SAN FRANCISCO – Fed-OSHA has issued an executive summary of the preliminary economic analysis for its proposed rule for the recording and reporting of workplace deaths, injuries and illnesses. (NEWS p. 00-6382.) It invites public comment on or before May 2. To submit comments or obtain copies of the full analysis, contact the OSHA Docket …
SAN FRANCISCO – Michael Blackford, 32, was installing heavy limestone panels on the 10th floor of a new federal courthouse in Portland, OR, when he fell 150 feet to his death. He reportedly was wearing a full-body harness and was attached to a retractable reel at the time of the accident on February 27. The …
BERKELEY – On February 29, David Pollock, a construction supervisor, was killed at a Port of Los Angeles work site when a cable snapped aboard a construction crane and its boom came down and crushed him. The big crane was leased by Hayward Baker, a Santa Paula-based subcontractor that employed the dead man. Pollock, whose …
BERKELEY – Fed-OSHA is asking for 1995 injury and illness data from 80,000 larger employers in selected high hazard industries. Eight thousand California employers are included. They, like the others, will be getting (or may have gotten) letters explaining that OSHA is asking for the totals from their 1995 Log and Summary (OSHA No. 200) …
BERKELEY – UCLA has begun an evaluation of the causes of occupational lung disease – respiratory problems caused by or affected by work. It is directed by Philip Harber, M.D., M.P.H., and Brenda Merz is the bilingual coordinator. Funding for the five-year study is coming from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Outreach …
BERKELEY – Fed-OSHA has announced proposed revisions of its recordkeeping rules. The changes to recording and reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses are extensive and will be the subject of a public meeting beginning March 26 in Washington, DC. Written comments on the proposal must be postmarked on or before May 2. OSHA says it …
BERKELEY – RECORDING OF MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS (MSDs): “Although MSDs have always been recordable, OSHA and BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) had not published any specific guidance…until 1986.” The 1986 Recordkeeping Guidelines required all back cases to be classed as injuries and carpal tunnel cases as illnesses. In 1990, in the Ergonomics Program Management Guidelines for …
BERKELEY – Associated General Contractors of California has petitioned the Cal-OSH Standards Board to add a sentence to General Industry 5022(c), proof load tests. It would read: “Cranes used in construction such as truck mounted, crawler, tower and hydraulic cranes, shall be proof load tested based on the manufacturer’s load ratings for the conditions of …