of fire extinguishing equipment. Training content should generally cover:
Consider other safety training issues relative to your welding operations:
Training is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment.
Documentation
OSHA does not require training documentation for safety training on welding, but it is always prudent to keep records anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and who conducted the training.
Tips
Checklists
Follow these checklists to ensure welding safety at your facility.
General
Welding: Equipment
Welding: Fire prevention
What are mechanical hazards?
Power-driven equipment and machines pose many hazards to employees, particularly when used improperly or without adequate safeguards. Workers are at risk of lacerations, amputations, severed fingers, and blindness. If equipment is not properly grounded, a metal framework could become energized and possibly electrocute an employee. When driving a forklift in an unsafe manner, the operator runs the risk of tipping the vehicle or striking a pedestrian.
As a safety professional, you must know and understand the hazards posed by power-driven tools, equipment, and machines in your company. Employees using the equipment have to be adequately trained, not only in how to use it properly, but also must be made aware of the consequences of taking short-cuts, disabling or removing guards, and not following standard policies and procedures such as locking out equipment prior to maintenance or repairs.
Many OSHA standards have specific requirements for protecting employees from mechanical hazards. In this section, you will find action steps, tips, answers to frequently asked questions, checklists, and training exercises and handouts on a variety of topics related to mechanical hazards. All of these will help you ensure a safer workplace for those employees who work with powered tools, machines, and equipment.
If you use industrial cranes or derricks in your workplace, then the regulations at 1910.179 through .181 apply. Among other things, these regulations require that only designated personnel must operate the equipment, and only authorized representatives should perform equipment repairs.
Action steps
Training action plans
Only designated personnel are permitted to operate a crane. These employees should receive adequate training to operate the equipment. This includes:
Training is to be provided prior to or at the time of initial assignment. No specific training documentation is required.
Tips
Tips for crane inspection include:
Checklist
Use these checklists to make sure your crane inspections keep everyone safe and compliant.
Daily visual inspection
Frequent inspections (daily to monthly)
Periodic inspections (every 1-12 months)
Inspection documentation
Monthly rope inspections
A dockboard is a portable or fixed device that spans a gap or compensates for a difference in elevation between a loading platform and a transport vehicle. Dockboards include, but are not limited to, bridge plates, dock plates, and dock levelers.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, DVD, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.
Training should cover the following topics:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to ensure dockboards are being used correctly.
Design and construction
Use
Fall protection
Inspection and maintenance
Training
OSHA’s electrical safety regulation 1910, Subpart S, is divided into two parts: Installation of Electrical Systems and Safety-Related Work Practices. 1910.399 provides important definitions for both parts. The first section Installation of Electrical Systems, 1910.302 to .308, for the most part, covers installation of electrical equipment. Its use is very similar to the National Electrical Code: electrical equipment installation. However, there are some sections of the installation requirements that do cover electrical safety. The primary example is providing appropriate working space for equipment likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized. That “working space” is generally “built-in” when electrical equipment is installed. The requirements for ground-fault circuit interrupters are another example. The second section, Safety-Related Work Practices, 1910.331 to .335, provides requirements for electrical training, selecting appropriate work practices, lockout/tagout, and working on exposed energized parts.
The first priority in electrical work is locking out and tagging the equipment rendering it “electrically safe.” If that is not possible, then employers must ensure employees are protected against electrical hazards through safe work practices and appropriate PPE. The OSHA regulations do provide shock protection methods in 1910.137—Electrical protective devices. However, the OSHA rules do not provide for arc flash/blast protection. To protect employees from those hazards, employers must refer to an outside source such as the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 70E—Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA’s training requirements regarding electrical work apply to employees who face a risk of electric shock that is not reduced to a safe level by the electrical installation requirements of 1910.303 through 1910.308.
Content of training
Employees must be trained in and familiar with the safety-related work practices required by 1910.331 through 1910.335 that pertain to their respective job assignments. Unqualified persons must be trained in and familiar with any electrically-related practices necessary for their safety. Qualified persons (i.e., those permitted to work on or near exposed energized parts) must, at a minimum, be trained in and familiar with the following:
Qualified employees whose work involves direct contact with energized equipment or contact using tools or materials must be capable of working safely and must be familiar with special precautionary techniques, appropriate PPE, insulating and shielding materials, and insulated tools.
The training must be of the classroom or on-the-job type. The degree of training provided must be determined by the risk to the employee.
Tips
Checklist
Use the checklists below to make sure your company has all its electrical safety measures in place.
Examination, installation, and use of equipment
Arcing parts
Marking
Working space
Guarding of live parts
OSHA’s 1910.178 regulation applies to all persons who use powered industrial trucks for such things as lifting, pulling, stacking, and moving materials. The regulation does not apply to compressed air or nonflammable compressed gas-operated industrial trucks, nor to farm vehicles, nor to vehicles intended primarily for earth moving, or over-the-road hauling.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, DVD, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.
Training should cover the following topics:
Refresher training must be given when needed and employers must perform a triennial evaluation of forklift operators.
Tips
Checklist
The checklists below will help you and your company ensure all forklift operations are done safely and compliantly.
Forklift operations
Fueling
Training
Maintenance and inspection
OSHA’s 1910.147 regulation establishes minimum performance requirements for the control of hazardous energy and applies to general industry. The regulation covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment in which the unexpected startup or the release of stored energy could cause injury to employees. If employees are performing servicing or maintenance tasks that do not expose them to the unexpected release of hazardous energy, the regulation does not apply.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA requires that all authorized employees be trained in recognition of hazardous energy sources, hazardous energy sources in use at their facility, and how to perform the lockout/tagout procedure.
OSHA also requires that all affected employees must be trained in the purpose and use of lockout/tagout.OSHA requires that all other employees must be instructed on the purpose of the plan, but not in the actual use.
OSHA requires that retraining be done when there are changes in equipment, job assignment, or procedures; when an audit shows deficiencies with the procedure; and when the employer feels the procedures should be reviewed.
Some general lockout/tagout training topics include:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to check that all processes for lockout/tagout are done correctly, including recordkeeping, training, and inspections.
Recordkeeping
Devices
Energy control procedure inspection
Training
OSHA’s Subpart O regulations apply to the safeguarding of many types of machines, such as woodworking machinery, abrasive wheels, mills and calendars, power presses, forging machines, and mechanical power transmission apparatus. Machines not listed must comply with the current industry standards for that piece of equipment.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA does not specifically require employers to train employees on machine guarding. However, workers should be trained in methods of protection from the hazards created by rotating parts and reciprocating or transverse motions during equipment operation.
Generally, machine guard training should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to make sure all the machines at your facility are safely guarded to avoid incidents.
