Smoking Regulations in the Workplace

Secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer. It also can impact the circulatory and respiratory systems immediately. Exposure to secondhand smoke often occurs away from the home for nonsmokers, including inside the workplace. Smoking regulations are an important consideration for businesses, not only to set rules, but also to guard against secondhand smoke.
Purpose

Workplace smoking regulations spell out the specifics on whether is allowed in the workplace. For businesses that choose to allow smoking, the regulations should indicate where the activity is allowed. For example, you may restrict smoking to specific outdoor locations or require that the employees go to their vehicles to smoke. The company smoking policy also should include consequences if employees smoke when it is banned or engage in smoking in banned areas.

Legal Factors

Some states have established laws about smoking in the workplace, and these laws often govern both public and private places of employment. Other states focus primarily on public workplaces or allow for smoking in designated areas. Texas does not have a statewide workplace smoking ban, but a coalition of organizations called Smoke-Free Texas continues to push for such laws. Cities and municipalities also can enact smoking laws. For example, Houston prohibits smoking in enclosed areas of both public and private workplaces, as well as any outdoor space within 25 feet of any doors, handicapped ramps, functioning windows or intake areas for air conditioners.

Benefits

According to the American Cancer Society, there is no safe exposure level to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers cannot avoid exposure when smoking is allowed on the premises. Smoking regulations in the workplace protect nonsmokers from the harmful side effects while they are on the job. The inability to smoke at work may encourage the smokers in the company to quit the unhealthy habit. The policy may also appeal to potential employees who don't smoke.

Actions

Create a written policy that addresses smoking in the workplace. All current employees should sign a copy of the policy to verify that they understand and agree to abide by the regulations. New employees should receive written details about the policy so they are aware of their inability to smoke at work. Allowing employees to smoke in designated areas still puts nonsmokers at risk for secondhand smoke exposure. Smoking near entrances causes exposure for other employees. Allowing any smoking indoors may lead to exposure even if nonsmokers aren't in the immediate area. Ventilation and air cleaning won't adequately remove the exposure risk.

* Shelley Frost, holds a BA in elementary education with a reading endorsement.

Safety Regulations in a Workplace, OSHA helps small businesses comply with their regulations.

Most safety regulations in the workplace are enforced by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Safety regulations are meant to protect workers, while punishing businesses that put their employees in danger. Small business often have the hardest time conforming to ever-changing safety regulations because they lack the manpower and resources to hire their own safety inspectors, but the federal government offers free information to help businesses tackle safety issues.

During the 19th century and earlier, workplace safety regulations were almost nonexistent in the U.S., according to the Economic History Association. The first railroad regulatory commissions appeared the 1840s, but were hardly effective at improving worker safety since they had little legal authority. The first safety regulations appeared during the 1900s and 1910s, such as the formation of the Food and Drug Administration, but mostly to protect people working in dangerous jobs, such as railroads and mines, or as a response to whistle-blowing, muckraking journalists.

OSHA

In 1970, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which established the first federal body--OSHA--to oversee workplace safety, according to the Department of Labor. OSHA, or one of its state approved arms, enforces safety regulations. As of 2010, only the self-employed, families of farmers and those protected by other government agencies, such as the Coast Guard, do not fall under OSHA's jurisdiction.

Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act

Because of the difficulties and expenses incurred by small businesses trying to implement OSHA regulations, Congress passed the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act in 1996, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBREFA offers small businesses more input in federal safety regulations via the SBA and a reduction in penalties for safety violations.

Benefits

Safety regulations not only offer workers a safer working environment, it saves small businesses time and money. Since the inception of OSHA, workplace accidents and fatalities have fallen 40 percent, according to All Business. In addition, each year, 6 million workplace injuries occur--costing Americans about $110 billion each year, according to the OSHA Small Business Handbook.

Tip

Small business can receive help from OSHA to improve their work site by simply requesting a free safety consultation, according to OSHA. OSHA recommends that employers allow employee to participate in the OSHA inspection so they are better informed about safety issues and spotting hazards, and so OSHA can gauge the safety knowledge of the current staff.

* Russell Huebsch, graduated from Baylor University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.

Wooowww....Girls Killed In M25 Crash Horror ! Buuussssseettt

Two young sisters were killed today when they were thrown from a car in a horrific crash which closed the M25.

The girls, thought to be aged six and 10, were hurled up to 20 feet from the car as it overturned at high speed and spun onto the embankment. A man in his mid-to-late-twenties who was in the back seat was also killed. He had to be cut from the wreckage.

