workplace safety violations can cost money and lives
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Workplace Safety Violations Can Cost Money and Lives By Floyd Arthur Business Insurance Hempstead http://carmoongroup.comTRANSCRIPT
Workplace Safety Violations Can Cost Money and Lives
By Floyd Arthur
In July 2015, an inspector from the U.S Department of Labor Occupational
Safety and Health Administration was driving by a construction site in
North Andover, Connecticut, when he saw three workers on a rooftop about
18 feet above the ground. The inspector determined that the workers were
not wearing OSHA-mandated fall protection and were “one slip, trip or
misstep away from a deadly or disabling fall.” After a subsequent inspection
turned up four additional serious workplace safety violations, the workers’
employer, Woburn, Connecticut based roofing contractor Force Corp., was
assessed a proposed $91,000 in fines.
Workplace safety violations
Nor was this Force Corp.’s first run in with OSHA. The company was cited
for workplace safety violations, specifically around the lack of adequate fall
protection, at four different job sites in 2013.
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 4,679
workplace fatalities in the United States in 2014, and another 1,157,410
workers suffered on-the-job injuries severe enough to require time away
from work. Injuries were most prevalent in the following industries: sheriff’s
patrol officers; correctional officers and jailers; firefighters; nursing
assistants; construction laborers; and heavy and tractor-trailer truck
drivers. About one in four injuries was due to a slip or fall: In the
construction injury, falls were the leading cause of on-the-job deaths,
accounting for nearly 30 percent of all workplace fatalities.
Avoiding Workplace Safety Violations
In 2012, in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program,
OSHA implemented a comprehensive education and training program to
help construction employers minimize on-the-job falls. The campaign
provides employers with information and educational materials on how to
provide the correct fall-protection equipment for workers and train them in
its use.
At the same time, OSHA also created standards that outline safety measures
employers must put in place when employees are working at heights of 6
feet or more. The standards also mandate protection from falling objects,
tripping over or falling through holes, and protection when working around
dangerous equipment, regardless of height. (Fall protection is required, for
example, if a worker is working above belts, pulleys, gears or vats of
corrosive materials.)
OSHA standards mandate specific protections for various situations. Some
of these include:
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Leading edge: Each worker constructing a leading edge 6 feet or more
above a lower level must be protected by guardrail systems, safety net
systems or personal fall arrest systems.
Low-slope roofs : When doing roofing work on a low-slope roof that has one
or more unprotected sides 6 feet or more above ground level, workers must
be protected from falling by:
o Guardrail systems
o Safety net systems
o Personal fall arrest systems
o A combination fall protection system and warning line system - or -
o A warning line system and a safety monitoring system.
Overhand bricklaying: Workers who perform overhand bricklaying 6 feet
or more above a lower level or who reach 10 inches or more below the level
of a working surface must be protected by guardrail systems, safety net
systems, or personal fall arrest systems.
To find out more about avoiding workplace safety violations, review OSHA’s
publication Fall Protection in Construction which provides information
about different types of fall protection systems and the types of workers
who are most at risk. Additionally, the online resource, Stop Falls, offers
fact sheets, posters and videos that illustrate fall hazards in the
construction industry and outline appropriate preventive measures.
As an employer, you are responsible for keeping your workers safe.
Although no workplace is 100 percent hazard free, you can eliminate
workplace safety violations by adhering to OSHA guidelines and
implementing a comprehensive safety program involving all of your
employees.
Not sure how to get started? Contact one of our construction insurance
experts, who can help you assess your risk and make a plan. Call us at 516-
292-3780, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to set up an
appointment, or request a free consultation online today.
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