General
Portable power tools
Stationary equipment
Powered/motorized pallet jacks are a common fixture in many industries and workplaces. They allow workers to quickly move heavy loads from one location to another, go in tight spaces that forklifts cannot, and conveniently make frequent stops to “pick” materials. While they may seem like a straightforward and harmless piece of machinery, the fact is powered pallet jacks can pose deadly hazards if not operated properly and by trained individuals. In fact, OSHA requires training of powered pallet jack operators under the same requirement as that for forklift operators—the 1910.178 Powered Industrial Truck regulation.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must consist of a combination of formal instruction (e.g., lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video tape, written material), practical training (demonstrations performed by the trainer and practical exercises performed by the trainee), and evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.Training should cover the following topics:
Refresher training must be given when needed and employers must perform a triennial evaluation of forklift operators.
Tips
Checklist
These checklists will help ensure all pallet jacks are functioning safely and being used correctly.
Pallet jack operations
Training
Maintenance and inspection
OSHA’s 1910.242 regulation on hand and portable power tools applies to all employers who are responsible for the safe condition of tools and equipment used by employees, including tools and equipment that may be furnished by employees.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA’s regulations do not have specific employee training requirements for portable tools, but employees who understand the hazards and know how to use hand and portable powered tools correctly will have less risk of injury.
You should train workers to recognize the hazards associated with the different types of tools and the safety precautions necessary to prevent or control those hazards.
Generally, training should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Use these checklists to make sure all portable tools are in good working order.
General
Pneumatic power tools and hose
What are health hazards?
A substance is considered a “health hazard” if exposure through skin or eye contact, inhalation, or ingestion causes temporary or permanent injury. The health effects to the exposed individual may be acute or chronic, resulting from repeated long-term exposure to low concentrations of a hazardous substance. Exposure to excessive temperatures is also considered a health hazard. Extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which is a life threatening condition.
Acute and chronic health effects
An acute health effect usually occurs rapidly, following a brief exposure. A chronic health effect is long and continuous and follows repeated long-term exposure. Some examples of chemicals which exhibit health hazards are:
As a safety professional, you need to be aware of the dangerous substances and temperature extremes in your workplace that pose health risks to employees. Everyone whose job involves exposure, or the risk of exposure, to hazardous chemicals and hot environments must be adequately informed, trained, and protected.
Many OSHA standards have specific requirements for protecting employees from these hazards. In this section, you will find action steps, tips, answers to frequently asked questions, checklists, and training exercises and handouts on a variety of health-related topics. All of these will help you ensure a safer workplace for those employees with health hazard exposure risks.
OSHA’s 1910.1001 standard on asbestos covers workers who may be exposed to asbestos, a substance found in installed products such as shingles, floor tiles, cement pipe and sheet, roofing felts, insulation, ceiling tiles, fire-resistant drywall, and acoustical products. The standard reduces employee exposure to asbestos to 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air (f/cc) averaged over an 8-hour day. The standard also sets an action level; it is 0.1 f/cc averaged over eight hours. If this level is exceeded, employers must begin compliance activities such as air monitoring, employee training, and medical surveillance.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must provide training to employees who are exposed to airborne asbestos levels that are at or above the permissible exposure limit and/or excursion limit. Training content should include:
Training is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment of asbestos-related work.
Documentation
Training records must be maintained for one year beyond an employee’s last day of employment.
Tips
Checklist
Use the checklists below to make sure your company is meeting all the necessary safety precautions.
Work practices
Personal Protective Equipment
Facilities marking
OSHA’s 1910.1030 Bloodborne Pathogens standard applies to any employer with employees who are occupationally exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials; this determination must be made without considering use of any personal protective equipment (PPE).
Action steps
Training action plan
All employees with occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens need training in OSHA’s requirements and the employer’s exposure control plan. For example, this might include first aid responders, emergency response team members, or health care workers.
Training content should cover:
Employees must be trained prior to initial exposure to bloodborne pathogens and at least annually thereafter.
Documentation
Very specific training records must be maintained. Information must include dates of training, contents of training sessions, names and qualifications of trainers, names and job titles of those trained. Records must be retained for three years.
Tips
Checklist
Review these bloodborne pathogens checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
General
Training
Containers
Medical
Recordkeeping
OSHA requires emergency eyewashes and showers be present where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials. The emergency equipment must be available within 10 seconds.
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA does not have specific training requirements regarding emergency eyewash and shower equipment. However, employees should be trained on the location and use of this equipment.
Additionally, you may want to train employees on safe handling of chemicals, proper protective equipment, location of SDSs, and other hazcom requirements.
Tips
Checklist
Review this emergency eyewash and shower checklist:
There currently is no specific regulatory requirement for the development of an ergonomics program. However, under the General Duty Clause, the employer is responsible for providing a “safe and healthful work environment.” Therefore, every employer should assess the type of workplace being provided to employees, examine injury and illness records to see what types of injuries are being reported, and develop the appropriate ergonomic responses.
Action steps
Train action plan
OSHA does not have specific training requirements for ergonomics. However, employees who perform work involving repetitive motions, awkward postures, material handling, forceful exertions, etc., can benefit from training in ergonomics. OSHA regulates ergonomics hazards under the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Employers have a general duty to provide a safe and healthful workplace.
Training content could include:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to help prevent ergonomic hazards in your workplace.
General
Training
Computer workstations
Recordkeeping
About one in every four workers routinely comes in contact with hazardous chemicals while performing his or her job. In many cases, the chemicals may be no more dangerous than those used at home. But in the workplace, exposure is likely to be greater, concentrations higher, and exposure time longer. Reactions to chemical exposures range from slight skin, eye, or respiratory irritation to life-threatening cancers, blood diseases, and debilitating lung damage.
OSHA developed the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to protect workers from these dangerous exposures. The standard was originally based on a simple concept—that employees have both a need and a right to know about the hazards and identities of the chemicals they are exposed to when working. In 2012, OSHA changed the HCS drastically, using the concept that the employees have a “right to understand” about the hazards of chemicals they are exposed to. They also need to know what they can do to protect themselves. Additionally, when employers have information about the chemicals being used, they can take steps to reduce exposures, substitute less hazardous materials, and establish safe work practices to prevent illnesses and injuries caused by these substances.
The HCS establishes uniform requirements to make sure that the hazards of all chemicals imported into, produced, or used in U.S. workplaces are evaluated and classified and that this hazard information is communicated to employers and exposed employees. Basically, the rule incorporates a downstream flow of information. This means that chemical manufacturers have the primary responsibility for generating and disseminating information and chemical users must obtain the information and transmit it to their exposed employees.
Evaluating and classifying chemical hazards involves technical concepts and is a process that requires the professional judgment of experienced experts. That’s why the HCS is designed so that employers who simply use chemicals, rather than produce or import them, are not required to evaluate the hazards of those substances.
