OSHA / NIOSH / EPA News

January 2010
OSHA publishes employer-specific occupational fatalities on Web site. In support of the Obama Administration’s Open Government Directive launched Dec. 9, OSHA is systematically publishing employer-specific information about occupational fatalities on its Web site.
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Dr. David Michaels confirmed to assume post as head of OSHA. He was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate and was sworn in on Dec. 9 as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Before coming to OSHA, he was a professor and interim chair at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
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OSHA announces informal public hearings on hazard communication rule. OSHA will hold three informal public hearings to accept comments and testimony on the proposed rule to align the agency’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The first hearing will begin March 2 at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210.
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US Department of Labor's OSHA proposes recordkeeping change to improve illness data

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing to revise its Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting (recordkeeping) regulation by restoring a column on the OSHA Form 300 to better identify work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The rule does not change existing requirements for when and under what circumstances employers must record musculoskeletal disorders on their injury and illness logs.

Many employers are currently required to keep a record of workplace injuries and illnesses, including work-related MSDs, on the OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). The proposed rule would require employers to place a check mark in a column for all MSDs they have recorded.

The proposed requirements are identical to those contained in the OSHA recordkeeping regulation that was issued in 2001. Prior to 2001, OSHA's injury and illness logs contained a column for repetitive trauma disorders that included noise and MSDs. In 2001, OSHA separated noise and MSDs into two separate columns, but the MSD column was deleted in 2003 before the provision became effective. OSHA is now proposing to restore the MSD column to the OSHA Form 300 log.

"Restoring the MSD column will improve the ability of workers and employers to identify and prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders by providing simple and easily accessible information," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "It will also improve the accuracy and completeness of national work-related injury and illness data."

OSHA schedules informal stakeholder meetings on combustible dust

WASHINGTON -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has scheduled two informal stakeholder meetings to solicit comments and suggestions on combustible dust hazards in the workplace. OSHA will use comments from these meetings in developing a proposed standard for combustible dust. The meetings are scheduled for Feb. 17, 2010, 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., at the Marriott Perimeter Center, 246 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, Ga., 30346.

Since 1980, more than 130 workers have been killed and more than 780 injured in combustible dust explosions. A Feb. 7, 2008, explosion at an Imperial Sugar Co. plant in Port Wentworth, Ga., killed 14 people and resulted in OSHA issuing nearly $8.8 million in penalties. OSHA is holding the meeting in Atlanta to make it easy for victims' families and others with relevant information about this deadly incident to attend.

"Fourteen people were killed in a combustible dust explosion that was preventable. The deaths need to stop," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. "Information gathered from these meetings will help OSHA move ahead on this urgently needed standard and prevent more deaths from combustible dust explosions."

Combustible dusts are solids ground into fine particles, fibers, chips, chunks or flakes that can cause a fire or explosion when suspended in air under certain conditions. Types of dusts include metal (aluminum and magnesium), wood, plastic or rubber, coal, flour, sugar and paper, among others.

Those interested in participating must register by submitting a notice of intent to participate by Feb. 3. Notices can be submitted electronically by registering at https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/osha/register-osha-stakeholder.htm. Submissions can also be faxed to 781-674-2906 and label it "Attention: OSHA Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meeting Registration," or mailed to ERG, Inc., 110 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, Mass., 02421; Attention: OSHA Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meeting Registration.