The driver is being treated in hospital after the accident w hich happened on the clockwise section of the orbital motorway, between Potters Bar and Enfield, atabout 3am.

Traffic police closed a nine-mile stretch of the clockwise carriageway of the M25 between junctions 23 and 25 in Hertfordshire.

They said the section was likely to be closed until at least mid-morning while investigations into the cause of the accident continued.

An ambulance service spokesman said: "The girls died instantly. It was a terrible sight. The car was completely w recked. The driver was in complete shock. At this stage,it is unclear what caused the car to crash, but no other vehicle was involved."

After overturning, the car spun off the carriageway and up an embankment. It rolled over several times before coming to rest 20 feet up the embankment on the hard shoulder.

Roadside workers raised the alarm and helped police and fire officers in the rescue effort.

The ambulance spokesman for Bedfordshire ambulance service praised five workmen who raised the alarm and helped in the rescue effort.

"They had been on duty on major roadworks nearby and were there when the ambulance arrived," he said. "They were absolutely excellent.."

The M25 has been plagued by crashes throughout the summer. Three weeks ago an entire section was shut for a day after a car and lorry collided between junctions 16 and 17 at Gerrards Cross.

OSHA Topic ; Osha Safety Topics : Worker killed by truck; company says it’s answered enough OSHA questions

You know that if injuries or a fatality bring OSHA to a workplace, its inspection won’t necessarily be limited to conditions involving that particular incident. Despite that being common knowledge, a Nebraska company is fighting OSHA’s attempt to interview two of its managers.


A lawyer for Farmers Cooperative Co. in Talmadge calls OSHA’s attempts to interview its manager and assistant manager about safety practices not connected to the death of an employee a “fishing expedition.”

Here’s the history behind this case:

Employee Roger Teten was killed on Jan. 29 after a truck backed into him.

In May, OSHA sent subpoenas to the two top managers, leading to a deposition on June 5. The managers answered questions about Teten’s death at the deposition.

However, when questions turned to other safety matters at the cooperative, company lawyer James Luers told the two managers not to answer them. Luers said the additional questions would only lead to more OSHA citations.

(Actually, it would only lead to more OSHA citations if the answers to the questions pointed to any additional violations.)

A document obtained by the World-Herald News Service quotes Luers as saying, “Every time the management has interviewed in the past, they (OSHA) utilize that interview to support their citations. And quite frankly, it’s unfair.”

In response, OSHA noted it has broad investigative powers, and the OSH Act allows use of the federal court system to enforce OSHA subpoenas. Ignoring OSHA subpoenas can lead to a finding of contempt of court, which then can lead to fines and jail time.

Luers said the basis for his objection to further questioning of the two managers was the Fifth Amendment, the right against self-incrimination.

OSHA noted there are no criminal charges in this case, so the Fifth Amendment doesn’t apply.
The whole thing is now in the hands of a federal judge.

One note: Farmers Cooperative says, on the matter of the employee death, it’s been working completely with OSHA. Luers says it’s turned over all sorts of documents about the death and the two managers answered questions in June for three hours.

Difficult for employer to win

The OSH Act says OSHA can obtain information from employers provided the investigation is within the agency’s authority, which has been interpreted by at least one federal court as relevant to any inquiry OSHA is authorized to make.

Therefore, it’s unlikely an employer will win a challenge to the scope of a subpoena.And, as OSHA inspectors have said publicly at safety conferences, if you really want to challenge them to find as many things to issue fines for, just stand in their way when they want to perform an inspection.
If it were easy to turn away OSHA inquiries, the standard advice wouldn’t be to be ready for OSHA to inspect your facility, even when you haven’t had injuries or a fatality.

Forklift Certification : ForkLift Certification Which New reg On Top Of OSHA's Priority List ?