Hazard classification is the responsibility of the producers and importers of the materials, who must then pass that information to the purchasers and end-users of the products. Employers that don’t produce or import chemicals need only focus on those parts of the rule that deal with establishing a workplace program and communicating information to their workers. (Note: If employers create mixtures in the workplace, there will be more responsibility and requirements than for employers who simply use chemicals that have already been evaluated and classified.)
Action steps
Training action plan
Under the provisions of this standard each employee exposed to hazardous chemicals must receive information about those chemicals through a comprehensive hazard communication program which includes identification of chemical hazards, chemical labeling, and safety data sheets in the training program.
You must provide hazcom training at the time your employees are initially assigned to their jobs, when a new chemical hazard is introduced into the work area or when the employee’s job duties change such that he or she is now exposed to a hazardous chemical.
The training must be comprehensible. If the employees must receive job instructions in a language other than English, then training and information will probably also need to be conducted in a foreign language.
Generally, training content should cover:
Documentation
OSHA does not require training documentation for individual employees regarding hazard communication, but it is a good idea to keep it anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and who conducted the training.
Tips
Checklist
Review these hazard communication checklists.
Labeling
Safety data sheets
Training
Recordkeeping
Written program
Hot work environments can be found in any climate, any time of the year. Many employees working in foundries, glass or ceramic plants, mines, bakeries, as well as during roofing, farming, exterior painting, utility work, road repair, and construction activities are exposed to high heat on a regular basis. In addition to temperature, high humidity adds to the heat burden for workers in laundries, restaurant kitchens, and canneries. Overexposure can cause:
Reduce the risk of heat stress by:
Although federal OSHA does not specifically regulate heat stress, it can issue citations under the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act when employees are exposed to serious hazards which the employer could reduce or eliminate.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before you conduct training, you will want to assess the heat hazards in your facility. This includes monitoring the environment and evaluating your employees’ work loads. When you understand the hazards, you can answer your employees’ questions.
A good heat stress training program should include:
Review the contents of this training action plan and decide which elements to use, based on conditions and operations at your facility. From these elements, build a training program that addresses your facility’s specific heat-related hazards.
Tips
Checklist
This checklist may be used as part of employee awareness training regarding the hazards of working in high temperatures.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion
There are many symptoms related to heat exhaustion. Several can be present at the same time.
Symptoms of heat stroke
Like heat exhaustion, heat stroke has multiple symptoms.
Risk factors to consider
Factors that put you at greater risk for heat-induced illness include:
Treating heat-releated illnesses
When a coworker suffers a heat-related illness, you should:
Call for help
If the person needs help beyond what you are providing, follow your company’s emergency procedures.
Protect yourself
When working in hot environments you should:
Chromium hexavalent (CrVI) compounds, often called hexavalent chromium, exist in several forms. Industrial uses of hexavalent chromium compounds include chromate pigments in dyes, paints, inks, and plastics; chromates added as anticorrosive agents to paints, primers, and other surface coatings; and chromic acid electroplated onto metal parts to provide a decorative or protective coating. Hexavalent chromium can also be formed when performing “hot work” such as welding on stainless steel or melting chromium metal. In these situations the chromium is not originally hexavalent, but the high temperatures involved in the process result in oxidation that converts the chromium to a hexavalent state.
Action steps
Training action plan
It is critically important that workers recognize the hazards associated with exposure to Cr(VI) and understand the measures they can take to protect themselves. OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) establishes requirements for employers to provide workers with information on hazardous chemicals such as Cr(VI) through comprehensive chemical hazard communication programs that include SDSs, labels, and worker training. Employers must follow the requirements of the Hazard Communication standard with regard to workers exposed to Cr(VI).
Checklist
Review these hexavalent chromium checklists.
General
Training
Monitoring
Employee protection
Respiratory protection
Emergency situations
Medical surveillance
Marking and labeling
Recordkeeping
Hazard communication
Ventilation
Housekeeping
Isocyanates are a family of highly reactive, low molecular weight chemicals. They are widely used in the manufacture of flexible and rigid foams, fibers, coatings such as paints and varnishes, and elastomers, and are increasingly used in the automobile industry, autobody repair, and building insulation materials. Spray-on polyurethane products containing isocyanates have been developed for a wide range of retail, commercial, and industrial uses to protect cement, wood, fiberglass, steel and aluminum, including protective coatings for truck beds, trailers, boats, foundations, and decks.
Isocyanates are powerful irritants to the mucous membranes of the eyes and gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Direct skin contact can also cause marked inflammation. Isocyanates can also sensitize workers, making them subject to severe asthma attacks if they are exposed again. There is evidence that both respiratory and dermal exposures can lead to sensitization. Death from severe asthma in some sensitized subjects has been reported. Workers potentially exposed to isocyanates who experience persistent or recurring eye irritation, nasal congestion, dry or sore throat, cold-like symptoms, cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, or chest tightness should see a physician knowledgeable in work-related health problems.
The most widely used compounds are diisocyanates, which contain two isocyanate groups, and polyisocyanates, which are usually derived from diisocyanates and may contain several isocyanate groups. The most commonly used diisocyanates include methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Other common diisocyanates include naphthalene diisocyanate (NDI), methylene bis-cyclohexylisocyanate (HMDI)(hydrogenated MDI), and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). Examples of widely used polyisocyanates include HDI biuret and HDI isocyanurate.
Action steps
Training action plan
It is critically important that workers recognize the hazards associated with exposure to isocyanates. Employers should implement a comprehensive training program on hazard identification and safe work practices, including:
Checklists
Review these isocyanates checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facilty.
General
Training
Monitoring
Employee protection
Respiratory protection
Emergency situations
Medical surveillance
Marking and labeling
Recordkeeping
Hazard communication
Ventilation
Housekeeping
Lead can be toxic when absorbed by the body through inhalation or ingestion. OSHA regulates an employee’s exposure to lead in order to prevent the absorption of harmful levels of lead. When the employee’s exposure exceeds 50 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour period, the area must be regulated for lead exposure.
Action steps
Training action plan
You have to provide training for all employees who have lead exposures at or above the PEL. The training must be provided prior to the initial job assignment and then repeated at least annually. Make sure that each employee is informed of the following during training:
Include as part of your training and distribute to employees any materials made available to your facility by OSHA that pertain to the:
Make a copy of the Lead standard and its appendices available to all affected employees.
Provide, upon request, all materials relating to the employee information and training program to OSHA officials.
Documentation
Retain exposure monitoring records and medical surveillance and other medical records for at least 40 years or for the duration of employment plus 20 years, whichever is longer. Retain medical removal records for at least the duration of an employee’s employment.
Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure shop work safety:
There is currently no specific OSHA standard for mold. However, indoor air quality (IAQ) hazards are addressed in specific standards, such as the 1910.94 ventilation standard. Poor IAQ is one of the most important health issues we face.
Action steps
Training action plan
There are no specific OSHA training requirements for mold. However, employees should be trained to report problems or suspected problems related to indoor air quality.
Tips
Checklist
Review this checklist to prevent mold at your facility:
OSHA’s standard on occupational noise exposure, 1910.95, applies to all employees who are subjected to noise exposures that equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must provide training to all employees who are exposed to noise at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.
Employees must be trained prior to initial exposure and annually thereafter.
Generally, content should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to help with noise exposure at your facility.
General
Program
Posting
Monitoring
Personal protective equipment
Medical
When a pandemic strikes, employers and safety professionals must be prepared. While you can’t plan for every virus that will emerge, you can create a flexible infectious disease preparedness plan.
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population; begins to cause serious illness; and then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide. A worldwide influenza pandemic could have a major effect on the global economy, including travel, trade, tourism, food, consumption and eventually, investment and financial markets. Planning for pandemic influenza by business and industry is essential to minimize a pandemic’s impact. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be.
Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. Countries might, through measures such as border closures and travel restrictions, delay arrival of the virus, but cannot stop it. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery. Education and outreach are critical to preparing for a pandemic.
Understanding what a pandemic is, what needs to be done at all levels to prepare for pandemic influenza, and what could happen during a pandemic helps us make informed decisions both as individuals and as a nation.
Action steps
Training action plan
All employees should be trained on the employer’s exposure control plan.
Training content should cover:
Documentation
No current training records exist for non-bloodborne pathogens exposures (e.g., respiratory transmittable diseases). However, OSHA does consider work-related cases of these diseases, like tuberculosis, to be recordable if resulting in lost workdays, medical treatment, etc. The Agency requires employers to make a good-faith effort to determine whether or not the case was more likely than not related to an exposure in the workplace.
Tips
Tips
Review these pandemic checklists.
Assessment
Planning
Training and communication
External organizations
OSHA’s 1910.134 regulation applies to workers who perform welding, spray painting, grinding, sanding or related processes. Respirators are generally needed to protect employees from harmful dusts, fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays, and vapors when engineering controls, such as containment, ventilation, or the use of a less toxic substance, fail to provide adequate protection.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must train all employees who are, or may be, exposed to air contaminants above the permissible exposure limits or suggested exposure levels. You should also train employees who use respirators voluntarily or because of company policy.
Training must precede the use of a respirator. Retraining is required to be conducted annually, and whenever necessary to ensure safe use.
Generally, content for respiratory protection training should cover:
Tips
Checklist
Review these respiratory protection checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Use
Respiratory protection program
Cleaning and inspection
Repairs
Storage
Training and information
Respirators for IDLH atmospheres
Exposure to respirable crystalline silica can lead to lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease in workers. OSHA’s rule on silica exposure requires employers to protect employees.
Action steps
Training action plan
It is critically important that workers recognize the hazards associated with exposure to silica and understand the measures they can take to protect themselves. OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) establishes requirements for employers to provide workers with information on hazardous substances through comprehensive hazard communication programs that include SDSs, labels, and worker training. Employers must follow the requirements of the Hazard Communication standard with regard to workers exposed to silica.
Checklist
Review these silica checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
General
Training
Monitoring
Employee protection
Respiratory protection
Medical surveillance
Marking and labeling
Recordkeeping
Hazard communication
Ventilation
Housekeeping
Information on hazards may already be available to employers and workers, from both internal and external sources.
Employers should collect, organize, and review information with workers to determine what types of hazards may be present and to which workers may be exposed or potentially exposed. Information available may include:
Information about hazards may also be available from outside sources such as:
Inspecting the workplace for safety hazards
Hazards can be introduced over time as workstations and processes change, equipment or tools become worn, maintenance is neglected, or housekeeping practices decline. Setting aside time to regularly inspect the workplace for hazards can help identify shortcomings so that they can be addressed before an incident occurs. Employers should:
Employers should also plan to do safety inspections before changing operations, workstations, or workflow; making major organizational changes; or introducing new equipment, materials, or processes, seeking the input of workers and evaluating the planned changes for potential hazards and related risks.
Many hazards can be identified using common knowledge and available tools. For example, workers can easily identify or remove hazards such as broken stair rails or frayed electrical cords. Workers can be a very useful internal resource, especially if they are trained in how to identify and assess risks.
Identifying health hazards is typically more complex than identifying physical safety hazards. For example, gases and vapors may be invisible, often have no odor, and may not have an immediately noticeable harmful health effect.
Health hazards include chemical hazards (solvents, adhesives, paints, toxic dusts, etc.); physical hazards (noise, radiation, heat, etc.); biological hazards (infectious diseases); and ergonomic risk factors (heavy lifting, repetitive motions, vibration).
Reviewing workers’ medical records (appropriately redacted to ensure patient/worker privacy) can be useful in identifying health hazards associated with workplace exposures. Employers should:
Identifying and assessing health hazards may require specialized knowledge. Small businesses can obtain free and confidential occupational safety and health advice services, including help identifying and assessing workplace hazards, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s On-Site Consultation Program.
Workplace incidents — including injuries, illnesses, close calls/near misses, and reports of other concerns — provide a clear indication of where hazards exist. Thoroughly investigating incidents and reports will help identify hazards that are likely to cause future harm. The purpose of an investigation must always be to identify the root causes (and there is often more than one) of the incident or concern, in order to prevent future occurrences. Employers should:
Effective incident investigations do not stop at identifying a single factor that triggered an incident. They ask the questions “Why?” and “What led to the failure?” For example, if a piece of equipment fails, a good investigation asks: “Why did it fail?” “Was it maintained properly?” “Was it beyond its service life?” and “How could this failure have been prevented?” Similarly, a good incident investigation does not stop when it concludes that a worker made an error. It asks such questions as: “Was the worker provided with appropriate tools and time to do the work?” “Was the worker adequately trained?” and “Was the worker properly supervised?”
What are physical hazards?
Physical hazards abound in the workplace. The mere fact that a company exists makes it prone to physical hazards — even the benign office has tripping and falling hazards. In an industrial setting, the huge variety of machines, processes, and equipment create a challenging set of hazards that a safety professional must deal with.
Processes that use large quantities of chemicals present a unique set of challenges. The physical properties of certain chemicals, such as flammable and combustible liquids, compressed gases, solvents, and explosives make them highly dangerous.
