Practical Welding Today - July/August 2010

Fall Protection. OSHA has published a proposed new regulation for fall protection and other walking-working surface issues. The current standard allows employers to provide outdated equipment, such as lanyards and body belts, that can result in workers suffering greater injury from falls. The current rule also does not allow OSHA to fine employers who let workers climb certain ladders without fall protection, which would be a new feature of the revised standard.

Cooperative Agreements. OSHA is proposing a new rule for cooperative agreements. Currently businesses that use a federally funded Onsite Consultation Program in cooperation with OSHA, or that have obtained Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) status, are exempt from inspections. In the proposed rule, OSHA would allow compliance safety and health officers to proceed with enforcement visits at sites undergoing consultation visits and at sites that have been awarded SHARP status.

NAICS Update and Reporting Revisions Related to Occupational Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Requirements. This revision reconsiders which businesses/ industries are currently exempt from recordkeeping requirements. It also revises the reporting requirements regarding certain injuries and fatalities.

Currently OSHA uses SIC codes for classifying industries that are exempt from recordkeeping. NAICS codes are much more specific; multiple NAICS codes typically exist within a single SIC code. OSHA is proposing to use these NAICS codes to “fine-tune” which specific businesses are exempt (and which are not!) within what was previously a much more “broad-brush” category.

Work-related Musculoskeletal
Disorders (WMSD). The proposed record-
keeping rule to add a new column for
WMSD will allow OSHA to take a closer
look at ergonomic injuries and illnesses that
occur in the workplace. Currently, no specific
OSHA regulation for ergonomics exists, but
there are guidelines. Lack of employer dili-
gence in avoiding MSDs could result in a
General Duty Clause citation, which states
that the employer must protect the employee
from all recognized hazards. Once again, this
proposed rule is more evidence of OSHA’s
plan to scrutinize more carefully workplace
safety and health issues.

Shannon DeCamp is client services manager for TechneTrain Inc., 140 Wooster Pike, Milford, OH 45150, 513-248-0028, shannon_ decamp@tencon.net. She researches OSHA safety regulations and initiatives and develops resources for business. For more information about OSHA compliance in the metal fabricating industry, visit www.technetrainonline.com.