OSHA has a lot of proposed new regs in the pipeline, from silica exposure limits to injury and illness prevention programs. Now we have an idea of the order in which they will receive action.
OSHA has released its Spring 2013 Regulatory Agenda. Yep, it came out in July, more than two weeks after spring ended, but that’s been the pattern. The Fall 2012 agenda came out a few days into winter.
Running a little later than expected also seems to be the theme when you compare the two lists. Many items are the same. Some deadlines stated in the Fall 2012 list have since passed. Most items have been pushed back a few months.
Nevertheless, whether the predicted target dates for action stick or not, it’s instructional to check out the agenda. Noting how the proposed regulatory changes are categorized and the order in which they are supposed to be enacted provides a realistic look into OSHA’s priorities, even if the time schedule is little more than wishful thinking.
Those on the “final rule” list are closest to becoming new rules. There are nine items on that list. Four of them involve procedures for the handling of retaliation complaints. The other five are:

• Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting Requirements; NAICS Update and Reporting Revisions (July 2013): This regulatory revision has two parts: 1) Use NAICS instead of SIC system to categorize industries that are partially exempt from maintaining occupational injury and illness records, and 2) Require employers to report to OSHA, within eight hours, all work-related fatalities and all work-related in-patient hospitalizations; and within 24 hours, all work-related amputations. The current regulation requires an employer to report to OSHA, within eight hours, all work-related fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations of three or more employees.
• Electric Power Transmission and Distribution; Electrical Protective Equipment (proposed final rule date July 2013): The construction industry standard addressing the safety of workers during the construction of electric power transmission and distribution lines is nearly 40 years old. OSHA has developed a revision of this standard.
• Walking Working Surfaces and Personal Fall Protection Systems — Slips, Trips and Fall Prevention (November 2013): New technologies and procedures have become available to protect employees from these hazards. OSHA has been working to update these rules to reflect current technology.
• Confined Spaces in Construction (December 2013): In 1993, OSHA issued a rule to protect employees in general industry who enter confined spaces. This would extend the rule to the construction industry.
• Vertical Tandem Lifts (April 2014): In 2011, a U.S. Court of Appeals remanded two provisions of the VTL final rule: the inspection requirement with respect to ship-to-shore VTLs and the total ban on platform container VTLs. OSHA is reopening the record to assess the technological feasibility of those two provisions.

These proposed regs are followed by those in the Proposed Rule stage which are in their comment period or are waiting for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) which sets the comment period timetable.

• Consensus Standard Update — Signage (comment period ends July 15, 2013, with final rule expected to take effect on Sept. 11, 2013): OSHA would update references to consensus standards involving certain types of safety signage but would grandfather signs conforming to the current standard.
• Silica (NPRM July 2013): OSHA proposes to update the permissible exposure limit for silica for general industry. In the Fall 2012 Regulatory Agenda, OSHA expected to release the NPRM in May 2013.
• Improve Tracking of Injuries and Illnesses (NPRM July 2013): OSHA is proposing changes to its reporting system for occupational injuries and illnesses. A modernized electronic reporting system would be put in place.
• Beryllium (NPRM October 2013): Similar to the silica proposal, this would update the PEL for beryllium.
• Injury and Illness Prevention Program (NPRM January 2014): OSHA is developing a rule requiring employers to implement an I2P2 for their workplaces. These would be similar to safety management systems some companies already have in place.

Some other rules that are farther behind in the pipeline:

• Combustible Dust (small business review scheduled to start in November 2013): The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) completed a study of combustible dust hazards in late 2006, which identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that killed 119 workers and injured another 718. Although OSHA can cite companies for combustible dust hazards, the agency doesn’t have a specific regulation addressing them.
• Review/Lookback of OSHA Chemical Standards (request for information scheduled for August 2013): The majority of OSHA’s Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) were adopted in 1971, and only a few have been updated since then.

Safe Tools And Quick Fix Tool Care

Safe Tools
The first rule of tool safety is to buy good quality, as suggested at the beginning of this chapter. You don't have to buy the best, but lowest cost can often mean lowest value. The best value is typically higher-quality tools and equipment purchased at a discount. It's also important to use your tools correctly. It may be tempting to use a screwdriver as a chisel, but doing so can damage the tool and, more important, damage you.

Also, never remove the safety guards installed on power equipment, and always wear safety goggles when working with power equipment. Safety glasses should also be worn when sanding, filing, or doing any other job that produces flying particles. Make sure your safety glasses wrap around the sides to keep deflected particles from reaching your eyes from any angle.

Once you've purchased high-quality tools and learned how to use them properly, you're good to go -- right? Not quite. The most dangerous tool is one that isn't well maintained. A dull saw is less safe than a sharp one. A hammer with a loose handle can do more damage than one in good repair. A power tool with a frayed cord can electrocute you. So, be diligent about tightening loose parts, fixing damaged cords, and sharpening dull blades.