You may not think much about falls, but trips and falls often result in injury and lost time. Falls can even be fatal. In the workplace, there are many situations that contribute to falls:
Maintaining equipment in peak condition, practicing good housekeeping techniques, and providing signs to warn of physical hazards goes a long way to improve overall safe working conditions. Part of the safety professional’s job is to assess the workplace for physical hazards and see that they are corrected or controlled. There are many OSHA standards that have specific requirements for ensuring that physical hazards in the workplace are eliminated. In this section, you will find action steps, training action plans, tips, and checklists on a variety of topics related to controlling physical hazards.
Combustible dusts are fine particles that present an explosion hazard when suspended in air in certain conditions. A dust explosion can be catastrophic and cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. In many combustible dust accidents, employers and employees were unaware that a hazard even existed. It is important that employers determine if their operations have this hazard, and if so, that they take action now to prevent tragic consequences.
A wide range of industries possess combustible dust hazards and a wide variety of materials cause combustible dust incidents. (Combustible dusts can be intentionally manufactured powders, such as corn starch or aluminum powder coatings, or may be generated by handling and processing solid combustible materials such as wood and plastic pellets. For example, polishing, grinding, transporting, and shaping many of these materials can produce very small particles.)
Action steps
The following are general action steps that should be taken to identify and control dust hazards. For detailed guidance specific to your operations, consult with a qualified professional, as well as industry standards, as applicable (for example, those published by the National Fire Protection Association).
For chemicals in a solid form that do not present a combustible dust hazard, but may form combustible dusts while being processed in normal downstream uses, OSHA allows the chemical manufacturer some flexibility in labeling requirements. The manufacturer or importer may transmit the label to the customer at the time of the initial shipment, but the label does not need to be included with subsequent shipments unless it changes. This provides the needed information to the downstream users on the potential hazards in the workplace, while acknowledging that the solid metal or other materials do not present the same hazards that are produced when these materials are processed under normal conditions of use.
Training action plan
Workers are the first line of defense in preventing and mitigating fires and explosions. If the people closest to the source of the hazard are trained to recognize and prevent hazards associated with combustible dust in the plant, they can be instrumental in recognizing unsafe conditions, taking preventative action, and/or alerting management. While OSHA standards require training for certain employees, all employees should be trained in safe work practices applicable to their job tasks, as well as on the overall plant programs for dust control and ignition source control. They should be trained before they start work, periodically to refresh their knowledge, when reassigned, and when hazards or processes change.
Tips
The amount of dust accumulation necessary to cause an explosive concentration can vary greatly. This is because there are so many variables — the particle size of the dust, the method of dispersion, ventilation system modes, air currents, physical barriers, and the volume of the area in which the dust cloud exists or may exist. As a result, simple rules of thumb regarding accumulation (such as writing in the dust or visibility in a dust cloud) can be subjective and misleading. The hazard analysis should be tailored to the specific circumstances in each facility and the full range of variables affecting the hazard.
Many locations need to be considered in an assessment. One obvious place for a dust explosion to initiate is where dust is concentrated. In equipment such as dust collectors, a combustible mixture could be present whenever the equipment is operating.
Other locations to consider are those where dust can settle, both in occupied areas and in hidden concealed spaces. A thorough analysis will consider all possible scenarios in which dust can be disbursed, both in the normal process and potential failure modes.The facility analysis must identify areas requiring special electrical equipment classification due to the presence (or potential presence) of combustible dust. Various OSHA standards as well as industry (e.g., NFPA) can be consulted.
Checklist
Follow these checklists to prevent combustible dust hazards.
Hazard assessment
Prevention
Note: Minor, but steady leaks, can cause large amounts of dust to accumulate.
Training
Employees in industry and construction are often asked to perform work in confined spaces, but many confined spaces contain serious hazards that endanger the employees who enter those spaces. For this reason, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to implement certain procedures that protect workers from the hazards posed by confined spaces. These include procedures for identifying physical hazards and hazardous atmospheres in confined spaces, controlling and eliminating these hazards, and more.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must be such that all employees whose work is regulated by OSHA’s confined spaces standard acquire the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned.
Training must be provided to each affected employee:
The training must establish employee proficiency in the duties required by the confined spaces standard and must introduce new or revised procedures, as necessary, for compliance.
Training should be specific to the employee’s function relative to the confined space. For instance, if the employee is an authorized entrant, then training should focus specifically on tasks and hazards he may face in this role.
In general, training should cover:
Any work that involves contractors also requires special training and communication, both from the host to the contractor and from the contractor to the host.
Documentation
The employer must certify that required training has been accomplished. The certification must contain:
Tips
Checklist
View these confined space checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Monitoring
Equipment
General
This regulation applies to all companies that fall under a particular OSHA standard that requires an emergency action plan. However, it is wise for all employers to have action plans for any emergency that may be reasonably expected to occur in the workplace. Where required by OSHA, employers must develop a plan (called an emergency action plan or EAP) for emergency situations so that there is a literal “plan of action” for employees to take in the event of fires, toxic chemical releases, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, and other similar catastrophic events.
Action steps
Include the following minimum requirements in the EAP to ensure that it covers those designated actions employers and employees must take to ensure employee safety from fire and other emergencies.
Training action plan
You should develop an emergency action team prior to implementing the EAP. Begin by designating and training a sufficient number of employees to assist in the safe and orderly emergency evacuation of their coworkers.
Tips
A map of the facility showing specific areas, exit routes, exit doors, and head count locations is a useful training tool and should also be posted around the company.
If a fire occurs, safe and orderly evacuation is necessary. Your company should have an established evacuation plan, with procedures and exits indicated. Find out what it is and where you are expected to go during a fire or fire drill. A head count location should be established so that once everyone is evacuated, you meet at a designated spot to account for each employee.
Other than fires, severe weather emergencies are the most common emergency situations that occur. Severe weather emergencies include hurricanes, tornadoes, excessive heat, heavy snow, and extreme cold weather conditions.
If a bomb threat is made at your facility, always take the threat seriously. Immediately notify a supervisor or the safety manager of the threat and evacuate the premises (do not search for a bomb unless instructed by police to look for foreign or suspicious objects).
Checklist
Follow these checklists to ensure you and your employees are prepared for any potential emergencies.
Emergency action plan
Disaster recovery
Rescue workers
Alarms and warnings
Fire alarm systems
If you are a general industry employer, the Subpart E Exit routes regulations apply to your company. Your facility must provide a safe means of exiting from buildings or structures for the purpose of general egress, or for the purpose of exiting in the case of fire or other emergencies. In addition, you must also provide a clear and unobstructed path to the entrance of your facility.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.
You must also review the emergency action plan with each employee covered by the plan. This review should be conducted:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure exit routes at your facility meet compliance.
