OSHA Back on the Prowl

Jim Moody, CAE
President

We’re starting to hear a lot about OSHA ramping up inspections and rule-making. I suppose this was to be expected given the change in power in Washington.

Here are some facts we know:

• OSHA is adding 130 new inspectors nationwide in the coming year.
• Already, 31 new enforcement agents have been put on duty in the Southeast.
• A new rule on crane operation will be published soon. We’ve been working through the NLBMDA to make sure that our industry isn’t saddled with crazy new regulations, but we won’t know for sure whether we were successful until later in the year.
• OSHA is particularly tuned into combustible dust (like sawdust) and silica (which could be emitted as particles when crushing stone or cutting things like cement fiber board).
• Clear definitions of what levels of noise are dangerous have been withdrawn, leaving more latitude to OSHA inspectors to make a subjective determination.

If you don’t have your safety ducks in a row, now is a good time to make changes. While there is no guarantee you will be inspected, it is reasonable to assume that the chances have gone up. There are a variety of resources available to assist with safety. The cheapest first step is to seek a mock OSHA audit from CSA. Contact Larry Marler (larrymarler@gocsa.com or 770-331-7026) if you’d like to schedule a visit.

CSA also developed a safety manual in 2007, which is still relevant today. All CSA Self-Insured Fund members were provided a copy; for non-Fund members, it’s available for a small fee. The manual is provided on disc so that you can select the chapters pertinent to you, insert your business name, and create a customized safety manual for your own business. To order, contact Diane Rountree (dianerountree@gocsa.com or 678-674-1860).

Keep in mind that if you are inspected and violations are found, you are not off the hook once you pay the fine. The rate of re-inspections is going up. If they come back to find that you have not fixed what they found the first time, you will find yourself paying through the nose.

Random Thoughts

Yesterday was the start of winter. I don’t care for the cold at all. I long for the spring even though it means the yard and my nasal passages will be coated with pollen. At times I wonder if I have seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a condition that some people get (or think they get) in winter. I learned about this when I worked as a copy editor for a newspaper right out of college. We had a medical reporter who believed he had this, and he wrote about it a lot. Apparently the short days and lack of sunlight have a dramatic depressive effect on some people.

I don’t seriously believe I have a medical condition, but winter is truly my least favorite time of year. While I’m not depressed, I have found myself recently dwelling on the negative while forgetting the many positives that still exist in my life, the association and our industry. In years past, when I’ve been down, I’ve wrapped myself around the fact that even though it’s cold outside, the days are already getting longer and better times are ahead. Yesterday was the shortest day of the year. While we still have a brutal winter ahead (both in terms of weather and business), the mechanisms to make life better are already working.

As we celebrate Christmas and move into the New Year, all of us at CSA want to wish you the best. Thank you for allowing us to serve you. Good riddance to 2009, and here’s to a better 2010.