Quick Fix Tool Care

1. Quality tools aren't cheap. Fortunately, with care, they can last many years and be a better long-term investment than cheap tools. Here are some useful tips on tool care.
2. Protect your tools from moisture. Keep a thin coating of oil on metal parts, wrap them in plastic wrap, or keep carpenters' chalk or mothballs (both of which absorb moisture) in your toolbox.
3. A piece of garden hose slit open is a handy protective cover for the teeth of a handsaw between projects. Circular saw blades store conveniently in heavy shipping envelopes.
4. To remind yourself to unplug an electric drill when changing accessories, fasten the chuck key near the plug end of the cord.
5. Tack rags will last longer if they're stored in an airtight container to keep them from drying out. Airtight storage also prevents spontaneous combustion, which can be very dangerous. (This safety tip applies equally well to other rags, coveralls, work gloves, and any other clothes that might absorb flammable oils and solvents.)
6. Don't take a chance of hitting a thumb or finger when hammering a small brad, tack, or nail. Slip the fastener between the teeth of a pocket comb; the comb holds the nail while you hold the comb. A bobby pin or a paper clip can be used the same way as a comb.

Safe Ladders

A sturdy stepladder will make lots of quick fixes easier, from changing lightbulbs to painting a room to cleaning gutters to replacing a smoke alarm battery. If you don't already own one, get one. Invest in a good ladder, and use it for all those out-of-reach projects.

Most home-use ladders are made of wood or aluminum. Depending on quality, both types are reliable. Aluminum, however, weighs only 20 to 50 percent as much as wood, which means it's easier to take it in and out of storage or move it around. On most good ladders you'll find labels that indicate a rated strength. For example, a Type I industrial-grade ladder, rated at 250 pounds, is the strongest. A Type II commercial-grade ladder is rated at 225 pounds; Type III is rated at 200 pounds. Fortunately, each type has actually been successfully tested at four times its rated load. For around-the-house purposes, invest in security and durability and buy a Type II ladder. One that's 6 feet tall will do for most homeowners, but taller ones -- 8, 10, 12, and all the way up to 16 feet -- are available. For an extra measure of safety, get one with rubber or plastic feet so your ladder won't skid on hard floors.

If you're painting a ceiling from a single stepladder, you'll find yourself going up and down like a yo yo, constantly moving the ladder to reach unpainted areas. A safer alternative is to buy a second ladder of the same size. Then, using a pair of 2-by-8-foot boards, make a scaffold between them -- a platform from which you can paint for longer periods of time by moving from one end of the bridge to the other. For stability, don't make your scaffold higher than is absolutely necessary and no longer than 6 to 8 feet in length. Use C-clamps to fasten each end of the 2-by-8s to a rung of each ladder.

Using Ladders Safely

1. There's no such thing as an absolutely safe ladder. Gravity is always an unrelenting enemy. However, below are ways to greatly reduce your risk of accidents and injury with ladders.
2. Always open a stepladder to its fullest position, lock the spreader braces on each side in place, and pull down the bucket shelf.
3. Whether you are going up or coming down, always face the ladder head-on, and use both hands to hold onto the side rails or rungs.
4. Don't climb higher than two rungs from the top; don't sit or stand on the top or the bucket shelf.
5.  To keep yourself from overreaching and getting off balance, never let your navel go beyond either of the ladder's side rails.
6. If you must work on a ladder in front of a door, lock the door.
7. Put the paint can or tray on the bucket shelf before you climb the ladder. And don't go up the ladder with tools in your hand or in your pockets.
8. Always open a ladder to its fullest position and always face the ladder head-on.

 Electrical Safety

Electricity can help you -- or it can hurt you. An appliance can make your coffee in the morning. A frayed cord can electrocute you. Here are some rules for working safely with electricity.

• Never work on an electrical circuit that is live or attached to an electrical source. Unplug the circuit, trip the circuit breaker, or unscrew the fuse before you begin working.

• Use only equivalent replacement parts. That is, replace a controller with one that has the same function and rating. Don't replace a 10-amp appliance cord with one that is rated for 5 amps.

• Some appliances use capacitors, which are electrical components that store high voltage. Touching a charged capacitor, such as those in a microwave oven, can electrocute or burn you.

• Carefully check all loose wires for related damage or stress, and reconnect them using electrical tape, wire nuts, or other enclosing fasteners. Not only can a loose wire break an electrical circuit, it can also injure you if you touch it while it is energized or hot. Loose wires are caused by vibration or other factors.

• Most important, think before you act. Electricity follows strict laws. You must follow the same laws in order to repair electrical systems safely.

Using common sense and the right tools will help you tackle home improvement repairs or projects safely and with confidence.