Exit design
Capacity of means of egress
Arrangement of exits
Access to exits
Arrangement of exits
Protective enclosure of exits
OSHA has many requirements concerning fire protection in the workplace. These requirements are found in Subpart L and in some other specific standards. Among the items addressed by OSHA standards is fire brigades, all portable and fixed fire suppression equipment, fire detection systems, and fire or employee alarm systems.
Action steps
Training action plan
The level and type of training needed for fire protection depends on the level and type of fire protection your facility has in place. For instance, if you have a fire brigade, extensive training must be provided to fire brigade members, per 1910.156.
Similarly, if you provide portable fire extinguishers for employee use, such employees must be trained. This training must familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You must also provide training to any employees who have been designated to use fire fighting equipment as part of an emergency action plan. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You should also train all employees on the actions they need to take relative to your emergency alarm system. They should be familiar with the distinct sounds of the system and what each sound means.
Tips
Checklists
Review these checklists to ensure fire safety at your facility.
Fire extinguishers
Fire alarm
Fire detection systems
Fire brigades
Sprinkler systems
OSHA’s Flammable Liquids regulation, 1910.106, applies to all persons who handle, use, store, or transport flammable liquids. A flammable liquid means any liquid having a flashpoint at or below 199.4°F (within that definition, there are four categories of flammable liquids).
Action steps
Training action plan
Any employee involved in storage, transfer, use, or disposal of flammable liquids needs to be trained to handle them safely and to follow your company’s established procedure.
Generally, training content should cover:
In addition, if your company receives, stores, or handles flammable liquids in storage tanks in areas that have the potential to flood, you need to have employees trained on emergency response procedures.
A hands-on approach is appropriate in this part of the training session. In fact, you may want to demonstrate how to do specific procedures related to flammables at your facility. Then allow each employee to try the procedure, so they can perform them correctly and so they will remember them better.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure flammable liquid safety at your facility.
Containers
Handling
Storage
OSHA’s ladder regulations, at 1910.23, apply to any general industry workplace that uses ladders to perform duties (other than construction work) at high elevations.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training content for ladders and stairways depends on the types of equipment and structures your facility has and what work will be performed. In general, workers need to be trained as follows:
Ladders
Content should include:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure ladder safety at your facility.
Design and construction
Stepladders
Stepstools
Inspection and maintenance
Training
OSHA’s Subpart I regulations apply to all persons involved in hazardous processes; environmental, chemical, radiological hazards; or mechanical irritants that are capable of causing injury or impairment of any body part through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact. The categories of personal protective equipment (PPE) include: eye and face equipment, head protection, hand protection, foot protection, fall protection, and respiratory protection (information about respiratory protection is provided in a separate topic area under Respiratory Protection, 1910.134).
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA requires that you provide training to each employee who is required to use PPE. Each such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:
Each affected employee must also demonstrate an understanding of the training and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.
When you have reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required, you must retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure proper PPE usage at your facility.
General
Training
Recordkeeping
Head, foot, and hand protection
Eye and face protection
Personal fall protection
Posting requirements
OSHA’s 1910.119 regulation applies to those companies that deal with any of more than 130 specific toxic and reactive chemicals in listed quantities (See 1910.119 Appendix A); it also includes any Category 1 flammable gas (as defined in 1910.1200(c)) or a flammable liquid with a flashpoint below 100°F (37.8°C) on site in one location, in a quantity of 10,000 pounds (4535.9 kg) or more (with a few exceptions, as outlined in 1910.119(a)(1)(ii)(A) and (B)).
Action steps
Training action plan
You must train each employee involved in operating a process and each employee before being involved in operating a newly assigned process. Training must include:
Also, you must provide refresher training at least every three years, and more often if necessary, to each employee involved in operating a process to assure that the employee understands and adheres to the current operating procedures of the process. You, in consultation with the employees involved in operating the process, must determine the appropriate frequency of refresher training.
Documentation
You must prepare a record that contains the identity of the employee, the date of training, and the means used to verify that the employee understood the training.
Tips
Checklist
Review these process safety management checklists.
Process hazard analysis
Incident investigation
Emergency action plan
Written program
Contractors
Pre-startup safety review
Mechanical integrity
Hot work permits
Management of change
Audits
Training
OSHA’s 1910.144-.45 regulations provide specifications for signs and tags and are intended to cover all safety signs except those designed for streets, highways, railroads, and marine regulations. These specifications do not apply to plant bulletin boards or to safety posters.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training on accident prevention signs and tags is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment to areas where accident prevention signs and tags are used. Training content should generally include:
Consider other safety training issues relative to safety signs such as hazard communication and the specific posting requirements of the chemical-specific standards found in Subpart Z of the 1910 regulations. Training might also cover the information found in the poster describing employee rights under OSHA (poster 2203) which must be displayed somewhere where workers will see it.
OSHA does not require training documentation for Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags, but it is always prudent to keep records anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and what was covered.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists for signs and markings at your facility.
Hazardous substances
Aisles
Materials handling
Emergency
Ladders
Lockout/tagout
Confined spaces
OSHA posters
Electrical
OSHA has various requirements to protect workers from slipping, tripping, or falling. These requirements are in Subpart D. Among other things, OSHA requires that all floors, platforms, runways, and wall and window openings where there is a drop of four feet or more have some type of guarding, or that workers utilize an appropriate personal fall arrest system.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, OSHA requires that the employer must provide training for each employee who uses personal fall protection systems, as well as employees using certain equipment such as ladders, rope descent systems, and dockboards.
The employer must ensure that each employee is trained by a qualified person.
Training for impacted employees must cover pertinent topics, including:
OSHA requires employees be retrained when there is reason to believe the employee does not have the understanding and skill required to work safely. Situations requiring retraining include, but are not limited to, the following:
Training must be provided in a manner that the employee understands.
All employees should be aware of how to prevent slips, trips, and falls by following good housekeeping procedures and when they work on or around:
Training content should generally focus on:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to reduce slips, trips, and falls at your facility.
Walkways
Floor and wall openings
Dockboards
Stairs and stairways
Inspection and maintenance
Training
Solvents are commonly used both in the workplace and at home. They are safe to use when you understand their hazards and know how to protect yourself. Solvents can:
One thing all solvents have in common is that they are used to dissolve another substance. They can be used as cleaners, degreasers, or as ingredients in paints, coatings, or adhesives. Some examples of common solvents include acetone, alcohol, mineral spirits, and perchloroethylene.
Action steps
Note: OSHA regulations do not deal with specific solvents; however, some exceptions apply, depending on the chemical used, the potential for exposure, and the degree of exposure.
For more information, see the following regulations:
Training action plan
Under the requirements of OSHA’s hazard communication standard, affected employees have to be given information and training on the hazards of the solvents they are exposed to at the time of their initial assignment, and whenever a new hazard is introduced into their work area.
Hazard communication
Hazard communication training has to include:
Solvents
Training content for an effective solvent training program should include:
Tips
Checklist
Review this solvent checklist to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Stairways are a common fixture in many workplaces. However, they can pose hazards to workers if not constructed and maintained properly.
Action steps
Training action plan
Before any employee is exposed to a fall hazard, OSHA requires that the employer must provide training for that employee. In terms of stairs, items to keep in mind include:
Training must be provided in a manner that the employee understands.
Tips
Checklist
Review the following standard stairway checklists.
General
Condition
Design and construction
Steps
Fall protection
Handrails
Stair rail systems
Landings and platforms
Inspection and maintenance
Storage racks are a common fixture in many industrial workplaces, from warehouses to manufacturing facilities to retail to automotive repair shops. Common though they may be, these facilities can pose significant hazards if not installed, used, and maintained properly. Although OSHA does not have a specific standard addressing storage racks, the Agency expects employers to provide safe racking and has cited employers under the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act when racking posed serious hazards to workers.
Action steps
Training action plan
Tips
Checklist
Review these storage rack checklists.
Design
Installation
Placarding
Anchoring
Condition
Loads
Fire protection and prevention
Recordkeeping
OSHA’s Subpart O regulations apply to all welders and welding operators who operate electric or gas welding and cutting equipment. The standards apply whether you have a single portable welding unit to do an occasional spot welding task, or if you have large electric welders to use in daily production.
Action steps
Training action plan
Cutters, welders, and their supervisors are required to be trained in the safe operation of welding equipment. Also, fire watchers shall be trained in the use of fire extinguishing equipment. Training content should generally cover:
Consider other safety training issues relative to your welding operations:
Training is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment.
Documentation
OSHA does not require training documentation for safety training on welding, but it is always prudent to keep records anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and who conducted the training.
Tips
Checklists
Follow these checklists to ensure welding safety at your facility.
General
Welding: Equipment
Welding: Fire prevention
Combustible dusts are fine particles that present an explosion hazard when suspended in air in certain conditions. A dust explosion can be catastrophic and cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. In many combustible dust accidents, employers and employees were unaware that a hazard even existed. It is important that employers determine if their operations have this hazard, and if so, that they take action now to prevent tragic consequences.
A wide range of industries possess combustible dust hazards and a wide variety of materials cause combustible dust incidents. (Combustible dusts can be intentionally manufactured powders, such as corn starch or aluminum powder coatings, or may be generated by handling and processing solid combustible materials such as wood and plastic pellets. For example, polishing, grinding, transporting, and shaping many of these materials can produce very small particles.)
Action steps
The following are general action steps that should be taken to identify and control dust hazards. For detailed guidance specific to your operations, consult with a qualified professional, as well as industry standards, as applicable (for example, those published by the National Fire Protection Association).
For chemicals in a solid form that do not present a combustible dust hazard, but may form combustible dusts while being processed in normal downstream uses, OSHA allows the chemical manufacturer some flexibility in labeling requirements. The manufacturer or importer may transmit the label to the customer at the time of the initial shipment, but the label does not need to be included with subsequent shipments unless it changes. This provides the needed information to the downstream users on the potential hazards in the workplace, while acknowledging that the solid metal or other materials do not present the same hazards that are produced when these materials are processed under normal conditions of use.
Training action plan
Workers are the first line of defense in preventing and mitigating fires and explosions. If the people closest to the source of the hazard are trained to recognize and prevent hazards associated with combustible dust in the plant, they can be instrumental in recognizing unsafe conditions, taking preventative action, and/or alerting management. While OSHA standards require training for certain employees, all employees should be trained in safe work practices applicable to their job tasks, as well as on the overall plant programs for dust control and ignition source control. They should be trained before they start work, periodically to refresh their knowledge, when reassigned, and when hazards or processes change.
Tips
The amount of dust accumulation necessary to cause an explosive concentration can vary greatly. This is because there are so many variables — the particle size of the dust, the method of dispersion, ventilation system modes, air currents, physical barriers, and the volume of the area in which the dust cloud exists or may exist. As a result, simple rules of thumb regarding accumulation (such as writing in the dust or visibility in a dust cloud) can be subjective and misleading. The hazard analysis should be tailored to the specific circumstances in each facility and the full range of variables affecting the hazard.
Many locations need to be considered in an assessment. One obvious place for a dust explosion to initiate is where dust is concentrated. In equipment such as dust collectors, a combustible mixture could be present whenever the equipment is operating.
Other locations to consider are those where dust can settle, both in occupied areas and in hidden concealed spaces. A thorough analysis will consider all possible scenarios in which dust can be disbursed, both in the normal process and potential failure modes.The facility analysis must identify areas requiring special electrical equipment classification due to the presence (or potential presence) of combustible dust. Various OSHA standards as well as industry (e.g., NFPA) can be consulted.
Checklist
Follow these checklists to prevent combustible dust hazards.
Hazard assessment
Prevention
Note: Minor, but steady leaks, can cause large amounts of dust to accumulate.
Training
Employees in industry and construction are often asked to perform work in confined spaces, but many confined spaces contain serious hazards that endanger the employees who enter those spaces. For this reason, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to implement certain procedures that protect workers from the hazards posed by confined spaces. These include procedures for identifying physical hazards and hazardous atmospheres in confined spaces, controlling and eliminating these hazards, and more.
Action steps
Training action plans
Training must be such that all employees whose work is regulated by OSHA’s confined spaces standard acquire the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned.
Training must be provided to each affected employee:
The training must establish employee proficiency in the duties required by the confined spaces standard and must introduce new or revised procedures, as necessary, for compliance.
Training should be specific to the employee’s function relative to the confined space. For instance, if the employee is an authorized entrant, then training should focus specifically on tasks and hazards he may face in this role.
In general, training should cover:
Any work that involves contractors also requires special training and communication, both from the host to the contractor and from the contractor to the host.
Documentation
The employer must certify that required training has been accomplished. The certification must contain:
Tips
Checklist
View these confined space checklists to ensure safety and compliance at your facility.
Monitoring
Equipment
General
This regulation applies to all companies that fall under a particular OSHA standard that requires an emergency action plan. However, it is wise for all employers to have action plans for any emergency that may be reasonably expected to occur in the workplace. Where required by OSHA, employers must develop a plan (called an emergency action plan or EAP) for emergency situations so that there is a literal “plan of action” for employees to take in the event of fires, toxic chemical releases, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, and other similar catastrophic events.
Action steps
Include the following minimum requirements in the EAP to ensure that it covers those designated actions employers and employees must take to ensure employee safety from fire and other emergencies.
Training action plan
You should develop an emergency action team prior to implementing the EAP. Begin by designating and training a sufficient number of employees to assist in the safe and orderly emergency evacuation of their coworkers.
Tips
A map of the facility showing specific areas, exit routes, exit doors, and head count locations is a useful training tool and should also be posted around the company.
If a fire occurs, safe and orderly evacuation is necessary. Your company should have an established evacuation plan, with procedures and exits indicated. Find out what it is and where you are expected to go during a fire or fire drill. A head count location should be established so that once everyone is evacuated, you meet at a designated spot to account for each employee.
Other than fires, severe weather emergencies are the most common emergency situations that occur. Severe weather emergencies include hurricanes, tornadoes, excessive heat, heavy snow, and extreme cold weather conditions.
If a bomb threat is made at your facility, always take the threat seriously. Immediately notify a supervisor or the safety manager of the threat and evacuate the premises (do not search for a bomb unless instructed by police to look for foreign or suspicious objects).
Checklist
Follow these checklists to ensure you and your employees are prepared for any potential emergencies.
Emergency action plan
Disaster recovery
Rescue workers
Alarms and warnings
Fire alarm systems
If you are a general industry employer, the Subpart E Exit routes regulations apply to your company. Your facility must provide a safe means of exiting from buildings or structures for the purpose of general egress, or for the purpose of exiting in the case of fire or other emergencies. In addition, you must also provide a clear and unobstructed path to the entrance of your facility.
Action steps
Training action plan
You must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.
You must also review the emergency action plan with each employee covered by the plan. This review should be conducted:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure exit routes at your facility meet compliance.
Exit design
Capacity of means of egress
Arrangement of exits
Access to exits
Arrangement of exits
Protective enclosure of exits
OSHA has many requirements concerning fire protection in the workplace. These requirements are found in Subpart L and in some other specific standards. Among the items addressed by OSHA standards is fire brigades, all portable and fixed fire suppression equipment, fire detection systems, and fire or employee alarm systems.
Action steps
Training action plan
The level and type of training needed for fire protection depends on the level and type of fire protection your facility has in place. For instance, if you have a fire brigade, extensive training must be provided to fire brigade members, per 1910.156.
Similarly, if you provide portable fire extinguishers for employee use, such employees must be trained. This training must familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You must also provide training to any employees who have been designated to use fire fighting equipment as part of an emergency action plan. Training must be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
You should also train all employees on the actions they need to take relative to your emergency alarm system. They should be familiar with the distinct sounds of the system and what each sound means.
Tips
Checklists
Review these checklists to ensure fire safety at your facility.
Fire extinguishers
Fire alarm
Fire detection systems
Fire brigades
Sprinkler systems
OSHA’s Flammable Liquids regulation, 1910.106, applies to all persons who handle, use, store, or transport flammable liquids. A flammable liquid means any liquid having a flashpoint at or below 199.4°F (within that definition, there are four categories of flammable liquids).
Action steps
Training action plan
Any employee involved in storage, transfer, use, or disposal of flammable liquids needs to be trained to handle them safely and to follow your company’s established procedure.
Generally, training content should cover:
In addition, if your company receives, stores, or handles flammable liquids in storage tanks in areas that have the potential to flood, you need to have employees trained on emergency response procedures.
A hands-on approach is appropriate in this part of the training session. In fact, you may want to demonstrate how to do specific procedures related to flammables at your facility. Then allow each employee to try the procedure, so they can perform them correctly and so they will remember them better.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure flammable liquid safety at your facility.
Containers
Handling
Storage
OSHA’s ladder regulations, at 1910.23, apply to any general industry workplace that uses ladders to perform duties (other than construction work) at high elevations.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training content for ladders and stairways depends on the types of equipment and structures your facility has and what work will be performed. In general, workers need to be trained as follows:
Ladders
Content should include:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure ladder safety at your facility.
Design and construction
Stepladders
Stepstools
Inspection and maintenance
Training
OSHA’s Subpart I regulations apply to all persons involved in hazardous processes; environmental, chemical, radiological hazards; or mechanical irritants that are capable of causing injury or impairment of any body part through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact. The categories of personal protective equipment (PPE) include: eye and face equipment, head protection, hand protection, foot protection, fall protection, and respiratory protection (information about respiratory protection is provided in a separate topic area under Respiratory Protection, 1910.134).
Action steps
Training action plan
OSHA requires that you provide training to each employee who is required to use PPE. Each such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:
Each affected employee must also demonstrate an understanding of the training and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.
When you have reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required, you must retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists to ensure proper PPE usage at your facility.
General
Training
Recordkeeping
Head, foot, and hand protection
Eye and face protection
Personal fall protection
Posting requirements
OSHA’s 1910.119 regulation applies to those companies that deal with any of more than 130 specific toxic and reactive chemicals in listed quantities (See 1910.119 Appendix A); it also includes any Category 1 flammable gas (as defined in 1910.1200(c)) or a flammable liquid with a flashpoint below 100°F (37.8°C) on site in one location, in a quantity of 10,000 pounds (4535.9 kg) or more (with a few exceptions, as outlined in 1910.119(a)(1)(ii)(A) and (B)).
Action steps
Training action plan
You must train each employee involved in operating a process and each employee before being involved in operating a newly assigned process. Training must include:
Also, you must provide refresher training at least every three years, and more often if necessary, to each employee involved in operating a process to assure that the employee understands and adheres to the current operating procedures of the process. You, in consultation with the employees involved in operating the process, must determine the appropriate frequency of refresher training.
Documentation
You must prepare a record that contains the identity of the employee, the date of training, and the means used to verify that the employee understood the training.
Tips
Checklist
Review these process safety management checklists.
Process hazard analysis
Incident investigation
Emergency action plan
Written program
Contractors
Pre-startup safety review
Mechanical integrity
Hot work permits
Management of change
Audits
Training
OSHA’s 1910.144-.45 regulations provide specifications for signs and tags and are intended to cover all safety signs except those designed for streets, highways, railroads, and marine regulations. These specifications do not apply to plant bulletin boards or to safety posters.
Action steps
Training action plan
Training on accident prevention signs and tags is required prior to or at the time of initial assignment to areas where accident prevention signs and tags are used. Training content should generally include:
Consider other safety training issues relative to safety signs such as hazard communication and the specific posting requirements of the chemical-specific standards found in Subpart Z of the 1910 regulations. Training might also cover the information found in the poster describing employee rights under OSHA (poster 2203) which must be displayed somewhere where workers will see it.
OSHA does not require training documentation for Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags, but it is always prudent to keep records anyway. Training records can tell you who was trained on what, when, and what was covered.
Tips
Checklist
Review these checklists for signs and markings at your facility.
Hazardous substances
Aisles
Materials handling
Emergency
Ladders
Lockout/tagout
Confined spaces
OSHA posters
Electrical